Just because something is a bargain doesn’t mean it’s full of compromises. Case in point: the Hisense 65U6HF 65-inch ULED 4K TV, a set with quantum dots that won’t break your budget. With the U6HF Series, Hisense’s gamble is to deliver a combination of local dimming and quantum dot technology, plus its suite of ULED picture enhancement technologies to deliver more than you’d expect for less than you’d expect – and it nicely pays off.
For a TV that costs as little as the 65U6HF does, its brightness and feature set are above average, and it has impressively low input lag for gamers. Well, to achieve this low MSRP there are trade-offs that Hisense had to make, however: this set’s average contrast means that it doesn’t get as bright as the Hisense U8G, but it’s still good value for the price.
Also, as you’ll see in my full Hisense 65U6HF review, this 4K ULED TV isn’t designed for everyone, but it’s certainly one of the best TVs for shoppers on a tight budget, who still crave quality picture per excellence.
About the Hisense 65U6HF
Here are the main specs on the Hisense 75U6HF model we reviewed:
- Resolution: 4K (3,840 x 2,160)
- Display Type: Full-array LED with local dimming and quantum dots (VA-style panel)
- HDR support: Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, HLG
- Dolby Atmos: Yes (native decoding)
- eARC support: Yes (HDMI 1)
- Native refresh rate: 60Hz
- Smart platform: Amazon Fire TV
- Color: DCI-P3 color space/10-bit chroma resolution
- Processor: Hi-View Engine 4K
- Other features: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Google Chromecast
Design & Features
The Hisense 65U6HF sits at the upper end of budget 65in TVs, but it offers a solid design, which isn’t common at this price point. No, it may not look as premium as its more expensive sibling, the Hisense 65U8G, but its bezels are still fairly slim, its legs are sleek and stylish, and in general, the 65U6HF looks good. The bezels, legs, and everything else are made from black or dark grey materials, and look good.
The V-shaped legs are made from plastic, unlike some TVs in this price range. However, it’s not some cheap plastic and should be able to at least hold the TV up perfectly fine. And, while you’re buying this TV for a pittance, it doesn’t look cheap from a distance or at a glance, so your guests won’t be able to tell the kind of plastic used unless they get up close and personal.
All ports and connections are located at the back of the TV. The TV offers a total of four HDMI ports, all are side-facing and one supports ARC. You also get an optical output for audio, one USB port for power, an Ethernet port, and an AV in ports. It’s a robust selection of ports, and more than enough for your streaming devices, gaming, and everything else.
The remote is generally fine, but we feel it’s beginning to feel a bit dated. In an era where Apple TV and Google Chromecast remotes have been fully stripped back, the 50U6HF feels a bit off in 2022. You’ll get full channel controls, software controls, Google Assistant controls, quick-access controls for six streaming services, volume rockers, and so on.
Overall, the Hisense 65U6HF QLED TV and bundled remote offer a dent design. This is a budget TV and we didn’t expect an overly premium design – but the design that is here will still look awesome in most homes.
Image Quality
Hisense’s Quantum Dot QLED technology has been a hit – QLED TVs offer bright, vivid colors and deep black levels on a budget, and the 65U6HF is no exception to that rule. The TV provides a 4K resolution, support for Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HLG, and local dimming to ensure deeper, more natural black levels.
The bad news, however, is that the TV is limited to a native 60Hz refresh rate and can only reach a peak brightness of around 600 nits – a significant deal less than other 4K HDR TVs that often reach or exceed the recommended 1,000 nits required for prime HDR playback. Nonetheless, this is a budget TV so we can’t expect premium specs, but it still offers an excellent image quality for a TV in its price range.
The TV offers a range of image modes for different viewing preferences. Out of the box, you’ll get seven HDR modes, including game mode and sport mode. Most of the time, you might keep it on HDR Standard, which offers more than enough brightness for dark living rooms.
So, what are the trade-offs for buying this solo TV in Hisense’s new range? Well, while 32 dimming zones are fine, it’s not amazing – and you’ll get more on Hisense’s more expensive offerings. This should make for less blooming – on the 65U6HF there’s some blooming around bright objects, especially near the edges of the display. Still, you get a consistent experience.
But the truth is that without a keen eye, and in regular viewing, you’re unlikely to notice these issues, and given the price range, the TV still displays beautifully bright, vivid, and beautiful images.
Fire TV OS & Alexa
For you to get the most out of Fire TV features, you’ll need to sign in with your Amazon account, which is very typical of Fire TV streamers, which are built around using your account for transactions like purchasing the app and renting media. However, on the Hisense 65U6HF, you don’t need an Amazon account to use the TV. There is an optional Basic mode that lets you use the TV as a TV, without access to most streaming features in the interface but provides access to the TV’s varied inputs.
Still, most of us would want to use our Amazon account to access the full features of the Hisense 58U6HF Fire TV Edition, bearing in mind how robust it is as a smart TV platform. For instance, it lets you access most streaming services, including Amazon Video and Music, Hulu, Netflix, Sling TV, Spotify, and Twitch. Curiously, Google Play Movies & TV, as well as Google Play Music, are absent, and YouTube loads only via Firefox or Silk web browsers.
Not surprising at all, while the Fire TV OS is ideally based on Android, rarely do you see Amazon and Google get along much on content. The Fire TV includes access to the Alexa voice assistant, which you can easily use on the Insignia Fire TV Edition by pressing the microphone button on the remote and speaking into it. Sure, it may not be as hands-free as the Echo or Echo Spot, but it’s still functional out of the box with the press of a button.
The Hisense 65U6HF is a visual powerhouse in the price range, but its audio is a typical case with budget TVs. If you afford to buy a pair of speakers or a soundbar, you should do so. That’s not to say that the audio quality here is terrible, and if we can compare it with previous-gen Hisense TV, it does seem like Hisense’s budget TVs are getting better.
Should you buy the Hisense 65U6HF?
On the present landscape of budget TVs, the Hisense 65U6HF is a killer value. Costing less than most of its direct competitors from Samsung, LG, and Sony, and matching or bettering them in several crucial areas, it’s an incredible value proposition if you need a TV for your living room but don’t have a lot of money to spend on one.
The Hisense 65U6HF might be faced with stiff competition from the Hisense U7G, the Amazon Fire TV Omni, the Samsung Q60B, the TCL Series-6 Roku, and the Vizio M-Series Quantum, but in the end, it is cheaper than all those and can deliver a result that exceeded our expectations.
Are you completely wowed by what the Hisense 65U6HF has to offer? Probably not, especially if you’re a gamer. But a TV that combines this level of quality worth this level of affordability doesn’t come around every day. Therefore, the Hisense 65U6HF is a tantalizing option in a unique space, and its value will only go up with future sale pricing.
Recommended Configuration
Hisense 65-Inch Class U6HF Series ULED 4K UHD Smart Fire TV
$409.99 in stock
The Review
Hisense 65U6HF
The Hisense 65U6HF is one of the best budget-friendly 4K ULED TVs of the year, combining a very reasonable price and exceptional image performance with quantum dots technology and a robust Fire TV platform.
PROS
- Incredible value
- Rich, accurate color
- Bright enough for most rooms
CONS
- Poor audio
- Mediocre contrast
Review Breakdown
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ARS SCORE
