Skyworth’s got another TV for you to check out this year and this one’s a monster. Actually, they refer to the 86in SUC9500 TV as a beast, but that’s a little bit because of their celebrity partner — SA rugby player Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira. And also because this R35,000 TV set is 86in in size.
R35k (though you can find it for cheaper than that online already) isn’t much at all for a 4K TV of this size and, in keeping with previous releases, it’s also got a whole bunch of Google tech inside.
The SUC9500 doesn’t… er… suck
The 86in native 4K 60Hz panel has a response time of 8ms and a maximum brightness of 400 nits. As with Skyworth’s other smart TVs, the SUC9500 is powered by Android (10, in this case) and has access to Google’s Play Store when it comes to apps. There are a fair bunch of stalwarts installed when you open the box: YouTube, Netflix, Showmax, Amazon Prime Video and DStv Now are all supported.
Skyworth’s Boundless Screen means there are very small bezels, there’s 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage inside and the set also supports Dolby Atmos (for TV), as well as Dolby Digital/Plus, DTS, and HDR10, HDR10+ and HLG. There are three HDMI 2.0 ports inside, as well as a Composite. So it’s perhaps not your best choice for PS5/Xbox Series X gameplay. Connectivity is via LAN, WiFi, Bluetooth (it supports certain game controllers) and there are two USB 2.0 ports in case you want to get a little old school with your media.
It also weighs in at 43kg, so it’s not exactly something you can set up on your own. That goes double for wall-mounting, which it supports but there’s no bracket included so you’ll have to get your own. And some serious anchor bolts to go with it.
Skyworth brand manager Jaco Joubert said, ” We’re not just living at home, we’re working from home, exercising at home and connecting to the outside world from our homes. It was the logical next step for the brand to launch a product that could rival any entertainment centre out there, a product to make you feel as if you’re part of something bigger and something ground-breaking.”
