The full-array LED backlight, quantum-dot color layer, and Roku interface are the three things that put the Hisense 32-inch QD4SR ahead of other TVs at this size and price. The screen is 720p HD across 32 inches, and the whole cabinet is thin enough to fit on a kitchen counter or a nightstand without dominating the space.
A gorgeous TV perfect for making center stage in your living room
Hisense calls its quantum dot layer Hi-QLED, a marketing name for the same technology found in Samsung’s higher-end TVs at three or four times this price. The layer sits between the LED backlight and the LCD screen and converts white light from the backlight into more saturated red, green, and blue. That translates to punchier color across everything from sports broadcasts to animated movies. The color range on a Hi-QLED panel comfortably beats that of a standard 32-inch LED TV.
A cheap 32-inch TV runs its LEDs in a single line along one side of the screen, and the light spreads out from there across the whole panel. The problem is that by the time light reaches the far corners, it’s dimmer than what’s coming through the middle. The QD4SR instead builds the LEDs directly behind the entire panel, with a single grid of lights covering the full screen. Every part of the picture ends up equally lit, and the whole panel can also hit higher brightness without drawing more power than the edge-lit version woulda.
Roku is what powers the interface, and you already know how it looks if you’ve ever used a Roku Stick, a Roku Ultra, or another Roku smart TV. Streaming apps are laid out in a grid on the home screen.
Located behind the television panel are three HDMI input ports, one of which includes ARC for connecting a soundbar via an audio return channel. There’s also a USB input port, an Ethernet connection for wired connectivity, dual-band Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 5 for pairing with wireless headphones. This lets you watch late at night without disturbing others. Mounting options include a 100mm x 100mm VESA pattern on the back and an included tabletop stand for placement on a table or dresser.
Small TVs used to mean small pictures, and picking one for a bedroom or a kitchen meant giving up on things like color accuracy and even backlighting to stay under $150. The QD4SR pulls two features from Hisense’s larger sets, the Hi-QLED color layer and full-array backlighting, into a 32-inch panel that fits on a dresser or a countertop. At $109, down from $200, the current sale takes $91 off the retail price of a 32-inch TV that punches above its size in picture quality.
