Are Insignia TVs good and reliable? This article dives deep into the features, performance, and reliability of Insignia TVs, examining everything from their picture quality and sound performance to user reviews and customer service experiences.
An overview of Insignia TVs
Insignia TVs have 4 series. They are the N10 Series, F20 Series, F30 Series, and F50 Series (ranked from lowest to highest price). No Insignia TV is higher than $1,000.
The N10 Series is the most basic range. This makes it the most affordable. This series doesn’t have smart support, so you can’t stream Netflix or Hulu with the Insignia N10 Series.
Most N10 Series TVs have a 720p resolution. However, the 40-inch and 43-inch models have 1080p resolution.
The F20 Series offers better features than the N10 Series. They have similar picture quality, but the F20 Series includes smart functionality courtesy of Amazon’s Fire TV OS.
The F30 Series is the highlight of Insignia in my opinion. They are smart TVs and have LED displays like the previous 2 series, but they’re also 4K resolution and support HDR10.
The F50 Fire TV Series is the premium line of Insignia. These smart TVs sport QLED displays alongside 4K/60Hz support, but are competitively priced compared to the others.
Are Insignia TVs good?
Based on the specs, features, and positive reviews, Insignia TVs are solid. If you are on a budget, Insignia TVs are great choices. But keep in mind, they use the Amazon OS.
1. Insignia TVs don’t have the best brightness and contrast
As far as picture quality goes, Insignia TVs are not the best.
For example, the most popular F20 and F30 Series only have a 60Hz native refresh rate and don’t have a full array with local dimming backlight. The F20 and F30 Series TVs use direct lighting.
Some of the Insignia TVs I’ve tested don’t have the best contrast or highest peak brightness in their price ranges, though their color accuracy is better than expected.
Let’s break this down.
If your living room gets a lot of natural light, I don’t suggest using an Insignia TV as your main TV there.
This is one of the reasons why I also don’t recommend Insignia TVs for gaming.
2. Insignia TVs are great for streaming video content
All Insignia TVs are smart TVs, except for the N10 Series. This means that they can be connected to the internet and come with most major streaming services built in.
The choice of apps is plentiful, thanks to Amazon’s Fire TV smart platform. I like that Insignia TVs use Amazon’s Fire TV platform, so I don’t need a separate device like a Fire TV Stick.
If you’re not an Amazon Prime subscriber, however, you may want to consider TVs based on other smart platforms, like Roku TVs or Google TVs, just to name a few.
Except for the N10 Series, Insignia TVs include all major streaming platforms. If you need a basic TV for shows, these TVs are suitable.
3. The sound quality of Insignia TVs is acceptable
In terms of sound quality, Insignia TVs are good not great.
The F30 Series supports Dolby Audio but not Dolby Atmos. Still, its sound is wider than typical 2-channel TVs.
The sound quality provided a theater-like experience at home. However, in movies like Avengers Endgame, the surround sound sometimes overpowered the dialogue.
You can enhance the quality of the sound by changing the sound mode. I personally like the “Enhanced Bass” mode which works better for both dialogue and action scenes.
If you buy an Insignia TV, adding a soundbar isn’t necessary because the TV’s sound is above average. However, a soundbar would improve the sound quality further.
Are Insignia TVs reliable?
Generally, Insignia TVs are fairly reliable. On average, Insignia TVs can last 5 years. However, there have been reports that Insignia’s customer service is not the best.
1. Insignia received many four-star reviews on Best Buy
Since Insignia is Best Buy’s in-house brand of electronics, I’ve decided to examine all of the listed Insignia TVs on the website and look for a pattern with customer reviews.
It’s safe to say that Insignia TVs are reliable. There are plenty of positive reviews on Best Buy ranging between 4 to 5 stars. I rarely see a TV with faulty features.
It’s true that Insignia TVs don’t have the most advanced tech features, but when it comes to reliability, the brand has done a good job of maintaining the quality of its electronics.
2. Insignia received complaints regarding customer service
Insignia has received plenty of negative reviews as reported by Pissed Consumer. The customer service has not been the best according to Insignia customers.
One customer reported issues with two of her Insignia TVs. They take more than 5 minutes to power on, have unresponsive volume controls, can’t scroll, and randomly turn off.
Adding to her issues, she also claimed that Insignia’s customer service was rude and unhelpful.
“They refuse to honor their warranty. (They told) me they can do nothing since it’s just a 32-inch TV… I guess size really does matter… Then I asked to speak to a supervisor and she literally laid the phone in her lap and started telling the male next to her how annoying I was and she sat in her chair spinning (you have heard the squeaky chair) and whistling.”
– Hillary from Lewisville, Texas
I personally never had to deal with Insignia’s customer service, but if these reports are true, you might face poor customer service if you have problems with your TV.
Overall, the reliability of Insignia’s customer service is questionable at best.