Hisense E6N Smart TV Review: Solid performance at affordable price

Rating: 3.5/5

The television market in India has undergone a remarkable evolution, transforming from bulky, cathode-ray tube sets to sleek, high-definition displays that offer a cinematic experience in the comfort of one's home. This evolution has been further fueled by the rise of smart TVs and the advancements in technology have led to a surge in features like 4K resolution, HDR, smart capabilities, and even voice control, making TVs more sophisticated than ever before. In this dynamic landscape, brands like Hisense have emerged as strong contenders, challenging established players by providing feature-rich models at competitive prices.

Earlier this year, Hisense disrupted the 55-inch 4K smart TV market by launching the E6N at an attractive price of Rs 39,999. The Hisense E6N boasts features typically reserved for premium brands. In this comprehensive review, we delve deep into the Hisense E6N's capabilities to determine if it truly delivers on its promise of value and performance. After testing the TV for weeks, evaluating picture quality, sound, smart features, and user experience, we aim to answer the question: Is the Hisense E6N a worthy contender for your living room?

Design and display

The Hisense E6N has a basic, soft plastic construction and slim design that looks premium. On the front is a display with thin side bezels and comparatively thicker bezels on the top and bottom. The power switch and the indicator are placed just below the bottom spine in the centre, and since it is transparent, it doesn’t hamper the viewing experience.

The box also comes with two plastic stands which can be easily screwed in. We unboxed and installed the TV in about 10 minutes. The back panel has triangular stripes and the central, protruded part gets all the ports. It can also be mounted on a wall and it comes with a bunch of ports. The Hisense E6N gets 3 HDMI ports with eARC and 4K at 60Hz support; an AV input; an RF input; Optical audio out; two USB ports; an Ethernet (RJ45) connector and a 3.5mm jack.

Overall, the TV feels sturdy despite the soft plastic build with a bunch of modern ports that can be used to connect set-top boxes, dongles, consoles and even external speakers.

The most important part of a TV is its display and the one on the Hisense E6N is a 55-inch LED panel with 3840x2160 pixel resolution. It is a 60Hz 8-bit VA panel that offers 4K UHD AI upscaling and support for HDR10 and HLG. Other features include variable refresh rate (VRR), auto low latency mode (ALLM) and HEVC decoder.

Hisense says the panel achieves a brightness of up to 300 nits and a wide viewing angle of 178 degrees. In our testing, we found the brightness to be comparable to other TVs in this price range. However, the glossy finish does lead to some reflections, although the intensity is reduced due to the panel being less glossy than some competitors. Essentially, this means that the TV performs best in a dimly lit room. If there's a strong light source directly hitting the screen, it can impact the overall viewing experience.

The Hisense E6N's display exhibits decent colour reproduction and HDR capabilities, offering good output and contrast. However, some HDR content – like the green grass on a football match or the flashy colours in the advertisements on the digital boards during a football match – may appear slightly over-brightened. The viewing angle is average as we noticed that the colours tend to lose their vibrancy when viewed from the side and the picture tends to appear yellow-ish.

We watched a bunch of videos on it but primarily tested the Hisense E6N with two visually contrasting films: the space epic “Interstellar” and the vibrant underwater world of “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.”

In the dark scenes of "Interstellar", the blacks were reasonably deep, but not as inky as one might expect on a high-end OLED TV. Some details in the shadows were lost, but overall, the contrast was acceptable for the price range. Meanwhile, the colourful scenes in "Aquaman" popped with good saturation. However, in both cases, the glossy screen did lead to some reflections, which was distracting.

Finally, coming to gaming, the TV comes with support for VRR and ALLM for a better gaming experience. There’s also a dedicated dashboard to optimise gaming experience.

Audio

Let's talk about the audio. The Smart TV has downward-firing speakers that come with DTS Virtual X audio enhancement (SRS, BBE, SAP, DBX-TV) and Dolby Audio. Other audio features include audio equaliser and automatic volume level (AVL) which is particularly helpful when ‘loud’ ad breaks come in between live shows and sports matches.

Both the video and audio can be customised with different modes – Standard, Theatre, Sports, Music, Speech and Late Night. We watched the iPhone 16 launch event on this TV and found that the speakers are loud with clear mid and high frequencies; the vocals are clean. However, they lack some depth in the bass department. The speakers get the work done but if you are looking for a full, immersive sound, you can buy a separate set of speakers or soundbar.

Connectivity and software

Apart from a bunch of ports we mentioned above, the Hisense E6N smart TV comes with Bluetooth v5.3 and dual-band Wi-Fi. There is support for Apple AirPlay and HomeKit as well as Chromecast. The TV runs Google TV – powered by Android 12.0 OS. The TV comes pre-installed with some popular and streaming apps, and we downloaded some more from the app store on your preference.

Verdict

The Hisense E6N is a solid option for those seeking a 55-inch 4K smart TV without burning a hole in their pockets. It offers fine picture quality, sound and user-friendly Google TV interface. The inclusion of features like HDR, VRR, and ALLM enhances the overall experience, making it suitable for both movies and gaming.

While it may not match the picture quality of high-end models, its fine colour reproduction, HDR support, and ample smart features make it a great value for the price. The audio quality is satisfactory for casual viewing. Overall, if you're looking for a 55-inch 4K smart TV that won't break the bank, the Hisense E6N is definitely worth considering.


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