Discounter Aldi has a TV bargain on offer this week. But what is the 65-incher from the Aldi brand Medion really good for?
Technology offers have a long tradition at Aldi. On Thursdays, vacuum robots, headphones or, as in this case, televisions can be found again and again in the brochures of the discount store. Almost as often, however, these are products that have already been on offer in one way or another in the past. This also applies to the 65-inch Medion Life X16566 television. It will be available from Thursday, February 10, 2022 in the discounter’s online shop – only while stocks last.
UHD Smart TV Medion Life X16566 (65 inches) for 549 euros
Technical specifications
The Medion Life X16566 has an LCD panel with a 65-inch screen diagonal – which corresponds to around 164 cm. The panel has 4K UHD resolution (3840 x 2160 pixels) and supports High Dynamic Range (HDR10) and Dolby Vision – both of which are intended to ensure color-accurate image reproduction and deep black tones. The screen achieves a maximum brightness of 350 nits (candelas per square meter) and has a rather poor static contrast ratio of just 1300:1 (27,000:1 dynamic). After all, according to the product page, the panel supports micro dimming. The technology adjusts the background lighting of different image sections individually, for example to darken black areas more.
A triple tuner enables the reception of broadcasts via DVB-C (cable), DVB-T2 HD (antenna) and DVB-S2 (satellite), there is a slot for CI+ modules or SmartCard. In addition, the smart TV can also access the Internet via WLAN, apps for Netflix and Amazon Prime Video and a browser are preinstalled. The device also supports HbbTV for more information about current programs and reruns of missed programs directly from the Internet. Other smart functions include wireless display, which you can use to play content from your smartphone on the smart TV, and compatibility with the Medion Life Remote app, which you can use to control the TV via your smartphone.
sound and connections
The TV has two 12-watt stereo speakers with DTS certification for audio output. There are four HDMI ports with HDCP 2.2 support for encrypted content and two USB ports for playing media and recording programs directly to USB devices. The TV supports the playback of media with the modern H.265 codec (HEVC). In addition, there is a network connection, VGA port, cinch connection, a headphone jack and an optical audio output (SPDIF). The scope of delivery includes a stand and a remote control including batteries.
Old TV in a new guise
Relatively exactly a year ago, Aldi had a very similar television on offer. The 65-incher from February 2021 was called “Medion Life X16596” and cost 579 euros. According to the data sheets, the differences to the current “Medion Life X 16566” are only marginal. At first, we only noticed the slightly better contrast of 1300:1 instead of 1200:1.
At that time, TECHBOOK only rated the television as average. A year later, we can only confirm this judgment with the new, hardly changed device. If you don’t want to spend more than 550 euros for 65 inches, you will certainly not be disappointed with the “Medion Life X16566”. There are similarly equipped alternatives in this price range from Hisense. But if you add 150 to 250 euros, you get devices with significantly better equipment from Samsung and Co.
Would you like a step smaller? Then read: The best 4K TVs with a 55-inch screen