Product review: Sony KDL32WE613 32″ TV

A few years ago, when I first started at Richer Sounds, our most popular size TV was always a 32 inch. As times and trends change, people are wanting bigger and bigger sets to fit in any room of the house…

You may think because of this the 32 inch size is on its way out. Sure, there’s fewer options out there but the options that are available are improved drastically and offer superb picture quality. Just like Sony have done with the 2017 KDL32WE613.

As with most Sony sets the design is extremely sleek and modern looking. Weighing only 6.2kg with a tiny bezel that surrounds the screen, the WE613 will fit effortlessly into any living space. The silver stand it comes with also adds a nice touch and gives it a more premium look. If you don’t want to use the silver stand then wall mounting is as easy as can be by using a standard 100mm x 200mm VESA mount. But we aren’t here to wax lyrical about just how the set looks as we move onto something even more crucial, the picture quality.

Even though it doesn’t boast a 1080p full HD resolution, it doesn’t really seem to miss a beat. When using the in-built Freeview HD tuner, the picture is soft, natural and very pleasing on the eye. Skin tones really stand out for me as sometimes they can be a bit unrealistic, not here though.

As Sony TVs have had a long tradition of being the gamer’s choice due to their low response times, let’s see how a bit of Fifa turns out. Fuelled by Sony’s own Motionflow XR 400hz processing, the game is handled effortlessly with regards wort minimal blue. Perhaps the picture could do with being slightly brighter for certain games but it’s only a slight grumble. Saying that, the addition of HDR (high dynamic range) more than makes up for it. HDR has been around for a few years now but not very often on a 32 inch. This really adds to the viewing pleasure and gives a more cinematic and detailed feel. Sticking on any of the latest HDR Blu-ray films really impresses me. There’s definitely more detail in the darker scenes than on previous sets and the whole experience is just taken up a notch. A real win for Sony and a massive bonus for anyone who wants that little bit extra from a 32 inch TV.

Being 2017 of course there’s Wi-Fi built in and you can access your favourite apps like BBC iPlayer and YouTube without having to turn the laptop on. Plus the picture quality will be better! What more could you ask for….

What about recording from Freeview to a USB HDD? Not a problem. Just stick one into the side and away you go. Obviously this offers video playback as well as the ability to play music and look at photographs. Not only does it include two USB connections but also two HDMI. One of which is ARC (audio return channel) enabled, so keeping things neat and tidy. There’s also a trusty scart connection which you don’t find on many sets these days. Another plus point for the Sony. They’ve also included a headphone jack and an optical output to hook up to a home cinema system. Quite well equipped if I do say so myself.

The Sony KDL32WE613 really does do a lot of things, and well at that and I can only see it doing well for the Japanese TV giant. Want to see for yourself then pop down to your local Richer Sounds for a demo.

Click to find out more about the Sony Bravia KDL32WE613.

Author: Bradley, Plymouth store