While most tech devices have gotten more expensive every year, TVs are in a rare product category where things have gotten cheaper as time passes. I mean, who would’ve thought that you could buy a 98-inch TV for $1,000? Or even buy a 50-inch smart TV for just $178? Well, that’s exactly what we’re looking at today, as we’re seeing a steep discount on this Hisense smart TV with Google TV that comes in at under $200.
It’s exciting, but let’s set some expectations
While the price is tempting, it’s important to set some expectations when going into buying a $178 TV. The good thing is that Hisense has a pretty good reputation, making TVs for some years now, offering some excellent value with its products. So, while this TV is pretty cheap, you can pretty much bet that you’re going to get excellent visuals and audio here even at this price.
The TV delivers a 4K image, and features impressive 4K upscaling using AI to convert older programming. You get features that will smooth out the video during action-packed moments, and you also get impressive visual enhancements thanks to support for Dolby Vision and HDR10 technologies.
And just in case you want to experience movies in the best way possible, as the directors intended, there’s a Filmmaker mode that will automatically adjust all the settings to provide that. While this TV isn’t the best for gaming, it is possible, and there’s even special gaming enhancements available as well.
The software matters
Perhaps most important is that you get a seamless menu system thanks to Google TV, along with easy access to some of the best streaming apps and services. And while everyone will have their preferences, you do at least have the option to customize the experience with this TV. You can even load different types of interfaces if you’re looking to move outside the usual.
Good for most people
Let’s be clear, there are plenty of TVs that are going to easily be able to blow the Hisense out of the water when it comes to the visuals. But, at $178, there isn’t really much to complain about. It’s a 50-inch smart TV running Google TV from a trusted brand. If you’ve been looking for something new, it’s a good one to pick up on a budget.
