Element 450 Series 4K LED TV Review

E450AD43G HDR Google TV (60Hz)

Intro

Element is a budget brand TV manufacturer that’s not well-known to most consumers yet provides decent and very inexpensive 4K HDR TVs. Sure, it can’t compete with the likes of Samsung, LG, and Sony, nor was it designed to do so; but it does what it’s supposed to do within its design parameters, and it does it well.

One of the reasons I decided to do this review is to attest that Element makes a decent TV after watching lots of movies and YouTube videos on an Element TV that belongs to a very close friend who has owned this TV for several years without any issues. The picture quality is decent, and I can’t find much to complain about for such a low-cost TV.

The Element 450 series is available in 43”, 50”, 55”, 65” 70”, 75”, and 86” screen sizes.

Design & Features

The E450AD43G boasts a modern, minimalist aesthetic appeal featuring a frameless bezel design. This slim bezel design minimizes distractions and draws your focus into the on-screen action. The TV also has decent build quality, especially for an inexpensive TV. However, when viewed from the side the panel is a bit bulky and not as slim as most other flat panel designs on the market.

This TV delivers pristine 4K picture resolution and adds HDR10 high dynamic range. HDR boosts contrast and picture brightness and produces more vibrant true-to-life colors. I’ll talk more about this TV’s HDR performance later.

The 450 series offers the Google TV smart TV platform. Google TV OS will allow you to find shows across ten thousand plus apps or to browse three hundred free live TV channels and thousands of free movies. You can use your voice to find content with the supplied voice remote control. Functionally, I found the Google TV OS to be generally smooth and glitch-free, although it wasn’t as fast compared to my Sony TV which also uses the Google TV interface. I believe this was caused by the limited amount of internal memory and storage space available on the Element TV.

This TV also has Chrome Cast built-in and is now called Google Cast. This feature worked well when casting content from my smartphone to the TV without any issues.

The Element 450 series also features Dolby Audio which prevents jumps in volume as you switch content or go from broadcast programs to commercial breaks. It’s also designed to deliver better audio quality, but it didn’t make much of a difference on the Element 450 due to the TV’s speakers which don’t produce high-quality sound output.

Features highlights:

• • 4K (2160p) UHD: With 4K resolution, this TV offers four times the number of pixels compared to traditional Full HD TVs, resulting in a sharper and more vivid picture. Enjoy breathtakingly crisp images with vivid colors that pop, making every scene come to life in stunning clarity.
  • Direct-lit LED backlighting
  • HDR10 (High Dynamic Range): HDR boosts contrast and picture brightness and produces more vibrant true-to-life colors.
  • Google TV: The Google TV smart TV platform will allow you to find shows across 10,000+ apps or to browse 300+ free live TV channels and thousands of free movies. Use your voice to find shows, play music, control smart home devices, and more. With personalized watchlists and profiles, everyone’s experience is customized for them. And you can even take it on the go with the Google TV mobile app.
  • Works with Google Assistant
  • Voice Remote Control: Use your voice to find movies, and your favorite streaming apps, play music, and control the TV. Just say “Hey Google”.
  • Google Cast Built-in: Formally known as Chrome Cast, you can easily cast movies, shows, photos, and more from your phone or tablet, directly to your TV using Google Cast built-in. With Google Cast built into your Element TV, your phone becomes the remote. Tap the Cast button from apps you already know and love to stream entertainment from your phone, tablet, or laptop to the TV. Plus, while you’re streaming, you can keep using your phone for other things – scroll through social media, send a text, and even accept calls.
  • Dolby Audio is built into your Element television; Dolby Audio prevents jumps in volume as you switch content or go from broadcast programs to commercial breaks.
  • Frameless Bezel: Element’s frameless televisions offer the best of both worlds – style and performance. A slim frame and virtually no bezel make this TV less noticeable, allowing it to integrate seamlessly into your existing décor. Enjoy an edge-to-edge screen with fewer distractions from black edges, allowing for a larger image and a more captivating experience.
  • Built-in Bluetooth Connectivity: Transform your entertainment setup without the need for extra cables with Bluetooth connectivity built right in. Effortlessly pair your TV to your Bluetooth-enabled devices such as sound bars, wireless headphones, speakers, and more for high-quality audio and a clutter-free setup. Play music from your smartphone playlists or enjoy private listening on wireless headphones during late-night gaming sessions with friends.

Connectivity

• 4 HDMI 2.1 inputs/ HDCP 2.2 compliant
• 1 Digital optical output
• 2 USB 2.0 inputs
• 1 RF input for antenna/cable signals
• 1 Ethernet input
• eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) HDMI input 1
• Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
• 1 Composite input (mini-AV in)
• Audio input
• Headphone output
• Bluetooth support

Performance

The heart of any television lies in its picture quality, and the Element 450 series does a commendable job in this crucial area of performance, especially for 4K TVs at these price points. For this review, I used the 43-inch model, the E450AD43G.

Now, getting right to the point, I was pleasantly surprised at how good the overall picture was from the Element 450. However, I must state that the picture quality straight out of the box wasn’t very good in my opinion, but after some minor tweaking within the TV’s picture menu settings, I was able to bring the picture quality to life. For example, when watching high-quality video clips from select movie scenes and high-quality 4K outdoor landscapes on YouTube, I was treated to images with stunning detail and clarity, with impressive image transparency.

Color reproduction: The Element 450 delivered solid color reproduction. 4K and 1080p resolution movies, TV shows, and video clips produced a vibrant color palette with admirable color accuracy.

This TV also has commendable contrast which allows for deep blacks. However, on the downside, this TV doesn’t have an LED local dimming feature which would have improved contrast and black levels. The TV only has direct-lit LED backlighting which isn’t capable of precise control over the LED zones as is the case with direct-lit LEDs with local dimming.

HDR performance: When viewing high-quality HDR content on this TV, the results were good. But when compared to my high-end Sony TV, the Element 450 fell short of what a great HDR picture image should look like. This shortcoming was primarily due to the TV’s lack of high peak brightness output. This caused images to be less vibrant and colorful and bright specular highlights didn’t stand out. There was also less detail and clarity and less image depth and transparency. So, if you desire a TV that can produce bright and dynamic HDR picture images, you should choose a TV capable of producing high peak brightness output.

Next, motion handling was decent on this TV for a panel with a refresh rate of 60 hertz. When watching fast-action movie content, I didn’t notice any motion artifacts such as motion blur. However, with some fast-paced sporting events, I did see some slight motion blur. Additionally, there is a fair amount of contrast and color saturation loss when viewing this TV at wide viewing angles which is common with TVs that use VA panels. For the record, I didn’t do any gaming evaluation on this TV which I don’t usually do. Nor could I find any relevant info about the TV’s gaming capabilities.

Conclusion

The Element E450AD43G is a solid performing 4K TV with an array of useful and sought-after features including the Google TV OS. Its overall picture quality was very good, especially for a TV at the two-hundred-dollar price point. The TV’s detail and clarity were impressive, whereas its color rendering delivered a vibrant and well-saturated color palette, and its contrast and black-level performance were commendable.

I also liked its sleek frameless bezel design which adds aesthetic appeal to its appearance. The TV also has decent build quality, especially for an inexpensive TV.

The Element 450 Series has a lot to offer, but it does, however, have a few drawbacks with my top complaint being its lack of peak brightness output when viewing HDR content. Other minor complaints are its contrast and color saturation loss when viewing the TV from the sides, and minor motion blur with some fast-action sporting events such as basketball games.

Some will say Element TVs should be avoided, but I suggest you check them out before you dismiss the brand.

I recommend the Element 450 Series to consumers who don’t mind purchasing an unfamiliar brand and who desire a decent 4K TV with good performance and is equipped with the mainstream features that most people look for in a new TV, all at a cost that is well below most other budget brand TVs.

Check out the YouTube review of the Element 450 Series at the link below: