Hisense H4 Series 40H4F 39.5"

The Hisense 40H4F is a solid budget Roku TV with easy setup, decent 1080p picture, and surprisingly good sound for $179. It's not winning any display awards, but it's a great value for a bedroom or secondary screen. If you need 4K or HDR, look elsewhere.

The 40H4F runs a 60Hz FHD panel with Hisense's Motion Rate 120 processing, which is mostly marketing speak for basic motion smoothing. Game Mode helps cut input lag, and HDMI 2.0 means it'll handle a console or streaming stick without complaint. Audio lands at the 46th percentile, which is about average for a budget TV. The 2.0 channel speakers with DTS TruSurround are fine for dialogue and sitcoms, but you'll want a soundbar for anything with explosions. The weakest spot is movies at 15.5 out of 100, which tracks with the lack of HDR punch and limited contrast.

Stacked against the Sony BRAVIA 5 K65XR50 or Samsung Neo QLED QN70F, the 40H4F looks ancient. Those are premium sets with 4K, HDR, and local dimming. But they also cost several times more. The TCL QM6K Series 55QM6K is a closer budget rival with better picture quality, though it's bigger and pricier. The Roku Plus Series 55R6C7 shares the same smart platform but adds 4K and better HDR. If you can stretch your budget, the Roku Plus is the smarter buy. If you can't, the 40H4F holds its own.

At $179 USD, this TV is a steal for what it does. You get a reliable Roku smart platform, decent picture quality, and surprisingly good sound for under two hundred bucks. The 4.5-star rating across nearly 9,000 reviews backs that up. It's not a home theater centerpiece, but it's not priced like one either. For a kitchen, dorm room, or guest bedroom, this is about as good as budget TVs get.

The Hisense 40H4F is a 39.5-inch 1080p Roku TV that nails the basics for a bedroom or small apartment. Setup is dead simple, the Roku interface is still one of the best in the business, and the picture is fine for the price. It's not going to blow anyone away, but it's not trying to.

Our database puts this thing at the 6th percentile for display quality, which sounds brutal until you remember it's a sub-$200 TV. The 1080p panel is perfectly watchable for streaming and casual viewing. Just don't expect HDR fireworks or deep blacks.

Skip this if you care about picture quality at all. Movie buffs will hate the 15.5 movie score and lack of HDR. If you're building a home theater or want 4K streaming, spend a bit more on the Roku Plus Series or a TCL QM6K. Also skip it if you have an ASUS router and zero patience for WiFi troubleshooting.

This TV is for people who want a cheap, reliable screen that just works. College students, renters, anyone putting a TV in a spare room. The Roku platform is the real selling point here, it's intuitive enough that your parents won't call you for tech support. Buy it for the convenience, not the specs.