Hisense 42.5" Review

The Hisense A7's display panel ranks in the bottom 8th percentile, which is a major flaw. Its one saving grace is solid HDR support for the price. Only buy this if you find it under $250 and need a basic, small TV.

The Hisense A7 is a 43-inch 4K TV that's trying to do a lot for a little. Its standout feature is HDR support, landing in the 82nd percentile, which means it's well above average for handling Dolby Vision content. For a budget set, that's a solid win. The rest of the picture, however, is middle of the pack, scoring in the 43rd percentile for overall quality. It runs Google TV, which is a decent smart platform, and it's got three HDMI ports to plug things in. It's a straightforward, no-frills screen for a small room.

This TV's performance is a mixed bag, and the data shows it. The HDR is its one real star, punching above its weight class to deliver decent contrast and color for the price. But that's where the good news ends. The display itself is a weak spot, ranking in the bottom 8th percentile. That means the panel quality and brightness are among the worst we've seen in our database. Gaming performance is disappointing at the 25th percentile, so while it has a 60Hz Game Mode, it's not going to feel responsive for serious players. Audio is also underwhelming, sitting in the 30th percentile, so the DTS Virtual:X processing is trying to polish a pretty basic speaker setup.

The price is all over the place, from $160 to over a grand. At the low end, around $160-$250, this TV makes sense as a basic secondary screen or a bedroom TV where you just need something that works. Paying anywhere near $1055 is a terrible deal, as you can get much better-performing TVs from competitors at that price. The value is entirely dependent on finding it at a deep discount.

Compared to other budget options like the Roku Plus Series Mini-LED, the Hisense A7 falls short. The Roku TV typically offers better overall picture quality and a more cohesive smart experience. Against Hisense's own U6 Series Mini-LED, the A7 is clearly the lower-tier model, with the U6 offering superior brightness and contrast. If you're looking at the Sony BRAVIA 5 or Samsung QN800D, you're in a completely different league of performance and price; the A7 can't compete on any metric except maybe the lowest entry cost.

Skip this TV if you're a gamer, a movie buff looking for the best picture, or if you have a bright room. The gaming performance is disappointing, the display panel quality is among the worst we've tested, and it's not built for outdoor or very bright indoor viewing (its weakest area score is 15.6/100 for 'outdoor').

We can only recommend the Hisense A7 if you find it at its absolute rock-bottom price, need a small 43-inch screen, and really want Dolby Vision HDR on a tight budget. Its poor display and gaming scores make it a hard sell against other budget models. For most people, spending a little more on a TV with a better panel is a much smarter investment.