Smart TVs run a fairly wide gamut these days. It means you can spend upwards of R50k on a large device that will form the central hub of your living room, but also affords more cost savvy consumers the opportunity to spend their money wisely.

That is where the latest offering from Skyworth comes into play, the SUD9300F. It’s a 50″ Android TV powered panel that ticks many of the necessary boxes, but at a recommended price of R7 999 (depending on where you shop), the Skyworth SUD9300F carries with it a few concessions.

Having spent the past couple of weeks with the Skyworth SUD9300F as our daily driver, here’s where it excels and falls short.

Unbox and go

We start of course, when it comes to devices of this size, with the setup.

Where past TVs we have reviewed have normally been a two-person job to unpack, set up and start viewing, the SUD9300F (how we’ll be referring to it) is fairly easy for one person to handle.

In terms of the elements you need to take care of before placing it atop of a plasma or media unit, the SUD9300F has two plastic feet. It is the first time we have encountered plastic ones, with metal in varying degrees of quality usually being the go-to in this department.

As such, it serves as an example of some of the areas that Skyworth has chosen to “cut” some corners in a bid to deliver on the visuals while also keeping the asking price reasonable.

While metal feet would have been appreciated here, the plastic ones are screwed into place quickly and at 9.2kg, the 50″ TV can be positioned as desired.

Next is the various inputs. On this front the SUD9300F is relatively well appointed. There are three HDMI 2.0 ports, two USB 2.0 Type-A slots and a single SPDIF optical output. There is a LAN port too and in terms of connectivity, dual-band WiFi (2.4GHz and 5.0GHz) supported along with Bluetooth 5.0.

Sure, there are TVs out there with more ports or a more elegant orientation on the rear, but the options offered here will definitely get the job done.

No frills

Sticking with setup for a little while longer, the WiFi connection was breeze to get going. That may seem like a given, but often interfaces on smart TVs can prove a little cumbersome and difficult to navigate.

On the SUD9300F it was as simple as it comes, with the pure Android TV interface quite pleasant.

Again, this might seem like an area most TV makers would have nailed by now, but having reviewed LG, Samsung and Hisense units in the past, the quality of experience can differ wildly.

We were also fans of the built-in voice control on the SUD9300F.

Having used a 2019 LG unit as our non-review daily driver, the addition of voice control via the remote has become truly essential, especially when trying to navigate YouTube, Netflix, web browsing and other apps sans a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse connected to the device.

Similarly, the voice controls via the Android TV OS is most welcome and something that is not as common as you may think, particularly with smart TVs in this price bracket.

Solid as it comes

Now for the visuals and here the SUD9300F does not shine per se, but certainly delivers a solid all around experience. The resolution on offer on this 50″ unit is 3840×2160, with 280nit brightness, up to 60Hz refresh rates and support for HDR10.

While the resolution yields relatively crisp visuals, for those wanting to use the TV for console gaming, it may not deliver the desired experience.

Again, the performance is not sub-par or poor, but moving from a device with higher refresh rates and brightness, you can spot the differences.

An example of this is live sports, which can look a little dull, albeit relatively detailed.

Looking at some of the other features Skyworth has made available here, along with the Android TV OS, the Google Play Store is the native app marketplace, with Chromecast also built-in.

The same goes for Netflix, Showmax and DStv Now, but with the Chromecast added to the mix, most streaming platforms apart from Apple are catered for.

As such, the heavy collaboration with the Google here means the SUD9300F is well placed for those who are invested in the Android ecosystem. That said, it is not a prerequisite for consuming content on this TV, but rather enriches the experience.

Final verdict

At R8k (RRP), the Skyworth SUD9300F is a well appointed smart TV.

50″ in size, it is very much a device that is well suited for a certain size of room. Is is a centre piece though? The short answer is no and while it may get your through a few years, it may not fall into the category of technology investment.

That said, the price to value here is tough to beat and for those on a budget, it is hard to argue against what Skyworth has packaged in this device. It therefore makes it a great secondary TV, if that is what you’re in the market for.