Hisense’s OLED challenger comes to UK and Europe

Now on sale

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If you’re on the lookout for a mid-pricedOLED TVin the UK or Europe,Hisensemay have you sorted. The Chinese manufacturer is on the cusp of bringing its firstOLEDset to these new shores, afterlaunching it in Australia late last year.

UPDATE:The Hisense O8BOLEDTV has now landed in the UK and Europe. Keep an eye on TechRadar for our incoming review…

The Hisense TV is a4KUHD OLED television – with a slim panel design,Dolby Vision/Dolby Atmossupport,HDR, and 200Smooth Motion Rate– available in 55 and65-inchsizes. The smaller model of the two will be retailing in the UK for £1,599 (around $2,020) as the H55O8BUK, and is currently available to pre-order fromAmazon. The set will then officially launch on July 1.

Hisense 55-inch 4K HDR OLED Smart TV

On the price spectrum of TVs in general, that may not sound ‘mid-priced’, but for an OLED television it’s about as cheap as they get.LG’s cheapest OLED TV this year, the B9, is retailing at £1,999 (around $2,530) – though last year’sB8model is now a decent slice cheaper at £1,199 )around $1,515).

While the set first retailed in Australia as the Series X, at AU$3,499 (around £1,920 / $2,430), that’s been slashed to only AU$1,499 (around £825 / AU$1,040) after a slow first year on sale.

TV-makers are increasingly opting for OLED panels in their premium TV ranges, given the technology’s incredible color contrast and deep blacks, making for a truly cinematic visual experience.

However, those panels are expensive to produce, and the slow scaling of manufacture means that prices are yet to really drop within the reach of budget buyers.

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Hisense is generally seen as a budget TV brand, but offer everything from cheap 4K sets toprojector-television hybrids, and you can end up paying big-brand prices for the more experimental or boundary-pushing technologies of their sets.

But for an OLED, the H55O8BBUK certainly veers towards the cheaper end of the scale, and seeing some more competition in the OLED market can only be a good thing for consumers looking to make the best buy they can.

We’re expecting to get a better look at Hisense’s OLED in the coming weeks, so check back here to see whether Hisense can compete with the likes of theLG C9orE9 OLED.

ViaOLED-info

Henry is a freelance technology journalist, and former News & Features Editor for TechRadar, where he specialized in home entertainment gadgets such as TVs, projectors, soundbars, and smart speakers. Other bylines include Edge, T3, iMore, GamesRadar, NBC News, Healthline, and The Times.

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