Compare: Sony BRAVIA 5 (XR5) vs Blaupunkt UGC5500S

Sony Bravia 5 is a continuation of the iconic X90L model, and it's evident that the manufacturer aimed to take a step forward. A greater number of backlighting zones have been implemented, which makes the contrast seem better in many scenes, and the blacks appear deeper than its predecessor. The 120 Hz panel and MotionFlow system allow the smoothness of the image to be tailored to personal preferences – from a slight cinematic texture to crystal-smooth motion in sports and games. This is equipment that does not shy away from any content, as regardless of whether we are watching a match, an action film, or a concert, the image maintains clarity and character. However, the true strength of the Bravia 5 lies in the XR processor. It is this that makes older materials look better than they should – upscaling works like magic, smoothing out noise, improving gradation, and providing consistency even with lower-quality content. Thanks to this, in everyday use, the Bravia 5 can surprise, as instead of struggling with signal imperfections, it draws out the maximum. Additionally, there is excellent colour reproduction after calibration and dynamic tone mapping along with Dolby Vision mode, which allows one to enjoy details even in difficult, contrasted scenes. However, it cannot be hidden that in several moments, the Bravia 5 has disappointed us quite significantly. Despite the greater number of zones, brightness and contrast are not always better than in the X90L – sometimes they even perform worse. This raises a sense of wasted potential, as we were counting on a greater qualitative leap. After all, we are talking about a true MINI-LED television here. Nevertheless, the Bravia 5 remains an excellent television for those who want to enjoy primarily image quality. If you are looking for a model that can impress with motion smoothness, extracts details from difficult scenes, and works wonders with older materials, the Bravia 5 will surely meet those expectations. It's a television that sometimes struggles to keep up with the competition in certain aspects, but it still holds its own with what Sony does best – cinematic imagery.

Blaupunkt UGC5500S is a textbook example of a very cheap television that has primarily two huge advantages: the Google TV system and an extremely low price. It is these two elements that make it an appealing option for many people. During testing, we also found a great alternative use for it, which is working with a computer. Thanks to the exemplary legibility of fonts and good viewing angles of the IPS matrix, Blaupunkt surprisingly performs well as an inexpensive monitor. However, one must be aware that this device is typically budget-friendly, and this cost-saving is evident in the image quality. The matrix is simply dim, making it difficult to excel in challenging lighting conditions, not to mention creating any real HDR effect. Additionally, despite good viewing angles, the black level on this model leaves much to be desired – in the evenings, it will be rather dark grey, which is a typical characteristic of the IPS technology used here. Viewed through the lens of price, this is a device that aims to compete in the market not based on image quality, but rather on the amount on the receipt. Blaupunkt UGC5500S will fit perfectly as an additional television in the home, equipment for the holiday home, or in a less important room where the image simply needs to be present, and we want to enjoy all the benefits and applications that Google TV offers.

Bravia 5 is the entry-level television from the Mini-LED series in Sony's portfolio for 2025, so naturally we start with the most important question – how does it handle black levels and contrast? After all, the term “Mini-LED” almost sounds like a magic spell these days. In theory, this means thousands of tiny LEDs arranged in zones that are meant to work in harmony, dimming and brightening the image so that the viewer sees more depth than in a classic LCD. In practice, we've counted about 200 local dimming zones in the 65-inch Bravia 5. Is that a lot? Certainly more than its predecessor, the already legendary X90L model, but when looking at Chinese manufacturers who manage to pack in hundreds, sometimes even thousands of zones – it seems rather modest.

One might expect that the combination of a greater number of zones with the refined dimming algorithms that Sony has accustomed us to over the years would translate to a significant quality leap over the X90L. Meanwhile – and here comes a slight disappointment – tests showed that the results are surprisingly similar to last year's model. Don't take this the wrong way: the contrast for an LCD television with local dimming is truly solid. In most scenes, bright elements are separated from dark ones with surgical precision, and the effect can be stunning. But when more demanding shots appear on the screen – those that relentlessly test the capabilities of the backlighting – it's clear that the equipment has its limitations.

Therefore, one could say that in terms of black levels and contrast, the Bravia 5 doesn't so much disappoint as rather fails to meet the expectations raised by the initial announcements. We were hoping for at least a slightly better result than its predecessor, and we got “only” good contrast. And it is this “only” that is the key word here – because good contrast in Sony's rendition still signifies a level that most competitors could be proud of.

To put it bluntly: when it comes to blacks, it is simply very poor. Our measurements on test screens have only confirmed what we saw with the naked eye – a result around 1000:1 is disappointing nowadays, even in this price range. In cinematic conditions, this "black" simply does not exist. To be more specific, we fired up one of our favourite test scenes – a helicopter flyover in “Sicario 2” (you can see this in the video we’ve included below). Instead of a pitch-black, deep night, we got an image that is... navy blue. Everything that should be dark and mysterious on screen actually shines a dark blue. This is the price we pay for using an IPS panel. On one hand, we get fairly decent viewing angles, so if you’re watching television with the whole family from different angles, the picture doesn’t lose much saturation. On the other hand, if you plan to have evening screenings with the lights turned off, this lack of contrast will hit your eyes from the first minute.

Looking at similar results in terms of blackness and contrast, we expected equally stable performance as last year's model when it came to HDR content. Unfortunately – and this needs to be said outright – there has been a regression here that is hard to overlook. The paradox is that the peak brightness of the Bravia 5 is impressive: in our synthetic tests, the television achieved around 1000 nits in HDR. Sounds great, right? The problem is that this power does not always translate effectively to all film scenes. When small, point-like elements appear on the screen, something that had usually been polished with surgical precision in Sony's case is this time noticeably lacking. The algorithms attempt to maintain deep black around small objects, but the side effect is that details can be dimmed to such an extent that they become barely visible. Just consider the example of the film Sicario 2 – in some scenes there, small light sources practically disappeared, as if someone had covered them with dark film.

Of course, not everything looks so dramatic. In simpler, brighter scenes, where the image is filled with more light, the Bravia 5 shows that it can shine: literally and figuratively. Then the television achieves values in the range of 600–800 nits, which we saw both in synthetic tests and during film screenings. The impression is really positive; the brightness adds dynamism, and the colours appear vibrant and fresh. However, there remains a certain dissonance. We feel a slight confusion because evidently something has gone in a direction it shouldn’t have. Technological progress – more zones, greater backlighting power – has not been supported by the well-crafted image management that we usually associate with Sony. Fortunately, there are elements that have not been worsened and are, in fact, at a very high level. We are talking about colour reproduction. Thanks to the application of the PFS filter, the colour palette coverage is excellent – around 97% DCI-P3 and 75% BT.2020. These are values that allow for truly broad colour reproduction, giving films a sense of naturalness and cinematic quality.

Here, too, we will not mince words – if you are looking for a television strictly for cinematic experiences in HDR, you have come to the wrong place. The Blaupunkt UGC5500S is unfortunately not a machine designed for such challenges. This is primarily due to its very low brightness, which we measured during our tests. A result of around 250 nits on film scenes speaks for itself. It is simply too little to even talk about any real HDR effect. Quite frankly, everything displayed here in this format can be confidently regarded as a somewhat “enhanced” SDR mode. We expected this, as virtually every device in this price range falters in this area, but we feel obliged to warn you about it. Manufacturers love to boast about HDR compatibility with stickers on their boxes, but in reality, this format simply does not exist here – it lacks the “fuel” of brightness.

The situation is particularly difficult for Blaupunkt, as we are dealing with a panel that has a very basic coverage of the DCI-P3 colour palette, reaching only about 80%. You will not find any advanced coatings to extend these capabilities (such as quantum dots), which means that scenes that should ideally burst with richly saturated colours appear simply under-saturated on this screen. Therefore, we have a specific piece of advice for you: do not force the HDR mode on this model. If you have the option in the streaming app settings – simply turn it off. By sticking to the classic SDR mode, you can be sure that the television will not attempt to “enhance” something that it cannot handle hardware-wise.

Sony Bravia 5 was of course tested in the best possible mode, which is the Cinema mode. Right out of the box, it provides the most natural colours, definitely better than anything offered by the "eco" or "dynamic" modes, which are more suited for a showroom display than for a living room. However, the Cinema mode alone does not mean we can always expect cinematic picture quality. With SDR content, we had virtually no major complaints – the slightly warmed white balance gave the scenes a somewhat golden tone, but it was nothing that was visually jarring. However, the problem arose with HDR material. Here, the colour reproduction simply looked poor. The white balance was heavily skewed – with an excess of blue and a clear lack of red. At times, it resembled the store's "super vibrant image" mode, where everything is overexposed and artificially boosted.

This situation also made brightness management seem overly aggressive. The EOTF graph clearly showed that the television had problems with overexposing many scenes right out of the box. And while we know what Sony televisions are usually capable of, it was difficult to remain indifferent here – thus we quickly decided to go for calibration.

We also took a close look at how Blaupunkt handles colours in movie mode, and here the matter is, in short, twofold. Once again, we need to clearly separate what we see in standard SDR format from what happens when HDR is turned on, as these are two entirely different worlds. Let’s start with the better side of the coin. If you plan to watch classic television, YouTube, or older films on this television, you can count on really reasonably well-tuned colours. In our test unit, the white balance in movie mode performed exceptionally well, which honestly surprised us. Of course, to avoid being overly optimistic, we did notice some shortcomings. Looking at the gamma charts, we observed that the processor struggles with appropriately dimming the image in its brightest areas. Additionally, there is quite a strong, at times excessively aggressive red saturation, which resulted in visible errors in reproducing certain shades. Nevertheless, in general terms, the image in SDR is simply solid and can be watched without a grimace on one’s face. Unfortunately, the charm disappears the moment we again enter the HDR world. Here, Blaupunkt behaves as if we suddenly switched it to shop mode, and in its worst version. The excess blue in the white balance is so significant that it is almost blinding, ruining any realism of the scene. Moreover, the television interprets brightness very loosely, which, when analysing the EOTF curve, clearly showed that for most of the time, the colours appear simply washed out and lacking in depth. This is, by the way, perfectly visible through the colour errors that become evident in this mode. Once again, we are left with the same conclusion: Blaupunkt in SDR mode looks significantly better and more natural than in HDR, which feels forced and lacking appropriate refinement.

After calibration, the situation changed dramatically. We managed to adjust the white balance so that entire scenes began to look more natural, and the image gained cohesion and elegance. In HDR, we finally got rid of that unwanted clipping effect that had previously marred some shots. Suddenly, it turned out that the Bravia 5 can extract significantly more from films than the “out of the box” impression suggested. Indeed, if we look at the graphs and compare them with the patterns, we can see that the beginning of the EOTF curve slightly deviates from the reference line. However, this is not so much a calibration error as it is a natural limitation of Mini-LED technology, which cannot be bypassed. Sony, instead of clinging to perfect black, prefers to prioritise the visibility of details – and in practice, it's hard to disagree with that. We would rather see the texture of the material on the screen than a pitch-black blob where all nuances are lost.

The calibration itself was truly beneficial. After about an hour spent on the settings, we felt that the image resembled that from the best cinema halls – of course on a home scale, but with the same sense of quality and refinement. And in such moments, we remember why we like Sony televisions: because when we fine-tune them, they can reward us with an image that captivates for long hours.

It may sound like a joke – pulling out professional measuring equipment for a television costing around a thousand złotys / 250 dollars, but we wouldn’t be ourselves if we didn’t check it out. The question is: does such cheap equipment give us any room for manoeuvre when it comes to calibration? To your surprise, the answer is: yes, and very much so. In the Blaupunkt UGC5500S menu, we found surprisingly many options that allowed us to really work on the picture. These are not just empty sliders; they are specific tools that we could utilise using our measuring sensors and software. In SDR mode, the effects were visible to the naked eye. We successfully eliminated the problem we mentioned earlier – that excessive, almost artificial red saturation. We also fixed the issue of improper dimming in the brightest parts of the image. After calibration, the standard format image became significantly more balanced and simply correct. When it came to HDR, the situation was again more complicated. While we managed to 'tame' that aggressive blue tint in the white balance, it was clear that we were fighting somewhat in vain. Even after adjusting the settings, the television still tried to interfere with the image in its own way, as if the electronics knew better than us how the scene should look. Additionally, there is a hardware barrier that no slider can overcome – colours in HDR still remain under-saturated. This is simply due to the quality of the panel itself; it physically cannot produce the most vibrant colours. To sum up this topic: if any of you ask whether it is possible to calibrate a television for a 'thousand', we answer with full conviction: it is possible.

tonal transitions are nothing more than the way in which a television handles the blending of colours and shades – from light to dark, from saturated to pastel. If the device struggles with this, characteristic "steps" can be seen instead of smooth transitions, and the image loses its naturalness. It is during these moments that instead of getting absorbed in the film, we start glancing at the screen thinking, "hey, something's not right here." Fortunately, in the Sony Bravia 5, such situations are practically nonexistent. This is a huge advantage, as nothing distracts our attention from the plot or sporting emotions. The television performs best in bright scenes, where colour transitions are smooth, and the blending of colours is almost invisible. The effect is so good that sometimes one might feel as if the image has been painted in one brushstroke. Of course, there were a few minor hiccups. In darker scenes, certain imperfections can be noticed – slight stepping or minimal gradation issues. For this, the Bravia 5 received a few negative points from us. Nevertheless, in the vast majority of situations, the television performs excellently and comes through this test with flying colours.

Looking at our test photographs, it's really hard to criticise anything. Most of the colours in the attached images blend together almost perfectly, creating smooth gradients without noticeable "steps". And indeed, in most scenes where we captured these shots, it looked surprisingly good. However, the problem arises when we stop analysing still frames and simply start watching the films. In motion, the situation changes dramatically. During dynamic scenes on screen, artefacts begin to appear, which are a direct result of simply using a poor image processor here. Unfortunately, a static photo cannot convey this "jarring" of colours, but you must take our word for it: what looks clean and smooth in the picture can stand out harshly during the screening and is simply annoying. This is precisely why we have a rather low rating in this category.

Bravia 5 carries within it the genes of Sony, which have remained untouched – and thank goodness for that, because we are talking about absolutely remarkable digital image processing. It is no coincidence that for years it has been believed that it is televisions of this brand that set the standard for how a screen should handle lower quality materials. If someone still watches classic television, old films or YouTube in lower resolutions, here they get equipment that can transform such content into an unexpectedly pleasant experience. On board, we find several tools worth activating. The first of these is "digital noise reduction". Set to a medium level, it works perfectly – smoothing tonal transitions, which usually cause the most trouble in low-quality materials, while not introducing any artificial artifacts. Importantly, it also does not remove the filmic character, meaning the natural grain that is intentionally present in many productions. Another advantage of the Bravia 5 is the upscaling capabilities of the XR processor. The image displayed after scaling is soft, yet at the same time sharp and clear. The contours of characters are clearly visible, while backgrounds retain their structure without excessive artificial sharpening. It’s hard to find a better television for watching lower quality materials – Bravia 5 only confirms why Sony is regarded as a benchmark in this field.

If you expect the processor in this model to magically "fix" the poor-quality signal from cable TV or old films from YouTube, we must disappoint you. The capabilities of this television end at absolutely basic upscaling, which is simply stretching the image to a higher resolution. It does this adequately in that the image is not blurry, but there's no mention of any intelligent sharpening or adding details here. Worse still, Blaupunkt is completely devoid of any features for reducing unwanted tonal transitions. If the material being watched has what is known as banding (that is, ugly "steps" instead of a smooth transition of colours, e.g., in the sky), this television will display it in all its glory. Additionally, the television has a tendency to slightly crop the edges of the image. Instead of displaying 100% of what the source sends, Blaupunkt slightly enlarges the frame, causing us to lose details at the very edges of the screen. In summary: in the category of digital "enhancing" of images, Blaupunkt simply performs poorly. We receive a raw, unprocessed signal, with all its flaws.

Bravia 5 received a 120 Hz panel, which in itself sounds like an invitation to watch sports, fast matches, or spectacular action films. However, the real magic begins when MotionFlow – Sony's proprietary smoothness technology – comes into play. Thanks to it, we can adjust the character of the image to our own preferences. The "smoothness" slider allows you to transition from a cinematic feel with a slight "jitter" of the film frame to a nearly theatrical fluidity, where every ball in the match glides across the screen as if on a string. The higher the value, the smoother and more fluid it is; the lower it is, the more cinematic and natural it feels. In the options, we will also find an additional setting that Sony has called "clarity". This is nothing more than the BFI function (i.e., inserting black frames), which is meant to improve motion sharpness. It sounds great in theory, but in practice, one must use it with great caution. Why? Because all higher settings cause brightness drops of up to half, and in some cases, contour doubling also appears. Therefore, if we wish to use it, we recommend the lowest possible level – "1" out of the available ten. This way, we gain a bit better motion clarity without risking a loss of half the image brightness.

When it comes to motion fluidity, Blaupunkt has nothing to defend itself with. A 60 Hz panel at this price is standard, so none of us were expecting an impeccably sharp image in fast action scenes or during a match. However, the biggest drawback of this model is that you won't find any digital motion smoothers in the menu. The manufacturer has not given us any room for manoeuvre – nothing can be smoothed out or adjusted to our personal preferences. The image is always "raw," and we receive it exactly as the source transmits it. For fans of cinematic "jumping" of the image, this might be good, but the rest of us simply have to get used to the lack of any motion enhancement.

In the Bravia 5, there is a significant improvement compared to the X90L model from two years ago. The television offers literally everything its predecessor had, but this time the issues that could frustrate gamers have been fixed. The problems with setting variable refresh rate (VRR) have disappeared, and there are no longer any issues with configuring HDR content in HGiG mode. In short: we get hardware that simply works as it should, without any fuss. Therefore, the Bravia 5 has everything you could expect from a modern gaming television – and it can be reasonably advertised with the slogan “ready for PS5.” This is a statement we couldn't make about the X90L model. Well done, Sony!

It’s just a shame that this relatively high-priced model lacks a full set of four HDMI 2.1 ports. In everyday use, this won’t be a problem for most people, but if someone has a console, soundbar, and additional equipment hooked up via HDMI, at some point there will be a need to choose or juggle the cables.

When it comes to gaming on the Blaupunkt, we weren't expecting miracles, and indeed – the list of features is not very long. However, there are two interesting points worth mentioning, as they might be significant for some of you at this price. The first plus is that the TV quickly detects the connected console. Thanks to the ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) feature, the device knows when you start gaming and automatically switches to low-latency mode. This is convenient because you don't have to fiddle with settings each time to prevent input lag from ruining the fun. The second point is a genuine surprise that caught us off guard. Although it has a 60 Hz panel, the Blaupunkt can display images at 120 Hz at Full HD resolution. Sure, you lose the details of 4K, but for those playing more dynamic, online shooters where smoothness is more important than resolution, this is a really nice and unexpected addition in such an inexpensive device. Besides these two points, you won't find anything more here. There are no advanced smoothness enhancement systems for gamers or extensive gaming menu bars. This is a simple screen for occasional gaming.

When it comes to input lag, the Bravia 5 deserves a round of applause. Results around 7 ms at 120 Hz content are nothing short of spectacular – it’s hard to imagine a player complaining about such responsiveness. Even at 60 Hz, where the lag increases to around 15 ms, we’re still talking about values that absolutely do not spoil the fun and are not noticeable in practice. Moreover, Sony has finally tamed the Dolby Vision mode. In the X90L, it was practically unplayable – delays rose to levels of even 150 ms. Meanwhile, in the Bravia 5, the input lag remains at the same low level as with other content. This is a huge improvement and further proof that this television can truly be called “gamer-friendly.”

An important point for every gamer is, of course, input lag, which refers to how quickly the television responds to our movements on the controller. Here, Blaupunkt has something to brag about, although the results are quite specific. At 4K resolution, the lag is just 12 ms. That's an excellent result. With such low lag, gaming feels simply phenomenal, and the response is almost instantaneous. It is a pity, however, that the situation changes when switching to 1080p mode. Here, the input lag increases to about 30 ms. To be clear: this is still not a terrible result. For most people, it will be "more than acceptable," and during casual gaming, you probably won't even notice it. Nonetheless, it is a shame that such good parameters could not be maintained as we saw with full 4K. Nevertheless, in the overall assessment, as a budget screen for consoles, Blaupunkt performs quite admirably in this regard.

In this category, the Bravia 5 deserves a commendable rating. The ideal readability of fonts thanks to the 4:4:4 chroma support makes working with a computer on this television a pure pleasure. Whether we are opening Excel, browsing documents, or just surfing the web – the text is sharp, clear, and devoid of that characteristic "haze" that can effectively detract from the enjoyment of use on many televisions. The letters look as they should: distinct, sharp, and readable even up close.

We also have good news for PC gamers. The Bravia 5 has no issues handling 120 Hz, working with both Nvidia and AMD graphics cards, supporting G-Sync and FreeSync Premium Pro technologies. The result is that the image is not only smooth but also free of tearing or micro-stuttering that can ruin the experience even in the best-optimised games. One can confidently connect a powerful computer and enjoy gaming on a large screen – without compromises, without frustration, and with complete comfort. The only thing we could criticise is the lack of additional modes for gamers with higher refresh rates.

If you plan to connect a computer to this television, it is absolutely crucial that you find and enable the PC compatibility option in the menu. Once you do that, magic happens – the implementation of Chroma 4:4:4 and font readability jumps to an exemplary level. The readability of text is simply excellent here. Of course, our editorial meticulousness would not allow us to pass by this equipment without taking a look "under the hood." During very specific tests with thin, dark text, we noticed that the horizontal and vertical matrix masks differ slightly in brightness levels. However, we want to reassure you: this phenomenon is so subtle that during normal use, such as writing emails or browsing the web, you would not be able to notice it with the naked eye. We maintain our opinion that as a monitor strictly for dynamic PC gaming, it is not the ideal choice (as we mentioned in the context of the 60 Hz refresh rate), but if any of you are wondering whether you can comfortably work on such a Blaupunkt – we answer: yes, it is absolutely possible.

Bravia 5 uses a classic VA panel, which means one thing – the viewing angles are not its strong point. For owners of smaller sizes, this will not be an issue, as sitting directly in front, the picture looks superb. However, with larger sizes, especially at 85 inches, the situation becomes less comfortable. It is enough to sit slightly off-centre on the sofa to notice minor imperfections: the picture begins to lose saturation, the contrast weakens, and black takes on unwanted greys. It is a pity that Sony did not choose to implement additional coatings, which in the case of VA panels can bring their performance closer to that of IPS panels. Such solutions exist, and some competitors make use of them. However, they are missing here, so one must consider that Bravia 5 best shows its advantages when viewed head-on.

It’s really very good here. Whether we were sitting directly in front or on the edge of the sofa, the colours did not lose their saturation. This is a big plus if you plan to watch matches or films with a larger group – no one will complain that the picture looks worse for them. Although IPS panels are known for their good angles, in this particular model, when viewed from a sharp angle, the picture noticeably loses brightness. Interestingly, the colour saturation remains intact, but the screen simply becomes darker. This is not something that disqualifies this television, but it’s worth knowing.

Bravia 5 is a piece of equipment that really performs well in challenging lighting conditions. The high brightness ensures that even in the middle of the day, with the curtains wide open and sunlight streaming through the windows, the picture remains clear and sharp. There is no impression that we are watching a 'washed-out' screen. The satin coating of the panel also plays a significant role, effectively suppressing light reflections. Indeed, some reflections do appear, but they are not strong enough to interfere with viewing. These are more like subtle glows that can be noticed when we consciously look for them, rather than a real everyday problem. As a result, the Bravia 5 is suitable not only for the evening in a dimly lit room but also in bright living rooms, where other televisions might falter. Therefore, it can be said that this is a 'universally light' model – it is suitable for both evening screenings and watching news or sports in full sunlight.

In terms of daytime performance, Blaupunkt is simply average. It all comes down to the low brightness of the panel, which – as we have mentioned, hovers around 250 nits. This is definitely too little for the screen to "break through" the strong light coming into the living room. As a result, under strong sunlight, the image loses clarity and appears somewhat washed-out. However, there is one bright spot in this category, the satin finish of the panel. Thanks to this, we do not have to deal with the mirror effect, which often means that instead of watching a film, we are seeing a reflection of our own sofa. The satin nicely diffuses reflections, which somewhat saves the situation. Nevertheless, we cannot cheat physics: while the coating bravely fights against reflections, the low brightness ultimately surrenders in the battle with sunlight. If you are planning a screening in the middle of the day in a very bright room, be prepared for the necessity of drawing the curtains.

GoogleTV and SmartTV Features

Sony Bravia 5 operates on Google TV, and it must be acknowledged that this is one of the best-optimised systems from this brand. The interface runs smoothly, there are no irritating bugs or strange translations, and navigating through the menu doesn't feel like walking through a minefield. Admittedly, there are moments when it experiences a slight hiccup – as if the system has its "weaker moments" – but these are rare enough not to spoil the overall impression. We have full support for AirPlay, voice search with the help of Google AI assistant, and the ability to download practically any app that comes to mind. The only drawback in the tests turned out to be the screen mirroring function, which theoretically should work with laptops and phones, yet in practice proved to be nearly useless – on Windows and Android, stable image transmission could not be achieved.

Usability Features

From the perspective of classic features, Bravia 5 performs solidly and practically. A significant advantage is the presence of two remote controls – one is a sleek, modern smart remote, and the other, while operating via infrared, has a classic numerical keypad. This allows us to always choose which remote fits the situation better. The EPG, or electronic programme guide, is clear and allows you to programme recordings onto a USB drive – a solution that seems simple but is incredibly useful. Additionally, the television supports various device connections: from an amplifier or soundbar via HDMI eARC to headphones and other wireless accessories via Bluetooth. This is a setup that makes the television not just a screen but a well-thought-out home entertainment hub.

In terms of Smart TV functionality, the Blaupunkt UGC5500S is a classic example of a device where the system is both its greatest asset and its biggest flaw. On one hand, we have full Google TV here, which is a huge plus at this price point. We get access to a massive library of applications and basically all the functionality we know from brands that use this software. Nothing has been cut out forcibly, which is truly refreshing in such an inexpensive television. Unfortunately, we must honestly admit that in Blaupunkt's execution, this system simply works clumsily. This is a typical ailment of budget televisions with Google TV – the processor barely keeps up with the software. Navigation through the menu is not as smooth as we would like, and the remote can respond with a noticeable delay, giving the impression of being "dull." Of course, once you launch a specific application and start playing a movie, everything works stably, but just sifting through the interface requires a bit of patience.

As for traditional television features, Blaupunkt doesn't offer anything extraordinary. It is a simple device for basic tasks. The remote control deserves a plus, as it features a classic numeric keypad, which is simply convenient for flipping through cable channels. We also have Bluetooth, so you can easily connect wireless headphones or a speaker. The television also has a physical mini-jack headphone output. At a time when manufacturers are mass removing this connection, the presence of a "jack" is a nod towards those with older audio equipment or simply those who prefer classic wired headphones. It's a little thing, but it’s appreciated.

Bravia 5 handles multimedia playback from USB quite efficiently. In practice, almost everything works – films, music, photos – although of course we encountered some minor issues. Some subtitles can cause problems, as can exotic photo formats, which were not always recognised correctly. However, this is standard in the world of televisions, and it's hard to take serious offence at it. A significant advantage is the fact that thanks to Android, we are not solely reliant on the system player. It's enough to install an external application, such as VLC, and all limitations disappear. This is the strength of this system – the manufacturer does not confine us to their ecosystem but allows freedom of choice.

In terms of playing files from USB, Blaupunkt performs quite well. We checked several of the most popular formats, and basically everything important worked fine on the factory player. Therefore, you're not forced to immediately download additional software right after taking the television out of the box, as the equipment is simply self-sufficient from the start. Nevertheless, taking advantage of the charms of Google TV, we still recommend that you install something external, like VLC or Kodi. The factory player is adequate, but it is in these external applications that you will find the most configuration options, better subtitle support, or simply a more convenient interface. Since the system gives you such freedom, it is worth taking advantage of it to get as much as possible from your multimedia.

Bravia 5 positively surprises in terms of audio. The sound is pleasant, with a slightly noticeable bass thanks to the proprietary Bass Reflex speakers. Overall, it plays loudly, clearly, and definitely above average for a television – 40 W of power in a 2.2 configuration is an impressive result in this class. The placement of the speakers on the sides of the casing also plays a significant role, making the sound spread throughout the room and providing a sense of space. However, one should not be overly optimistic. It is still not on the level of even the simplest soundbar. Bravia 5 performs excellently in everyday use, but for those who enjoy strong sound and a cinematic effect, additional audio equipment will be essential – as is the case with nine out of ten televisions available today on the market.

In terms of audio, Blaupunkt performs really well, especially considering that this is a typical budget television. It’s evident, or rather audible, that the brand has not forgotten its roots, and for such an inexpensive model, the sound is exceptionally good. Of course, there is a noticeable lack of bass, but the overall output is loud, and surprisingly clear. Most importantly for us – even at higher volumes, the sound is not heavily distorted, which is a rarity and a pleasant surprise at this price point.

Sony BRAVIA 5 (XR5) vs Blaupunkt UGC5500S

Advantages

Disadvantages

Our verdict

TV appearance

Where to buy

Contrast and black detail

HDR effect quality

Factory color reproduction

Color reproduction after calibration

Smoothness of tonal transitions

Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions

Blur and motion smoothness

Console compatibility and gaming features

Input lag

Compatibility with PC

Viewing angles

Daytime performance

Panel details

TV features

Classic features:

Smart features:

GoogleTV and SmartTV Features

Usability Features

Apps

Playing files from USB

Sound

Sound Quality Test

Acoustic Measurements