Top Philips models have almost become classics. In 2022, the OLED937 gets the best OLED panel from Philips and complements it with a P5 AI Dual Picture processor. Undoubtedly interesting acoustic panel provided by the British company Bowers & Wilkins. This combination should make for a great home theater.
The OLED+ 937 is a step up from last year’s hugely impressive OLED936 lineup. The TV uses one of the latest types of EX OLED panels along with a heat sink that delivers up to 30% more brightness (Philips claims 1300 nits). In the Philips 65OLED937 4K OLED review, we discuss the technical capabilities of one of the most impressive TVs.
Philips OLED937 Review
Design
Philips 65OLED937 is not only about picture and sound, but also about design. Unlike the OLED936, the new OLED panel has even thinner edges around the screen, but in reality, you won’t notice this few millimeters of effective area increase. An impressive speaker panel dominates the design of the OLED937.
It is slightly wider than last year and has received a slightly redesigned design. The company abandoned the perforated metal grille. The front and top panels are now lined with Kvadrat acoustic fabric. On the side, the speakers are hidden behind a thin honeycomb structure. “Tweeter-on-Top” still adorns the top of the panel, finished in dark brushed metal.
It’s worth adding that the latest Ambilight system not only has a higher “resolution” but now comes with the new Aurora feature, just like the PUS8807 . It combines Ambilight effects with a range of screen shots and videos from Red Bull and The Explorers, thus providing a kind of “screensaver plus” instead of the usual big black screen.
Note that each LED is now controlled individually, while in the previous version it was groups of three LEDs. As a result, the Ambilight halo can display up to three times more color detail and more closely match what’s happening on the screen. Together with four-sided Ambilight, the TV can become a decorative element of the living room.
Image quality
Philips OLED937 TV received, as befits a top model, the latest OLED panel EX. It provides excellent display of both dark and bright images. The FilmMaker mode is a fad for those who want to get as close to the original image as possible. In this mode, Philips delivers near-reference picture quality. The gray scale is completely neutral and delivers a good gamma of 2.2.
With brightness up to 1300 nits, we get an image that shows every nuance in a wide range of lighting conditions. With Ambient Intelligence, the TV itself can make some adjustments, as mentioned above. And be aware that the OLED937 TV switches to gamma 2.4 in low ambient light, which seems to be worth some of the details in black.
Broad HDR support is one of the strengths of the Philips OLED937. In addition to HDR10 and HLG, you can also watch Dolby Vision and HDR10+ Adaptive. No Dolby Vision IQ, but Philips uses its own Ambient Intelligence feature for that. Filmmaker Mode outputs a peak brightness of 840 nits in the 10% window, with a peak of around 970 nits in the 2% window and 200 nits in the all-white box. Compared to the LG G2 , Philips also has a stronger ABL (Average Brightness Limiter).
Another trump card from Philips is Advanced HDR Tonemapping. This is a much improved version of HDR10 Adaptive Tone Mapping. Specifically, the processor determines the optimal tone curve for each frame. It brings back many colors in vibrant colors. The algorithm also often enhances whites and emphasizes light accents well.
Smart TV
The Android TV 11 platform runs on the same chipset as last year. This is an MT5898 with a quad-core ARM Cortex-A73 processor, 3 GB of RAM and a Mali G52 GPU. The same can be found in Sony models. The interface is great. Navigation is smooth, apps launch quickly, and menus are responsive.
Philips has stayed away from Google TV for now. The 65OLED937 TV still works with the Android TV interface. The home screen provides a series of recommendations for each app, and you can choose which apps to display in the list. It is possible that Philips will make a move towards Google TV during 2022.
No change in the Philips settings menu. Although it is quite well organized, it is still not integrated into the Android TV environment. The menu takes up most or even the entire screen, which is not very convenient if you want to view the settings on the image. There are also no visible changes in the layout and design of the slim silver console.
Same soft Muirhead leather on the back. Unfortunately, it’s still pretty easy to hit the wrong key. After all, they fit snugly together and lie perfectly on the surface of the remote control. If you are not careful, your thumb will easily slip onto the adjacent button. Let’s note one detail. The keys light up when you tilt the remote 30° towards you.
This is exactly the angle at which the remote control is located when you pick it up and look at it. Other movements do not trigger the sensor to prevent unnecessary battery drain. You can also press any key to activate the backlight.
Games, reflections and viewing angles
OLED screens have a very wide viewing angle that only the new QD-OLED TVs surpass. The screen also controls reflections well, but they should still be avoided. For gamers, the output latency is certainly not bad – 21.7ms at 4K@60 and 11.0ms at 2K@120. HDMI 1 and 2 support 4K@120 and VRR (HDMI VRR, AMD Freesync Premium and NVIDIA G-Sync ).
You don’t have to make the hard choice between Dolby Vision or VRR support. Optimal (Game Mode) supports both options. Since VRR can sometimes result in black levels that are too high, the Philips 65OLED937 TV has a VRR Shadow Enhancer. The P5 Dual Picture Engine analyzes each frame and optimizes the black level based on the current frame rate.
Sound quality
The speaker bar from Bowers & Wilkins is a real eye-catcher and delivers exceptionally good sound quality. The design is based on that of the OLED936, featuring the signature Tweeter-on-Top tweeter, a 19mm titanium driver that has been untied from the cabinet to avoid diffraction. The system produces crystal clear dialogues. And yes, the music plays great.
The tweeter is complemented by two additional 19mm titanium tweeters, left and right at the ends of the soundbar. Four 45mm drivers reproduce the mids, two in the center and two at the edges. For Dolby Atmos, there are the same two 45mm speakers at the top of the panel. These drivers are tuned to direct as much energy as possible towards the ceiling so you can hear the sound above you. Bass is taken care of by a large 100mm x 65mm subwoofer.
This whole design is taken over and supplemented by two additional surround sound drivers. These are the same drivers as for the Dolby Atmos effect, but they are turned sideways a bit. They send sound into the room, which then reaches the viewer through the walls, creating a 360° surround sound effect. What was a 70W 3.1.2 system last year is now 5.1.2. The total power is 95 watts.
Connections
Philips hasn’t changed the connections in the OLED 937. There are two HDMI 2.0 ports (18Gbps) and two HDMI 2.1 ports with 48Gbps. They support ALLM, 4K 120 HFR and VRR. The switching package also includes three USB ports, a headphone and digital optical output, wireless and wired networking, and Bluetooth (for a wireless keyboard, remote control, and wireless headphones). An optional subwoofer connection is available if you want to boost the bass. All connections are directed to the side or down.
Conclusion
Philips’ top model has always been a TV for true home cinema lovers. The OLED937 continues this trend enthusiastically. Philips still doesn’t support Dolby Vision IQ, but has created an Ambient Intelligence solution that works for all formats. The only downside is the remote. The flat, tight-fitting keys sometimes make you misbehave.
Android TV platform, DTS Play-Fi, HDMI 2.1 connections with all the gaming features and of course the advanced Ambilight Next Generation 4-sided lighting, you will immediately notice how richly equipped this TV is. Expensive? Yes, it is, but you will be happy to pay for it.
Philips OLED+937 Specifications
| Ambilight | |
| Version | 4-sided |
| Options | Muffled light |
| Ambilight Music | |
| Game Mode | |
| Adaptation to the color of the walls | |
| Relax mode | |
| Screen | |
| Type of | 4K Ultra HD OLED |
| Permission | 3840 x 2160 |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9 |
| CPU | P5 AI Dual Picture Engine, 4-core |
| Image enhancement | Ultra Resolution |
| Micro Dimming Perfect Local Dimming | |
| Wide color gamut 99% DCI/P3 | |
| Pixel Density 5000 PPI | |
| Dolby Vision | |
| HDR10+ | |
| Perfect Natural Motion | |
| Smart TV | |
| Operating system | Android TV™ 11 (R) |
| Installed apps | Google Play Movies |
| Google Play Music | |
| Google Search | |
| YouTube | |
| Interactive TV | hbbtv |
| Programming | USB recording |
| Remote control | Keys, voice |
| TV tuner | |
| HEVC Support | Yes |
| Digital TV | DVB-T/T2/T2-HD/C/S/S2 |
| MPEG support | MPEG2, MPEG4 |
| Video system | NTSC, PAL, SECAM |
| TV guide | 8 day electronic |
| Signal strength indicator | Yes |
| Teletext | 1000 pages, hypertext |
| Dual tuner | Yes |
| Sound | |
| output power | 95 W |
| Design | Bowers & Wilkins |
| System | 5.1.2 |
| Codecs | AC-4, Dolby Atmos®, Dolby Digital MS12 V2.3, DTS-HD(M6) |
| Connections | |
| HDMI | x4, (2 x 2.0, 2 x 2.1) all ARC, HDCP 2.2 |
| USB | x3 (2 x 2.0, 1 x 3.0) |
| Subwoofer output | x1 |
| Wireless connection | bluetooth 5.0 |
| Wi-Fi 802.11ac, 2 x 2, 2-band | |
| Pay TV slot | Common Interface Plus (CI+) |
| Digital audio output | Optic |
| LAN connector | RJ-45 |
| Headphone output | Yes |
| antenna socket | Terrestrial and satellite |
| Food | |
| Options | ~ 220 – 240 V 50/60 Hz |
| Consumption in anticipation | <0.3W |
| Annual consumption | 150 kW / 1000 hours |
| Dimensions and weight | |
| Dimensions (W x H x D) with foot | 1444 x 929 x 268 mm |
| Weight with leg | 40.4 kg |
