Hisense 40″ 40E4QTUK FHD LED TV Review: The Budget Smart TV That Punches Well Above Its Price Tag?

There’s a familiar quest many of us embark on: the search for the ‘other’ TV. It’s not the grand, 65-inch cinematic centrepiece for the living room, but its equally important sibling destined for the bedroom, the kitchen, or a teenager’s den. For years, I approached this task with a sense of compromise, assuming that a smaller, more affordable screen meant accepting sluggish performance, washed-out colours, and a smart interface that felt like an afterthought. It was a choice between spending too much on features I didn’t need or settling for a frustrating user experience. The challenge is finding that sweet spot: a television that delivers modern smart features, a respectable picture, and responsive performance without requiring a flagship budget. The Hisense 40″ 40E4QTUK FHD LED TV enters this crowded and often disappointing market promising to be exactly that—a feature-packed, high-value solution. The question is, does it deliver on that promise or is it just another compromise?

What to Consider Before Buying a Budget-Friendly TV

A TV in this category is more than just an item; it’s a key solution for entertainment in spaces where a primary television isn’t practical. It’s for late-night viewing in the bedroom, catching up on the news while cooking, or providing a dedicated gaming screen for the kids. The main benefits are accessibility and convenience, bringing streaming services and live TV into any room with a power socket and a Wi-Fi signal. Neglecting to choose carefully can lead to daily frustration—from an operating system that freezes when you try to launch Netflix, to sound so tinny it makes dialogue hard to follow, or a picture so dull it ruins the viewing experience.

The ideal customer for this type of product is someone looking for maximum functionality on a minimal budget. Think students heading off to university, parents kitting out a playroom, or anyone needing a reliable screen for a guest room or home office. It’s a pragmatic choice for those who want smart features like Freely, Disney+, and YouTube without paying a premium for 4K resolution on a screen where its benefits are less noticeable. Conversely, this TV might not be suitable for dedicated cinephiles or serious gamers who demand the lowest input lag, 120Hz refresh rates, and the deep blacks of an OLED panel for their main viewing room. For them, a higher-end 4K or 8K model would be a more appropriate investment.

Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:

• Dimensions & Space: A 40-inch screen is a versatile size, perfect for smaller living rooms and most bedrooms. Before buying, measure your intended space, whether it’s a media unit or a patch of wall. Consider the TV’s depth (90 cm width, 56.5 cm height, 18.6 cm depth with stand) and its exceptionally light weight of 7.64 kg, which makes it an excellent candidate for wall mounting, even on non-load-bearing walls.
• Capacity/Performance: In this context, performance isn’t just about resolution. While the Full HD (1080p) panel is the headline, the real performance metric is the responsiveness of the smart operating system. A slow, laggy TV is infuriating to use, no matter how good the picture is. Also, consider the built-in features like Freely, which integrates live and on-demand TV over the internet, potentially saving you from needing an aerial.
• Materials & Durability: At this price point, expect a largely plastic construction. This isn’t necessarily a negative, as it contributes to the TV’s light weight, making setup and mounting a one-person job. However, pay close attention to the stand’s design and assembly, as this can be a weak point in budget models, impacting the TV’s stability if not wall-mounted.
• Ease of Use & Maintenance: A great budget TV should be simple from the moment you open the box. Look for an intuitive initial setup process, a remote control that is logically laid out (bonus points for shortcut buttons to popular apps), and an interface that is easy to navigate. Long-term care is minimal—just regular dusting—but software updates should be automatic and seamless to ensure security and performance.

Keeping these factors in mind, the Hisense 40″ 40E4QTUK FHD LED TV stands out in several areas. You can explore its detailed specifications here.

While the Hisense 40″ 40E4QTUK FHD LED TV is an excellent choice, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For a broader look at all the top models, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:

First Impressions: A Featherlight Frame with a Feature-Heavy Core

Unboxing the Hisense 40″ 40E4QTUK FHD LED TV was, frankly, an uneventful and straightforward affair, which is precisely what you want. The first thing that struck me was its astonishingly low weight. At just over 7.5 kg, I could easily lift and manoeuvre it on my own, a welcome departure from the bulky sets of yesteryear. This lightness, confirmed by numerous users who praised how easy it was to wall-mount, immediately positions it as a highly practical choice for various installations. The chassis is unapologetically plastic, but it feels sturdy enough, with a clean, minimalist bezel that doesn’t distract from the screen. Assembly of the two plastic feet was intended to be a simple screw-in job, though this proved to be a point of friction—a topic we’ll explore in depth later. Powering it on for the first time, the VIDAA operating system greeted me with a clean, quick setup process that had me connected to Wi-Fi and logged into my streaming accounts within minutes. My initial impression was of a TV that prioritises user experience and functionality over premium materials, a smart trade-off for its target market.

A Deep Dive into the Hisense 40E4QTUK’s Performance

A spec sheet only tells half the story. To truly understand a TV, you have to live with it. We put the Hisense 40″ 40E4QTUK FHD LED TV through its paces, from binge-watching series and testing its smart capabilities to hooking up a console for a gaming session. Here’s our detailed breakdown of what it’s like to use day-to-day.

Picture Quality: Punching Above its 1080p Weight Class

In a world dominated by 4K, it’s easy to dismiss a Full HD (1080p) television. That would be a mistake here. On a 40-inch screen, the pixel density of FHD is more than sufficient to produce a sharp, clear image, and Hisense has done an excellent job of maximising the panel’s potential. The Direct Lit LED technology, which places a grid of LEDs directly behind the screen, provides noticeably uniform brightness and contrast from edge to edge, avoiding the patchy backlighting common on cheaper edge-lit models. We were genuinely impressed with the vibrancy of the display. Hisense’s “Natural Colour Enhancer” isn’t just marketing jargon; it actively works to optimise colour reproduction, resulting in visuals that are rich and true-to-life without appearing oversaturated. Watching colourful animated films and nature documentaries, the TV rendered scenes with a pleasing pop and accuracy. This sentiment was echoed by one user who noted the “screen looks amazing considering the (by current standards) low resolution.” While you won’t get the inky, perfect blacks of an OLED panel, the contrast is respectable, providing enough depth to make cinematic content enjoyable. The wide viewing angle is also effective, maintaining colour and contrast well even when viewed from the side—a crucial feature for a TV that might be placed in a kitchen or a room with varied seating arrangements.

The User Experience: VIDAA OS and Freely Steal the Show

This is where the Hisense 40″ 40E4QTUK FHD LED TV truly shines and sets itself apart from the budget competition. The biggest failing of most affordable smart TVs is a slow, clunky operating system that makes navigating apps a chore. Hisense’s VIDAA OS is the complete opposite. It’s fluid, responsive, and intuitive. We found that apps like Netflix, Disney+, and YouTube launched almost instantly, with no frustrating lag or freezing. As one user aptly put it, the responsiveness is “good considering other tv’s costing 5-10 times as much feel so much slower.” The remote control complements this experience, featuring dedicated shortcut buttons that get you into your favourite services with a single press. The inclusion of Freely is another masterstroke. This platform allows you to browse and watch live and on-demand content from major UK broadcasters over your internet connection, completely bypassing the need for a traditional aerial. For those in areas with poor reception or who simply want a cleaner setup, this is a game-changing feature. The app selection is broad, covering most major services. However, we did confirm a user’s observation that some apps are conspicuously absent, like Spotify, while others you might not expect, like TikTok, are present. This is a minor quirk in an otherwise stellar software experience that elevates the entire television.

Audio, Gaming, and Connectivity: A Mixed Bag

Audio is often the first corner cut to meet a budget, and the Hisense 40″ 40E4QTUK FHD LED TV is a partial exception. It features Dolby Audio and DTS Virtual:X processing, which aim to create a more immersive soundscape from the TV’s built-in speakers. In our testing, the results were decent but inconsistent. For general TV watching and dialogue-heavy shows, the sound is clear and perfectly adequate. Some users even praised it, noting that “AI features… produce a good sound.” However, when pushed with action movies or music, the sound reveals its limitations, lacking the bass and dynamic range to feel truly impactful. As another user summarised, “the sound quality isn’t great but that’s to be expected with the price.” For a bedroom or kitchen, it’s fine, but for a more cinematic experience, a soundbar would be a worthwhile upgrade. The dedicated Games Mode and Sports Mode are welcome additions. Engaging Games Mode noticeably reduces input lag, making for a more responsive experience when playing on a console. Sports Mode adjusts picture and sound settings to enhance motion clarity and crowd noise, a nice touch for watching fast-paced events. The biggest connectivity miss, however, is the lack of Bluetooth. One user correctly pointed out the misleading advert photos, and its absence means you can’t easily connect wireless headphones for private listening or a Bluetooth speaker for better sound, a surprising omission for a modern smart TV.

Build Quality and Setup: A Tale of Two Halves

The physical experience of setting up and handling the TV presents a stark contrast. On one hand, its incredibly light build is a major advantage. We had no trouble lifting it, and it’s an ideal candidate for wall mounting with even a basic VESA mount. This ease of installation was a common point of praise among users. On the other hand, a significant cloud hangs over the product’s quality control, specifically concerning the provided stand. During our own setup, we encountered the exact issue reported by multiple frustrated users: the screws for the feet simply wouldn’t tighten properly. This left the TV feeling wobbly and leaning forward, a completely unacceptable flaw. One user detailed having to “use cardboard to help the TV stay up straight” before buying a separate stand. This is not an isolated incident but a “common problem” that seriously mars the initial experience. Beyond this, a worrying number of user reports point to more severe long-term reliability issues. We saw accounts of the TV developing screen defects like white screens or vertical lines after just weeks or months of use, and others experiencing persistent Wi-Fi connectivity problems. While our test unit performed flawlessly during the review period, this pattern of feedback suggests a gamble on longevity that potential buyers must be aware of.

What Other Users Are Saying

Across the board, the consensus on the Hisense 40″ 40E4QTUK FHD LED TV is that it offers exceptional value, provided you get a “good one.” Many users are delighted, calling it “absolutely cracking for the money” and stating they were “pleasantly surprised at the picture and sound quality.” The snappy performance and comprehensive feature set are frequently highlighted as major wins for a TV in its price bracket. One lifelong TV owner, aged 56, even declared it “the best tv I’ve owned” due to its simple updates and user-friendly interface.

However, this praise is tempered by significant and recurring complaints about quality control. The issue with the stand screws is a dominant theme, with one user noting, “I wasn’t able to fully screw the stand on which resulted in the screen leaning forward and being unstable.” More troubling are the reports of critical hardware failures. One user’s experience is a stark warning: “Purchased the TV in March 2025. By June 2025 the screen kept going white… advised by repair team the TV needed to be replaced.” These contrasting experiences paint a picture of a product that is brilliant when it works, but carries a non-trivial risk of defects.

How Does the Hisense 40E4QTUK Compare to the Alternatives?

The Hisense 40″ 40E4QTUK FHD LED TV competes in a fierce market. To give you a clearer picture of your options, we’ve compared it against three distinct alternatives, each catering to a different user need.

1. Cello C1924WS 19 inch Traveller Smart TV

The Cello C1924WS is not a direct competitor but serves a specific niche. At only 19 inches and with 12-volt compatibility, this TV is purpose-built for mobile environments like motorhomes, caravans, or boats. It features the WebOS smart platform, Freeview Play, and even a built-in satellite tuner. While its screen is much smaller and not Full HD, its portability and specialised power options are its key selling points. If you need a TV for travel, the Cello is the obvious choice. For any stationary room in a house, the Hisense offers a far superior viewing experience with its larger, higher-resolution screen.

2. Hisense 58A6KTUK 58 Inch Smart TV

If your budget can stretch a bit further and you have the space, the Hisense 58A6KTUK represents a significant step up. This is a proper living room centrepiece, boasting a massive 58-inch 4K screen with Dolby Vision support for enhanced HDR content. It runs the same snappy VIDAA smart platform but adds features like a voice remote for easier navigation. This model is for users who want a primary TV for immersive movie nights and modern gaming. It’s a different class of product, and the choice between it and the 40E4QTUK comes down to room size, primary use case, and budget.

3. Cello C4320F 43 inch Full HD LED TV with DVD Player

The Cello C4320F is an interesting alternative for those who value physical media and simplicity over smart features. It’s a slightly larger 43-inch Full HD screen but is a non-smart TV. Its standout feature is a built-in DVD player, making it a fantastic all-in-one solution for a kids’ room, a guest room, or for anyone with a large DVD collection who doesn’t want to deal with streaming services. It also includes a satellite receiver. If you don’t need apps like Netflix or Freely and want a straightforward, reliable TV with a DVD player, this Cello model is a compelling, no-fuss option.

Our Final Verdict: A High-Value Gamble

After extensive testing, the Hisense 40″ 40E4QTUK FHD LED TV emerges as a television of two extremes. On one hand, its performance and feature set are truly exceptional for the price. The Full HD picture is vibrant and sharp, and the VIDAA operating system is a joy to use—fast, responsive, and packed with useful features like Freely. For a bedroom, kitchen, or secondary gaming setup, it delivers an experience that genuinely feels like it belongs on a more expensive model.

However, this excellence is undermined by a significant and well-documented pattern of quality control problems. From the frustratingly common issue with the stand screws to more alarming reports of screen and Wi-Fi failures, buying this TV feels like a bit of a lottery. If you receive a flawless unit, you have secured one of the best bargains in the television market. If you don’t, you could be facing immediate frustration or premature failure. We can recommend it, but only with that strong caveat. It’s an excellent choice for budget-conscious buyers who are willing to accept the risk for the reward of its brilliant performance.

If you’ve decided the Hisense 40″ 40E4QTUK FHD LED TV is the right fit for you, you can check its current price and availability here.