Get insider access
Preferred store
Your browser is not supported or outdated so some features of the site might not be available.

Hisense U6/U6K TV Review

Tested using Methodology v1.11
Reviewed Sep 18, 2023 at 12:21 pm
Latest change: Writing modified Jul 25, 2024 at 11:42 am
Hisense U6/U6K Picture
7.4
Mixed Usage
Value for price beaten by
: Hisense U7N [U7, U75N]
6.9
TV Shows
Value for price beaten by
: Hisense U7N [U7, U75N]
7.0
Sports
Value for price beaten by
: Hisense U7N [U7, U75N]
7.8
Video Games
Value for price beaten by
: Hisense U7N [U7, U75N]
7.5
HDR Movies
Value for price beaten by
: Hisense U8/U8K
8.0
HDR Gaming
Value for price beaten by
: TCL QM7/QM751G QLED
7.7
PC Monitor
Value for price beaten by
: Hisense U7N [U7, U75N]
This TV was replaced by the Hisense U6/U6N

The Hisense U6/U6K is a budget-friendly 4k TV. It's the 2023 entry-level model in Hisense's flagship ULED lineup and uses quantum dot technology to display a wider range of colors than traditional TVs. It replaces the Hisense U6/U6H and sits below the higher-end Hisense U7K and Hisense U8/U8K. As it's a budget TV, it lacks some gaming features that Hisense's higher-end models have, like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and a 120Hz panel, but it supports every VRR technology for a nearly tear-free gaming experience. It comes with the user-friendly Google TV 11 interface and supports both Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant for voice commands, with microphones in the remote and the TV for hands-free voice control. It's available in three sizes: 55, 65, and 75 inches.

Our Verdict

7.4 Mixed Usage

The Hisense U6K is a decent TV overall. It has excellent contrast and adequate HDR brightness, so it looks pretty good when watching HDR content in dark rooms. It also gets bright in SDR and has decent reflection handling, so it handles bright rooms well. Unfortunately, the TV's viewing angle is inadequate, so it's a poor choice for a wide seating arrangement, like when watching sports or shows with friends. Though it's good for watching content from physical media, thanks to its decent low-resolution upscaling, it isn't as good with content from streaming platforms because of its limited low-quality content smoothing capabilities. Finally, its input lag is fantastic, and this model has a good response time, so it's a very good gaming TV.

Pros
  • Excellent contrast for deep blacks.
  • Decent low-resolution upscaling.
  • Bright enough to fight glare in SDR.
Cons
  • Some noticeable uniformity issues with bright colors.
  • Narrow viewing angle.
  • Poor low-quality content smoothing.
6.9 TV Shows

The Hisense U6K is okay for TV shows. It has good SDR brightness and decent reflection handling, so it's bright enough to handle glare in bright rooms. Unfortunately, its viewing angle is inadequate, so this is a poor choice for watching shows with a friend sitting beside you. Its upscaling capabilities are decent, so lower-resolution shows from DVDs look sharp enough for a good viewing experience. However, its low-quality content smoothing capabilities are limited; shows watched on streaming platforms have a lot of macro-blocking in dark scenes.

Pros
  • Decent low-resolution upscaling.
  • Bright enough to fight glare in SDR.
Cons
  • Narrow viewing angle.
  • Poor low-quality content smoothing.
7.0 Sports

The Hisense U6K is satisfactory for sports. It has decent reflection handling and gets bright enough in SDR to handle glare from bright rooms. It has a good response time, so while there's some blur when watching fast-moving sports, it's still a pleasant viewing experience. Unfortunately, the TV has an inadequate viewing angle, so it's a poor choice for a wide viewing arrangement. While satisfactory overall, its gray uniformity has noticeable horizontal and vertical lines on large areas of bright color, which is noticeable in certain sports, like hockey.

Pros
  • Decent low-resolution upscaling.
  • Bright enough to fight glare in SDR.
  • Good response time with most content.
Cons
  • Some noticeable uniformity issues with bright colors.
  • Local dimming feature has very noticeable lighting zone transitions.
  • Narrow viewing angle.
7.8 Video Games

The Hisense U6K is a good choice for gaming. It looks great in Game Mode, although you can't have VRR and local dimming enabled simultaneously in that mode, so you have to choose between having better image quality or a nearly tear-free gaming experience. Still, the TV gets bright in SDR and has decent reflection handling, so it handles bright gaming rooms well. Its input lag is fantastic, so your inputs quickly translate to the on-screen action. Its response time is good overall; there's some blur when playing fast-moving games, but it's still a pleasant experience. However, its response time is worse in dark content, so this isn't the best TV to play horror games on.

Pros
  • Excellent contrast for deep blacks.
  • Decent low-resolution upscaling.
  • Bright enough to fight glare in SDR.
  • Very low input lag.
  • VRR support.
  • Good response time with most content.
Cons
  • Local dimming feature has very noticeable lighting zone transitions.
  • Slow response time in dark scenes, leading to some black smearing.
7.5 HDR Movies

The Hisense U6K is good for movies, especially if you like to watch your movies on physical media rather than through streaming platforms. The TV's contrast is excellent, so dark scenes look great in a dark room with deep blacks. Its HDR brightness is adequate; not enough to make highlights pop, but enough to provide a pleasant HDR viewing experience. The TV's color accuracy is great with minimal calibration, so movies look as they should. Unfortunately, the TV's low-quality content smoothing capabilities are limited; movies from streaming platforms have noticeable compression artifacts in dark scenes.

Pros
  • Excellent contrast for deep blacks.
  • Decent low-resolution upscaling.
  • Removes judder from 24p sources.
  • Great PQ EOTF tracking.
  • Very colorful due to its wide color gamut.
  • Great color accuracy with minimal calibration.
Cons
  • Small highlights don't stand out versus the rest of the scene.
  • Poor low-quality content smoothing.
  • Slow response time in dark scenes, leading to some black smearing.
8.0 HDR Gaming

The Hisense U6K is a very good TV to play HDR-enabled games on. Its HDR brightness in Game Mode is only adequate, but as the TV has an excellent contrast ratio, it still looks very good in a dark room. Unfortunately, you can't have VRR and local dimming enabled simultaneously in Game Mode, so you must choose between better contrast or a nearly tear-free gaming experience. The TV's input lag is fantastic, so your inputs are quick and responsive. Its response time is good overall, so blur is only noticeable with fast-moving games. However, its response time is noticeably worse in dark content, so this isn't the best TV for horror games.

Pros
  • Excellent contrast for deep blacks.
  • Very low input lag.
  • VRR support.
  • Good response time with most content.
  • Very colorful due to its wide color gamut.
Cons
  • Small highlights don't stand out versus the rest of the scene.
  • Limited to HDMI 2.0 bandwidth.
  • Slow response time in dark scenes, leading to some black smearing.
7.7 PC Monitor

The Hisense U6K is a good TV to use as a PC monitor. It has good SDR brightness and decent reflection handling, so it handles bright offices well. Unfortunately, its viewing angle is inadequate, so the sides of the screen look washed out when you're sitting close to the TV. Still, the TV does proper chroma 4:4:4 in Game Mode to give you the sharpest text alongside the lowest input lag possible. Its response time is also good overall, although there's some blur if you quickly move windows around, especially if your operating system is set to dark mode, as the TV's response time is slower when coming out of dark states.

Pros
  • Bright enough to fight glare in SDR.
  • Displays proper chroma 4:4:4 with the lowest input lag.
  • Good response time with most content.
  • Great color accuracy with minimal calibration.
Cons
  • Local dimming feature has very noticeable lighting zone transitions.
  • Limited to HDMI 2.0 bandwidth.
  • Narrow viewing angle.
  • Slow response time in dark scenes, leading to some black smearing.
  • 7.4 Mixed Usage
  • 6.9 TV Shows
  • 7.0 Sports
  • 7.8 Video Games
  • 7.5 HDR Movies
  • 8.0 HDR Gaming
  • 7.7 PC Monitor
  1. Updated Jul 25, 2024: Mentioned the newly-reviewed Hisense U6/U6N in the Contrast section of this review.
  2. Updated Dec 08, 2023: Mentioned the newly-reviewed TCL Q5/Q550G QLED in the Supported Resolutions section of this review.
  3. Updated Nov 23, 2023: Mentioned the newly reviewed Roku Plus Series QLED in the Compared To Other TVs section of this review.
  4. Updated Sep 18, 2023: Review published.
  5. Updated Sep 12, 2023: Early access published.
  6. Updated Aug 31, 2023: Our testers have started testing this product.
  7. Updated Aug 28, 2023: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
  8. Updated Aug 15, 2023: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Differences Between Sizes And Variants

We tested the 65-inch Hisense U6K, and the results are also valid for the 55 and 75-inch models. In Canada, it's known as the Hisense U68KM and performs the same. This TV has many variants. There's the U68K in Canada, which doesn't have Mini LED. There's also the U6KR, which uses Roku TV instead of Google TV, and even the U68HF, which is an Amazon variant with the Fire TV operating system. These models perform differently from the North American U6K/U68KM, so our results aren't valid for those models.

Size US Model  Canadian Model  Dimming Zones
55" Hisense 55U6K 55U68KM 120
65" Hisense 65U6K 65U68KM 192
75" Hisense 75U6K 75U68KM 256

Our unit was manufactured in May 2023; you can see the label here.

Compared To Other TVs

The Hisense U6K is a budget-friendly TV that offers good value for its cost, especially compared to budget models from brands like Samsung, LG, and Sony. Compared to other products from Hisense, Roku, and TCL, it's nothing special; it's not a noticeable upgrade over the 2022 Hisense U6/U6H, and the TCL Q6/Q650G QLED has more gaming features. The Hisense A6/A65K is dimmer and doesn't have local dimming, but it's cheaper and otherwise almost as good as this TV. The Roku Plus Series QLED has slightly better image quality but has fewer features than the Hisense. Overall, the Hisense U6K is a good low-cost option for a TV that can do many things well.

See our recommendations for the best budget TVs, the best smart TVs, and the best 4k TVs.

Hisense U7K [U7, U75K]
55" 65" 75" 85"

The Hisense U7K is essentially a better version of the Hisense U6/U6K. The U7K has better contrast and black uniformity, so blacks are deeper when viewed in a dark room. Its better SDR brightness makes it better suited for a bright room since it can overcome more glare, and its better HDR brightness makes highlights pop more in HDR content. The U7K also has a quicker response time for less blur behind quick-moving objects and is the better choice to pair with modern gaming consoles due to its HDMI 2.1 bandwidth for 4k @ 120Hz and its more functional VRR feature.

Hisense U6/U6H
50" 55" 65" 75"

The Hisense U6/U6H and Hisense U6/U6K are extremely similar TVs. The Hisense U6K is more colorful and has better contrast, so it's just a bit punchier overall. It also has a faster response time, so it's the better TV for fast-moving action in sports and games. The U6H, for its part, has a wider viewing angle, so it's better for a wide seating arrangement, and it has much better black uniformity with less blooming around bright highlights, which makes up for its lower contrast.

Hisense U6/U6N
55" 65" 75" 85"

The Hisense U6/U6N is better than the Hisense U6/U6K in most ways. The U6N has a higher contrast ratio and much better black uniformity for deeper blacks in a dark room, and its slightly better HDR brightness makes highlights stand out a bit more in HDR content. The U6N also has better SDR brightness, meaning it overcomes more glare in a room with the lights on. Additionally, the U6N has a faster response time for less blur behind quick motion, supports DTS audio formats, and has slightly better upscaling capabilities. On the other hand, the U6K is the more accurate TV in both SDR and HDR due to its much better pre-calibration accuracy and better PQ EOTF tracking.

Hisense U8/U8K
55" 65" 75" 85" 100"

The Hisense U8/U8K is much better than the Hisense U6/U6K, as they're in two very different tiers regarding overall quality. The U8K outmatches the U6K in every way, as it's much brighter, has much better contrast, has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on two ports, is more colorful overall, and is the most accurate TV of the two. The U8K also has good image processing overall, while the U6K has poor low-quality content smoothing, so it's a bad choice for streaming content. Still, the Hisense U6K is a much cheaper TV.

TCL Q7/Q750G QLED
55" 65" 75" 85"

The TCL Q7/Q750G QLED is better than the Hisense U6/U6K. The TCL is a much brighter TV, with deeper contrast and vastly better black uniformity, so content looks better on it in bright and dark rooms. It also has more features for gamers with its two HDMI 2.1 bandwidth ports, up to 4k @ 144Hz support. Unfortunately, the TCL's pre-calibration color accuracy is poor, so you need to calibrate it if you care about color accuracy.

Hisense A6/A65K
43" 50" 55" 65" 75"

The Hisense A6/A65K and Hisense U6/U6K are closely matched, with the U6K being a bit better overall. The U6K has a local dimming feature, leading to much better contrast in dark scenes. It also gets brighter than the A65K, so it's the more vibrant TV. While the U6K is a bit more colorful overall, the A65K is surprisingly colorful for a cheap TV. Outside of that, both TVs are pretty similar in terms of features.

Hisense U7H [U7, U75H]
55" 65" 75" 85"

The Hisense U7H is better than the Hisense U6/U6K, except if you care about color accuracy, as the U7H's accuracy is middling before calibration. If you don't care about accuracy, the U7H is a much brighter and more colorful TV with more features for gamers with its two HDMI 2.1 bandwidth ports and very wide VRR range. The U6K does have a faster response time, so there's less blur on that TV with fast action.

Samsung CU7000/CU7000D
43" 50" 55" 58" 65" 70" 75" 85"

The Hisense U6/U6K is better than the Samsung CU7000/CU7000D. The Hisense has much deeper blacks thanks to its local dimming feature, so it’s better for use in a dark room. The Hisense gets much brighter in HDR, supports a wider color gamut, and has better color volume, so colors are more vibrant and lifelike, and highlights pop a lot more than on the CU7000. The Hisense also gets brighter in SDR, so it overcomes glare better in a bright room. Finally, the Hisense is better for gaming as it supports VRR for much less screen tearing than the CU7000.

Samsung CU8000
43" 50" 55" 65" 75" 85"

The Hisense U6/U6K is much better than the Samsung CU8000. The Hisense has an unspectacular but functional local dimming feature, giving it a vastly deeper contrast than the Samsung CU8000. It's also brighter than the Samsung, so the Hisense has the edge in both dark and bright rooms. The Hisense is better for color purists, as it has much better PQ EOTF tracking in HDR and is much more accurate in SDR, alongside a wider color gamut for a more vibrant and accurate picture overall. It's also better for gamers than the Samsung TV due to its much faster response time, 1440p support, and basic VRR capabilities. The Samsung model does have better low-quality content smoothing, so it does a better job clearing out compression artifacts from streaming content.

Samsung Q60D [Q60, Q60DD] QLED
32" 43" 50" 55" 65" 70" 75" 85"

The Hisense U6/U6K is better than the Samsung Q60D QLED. The Hisense has an effective local dimming feature, so blacks are deeper in dark scenes, and they stay that way when bright highlights are on screen. The Hisense also has a faster response time for much less blur behind quick motion, and its wider color gamut delivers more vibrant and lifelike colors.

TCL Q6/Q650G QLED
55" 65" 75" 85"

The TCL Q6/Q650G QLED and Hisense U6/U6K appeal to different users. The Hisense has local dimming, so it has much deeper contrast and can emphasize bright highlights next to dimmer parts of the image. The TCL can't emphasize highlights like the Hisense, but its overall image is always bright and vibrant, although dark scenes are washed out when bright highlights are present. Unfortunately, the TCL has poor color accuracy without calibration, and it's noticeable as colors often don't look quite right. The TCL is particularly interesting for gamers on a budget, as it can do 1080p @ 120Hz and 1440p @ 120Hz with resolution halving, with a wide VRR range to match.

Hisense U8/U8H
55" 65" 75"

The Hisense U8/U8H is much better than the Hisense U6/U6K, as they're in two very different tiers regarding overall quality. The U8H outmatches the U6K in every way, as it's much brighter, has much better contrast, has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on two ports, is more colorful overall, and is even the most accurate TV of the two. Still, the Hisense U6K is a much cheaper TV. 

TCL 5 Series/S555 2022 QLED
50" 55" 65" 75"

The Hisense U6K and the TCL 5 Series/S555 2022 QLED are similar TVs, but some differences exist. The TCL gets brighter, so it's a better option if you're placing it in a bright room. The TCL also has much better black uniformity and a higher contrast ratio, so it's also a better option for a dark room. The Hisense has better upscaling capabilities, so it's a better option if you regularly watch low-resolution content like DVDs.

Roku Plus Series QLED
55" 65" 75"

The Hisense U6/U6K and Roku Plus Series QLED are very similar TVs, with little to differentiate them. Still, the Hisense has a slight edge due to being much more accurate after changing only a few settings, and it has a few more features than the Roku, like VRR support and removing 24p Judder from more sources. The Hisense TV also sharpens upscaled content much better than the Roku TV. Still, the Roku does look a bit better than the Hisense, as it gets just a tad brighter, has slightly better contrast with much better black uniformity, and has a faster response time for less blur with fast-moving sports and games.

Samsung TU690T
43" 50" 55" 58" 60" 65" 70" 75" 85"

The Hisense U6/U6K is significantly better than the Samsung TU690T. The Hisense has a full array local dimming feature that delivers a much wider dynamic range, with brighter whites and deeper blacks. The Hisense also gets significantly brighter, so it delivers a better experience in a bright room. Finally, gamers will appreciate the VRR feature on the Hisense, which helps smooth out the frame rate and reduce tearing in games.

+ Show more

Video

Test Results

perceptual testing image
Design
Design
Style
Curved No

The Hisense U6K has a simple design with thin bezels on three sides. The bottom bezel is slightly thicker but doesn't stand out much when watching TV. On its back, the TV has visible screws (shown here) around its border, which looks a bit cheap overall.

Design
Accelerated Longevity Test
Uniformity Pictures N/A
Design
Stand

The TV comes with a pair of adjustable feet that don't take up a lot of space. They support the TV decently well, although it wobbles easily. There are two stand positions: the wide position, as shown above, which offers more stability and is great for wider tables, and a narrow position shown here, better for smaller tables.

The footprint of the 65-inch stand in the wide position is 46.5" x 12". In the narrow position, the 65-inch stand has a footprint of 27.8" x 12". In either position, the feet lift the TV about 3" above the table, so most soundbars fit in front without blocking the screen. Some longer soundbars don't fit between the feet when they're set in the narrow position.

Design
Back
Wall Mount VESA 400x300

The back has a flat metallic top part and a thicker plastic housing on the bottom half. Most of the inputs are side-facing and aren't set into the TV, so they're easy to access unless you have the TV mounted flush against the wall. Unfortunately, the TV doesn't have any clips or channels for cable management.

Design
Borders
Borders 0.41" (1.0 cm)
Design
Thickness
Max Thickness 3.04" (7.7 cm)
6.5
Design
Build Quality

The Hisense U6K has alright build quality. There's a bit of flex in the plastic portion of the back of the TV, but this isn't uncommon and won't cause any issues. The feet are sturdy and support the TV well, but there's some wobble, and it takes a few seconds to settle once it starts.

Picture Quality
8.7
Picture Quality
Contrast
Contrast
38,324 : 1
Native Contrast
5,166 : 1

The Hisense U6K has an excellent contrast ratio with local dimming enabled, leading to deep blacks in a dark room, even when bright highlights are shown on the screen. With local dimming disabled, the TV's contrast ratio is decent, but blacks are raised and appear washed out when bright highlights are present. For better contrast, check out the 2024 Hisense U6/U6N.

7.0
Picture Quality
Blooming

The Hisense U6K has decent blooming performance. There's some visible blooming around bright highlights or in dark areas when they're next to brighter ones.

5.5
Picture Quality
Lighting Zone Transitions
Local Dimming
Yes
Backlight
Full-Array
Dimming Zones Count Of Tested TV
192

The TV has sub-par lighting zone transitions. The leading edge of bright moving objects is visibly dimmer. For fast-moving small objects, the objects are almost completely obscured due to how dim they get in the transition.

8.0
Picture Quality
Contrast And Dark Details In Game Mode

Switching to Game Mode with VRR 'Off' makes no noticeable difference in dark scene performance. Game Mode disables local dimming if VRR is enabled, leading to worse contrast and black uniformity, but with no blooming or zone transitions.

6.6
Picture Quality
HDR Brightness
Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²)
293 cd/m²
Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²)
307 cd/m²
Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²)
204 cd/m²
Peak 2% Window
274 cd/m²
Peak 10% Window
457 cd/m²
Peak 25% Window
590 cd/m²
Peak 50% Window
569 cd/m²
Peak 100% Window
401 cd/m²
Sustained 2% Window
268 cd/m²
Sustained 10% Window
444 cd/m²
Sustained 25% Window
584 cd/m²
Sustained 50% Window
562 cd/m²
Sustained 100% Window
400 cd/m²
Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
0.045

The Hisense U6K has okay HDR brightness. It gets bright enough to make some highlights stand out, but smaller highlights don't pop against a dark background. Still, it's enough for a fairly satisfying HDR experience.

These measurements are after calibrating the HDR white point with the following settings:

  • HDR Picture Mode: HDR Theater
  • Backlight: Max
  • Local Dimming: High
  • Color Temperature: Low

6.5
Picture Quality
HDR Brightness In Game Mode
Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²)
295 cd/m²
Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²)
299 cd/m²
Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²)
197 cd/m²
Peak 2% Window
275 cd/m²
Peak 10% Window
453 cd/m²
Peak 25% Window
581 cd/m²
Peak 50% Window
561 cd/m²
Peak 100% Window
396 cd/m²
Sustained 2% Window
269 cd/m²
Sustained 10% Window
440 cd/m²
Sustained 25% Window
574 cd/m²
Sustained 50% Window
553 cd/m²
Sustained 100% Window
394 cd/m²
Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
0.044

The TV's HDR brightness in Game Mode is okay. There's no noticeable difference in peak brightness from 'HDR Theater' mode. As Game Mode disables local dimming when VRR is enabled, these results are valid with VRR 'Off'.

These measurements are after calibrating the HDR white point, with the following settings:

  • HDR Picture Mode: HDR Game
  • Brightness: Max
  • Local Dimming: High
  • Color Temperature: Low

8.4
Picture Quality
PQ EOTF Tracking
600 Nit Tracking Delta
0.0104
1000 Nit Tracking Delta
0.0104
4000 Nit Tracking Delta
0.0102

The TV has great PQ EOTF tracking. It tracks the curve very well, although not perfectly, as all scenes are slightly overbrightened, especially in dark scenes. There's a slow roll-off when content approaches the TV's peak brightness, preserving bright details.

7.5
Picture Quality
SDR Brightness
Real Scene Peak Brightness
353 cd/m²
Peak 2% Window
274 cd/m²
Peak 10% Window
403 cd/m²
Peak 25% Window
525 cd/m²
Peak 50% Window
494 cd/m²
Peak 100% Window
335 cd/m²
Sustained 2% Window
269 cd/m²
Sustained 10% Window
402 cd/m²
Sustained 25% Window
519 cd/m²
Sustained 50% Window
465 cd/m²
Sustained 100% Window
333 cd/m²
Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
0.039

The Hisense U6K has good SDR peak brightness. It gets bright enough to fight glare in a well-lit room and maintains its brightness well across different scenes, although smaller highlights are considerably dimmer than bigger ones.

These measurements are after calibration with the following settings:

  • Picture Mode: Theater Night
  • Backlight: 100
  • Color Temperature: Low
  • Gamma: 2.2

8.8
Picture Quality
Color Gamut
Wide Color Gamut
Yes
DCI P3 xy
96.61%
DCI P3 uv
96.98%
Rec 2020 xy
76.07%
Rec 2020 uv
82.61%

The Hisense U6K has an excellent color gamut, and it displays a wide range of colors with HDR content.

Unfortunately, the tone mapping is average with content mastered at a high brightness level, so some colors appear off. The results here are with a 75% stimulus corresponding to 1,000 cd/m² content. With dimmer content, the tone mapping is significantly better, as shown with this color gamut measured with a 50% stimulus instead, which corresponds to roughly 92.2 cd/m².

Overall, this means that the majority of HDR content is displayed well, with vivid colors that are displayed properly and accurately. Very bright scenes, however, are less accurate, as the TV sacrifices accuracy to reach the brightest highlights it can display. The measurements above are in the 'Native' Color Space as it's more accurate than 'Auto'.

The TV's color gamut changes as the window size changes. This impacts calibration readings, but for most people, this isn't an issue as the vast majority of content takes up 100% of the screen. You can see how the color gamut changes with the window size here.

7.3
Picture Quality
Color Volume
1,000 cd/m² DCI P3 Coverage ITP
57.1%
10,000 cd/m² Rec 2020 Coverage ITP
28.1%
White Luminance
271 cd/m²
Red Luminance
57 cd/m²
Green Luminance
201 cd/m²
Blue Luminance
24 cd/m²
Cyan Luminance
216 cd/m²
Magenta Luminance
72 cd/m²
Yellow Luminance
247 cd/m²

The color volume of this TV is decent. It displays a wide range of colors at all luminance levels, and dark saturated colors are displayed well thanks to the TV's excellent contrast.

8.2
Picture Quality
Pre Calibration
White Balance dE
2.57
Color dE
2.26
Gamma
2.21
Color Temperature
6,608 K
Picture Mode
Theater Night
Color Temp Setting
Low
Gamma Setting
2.2

The Hisense U6K has impressive accuracy in SDR even before calibrating it. Gamma is very close to the 2.2 target for a moderately lit room, and the color temperature is nearly perfect. Color accuracy is great overall, and the white balance is very good: there are some slight accuracy errors here and there, but nothing dramatic. Some colors, like saturated yellows, blues, and greens, have more accuracy errors than others, but this isn't noticeable in actual usage.

9.4
Picture Quality
Post Calibration
White Balance dE
0.38
Color dE
1.36
Gamma
2.19
Color Temperature
6,575 K
White Balance Calibration
20 point
Color Calibration
Yes

The TV's calibration system is finicky, but it's rather straightforward once you figure it out. Effectively, when calibrating points between 55-80, each calibration point adjusts the point above it: 55 adjusts 60, 60 adjusts 65, etc. Even after calibration, the TV's color accuracy isn't perfect; saturated yellows, blues, and greens are still very slightly off.

You can see the full calibration settings we used here.

7.0
Picture Quality
Gray Uniformity
50% Std. Dev.
1.853%
50% DSE
0.228%
5% Std. Dev.
1.102%
5% DSE
0.121%

The TV has decent gray uniformity. The backlight is visible on large areas of bright, uniform color, which is distracting when watching sports or browsing the web. Uniformity is better in dark scenes, although the sides of the screen are lighter than its center.

6.5
Picture Quality
Black Uniformity
Std. Dev.
1.146%
Native Std. Dev.
3.316%

The TV has okay black uniformity. With local dimming disabled, the black uniformity is poor, as the entire screen is blue, with lighter bands near the TV's edges. Uniformity is much better with local dimming set to 'High', but it's only decent; the screen has a blue tint, and there's noticeable blooming around bright highlights.

5.2
Picture Quality
Viewing Angle
Color Washout
22°
Color Shift
27°
Brightness Loss
29°
Black Level Raise
12°
Gamma Shift
22°

Sadly, the TV has an inadequate viewing angle. The image fades and looks washed out as you move even slightly off-center. This makes it a poor choice for a wide seating arrangement, as anyone sitting off-center sees a degraded image.

7.4
Picture Quality
Reflections
Screen Finish
Semi-gloss
Total Reflections
5.1%
Indirect Reflections
0.5%
Calculated Direct Reflections
4.7%

This TV has decent reflection handling. It handles moderate amounts of light very well and, combined with its good peak brightness, you won't have problems using it in most living rooms. However, don't place it immediately opposite bright lights or windows, as it struggles with handling that type of glare.

7.5
Picture Quality
HDR Native Gradient
100% Black to 50% Gray
6.0
50% Gray to 100% White
8.0
100% Black to 50% Red
6.0
50% Red to 100% Red
10
100% Black to 50% Green
8.0
50% Green to 100% Green
6.0
100% Black to 50% Blue
8.0
50% Blue to 100% Blue
8.0

The TV has good HDR gradient handling. There's some banding in dark grays and reds, as well as in bright greens. Other color gradients have minimal banding.

4.8
Picture Quality
Low-Quality Content Smoothing
Smoothing
3.0
Detail Preservation
9.0

Unfortunately, this TV's processing with low-quality content is poor. It just doesn't smooth out macro-blocking and pixelization well. You can see what it looks like with boosted exposure here.

7.0
Picture Quality
Upscaling: Sharpness Processing

The TV has decent upscaling capabilities. Fine details in upscaling content are preserved decently well, with some, but not excessive, blurring.

Sharpness processing was calibrated for low-resolution or low-bitrate content, with no over-sharpening, with the following setting:

  • Sharpness: 10

Picture Quality
Pixels
Subpixel Layout
BGR
Type LED
Sub-Type
VA

The Hisense U6K uses a BGR (blue-green-red) subpixel layout. For multimedia usage, this doesn't cause any issues, but it causes text clarity issues when you use this TV as a PC monitor. There are easy workarounds for these issues, however, and you can read about them here.

Motion
7.6
Motion
Response Time
80% Response Time
6.7 ms
100% Response Time
10.7 ms

The Hisense U6K has a good response time, and motion is fluid and smooth for the most part, with just a short blur trail behind fast-moving objects. Like many TVs, it's noticeably slower when coming out of a dark state, so there's some black smear in shadow details.

7.9
Motion
Flicker-Free
Flicker-Free
No
PWM Dimming Frequency
480 Hz

The Hisense U6K uses pulse width modulation (PWM) to dim its backlight. It flickers at 480Hz in every picture mode except FILMMAKER MODE, where it flickers at 600Hz. The TV's flicker frequency is high enough that it won't be distracting unless you're sensitive to flicker.

Motion
Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
Optional BFI
Yes
Min Flicker For 60 fps
60 Hz
60Hz For 60 fps
Yes
120Hz For 120 fps
N/A
Min Flicker for 60 fps in Game Mode
60 Hz

The TV has an optional backlight strobing feature, commonly known as black frame insertion. This feature is meant to reduce persistence blur and improve the appearance of motion. With it enabled, the TV flickers at 60Hz, and it isn't very effective as it causes image duplication and even some smearing.

Motion
Motion Interpolation
Motion Interpolation (30 fps)
Yes
Motion Interpolation (60 fps)
No

The optional motion interpolation feature on this TV is poor overall. It struggles in most scenes, and there are noticeable artifacts around any fast-moving areas, characters, or objects.

6.9
Motion
Stutter
Frame Hold Time @ 24 fps
31.0 ms
Frame Hold Time @ 60 fps
6.0 ms

The TV's good response time results in an overall adequate stutter performance. There's some noticeable stutter in slow-panning shots in 24p content, like movies. The TV's stutter performance is exceptional with 60 fps content.

8.9
Motion
24p Judder
Judder-Free 24p
Yes
Judder-Free 24p via 60p
Yes
Judder-Free 24p via 60i
No
Judder-Free 24p via Native Apps
Yes

The TV removes judder from most sources automatically, without the need for any additional motion settings. However, it can't remove judder from 60Hz interlaced sources. Many cable boxes support either 720p or 1080i, so if that's your case, make sure you select 720p instead for a judder-free experience.

7.1
Motion
Variable Refresh Rate
Native Refresh Rate
60 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
Yes
HDMI Forum VRR
Yes
FreeSync
Yes
G-SYNC Compatible
Yes
4k VRR Maximum
60 Hz
4k VRR Minimum
48 Hz
1080p VRR Maximum
60 Hz
1080p VRR Minimum
48 Hz
1440p VRR Maximum
60 Hz
1440p VRR Minimum
48 Hz
VRR + Local Dimming No

The Hisense U6K supports every VRR technology, which is great for gamers. The refresh rate range is narrow, so its usefulness is limited. It also doesn't support low framerate compensation in that range, so you'll see tearing if your game's frame rate drops below 48Hz.

Inputs
9.6
Inputs
Input Lag
1080p @ 60Hz
11.8 ms
1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
111.5 ms
1080p @ 120Hz
N/A
1080p @ 144Hz
N/A
1440p @ 60Hz
19.0 ms
1440p @ 120Hz
N/A
1440p @ 144Hz
N/A
4k @ 60Hz
11.5 ms
4k @ 60Hz + 10-Bit HDR
11.4 ms
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
11.4 ms
4k @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
94.6 ms
4k @ 60Hz With Interpolation
124.8 ms
4k @ 120Hz
N/A
4k @ 144Hz
N/A
8k @ 60Hz
N/A

This TV has incredibly low input lag, ensuring a responsive gaming and desktop experience. The TV has a 1080p @ 120Hz mode, but it doesn't work well, with very high input lag and diminished text clarity. The 'High Refresh Rate' mode slightly lowers input lag at 1080p @ 120Hz but dramatically increases it in every other case. Here are some input lag measurements with 'High Refresh Rate' mode enabled:

  • 1080p @ 120Hz: 28.7 ms
  • 1080p @ 60Hz: 42 ms
  • 4k @ 60Hz: 24.4 ms
  • 1440p @ 60Hz: 27.7 ms

7.1
Inputs
Supported Resolutions
Resolution 4k
480p @ 59.94Hz (Widescreen)
Yes
720p @ 59.94Hz
Yes
1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
1080p @ 120Hz
No
1080p @ 144Hz
No
1440p @ 60Hz
Yes
1440p @ 120Hz
No
1440p @ 144Hz
No
4k @ 60Hz
Yes
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
4k @ 120Hz
No
4k @ 120Hz @ 4:4:4
No
4k @ 144Hz
No
8k @ 30Hz or 24Hz
No
8k @ 60Hz
No

The TV supports most common resolutions. It displays chroma 4:4:4 signals properly at all resolutions except 1080p @ 120Hz, which is essential for clear text from a desktop PC. While the TV seems to support 1080p @ 120Hz, setting it to that resolution results in very high input lag, skipped frames, and a muddier image overall. If you'd like a TV with a faster 120Hz refresh rate, look up the similarly priced TCL Q5/Q550G QLED.

Inputs
PS5 Compatibility
Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)
Yes
4k @ 120Hz
No
1440p @ 120Hz
No
1080p @ 120Hz
No
HDR
Yes
VRR
Yes

This TV can't take full advantage of the PS5. It supports a few advanced features, including HDR and VRR, but it's limited to a 60Hz refresh rate. While 1080p @ 120Hz does show up as available on the console, running the TV at that resolution results in frame skipping, slow input lag, and a muddier image overall. As such, it's best suited for gamers who prefer the 'Graphics' preset in their games and not competitive gamers who prefer 'Performance' presets with higher frame rates.

Inputs
Xbox Series X|S Compatibility
Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)
Yes
4k @ 120Hz
No
1440p @ 120Hz
No
1080p @ 120Hz
No
HDR
Yes
VRR
Yes

This TV can't take full advantage of the Xbox Series X|S. It supports a few advanced features, including HDR and VRR, but it's limited to a 60Hz refresh rate. While 1080p @ 120Hz does show up as available on the console, running the TV at that resolution results in frame skipping, slow input lag, and a muddier image overall. As such, it's best suited for gamers who prefer the 'Graphics' preset in their games over higher frame rates.

Inputs
Inputs Specifications
HDR10
Yes
HDR10+
Yes
Dolby Vision
Yes
HLG
Yes
HDMI 2.0 Full Bandwidth
Yes (HDMI 1,2,3,4)
HDMI 2.1 Class Bandwidth
No
CEC Yes
HDCP 2.2 Yes (HDMI 1,2,3,4)
ATSC Tuner
1.0
USB 3.0
No
Variable Analog Audio Out Yes
Wi-Fi Support Yes (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz)

This TV is limited to HDMI 2.0 bandwidth on all four HDMI ports.

Inputs
Input Photos
Inputs
Total Inputs
HDMI 4
USB 2
Digital Optical Audio Out 1
Analog Audio Out 3.5mm 1
Analog Audio Out RCA 0
Component In 0
Composite In 1 (adapter required, not incl.)
Tuner (Cable/Ant) 1
Ethernet 1
DisplayPort 0
IR In 0
Inputs
Audio Passthrough
ARC/eARC Port
eARC
eARC: Dolby Atmos Over Dolby Digital Plus
Yes
eARC: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
Yes
eARC: LPCM 7.1 Over Dolby MAT
Yes
eARC: Dolby TrueHD 7.1
Yes
eARC: DTS:X Over DTS-HD MA
No
eARC: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
No
eARC: LPCM Channels (Bitstream)
2.0
ARC: Dolby Digital 5.1
Yes
ARC: DTS 5.1
Yes
Optical: Dolby Digital 5.1
Yes
Optical: DTS 5.1
Yes

Unfortunately, this TV can't passthrough some 7.1 audio formats like DTS:X or DTS-HD MA, and is instead limited to 5.1 channel audio. For the best audio experience, connecting your external source directly to your soundbar or home theater receiver is best.

Sound Quality
6.6
Sound Quality
Frequency Response
Low-Frequency Extension
113.14 Hz
Std. Dev. @ 70
3.00 dB
Std. Dev. @ 80
3.08 dB
Std. Dev. @ Max
4.84 dB
Max
88.0 dB SPL
Dynamic Range Compression
4.76 dB

The TV's frequency response is okay overall. It has a very high low-frequency extension (LFE), meaning there's very little thump or rumble. Above the LFE, the frequency response is well-balanced, ensuring that most dialogue sounds crisp and clear. It gets moderately loud, but there's significant compression at max volume.

7.1
Sound Quality
Distortion
Weighted THD @ 80
0.254
Weighted THD @ Max
0.535
IMD @ 80
0.84%
IMD @ Max
6.24%

This TV has decent distortion performance. There's some audible total harmonic distortion, but mainly at high volume levels; it's not noticeable at moderate volume.

Smart Features
8.0
Smart Features
Interface
Smart OS Google TV
Version 11
Ease of Use
Average
Smoothness
Very Smooth
Time Taken to Select YouTube
1 s
Time Taken to Change Backlight
3 s
Advanced Options
Many

The Hisense U6K uses version 11 of Google's popular Google TV OS. It's relatively easy to use and especially fast and smooth, with a large selection of apps.

0
Smart Features
Ad-Free
Ads
Yes
Opt-out
No
Suggested Content in Home
Yes
Opt-out of Suggested Content
Yes

Like most TVs on the market, this one has ads throughout the interface, and you can't disable them.

9.0
Smart Features
Apps and Features
App Selection
Great
App Smoothness
Average
Cast Capable
Yes
USB Drive Playback
Yes
USB Drive HDR Playback
Yes
HDR in Netflix
Yes
HDR in YouTube
Yes

The TV has a great selection of streaming apps, with every popular streaming app being present. The interface is very smooth and pleasant to use.

8.0
Smart Features
Remote
Size
Medium
Voice Control
Many Features
CEC Menu Control
Yes
Other Smart Features
No
Remote App Hisense RemoteNOW

The TV comes with a great remote. Like most modern remotes, it lacks a numpad, and there are quick-access buttons to popular streaming services. The remote has a built-in mic, and so does the TV for hands-free voice control, giving you access to Google Assistant and Alexa, so you can ask it to search for content, open apps, ask for the time or the weather, and switch inputs.

Smart Features
TV Controls

There's a button underneath the center of the TV to turn the TV On/Off and switch inputs. There's another button, seen here, to turn off the mic built into the TV if you're concerned about privacy.

Smart Features
In The Box

  • Remote
  • 2x AAA batteries
  • Power cable
  • User guides

Smart Features
Misc
Power Consumption 70 W
Power Consumption (Max) 187 W
Firmware V0000.01.00S.N0615