I was doing some research online on Smart TVs below $600. After looking for some options at product review sites, I found some good Vizio TV models.
I also noticed some decent Insignia models at a lower price range. However, I wasn’t much aware of the pros and cons of both brands.
I spent some more time performing a neck-deep research to compare both brands based on the latest TV features.
I finally found the better brand between Vizio and Insignia and also got some TV recommendations for both brands.
Vizio is a popular brand that produces high-end TVs with advanced features for a better viewing and gaming experience. Comparatively, Insignia offers budget-friendly TVs with basic features at a lower price range than Vizio TVs.
Vizio & Insignia: Company Comparison
Vizio ranks as the second-largest seller of flat-screen TVs in the United States.
Growing as a highly popular brand last year, Vizio sold over 80 million TVs and 11 million soundbars.
As Insignia TV models are produced specifically for BestBuy stores, their market presence is highly limited as compared to Vizio TVs.
Insignia is a budget-friendly brand offering TV models with basic features in an affordable price range.
Usually, Insignia TVs are cheaper than Vizio TV models but they also lack some advanced features available in Vizio TVs that highly improve the viewing and gaming experience.
Vizio Vs Insignia TVs: All Features Compared
Features | Vizio TVs | Insignia TVs |
Smart Platform | SmartCast | Fire TV OS |
Panel Technology | LED VA (Including OLED Models) | LED VA |
Image Processor | IQ Active Image Processor | MediaTek MTK T31/L TV |
Response Times | 15-20 milliseconds | More than 20 milliseconds |
Reflection Handling | 5-6% (Anti-glare coating) | 5-6% (Anti-glare coating) |
Voice Assistants | Vizio Voice | Amazon Alexa |
WiFi | Built-in Wi-Fi with dual-band support | Built-in Wi-Fi with dual-band support |
Bluetooth Support | Yes (Bluetooth LE) | Yes |
Picture Quality
Two major aspects define the overall picture quality on Smart TVs: brightness and contrast.
Here’s a comparison of peak brightness and contrast ratios offered by Vizio and Insignia TVs:
Brightness
Most Vizio models provide higher peak brightness measures than Insignia TVs.
Vizio TVs are a better choice for watching bright content even in brighter environments.
For instance, the SDR Real Scans Peak Brightness for a Vizio M Series 2021 is 345 cd/m2 which comes down to around 280 cd/m2 for an Insignia Fire TV Edition 4K.
Contrast Ratio
The contrast ratio is defined as the difference between the brightest and darkest images produced by the TV.
Insignia TVs are capable of displaying deep and saturated blacks that allow them to produce a clear picture in darker environments.
Insignia TVs offer decent contrast ratios ideal for watching movies or TV shows in a dark room.
Comparatively, Vizio TVs offer higher contrast ratios for a more accurate picture that enhances the viewing experience in dark rooms.
The Vizio OLED TVs have the ability to individually disable pixels to provide an infinite contrast ratio and perfect black uniformity.
Color
Insignia TVs generally provide a decent color gamut and good color volume.
Most SDR and HDR colors have fair accuracy in these models, but saturated colors don’t usually look that rich.
On the other hand, many Vizio TV models offer a wide color gamut implying that they offer a wider coverage of the DCI P3 including solid coverage of Rec, 2020 color space.
Simply put, Vizio TVs display colors more accurately than Insignia TVs but struggle to maintain the quality with extra bright colors.
Panel Technology
LED technology provides a better image, brighter picture, and low energy consumption as compared to LCD panel technology.
Both Vizio and Insignia TVs are equipped with standard LED VA Panels. When it comes to the panel technology, there’s not much difference between both companies.
Moreover, these aspects get even better with modern panel technologies such as QLED and OLED.
While Insignia TVs are limited to LED panel technology, Vizio offers OLED models as well.
These high-end models deliver better picture quality when compared to standard LED VA Panels in Insignia TVs.
Image Processor
The image processors on Smart TVs highly impact their overall performance related to color enhancement, noise, picture clarity, contrast, etc.
Considered to be budget Smart TV brands, both Insignia and Vizio TVs have decent image processing capabilities.
However, these processors may not be able to keep up with the ones installed in other popular TV manufacturers such as Samsung, LG, etc.
Most Vizio TVs come with the IQ Active image processor that provides some basic image-enhancing properties such as noise reduction and image enhancement.
Insignia TVs usually have the MediaTek MTK T31/L TV processor. While the processor offers some image processing and enhancing features, it lacks certain advanced capabilities.
In comparison, both Vizio and Insignia TVs offer similar image processing capabilities.
Motion Technology
Considering the motion technology and response time of both brands, Vizio outperforms Insignia in this category.
Most Vizio TVs provide good motion technology and faster response times.
Though the response time varies based on the specific model, most Vizio TVs can smoothly transition between pixels within 15-20 milliseconds for a smoother viewing experience.
In comparison, Insignia TVs usually take up to 20 milliseconds or even more to transition between images.
This limits the TV from handling fast movements. The delay in response time may lead to motion blur, especially behind fast-paced objects or during action movies.
Viewing Angle
Both Insignia and Vizio TVs offer restricted viewing angles.
The major reason is that the LED panel technology can’t maintain the display brightness and accuracy when viewed from either side.
However, Vizio’s OLED TVs provide wide viewing angles matching up to the levels of more expensive models such as Samsung OLED 4K.
To get the best out of the TV’s impressive picture quality from any viewing angle, Vizio OLED is an ideal choice.
Reflection Handling
Most Insignia and Vizio TVs have semi-gloss anti-glare coating leading to almost similar reflection handling properties.
This type of coating usually reflects only between 5-6% of the total light coming at the surface.
Moreover, some recent Vizio models come with a glossy finish, highly enhancing their reflective properties.
This makes Vizio TVs a better choice when it comes to reflection handling.
Sound Quality
Most Insignia TVs offer moderate to low sound quality. While they get moderately loud, Insignia TVs tend to produce noise compression at higher volumes.
In comparison, Vizio TVs offer a louder and better sound quality. Moreover, the sound is clearer with less noise compression.
However, Vizio TVs do lack the deep bass required to produce noticeable thumps.
While Vizio TVs offer better sound quality, it’s still not that impressive in most modern Smart TVs.
To enjoy the best sound quality while watching your favorite movies or TV shows, prefer pairing your TV with an affordable soundbar.
Operating System
Vizio Smart TVs are based on their proprietary SmartCast operating system, while Insignia TVs run on Amazon’s Fire TV Stick platform.
Both operating systems are almost similar when it comes to performance and features.
However, Insignia’s Fire TV OS is ideal for streaming as it offers a wide variety of apps with better compatibility for smooth functioning.
Connectivity
There are 3 main connectivity aspects in Smart TVs namely inputs, voice assistants, and wireless connectivity.
Here are the connectivity specifications for both Insignia and Vizio TVs:
Inputs
Here’s a comparison table for Vizio D Series Vs Insignia Fire TV Edition 4K with their input support:
Input Ports | Vizio D Series Smart TV | Insignia Fire TV Edition 4K |
HDMI Ports | HDMI 2.0 Ports: 3 | HDMI 2.0 Ports: 3 |
USB Ports | USB 2.0 Port: 1 | USB 2.0 Port: 1 |
Optical Audio Output | 1 Port | 1 Port |
Ethernet Port | Yes | Yes |
As the table suggests, you can expect almost similar input support for Insignia and Vizio TVs at the same price range.
However, some recent Vizio OLED TVs also come with the latest HDMI 2.1 port for the best quality gaming at higher refresh rates.
Voice Assistants
While both Vizio and Insignia models support voice assistants, the voice control functions may vary.
Vizio’s voice assistant supports limited voice control functions including opening apps or switching HDMI inputs, etc.
Alternatively, as Insignia TVs are based on Amazon’s Fire TV OS platform, they come with Amazon Alexa voice assistant.
As Alexa is one of the best voice assistants available currently, Insignia TVs stand out in this category.
Wireless Support
Insignia and Vizio TVs come with dual-band Wifi-support for both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz WiFi.
This enables easier connection to the home network and allows streaming at higher resolutions up to 4K without any buffering issues.
Similarly, both brands offer Bluetooth connectivity.
Vizio TVs only support Bluetooth LE which is a low-energy type of Bluetooth. It isn’t powerful enough to pair properly with a wireless speaker, soundbar, and home theatre.
Insignia TVs offer better Bluetooth support compatible with almost all wireless audio devices and provide the best connectivity.
Advanced Features
As mentioned previously, Insignia TVs offer basic features at affordable prices.
These models do not have any advanced features to enhance your viewing experience.
However, Vizio TVs offer a bunch of advanced video settings and feature to highly enhance your viewing and gaming experience.
These include features like Clear Action, Ambient Lighting, Variable Refresh Rate, Backlight Control, Advanced Adaptive Luma, etc.
Price Range
Both Insignia and Vizio can be considered budget-friendly brands.
Insignia TVs are usually cheaper than Vizio TVs, but they also offer lesser features. Insignia TVs may not offer
While Vizio TVs are expensive in comparison, they come with advanced features available in leading brands like LG or Samsung.
High-end Vizio OLED TVs are ideal for high-quality streaming or gaming and are well-known to offer value for money.
We’ve Got Our Winner
I’d highly recommend a Vizio M Series Quantum X Smart TV, if you need impressive picture quality and advanced features for gaming.
This model offers high peak brightness and perfect contrast to enhance the overall picture quality.
Its decent full array local dimming feature delivers eye-catching HDR content as the bright highlights stand out perfectly.
With a wide color gamut and good color volume, your favorite HDR content looks even more vivid and realistic.
Additionally, its low input lag and fast response time eliminate motion blur during fast-paced gaming.
The TV also has gaming features such as FreeSync variable refresh rate to reduce screen tearing.
It also supports 4K@120 Hz resolution with a single HDMI 2.1 port to get the best out of the latest games at higher refresh rates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Insignia make 4K TVs?
Yes, Insignia offers a range of 4K TVs that offer good quality and value for money. These include models with HDR support and smart TV features. For example, Insignia Class F30 Series LED is available in 4K at several screen sizes including 70″, 65″, 58″, and 50″ variants.
How to pair a Bluetooth speaker or headphones on Vizio TV?
Some select Vizio TVs support Bluetooth pairing to devices including speakers, headphones, and soundbars. Refer to the TV manual to verify if your TV supports Bluetooth. Go to TV Settings > Accessibility and a list of Bluetooth headphones should appear on the screen. However, if you’re having connection issues due to low-energy Bluetooth, go for an external Bluetooth transmitter.
How long do Vizio TVs typically last?
Vizio TVs are known for their durability and can last for several years with proper care and maintenance. The lifespan of a TV depends on various factors such as usage, environment, and build quality, but most Vizio TVs can last for around 7-10 years. You can follow some simple tips to increase the lifespan of Vizio TVs.Ensure proper ventilation to avoid overheating, use timer settings to turn the TV off when not in use, use ideal brightness settings, etc.
Do Vizio and Insignia TVs have voice remotes?
Both Vizio and Insignia TVs have dedicated voice remotes. The Vizio Voice Remote allows you to quickly search for content in SmartCast, launch apps and more. The Insignia Voice-Activated Remote Control offers the best support for Amazon Alexa allowing you to easily control multiple functions on the TV through your voice.