I sorely recall the early onset of the current gaming generation, which kicked off in late 2020. The Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 were a bit difficult to come by, so much so that I committed the cardinal sin of paying a reseller more than $200 over MSRP for the latter. The TVs that could take full advantage of their capabilities were also exorbitantly expensive — I’m talking multiple thousands of dollars — but that’s changed considerably nearly five years later.
Take the Hisense U7, for example, which has everything you need to enjoy any type of entertainment you want at its fullest potential. You can get one starting around $498 ($301 off) at Amazon and Best Buy for a 55-inch model, which is about $20 more than its best price to date. Need bigger? You can still stay under $1,000 and get a 75-incher for a reasonable price of around $948 ($550 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. The line tops out with an 85-incher that’s down to $1,307.99 ($892 off) at Amazon and Best Buy.
Hisense isn’t the first brand most people prefer, but its TVs offer very good visuals and stand out among comparably priced mid-range models from mainstays like LG, Samsung, and Sony. And those prices on the U7 are bona fide steals considering their 4K Mini LED QLED panels use a 144Hz native refresh rate. They support variable refresh rate and auto low latency mode, too — all pluses for both console and PC gaming.
The 1,500-nit max brightness combined with HDR10 Plus and Dolby Vision combine for excellent dynamic range and an accurate and vibrant color. Those inclusions are about par for any centerpiece TV worth talking about these days, but notably, you still can’t find Dolby Vision on any Samsung TV. The U7 also has Dolby Atmos for spatial cinematic audio, the benefit of which is typically hard to hear on a TV’s built-in speakers. But the 40W 2.1-channel audio system includes a built-in subwoofer that should offer better than average out-of-the-box sound.
The Hisense U7 uses Google TV, which has evolved into one of the most pleasant, cohesive, and comprehensive smart TV platforms available. It offers personalized recommendations that it pulls from every available app, and you can use natural language voice commands with Google Assistant to find something a bit more specific. Google TV also supports Chromecast casting and Apple AirPlay mirroring, plus Amazon Alexa and Apple Home integrations.
