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In recent years, the TV landscape has changed a lot. Before, you had legacy name brands, lower-end brands (sometimes made by Chinese companies recycling the names of older legacy brands like Polaroid or Westinghouse), and little in between. Occasionally, a newer player like Vizio offering better value than some of the big names might show up, but that was about it.

But as 4K TVs have taken over the market, Chinese companies like Hisense and TCL have put their own names on their TVs more and more, and they’ve also made an effort to pack premium features into a much less expensive package than ever. Hisense, in particular, has really been pushing hard. You can get a Hisense TV with important advanced features like mini-LED backlighting, full-array local dimming for superior contrast, and quantum dot color, while still being within the company’s budget range. This is something the competition doesn’t really offer.

Then, as you step up, Hisense TVs start to get pretty competitive with premium TVs from the big legacy name brands in features and overall image quality. On top of all that, if you just need cheap TVs for your kids’ bedrooms, Hisense offers even-less-expensive budget TVs with less bells and whistles. To help demystify the many varieties of Hisense smart TV, let’s look at each Hisense model series and how they’re differentiated in features and pricing.

Hisense A6 series

Sitting at the bottom of the Hisense pyramid is the A6 series, the lowest-priced series of budget TVs that the company makes. Even for big screens, the suggested retail prices are pretty darn low: 55 inches for $299.99, 75 inches for $499.99, and 85 inches for $899, with all available for less at major retailers like Best Buy. These TVs feature direct lit backlighting (meaning LEDs are spread out behind the screen in a grid as opposed to at the edges), have a 60-hertz refresh rate, and, depending on the size, have either three or four HDMI ports. The most recent revision of the A6 series is the A6N line, released in 2024.

Since it’s an entry-level budget line, there aren’t many professional reviews for the A6 series, but they do exist. RTINGS wasn’t exactly bullish on it, giving 2024’s A6N a 6.5 out of 10 score for mixed usage, with the highest subcategory score by far going to using it as a PC monitor, with a 7.6. Though its wide viewing angle was praised, the reviewing team also cited issues with picture uniformity, low contrast, insufficient image processing, and iffy glare resistance.

Meanwhile, at TechBrains, reviewer Bryan Schmidt seemed impressed with the A6N relative to the low price, being pleasantly surprised by the color accuracy in particular, but also conceded that the contrast wasn’t particularly good. For a cheap TV to put in a casual viewing context, it seems acceptable, but you can do better.

Hisense A7 series

Second from the bottom in Hisense’s product line is the A7 series, represented by the A7N models for the 2024 model year. It’s priced slightly higher than the A6N series, with the bigger screen sizes starting at a suggested $349.99 for 55 inches and continuing on with $449.99 for 65 inches as well as $599.99 for 75 inches, with lower street prices available at places like Best Buy. The basic feature list is near-identical to the A6’s, with direct lit backlighting, a 60-hertz refresh rate, and three to four HDMI ports depending on screen size. The A7, however, is also touted in promotional copy as having wide color gamut, meaning that the TV should be capable of producing more realistic colors.

In professional reviews, the A7N definitely fares better than the A6N. RTINGS gave the A7N an overall mixed usage score of 7.3 out of 10, a good bit higher than the A6N’s 6.5, praising its reflection handling and slightly better color. But it also panned the viewing angles, with “Image quality degrades rapidly at an angle” being the featured “con” in the review’s pro/con list.

Meanwhile, at Consumer Reports, the A7N got a meh score, with the review praising the color accuracy and overall picture clarity while taking issue with the HDR performance and, as with RTINGS, the TV’s limited viewing angles. At best, it’s a very incremental step up over the A6N series, and not much else.

Hisense U6 series

Though the A6 and A7 lines offer decent enough value for their low price points, where Hisense’s range of TVs really gets interesting is with the U6 line, most recently refreshed in 2024 as the U6N series. The U6 TVs differentiate themselves from not just Hisense’s cheaper sets but also the vast majority of direct competition from other manufacturers by offering premium-quality features in a package that can still easily qualify as a budget TV.

Those premium-quality features? Mini-LED backlighting, quantum dot color, and full-array backlighting with local dimming, which improves on direct-lit by filling the grid with more LEDs and breaking up the grid into “zones” that dim in dark scenes for improved contrast and black levels. At retail, big screens start at a suggested $549.99 for 55 inches before moving on to $749.99 for 65 inches, $999.99 for 75 inches, and $1,499.99 for 85 inches, But the everyday prices are significantly lower at stores like Best Buy, making them a lot closer in price to the A6 and A7 than they’d seem at first glance.

Professional reviews for the U6N are generally laudatory for the value they provide. Perhaps most notably, as of a January 2025 update, it’s still the winner of the New York Times’ Wirecutter site’s shootout for best budget TV. In particular, the review cites its superior color, brightness, and contrast to the competition, owing to the aforementioned premium features. If limiting yourself to budget models, this is the one to get.

Hisense U7/U76 series

While the U6 series is where Hisense’s TVs raise the bar for what a “budget TV” can do, the U7 series — U7N for the 2024 model year — is where its TVs enter more premium territory, at a lower price than those of direct competitors. Not only does the U7 carry over what the U6 added, like quantum dot color and mini LED backlighting for better image quality with full array local dimming, but it adds even more premium features.

Those are a 144-hertz refresh rate with variable refresh rate support, an ATSC 3.0/NextGen TV tuner to future-proof for eventual over-the air 4K broadcasts, Wi-Fi 6 networking speeds, a built-in subwoofer for superior bass response, and peak brightness of 1,500 nits. All this plus four HDMI ports across the series, regardless of screen size. The TVs retail at $749.99 for 55 inches, $999.99 for 65 inches, $1,199.99 for 75 inches, and $2,199.99 for 85 inches, but can usually be found for significantly less at stores like Best Buy.

Positive professional reviews of the U7N are numerous. In its shootout to determine the best LED TV for most people, Wirecutter named the U7N its budget pick, saying that, aside from being not quite as bright, it was comparable to the more expensive U8N. Meanwhile, Wired, Digital Trends, Boy Genius Report, AVForums, and How-To Geek all gave the U7N their recommendation badges atop glowing reviews, while T3 was impressed with its low price.

Hisense U8 series

Where Hisense’s TVs really start to enter the premium realm is with the U8 model series — U8N for the 2024 models — that comfortably competes with great TVs from bigger-name competitors while selling for less. The U8 series takes the U7 line’s premium features like mini LED backlighting with full array local dimming, quantum dot color, 144-hertz refresh with variable refresh rate support, and an ATSC 3.0/NextGen TV tuner, but makes the TV significantly brighter. It peaks around 3,000 nits of brightness, but manages to retain rich blacks at the same time for excellent contrast and, thus, stellar HDR performance. At retail, the line starts with the 55-inch model at $999.99 before moving into 65 inches for $1,299.99; 75 inches for $1,599.99; and 85 inches for $2,999.99, though you can generally get them for a few hundred dollars less at stores like Best Buy.

Positive professional reviews for the U8N series are numerous and uniformly stellar. In its shootout to determine the best LCD/LED TV for most people, Wirecutter picked the U8N as the winner, citing the HDR and gaming performance, albeit with the caveat that there are feature differences between the sizes that Hisense doesn’t broadcast. Elsewhere, Wired, Tom’s Guide, PC Mag, TechRadar, Digital Trends, and Home Theater Review all gave the U8N their recommendation badges. All had pretty similar thoughts about the U8N overall, praising its brightness, contrast, and feature set while having mild concerns about its off-angle viewing performance.

Hisense U9 series

If Hisense has a flagship TV series, that distinction would go to the U9 models — U9N for 2024 — of mini LED-backlit smart TVs. The U9N TVs retail at $2,999.99 for 75 inches and $3,999.99 for 85 inches, with discounts sometimes available at stores like Best Buy.

As you get deeper into the upper end of Hisense’s product lines, the core features aren’t necessarily what set them apart from less expensive models, as, by this point, most premium features — like mini LED backlighting with full array local dimming, quantum dot color, high peak brightness, fast Wi-Fi, and a 144-hertz refresh rate with variable refresh rate support — are standard. The U9N improves on those core features with improved image processing and viewing angles while adding a more sophisticated speaker system that includes upward-firing speakers to support Dolby Atmos spatial audio.

Professional reviews of the Hisense U9N have been very positive, with both TechRadar and Tom’s Guide awarding it their recommendation badges. “The best Hisense TV yet,” said TechRadar, praising its brightness that’s balanced by more targeted local dimming, its “powerful” built-in 4.1.2 channel speaker system, and its strong off-angle viewing capabilities. Tom’s Guide had similar praise, especially for the speakers, noting that the U9N produced room-filling sound that only distorted at the highest possible volume levels, and adding that only hardcore audiophiles were likely to feel the need for separate speakers like a soundbar.

Hisense UX series

Though much of Hisense’s current slate of TVs is positioned as carrying major bang for your buck, the company also offers some ultra-premium models. This includes the UX series, which retails at $7,999.99 for 98 inches and $19,999.99 for 110 inches, but can usually be found for thousands less at stores like Best Buy.

It carries all of the advanced features of the U7N and U8N lines, like mini LED backlights with full array local dimming for superior contrast, quantum dot color, a 144-hertz refresh rate with variable refresh rate support, and an ATSC 3.0/NextGen TV tuner to pull in eventual 4K over-the-air broadcasts. But it also adds faster Wi-Fi 6E networking, while also raising the bar on the existing features, like even higher peak brightness (around 4,000 nits) and the existence of 5,000 local dimming zones for better contrast control.

In professional reviews, Digital Trends gave the UX 4½ stars out of 5 and an Editors’ Choice badge. The site singled out the expected pros like the brightness, black levels, and color accuracy while also praising the TV’s ability to reduce unwanted blooming/haloing effects onscreen and its superior off-angle viewing performance. RTINGS, meanwhile, gave the UX an 8.5 out of 10 score for mixed usage, praising the contrast levels, brightness even with SDR content, and reflection handling, while taking issue with buggy smart TV software.

Hisense CanvasTV S7 series

Between its standard and ultra-premium lines, Hisense has something else up its proverbial sleeve: The CanvasTV S7 series, its version of the Samsung Picture Frame TV that’s designed to look like a framed painting and display works of art when not being used for TV shows or movies. The Canvas TV retails at $999.99 for 55 inches and $1,299.99 for 65 inches, but can usually be found for hundreds of dollars less at stores like Best Buy. Regarding key features, it’s a bit of a hybrid of different standard Hisense models. On one hand, it’s edge-lit, giving it the most basic possible backlighting, but it also has a 144-hertz refresh rate. The CanvasTV comes with its own wall mount.

Professional reviews of the CanvasTV S7 are overall fairly positive. Boy Genius Report gave it four stars out of four and a “Gold Award” recommendation badge, citing the design, “Art Mode” feature to making paintings look more natural, and low price relative to the competition while lamenting the lack of mini LED backlighting. Android Guys awarded it a Smart Pick recommendation badge and four stars out of five, praising the value, reflection handling, and gaming performance while taking issue with the mounting instructions, default color accuracy, and iffy sound quality. And Tom’s Guide gave it four stars out of five, highlighting the CanvasTV S7’s value, included mount/frame, and backlit remote, while taking issue with the port placement and overall low brightness.