Whenever those heated discussions veer toward the best TV panels on the planet right now, they invariably land on LG’s OLED and Samsung’s QLED HDTVs.

Yes, there’s no doubting their ability to provide jaw-dropping picture quality—but at what price? During this ongoing coronavirus pandemic, many people, understandably, just aren’t in a financial situation where they can just throw around $2,000 or $3,000 on a top-of-the-line HDTV.

If you do share such sentiments, then make sure to take a long hard look at Vizio’s sixty-five-inch P-Series Quantum X. And right now, this highly regarded set is retailing for only $1,200. If you happen to desire an even bigger display, know that the seventy-five-inch monster is going for a reasonable $1,700. 

Be aware that Quantum X’s panel will probably never topple LG’s OLEDs from the best-picture summit, but it does emphatically meet the high standards of the best LCD-based, quantum dot-enhanced HDTVs out there—including Samsung’s much-vaunted QLED models.

Like its OLED counterpart, the Quantum X, employing its own next-generation quantum-color technology, boasts outstanding deep black levels and a uniform screen. And as an added bonus, this Vizio offering can get much brighter than LG’s more expensive panels—a much-needed perk if you have bright rooms or want to enjoy daytime TV-viewing.

In order to achieve its top-notch premium picture quality, the Quantum X features a hefty number of zones for full-array local dimming, which is definitely the best way to improve any screen’s contrast ratio. Not to be outdone, the set comes with a true 120Hz refresh rate panel and fully supports both HDR10 and Dolby Vision.

However, much like Samsung’s QLEDs and other LCD-based TVs, the Quantum X doesn’t perform as well when it comes to wide-angle viewing. So, if you have wraparound or side seating with extreme TV angles, make sure to take note. You can rest assured in knowing that there will surely be no complaints if you’re sitting directly in front of the set.

The Quantum X also flaunts heavy-duty video processing and low input lag that can go a long way in taking your gaming experience to the next level. You can count on the ProGaming Engine feature to help eliminate screen tearing and stuttering, and the end result is noticeably smoother gameplay—no matter how graphics-intensive the games are. You can consider yourself good to go while waiting to get your hands on the next-generation consoles from PlayStation and Xbox.

Perhaps the biggest complaint with the Quantum X is the SmartCast smart TV operating system. Compared to Roku TV and Android TV, it just isn’t as responsive and the user-experience is riddled with too many hiccups. Moreover, the overall selection of apps is lacking somewhat, so if you love having more content than you can handle, then it’s best to look elsewhere.

Ethen Kim Lieser is a Minneapolis-based Science and Tech Editor who has held posts at Google, The Korea Herald, Lincoln Journal Star, AsianWeek and Arirang TV. Follow or contact him on LinkedIn.