Hisense has been persistently producing cheap, value-loaded TVs over the previous few years, with its U6H incomes our Editors’ Selection award for funds TVs in 2022. That mannequin has now been changed by the U6K, a inexpensive set with a good higher image. The U6K prices an inexpensive $799.99 for the 65-inch mannequin we examined, however its “on a regular basis pricing” (what it’s truly being bought for in shops) is commonly $649. Its shade ranges are typically wonderful, its distinction is way superior to the U6H due to its mini-LED backlight, and it has a lot decrease enter lag than its predecessor. The one actual compromise is brightness; if you need a blazingly brilliant image, you’ll need to spend not less than $1,000 on a higher-end mannequin just like the Hisense U8H. For the worth and the image high quality, nevertheless, the Hisense U6K simply earns our Editors’ Selection award for inexpensive TVs.
Editors’ Notice: This overview relies on testing carried out on the 65U6K, the 65-inch mannequin within the sequence. Other than the screen-size distinction, the 75-inch $1,199.99 75U6K is similar in options, and we anticipate related efficiency.
Typical TV Aesthetics
The U6K has a sometimes unassuming design. It is principally bezel-less, with a slender black plastic band working alongside the perimeters and high and a skinny black strip alongside the underside edge holding the Hisense brand. A small, rectangular field stands out beneath the middle of the strip and holds the facility LED, infrared distant sensor, far-field microphones, and a microphone mute change. The TV stands on two inverted V-shaped legs that may be set close to the sides of the display screen or nearer to the middle to accommodate your leisure middle (VESA wall mounts are additionally supported).
On the again of the TV, going through left, are three HDMI ports (one eARC), two USB ports, a 3.5mm composite video enter, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and an antenna/cable connector. A fourth HDMI port, an Ethernet port, and an optical audio output face instantly again, barely additional in.
The distant is similar to that of Hisense’s older TVs. It’s an extended rectangular wand fabricated from black plastic that is barely wider close to the underside. It has a big, white, round navigation pad close to the highest with Google Assistant, enter, energy, settings, and person buttons positioned above the pad nearer to the highest edge. There’s additionally a pinhole microphone tucked in there. House, again, and stay TV buttons sit beneath the pad, with quantity and channel rockers additional down. Devoted service buttons for Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Netflix, Peacock, Tubi, and YouTube may be discovered close to the underside.
Google TV With Fingers-Free Google Assistant
Like most Hisense TVs, the U6K makes use of Google TV as its sensible TV platform. It’s a full-featured, succesful system that covers all main streaming companies together with Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Crunchyroll, Disney+, Hulu, Max, Netflix, Twitch, and YouTube. A whole bunch of different apps and companies are additionally out there and you may as well stream something from an Android telephone or pill, Chrome machine, iPad, iPhone, or Mac due to assist for each Google Solid and Apple AirPlay 2.
Google Assistant is constructed into Google TV, and far-field microphones mean you can use it hands-free by saying, “Hey Google,” adopted by a command. It’s a succesful voice assistant that may management the TV itself, seek for content material, reply common questions, present sports activities and climate stories, and management related sensible residence units. You may mechanically flip off the microphones with the change on the underside fringe of the display screen in the event you want, however then the indicator LEDs glow yellow. Disabling Google Assistant totally by way of the settings is the one approach to flip off the yellow LEDs. If the yellow lights hassle you, and also you don’t thoughts slight kludge, a strip of black electrical tape will do the trick.
Stable Distinction, Glorious Colour
The Hisense U6K is a 4K TV with a 60Hz refresh fee. It helps excessive dynamic vary (HDR) content material in Dolby Imaginative and prescient, HDR10, HDR10+, and hybrid log gamma (HLG) codecs. It has an ATSC 1.0 tuner, however not ATSC 3.0.
We check TVs utilizing a Klein Ok-10A colorimeter, a Muridseo SIX-G sign generator, and Portrait Shows’ Calman software program. Out of the field, in Theater Day mode with an SDR sign, the U6K exhibits a peak brightness of 394 nits with a full-screen white subject and 554 nits with an 18% white subject, with a black degree of 0.022cd/m^2. Filmmaker mode with an SDR sign exhibits a peak brightness of 89 nits with a full-screen white subject and 131 nits with an 18% white subject, however with an odd caveat: It permits the TV’s ambient mild sensor to regulate the backlight, which is an odd selection for a mode meant to supply the closest presentation it can provide to the director’s imaginative and prescient. Disabling the sunshine sensor (which we suggest for all customers) bumps the mode’s brightness to numbers comparable with the Theater Day mode.
With an HDR sign, the U6K exhibits a peak brightness of 412 nits with a full-screen white subject and 591 nits with an 18% white subject. With its 0.015cd/m^2 HDR black degree, that offers the U6K a distinction ratio of 39,400:1. This isn’t a lot in contrast with brighter, higher-end TVs just like the Hisense U8H (1,982 nits peak brightness, 0.01cd/m^2 black degree, 198,226:1 distinction ratio) or the TCL 4K 6-Collection Google TV (1,189 nits peak brightness, 0.002cd/m^2 black degree, 594,597:1 distinction ratio), however its low black degree is a giant step up from the just-as-bright U6H (588 nits peak brightness, 0.03cd/m^2 black degree, 19,608:1 distinction ratio).
The above charts present the U6K’s shade ranges in Theater Day mode with an SDR sign in contrast in opposition to Rec.709 broadcast requirements and in Filmmaker mode with the ambient mild sensor disabled with an HDR sign in contrast in opposition to DCI-P3 digital cinema requirements. Colours are typically correct with each indicators. The HDR image, specifically, reaches almost the complete vary of the colour house with little noticeable drift.
We strongly suggest utilizing Filmmaker mode when watching most produced content material, as a result of we seen an odd quirk with HDR Theater mode. Our exams in that mode confirmed cyans that leaned towards inexperienced to the purpose that they appeared extra like seafoam, in addition to magentas that skewed heat. For reference, the overwhelming majority of TVs we have examined which have each broad Cinema/Film/Theater modes and extra particular Filmmaker/ISF Calibrated modes demonstrated related colours between modes. Hisense confirmed that it is a bug that is reproducible. The corporate is engaged on a firmware patch to repair it, however for now it is best to steer clear of HDR Theater mode. Fortuitously, Filmmaker mode is so good (with automated brightness changes turned off) that it’s extra of a minor annoyance than a significant grievance.
In Filmmaker mode, the “Lions” episode of BBC Earth’s Dynasties appears wonderful. The tawny fur of lions and the greens and yellow-greens of savannah grass seem pure, and the hides of cows are correctly darkish and never washed out. Fantastic textures are obvious in brilliant solar and shade. The image would possibly look extra lifelike with a brighter panel, however that is about pretty much as good as a 4K HDR documentary can look on a 600-nit TV.
The low black ranges and robust distinction nonetheless come via within the get together scenes of The Nice Gatsby. Black fits look black and never blown out, with their contours and textures simply seen. The whites of lights, balloons, and shirts are well-balanced, even when they don’t pop as a lot as they do on brighter panels. Pores and skin tones look pure and never tinted or sickly.
HDR nature footage on Spears & Munsil’s Extremely HD Benchmark additionally appears good, with balanced colours and whites. Video depicting heavy snowfall with virtually the complete body absolutely illuminated doesn’t look dim or grey, even when it might be brighter on pricier TVs. Black backgrounds behind brilliant and colourful objects additionally seem appropriately darkish, with no apparent mild bloom in a reasonably lit check atmosphere.
Low-Latency Gaming
The 60Hz panel on the U6K helps variable refresh fee (VRR) and Dolby Imaginative and prescient Gaming, however not AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync. If you’d like a 120Hz TV, you’ll need to spend a bit extra for the U8H or U8K. That mentioned, the U6K’s gaming efficiency is responsive. Utilizing an HDFury Diva HDMI matrix, the TV confirmed an enter lag of simply 3.7 milliseconds in Sport mode, lower than half of the 10ms threshold we use to think about a TV to be good for gaming. That is an enormous enchancment over the U6H, which measured 11.1ms of lag. Be sure you’re in Sport mode whenever you play video games, although, as a result of lag jumps to 103.5ms in different modes.
Good Image at a Finances Worth
At $799.99 for a 65-inch display screen, the Hisense U6K is a superb worth. It isn’t the brightest or quickest panel, however its distinction and shade are each distinctive, particularly for the worth. Google TV with hands-free Google Assistant deliver plenty of helpful options and performance to the desk, and its enter lag is low sufficient to please avid gamers. If you’d like a brighter image you’ll need to spend extra on the Hisense U8H or the TCL 6-Collection. However the U6K’s mini-LED backlight system is a stable step up from the U6H and it truly prices lower than its predecessor, making it straightforward to name our Editors’ Selection winner for budget-friendly TVs.
