Knowledgeable’s Score
Professionals
- Wonderful color and distinction
- Inexpensive(ish)
- Low latency recreation mode
Cons
- Irritating software program (exterior the US)
- Cumbersome distant
- Few fancy options
Our Verdict
The Hisense U6K units are a no-frills Mini-LED providing, netting patrons the nice show tech at a cheaper price than rivals. There aren’t many fancy options, and the VIDAA software program shipped exterior the US isn’t nice, however the bang to your buck is tough to beat.
Value When Reviewed
From $579 | Mannequin reviewed $799
Hisense’s U6K sequence sticks to the corporate’s latest success with comparatively inexpensive TVs, providing the newest and biggest Mini-LED show know-how at a value few rivals can match.
Image high quality is nice for the value, as long as you’re proud of a 60Hz refresh price, although software program is variable: whereas US fashions run the wonderful Google TV working system, my UK evaluation unit is powered by the a lot much less interesting VIDAA OS.
Design & construct
- 55 or 65in sizes
- Slim construct
- Huge UK distant
There’s not an excessive amount of to say concerning the design of the U6K, which is pleasingly easy. The vary is out there in both 55- or 65in sizes, and I’ve reviewed the bigger mannequin within the vary – formally the 65U6KQTUK going by the total mannequin quantity.
A slim bezel runs proper across the show, solely fractionally thicker on the silver-y backside edge, which additionally boasts the Hisense emblem. Nothing right here is designed to seize your consideration, ensuring that the show itself is all the time the main target.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
The TV ships with a pair of impressively slim toes, and my 65in mannequin included two completely different mounting factors, so you must be capable to work the positioning across the measurement of your TV stand, sound bar, or different obstacles.
VESA wall-mounting can also be supported, although the mount is bought individually, and the TV is slim sufficient that it could possibly sit pretty flat towards the wall if you happen to so want.
Nothing right here is designed to seize your consideration, ensuring that the show itself is all the time the main target
What’s a bit much less spectacular is the distant shipped with my UK mannequin. It’s completely monumental, becoming in a ridiculous 12 pre-programmed shortcut buttons on the prime (three or 4 is typical), and but someway doesn’t even embody a devoted settings button.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
For what it’s price, the US distant seems to be far more compact, although I’m undecided the way it varies in different markets.
Image & sound high quality
- Mini-LED show
- 60Hz and 4K
- Not the brightest panel
The promoting level of the U6K is that it presents a comparatively inexpensive Mini-LED panel – backlighting tech that may ship a number of the nice distinction and color separation of OLED with out the associated fee (or the danger of burn-in).
The panels listed here are in a regular 4K decision and refresh price of 60Hz, so there’s nothing too thrilling there.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
What issues is that you simply get glorious distinction and color replica from the U6K, with deep blacks and wealthy, vibrant hues throughout no matter you watch.
It helps Dolby Imaginative and prescient, HDR10+, and HLG requirements, so covers a reasonably broad gamut of HDR content material.
The one draw back right here is that the panel isn’t as vibrant as costlier options. Which means it doesn’t ship the very best HDR round, which calls for a brighter panel, but additionally that daytime viewing can change into an train in glare discount.
The panel could cap out at 60Hz – you’ll should spend extra for a 120Hz panel TV that may benefit from the PS5 or Xbox Collection X – nevertheless it does help variable refresh price from 48-60Hz for smoother gameplay, albeit with out help for both AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync.
What issues is that you simply get glorious distinction and color replica from the show
As a substitute, the main target of the official recreation mode – which might activate mechanically on appropriate inputs – is decrease latency, in a position to drop as little as 8ms for clean efficiency when a console is linked.
As for audio, the set helps Dolby Atmos, so when paired with appropriate audio system must be able to delivering spectacular encompass sound.
When not paired with audio system, the built-in audio is as you’d count on: slightly skinny and unsatisfying, however ok if you happen to’re not fussy. A primary soundbar will nonetheless symbolize a substantial audio improve although.
Ports & options
- Three HDMI 2.0 ports
- Voice management distant
The Hisense U6K packs a reasonably typical port choice, although the HDMI choices could disappoint slightly: even the bigger 65in mannequin is restricted to only three HDMI 2.0 ports, which shall be sufficient for loads of customers however could frustrate these, like me, with an array of video games consoles and streaming sticks.
That’s very true if you happen to determine to make use of a kind of three HDMI ports for its eArc performance, connecting up your soundbar that manner – although the digital audio out offers you another choice right here.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
There are additionally two USB ports for connection and energy, a headphone jack, Ethernet for wired web, AV in, aerial sockets, and a Widespread Interface card slot.
The TV doesn’t pack many standout or distinctive options, however one neat bonus is that the distant helps voice controls. On the US Google TV fashions that may imply the Google Assistant, however Amazon Alexa is included on my mannequin as a substitute.
Software program
- Runs Google TV or VIDAA
- VIDAA feels primary
- Efficiency slightly unreliable
The software program aspect of the U6K is hard to evaluation, just because it’s so variable.
US fashions of the TV ship working Google TV, a easy and clear OS that I’ve not examined on a TV myself, however have heard good issues about.
My evaluation mannequin – and the mannequin bought within the UK and Europe – as a substitute runs Hisense’s personal VIDAA OS.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
I’ll be blunt: VIDAA is clunky, ugly, and sluggish. It’s clearly constructed round advert slots, however proper now even they don’t work – the highest banner on my house display is made up of six an identical slides promoting the working system’s personal app retailer.
The excellent news is that it helps a lot of the core apps you’re more likely to want, and the massive names – resembling Netflix and Disney+ – are pre-installed for comfort. The one omission I noticed was the UK’s Now app, which wasn’t out there in any respect.
UK viewers may be mildly aggravated to find that the ITV and Channel 4 apps listed here are the FreeviewPlay variations, which don’t help dwell TV streaming, however in any other case, there’s little to complain about.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
I’ve been extra pissed off by basic efficiency. Setting the TV up took me a number of makes an attempt as a result of it repeatedly refused to connect with my Wi-Fi community.
It’s sluggish to recognise distant inputs at instances, so feels sluggish, and as soon as merely stopped recognising the distant in any respect till I energy cycled the TV to restart it.
I’ve largely examined it linked to a Sonos soundbar over an optical cable, however setting it up this manner had the surprising aspect impact that every time I increase or decrease the audio a pop-up seems warning “This characteristic is at present unavailable” – despite the fact that it does efficiently change the quantity.
I’ll be blunt: VIDAA is clunky, ugly, and sluggish
None of it is a actual dealbreaker, and I’m positive patrons will get used to the software program’s quirks, nevertheless it’s the principle factor that makes this really feel like a less expensive TV than it truly is.
Value & availability
The Hisense U6K begins from $579/£999 for the 55in mannequin, rising to $799/£1,299 for the 65in model.
That’s aggressive sufficient pricing within the UK the place it’s additionally out there from Very, nevertheless it’s distinctive within the US – particularly contemplating that US fashions run higher software program.
For comparability, the most cost effective Mini-LED (Neo QLED) mannequin from Samsung’s 2023 vary begins at $1,199/£1,399 for a 43in measurement.
That makes shopping for recommendation range too. US patrons will wrestle to do higher for the value, or to discover a good Mini-LED panel for much less.
Within the UK and elsewhere, the U6K isn’t such a knockout. It’s a superb purchase, and remains to be stable worth for the display high quality, however the smarter transfer could also be to have a look at one in every of final 12 months’s OLED or Mini-LED flagships, typically now out there for the same value – the 2022 LG C2 OLED is a first-rate instance.
Take a look at our greatest TV round-up for extra high-end choices, or greatest finances TVs for cheaper fashions that are available in underneath $500/£500.
Verdict
The Hisense U6K presents the most effective of Mini-LED at a finances, with a number of the greatest distinction and color you’ll discover in any TV for round a grand.
The trade-off is that it is a no-frills set – it’s 60Hz, has few particular options, and outdoors the US is hampered by Hisense’s lacklustre VIDAA working system.
Nonetheless, if you would like the most effective bang to your buck on the subject of show high quality alone – an admirable goal when TV shopping for – then this shall be tough to beat, particularly if you happen to’re a US purchaser.
Specs
- Sizes: 55/65in
- Mannequin examined: 65in
- Show know-how: Mini-LED ULED
- Decision: 3840 x 2160 4K
- Refresh price: 60Hz
- HDR help: Dolby Imaginative and prescient, HDR10, HDR10+, HLG
- HDMI: x3 (2.0)
- Tuner: Freeview Play
- OS: VIDAA or Google TV