Thomson Jio 43-inch QLED TV review: Bang for the buck

Published On: 4 Mar, 2025

Smart TV operating systems have undergone significant changes over the past decade. When we saw the first generation of smart TVs, the “Smart OS” was limited to flagship offerings from Sony, LG and Samsung with Android TV, WebOS and Tizen, respectively. The budget TVs were plagued with AOSP (Android Open Source Project) UIs, giving users a lacklustre experience and forcing them to resort to devices such as the Google Chrome Cast or Fire TV Stick for a true “Smart TV” experience. However, as time progressed, we saw Android TV become Google TV and find its way to budget TVs. We also saw the entrance of the Fire TV UI, which gave users the Fire TV experience without resorting to the dongle. Fascinating changes have happened in the smart TV space, and we are once again at the precipice of a new player changing the smart TV space – Jio.

The Jio Tele OS was initially only available on Jio set-top-boxes but has now found its way to TVs like the Thomson 43-inch TV, which is priced at a tempting Rs 18,999. As the first TV to come with the Jio Tele OS built-in, is it smart enough to take on the competition?

Table of Contents

OS and UI

Since the biggest changes to the TV are in the UI and OS, let’s start there. Fire up the TV, and you will be greeted by the Jio Tele logo and UI. You have to log into your Jio ID, and if you don’t have one, creating one is as simple as putting in your phone number and receiving an OTP. Unlike other smart TVs, where you can bypass a login/registration, you can’t do so here.

Once you are logged in, you have a UI very similar to that found on Xiaomi’s PatchWall, Google TV or even the Fire TV UI. This isn’t a bad thing, as all the UIs mentioned above are user-friendly, making it easy to find your streaming services and popular apps.

The top of the UI has a tab for movies and TV shows, followed by a carousel of content. After that, we have AI content recommendations.

Downloading apps is as simple as going to the Jio Store and choosing the ones you want. The TV supports all popular apps such as Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube, JioHotstar, SonyLiv and many more. It does not have the Apple TV app, and I am not counting that as a con as Apple TV is still a niche, and if you are consuming Apple TV content, chances are you already have a Fire TV stick or an external device that supports the same.

Overall, the UI isn’t perfect, and I had it crash on me a couple of times, but it’s nothing that can’t be fixed with a few updates in the future. The UI is based on Android TV, which is fine. The TV will have a local appeal, especially since it offers more than 400 free live channels with a wide variety spanning sports, regional content, movies, music, and more. Getting to the channels is quite easy. It has a dedicated section at the top of the home screen that houses all the channels.

When you use the TV for the first time, you will have to download the Jio TV app. The UI can be slow the first time you navigate the TV, but after a few hours of using the TV and browsing different channels, it works well. I am sure the UI will evolve with consumer feedback as more people start using it.

It is amazing that you can get almost all the popular channels that the masses would like to watch for free. To log in, you need only an internet connection and a mobile phone number. I can see the appeal of budget TV users switching to this TV. The UI also supports multi-language voice controls, but I only tried English, and it worked fine for me.

Display panel and picture quality

As the name suggests, the TV has a QLED panel. You can check out some of the key specs of the display below:

43-inch panel
No Dimming Zone
HDR 10 and HLG support, no Dolby Vision
Dolby Digital Plus support, no Dolby Atmos
VA panel

Since the display is a VA panel, the viewing angles are ok. The viewing angles are decent for a 45-degree seating arrangement (keeping the display in the centre). After 45 degrees, you will start seeing a colour shift, which at this price point is acceptable. The TV supports HDR 10 and HLG but does not support Dolby Vision. I am ok with the TV not supporting Dolby Vision, as HDR 10 should be good enough for most users at this price point. For audio, the TV supports Dolby Digital Plus only and not Dolby Atmos. Again, for the price point, this works well. The advantage of the VA panel on this TV is that you get deeper blacks when compared to an IPS panel, but the downside is the narrower viewing angles.

HDR and SDR performance

We played a slew of content from streaming services in HDR 10, and the short answer is that the TV’s performance is quite good. While Prime Video and Netflix have ample content in HDR, the TV’s performance will not give you retina-burning brightness in HDR. It will give you a clean and crisp image, which is what you’d expect. The picture presets are also quite simple, and I found that using Standard or Soft was the best option for content consumption. For some movies, you can keep the preset as standard and change the colour temperature to warm and have a good experience. Overall, considering the price, the TV offers good picture performance.

Gaming performance

The TV does not have a dedicated game mode or support ALLM. This is fine, as I doubt the audience it is aiming for is looking at it as a gaming TV. Nonetheless, we connected a PS5 and an Xbox Series X to check out the TV’s gaming prowess.

The TV supports 4K at 60Hz or 1080p 120Hz – typical for most budget TVs. Apart from Dirt 5, which has the same problem we saw in the JVC TV (review) we recently reviewed, the other games ran perfectly well, albeit with a bit of noticeable input lag. We played Spider-Man 2, Ratchet and Clank, and Astro Bot on the PS5, and all the games looked good with punchy colours and smooth animations. There is no real complaint, and once you get used to the input lag, you can enjoy some casual gaming on the TV. On the Xbox front, we played Gears 5 and Doom Eternal, and in a fast-paced game like Doom Eternal, the lag was noticeable.

Audio performance

The Thomson TV’s audio performance is quite decent, considering its price. For everyday viewing of TV shows, news, and documentaries, it does the job just fine. However, in the mixed action sequences, the TV sounds tinny, and you’ll find yourself missing a quality soundbar. However, the TV supports ARC. So you can connect a nice soundbar if you want.

Connectivity options

Speaking of which, the TV has three HDMI ports, one of which supports ARC. The TV also has two USB ports, an Optical port, AV port, ethernet port, and a 3.5mm port. There’s also a good old antenna for those who like to keep it old school. It also supports Bluetooth and dual-band Wi-Fi.

Remote control

The Thomson TV has a simple, compact remote control that only houses the essential controls, which I like. It also has a plastic build, with a good grip. In addition to the power, settings, and source, it has a dedicated button for voice controls and dedicated OTT hotkeys for Netflix, YouTube Hotstar, and JioCinema. However, it should be noted that after the merger of JioCinema and Hotstar, the JioCinema hotkey doesn’t work.

Build and design

The Thomson TV has almost no bezels on three sides with a slightly thick bezel at the bottom with the Thomson branding. No complaints here. The TV is quite slim, with small housing on the back for the internals and connectivity options. It has a plastic build with two plastic feet that hold the TV in place when kept on a tabletop.

Verdict

If you are on a tight budget and looking for a 43-inch TV under 20K, then you can consider the Thomson 43-inch QLED TV. It has the Jio Tele OS, which, despite a few bugs, works quite well. The 400 free channels are a big plus. The picture quality is good for everyday content consumption. It has ample connectivity options as well. The speakers aren’t the best for mixed content like action movies, but they get the job done quite well for everyday TV viewing.

Editor’s rating: 8/10

Pros