Supersonic SC-1911

The Supersonic SC-1911's picture quality is in the 1st percentile, making it one of the worst displays we've seen. Its one saving grace is a surprisingly good 5ms response time for gaming, landing it in the 64th percentile. Buy it only if you desperately need its specific combination of tiny size and legacy inputs, and only if you find it for under $200.

The SC-1911's performance is a story of two extremes. The display is its biggest letdown. With a peak brightness of just 200 nits, it'll struggle in a sunlit kitchen. The 600:1 contrast ratio means blacks look more like a dark gray, and the 8-bit panel covers the basics but won't wow anyone. This lands it in the 1st percentile for overall picture quality, making it a poor choice for any serious film watching. The built-in 6W stereo speakers are also underwhelming, sitting in the 32nd percentile for audio. They project sound downwards, which one owner noted is decent for casual use, but you'll want to use the optical audio output for anything more.

Where it surprises is in gaming responsiveness. That 5ms response time is genuinely quick, helping it reach the 64th percentile for gaming. For retro gaming on an old console via the RCA inputs, or as a snappy second monitor for a PC via VGA, the motion clarity is a strong point. It's a niche strength, but it's a real one. The connectivity is a mixed bag, scoring in the 34th percentile. You get one HDMI port, which is limiting, but the inclusion of legacy RF, VGA, and component inputs is a rarity these days and adds real flexibility for older hardware.

Stacked against modern budget leaders like the TCL QM6K or Hisense QD7, the Supersonic looks like a relic. Those TVs offer 4K resolution, quantum dot color, and full smart platforms for not much more money. The Supersonic's 1st percentile picture quality is simply in a different, much lower league. But that comparison misses the point. The SC-1911 isn't competing with a 55-inch living room TV. Its real competition is a used computer monitor or a no-name portable TV. Against those, its built-in RF tuner for antenna channels and the dedicated RCA inputs give it a unique edge for a workshop, camper, or as a dedicated screen for older game consoles.

Pricing on this thing is all over the map, with a spread from $158 to a frankly absurd $3319 across different vendors. Let's be clear: at anything over $200, this is a terrible deal. You're paying for a very specific form factor and set of legacy inputs, not picture quality. At the lower end of that range, it's a fair price for a utility screen. Just make sure you're buying from a vendor near that $158 mark, because the value proposition completely collapses as the price climbs.

The Supersonic SC-1911 is a tiny 18.5-inch TV that lands in the 1st percentile for picture quality in our database. That's a polite way of saying the 720p panel, with its 200 nits of peak brightness and a 600:1 contrast ratio, is one of the worst we've seen. It's not trying to compete with a modern OLED, but you should know what you're getting into. The viewing angles are narrow, and the HDR performance is basically non-existent, sitting in the 14th percentile. This is a screen for utility, not for movie nights.

But for a very specific job, it's not a bad little unit. The 5ms response time and 60Hz refresh rate actually push its gaming score to the 64th percentile, which is well above average for this category of budget TV. It's got a solid set of legacy inputs, including VGA and RCA component, making it a decent match for older game consoles or a dedicated CCTV monitor. Just don't expect any smart features, it's in the 9th percentile there, so you'll need a streaming stick if you want to watch anything beyond an antenna feed.

Anyone hoping to watch movies or modern TV shows should skip this. The 1st percentile picture quality, with its dim 200-nit panel and poor contrast, will make everything look flat and dull. If you want a small screen for a bedroom or kitchen to stream Netflix, a cheap tablet or a small 1080p monitor with a streaming stick will deliver a dramatically better experience for a similar price.

The Supersonic SC-1911 is a one-trick pony, and you have to really need that trick. If you need a small, cheap screen with an RF tuner and legacy inputs for a camper, a retro gaming corner, or a CCTV setup, it's a functional choice at its lowest price. For anyone else, the abysmal picture quality and complete lack of smart features make it impossible to recommend. You're better off spending a little more on a small 1080p computer monitor and a separate TV tuner box, or just using a tablet.