If you’re looking for a no-frills TV and don’t have lots of money to spend, the Vizio VFD40M-08 may be a good place to start. This 40-inch TV doesn’t have the fancy features you’d find on high-end sets, but it gets the job done nonetheless, so it’s especially an attractive option if all you need is a smaller TV for a bedroom, dorm, or kitchen.
While the picture doesn’t go beyond 1080p (we’ve not seen 4K around this price point), it’s a top choice for the price – especially when you consider its built-in streaming options. For the sub $200 price, you get decently shadowy black levels, excellent color accuracy, and good video processing.
Just keep in mind that with these smaller TVs, you’re not getting the cutting-edge tech available on bigger, more expensive TVs: no quantum dots, no Ultra High Definition, no HDR. The VFD40M-08 maxes at 1080p, and the backlight – while still using a full array of LEDs across the entire panel – doesn’t have local dimming. That’s on par with other TVs in this size/price class; though, they’re designed as affordable TVs that don’t make you pay for features you don’t need in a smaller, secondary TV for the side room.
If you don’t mind a basic picture and want something sleek and filled with streaming content options, this is a solid choice.
About the Vizio VFD40M-08
Here are the key specs on the Vizio VFD40M-08 Smart TV:
- Design: New Bezel Design
- Backlight: Full Array LED (no local dimming)
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- HDR Support: No
- Native refresh rate: 60 Hz
- Input Lag: HDMI VRR
- Smart platform: Vizio SmartCast
That’s pretty much what you’re getting from this Vizio TV. If you want modern picture enhancements or gaming extras like Variable Refresh Rate, you’ll need to step up in price to something like the Samsung Q80C or the LG C2 OLED. That said, this TV is among the most affordable models around that still net you smart features.
What We Like
A fairly sleek design for the money
The Vizio VFD40M-08 is a pretty simple TV, sporting a thin, flat, matte plastic bezel and a low-profile look with a simple Vizio logo in the lower right corner. There’s a power button on the underside, near the left edge. The TV is supported by a pair of curved black plastic legs, but you can mount it on a stand or the wall.
Around the back of the TV, there’s a left-facing power cable that’s permanently attached. Available I/O ports include two HDMI, a USB port, and an optical audio port all facing the right. A composite video input and antenna/cable connector face downward. The Vizio D-Series doesn’t have an Ethernet port, so if you want to use the TV’s connected smart features, you just have to use Wi-Fi.
The Vizio VFD40M-08 comes with a basic IR remote that has shortcuts for Netflix, prime Video, Disney Plus, Crackle, and others, as well as Vizio’s WatchFree service. Being a basic remote, it doesn’t have voice search built-in, but there’s a SmartCast app you can download if you need additional functionality.
Good picture quality for the price
The Vizio VFD40M-08 offers a 1080p picture with a 60Hz refresh rate. As expected of a budget TV, it doesn’t support high dynamic range (HDR) content, but that’s not a deal-breaker at all. Picture performance is above average, and any available issues are only apparent if you’re used to watching some higher-end TV. But for those upgrading from an old CRT or first-gen screen, the D-Series doesn’t fail to impress.
The secret behind impressive picture performance at a low price is the TV’s high brightness and decent black levels thanks to the fill array lighting. With array lighting on the D-Series instead of side-lit LEDs, the TV can effectively black out some parts of the screen for better contrast while keeping some areas brightly lit. At a closer look, you’ll notice a bit of light leakage off to the side and a deeper grey tone instead of outright black, but to a larger extent, the brightness and black levels are quite good, especially at this price point.
Where the TV fails to impress is in color reproduction and saturation. Since it lacks any HDR built-in, it can’t produce as many colors as a 4K HDR screen such as the Samsung Q70C or the Hisense U7G; but those are top-tier models, and here we’re looking at a budget TV meant for the side room on kids bedroom. Without HDR, you’re getting images that are less vibrant than what you’d ordinarily find elsewhere.
Decent smart features, too
The Vizio VFD40M-08 TV runs Vizio’s proprietary SmartCast platform that offers a modest but useful selection of apps and services backed by the system’s excellent connectivity. It may not be as popular as, let’s say, Fire TV or Android TV, but it’s still a fascinating smart TV platform. Here you’ll find most major streaming services including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Disney+ Hulu, Netflix, and YouTube. However, if you’re a fan of HBO Max and Twitch, you might have to look elsewhere.
The similarly affordable 42-inch Insignia F20 Fire TV comes with Amazon’s Fire TV OS, while the TCL 43S435 4K TV runs on the Roku TV platform, so you have lots of alternatives at this price point. What makes SmartCast attractive, however, is the inclusion of both Apple AirPlay and GoogleCast; both systems allow you to send video to the TV from any Android or iOS smartphone, PC, or Mac. Beyond that, SmartCast is a very lightweight and simple smart TV platform, without smart home control, voice assistant, voice search, or any other advanced features available on other platforms.
Compared to other platforms like Google TV or Fire TV, the SmartCast on the Vizio D-Series tends to run a little bit slower, than even on Vizio’s higher-end models and the power-on sequence can take a while if you don’t enable a fast start and it leaves the TV in low-power mode when you’re not watching. It’s recommended to activate the latter even if it costs a bit more money in power costs, as it will save you minutes of your life just waiting for SmartCast to come on.
What We Don’t Like
Not very future-proof
The Vizio VFD40M-08 is affordable, has a sleek design, and offers good picture quality, but there are lots of conditions that it isn’t going to allow you to take advantage of the latest content advances. Currently, most content is available in 4K/HDR across services like Netflix, prime Video, YouTube, and even some cable providers. Sadly, you won’t be able to experience that on this Vizio Smart TV – not in a way that matters.
You can still watch all this content as everything else, but the TV can’t show any of the newer advances from the last few years. Gamers aren’t also spared; the VFD40M-08 only gets you a Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), which is all but negligible on a 60Hz TV: it generally only varies between 48Hz and 60Hz, which is something you’re unlikely to even notice.
Sound quality isn’t great, but you can enhance it with an external sound system, something like the MZEIBO TV Sound Bar is a great choice.
Should you buy it?
Maybe – unless you’re looking for the most affordable secondary TV.
It would be easy to tell you to spend money on a TV that does more, but realistically, if all you need is a perfectly functioning TV without the (excellent) addition of 4K resolution, HDR color, advanced gaming features, or local dimming, the Vizio VFD40M-08 won’t let you down. However, this is true for almost any TV in this price range, meaning the Vizio is still a decent value.
However, you should be aware of your options if you’re willing to spend a little more and/or search a little harder. If you were interested in this Vizio, you might also consider the newer TCL 43Q651G (2024) which costs around $70-$90 more but will net you newer picture quality enhancements such as 4K resolution and HDR compatibility. Just remember that price isn’t always everything: between the two, the TCL is the better choice as a secondary TV.
Recommended Configuration
TCL 43-Inch Q65 QLED 4K UHD Smart TV with Google TV (43Q651G, 2024 Model)
$219.99 in stock
5 used from $200.00
The Review
Vizio VFD40M-08
The Vizio VFD40M-08 is sleek, affordable, and plenty smart. Despite having a basic feature set and lacking a 4K picture, it’s still a solid value set. For budget hunters looking for a secondary TV, this is quite a find.
PROS
- Very affordable
- Sleek design for the money
- Fairly good picture quality
- Decent smart features
CONS
- Basic feature set
Review Breakdown
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ARS SCORE
