Chinese TV maker Hisense has unveiled its full range of televisions for the U.S. market in 2021, including its new flagship Hisense U9DG that features its premium Dual Cell display technology.
The Dual Cell technology is a unique display concept pioneered by Hisense that uses not one, but two panels, fused together to enhance the TVs picture quality. More specifically, it melds a special “luminance layer” behind a 4K grayscale panel, so as to output a monochrome image and a coloured one at the same time. The combination, it is claimed, enables Hisense’s TVs to manage grayscale and colour much more precisely.
The result of this is a stunning two million local dimming zones in the 75-inch Hisense U9DG, far more than the tens of thousands of local dimming zones available on the new Mini LED TVs being cheered by the likes of LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics this year. Hisense said the incredibly precise dimming effect will enable a static contrast ratio of 150,000:1 and a dynamic contrast ratio 2,000,000:1, leading to greater detail across both light and dark scenes.
The Hisense U9DG also incorporates quantum dots in its display, enabling up to 1,000 nits of peak brightness, the company said. It boasts 4K at a 120Hz frame rate, and supports gaming features such as Variable Refresh Rate, Auto Low Latency Mode and FreeSync. Further, it’s equipped with “high-speed HDMI ports”, which would seem to indicate HDMI 2.1. The TV also supports HDR10+/HDR10/HLG high dynamic range, Filmmaker Mode and IMAX Enhanced certification, as well as Dolby Atmos.
The Hisense U9DG runs Android TV and is also certified as “WiSA Ready”, like all of its 2021 TVs, which means users can add a WiSA USB transmitter to their screens and transmit wireless audio to compatible speakers.
Hisense said the U9DG will go on sale in the summer priced at $3,499.
For those who’d prefer greater resolution, the 75-inch 8K Hisense U800GR offers a total of 33 million pixels and AI upscaling to transform regular HD and 4K content into something more befitting of the display’s capabilities. Like the U9DG, the Hisense U800GR features Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos too and its peak brightness is the same at 1,000 nits. Unlike the U9DG however, it runs the Roku TV platform instead. It’s also slotted for a summer release, with prices starting at $3,199.
Hisense has some pretty enticing mid-tier TVs for 2021 too. Sitting below its 4K and 8K flagship is the Hisense U8G ULED, which is set to go on sale later this month and offers 1,500 nits brightness, superior to both of the above models. It sports 360 local dimming zones, supports Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+ and HDR10, as well as FreeSync Premium, VRR and enhanced Audio Return Channel.
There’s also a gamer-specific model going on sale called the Hisense U7G which is said to offer a 4K display plus a 120Hz panel and support for HDMI 2.1, VRR, ALLM and Freesync Premium.
The Hisense U8G will be available in May in a choice of 55-inch and 65-inch options, costing $949 and $1,299, respectively. The U7G will go on sale in summer, when buyers will be able to choose from 55-inch, 65-inch and 75-inch options at a cost of $749, $949, and $1,399.
Last but not least in Hisense’s ULED range is the lowest-spec Hisense U6G, which is on sale now. It’s a rather limited 4K offering with a 60Hz panel and 600 nits peak brightness, though it does come with full array locak dimming and supports Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. Sizes range from 50-inches up to 75-inches.
For those interested in something much, much bigger, Hisense previously announced its L5 4K Ultra Short Throw Laser Cinema, which is a very respectable and also quite pricey ultra-short throw projector that can beam a 120-inch picture onto any wall, or the ALR screen that comes with it.
The Hisense L5 features a blue laser light source that’s said to generate extremely sharp and precise images that exceed the standard 4K colour range. The company claims a maximum brightness of 2,700 lumens, and it can reproduce more than billion colours too, supporting 83% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut. Like most of its ULED TV range, it runs the Android TV platform. It’s on sale in the U.S. now for $4,999.
The above TVs are all supported by Hisense’s new soundbar range for those who want to enhance things on the audio side. The new Hisense HS Series soundbars all sport a compact design that makes them easy to install and connect. There are three options, the Dolby Atmos supporting HS312 is the most expensive of the bunch, offering 300 watts of power, followed by the four speaker HS219, which is slightly more punchy at 320 watts. Last but not least is the HS212F, which is a 120 watt model.
All three soundbars are said to have a Bluetooth connection, feature custom sound modes for different types of content, and an EzPlay function that enables them to be controlled using any Hisense TV remote.
Hisense is an emerging player in the U.S. TV market and claims to be the number five and also the fastest-growing brand in terms of sales. It has a much smaller presence in Europe though, and it’s not clear which, if any, of the TV models and soundbars announced today will go on sale in the U.K.
