AT this point in gaming a 4K TV is more or less essential for an optimal experience, and it’s very easy to get overwhelmed with talk of different display types, features, and price tags.
Hisense have a well-deserved reputation for making affordable TVs which offer great picture quality without costing thousands of dollars, and the A7G lineup continues that offering nicely.
I’ve been reviewing the Hisense 50in A7G (currently available for around AUD$795 if you shop around) paired with an Xbox Series S and it has been performing very well in most respects, especially given its price point.
The TV measures 1117mm by 710mm by 257mm and has a lot of plastic in the chassis – it does make the TV feel a bit cheap, but at the same time it’s also going to spend its working life sitting on a entertainment unit or similar so how it feels isn’t really hugely important in comparison to how it actually performs.
The screen quality is excellent; it’s sharp, bright, clear, has HDR and Auto Low Latency and most of the other features you’d expect on a decent 4K TV including WiFi, Bluetooth, in-built streaming TV apps and the ability to display art images too. The TV also has Amazon Alexa and Google Voice built into it as well, so can be incorporated into a smart home setup without any major hassles. The Vidaa app store doesn’t have a great range in it, which is going be an issue if you want to use things like Disney+ or the commercial free-to-air channel apps or whatever new streaming service someone has decided needs to further dilute an already overcrowded marketplace this week. You can work around that if you’re running your entertainment stuff via a console anyway, but if you are considering this as a smart TV it’s something to keep in mind.
I was initially concerned about reflection on the screen because the room reflections were quite visible when the TV was off; I’d like to say they stopped being an issue when the TV was on but I found it extremely content-dependent. Watching streaming shows such as Archer or Star Trek: Lower Decks were fine, as were bright games like Psychonauts 2 and Yakuza: Like A Dragon, but I ran into some reflection issues during the day when watching or playing darker (illumination, not content) content or games.
The screen can display 4K at 60hz – so no 120hz – but that’s still more than enough for most games, especially if you’re still running an Xbox One X or PlayStation 4 like a lot of people are.
While the TV has HDR, the screen didn’t seem to be quite bright enough to make full use of the ability – it’s not amazingly bright the way some more expensive TVs are, but it’s still perfectly watchable too.
I had no issues at all with ghosting, screen lag, tearing or artefacting, and I found the in-built Vidaa software perfectly functional as well. The remote control is a pretty standard rectangular design with all the buttons you’d expect where you’d expect them, and several shortcut buttons for services such as ABC iView, Netflix, Stan, Amazon Prime, YouTube, and Kayo.
While the screen is excellent, the audio isn’t in the same league, sadly. It’s serviceable but sounded flat and underwhelming to my ears – distinctly at odds with the picture quality, in other words, and surprising since it apparently has Dolby Atmos capability.
The 50in A7G isn’t designed to be a high-end home entertainment centrepiece and doesn’t pretend to be – but for the money it is a very serviceable TV which will handle the average person’s content viewing and gaming needs quite happily, if unspectacularly.
If you are after a TV for a games room, teenager’s bedroom or guest room and want the benefits of established brand without the price tag of a premium home theatre centrepiece, the Hisense A7G fits the bill very nicely – although you may want to get a soundbar or a decent set of headphones to accompany it.
