Hisense QD4 Series 40QD4QF 39.5"

The Hisense QD4 40-inch TV is a compact QLED with vibrant colors and built-in Fire TV that's perfect for secondary spaces—if you find it under $220. Its 1080p resolution and weak gaming performance are the big trade-offs, but the user satisfaction is high for a reason. For a small, cheap smart TV, it doesn't disappoint.

The Hisense QD4 Series 40QD4QF is a 39.5-inch FHD QLED TV that targets a very specific buyer: someone who needs a small, smart screen for a kitchen, dorm, or bedroom, and doesn't want to pay for 4K they might not even use. It's part of Hisense's budget-friendly QLED lineup, which means you get the color pop of quantum dots without stepping up to a pricier model. At first glance, the spec sheet is modest—1080p resolution, Motion Rate 60, HDMI 1.4—so expectations need to stay grounded. But as a plug-and-play device with Fire TV baked right in, it's also refreshingly straightforward.

Fire TV is a genuine highlight here. Instead of messy menus or sluggish smart platforms, you get a clean interface with all your streaming apps, plus an Alexa Voice Remote that can handle show searches, smart home controls, and even open apps without you ever touching a button. If you're looking for a small TV under $200 (or even lower on sale), this ticks a lot of boxes just by being easy to live with. That said, the 40-inch size and 1080p panel mean this isn't going to blow you away with detail, especially if you're sitting close.

We've tested hundreds of TVs, and this one lands in some interesting spots in our database. Its social proof is stellar—90th percentile, which tells you most buyers are happy with what they got for the money. But peel back the layers, and the picture quality sits at the 36th percentile. That's a big gap, and it tells a story: the QD4 is a feel-good purchase, not a performance machine.

Our benchmarks paint a clear picture of where the QD4 excels and where it stumbles. With a picture quality percentile of 36, it's firmly in the mediocre camp—fine for casual streaming and daytime viewing, but lacking the sharpness and contrast you get from even a budget 4K set. The QLED panel itself does some heavy lifting for colors, making content look more vibrant than you'd expect from a 1080p TV. But don't mistake brightness for true HDR. HDR support is capped by the hardware, and our tests put it in the 13th percentile—essentially the worst tier. You'll want to turn HDR off in the settings to avoid a washed-out look.

Gaming is even worse. The 17th percentile ranking comes from the fact that this TV uses HDMI 1.4, meaning you're locked to 60Hz with no variable refresh rate (VRR) or auto low latency mode. If you plug in a console, you'll notice input lag and motion blur that makes fast games feel sluggish. On the flip side, audio comes in at a respectable 61st percentile, thanks to DTS Virtual:X processing and a 14W 2.0-channel setup. Dialogue is clear, and the simulated surround actually adds some depth—more than you'd expect from a TV this small. Connectivity is average (49th percentile), with three HDMI ports, a USB slot, Wi-Fi 5, and Bluetooth 5.0, which covers the basics for streaming sticks, headphones, or a soundbar.

Pricing on this set is all over the place. Across vendors, we've seen prices from $170 all the way up to $737. That spread means you absolutely cannot pay sticker without checking around. At $170 or even the low $200s, this is a steal for a QLED smart TV with decent audio and the Fire TV experience. It beats out no-name 40-inch TVs that lack built-in smarts. But if you're looking at a price tag closer to $300, you need to ask yourself whether an extra $50 gets you into a proper 4K set like the 43-inch TCL 4-Series. The best deal we found currently is at [store_name], where it's hovering near the bottom of that range.

When you're shopping for a 40-inch TV in 2024, your options are actually pretty limited—most brands have moved resources to 43-inch and up. The direct rival is the TCL 40S350R, a Roku-powered 1080p TV that typically costs a bit less but lacks the QLED color boost and the Alexa integration. The TCL is a simpler, slightly snappier platform if you prefer Roku, but the Hisense has a visual edge. Stepping up in size, the Samsung TU7000 43-inch gives you 4K resolution and a cleaner gaming mode for about $50–$70 more, though you lose the QLED vividness. If you're dead set on a small screen, these aren't bad choices. But if you're willing to go just a few inches bigger, the value proposition shifts hard toward 4K models.

Skip the QD4 if you're setting up a main living room TV or do any gaming. You'll want at least 43 inches with 4K resolution, and if HDR matters at all, look elsewhere—this set's HDR is practically nonfunctional. People who sit farther than eight feet away might be okay, but honestly, a budget 4K screen from TCL or Samsung will be a smarter long-term buy for not much more money. And if you have an older streaming device and prefer Roku, check out the TCL 40S350R instead.

The Hisense QD4 40-inch is exactly what you think it is: a small, affordable QLED TV that's built for casual streaming in secondary rooms. It's not going to wow you with sharpness or gaming chops, and the HDR is basically a marketing sticker. But if you're looking for a bright, colorful screen that fits on a dresser or under a cabinet—and you can get it for under $220—it delivers. Just know that you're trading resolution for convenience, and that's a fair trade for the right situation.

However, if you plan to watch movies from a distance of less than six feet, you will notice the lower pixel density. And gamers should absolutely steer clear; even a basic Xbox One will struggle. As a kitchen or bedroom TV, it's a winner. As a living room centerpiece, it's not even close.