Toshiba 32WK3C63DB Review
An affordable Alexa-compatible TV with decent picture quality
Verdict
The Toshiba WK3C is an affordable TV that delivers decent image quality, a good number of apps and handy Alexa voice support for anyone in want of a small HD display.
Pros
- Budget-friendly price
- Simple interface
- Alexa built-in
Cons
- Limited to HD
- No Disney Plus, Apple TV or NOW apps
- The audio lacks some punch
Availability
- UKRRP: £189
Key Features
- 32-inch displayThe WK3C has a DLED screen with a HD (1366 x 768) resolution
- HDR supportThe TV features both HDR10 and HLG, along with support for Dolby Audio
- Smart interface The Toshiba smart TV offers a range of apps and streaming services
- Alexa built-inHands-free support from Amazon’s voice assistant
Introduction
If you’re searching for a cheap HD TV with a handful of smart features, allow me to introduce you to the Toshiba WK3C.
The WK3C is an upgraded version of Toshiba’s WK3A TV, promising better audio and image quality without sacrificing the WK3A’s budget-friendly price tag.
There’s also Alexa, built-in to the bezel of the TV, that can be used to navigate the TV or to ask questions and conjure up information, as you would with an Echo smart speaker.
However, sacrifices are needed to reach the WK3C’s sub-£200 price.
Design
- Simple and clean design
- Large remote with dedicated shortcuts
- Array of ports across the side and the back
The Toshiba WK3C isn’t the most eye-catching TV, but it isn’t designed to be that. It is a simple and clean-looking display that would look great in spaces like bedrooms or smaller apartments.
The TV measures at 732 x 78 x 439mm without the stand, or 732 x 189 x 472mm with it, weighing 7kg to make it slim and lightweight.
The shiny finish on the bezel makes it look a little cheap and it’s prone to fingerprints, but it isn’t overly chunky allowing much of the real estate to be taken up by the DLED screen. The flashiest part of the design is the stand in its metallic silver shade. You also have the option to mount the TV on a wall.
The TV comes with a large and sturdy remote that still feels lightweight to hold. The majority of the buttons feature a decent amount of travel, but the plastic arrow keys can be prone to fingerprints. The remote also features shortcuts to Prime Video, Netflix and Freeview Play.
As far as ports go, the WK3C includes a CI slot, headphone jack, USB and HDMI on the side of the TV and a Composite Video In input, satellite, antenna, Digital Audio Out (optic), Ethernet, VGA and two more HDMI ports on the back.
Features
- Simple and straight-forward interface
- Some streaming apps are not supported
- No game mode
The WK3C’s smart TV interface is fairly intuitive to navigate. Click the home button on the remote and scroll down to access the five categories that contain settings and features, then slide across to toggle through them. The menu pops up from the bottom, so you can continue to watch content as you move through the five tabs.
The Home tab contains the apps and the app store, as well as Alexa, which is built in. Search lets you find specific content from Freeview and YouTube, as well as other apps and settings.
While there’s plenty to watch on Freeview, I was disappointed to learn Search couldn’t surface content from Netflix or other streaming apps.
The TV tab contains Freeview Play as well as the Guide and Channels. Lastly, Settings lets you manage image, sound and network settings.
App support includes Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube, BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All4, My5 and BritBox for video, along with the rest of the UK catch-up apps available in Freeview Play. For music there’s Deezer and Amazon Music.
That said, I was disappointed to see Disney Plus, Apple TV and NOW were absent, and there’s no support for Spotify or Apple Music. That means you will need to pick up a streaming stick get these apps.
The WK3C also lacks a game mode, and with 34.2ms lag, this isn’t a TV suited for gaming exploits.
Picture quality
- HD-Ready DLED display
- Warm and detailed image
The WK3C packs a 32-inch DLED display with a resolution of 1366 x 768. This means the TV can support HD content but not Full HD or 4K. The TV does have HDR support with HDR10 and HLG.
There are four picture modes: Natural, Cinema, Sports and Dynamic. I personally liked the look of the Cinema mode best, as it offered richer reds, deeper blacks and better contrast for a punchier image.
Episode 2 of Netflix’s Daredevil shows off the Toshiba’s sharp and detailed image using Cinema mode. The night-time scenes are packed with deep, moody blacks, while daytime scenes take advantage of vibrant yellows, oranges and greens.
Contrast between the whites and blacks is noticeable when the Toshiba is presented with the harsh light and shadows of a scene in a boxing ring scene as characters find their faces half illuminated and half plunged into darkness. It doesn’t look bad at all but I do feel the whites could have been a bit brighter.
The picture is packed with detail however, the image also suffers from a large amount of noise.
Watching Netflix’s The Good Place to see how the TV dealt with brighter content and the contrast was similarly okay. A shot of the sky showed some definition, while other shots had a grey tinge in the corners of the screen.
When it comes to detail, the Toshiba captured individual strands of hair and wrinkles in the skin, along with all of the tiny details that decorate Tahani’s grand house. However, as with Daredevil, the image often seemed to verge on being overly sharp.
Sound quality
- supports Dolby Audio and DTS Virtual:X
- Balanced performance but could use some punch
The Toshiba WK3C supports Dolby Audio and DTS Virtual:X, the latter offers a virtual surround sound experience from the TV’s speakers. There are also four settings to choose from: Smart, Movie, Music, and News.
A watch of His Dark Materials on iPlayer in the Smart mode showed that, while the audio will do a job for casual TV watchers, it could be improved upon.
Dialogue is clear and easy to follow and both the voices and the sound effects are balanced well with any background music. However, impact sounds tend to lack any real punch.
The two down-firing speakers fail to properly capture the thud of a bear’s paw hitting the ground, the higher-pitched smashing of glass or the sudden rush of a gun shot, with bass performance similarly disappointing.
To make matters worse, turn the volume anywhere above 50% and you’ll be met with some bad distortion. That said, I think the audio will more than suffice for casual viewers.
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Should you buy it?
You want a great cheap TV: For it’s price, I have very few complaints about this TV. It present a vibrant and detailed picture, acceptable audio performance and Alexa comes built-in.
You’re a gamer: The lack of game mode or Full HD/4K support makes this a less than compelling package for anyone looking to connect their PS5 or Xbox Series X.
Final Thoughts
At less than £200, Toshiba WK3C is an easy buy for anyone looking for a simple and capable TV to place in a small room for casual viewing and the addition of Alexa is a nice touch.
However, the small display wouldn’t be my first choice for a larger living room, and movie buffs and gamers will likely won’t to look for something slightly better equipped with a higher resolution and better app support.
How we test
We test every televisions we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Tested the TV over several days
Viewed content from a range of streaming sites
Tested the latency to see how it would perform when gaming
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FAQs
1366 x 768
No it does not
Specs
Jargon buster
DTS:X
DTS:X is an object-based audio format created in 2015 for the home. The premise is similar to Dolby Atmos in that it creates a hemisphere of sound that’s more lifelike and natural in its presentation.HDR
HDR stands for High Dynamic Range and refers to contrast (or difference) between the brightest and darkest parts of an image. HDR content preserves details in the darkest and brightest areas of a picture, details that are often lost in old imaging standards. HDR10 is mandated to be included on all HDR TVs. It’s also supported by 4K projectors.Alexa
Amazon's smart voice assistant
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
