Unlike the smartphone market where newcomers can easily establish a brand by offering a cheaper alternative to known industry leaders, the smart TV market is a bit of a hard one to penetrate. Especially in a conservative market like the Philippines where TVs are considered an investment as opposed to smartphones that have a quicker replacement cycle.
With that in mind, how did iFFALCON, a newcomer in the TV market, manage to penetrate the conservative Filipino market? Easy, by offering feature-rich options at competitive price points. It’s even touted as a TikTok Livestream best-seller and “The Most Affordable Google TV on TikTok Shop”. If that’s not gonna impress you, I don’t know what will…
Introducing the iFFALCON S55 Series
Standing out among these options is iFFALCON’s S55 series, providing an accessible entry point into the Google TV ecosystem. iFFALCON was gracious enough to send us 2 sizes of their widely popular S55 series, a 32 and 43-inch one. But for the purposes of this article, we’ll chuck them into one since they’re under the same line.
Out of the box, you’ll get the usual TV accessories including the remote, power cable, a component splitter for the combined AV port, 2 AAA batteries, and some documentation including the owner’s manual and warranty certificate.
The Google TV Advantage
Like we’ve mentioned, at the core of the S55 series is the Google TV ecosystem. Unlike other manufacturers that use their own proprietary OS, iFFALCON aimed to make the experience even simpler by sticking to Google TV. Giving users access to over 5,000 applications and over 700,000 shows and movies through the Google Play Store.
Design
Before we get lost in the ecosystem, let’s first talk about the smart TV itself. Both the 32 and 43-inch smart TVs feature a metallic bezel-less design that offers a slim and elegant design, blending in with any space it’s placed at. It’s quite amazing to think how far technology has come, not just in innovation but in price.
I remember when I was growing up, flat screen TVs with large bezels were offered at exorbitant prices, but now you can get a bezel-less design like this one at a third of what it used to cost us.
This slim design also contributes to the S55’s impressive lightness, with the 43-inch model weighing just 7.2kg. This makes the setup process a straightforward, one-person task, a significant improvement from the cumbersome CRT TVs of the past.
Display & Visuals
As for the display, the 32-inch model features HD Ready resolution, while other variants, such as the 43-inch model that we have, come with a Full HD display. Now you might be thinking “why not make it Full HD?”, well, it’s mainly because of the size. At 32-inches, you won’t be able to tell the difference if it’s HD or Full HD but as the screen gets bigger, the difference becomes more apparent.
The S55 series further enhances the visual experience with support for HDR 10 decoding. This technology intelligently analyzes images to improve contrast and deliver visual quality akin to HDR content, even from non-HDR sources—a remarkable feature considering the TV’s price point.
Connectivity & Audio
You’ll find most of the S55’s ports conveniently located on the right side of the TV (when facing the screen directly).
These include:
- USB Type-A port
- Ethernet port
- Coaxial/Antenna input
- Digital Audio Out
- Two HDMI ports (1 running HDMI1.4b and the other running HDMI2.1)
- Composite Video Input
- 3.5mm audio jack
Meanwhile, the only thing you’ll find on the left side is the AC input to power the TV.
In terms of audio, the S55 series is equipped with 16W stereo speakers and supports Dolby Audio. The audio system is optimized to provide a crystal-clear, crisp, and richly immersive experience, placing you at the heart of every scene.
For connectivity, the S55 features built-in Wi-Fi (supporting 2.4G + 5G dual-band for stable and fast transmission) and Bluetooth. And since this is running Google TV, you have the option to enable voice control using Google Assistant to access content, switch channels, adjust volume, or even control compatible smart home devices. You can even mirror content directly from your phone using the built-in Chromecast.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, the iFFALCON S55 series proves that you don’t need to break the bank to get a feature-packed smart TV experience. With a sleek bezel-less design, reliable Google TV integration, and surprisingly good audio-visual performance for its price, it’s clear iFFALCON is here to disrupt the market—and they’re doing it with style. Whether you’re setting up your first smart TV or looking for an affordable upgrade, the S55 series offers solid value that’s hard to ignore. iFFALCON might be the new kid on the block, but they’re definitely not playing around.
