Hisense A6N vs Philips PUS8359 (VA)

Unfortunately, the HDR effect quality on A6N is not impressive. A peak brightness of 250 nits doesn’t allow for spectacular highlights, and HDR looks rather muted, more like ordinary SDR. This will not satisfy more demanding users who want to enjoy high-quality movie content. Additionally, the color gamut coverage is not very impressive either: DCI-P3 at 82% is an average result that doesn’t let you fully enjoy vivid colors in HDR material.

The Philips PUS8359 has low brightness levels; however, dynamic tone mapping works surprisingly well, making it worth praising!

In the color reproduction category, the Hisense A6N in Filmmaker Mode leaves much to be desired. Although the mode's name suggests we should expect faithful movie color reproduction, the reality is different. The TV has significant picture quality problems. The white balance issue is particularly noticeable for both HD and 4K material, as it is heavily skewed by a dominance of blue. This results in artificial, cool tones, clearly visible in the comparison photo below. The ColorChecker test further confirms these errors, which are compounded by low color gamut coverage.

The gamma luminance curve shows a serious problem maintaining the 2.4 level, with the plot well below the reference value. That leads to excessive image brightening and washed-out blacks. The EOTF curve for 4K material also indicates brightness problems. At the low end there is a pronounced bump caused by the TV's excessive brightening, which negatively affects picture quality. This image behavior prevents fully enjoying movies and requires manual correction.

The best factory mode for fidelity to the source material was the "Film" mode, which we used during our tests. As with all factory modes in televisions, it has flaws, and we’ll now examine what went wrong in both SDR and HDR materials. In both cases, the white balance showed an excessive dominance of green and red, resulting in a yellowish tint across the entire image. This caused issues such as yellowed whites and problems with skin tones. This was clearly illustrated on the "ColourChecker" palette, where each tested sample shifted towards warmer equivalents. The foundation of the image lies in contrast and black levels, represented by gamma charts and the EOTF curve. Looking at the gamma chart, we saw a real rollercoaster, with both elevated and lowered gamma. The elevated gamma caused visibility issues in blacks, while the lowered gamma led to a dramatic drop in contrast. In this context, the EOTF curve performed significantly better, as it only mildly brightened the image.

Hisense A6N offers in its settings options and tools to adjust many picture parameters, which we used. As for the white balance, we managed to remove the excess blue; this is clearly visible in the comparison photo below, where the boy in the image practically "comes to life". A large improvement can also be seen in the gamma brightness response, as the TV no longer has serious issues with overbrightening the entire picture. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for 4K content, where the EOTF curve could not be fully corrected due to this model's exceptionally low brightness. For HDR content we use dynamic tone mapping, which allows recovery of many details despite lifting the midtones. For this TV that brings more benefits than drawbacks. The errors that remain visible in the color gamut test and the ColorChecker for 4K content stem from the low color gamut coverage and are difficult to eliminate because of the TV's characteristics. Even so, the image tonality is much better, so we recommend calibrating the factory settings, which are far from ideal.

Philips offers a wide range of image calibration tools in its higher-end and more affordable models. We used these tools, but the process was not as straightforward as many might expect. While we adjusted the white balance, significantly improved the gamma, and refined the EOTF curve in both SDR and HDR content, the deltaE errors remained extremely high. Several factors contribute to this situation, including the limited coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut and the unit's maximum brightness in HDR materials.

Let's see how A6N handles low-quality material. When it comes to smoothing tonal transitions, the lack of a function to reduce posterization or smooth tonal transitions in low-quality sources, such as broadcast TV or DVD, may be noticeable to more demanding viewers. As for digital processing, the model was rendered correctly and the branches were free of the typical jagged edges. The image has a pronounced sense of plasticity and is soft, which may appeal to those who prefer that kind of picture style.

In this paragraph, we will take a look at two functionalities. We will once again look at the function responsible for tonal transitions, but we will also check how the television handles image scaling. The option responsible for smooth gradation is called "Distortion Reduction." As we have established, it quite effectively smooths out imperfections. However, we need to point out two things: we cannot enable it for HDR material and it blurs details in films.

The tested television cannot boast the best image scaling. There is a noticeable overall blurriness of the image, but what is worse, it blurs details. This is particularly visible on the branches and the model's hair. Additionally, a characteristic white halo can often be seen surrounding characters.

The 60 Hz panel in Hisense A6N will likely please people who enjoy watching movies, because the TV offers an "ultra motion smoothing" feature that lets you adjust the image's motion, making it choppier or smoother and more cinematic. As for motion blur, it is rather average. You can see quite noticeable blur, especially on dark backgrounds, which is a common trait in this class of TVs.

The Philips PUS8359 is not the best choice for watching sports. This is primarily due to the absence of even a basic motion smoothing feature, which given the price point, is not entirely surprising. Additionally, the television uses a VA panel, which, while offering high contrast, is not known for its sharpness or fast response times. As demonstrated in our analysis, fast-moving scenes often result in noticeable blurring, a common issue with this type of panel.

Although it is not an ideal option, the TV can be used for sports viewing with some compromises, particularly regarding motion sharpness. It's also worth noting that films are prone to stuttering since the TV lacks any form of motion smoothing, even the most basic functionality.

Hisense A6N is a TV that will likely appeal to casual gamers, mainly because of its 60 Hz panel, which may not satisfy more demanding players. Still, it offers several features that can make gaming more enjoyable. The TV supports functions such as ALLM (automatic low-latency mode), VRR (variable refresh rate) and Dolby Vision, which let you enjoy better picture quality and smoother motion in games that support those technologies. Moreover, the low input lag means in-game reactions are fast, which is crucial, especially in fast-paced titles. Thanks to these features, although the TV isn’t the ideal choice for demanding gamers, it provides solid support for those who value comfortable gaming without complicated settings. It’s an ideal solution for people who want to enjoy gaming without high hardware demands while still having access to modern technologies that enhance gameplay quality.

Unsurprisingly the Philips PUS8359/12 offers only the most basic support for consoles. When connecting a console, users can rely on features like VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) and ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode). VRR is particularly commendable, as even some higher-end models can struggle with this functionality.

A noteworthy addition is the implementation of a dedicated GameBar, which allows for on-the-fly adjustments without needing to exit the game, minimising unnecessary distractions. This feature also provides options to tailor gameplay for individuals with disabilities, making it a highly commendable inclusion.