This budget-friendly Panasonic TV can replace your old one in a pinch (but that’s about it)

It’s unusual, but for this review, I tested a 50-inch version of Panasonic’s 2025 W70B Fire TV. (Usually, I test 65-inch models.) At $349 for this screen size, I spent some time testing the W70B, and here’s what I can tell you about it.

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As with any TV, I’m grateful for an easy setup — unboxing the W70B took less than 15 minutes. I was astonished by the super lightweight feel of this TV. I would never recommend doing this, but I could literally grasp this 50-inch TV at the center top of the frame and pick it up with one hand. If portability is an essential factor in your decision to buy a TV, this is a solid option. 

I’ve tested countless TVs at ZDNET. To remain objective, I need to temper my expectations after reviewing high-end models. I acknowledge that the W70B is considered a budget TV, but unfortunately, I found that the W70B’s waiflike weight and lack of density portended some of its shortcomings.   

By its feathery heft alone, the TV feels a bit like a toy, or a functional prop on a movie set. That sounds kind of brutal, but I’m just being honest, here. 

Each time I powered on the W70B, it took several seconds to present a workable screen. Unfortunately, several seconds is too much in the world we live in today. With a strong Wi-Fi connection, there’s little excuse for a slow load and bootup, and the seemingly never-ending “loading” circle. 

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I just want to turn on my TV and watch stuff. In addition, the TV needed to download updates, which I was notified “can take 1-2 minutes.” After five minutes of no response, it was evident that the W70B had frozen. No manner of pushing remote buttons made a difference, so I had to unplug the unit to revive it to consciousness.

Despite not starting off on the best footing, I wanted to give the W70B a fair shake. So I did, beginning with first impressions and ending with colorimeter test data. A quick sniff test for any TV’s optics involves closely watching the opening credits for a contemporary film because they’re composed of motion graphics. 

I opened the free Tubi app and turned on “Jurassic World” for an immediate assessment. The intro graphics looked OK, but you could easily spot the TV’s low (60Hz) refresh rate because of the slight judder trailing along moving images. Moreover, these mobile logos are often presented in front of either a black background or the starlit vacuum of space. Right away, it was evident that deep blacks aren’t happening on the W70B.

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As a reminder, this is not Panasonic’s top-tier model. It lacks the HCX Pro AI Processor MK II found in their flagship OLED products. While “Jurassic World” was mastered in 2K, I was hoping the W70B would upscale the movie to 4K as advertised. I can’t say it did. 

Watching the movie, the dark, distant mountains suffered from what I call blotching. That’s when you can see large clusters of pixilation scattering and shifting as the camera pans. Most people aren’t concerned with what’s happening in the background of a movie, but if we’re scrutinizing performance, then I need to point this out.

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Switching to ABC News, the graphics were clear and bright as you would expect from a news broadcast. Unfortunately, the footage of the talking heads and “live action” shots remained grainy. Honestly, I felt like I was watching a TV from 10 years ago.

Without using sensitive lab equipment, it’s obvious that the W70B is dark around the edges, and thereby the viewing angles are not good. You need to be pretty much directly in front of the tube for optimal brightness because brightness is another area where the W70B struggles. Panasonic claims a peak brightness of 333 nits when displaying an HDR signal. Our tests showed a peak brightness of around 274 nits for SDR content in Movie mode.

Again, this is a budget TV with a full-panel LED backlight and no local dimming, so its brightness and contrast are not as high as more premium models with technologies like Mini-LED or OLED. I get that. 

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Further, our Standard mode test results indicate that the display has difficulty accurately reproducing colors, particularly within the BT.2020 and UHDA-P3 color spaces. In short, you get what you pay for. 

The good news is that the W70B remote comes with batteries. It is not backlit, which is another sign of its low-end quality. Now, despite slow loading times, the UX is easy to navigate and behaves as it should. For example, jumping from one app to another and quickly resuming your show when you bounce back over.

ZDNET’s buying advice

If you’ve read this far, you surely gathered from my observations that I wasn’t impressed with the W70B. Panasonic makes some great high-end TVs, but there are other options in the same price range, like the TCL QM6K, which is cheaper but a better TV. Or even the Vizio Quantum 4K QLED, where you can take advantage of QLED technology for the same price.

Suffice it so say, if you’re looking for a budget 4K LED TV, there are better options on the market, many of which we’ve personally gone hands-on with. 

How we test TVs

While testing and researching the TVs featured on this list, I and other ZDNET experts kept these criteria in mind:

• Price: Not all budgets are created equal. And if you’re working with a limited budget, that shouldn’t mean you have to settle for a sub-par TV. Each TV model on this list has been chosen across a variety of price points to help accommodate different needs.
• Screen size: The most important factor to consider, after price, when shopping for a new TV is whether or not it will fit into your space. Each best TV on this list was chosen because they are available in a wide variety of sizes to suit different rooms.
• Picture and audio quality: A new TV doesn’t mean much, even if it costs an arm and a leg, if it doesn’t provide a great picture and clear audio. Each TV on this list has been ensured to support various HDR codecs, including HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, as well as enhanced audio software like Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital Plus, and object-tracking sound.

For a more detailed look, check out our extensive TV testing methodology.