Polaroid 3-32-LED-14 review

Polaroid delivers another tempting package with a decent picture and smart offering for a giveaway price Tested at £200

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

Polaroid delivers another tempting package with a decent picture and smart offering for a giveaway price

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

Polaroid is quickly becoming hot on our bargain TV brand list. After its dirt-cheap 42in 5-42-LED-14 swooped out of a packed test with four stars – exceeding expectations on all counts – the instant-film camera company returns here to repeat history with its 32in HD Ready set.

At a cuddly £200 (Polaroid TVs are sold exclusively at ASDA supermarkets in the UK), it’s easy to match up against the Finlux 32H8075-T (£200), though similarities don’t end with price.

Features

£200 doesn’t bring you the flashier interfaces of pricier rivals, but it gets the important things right

£200 doesn’t bring you the flashier interfaces of pricier rivals, but it gets the important things right

The familiar gold-on-black horizontal strip menu we’ve seen on Finlux sets features here, in addition to a blue single-page portal where you can access the usual online services (BBC iPlayer, Netflix and YouTube); your social media (Facebook and Twitter) accounts; and an ‘app market’, which houses a few handfuls of free downloadable apps, too.

Your £200 doesn’t bring you the flashier interfaces of pricier rivals, but it gets the important things right: simplicity and ease of use. Tabs and apps are coherently spaced-out and clearly labelled.

If you’re new to Smart TVs, this is a good place to start. The remote, which is also a carbon copy of the Finlux's tall, chunky design (minus the brand logo, of course), is responsive and prompt.

A supplied USB dongle grants the Polaroid wi-fi by simply plugging it in, though a LAN input allows for a wired connection via an ethernet cable too.

Three HDMI, two USB, a scart and PC inputs are also onboard, as well as a coaxial output and Freeview HD digital tuner.

Performance

A safe bet would be to run a THX Optimiser test to balance picture brightness and contrast in particular

A safe bet would be to run a THX Optimiser test to balance picture brightness and contrast in particular

It’s all very well being able to tick the boxes marked ‘features’ and ‘interface’, but picture performance needs to impress. And just like Polaroid’s 5-42-LED-14, it does.

Load up the latest Jean-Claude Van Damme-starring action thriller Enemies Close on Blu-ray and the picture is crisp and clear as we enter the film’s wooded setting.

Cabin floorboards are sharply outlined and details in the panels’ varying patterns are laid bare. Colours appear strong and punchy, too, as the greens of the forest and reds of the drug cartel’s jackets litter the screen.

Inevitably, hues aren’t as deep or rich as those produced on the best (around twice the price) sets, but we’re fans of the Polaroid’s convincing delivery and even tone.

Fresh from the box, there’s a slight issue with factory settings that cause unwanted glare on faces. Run the telly through a THX Optimiser test – fine-tuning brightness and contrast along the way – and that dies down nicely.

As a result, contrast is good. Night-time backgrounds are appropriately pitch black, while whites have pop - though nuances in shades are often soft-pedalled.

The remote is a copy of the Finlux 32H8075-T's tall, chunky design. It's on the large size but the layout is clear

The remote is a copy of the Finlux 32H8075-T's tall, chunky design. It's on the large size but the layout is clear

The Polaroid misses the Finlux’s natural-looking picture warmth, so skin can look a little brazen at times.

We’d keep colour temperature to ‘Normal’, though, as ‘Warm’ adds an unnatural sandy overlay, and ‘Cool’ accentuates its inherent paleness. Motion isn’t an issue, mind: forest flights are two a penny in the film, and the set stays blur-free with trees in the backdrop keeping a solid outline.

And as the pursuit continues into the dead of night, the Polaroid successfully scrambles after detail and clarity.

Switch to broadcast programming and the set’s Freeview HD tuner livens up daytime TV with bright, vivid colours.

Naturalness is forsaken for a slightly overcooked delivery, though the picture’s punch, sharpness and detail make it a satisfying watch – even with standard-definition programmes.

In typical flatscreen fashion, sound is relatively thin and hard.

Having relatively little weight behind it, it doesn’t do justice to action sound effects, though it gets away with more uneventful daytime viewing.

Dialogue is clear and volume can hit some height. Although the cheapest of soundbars will add body and volume, you’re talking another £150-200 to get your hands on one.

Build and design

The 3-32-LED-14 might not have the most fetching design out there – its black plastic bezel is meatier-than-most and its *cm-deep frame not as slimline as some – but we can’t fault its sturdy build.

It sits rigidly on the four-spoke stand, which keeps nicely tucked close to the unit for convenient placement on a tabletop.

Verdict

We still feel lucky to get 32in Smart tellies for just £200, but when they have a decent picture to boot, the great-value incentive really hits home.

This Polaroid is one of those standout sets and, though its sound and design are rather less inspiring than its picture, it’s certainly worth boot space among your weekly groceries.

What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.


Read more about how we test