The Hisense A65H TV series provides a compelling option for buyers seeking a budget-friendly big-screen 4K TV for casual viewing, streaming, and gaming. Available in 55-inch and 65-inch variants, these affordable ULED TVs from Hisense offer good overall performance that punches above their price point.

Overview of the Hisense A65H TV Series

The Hisense A65H lineup of televisions, available in 55-inch (55A65H) and 65-inch (65A65H) screen sizes, offers 4K Ultra HD resolution, HDR support, and smart TV capabilities at a very affordable price point.

These TVs utilize Hisense’s proprietary ULED technology with an aim to combine the best aspects of OLED and LED display technology. The ULED name is not an indication of actual OLED panels, but rather Hisense’s term for its improved LED-backlit displays with enhanced color, contrast, brightness, and motion handling.

For smart features, the A65H series runs on the user-friendly Android TV platform, giving access to thousands of apps and streaming services through the Google Play store. Hands-free voice controls are supported with built-in Google Assistant.

The Hisense A65H line provides a solid blend of 4K picture quality, smart functionality, and responsive gaming performance that makes it an ideal choice for cost-conscious shoppers. It’s best suited for casual day-to-day TV watching and gaming rather than critical home theater viewing in dark room environments.

Display Characteristics and Picture Performance

The Hisense A65H TVs offer good overall 4K picture quality that belies their affordable price point. Key aspects of the display characteristics and picture performance include:

Screen Size and Resolution

As mentioned earlier, the Hisense A65H is available in 55-inch and 65-inch screen sizes, both featuring a native 4K Ultra HD resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels. The larger 65-inch variant provides a more immersive viewing experience for movies and games.

Backlighting Technology

The Hisense A65H uses Direct LED (DLED) backlighting technology from Hisense. This involves an array of LEDs directly behind the screen, as opposed to edge-lit designs where the LEDs are positioned along the sides. DLED backlights typically provide better contrast control and less light leakage compared to edge-lit LED TVs.

HDR Support

For high dynamic range (HDR) support, the A65H is equipped with HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision. This allows the TV to take full advantage of HDR content from streaming services like Netflix and YouTube, Blu-ray discs, and gaming consoles. It unfortunately lacks the more advanced HDR10+ format.

Brightness and Contrast

Tests indicate the Hisense A65H achieves a peak brightness of around 350 nits, which is decent but not exceptionally bright. This allows the TV to produce satisfactory specular highlights in HDR content, but those highlights won’t pop quite as much as on higher-end 4K TVs reaching 600-1000+ nits peak brightness.

Native contrast ratio on the A65H is mediocre at around 1100:1. This means black levels appear more grayish in a dark viewing environment. Contrast is better suited for moderately lit rooms where black levels appear deeper.

Color Performance

A strong suit of the A65H is its out-of-the-box color accuracy. The TV covers over 95% of the wide DCI-P3 color gamut used in cinema and UHD video content. Colors appear vivid and lifelike with no major oversaturation issues.

Viewing Angles

The Hisense A65H utilizes an IPS (In-Plane Switching) LCD panel rather than VA (Vertical Alignment) technology. IPS panels offer better off-angle viewing but typically weaker contrast compared to VA. On the A65H, color and contrast hold up relatively well at wider viewing angles with some degradation on the extremes.

Audio Performance

The built-in audio system on the Hisense A65H is underwhelming and represents a clear weak spot compared to the good 4K picture quality. There are a few key limitations with the integrated speakers:

Speaker Configuration

The Hisense A65H has a basic speaker system consisting of two bottom-firing stereo speakers, each with 10 watts of power handling (2 x 10W). There is no dedicated subwoofer or other bass driver, which severely limits low frequency impact.

Sound Quality

With just 20W total audio output, the Hisense A65H struggles to deliver room-filling sound with good stereo separation. Volume can be reasonably loud but begins to distort and compress at higher levels. Dialogue during TV shows is clear for the most part. However, action scenes in movies and explosive sound effects sound thin and tinny.

Bass Performance

Being limited to midrange drivers, the A65H’s speakers cannot reproduce deep bass frequencies. Even at moderate volumes, low end is extremely weak. The lack of bass impact significantly diminishes the viewing experience for action movies, music videos, and video games.

Surround Sound

There is no support for true surround sound decoding or playback. Audio is constrained to basic two-channel stereo output. While Dolby Audio post-processing helps widen the soundstage somewhat, surround effects are very limited.

Audio Enhancements

Aside from Dolby Audio for minimal surround processing, there are no other enhancements for the speakers themselves. Advanced tuning from brands like Yamaha, Harman Kardon, or Bose that improve clarity and bass response is not present.

External Audio Options

Given the mediocre built-in audio system, connecting the A65H to a soundbar via HDMI ARC or optical input is highly recommended for better sound. Bluetooth also allows streaming music from a smartphone to wireless speakers.

Gaming Features and Performance

Considering its affordable price tag, the Hisense A65H performs admirably as a big-screen gaming display. Responsiveness is a high point, thanks to a fast response time and Auto Low Latency Mode which automatically minimizes input lag when gaming devices are detected.

Input Lag

Input lag measures at an impressively low 10ms, resulting in highly responsive gameplay. This makes the A65H a great choice for casual gamers looking for a budget-friendly 4K TV. The low input lag keeps gameplay feeling smooth and reactive.

Variable Refresh Rate

The Hisense A65H supports AMD FreeSync variable Refresh Rate technology over HDMI. When paired with compatible AMD graphics cards or gaming consoles like the Xbox Series X/S, this dynamically matches the screen’s refresh rate with the game’s frame rate. This prevents tearing and stuttering for smoother gaming performance.

Auto Low Latency Mode

ALLM recognizes when a gaming console is connected and automatically enables the low latency game mode. This ensures the lowest input lag without having to enable a game mode each time manually.

Refresh Rate

The native refresh rate is 60Hz. While 120Hz panels are better for fast-paced competitive multiplayer games, the 60Hz A65H still handles action RPGs, shooters, and racers very well. Frame rates are capped at 60fps natively, which is ideal for console gaming.

Response Time

Thanks to a fast response time of just 8.5ms, pixel transitions happen quickly to minimize motion blur in fast moving visuals. This contributes to the very responsive gameplay experience.

Game Mode Feature Set

While tailored for low latency, the game mode also allows for picture adjustments like brightness, contrast, and color temperature. So you can tweak the image while retaining the fast response for gaming.

Overall the Hisense A65H provides a great balance of low input lag, response time, and gaming features for casual gamers on a budget. It handles modern AAA titles very smoothly. Hardcore competitive gamers may want higher 120+ fps support.

Smart TV Platform and Features

The Hisense A65H runs on the Android TV platform, giving it an intuitive and customizable smart TV interface. Home screen customization, Google Assistant voice controls, Chromecast built-in, and a vast library of apps on the Google Play store highlight the smart capabilities.

Google Assistant

Google Assistant is deeply integrated into Android TV, allowing the use of voice commands to search for content, get recommendations, control playback, check the weather, get answers from the web, and operate smart home devices. The remote has a dedicated Google Assistant button for easy access at any time.

Chromecast Built-In

Chromecast functionality is baked into Android TV, enabling you to cast movies, shows, music, photos, web videos, and more directly from hundreds of apps on your smartphone or tablet. No need for an external streaming dongle.

Apps

The Hisense A65H provides access to a huge selection of streaming, social, music, and gaming apps thanks to the vast Google Play store. All the major services like Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max, Peacock, and Sling are available.

Home Screen

The home screen can be customized with favorite apps pinned to the top. Rows of personalized recommendations help you discover new content based on viewing habits and services you frequent the most. Individual user profiles are supported.

Works with Alexa

Despite having Google Assistant, the Hisense A65H is also compatible with Amazon Alexa devices. You can voice control the TV using any Alexa-enabled smart speaker.

Additional Features

Other handy features include the ability to cast your entire phone or tablet screen to the TV, a smart remote with dedicated buttons for popular streaming apps, and integration with Google Photos to display your pictures as screensavers or slideshows.

The Android TV platform makes the A65H very smart and intuitive for daily entertainment. Hands-free voice, customization, and robust app support grant easy access to all the top streaming services.

Connectivity for 4K Sources

The Hisense A65H comes equipped with sufficient ports and wireless connectivity options to hook up your modern 4K Blu-ray players, game consoles, antennas, and more.

HDMI Inputs

There are 3 HDMI inputs, with HDMI 1 supporting enhanced gaming features like Auto Low Latency Mode and variable refresh rate. The HDMI ports can handle up to 4K resolution at 60Hz refresh rate. One input has HDMI ARC (audio return channel) for connecting a soundbar.

USB Ports

2 USB ports are included for plugging in flash drives or external hard drives to play back your personal media files. Supported file formats include JPEG, PNG, BMP, MP3, AAC, WAV, and MKV.

Digital Audio Output

Optical digital audio out is provided for sending uncompressed audio to an external audio system. This is useful for soundbars lacking HDMI ARC.

Ethernet

Wired ethernet allows for the most reliable internet connection for stable 4K streaming from apps. This is recommended over Wi-Fi if your router is in close proximity.

Wi-Fi

Dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4Ghz and 5Ghz) ensures quick streaming speeds and connectivity to smart home devices. The TV supports the latest Wi-Fi 5 standard.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth 4.2 allows for pairing wireless headphones for private listening or connecting a Bluetooth soundbar or speakers. Gaming controllers like Xbox and PlayStation controllers can also pair wirelessly via Bluetooth.

With its assortment of HDMI inputs equipped for 4K gaming, dual USB ports, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth, the A65H is well equipped to handle your modern entertainment needs.

Pros and Cons of the Hisense A65H

Pros

• Excellent color accuracy out of the box allowing for vivid and natural looking picture quality
• Very low input lag of just 10ms provides highly responsive gameplay that is great for casual gaming.
• Android TV platform is very intuitive and easy to use with extensive app selection and customization options.
• DLED backlighting helps provide good contrast and black levels for the price point
• Motion handling is excellent with fast response time and effective 60Hz motion interpolation.
• Support for Dolby Vision HDR expands HDR format coverage
• Consistent and reliable 4K video performance after calibration
• Very affordable price point under $500 for 65-inch size

Cons

• Mediocre native contrast ratio results in blacks appearing grayish in a dark room
• Only 1 HDMI port is enabled for full gaming features like VRR
• Lackluster sound quality from 10W speakers lacks bass impact
• Peak brightness is limited to around 350 nits, which is not ideal for bright HDR
• No support for cutting-edge HDR10+ format
• Only 60Hz refresh rate, less ideal for fast-paced competitive gaming
• DLED backlight is not as robust as full array local dimming
• Prone to dirty screen effects in panning shots

Conclusion

Overall, the Hisense A65H series provides very good performance and features, considering its affordable pricing. The superb contrast, color, motion, and input lag make it a great budget-friendly option for media viewing and casual gaming. Picture quality limitations in a dark theater-like environment and lackluster sound quality may disappoint more discerning home theater enthusiasts. But for cost-conscious shoppers seeking a solid performing 65-inch 4K smart TV under $500 for general everyday use, the A65H hits the sweet spot.