Hisense A6G (2021) review

Best Prices Today: Hisense A6G (2021)

Hisense is carving quite a niche for itself with well-specified yet affordable 4K HDR TVs. The A6G, reviewed here, may be unquestionably budget but it’s not boring. 

It uses a standard LED backlight, but incorporating Dolby Vision to manage HDR content gives a cinematic sheen to movies. Streaming services are accessed via the brand’s refreshingly easy to use Vidaa U5 connected platform.  

The brand also offers the model in a wide variety of screen sizes, so you can be certain to find one that suits your home.

Design & Build

• Wall-mountable
• 3 HDMI ports
• No 120Hz support

When it comes to design and build, the best you can hope from a budget flat screen is that it doesn’t actually look too cheap, and the A6G doesn’t. The glass is framed by a clean grey bezel, while two plastic feet keep it upright.

It’s light for a 55-incher on test here at 11.3kg, making it a good proposition to wall mount.

There are three HDMIs on offer but none support 4K at 120Hz refresh rate, so hardcore gamers looking for HFR (high frame rate) action from their next-gen consoles like the PS5 will need to shop elsewhere.

That’s not to say the A6G completely lacks gaming chops. It offers both ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) and VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) support, plus there’s eARC for sending audio to a soundbar.

Other connections include an analogue video minijack input, digital optical audio output, and Ethernet to complement Wi-Fi.

The TV ships with a slim remote control that offers shortcuts for Netflix, Amazon Prime, Rakuten TV, YouTube and Freeview Play.

Specs & Features

• Vidaa smart platform
• Android TV in the US
• Freeview Play tuner

Connected smarts can be considered rather good. The A6G uses the latest version of Hisense’s own Vidaa smart platform, which is primarily designed to host streaming services. A quad-core processor keeps navigation reasonably responsive.

The content choice covers most of the big hitters, including Netflix, Amazon Video Prime, YouTube, Britbox and Rakuten TV.

There’s also a terrestrial Freeview Play tuner, which ensures all the main UK catch-up TV players are on-board. In addition to a 7-day roll-back programme guide, there’s a great selection of free to view box sets to work your way through.

When it comes to voice assistant support, we get Amazon Alexa – unless you’re using a US version of the set, in which case you’ll get Google Assistant as the set runs on Google Android TV instead of Vidaa.

I measured input lag at 48.2ms (1080p/60fps) with Game mode selected. This rules it out for competitive fragging, but is fine for more moderately paced console entertainment.

Picture & Sound Quality

• Up to 75in
• Dolby Vision support
• Basic 8W stereo speakers

The A6G does a grand job when it comes to colour vibrancy and overall image pop. It may not use a wide colour gamut panel, but there’s a lushness to its pictures which is quite compelling. Combine this with 4K clarity and moderate contrast levels, and you’ve got a budget friendly crowd-pleaser.

A run-through of Netflix Dolby Vision content proves entirely satisfying. The vibrant forest landscapes and hairy hide of the titular super pig, make Okja thoroughly convincing, while trippy Korean Sci-Fi outing Space Sweepers dazzles with its luminescent VFX.

The choice of image presets is key to the performance of the A6G, though. Cinema mode can look a little flat, but Standard and Dynamic give the panel permission to shine.

Motion interpolation falls to standard 60Hz MEMC (Motion Estimation Motion Compensation) processing, but this does the job. There are Smooth, Standard, Clear, Film and Custom (manual adjustment of judder and blur reduction) flavours to experiment with.

Smooth works well with sports and action shows, but for movies our standard ‘switch it off’ mantra still applies – pictures just look more cinematic without interpolation.

The set’s HDR performance is limited. I measured peak HDR brightness at 300 nits using the Standard preset, within a 10 per cent measurement window. That’s no real surprise here – the screen is more HDR compatible than capable.

Thankfully, the provision of Dolby Vision prevents images from flattening out. With DV content, viewing options switch to Dolby Vision Bright, Dolby Vision Dark and Dolby Vision Custom. Opt for the Bright setting on this particular model.

The A6G’s stereo audio system is best described as routine. With a power output of 2 x 8W, a soundbar would be a sensible upgrade. Until then, run the TV on Theater sound mode as this gives a wider sonic spread.

Price

The Hisense A6G is available in 43-, 50-, 55-, 65- and 75-inch screen sizes (43A6GTUK, 50A6GTUK, 55A6GTUK, 65A6GTUK and 75A6GTUK), priced at £429, £499, £599, £799 and £1,299. We put the 55-incher through its paces for this review.

You can buy it in the UK from Amazon as well as Currys, Laptops Direct, Very, and AO. All at lower prices than the RRPs above.

Hisense sells the A6G stateside, in 43-, 50-, 55-, 60-, 65-, and 75-inch screen sizes, priced at $349, $429, $449, $549, $599, and $949 respectively. You can buy it from Amazon US, Newegg, BestBuy and Walmart at lower prices than those RRPs.

However, the smart platform employed on these models is Google’s Android TV, with Chromecast built-in, and not Hisense’s Vidaa creation. In terms of hierarchy, the A6G is one down from the A7G, which is the first of the Hisense Quantum Dot models.

Still not sure what TV to buy? Check out our best budget TV chart as well as our overall best TV chart.

Verdict

The Hisense A6G is a cut-price flatscreen that’s well worth shortlisting if you’re after a jack of all trades smart TV.

When it comes to screen real estate, you get a lot for your money, and overall cosmetics are sharp. The A6G may not have the HDMI wherewithal to handle HFR 4K 120fps from a PS5 or Xbox Series X, but it looks and plays fine with 1080p and 4K 60Hz games.

Overall picture performance warrants thumbs up. Its HDR peak brightness performance is very much what you’d expect from a budget LED backlit screen, but Dolby Vision content is well balanced. Fast motion handling is efficient, making this an easy set to recommend for sports too.

Similarly, the Vidaa U5 smart platform does the job (although you might well want to add a separate streaming stick for more options at some point), and having Freeview Play onboard means you’ll not be short of catch-up telly.

Not a high-performance screen then, but for everyday use without breaking the bank, it’s certain to please.

Best Prices Today: Hisense A6G (2021)