HD PICTURE QUALITY. HD picture quality is excellent. Reproduction of fine HD image detail is excellent. Color accuracy is very good, with flesh tones in particular, looking natural. Color temperature is slightly on the warm side with image tending toward a golden tone. Contrast--the difference between the darkest blacks and brightest whites--is good, so images have some depth. Black levels are generally excellent with help from Hisense's full array "Local Dimming" feature, but some haloing effects are visible in dark scenes, especially at off angles, and depth of black does degrade as you move to the sides - see viewing angle. This is among the brightest models we've tested (with the backlight control turned up), so the picture is well suited for a very sunny room. A lower setting is recommended for a dimmer viewing environment. In scenes with subtly shaded light-to-dark areas, such as a sky during sunset, the model does a very good job producing a smooth transition without distinct, coarse bands. There is slight display non-uniformity that creates brighter cloudy areas most noticeable on very dark scenes (or in the black bars of a letterboxed movie). Severity can vary from model to model. The deinterlacing and film mode operations are excellent on HD content; there is little or no trace of jaggies on the edges of objects for video and film-based 1080i video content, such as from cable.
ULTRA HD PERFORMANCE. Overall UHD performance is very good but HD-to-UHD upconversion falls short. All native 4K content (non HDR) we played on this model, including movies and test videos, is presented in full 4K detail with excellent fidelity when played back via the TV's HDMI input. Via the USB port, high-resolution photos are displayed in full 4K detail. With regular HD content, the TV's HD-to-UHD up-conversion processing falls short, revealing some visible jaggies along the edges of diagonals when playing HD content.
HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE (HDR) PERFORMANCE. HDR performance is generally effective, just short of the best we've seen. The display has good peak brightness capability (by HDR standards) and does a fine job displaying the benefits of 4K content mastered with HDR. There is decent contrast revealed between moderately bright and very bright highlights within a scene, but this is due to a slightly elevated brightness levels in the mid tones. It does a good job reproducing a greater range of nuanced shadow detail from black to white, with no obvious banding on areas of the image that have subtle shade variations. There is no visible loss of detail within the highlights of the brightest areas. Brighter colored objects remain nicely saturated.
VIEWING ANGLE. This Hisense has a narrow viewing angle overall, below-average performance among TVs for this attribute. Only those seated directly in front of the screen will see the best picture quality. When we view the TV from the sides image quality degrades significantly. The picture shows a moderate loss of color, so flesh tones look a bit washed out. Black levels visibly brighten, reducing contrast especially on dark scenes. Halo effects around objects in darker scenes (a side effect of the local dimming feature) also become more prominent at off angles. When viewing the image from above or below eye level to the screen, the vertical viewing angle is good. The picture shows only a slight change in color, contrast, and black level.
MOTION BLUR. This Hisense TV has very good motion performance, with minimal blurring on our motion tests thanks to Hisense's "Motion Enhancement." This feature is designed to reduce motion blur, a shortcoming of most displays. Although this TV includes a "Motion Clearness" setting that is effective at further reducing motion blur it limited the brightness of the image, so we left the feature off.
SOUND QUALITY. This model has very good sound quality, better than most models we've tested. Whether you're watching a blockbuster movie, a concert, or TV show, it is able to deliver a satisfying listening experience. Bass is deep, providing satisfying fullness to the sound but lacking in definition a bit, and treble is nicely detailed, while the overall sound is a bit closed in. The speakers produce a good volume range so this model should play sufficiently loud in typical room environments and without obvious distortion. Unlike most of our tested models its sound should satisfy the more discerning listeners, so give this a listen before opting for an external sound bar.
EASE OF USE. On first power up there is an on-screen guide that helps you through setting up the TV. The remote has a traditional design with a full number key pad. It includes a built-in microphone to access the voice assistant feature. It also provides convenient direct button access to streaming services including Netflix, YouTube, and Vudu. Consider the TV's stand is 28 inches wide when choosing a table top to place it on.
INTERNET FEATURES. This Smart TV provides Internet functionality via its "Android TV" portal with access to a library of applications, and a full Web browser. Movie streaming services that can be downloaded to this TV, or are built-in, include Netflix, YouTube, Hulu and HBO Now. Includes built-in Google Assistant, a virtual assistant, which allows you to use natural speech to ask questions, launch applications, and search programming via the remote's built-in microphone. Claimed support for external voice assistants (not built in to the TV) include: Amazon Alexa.
CONNECTIONS. This model has four HDMI inputs-- one supports ARC (Audio Return Channel), one composite input, and no component input. It also has two USB ports, an optical digital audio out, a headphone out, an Ethernet port, WiFi wireless networking; DLNA, to access files within your home network; Casting, which allows you to send streaming content from your mobile device to the TV via your home network; Screen mirroring, where the image on your smartphone or other compatible device can also appear on the TV.
INCLUDED IN THE BOX. A quick start guide. An electronic user guide via the TV's menu. A remote control with batteries. A detachable power cord. No printed manual is included.
