The Skyworth G3A TV series is a mid-range 4K Ultra HD TV based on Android TV. The line uses an 8-bit LCD panel (8-bit + FRC) with direct LED backlighting (no local dimming), VA panel type with a native frequency of 60 Hz. The G3A series consists of 43 “, 50”, 55 “and 65” models.
The panel applied means that the G3A TVs handle colors intelligently, but have a limited ability to produce very bright images, despite the TVs being labeled HDR. Most likely, Skyworth’s G3A series can be classified as a step up from TVs in the entry price category and slightly better than Full HD. The predecessor of this series can be called the Skyworth G2A TV line .
Design
The new version introduces some functional improvements, such as “slightly” increased brightness (according to the manufacturer) and a subjectively attractive design with a thin bezel, which should work well with most interiors. Skyworth in the design decision designated this series as “Boundless Vision”, that is, frameless design.
In fact, the thin black plastic frame around the screen is slightly visible. The bezel is located around the four sides of the screen. The black plastic color tends to blend in gently with darker surroundings, making the screen appear limitless. The overall structure of the 50G3A TV is made of lightweight matte black plastic with two standard feet on the sides. They are attached under the bezel border. The model is relatively stable on the table without significant screen shaking.
Connections
The Skyworth 50G3A TV interface is located on the left side of the rear of the TV. The connectors are facing the same direction. Connections are pretty standard for a budget option. These are three HDMI 2.0, a pair of USB, a component input, an optical audio output and a LAN port. Wireless interfaces are Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz and BT 5.0. Instruction manual for Skyworth 50G3A in English.
Android TV 10
Skyworth 50G3A runs Android TV 10 without any additional Google TV user interface. Unfortunately, the HDMI-CEC implementation does not interoperate correctly with some AVRs and other sources. This issue occurs when multiple devices are connected to HDMI at the same time. Therefore, you need to disconnect those devices that are not used with HDMI-CEC (HDMI Control).
The 50G3A TV offers a good selection of apps, including most of the mainstream ones like Netflix , Prime Video, hulu, Apple TV +, Peacock, HBO Max, YouTube, YouTube TV and many more. The Android TV 10 interface has nice scrolling through the app source bars, inputs, and program thumbnails. This helps to quickly find a program that the user can watch. Overall, this is very similar to other Android TVs on board in a similar class.
Image quality
Unfortunately, the Skyworth G3A does not offer much advanced picture settings. So don’t expect fine tuning of color temperature or precision of color management. To a large extent, what you see when you turn on your TV out of the box is the best of the preset picture modes that you can change for different content.
Perhaps the main positive is that most of the preset modes for SDR content are reasonably accurate. Average brightness in this mode is above 120 nits. But this is in a medium-lit room.
The G3A series TVs support HDR using basic HDR10 (static metadata) and HLG profiles. These models do not support Dolby Vision. The LED system with direct illumination is applied. In fact, the 50G3A is not bright enough for HDR. The manufacturer in its advertising brochures indicates the maximum brightness for the 50-inch model at 560 nits, but in fact this figure is slightly above 250 nits.
Add to that the lack of local dimming control for accurate reproduction of deep blacks and highlights and you have a typical budget 4K TV. 4K Ultra HD images look slightly better than Full HD 1080p, but the limited brightness prevents high-quality playback of HDR content. To summarize, the picture, even in HDR, is well below the thresholds for premium TVs set by the Ultra HD Alliance.
Video processing in the G3A is acceptable when upscaling from lower resolutions to UHD resolutions. It’s a pity that the color depth is 10-bit (8-bit + FRC for the LC550EQC-SMA4 matrix). However, some quantization (banding) artifacts are observed with 8-bit original content around bright objects on a solid colored background.
Lacking FALD illumination , the G3A series lacks blooming blooming artifacts that appear as nebula around bright objects against a black background. However, with direct backlighting spread across the entire screen, glare appears, blurring contrast against a deep black background.
The 480p content found on DVD looks somewhat softer than on some higher end TVs. Significant moving noise artifacts and MPEG blocking can be seen against the white sky. However, the colors are quite satisfactory, and this is where we recommend using the “vivid” mode in the picture settings.
The Skyworth G3A TV uses a 60Hz panel. With such a panel, there is noticeable motion blur and image shake. For some, it can be distracting when watching live sports. Unfortunately, changing the picture modes of the 50G3A TV does not have a noticeable effect on these artifacts. If your eyes are especially sensitive to these problems, then you should pay attention to TVs with 120 Hz matrixes. Sony or Samsung will help you with this.
Viewing angles
As we mentioned earlier, the 50G3A uses a VA panel with narrow viewing angles. Moving a few steps to the left or right of the center of the screen, or viewing the screen at a high or low angle, tends to wash out contrast and color saturation. This is a common occurrence for TVs in this price segment. However, keep this in mind if you are installing the TV on a wall. The best position is as close to the viewer’s front dead center as possible.
Game Mode
Skyworth’s G3A series only hit the market in 2021, although the 2020 series itself, so HDMI 2.1 inputs are missing, as are many advanced gaming features. Therefore, the models under consideration are not suitable for game battles. But for the “casual gamer,” the series provides some of the affordable video games built for legacy game consoles.
The 50G3A does not have a dedicated Game Mode. Changing picture mode settings between Custom, Vivid, Standard, Sports, and Cinema has no discernible effect on input lag adjustments. So with an input signal of 1080p @ 60 Hz, a rather significant input lag of 28 ms turned out, and this is expected in this price category.
Sound system
The 50G3A’s built-in sound system gets the job done without the bells and whistles. Dialogues are clear and can be quite loud. Loud or deep sound effects, such as explosions and gunfire, do not have a certain definition and brightness.
However, the series uses speakers located at the rear of the cabinet to expand the space. The advertisements claim that the 2.0CH sound circuit in the G3A has a 24W output power, but there is information in the service manual that the TVs are equipped with 10W + 10W speakers. A link to this data is given in the characteristics section.
Conclusion
It can be concluded that the Skyworth G3A is an ordinary low-end LCD TV. These models will be affordable TVs for some dorms or kitchens. Viewing Full HD images with upscaling is good, and there are also no remarks when watching live news, YouTube content and the like.
Watching the movies got a pretty standard result, which you would expect at less than $ 500. HDR performance and dark detailing is not a strong point of Skyworth’s G3A, so some washed out details will show up in dark scenes. But that’s typical of the affordable 4K LED TVs.
