This is the new Haier C900 TV, and it is based on the Google TV OS, has a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, Dolby Vision IQ, and Dolby Atmos certified with Harman Kardon speakers, and best of all, it has an OLED panel, and it starts at only RM7,499 for the 55” variant and RM9,999 for the 65” variant. So the question is, is this the best value TV out there?
So if you’ve been following the channel, this is the first time that I’ve been reviewing a Haier brand TV, and besides the price factor, the main reason why I wanted to review this TV firstly was because Haier has been ranked Global No.1 by Euromonitor for 15 consecutive years in 2024.
Second of all, is the fact that it has 3 years of warranty.
So those are the reasons why it made me feel a bit more interested in this particular TV, especially for this C900 series, which is of their Crystal Clear Innovation.
Design
Starting from the design, it is lovely to know that the TV’s design makes it look like a centerpiece in the living room, almost like a piece of art even when you don’t mount it on the wall.
The stands that connect at the back of the TV are made of metal, and the rounded base connecting it is made of high-quality hard plastic. The stand was very sturdy which was really great to know because while TVs out there are usually great in quality, the stand is usually extremely not sturdy as some TV manufacturers assume that everyone is mounting the TV on the wall. So here is something that really is worth mentioning and very much appreciated.
Then one of the best ways to differentiate the TV compared to other TVs is the fact that the speakers are at the bottom front of the TV, which overall complements the look and has a more unique aesthetics. Now this is also complemented by the fact that the woofers are at the back of the TV, which is great, and I’ll talk about in detail on this Harman Kardon speakers later on.
And finally, to top the overall design is the ultra-slim panel, where this overall slim bezel gives the overall premium look as well.
Specs
So for you spec nerds out there, let’s talk about that now.
Firstly, the C900 series has a resolution of 3840 x 2160; it comes in two sizes as mentioned earlier, 55” and 65”, and the one that I’m reviewing is the 65” variant. What’s great is that the active screen area of the 55” variant is 54.5” and 64.5” for the 65” variant, hence we’re looking at a very high screen-to-body ratio on the TV.
As mentioned, it is an OLED panel, so as you probably may or may not know, I just love OLED panel TVs since the blacks are true blacks and the overall dynamic range is better.
This particular model has a 98.5% DCI-P3 Color Gamut and 10-bit color depth, so it is a very color-accurate display, so much so that I’m considering using this TV as my video editing monitor… should I?
As for the ports, it has two HDMI 2.1 ports that can support up to 4K 120Hz and another two HDMI 2.1 ports specifically for eARC support which have compliance with the Auto Low Latency Mode, also known as the ALLM, and the Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) as well.
Then there are also other worth-mentioning inputs like the headphones jack, the Ethernet port, the optical port, with 2 USB version 2.0 with FAT32 file input support, so please ensure that the thumb drive or the hard drive that you’re plugging into the TV needs to be in that FAT32 format.
Experience
All right, so I’m going to divide the review of my visual experience into 3 categories: movies, sports, and gaming.
So, the majority of my movie viewing experience has always been on Netflix and Disney+ Hotstar and thanks to Dolby Vision IQ support, it will not only adjust to the Dolby certification that each movie content brings but also, in case you do not know, that Dolby Vision IQ specifically means that it adapts to the environment.
So, if the area of the TV is dark or bright, it will adjust to the overall environment. Now, that is something that I really appreciated more, or I’m sure you will too because sometimes you want to place the TV next to a window or just place it in the dedicated home theater space in your home or your office with a truly dark environment, so it will adapt accordingly.
Then, of course, thanks to its being an OLED panel, when watching movies, all the information on the darker areas was great and the brighter areas were handled very well, with no signs of blooming or glow that you would usually get in most LED TVs.
I also played some HDR content on the TV and it was nicely lit during a darker environment and even in a very bright environment here, once again thanks to the Doby Vision IQ with all of the high-quality studio video lights turned on here in the studio.
Next, as for sports, being a hardcore Liverpool fan, I did enjoy my experience watching football matches on this TV, and my biggest gripe with TVs, in general these days is that the dedicated sports mode usually makes everything extremely saturated, including their jerseys and the grass or the field, so it’s nice to know that here on this C900 series, the dedicated Sports Picture Mode has an outstanding balance of contrast, and most importantly, a very good balance on the overall saturation.
Now, even though 120Hz is not meant to be seen in sports-related content, but due to the variable refresh rate and the MEMC, also known as Motion Estimation, Motion Compensation, made the overall experience of the players running and the camera pan movements during the match very smooth.
And I also noticed that the wide-angle viewing of the screen from different areas was really good too. So if you’re inviting your friends or family when watching a football match, this TV would be the best companion.
Speaking of high refresh rate, you would see a huge difference in the gaming performance because this gaming experience on the TV was even better than I expected.
The reason why I said this was because gaming may not have been Haier’s calling card in the past but after experienced gaming on this C900 Series, I can confidently say that this TV is indeed a great gaming TV, especially for fighting or racing-type games.
Sound
Well, going into the speakers, because this is the added value of the TV, let’s dive deeper into the speakers’ performance next.
So typically, I wouldn’t have a dedicated topic on sound when I review TVs, because usually the built-in speakers do not sound great. There are two reasons for this: mainly, speakers that come in TVs are not from dedicated reputable audio brands, and second, the speakers that usually come in TVs either face at the back or even at the bottom.
Well, those two things are not an issue for this C900 series, because it covers those flaws by having 3 Harman Kardon speakers, and the speakers are faced in front where speakers should be placed at, and honestly, it sounded like a mini sound bar, especially when playing Dolby Atmos content like Gran Turismo’s action scene on Netflix was incredibly lively with the dialogue interpreting very well.
And for the first time ever, I can truly say that you don’t need additional sound bar or speakers, as the audio did fill the room very well and the overall sound quality was very comparable to something like the Sonos Beam soundbar, since it also has Dolby Atmos. But remember that the Sonos Beam cost close to RM3,000, which is something that you can save your money on on this C900 Series.
I even played Hardwell’s live concert at his set at the Ultra Music 2024 on YouTube Music and even half of its volume the sound was truly amazing!
Software
Then, finally, let’s talk about the Google TV Operating System.
Now, if you know me and watch my TV reviews, I’m always skeptical about my experience with the Google TV software because although you can find pretty much every app on the Google Play Store, but most of the time the apps are not really optimized for TV viewing, especially with this 16:9 aspect ratio.
And finally, it’s great to know that Google has stepped up its software game on the C900 because the speed of loading the apps and navigating on the Google TV OS was smooth without any sort of lag or jitters.
I like the interface of the apps where the apps are arranged on top, then the continue tab is right below it, and having the services arranged in rows at the bottom makes it super clean and easy to navigate, instead of the previously cluttered interface. And some dedicated TV OS has the UI very cluttered too, so it’s nice that this had a very minimal interface.
The voice prompt also works very well too, and the Chromecast features are also seamless as long as you have a stable internet connection. You can cast from your phone to your TV very easily too.
Speaking of which, the remote control was really comfortable to hold with dedicated buttons for services like Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, and more. And what’s unique is the fact that the remote has volume buttons at the side, giving you a smartphone-like experience, and you’ll also find a mute button over there too, something that other TVs that I’ve reviewed before never had.
Conclusion
So, in conclusion, the Haier C900 TV is surely the best value for money as of now, where you can get your hands on both sizes from close to 200 authorized dealers nationwide.
So if you’re looking for a very pleasing OLED screen where every detail is crystal clear and also has an amazing sound system built-in inside of the speakers, and with the newly improved Google TV operating system, it is all about the experience of the TV, the moments it creates, and the innovation it represents.