Vizio is one of the most reputable companies in televisions and home theater gear. The best TVs of that company offer a range of smart features like voice controls, pre-loaded streaming apps, and the ability to mirror your smartphone or tablet screens for more ways to share photos, music, and videos. Vizio V series vs M series TV is today’s main topic.
There’s a Vizio TV to meet your demands no matter what you’re searching for. And that’s why, today we are comparing two of the best product lines of Vizio to help you find your needs.
Our Top Pick
Best Overall: Vizio M series M65Q8-H1
Features:
- Broad color gamut in DCI-P3
- Decent brightness
- Supports VRR
- Reduces stutter and judder
Best Budget TV: Vizio V series V655-G9
Features:
- Affordable
- Excellent contrast ratio
- Impressive black uniformity
- Average color display
Other popular choices
Best entry-level TV: Vizio V series V655-H19
Features:
- Moderate brightness with good contrast
- Decent upscaling
- Average response time but good input lag
Best HDR TV: Vizio M556-G4
Features
- Broader color gamut
- Excellent color performance with Quantum color technology
- Decent color contrast
Vizio V series vs M series TV 2020
AT a Glance: Vizio V vs M Series
| Vizio V-Series | Vizio M-Series | |
| Movies | Better: impressive contrast ratio and black uniformity | Best: excellent contrast ratio with perfect blacks, good upscaling without judder |
| TV Shows | Better: excellent gradient handling, good black uniformity, and upscaling | Best: good reflection handling, brightness, several contents in SmartCast |
| Games | Better: good contrast ratio, low input lag but some blur in scenes. | Best: good response time (18.1ms) and lower input lag, clear scenes without blur |
| HDR Movies | Better: decent black uniformity and mediocre brightness | Best: outstanding black uniformity and vivid color |
| PC Monitor | Better: average response time support 4:4:4 chroma | Best: good response time and low input lag |
| Sports | Better: average brightness and smoothness | Better: handle motion with clarity, good reflection handling |
| HDR Gaming | Best: low lag, removes stutter & judder effectively | Best: excellent color gamut, low lag, and support VRR |
| Over-all | Better | Best |
Vizio V series 2020 is best for mixed usage.
Vizio V655-H19 has a very low input lag so you can easily you it for gaming. However, it might leave some trials. It is an affordable TV at a reasonable price which you can use for movies, TV shows, or sports but the picture quality will not be outstanding rather it will be average.
Vizio M series 2020 is best for movies
Vizio M65Q8-H1 has an excellent contrast ratio, Quantum color technology, and local dimming zones. Although the view angle isn’t broad, it has decent upscaling and perfect black uniformity.
Overview
Vizio V Series was released in 2019 and is an affordable solution for those who want an entry-level TV. In 2019, there are 11 different models of the Vizio V-series whereas the M-series only has two. Vizio M-series is an older line of TVs compared to the V-series.
The M-series was launched in 2011 and Vizio has continued manufacturing it throughout this time. The M-series is a mid-range series whereas the V-series are for newbies who have just entered into the world of Smart TV.
Vizio V vs M series: In-detailed review
Key specifications:
- Display processor: IQ Active
- Upscale Engine: Spatial scaling engine
- Backlight: Full-Array LED
- Resolution: 4k
- Native refresh rate: 60 Hz
Main differences:
| Vizio V series V655-H19 | Vizio M series M65Q8-H1 | |
| Gaming Engine | V-Gaming Engine | ProGaming Engine™ |
| Local dimming zones | Unknown | LED zones x90 |
| VRR | No | 40-60Hz |
| Dynamic contrast ratio | 2M:1 | 5M:1 |
Color and contrast
The main difference between Vizio V series vs M series TV is that the V series V655-H19 doesn’t have any local dimming zones whereas the M-series 2020 M65Q8-H1 has 90. This makes a huge difference in terms of image quality. the native contrast ratio of V655-H19 crosses 5000 which is quite good.
The brightness limits to 200 cd/m² which is very poor. Although the gray color is average, the evenness of black is very good. The color gamut and performance in bright rooms are poor but the upscaling of low-resolution contents is good.
In the M series, the M65Q8-H1 color contrast and color gamut are excellent but the local dimming shows some blooming. SDR and HDR peak brightness of M65Q8-H1 is better than V655-H19 and the values are around 370 cd/m² and 440 cd/m². The gray and black uniformity of both the V and M series is very impressive.
Picture quality
The IQ Active processor is known to be ‘lighting fast’ that helps to deliver excellent images along with intelligent upscaling. For gaming, it uses ProGaming Engine that reduces tearing and stutter to enjoy gaming at 4k@60Hz. Between Vizio M vs V series picture quality, the M series wins over the V series due to 90 local dimming zones that adjust backlight as per need.
Although they have excellent color accuracy, the color representation of M series is far better due to Quantum color technology. The reflection handling of these models is very good so you can use them in bright rooms but they have a poor view angle.
Comparing Vizio V vs M series motion interpolation, the M series M65Q8-H1 has a faster response time and so it shows clarity in fast-moving objects. The V655-H19 shows some blur and leaves a trail of fast-moving objects. Another difference between the Vizio M series Quantum 65 vs V series is that the V655-H19 can remove stutter and judder completely whereas the M65Q8-H1 may show some stutter in 24p content.
Audio quality
The difference between Vizio 65” V series vs M series is that; the M series speakers have 20W power whereas the V series has 16W power. The M series has a max SPL of 83 whereas the V series has a bit higher SPL of 87dB.
The dialogs are clear but they both lack room-shaking bass so you can always add an additional soundbar if you want. You can buy the Vizio M-series 2.1 M21D-H8 soundbar which you can use with the M-series or V-series TV.
Smart TV
These TVs have the SmartCast OS 1.4 version. The user interface is smooth to use that takes around 9s to go to YouTube. Comparing Vizio V vs M series Smart TV, the V series comes with suggested contents and ads whereas the M series doesn’t show any ads. You can access popular apps like Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Disney+ along with 200+ channels. Also check out How to Add Apps to Vizio Smart TV.
Connectivity and compatibility
The M series has 4 HDMI, 1 USB, 1 Composite In, 1 Ethernet, 1 Digital Optical Audio Out, 1 Analog Audio Out RCA. The V series has 3 HDMI, 1USB, 1 Composite In, 1 Ethernet, 1 Digital Optical Audio Out, and 1 Analog Audio Out RCA.
They support Apple AirPlay 2 and Homekit along with Siri, Amazon Alexa, and google assistant. The TV can act as the ‘center of Smart Home’ through which you can control Amazon or Google Assistant compatible smart devices such as a camera, doorbell, etc.
Things to improve:
| Vizio V series 2020 | Vizio M series 2020 |
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We recommend: M-series 2020 M65Q8-H1 due to excellent picture quality
Vizio V series vs M series TV 2019
At a Glance: Vizio V vs M Series.
| Vizio V-Series | Vizio M-Series | |
| Movies | Better: excellent color contrast, average brightness, and mediocre view angle. | Best: Darker & perfect blacks, good contrast ratio, and decent local dimming |
| TV Shows | Best: ideal for bright rooms, decent color gamut, and excellent upscaling | Better: good reflection handling, excellent black uniformity |
| Games | Better: decent color display and brightness, the low response time(18.6ms), and lag. | Best: lower response time (16.2ms) and input lag, wide color gamut. |
| HDR Movies | Better: average color and highlights | Best: wide color gamut, deep blacks and good HDR performance |
| PC Monitor | Better: low input lag, support 4:4:4 chroma | Better: responsive and low input lag, no permanent burn-in |
| Sports | Better: smooth motion, mediocre gray uniformity | Better: decent motion handling and good for bright rooms |
| HDR Gaming | Better: average brightness and color display | Best: clear fast-moving objects, fast response time, remove judder |
| Over-all | Better | Best |
Vizio M-series M556-G4 is best for movies.
This is because of the uniformity of blacks and excellent color contrast. The M-series 2019 is also best for gaming as it has a faster response time and low input lag.
Vizio V series V655-G9 2019 is best for mixed usage.
It is an average TV that you can use for watching TV shows as it is good for reflection, has decent color contrast, and mediocre upscaling (480p, 720p).
Overview
The Vizio M series 2019 is an improved version from 2018 that includes Quantum Color Technology. On the other hand, Vizio V-series is first launched in 2019 where some of the models come with a local dimming feature, others don’t have it.
Vizio V vs M series: In-detailed review
Key specification
- Processor: Octa-Core Processor
- HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG
- Backlight Type: Full-Array LED
- Native refresh rate: 60 Hz
- Color depth: 8bit+ FRC
Main differences
| Vizio M series M556-G4 | Vizio V series V655-G9 | |
| Local Dimming Zones | Yes with Local Dimming Zones x10 | None |
| ClearAction | 180 | No |
| Native refresh rate | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Dynamic contrast ratio | 200K:1 | none |
| Brightness | 400nits | unknown |
Color and contrast
Comparing Vizio V series vs M series TV 2019, we see that they differ vastly in terms of technology and features. The main difference between the M series and V series Vizio is that the M556-G4 has 10 local dimming zones whereas the V655-G9 has none. Both use full-array LED-backlit but the M556-G4 is supposed to be darker than the V655-G9.
How does local dimming affect picture quality? the local dimming can control lighting on the screen by increasing and decreasing brightness where needed. This helps to enhance the contrast ratio and highlights in an image. FALD or Full-array local dimming means an LCD screen with an array of lights or zones.
Between the Vizio M series vs V series, the M series will display deeper blacks due to 10 local dimming zones. The M-series Quantum 2019 has Quantum color technology found only in high-end models. It has billions of colors to effectively display vivid colors on the image. The contrast ratio is 200k:1 and for most of the models in the M-series, the native contrast ratio is impressive and exceeds the standard value which is >3000.
The native contrast ratio for the V-series V655-G9 and its variants is around 7300:1 which is excellent but it doesn’t have any contrast with local dimming. The SDR and HDR peak brightness is around 260 to 240 cd/m² which is mediocre. It also has Dolby Vision HDR that improves color compared to other standard TVs.
Picture quality
Vizio M-Series has ClearAction 180 which shouldn’t be confused with the refresh rate. This refers to the ‘backlight scanning feature’. Both the models have a native refresh rate of 60Hz. None of these models have a 10-bit color depth. They have 8-bit+ FRC which isn’t similar to 10-bit so it may cause flickering.
Comparing Vizio P series vs V series, the upscaling of the V series isn’t very good similar to the P series, especially the 480p and 720p contents. Considering the absence of ClearAction and local dimming, the M-series M556-G4 can be considered to have better picture quality than V655-G9.
Connectivity and compatibility
The Vizio V vs M series audio quality is mediocre and almost similar. Both these models have a sound output of 8watts x 2. The V655-G9 has a low-frequency range of 143Hz and a maximum SPL of 83dB. These TVs will not deliver any deep bass and the loudness is only decent.
As the Vizio soundbars are quite cheap, you can easily include one to enhance the audio. you can use the Vizio V51-H6 36″ soundbar with the V-series or M-series TV because Vizio soundbars will work with any TV that has RCA or optical input.
The TVs are compatible with Apple AirPlay 2 and have Chromecast built-in. They work with Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa. The connections are standard where they both have 3 HDMI ports, 1 Ethernet, 1 USB, 1TV Tune, 1ARC, 1 Analog Audio Out, and 1 Digital Audio out.
Smart OS
With the help of Chromecast, you can cast any content, photos, or videos from your phone very easily. These models come with SmartCast 3.0 operating system. Based on image quality, compatibility, and Smart OS, the M-series is considered to be one of the best 55” TV in 2019.
However, the smoothness of the user interface is disappointing. This means it is not faster to navigate throughout the menus or from the home screen to a particular app.
Other than that, the SmartCast comes with popular apps and contents that you can watch and the Chromecast is an additional bonus. The V-series have 15 pre-installed apps and you cant add more so you need to cast other content or channel that you watch from your phone.
Things to improve:
| Vizio V series 2019 | Vizio M series 2019 |
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We recommend: Vizio V-series V655-G9 as a standard TV at an affordable cost
Vizio V series vs M series TV 2018
Vizio M-series is a very old line of TVs whereas the V-series was initially launched two years back in 2019. So we can’t make a direct comparison between Vizio V vs M series for older models.
Vizio M series 2018 is best for mixed usage.
You can enjoy movies or games easily with this TV. The price is reasonable, the color contrast is impressive and you can use them in dark places. Although it doesn’t have VRR, it handles motion well make it ideal for gaming.
Vizio M series: In-detailed review
Key specifications
- Screen sizes: 55”, 65”, 70”
- Model name: M55-F0, M65-F0, M70-F3
- Resolution: 4k
- Local dimming zones: 55”: 32, 65”: 40, 70”: 48
- HDR: HDR10 and Dolby Vision
- Backlight: Full-Array LED
- OS: SmartCast
- Native refresh rate: 60Hz
- VRR: No
M-series 2018 is an affordable 4k HDR TV that shows average performance. The M65-F0 upscaling of low-resolution contents like 480p or 720p may show some noise in the image but 1080p contents are upscaled without any issues.
According to Vizio the 65” M-series has 600 nits brightness and a 20M:1 dynamic contrast ratio. Its Ultra HD and Dolby Vision HDR will enhance the colors, deeper blacks, and overall image quality. The color contrast ratio is around 4500 and while the black uniformity is excellent, the gray uniformity is decent.
The response time is fast and it has a low input lag so gaming can be played easily. The sound output for M65-F0 is 15×2 W. the loudness is decent but not room-filling. It supports the 1.27 version SmartCast that doesn’t have any ads. The user interface is sluggish and the remote is large to use comfortably.
Comparing the Vizio M series vs Samsung QLED, we see that the QLED TV performs slightly better than the M series. It has better brightness and contrast ratio but poor local dimming. The 4k upscaling is excellent for 480p, 720p and 1080p contents. Unlike the M series, it supports VRR and FreeSync making it better for gaming than the M65-F0.
Things to improve:
| Vizio M series 2018 |
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We recommend: Vizio M-series M70-F3 as it has more local dimming zones and large size.
Product Differentiators
Vizio M-series is excellent for movies and games as most of the models show excellent contrast ratio, low input lag, and the new models support VRR to reduce screen tearing. The Quantum color technology and local dimming zones further improve the picture quality.
Between Vizio V series vs M series TV, the V series is slightly cheaper than the M series. It has decent upscaling, average brightness, and picture quality. V series is best for mixed usage where you will enjoy the performance at this price range.
BEST ALTERNATIVE
Here we have listed some other competitors that are the best alternative to Vizio. They differ in features like image quality, gaming features, or motion handling, as well as price.
Hi-FI ALTERNATIVE: Sony Z8H 75 Inch TV
Features:
- 8k LED TV with 2500 nits brightness
- outstanding picture quality
- supports 8k@60Hz, 4k@ 120Hz with HDMI 2.1
- best for next-gen gaming consoles like PS5
- excellent 8k upscaling
Moderate ALTERNATIVE: TCL 65” 65R635 4k UHD TV
Features:
- mini-LED technology deliver mediocre FALD performance
- impressive brightness and wide color gamut
- excellent motion handling with VRR support
- Roku OS gives a smooth user experience
- refresh rate 120Hz and THX Certified Game Mode
BUDGET ALTERNATIVE: Insignia NS-50DF710NA21 50-inch Smart 4K UHD
Feature:
- 4k HDR with LED backlighting
- thousands of apps with Alexa voice control
- decent color accuracy
- 4.60Hz refresh rate
- decent build
Parting words: Vizio V series vs M series TV
Vizio V series vs M series TV models are continuously improving. The main purpose is to give the best to consumers at a reasonable price. The new models of 2020 use IQ Active processor and ProGaming Engine to make the TV faster and better for gaming.
They also support VRR which is crucial for gaming. Among these two, what makes the M-series an appealing choice, is its advanced features that you can get at an affordable price. Comparing Vizio V vs M series, the M series is comparatively better in terms of image quality and overall performance.
They outperform the V series in specific use cases like movies, sports, or games. One of the biggest differences between the Vizio M vs V series is that some V series models don’t have any local dimming zones which might degrade image quality.
The SmartCast OS new version is faster than the previous one which improves user experience. Vizio builds quality is decent where most TVs are built with a mixture of plastic and metal. Their Smart features are good where the TVs are compatible with Apple AirPlay 2, Homekit, Siri, Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa.
FAQs: Vizio V series vs M series TV
How to connect AirPlay 2 to Vizio TV?
In some of the new lines of TVs, the Airplay 2 will be available automatically with the firmware update. AirPlay 2 is needed to transfer local files from Apple devices to the TV. These Vizio TVs will also be compatible with Homekit.
With Homekit, you can rule smart devices via Siri, or iPhone/iPad, etc. the following models will support AirPlay 2 and Homekit with an update.
How to do ‘firmware update’ on Vizio TV?
Follow these steps for a firmware update:
- Connect to stable wired Internet
- Go to Main Menu> System> Check for updates
- Turn off the TV
- Wait for the update to complete
How to set up Vizio TV?
Use these steps to set up the Vizio TV successfully:
- Connect input/output wires
- Plugin the TV cable
- Turn on the TV by pressing the power button on the backside
- Use the directional button in remote and press ‘ok’ to start
- Choose your preferred language
- Then select Home Use
- Select Wi-Fi, give Wi-Fi username and password to connect
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