Hisense Hisense - 40" Class QD4 Series Hi-QLED Full HD 1080P Smart Fire TV (2025) Review

The Hisense QD4 is a 40-inch 1080p TV with enhanced Hi-QLED color and Fire TV. Its vibrant colors beat basic LEDs, but the lack of 4K sharpness is a big drawback. At around $160, it's a value pick for a bedroom or secondary room only. Don't buy this as your main TV.

Alright, let's talk about the Hisense QD4 Series. This is a 40-inch Fire TV that's trying to do a lot with a little. It's a Hi-QLED TV, which is Hisense's branding for their quantum dot color tech, but it's only a 1080p screen. That's an interesting combo. It's clearly aimed at someone who wants a bit more color punch than a basic LED TV, but isn't ready to jump to 4K or spend a fortune.

Who is this for? We think it's a solid second TV for a bedroom, dorm room, or a small apartment where you're not sitting super far from the screen. The Fire TV built-in makes it easy to get streaming, and the Alexa voice remote helps if you're already in that ecosystem. It's not trying to be your main living room powerhouse.

What makes it interesting is the price-to-feature balance. At around $160, you're getting quantum dot color enhancement, a full array LED backlight for better brightness uniformity than edge-lit models, and a full smart TV platform. It's packing more tech than you'd expect at this price point, even if the core resolution is a step behind the current standard.

The numbers tell a pretty clear story. In our database, its picture quality lands in the 43rd percentile, which is middle of the pack. The Hi-QLED color helps, but the 1080p resolution is a real limitation, especially on a 40-inch screen. You'll see decent color vibrancy for cartoons, sports, and general TV, but fine details in movies or nature documentaries won't have the sharpness of a 4K panel. It's a trade-off.

For gaming, it's at the 25th percentile, which is underwhelming. The 60Hz refresh rate is standard for basic TVs, but there's no mention of variable refresh rate (VRR) or low latency modes. If you're a casual gamer hooking up a console, it'll work, but you'll feel the lag compared to a dedicated gaming monitor or a higher-end TV. The audio is also a weak spot, sitting in the 31st percentile. The DTS Virtual:X is a software-based surround sound simulation. It can widen the soundstage a bit, but it won't replace a good soundbar or external speakers for real immersion.

The value proposition here is straightforward: it's about $160. For that, you get a quantum-dot-enhanced color TV with a full smart platform. That's a better deal than a no-name 1080p LED TV with a basic remote. However, you're sacrificing resolution. In today's market, many budget 4K TVs start around $250-$300. So you're saving maybe $100, but accepting a significantly less sharp picture.

Is that trade-off worth it? For a bedroom TV where you're mostly watching from bed and not scrutinizing details, maybe. But if you plan to watch a lot of modern streaming content, which is largely produced in 4K, the gap in clarity will be apparent. The value is niche.

Let's look at what else you could get. The obvious competitor in Hisense's own lineup is the U6 Series Mini-LED. It's 4K, has Mini-LED backlighting for better contrast, and often starts around $300 for a 55-inch. You're paying more, but getting a dramatically better picture for a main TV. The Roku Pro Series is another strong budget 4K contender with Mini-LED and a great smart platform, also in that $300+ range.

If you're strictly in the ~$160 zone, you're comparing this to basic 1080p LEDs from brands like Insignia or Toshiba. The QD4 wins there because of its better color tech and Fire TV. But if you can stretch your budget even $50-$100, jumping to a 4K TV from any major brand is a much bigger leap in quality. The trade-off is clear: save money now for a lesser picture, or invest a bit more for a TV that won't feel outdated immediately.

Skip this TV if you're setting up your main living room entertainment system. The 40-inch screen is too small for a communal viewing experience, and the 1080p resolution will look soft and dated from a normal couch distance. You'll regret not getting a 4K TV.

Also skip it if you're a serious gamer. The lack of gaming features and higher input lag will hamper your experience. Look for a TV with a 120Hz panel, VRR, and dedicated gaming modes instead. Finally, if you watch a lot of HDR content (movies on Netflix, Prime Video, etc.), this TV's HDR performance is one of the worst we've seen. You won't get the benefit of those richer contrasts and highlights. For those uses, a budget 4K TV with decent HDR, like a TCL S4 or Hisense U6, is a much better starting point.

We'd recommend this TV for one specific scenario: as a secondary screen in a bedroom, office, or dorm where 1080p resolution is acceptable, and you value the convenience of Fire TV and Alexa. It's a decent upgrade over a truly basic LED TV for that purpose.

For anyone looking for their primary living room TV, we say skip it. The 40-inch size is too small for a communal space, and the 1080p resolution will leave you wanting more sharpness from modern content. If you're a casual gamer, the lag will annoy you. For a main TV, even a budget 4K model from TCL, Hisense's U6, or Vizio will be a far better experience.