TECHWEEK
The Hisense A85H 4K OLED OLED TV series combines many exciting features with superb build quality. The main highlight remains the competitive price compared to other OLED models. In short, regarding the image, the series supports the main standards – these are HDR 10 (HDR10 + Adaptive) and HLG. The sound is processed by a 2.1 CH circuit with support for Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual X.
The VIDAA U smart platform is a worthy choice thanks to its streaming apps and Freeview Play. The user gets a really competitive model for a reasonable amount. Consider Hisense OLED 55A85H 4K TV review as a member of this series in 2022.
Hisense A85H review
By the way, Hisense A85H has an bigger brother – this is Hisense A9H. Both series are excellent 4K OLED TVs, combining solid build quality with accurate picture quality. The main difference between these series is the sound specification. Hisense A9H has 2.1.2 CH sound on board. In addition, the ninth series uses a different stand. Otherwise, both series are the same.
Although the new products have a few problems, such as playback in some HDR content, tricky white balance point control (will be a problem for those who want to calibrate the image) and the absence of some key applications. But on the other hand, compared to competitors, the buyer will not find another OLED TV with this feature set at the same price, which makes the Hisense A85H worthy of consideration.
Design
The design solution of the Hisense A85H series TVs is somewhat reminiscent of some Sony models released a little earlier. The minimalistic look, the logo strip at the bottom of the screen and the slightly tilted screen evoke nostalgia for earlier models. By the way, we recall that Sony also has an OLED series designated as A85H.
Although the design of the new Hisense A85H cannot boast of originality, the build quality is excellent. The “D” shaped stand is solid and the panel support is perfect. The speakers are built into the back of the Hisense 55A85H TV.
Connections
The interface part has a decent set of connections. But the side entrances are very close to the edge of the panel. It is possible that cable connections may be visible. There are four HDMI inputs, two of them with HDMI 2.1 support (three side and one rear) with support for 4K at 60 Hz, HDR, ALLM and eARC.
In addition, there are terrestrial and satellite tuners, an AV input (adapter included), an optical digital output, an Ethernet port, two USB ports (2.0 and 3.0), a headphone jack and a CI slot. As for wireless connections, the user gets built-in dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Control
The stylish remote control is long and slim, with an attractive black and silver two-tone finish. This remote is comfortable to hold and easy to use with one hand. Buttons for direct access to the main applications, including Freeview Play, are intuitively correctly located.
Image
Of the HDR support, only HDR10 (HDR10 + Adaptive) and HLG can be noted. Dolby Vision IQ and IMAX Enhanced are missing from last year’s Hisense A9G series. The Hisense A85H uses a 10-bit 4K resolution OLED panel. As we understand it, at the moment, no OLED TV will ever reach the peak brightness of expensive LCD models. But the self-emitting nature of OLED delivers deep blacks and accurate pixel tints that improve image contrast.
The excellent contrast of the Hisense 55A85H immediately catches the eye. It looks especially impressive in “space” films. Ink black colors, exceptional shadow detail and stars are rendered with amazing precision and clarity.
Screen uniformity is excellent, with no signs of banding, dirty screen effect, or color cast on the panel. Hisense’s A85H series handles glare well by minimizing light scatter. Extra wide viewing angles provide the perfect picture no matter where you are.
Cinema mode has the most accurate standard dynamic range (SDR) picture setting with natural colors, deep blacks, impressive shadows and crisp highlights. The image is very detailed thanks to decent scaling and processing, which includes an automatic mode.
Processing of dynamic scenes in Hisense A85H is also generally good. The Ultra Smooth Motion menu offers a choice of Smooth, Standard, Sharp, and other custom modes. Movie lovers can turn all this off, but this is not recommended for showing sports programs. In general, experiment.
Hisense A85H handles a wide dynamic range. “Cinema Night” is the best choice for HDR10 and HLG, while “Cinema” is the preferred choice for HDR10+. Peak brightness, according to the manufacturer, is 800 nits, but the actual “whole screen” figure is much lower.
While peak brightness could have been higher, OLED still delivers exceptional dynamic range. Deep blacks and specular highlights are paired with near-black gradations that are surprisingly subtle.
Color reproduction is also good. It reaches 98% of the DCI-P3 color space. This means we get all the benefits of the wider HDR color gamut on screen. The movies therefore look amazing, with punchy, comic book-like colors.
On the one hand, the image quality of the Hisense A85H is nothing to complain about, but on the other hand, there are some problems. First, spot white balance adjustment does not work. Simply turning it on will negatively affect the image. Therefore, if you plan to calibrate the image, you should use only the 2-point white balance control.
Secondly, tone mapping could be better, as the Heysens A85H cuts off some HDR content. The peak brightness of the sensor is less important than the ability to map HDR to that brightness. All in all, the A85H lowers the brightness built into HDR, which is a shame.
Features for gamers
The Hisense A85H has some gaming features, but overall, there are better choices for next-gen gaming consoles. The TV’s HDMI 2.0 inputs support ALLM, but not 4K@120Hz and VRR functions. In Game Mode, the input lag is 26ms, which is good, but not as good as some of the competition.
VIDAA U 6.0
Hisense A85H series runs on the latest VIDAA U (v6.0) smart platform. Although simple, this system is intuitive. A full-screen home page with all the apps, features and information presented in a convenient way.
Applications are displayed in the center of the home screen. At the top is the content associated with the currently selected app. Beneath it are rows of content based on recommendations. At the very top of the main page are icons for search, input, settings, entries, and the electronic program guide (EPG).
The interface is sleek, customizable and easy to navigate thanks to the responsive remote control. The system should work with Google Assistant, turning the A85H into a full-featured and independent smart assistant with optional voice control. Here you need to take into account the sales market, since these functions may not work everywhere.
Sound system
Surprisingly, the Hisense A85H has pretty good sound. The speakers are built into the back of the TV case. The applied 2.1 CH sound scheme with a total power of 60 W sounds impressive. The main channels create a clean and focused front soundstage, and thanks to these upward-firing speakers, Dolby Atmos can be reproduced. We can note a decent bass, although it will not work to compete with an external subwoofer.
There are several sound modes: Standard, Theater, Music, Speech, Late Night, and more. These modes are self-explanatory. They provide enough flexibility in terms of speaker setup in the A85H series.
Conclusion
Hisense offers a solid 4K OLED TV with a good quality design. Although the design is derived from past models. The A85H TV is packed with features including Dolby Atmos and HDR10+. The sound quality is good compared to budget models from other manufacturers. The smart platform is quite effective, but this series may not be suitable for some gamers.
