As someone who would buy this TV: the point is that it's not a TV, it's just a display.

I have external speakers, I never use the speakers in my TV. I have a streaming device, I never use the streaming features built into my TV. My streaming devices have their own remote controllers which interact with the TV using HDMI-CEC, I don't use my TV's remote controller.

All the "features" built into my TV are obstacles that I'm happy to pay to have removed. Due to the speakers being built in, the TV likes to randomly switch to those instead of my external ones. The streaming apps lead to the TV having an entire operating system of its own which causes it to take longer to power on, longer for me to get to the things I want and more complex to interact with and configure.

I essentially just want a really big PC monitor. Just give me something that takes a digital signal in and beams corresponding coloured lights into my eyeballs.

Then get a Vizio.

My P series can be run: with remote, with app, or via the tablet it came with (also app).

It’s a barebones glorified monitor, but it works great for streaming.

Vizio isn't sold in the region of the world I live in and a quick Google tells me it still has nonsense I don't want built-in, at least the version they're advertising on their website.

Sadly they keep adding more "smarts" to the P-series. It now does the same creepy content tracking as other TVs, required a new remote, settings no longer save, and instead of starting into Chromecast, it goes to their ad-ladden interface.

I have had multiple people reach out to me because their TV crashed or had weird bugs. The software is going to get obsolete in 2-3 years. There are privacy issues and the remotes are packed with bullshit. There are filters enabled by default that makes watching movies actually worse. I would buy a TV with no software, a good panel and a basic remote in a heartbeat. Sadly, this is not the one.

No “smart”, no built-in speaker, no unnecessary ports.

This TV caters to someone who has an apple tv, some gaming consoles etc hooked up to an AVP/AV-receiver.

It’s a user that have no proper TV alternatives, besides projectors, these days. Other than reeeally expensive commercial screens.

Isn't an app that requires my "smart"phone smarter than it would be with a silly little remote?

Ironically smarter => stupider

Exactly. Smarter by not doing things I don’t want it to do.

Having remote functionality in an app is way better than an additional remote that will be lost as it is so rarely used.

I have my apple remote, don’t want nothing else.