The Hisense ULED 6505 is a massive 4K TV that promises to deliver a premium viewing experience without the premium price tag.
Despite, or maybe because of the whole trend towards streaming, a great TV is something that anyone can appreciate. With the times being as they are, taking the cinema experience into the home is something that has become less a luxury, and more a thing that we turn to, to maintain our sanity. The thing is, a cinema experience at home doesn’t come cheap. At least, not all the time. Hisense, a solid brand that hails from the electronics mecca of Shenzen, makes some very compelling cases for taking home a large 4K TV, and we’ve been lucky enough to try one ourselves. Does it deliver, or will it leave you wanting?
Design: 4.5/5
The design on the Hisense ULED 6505 is actually quite sharp. With extremely narrow bezels on the top and sides and the slightest chin on the bottom barely large enough to have the Hisense badge be legible, it is right up in design with current-generation smart TVs. As is the case with TVs these days, there’s not a lot more to say. The panel, as we mentioned earlier is a mammoth 65 inches on the diagonal, which is really quite an imposing sight.
The remote is simple and neatly designed, with a number pad on the top third, a four-direction pad with a center selection button in the middle, and quick controls for playback and other smart features on the lower half. Everything is quite straightforward and within easy reach of a single thumb. There are also context-sensitive buttons that help make navigating through complicated menus a little simpler.
Hardware: 4.5/5
The TV itself has a 65-inch screen with a resolution of 3840×2160 pixels—four times the resolution of FHD, for picture-perfect images, even when you’re up close. It is HDR-compatible for great contrast, has wireless and wired connectivity, HDMI ports, and two 120-W speakers for immersive audio. The panel is equipped with Hisense’s exclusive ULED technology for great contrast, color, and motion regardless of the content.
User Experience: 4/5
The first thing we have to mention about this TV is that it is properly large. I did manage to set it up alone, but it took patience, planning, and a good measure of willpower to get it out of the box and onto the shelf where it currently resides. Unless you’re at least as stubborn as I am, this is clearly a two-person job. It’s not all that heavy, but it is quite wide, and you really don’t want to put too much pressure on that thin panel, just to keep it safe.
Once you’re done wrestling it into position, it’s a simple matter of plugging in a single power cable, and you’re ready for business. The TV runs a Hisense-proprietary OS called Vidaa U, and to their credit, it’s really quite simple to navigate. There’s a home button that has apps, dedicated buttons for YouTube and Netflix, and a menu that’s straightforward and intuitive. Without having to pick the manual up, I was able to get it connected to the WiFi network, logged in to my YouTube and Netflix accounts, and playing videos in around 5 minutes flat.
You can start viewing with a simple button press to launch your streaming app of choice, or you can fire that up with your phone and cast it to the TV—you don’t even have to press the power button. As long as WAKE ON LAN is enabled in the settings, you can just press the “cast” button on the Netflix or YouTube app, and the TV will power itself on. Granted, there’s perhaps a ten-second delay before it fires up, but that’s not too bad.
As for picture quality, it is true to the 4K promise. Videos come out with impressive resolution and rich, vivid colors. The panel is plenty bright, even in less than optimal room lighting conditions, and had no trouble at all keeping up with the other (more expensive) smart TVs we have. Contrast was impressive, with blacks that were more than deep enough to not take away from the immersion, and bring areas that weren’t washed out.
We did have a problem with motion at the start. Live-action shows came out quite smooth, but when we switched over to animated shows on Netflix, there was significant ghosting and delay in the image. A trip to the settings to tweak the judder and smooth motions settings did the trick though. If you experience the same issues, play with those settings, and be aware that a little goes a long way–in fact, applying too much of either setting will prove detrimental to your viewing experience.
Fast-paced games gave the TV no problems at all. Hades, our current go-to title, was as smooth as on any of our other TVs, but even better given the brightness and massive screen size. Even plugging it into our PC for other games and movies proved to be no problem at all.
Audio quality was superb. It was the first thing we noticed, and it consistently impressed us. From movies to music, and even games, there was plenty of power, without the loss in clarity that can plague over-boosted audio systems.
Value: 4.5/5
At PHP 47,450 if you head over to your nearest Anson’s branch, the Hisense ULED 65A6505 is a great TV. The 4K resolution, great image quality, smart features, and easy-to-use, snappy OS make it very pleasant to use. Great sound and bundled soundbar are the cherry on top. The settings might need a little tweaking when you get it out of the box, but that’s a small price to pay for a TV of this value.
Specifications:
- Size: 65 inches
- Speakers 2x 120W
- Connectivity: LAN, WiFi, HDMIx2, USB, Aux, Co-ax
- OS: Vidaa OS (proprietary)
- Features: YouTube, Netflix, screen mirroring, web browser, Bluetooth
What’s hot:
- Great OS
- Great image quality
- Superb audio
What’s not:
- Image settings need tweaking to get the best viewing experience
Bottomline
If a 65-inch TV is what your living space needs, this is worth a good, long look.
Reviewed by Ren Alcantara
Also published in Gadgets Magazine January 2021 Issue