If you fancy the LG C4 OLED TV but can’t stretch to the asking price, Hisense has just the TV for you… well, if it gets a release where you live. The new Hisense A85N has the same 2024 W-OLED panel made by LG Display that’s used in the LG C4 and the excellent Philips OLED908, but where the LG launched in Germany for €2,399 for 55 inches, the Hisense will be €1,600. There’s also a 65-inch model and that’s cheaper too, with a suggested selling price of €2,200.
So far the launch details are for Germany only, but the same model will also be sold elsewhere in Europe. We’ve reached out to Hisense to find out details of those launches and any price variations, so we’ll keep you up to date when the information becomes available.
Here’s what you need to know in terms of specifications.
Hisense A85N: key features and specifications
The new Hisense A85N is OLED – which is interesting because the firm has been a key promotor of mini-LED tech and is a founding member of the QLED alliance – and its panel is rated to deliver 1,000 nits of peak brightness, which is basically what you get from the LG C4. The panel has a 144Hz refresh rate, and is accompanied by two 6W speakers.
The four HDMI ports include two with HDMI 2.1 features including ALLM and VRR for gamers, so that’s one area where the LG has the edge and rates among the best gaming TVs – LG’s sets have four HDMI 2.1 ports. However, the TV supports a wide range of HDR formats including HDR10, HDR10+, HLG and Dolby Vision IQ, so it has the LG model beaten by support all forms of HDR (though Philips and Panasonic OLEDs also offer this). There’s also support for IMAX Enhanced, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X sound.
The operating system is Hisense’s own Vidaa, which delivers most of the popular streaming apps. According to the specs published by FlatpanelsHD it supports AirPlay 2 but not Chromecast, and it also works with Alexa.
The German launch is scheduled for September 2024 with a cashback promotion; we’d expect the other European launches to happen shortly afterwards.
We haven’t tested this TV yet but we’ve tested the LG C4, so we know what the panel delivers. And for an OLED panel it’s very impressive, gaining 4.5 out of 5 in our tests. The Hisense TV will of course have a different processor and firmware to the LG, but to get the same panel at a much lower price means this could be a very impressive, comparatively affordable buy that challenges the best OLED TVs on the market for price.
We recently published our LG B4 review, and that model is a good 30% less bright than the Hisense promises to be, and costs €1,899 for the 55-inch model in Germany, so the Hisense would be far brighter, and yet still cheaper. Here’s hoping it comes to more countries.
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