Verdict
A decent mid - range Mini run TV from Hisense that ’s capable of racy , punchy colour , but stand from intermediate direct contrast and a lack of brightness . Factor in aggressively priced choice and the U6 K struggles to stand out from the crowd .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
In the last few year , Hisense has been on the up and up , come out as competition for the more established TV brands with their value orientate TVs .
But recently they ’ve encroached into the more premium mart in the UK , first with theA9H OLED , then with the U8 K andU7 K Mini light-emitting diode video . The 65U6KTUK is another Mini LED in its 2023 lineup , more affordably priced but hoping to give vendee that punchy HDR mental image and all - orotund carrying out .
A budget winner or not quite the sum of its parts ? rent ’s find out .
Design
Smart is one word to apply to the Hisense 65U6KTUK ’s design . Elegantly unassuming are two more that would n’t be out of place describing the U6 K ’s await either .
It features all the hallmarks you ’d expect from a TV in 2023 : thin bezels that do n’t trench on the screen , adjustable feet emplacement ( towards the middle and out to the sides ) , and a slim(ish ) depth of 75 mm , help by itsMini LEDbacklight , though , it ’s not much thinner than thenon - Mini light-emitting diode A7Gfrom a few eld ago .
Stood on its foot there ’s a tenuous wobble that if I called it measured would be generous . It might be the case of not tighten the screws to the full , but nevertheless , it ’s not an issue unless you ’re brushing past this screen in a nasty spot . There ’s a time slot in the back of the feet to press cable’s length through and keep the area behind the TV gratuitous from clutter .
It ’s only uncommitted in 55- and 65 - column inch size ( the latter is the one I ’m reviewing ) . Despite the title of wide-eyed viewing angles , that ’s not strictly true , at least not so with HDR message . From direct on the Hisense U6 K tends to be fine with solid black grade and contrast .
At blanket angles there ’s backlight haemorrhage ( a pallid blasphemous - ish sparkle in areas of the screen ) , which is unsatisfying give the presence of the Mini LED backlight . Reflections are also outstanding – watch any dingy view and you may see yourself in it too .
Software
The VIDDA U is not a TV UI that gets much acknowledgment , but I care the simplicity of it .
Navigation from here to there is obvious , I did n’t experience any slowdown or slowdown and while there are plenty of paid / subscription on - demand apps , VIDDA also offer lots of innocent channels with curated pick in the VIDDA Free incision .
All the giving video streaming apps are let in , and most of the expectant four are presented in their optimal Dolby Vision / Atmos forms , withDisney+lacking Atmos financial backing ( it ’s only up to 5.1 ) . UK viewers are also covered withFreeview Play , the likes of iPlayer , ITVX , Channel 4 and others are present and accounted for .
On the top run-in are ikon that link to sources , preferences , notifications , account , etc . , and the card provides explanations for what each context does . Netflixstill takes pole spot in footing of placement for apps , there is a grownup ad front and heart in this full - concealment interface , and – for the sentence being – head users to the app depot , which is n’t too intrusive . Content is the focus , and VIDDA U makes it easy enough to dive in and search .
The Hisense 65U6KTUK come with just the one remote , and it ’s not one I ’m trance with . Button presses are stiff , some presses do n’t always reply , and it ’s sizable remote control – at least it ’s not one you ’d lose behind the cushions .
button are well put down out , but I wish the remote control was n’t so chunky . There is the alternative of turning your smartphone into a remote control with the Remote Now app . It can be used to set the TV up during first boot up , but for whatever reason it would not plug into to the television set .
Features
For gamers there’sauto low reaction time modeon all HDMI larboard , so you could plug your gaming console or PC into any available port . Variable Refresh Rate(VRR ) is also on every individual port , get the benefit of a more liquid picture and lower meanwhile with a VRR enabled game . In general , input lag is 16.5ms , which is upstanding but slower than what I measured on theA7G.
There ’s Alexa and Google vox assistant smarting , but neither are aboriginal to the TV and call for other compatible devices to be link to the U6 K to take advantage of any spokesperson ascendance . Hisense does put up its own selection with its ‘ Hey VIDDA ’ cry out from the remote control .
Connectivity amounts to three HDMI inputs , fewer than I would have liked and they all substantiate the HDMI 2.0 measure , which means you wo n’t get 4K/120Hz ( the Hisense U6 K ’s screen is locked to 60Hz anyway ) . HDMI 3 is compliant with theeARC standard , which give up for passthrough of full adipose tissue Dolby and DTS soundtracks to a compatible soundbar .
There are two USB input , Ethernet , Satellite / Antenna RF inputs , CI+ 1.4 , digital optic out , 3.5 millimeter audio output and an Ab composite 3.5 mm input . There ’s Wi - Fi ( DLNA , Anyview Cast ) and Bluetooth 5.1 for join to the boob tube wirelessly .
Picture - wise the Hisense U6 K has the Mini LED backlight that split up the screen into smaller zones – I counted 176 zones , but it looks like I missed a row as information online show 192 . These zone allow its processor to have more precise ascendence over contrast , smartness , and colour within those areas . The Hi - View AI locomotive engine scrap dictates that carrying out in real - time , boosting the image , resolution , and motion .
The Quantum Dot color panel assists in bring forth a wide kitchen range of colours , while HDR reenforcement include HDR10 , HLG , and Dolby Vision . Though there ’s mention ofFilmmaker modeand HDR10 + , neither of those mode were present .
For audio there is Dolby Atmos but do n’t carry whizz - bang sonics with phone appearing above and to the side of meat of the goggle box – it really come to improved processing and the ability to place Atmos tracks to a soundbar that can deal with them with more flair .
Picture Quality
Though its ware pageboy point up to 600 nit of brightness , in real macrocosm terms , peak light with HDR content hits 499 nits on a full - screen pattern . On a 10 % window , luminosity reach 449 nit in dynamical mode or 415 nits in Standard . existent sustained brightness level is lower than those peak name , too .
In simpler terms , the Hisense U6 K is n’t the undimmed TV out of the loge with HDR10 and HLG content . humble brilliant objects ( attack , elevator car headlamp , etc ) are n’t supplied with a great amount of brightness , and while from a head - on position smutty levels can be strong , it ’s the deficiency of overall cleverness that results in an middling contrast in showing the difference of opinion between deep blacks and shining highlights .
Watching HLG HDR content on iPlayer and colours can take care obtuse , contrast is less marked , and complexions look on the pallid side . It looks okay , but miss excitement .
It ’s not the sharpest sounding ikon either . Despite some Dolby Vision assistance , Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 on Disney+ can await dreary even in the telecasting ’s Dolby Vision Bright mode . There are times when HDR colours lack puncher on this set , but the lack of edge – at least with cyclosis content – does n’t help matters .
Retrieval of point in darker scenery is below par too . follow the Rings of Power onPrime Video(Dolby Vision ) and in dark vista there ’s black storey the Hisense U6 K ca n’t peer into .
Moving to Babylon on 4 atomic number 19 Blu - light beam ( HDR10 ) and there are instances of overly lovesome peel skin colour , a red push that turns some characters beetroot red in the view where the celluloid crew are seek to record sound for the first clock time – there’stoomuchpunch and impregnation in this instance – while sinister press is evident in the Nox - time sky and black wooing of a munificent Hollywood party .
But when the Hisense U6 K gets things correct , it is capable of dazzling with its images . While Babylon in HDR10 does n’t have the greatest balance wheel , in Dolby Vision it take care perfectly striking . The rich Marxist , prosperous oranges , pinks , and blue angel come out secure , skin tonus are fleshed out more naturally , blacks are rich and furnished with more detail . It work out the lovely people of colour on this disc .
A 4 K Blu - ray of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness puts in a decipherable , sharp 4 K motion-picture show , but the HDR10 version can suffer from crushed blacks compared to theDolby Visionversion on Disney+ , which is n’t as sharp but boast more expressive peel tones . It ’s a slight pickle the Hisense U6 K finds itself in .
It ’s on more confident ground with SDR and upscaling less than 4 K content . Watching a videodisc of Sin City and while it looks processed with a want of fine contingent ( and a slight unripened tone to some blacks ) , there ’s less noise and fuzziness than I expected with some decently delineated bound and lines .
A videodisk of Zodiac point up the same qualities with more or less blurred edges , soft textures , and a niggling blurriness with motion – the Hi View processor has difficulty defining object in the background signal of injection which appear jagged , but there ’s nothing too egregious here with the upscaling , especially for a 65 - inch video .
Colours count natural and precise when reckon in Cinema Day mode but in other cooler style such as Standard , Dynamic and Sport , gloomy and green tones are exacerbate to the point where the whole image looks unnatural . Stick with Cinema Day and it ’s a much more exact and balanced image .
It ’s a step up in limpidity , distinctness , and detail with Blu - rays of Spider - Man and Kong : Skull Island . Spider - Man is a showcase of near , mostly innate - look vividness though reds can look a short bright . There ’s still that aspect of it looking slightly processed even though I ’ve turned off the motion smoothing , but the film ’s inherent celluloid grain is n’t do by as noise , there ’s lots of uncloudedness and detail , and black grade are strongly defined in SDR .
Skull Island is another winningly colourful performance with astray - tramp and varied colours ; a good combining of recondite , concentrated colours and light , subtler ones for an piquant image . The Hisense U6 K puts in a skilful balanced SDR characterization than theAmazon Fire TV Omni QLED .
The set ’s question processing needs some tweak – Standard can be noisy with fast television camera movement , but play with the configurations and a solid via media can be found with Judder set at 3 point and Blur at 2 .
Overall there ’s a decent pictorial matter functioning to be distort from the U6 K , but there are caveats .
Sound Quality
The Hisense U6 K pump out audio from its two - canal loudspeaker system system in a crisp tone , providing good clarity to voices . While there is sea bass , there ’s not much of it , the overall performance lacks depth and extension , which is not unexpected from a flatscreen TV .
There are several modes to choose from , but the Theatre mode brings the most booking – the presentation is a little bolder and industrious , wider too as well as spacious , with a decent balance between music , dialogue , and effect in a flick such as Kong : Skull Island , but much like trying to run aside from a 104 ft Gorilla gorilla , there ’s no escaping it ’s a savourless and thin soundstage .
The Music preset sound the biggest and most up-and-coming , Speech manner induces a lilliputian sibilance with its sharp tone , with the Standard mode okay , but for the most part the Hisense U6 K ’s audio is unremarkable , and at volume floor 50 it does n’t feel greatly forte . It ’s the character of performance where budgeting for asoundbar should be consider .
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Should you buy it?
The Hisense U6 K is a decent Mini LED television and perform best with Dolby Vision capacity .
There ’s tough contender from theTCL C845K , Amazon Fire TV Omni QLEDand even Hisense ’s ownU7 K Mini LED .
Final Thoughts
The Hisense 65U6KTUK is a competent TV , an affordable try that ’s a 7/10 in most aspects but with the good mental object it can dazzle .
Even though it ’s armed with a Mini LED backlight , its HDR execution is limited by its want of brightness . And though it has Dolby Vision to help the image , with streaming content there ’s a general lack of asperity that makes for slenderly dull pictures . Give the Hisense U6 K a 4 K Blu - ray and it can thrive with racy colours but there are caution with its fair contrast and limited black levels .
Other alternative include the sharply pricedTCL C845K , Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED , and evenHisense ’s own U7Kmodel . You ’re not miss for selection and when you look at what else is available , the Hisense U6 K does n’t quite stand out from the crowd .
Trusted Score
How we test
We try out every television set we review thoroughly over an extended period of fourth dimension . We practice diligence received tests to compare feature in good order . We ’ll always tell you what we find . We never , ever , accept money to refresh a product .
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FAQs
Despite being list as supporting HDR10 + , the UK version of the Hisense U6 K does n’t appear to abide it . Our misgiving is that the US adaptation does include it , as well as Filmmaker mode , which is also absent from the UK interpretation .