Hisense 65U6N review

The Hisense U6K was our favorite cheap TV of 2023, and its replacement for 2024 is even better. It’s brighter and smoother, its colors are more accurate, and it’s priced very reasonably at $799.99 for 65 inches (with an even cheaper “everyday price” of $649.99). It falls well below the threshold we use to distinguish cheap TVs ($1,000 for a 65-inch) while offering standout picture quality for its class. You can get a brighter and fancier TV or go for the Hisense U7N ($1,099.99). the way Brighter with the U8N ($1,499.99), both throw in much more light and have a 144Hz refresh rate instead of 60Hz. But the Hisense U6N is an incredible value, earning it our Editors’ Choice award for affordable TVs

Designs, ports and remotes: lots of choice

Housed in matte black plastic, the U6N is sleek for a budget TV. The top and sides are bezel-free and bordered only by a thin black band. The bottom edge has a narrow 0.6-inch bezel with a trapezoidal bump underneath that houses the infrared sensor, far-field microphone array, and mic mute switch. The TV sits on two V-shaped legs that can be mounted either four or 13 inches from the screen, depending on how you want to place it. You can mount it on a wall.

On the back of the TV, on the left side, are three HDMI ports (one eARC), two USB ports, 3.5mm composite video input and headphone jack, and an antenna/cable connector. A fourth HDMI port, an optical audio output and an Ethernet port face directly back The power cable plugs into the back right.

The long, slim remote looks far more elegant than the U6K’s chunky black stick. It has a faux-brushed-steel plastic body and a shiny metal navigation pad. Power, input and dedicated service buttons for Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Tubi, Netflix, YouTube and a sixth custom shortcut pad sit above, while volume and channel rockers and playback controls sit below.

Smart features: Google Assistant on standby

Like all Hisense ULED TVs, the U6N uses Google TV as its smart TV platform. It’s a powerful system that covers all major streaming services, including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Crunchyroll, Disney+, Netflix, Twitch and YouTube, including Google Cast and even local device streaming via Apple AirPlay.

Google Assistant is built into Google TV, and you can use it hands-free through the U6N’s far-field microphones. Just say, “Hey, Google,” followed by a command and it will respond. You can use the Google Assistant to control your TV and any compatible and connected smart home device, search for content, and get general information like sports scores and weather. It’s very useful, and a mechanical switch lets you mute the microphone if you don’t want it to always be a wake-up call.

Muting the mic makes the four indicator LEDs on the bump below the display glow yellow, though, which is annoying. If you don’t mind doing that, putting some black electrical tape over the LEDs will cover them and blend in with the black microphone block. You can still use Google Assistant by pressing the microphone button on the remote and speaking into it.

Image quality: Unbeatable for the price

The Hisense U6N is a 4K QLED TV with a mini-LED backlight system and a 60Hz refresh rate. It supports high dynamic range (HDR) content in Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+ and Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG). It has an ATSC 1.0 tuner for over-the-air broadcasts, but unlike the Hisense U8N, it lacks an ATSC 3.0 tuner for 1080p and 4K OTA broadcasts.

We test the TV using a Klein K-10A colorimeter, a Murideo SIX-G signal generator, and portrait display Kalman software. Out of the box, in movie mode with an SDR signal, the U6N delivers 367 nits with a full-screen white field, 554 nits with an 18% white field, and a black level of 0.005cd/m^2. With an HDR signal in HDR movie mode, that rises to 473 nits full-screen, 700 nits with an 18% white field and 0.003 black level, resulting in an effective contrast ratio of 233,333:1. That’s great for a budget TV, mostly afforded by the mini-LED backlight, which is capable of producing very deep blacks. It’s not as bright as the Hisense U7N (1,528 nits, 18% field) or the U8N (2,755 nits, 18% field), but it’s brighter than the U6K’s 591 nits, $799.99 Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED’s 474 and 474 nits. $799.99 Roku Plus Series 650 nits.

The charts above show the U6N’s color levels in movie mode with an SDR signal compared to Rec.709 broadcast standards, and in HDR movie mode with an HDR signal compared to DCI-P3 digital cinema standards. In both cases, accuracy is excellent, whites are barely cooler than ideal and colors have no noticeable drift. The TV’s HDR range doesn’t quite cover the full DCI-P3 color space, but it comes close, and with great accuracy.

of the BBC dynasty Looks great on the U6N. The colors are natural and balanced, from the green of the grass and the blue of the sky to the tan and yellow of the lion’s fur. A shot of trees silhouetted against a stormy sky highlights the TV’s strong contrast, where the trees look properly dark while the texture and color of the leaves show through.

Shadow detail like black suit in party scene The Great Gatsby They look dark while showing lots of details like cuts, contours and textures. Whites on the shirt and balloon stand out well, although they’re not as bright as they appear on the U8N. Skin tones look natural and splashes of orange on clothing don’t look oversaturated.

The display footage from the Spears and Munsil Ultra HD benchmarking disc looks excellent. A time-lapse transition of a landscape from early dawn to midday is smooth and shows accurate colors and clear details from very dark to bright. Daytime shots of landscapes and animals are vivid but natural. Very bright, colorful objects pop out against completely black backgrounds, while the backgrounds themselves look effectively black. Light flaring can be seen along the edges of the object, but it’s relatively minimal thanks to the mini-LED backlight system.

Gaming Features: Low lag for faster gameplay

Although it only has a 60Hz refresh rate, the U6N’s responsiveness should please gamers.

Tested in game mode with an HDFury Diva HDMI matrix, the TV showed an input lag of just 3.6 milliseconds. That’s well below the 10ms threshold we use to consider a TV good for gaming, and faster than both the U7N (6.2ms) and U8N (7.4ms). Amazon’s Fire TV Omni ($759.99) and Omni QLED are slightly faster at 2.6ms and 3.2ms, but to get faster than that, you’ll need to spend a lot more on an OLED TV like the LG Evo G4 ($3,399.99). Samsung S95D ($3,399.99), both of which showed sub-millisecond latency in our tests.

Verdict: Best budget-friendly TV

Hisense U6N is the best affordable TV you can buy right now Its QLED panel and mini-LED backlight produce great color and contrast. It’s loaded with features, including hands-free Google Assistant, and you can get it in 65 inches for around $650. If your budget is a little more flexible, you can go for the Hisense U7N for a brighter picture, a 144Hz refresh rate and an ATSC 3.0 tuner. But if you want to save money while still getting a great picture and plenty of functionality, the U6N can’t be beat.