Vizio's XLED TVs might make you forget its tracking software
This year's M- and P-series lines obey Google Assistant and Home commands.
Vizio's pushed a wider range of affordable HDR screens with its recent E-series, which follows the trend of high-resolution 4K televisions getting cheaper and cheaper. So follows the company's SmartCast P- and M-series lines for this year, which offer upper and mid-level TVs at reasonable cost.
While neither feature OLED found in more expensive screens, both series have Vizio's XLED full-array backlighting -- a clear branding move to rival Samsung's similar QLED. And really, the name is all about branding. Nothing has actually changed hardware-wise with Vizio's P-series sets, compared to last year.
As Vizio announced for all its SmartCast-equipped devices back in January, these lines respond to Google Home and Assistant voice commands. That's on top of the SmartCast features, which let users stream content through a custom app. This summer, all SmartCast models (including last year's) are getting an over-the-air upgrade that will let customers stream straight from the display. Additionally, the new TVs are forgoing the tablets that were bundled with last year's models, and will instead feature more traditional remotes.
Vizio has been in hot water since the FTC brought suit against the company for tracking its users' viewing behaviors without their knowledge on over 11 million televisions. In February, it was ordered to pay a $2.2 million settlement fee and delete any data it collected before March 2016. Rest assured, new TV buyers, the data collection feature is not currently enabled on SmartCast Display units.
Here are the model price ranges:
M-Series:
VIZIO SmartCast™ M-Series™ 50" Ultra HD HDR XLED Plus™ Display™ (M50-E1) MSRP $799.99
VIZIO SmartCast™ M-Series™ 55" Ultra HD HDR XLED Plus™ Display™ (M55-E0) MSRP $999.99
VIZIO SmartCast™ M-Series™ 65" Ultra HD HDR XLED Plus™ Display™ (M65-E0) MSRP $1,499.99
VIZIO SmartCast™ M-Series™ 70" Ultra HD HDR XLED Plus™ Display™ (M70-E3) MSRP $1,999.99
VIZIO SmartCast™ M-Series™ 75" Ultra HD HDR XLED Plus™ Display™ (M75-E1) MSRP $2,999.99
P-Series:
VIZIO SmartCast™ P-Series™ 55" Ultra HD HDR XLED Pro™ Display™ (P55-E1) MSRP $1,299.99
VIZIO SmartCast™ P-Series™ 65" Ultra HD HDR XLED Pro™ Display™ (P65-E1) MSRP $1,999.99
VIZIO SmartCast™ P-Series™ 75" Ultra HD HDR XLED Pro™ Display™ (P75-E1) MSRP $3,499.99
