Android faithful, take note: Hisense recently released its new H6 Smart TV, which runs Android’s 4.2.2 operating system, with a bevy of Android apps loaded on board, and a 55-inch screen for a record-scratching price of $700. The TV is available at Wal-Mart stores now.
China-based Hisense is known for its low-ball price points on both HDTVs, and 4K displays as it looks to carve out its own space in the highly competitive TV marketplace. But the new H6 looks to be one of its best bargains yet, especially if you love Google’s take on app design. Baked into the H6’s Smart interface are a plethora of apps, including Google standbys like Chrome, Youtube, Google Voice Search, Hisense’s Cloud Services, High Media, for sharing videos and photos, and the usual suspects like Netflix, Amazon Instant, Vudu, Pandora, Facebook, and Twitter. One major omission is Hulu Plus, but it will be available at the Google Play store, along with a mountain of other choices.
While the $700 price tag virtually places the H6 in the budget bin, it offers a premium control interface, including a 30-key remote with a built-in air mouse, IQQI smart input for multi-lingual translation, and a microphone for voice recognition. Other features include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, three HDMI inputs, a VGA input, and a full 1080p HD panel with a 120 Hz native refresh rate.
So why is the H6 so cheap? Hisense is a huge brand in China, and as such it has the ultimate in massive, low-cost manufacturing infrastructure. In terms of picture quality and overall performance, Hisense has trailed slightly behind the top-tier brands, but with each year, we can expect Hisense’s refinements to close the gap.
The H6 brings a whole lot of features and screen real estate for an extremely low price. Those looking for a large swath of options on a shoestring budget may want to go down to their local Wal-mart and take a look at the H6 for themselves to see how it stacks up.
