If you're shopping for an entry-level TV, consider the Hisense E7H 4K Google TV. It has decent picture quality for a budget model, while its Google TV interface offers useful bonus features like voice commands, and screen casting. It's a good, inexpensive TV for a bedroom or gaming den.
Quick specs
- 4K resolution with HDR10 and Dolby Vision
- 3x HDMI 2.0 ports (supports 4K@60Hz)
- Comes in 43″ (tested), 55″, and 75″ sizes
- Supports ALLM, VRR, and eARC
I bought, and tested the 43-inch model, though the Hisense E7H also comes in 55″ and 75″ sizes. The 43-inch model is just nice for the bedroom. A digital TV antenna is included, but you have to pay extra (S$78) for a wall mount. There's nothing really much to say about the design. It's a fairly standard plastic affair with relatively narrow bezels. The screen is just about sufficiently elevated to fit a compact soundbar like my Sonos Beam. You get three HDMI ports, including a HDMI eARC — all supporting 4K@60Hz — as well as two USB ports, and an Ethernet LAN port. While you do get gaming-friendly features like ALLM and VRR, the TV only has a 60Hz refresh rate, and doesn't support HDR in games.
Like most budget TVs, there's plenty of blooming, while the screen looks fairly uneven (dirty screen effect), especially when navigating the Google TV interface. To be fair, the dirty screen effect isn't that prominent while watching shows. The exception being sports like football matches, which highlighted the screen's lack of uniformity. Subtitles didn't exhibit much blooming, but you can see blotchy patches from the backlight now and then, depending on the content. What I did like is the presence of Filmmaker Mode, which is a convenient way to adjust the settings for a truer-to-life picture. I didn't like Hisense's motion handling — movement often looked exaggerated due to the soap opera effect — but I recommend enabling the judder reduction option. The TV is limited to 300 nits brightness, so HDR10 and Dolby Vision content isn't as striking, and enjoyable as higher-end models. But the picture quality is decent for the price.
Unlike some Hisense TVs that use its own VIDAA platform, the Hisense E7H uses Google TV. It's a welcome change because the Google TV platform has a stellar selection of apps, including most streaming videos apps. There's also the Google Assistant — if you prefer using voice commands — and a content recommendation feature. Not to mention you get both Chromecast and Apple AirPlay. So you can easily cast content from your other devices to the TV. The E7H, though, isn't the most responsive. It's not as sluggish as some budget TVs, but it can feel slow to react to my button presses. It's probably not a good idea to button mash the remote control.
Starting at around S$500 for the 43-inch model (I bought it for S$458 on sale), the Hisense E7H competes with budget TVs from the likes of Prism+, Xiaomi, and TCL. The Xiaomi TV A2, in particular, has very similar specs, and is arguably cheaper, too. However, I prefer the E7H's Google TV interface, which feels a tad more responsive, and its Filmmaker Mode. The Xiaomi, though, seems to fare slightly better in terms of screen uniformity and blooming. Either one should be on your shortlist for a budget TV. Get the Hisense E7H on Shopee, and Lazada.
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