Vizio M-Series Quantum X
MSRP $849.99
“From the image performance to the value, the MQX is excellent.”
Pros
- Solid brightness and HDR performance
- Impressive black levels for the value
- Decent backlight control
- Great price
For a few years, Vizio’s M-Series TVs have been central to its business. Not only does the M-Series sit smack in the midst of Vizio’s expansive TV lineup – above the more modest D- and V-Series, but below the more premium P- and PX-Series – however it represents the best level of value. It doesn’t try to interrupt brightness or color volume barriers, however it does aim to deliver solid picture quality and an expansive list of desirable features at a really attractive price.
The audience for a TV just like the M-Series is large. Anyone that’s willing to pay a bit bit more for a top quality experience, but stops wanting diving deep into confusing specs can appreciate what the M-Series stands to supply.
With that in mind, I’ve been desperate to see how Vizio’s recent 2022 M-Series Quantum X (MQX) would perform. With the addition of quantum dots, it guarantees brighter color and higher HDR performance than previous models, but at the identical approachable price.
I’ve spent several weeks with the TV, and here’s what I’ve learned.
Video review
Smartcast feels smarter now
For the past few years, the SmartCast smart TV platform has been the chief goal of my complaints with Vizio TVs. It’s been slow, laggy, and customarily frustrating to make use of. I’ve gone up to now as to suggest anyone purchasing a Vizio TV also needs to plan to buy a streaming device from Roku, Chromecast, or Apple, but I’m pleased to report that’s now not obligatory — SmartCast now runs extremely well on Vizio’s 2022 M-Series.
The initial setup of the TV ran noticeably faster on the brand new M-Series than I’ve experienced previously, and I find navigating the TV’s menus and apps to be sufficiently snappy and responsive. Apps load quickly too, and to this point, have never crashed on me. All of it is a huge step forward for Vizio and SmartCast.
Riley Young/Digital Trends
The SmartCast layout isn’t to my particular taste, but there’s nothing specifically bad about it. My only lingering criticism about how SmartCast works is that, similar to most smart TV platforms today, ads are inclined to sit front and center — shows and flicks Vizio thinks you’ll want to observe are placed above the apps you could really need to get to. As I said though, this problem is just not SmartCast-specific.
One other essential note: As I write this, the Disney+ app doesn’t support Dolby Atmos audio. I do know that will look like a really specific call-out, but once I tested the 2022 M-Series, I did so alongside the brand new M-Series Elevate soundbar, which supports Dolby Atmos, and I used to be dissatisfied a few of my favorite test clips on Diseny+ wouldn’t be usable.
Overall, I give the Vizio MQX’s usability a thumbs up. The menu system takes a bit getting used to, but for those who just wish to hit the facility button and begin watching Netflix, the MQX will get you there quickly enough.
Vizio MQX-Series details
While we reviewed the 65-inch M65QXM-K03 model, our review also applies to the 50-inch and 75-inch models.
| Screen Size | Model Number | MSRP |
| 50-inch | M50QXM-K01 | |
| 65-inch | M65QXM-K03 | |
| 75-inch | M75QXM-K03 |
Solid and satisfying
While it could not read like an overwhelmingly positive endorsement, the indisputable fact that I used to be at no point distracted by something the Vizio MQX TV did poorly during my evaluation is definitely high praise.
I spend plenty of time reviewing high-end TVs, and once you spend a lot time taking a look at one of the best image quality in the marketplace, it may be tough to step all the way down to a TV with more modest specs and performance. But that wasn’t the case with the Vizio MQX.
Overall its backlight performance is kind of respectable.
Before I pulled out my fancy TV measurement gear to collect a bunch of performance data, I grabbed a bunch of snacks and a couple of weight loss program sodas and I just sat and watched TV. Quite a lot of it. I rewatched several movies I’ve watched more times than I count, enjoyed a couple of recent flicks I hadn’t gotten to yet, binged 4 episodes each of two different series I’d been excited to see, and even managed to play half an hour of video games on my Xbox Series X.
I enjoyed every second of it.
The Vizio MQX doesn’t use mini-LED backlights or have an incredible variety of local dimming zones like dearer TVs, but I wasn’t distracted by any milky black levels or massive blooms of sunshine around shiny objects on a black background – issues that always plague TVs at cheaper price points. To be clear, the MQX does show a bit blooming, most noticeable in dark grey areas. But overall its backlight performance is kind of respectable.
As my measurements would later indicate, the MQX doesn’t have extremely accurate color output, but I never felt just like the color was “off.” In actual fact, it looked great more often than not. There have been a couple of moments once I felt like red and orange seemed a bit hot, but again, that’s because I evaluate plenty of TVs – I doubt most people would notice, let alone be bothered.
And when watching HDR content? I used to be unexpectedly impressed. I measured the Vizio MQX’s peak luminance for HDR at 1,000 nits, which is sufficient for an enjoyable HDR experience, and I also determined it could put out full-screen white as much as 600 nits, which suggests the TV can still look impressive in a room stuffed with daylight.
Furthermore, those performance metrics are impressive considering the MQX’s asking price. The case for the M-Series’ high value continues to mount.
Weak spots
The Vizio MQX’s only apparent weakness is motion resolution. By default, even within the “Calibrated” picture mode which is geared toward video purists who would expect to see any motion smoothing in a TV turned off, some motion processing is turned on. Vizio isn’t heavy-handed here – De-Judder was set at a 2 out of 10, while De-blur was set to 1 out of 10 – but the web effect was enough for me to note some artificial smoothing once I watched 24 fps movies.
Vizio MQX doesn’t offer particularly good sound quality.
I assumed that call was a bit odd until I turned each De-Judder and De-Blur off. Once I did, I saw enough stutter/judder in slow-moving movie pans and enough blur in fast-moving sports that it became clear that, despite having a 120Hz native panel, the MQX’s picture processing benefitted from some motion interpolation. Fortunately, those “lite” motion smoothing settings didn’t introduce objectionable levels of Soap Opera Effect (SOE).
I also needs to mention that the Vizio MQX doesn’t offer particularly good sound quality. I wasn’t surprised by this, however it needs to be known by anyone who might purchase this set. Fortunately, Vizio makes extremely good-sounding, reasonably priced soundbars, any of which can offer higher sound than the speakers built into most TVs.
Plenty for gamers and geeks
Whether you’re taking a look at its box or its spec sheet, it’s clear the MQX is loaded with the form of features enthusiasts are on the lookout for. Vizio makes a particular appeal to video gamers, offering 4K 120Hz gaming with variable refresh rate (VRR) available, including AMD’s top-tier Freesync Premium Pro certification. When it’s time to game, the TV mechanically kicks into game mode with an integrated gaming menu when it detects a console or PC has been powered on. The MQX can also be certainly one of the only a few TVs that provides the most recent Wi-Fi standard, Wi-Fi 6E which should enable smooth streaming and cloud-based gaming.
The way it stacks up
The Vizio M-Series Quantum X has two chief competitors by way of price and film performance: the TCL 5-Series, and the Hisense U7H.
Riley Young/Digital Trends
While TCL’s 2022 5-Series TVs haven’t yet been launched, I can say that the Vizio MQX outperforms the 2021 version available now in most areas. The Hisense U7H is a brighter TV than the Vizio MQX, however it’s also dearer. There may be, nevertheless, little to no competition on the MQX’s price point on the subject of the mix of picture quality and features it offers, especially on the subject of gaming prowess.
This puts the Vizio MQX in a singular position inside the TV market. It’s a bit pricier than the TCL 5-Series but inexpensive than the Hisense U7H. Meanwhile, its picture performance and gaming features are right consistent with what I feel an enormous percentage of shoppers want.
I suppose you might say the Vizio MQX is the Goldilocks of the worth TV segment: excellent.
Editors’ Recommendations
