Philips new OLED TV is a serious contender for the LG C2 thanks to a long list of improvements.

The Philips OLED807, which has been nipped, tucked, and cranked in just about every conceivable way from the OLED806 it replaces, has just been announced as the crown jewel of Philips' 2022 TVs.

For starters, the new set comes with a next-generation OLED EX panel that can achieve 30 percent brighter highlights than the previous model and should be on par with the LG C2 in terms of brightness. This panel, or its OLED Evo equivalent, will likely be found in the majority of the best OLED TVs this year.

Philips has also tweaked the design, reducing the bezels to almost nothing and adding a new stylish base thanks to the new panel. It has the company's signature Ambilight technology on all four sides, but it also has a new, more advanced version – the color on the light strips is now controlled down to the individual LED, meaning it has three times the control zones as before, allowing it to more accurately represent what's on the screen.

Philips is also launching a range of wireless surround speakers to work with its TVs, with the TV acting as a centre speaker, giving you an easy upgrade path to take advantage of its Dolby Atmos support, though the new design includes an impressive 70W 2.1-channel speakers system.

The processing has been updated to include several options for adjusting the image based on the ambient light in the room, such as adjusting black levels to make things more visible in brighter light and changing the colour temperature to make viewing more comfortable in evening light rather than sunlight.

Other image modes have had their processing changed as well, such as the old 'Vibrant' mode being renamed 'Crystal Clear,' with image tweaks to reflect the new name.

Along with HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support, there's now IMAX Enhanced compatibility, which can help you get the most out of movies released in the larger IMAX format, which are just starting to appear (including on Disney+).

Gaming has also gotten a boost. Not only is 4K 120Hz VRR support now available via the two HDMI 2.1 ports (with two additional HDMI 2.0 ports), but there's also a new Game Bar that makes it simple to change settings depending on the game you're playing. This means you can optimise for low latency (as low as 9ms, according to Philips), image fidelity, and make sure AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync support are enabled and working.

It's essentially the same as what you'll find on the best Samsung and LG TVs, and I have no complaints about that. This is exactly what Philips needs to make it onto our list of the best gaming televisions.

Given that Philips was already producing five-star OLED TVs that were preferred by many connoisseurs over LG's more well-known options – including the Philips OLED936 – the long list of changes here leads us to believe that the Philips OLED807 could be the TV dark horse of 2022.

There's no word on pricing or a release date yet, but most TVs are expected to arrive in the spring. Philips' previous OLED TVs were all sold exclusively in the United Kingdom and Europe, and it doesn't appear that will change here – the rest of the world, including the United States, will be left out.

It'll come in four sizes: 48-inch, 55-inch, 65-inch, and 77-inch, though the 48-inch model won't have the brighter OLED EX panel because LG Display (the sole manufacturer of all OLED panels) doesn't make the next-gen screens in that size right now.

The OLED707 is a more affordable model from Philips that lacks the brighter OLED EX screen at any size and has a slightly older design, but otherwise matches the specs of the OLED807, including 4K 120Hz support with VRR and new picture improvements.