Review: Hisense 4K N6800 Television — Great displays for gamers

Over the past few years, there’s been a major push for 4K content and 4K televisions. This year’s E3 conference was important because Microsoft made a proper push into 4K gaming with the Xbox One X. The device will be the most powerful gaming console ever and will outperform the vast majority of gaming machines at the same price point—never mind Sony’s PlayStation 4 Pro. With such a powerful machine only weeks away, one of the questions many gamers are asking is which 4K television they should get. Well, we had the opportunity to use the 65” Hisense 4K N6800 television for a few weeks and all we can say is that it’ll help you make the most of your Xbox One X and its 6 TFLOPS of processing power.

If your 4K set is more than 18 months old, you’re going to miss out on one of the most impressive visual upgrades. You guessed it, we’re talking about High Dynamic Range (HDR). According to the company, HDR—which reached the market in 2016—protects detail in the highest and lowest ranges of contrast while also increasing the upper and lower limits of contrast. This means that colors will pop because fires will burn even brighter and the claustrophobic corridors you creep through will be ever darker. The N6800 features 16-point local dimming technology which is reserved for the best displays out there so that enhances contrast. The feature makes a dramatic difference. We compared the picture quality of the N6800 to an existing television we had and the difference was night and day. The darker colors are definitely darker and somehow feel more natural. There simply isn’t a comparison as to how good supported games like Forza Horizon 3 look when you use HDR compared to a standard set.

However, HDR is more complicated than it seems. Wide Color Gamut (WCG) technology is also important if you want to achieve the true spectacle of 4K gaming. We all know what HDR10 is.  It’s the standard HDR technology used on many televisions. Well, HDR10 makes brights brighter and darks darker. On the other hand, WCG technology makes reds redder and greens greener. This is an important distinction because you need screens with HDR10 and WCG to take full advantage of 4K because you want better colors. Just increasing resolution means nothing if there isn’t an improvement to contrast in our opinion. Hisense’s sets utilize both of these like many Sony and Samsung televisions to deliver a great picture.

One of the biggest features of the Xbox One X has to be the fact that it uses AMD FreeSync. Well, there aren’t many massive monitors available on the market so you’ll have to rely on what television manufactures offer. The N6800 is equipped with Hisense’s Motion Estimation-Motion Compensation (MEMC) technology. MEMC actively reduces on-screen motion blur of fast moving objects by rendering extra frames, meaning even the most rapid movement appears smooth and realistic. This results in a smoother and clearer picture when a game is in motion.

Another issue we have to bring up when it comes to televisions are dead pixels. For the past few years we’ve been exclusively using Sony and Samsung displays and have noticed that many of them—particularly Sony—have a lot of dead pixels. This may be our misfortune but this is a recurring problem which other customers also write about on social media. While it’s hard to spot them from far away, it’s still jarring to receive a new display which has dead pixels and dark spots. It’s even worse when customer service teams refuse to acknowledge it as a defect which warrants a replacement. Even though the N6800 was a review unit which has been tested by many people before us, we didn’t notice any dead pixels or dark spots. This is a testament to Hisense’s quality control. While the dead pixel problem may just be our bad luck, it was still refreshing to receive a product without the issue.

As stated earlier, we’ve been gaming on the N6800 for a while now using an Xbox One S and PlayStation 4 Pro. The picture quality is close to what the company’s competitors offer for thousands of pounds. We also had no problems with input lag like some other displays. Luckily, this series is available from £580. Yes, you read that right, not £1,000, just £580! The 65” model we tested extensively is around £1,100. For those looking to step it up even further, the 70” Hisense NU9700 is equipped with even better HDR and WCG technology, as well as even more local dimming zones for better contrast. Unfortunately, that model isn’t quite the bargain because it comes in at £2,600. We would definitely recommend the 50” entry-level model for gamers out there because that’s a manageable size. We would’ve liked to see more local dimming zones on the N6800 but can’t really complain too much due to its price.

For those wondering if the display is bulky, it’s not and features a sleek deign. Just look at the pictures! It’s incredibly modern and rivals anything from manufactures like Samsung with their use of metal and thin bezels. The N6800 is just a steal for its starting price. We were surprised by just how good this television is and it’s definitely changed our minds as to how we look at other companies which exist in this space. Giving smaller manufactures a chance pays off. The N6800 is definitely a recommended purchase in our book. Be sure to check it out if you’re in the market for a new 4K television in preparation for the Xbox One X because you won’t be disappointed. It’s so good in fact we bought one.

8.5/10

Hisense 4K N6800 Television