Hisense 43E7NQTUK 43 Inch 4K QLED Smart TV Review: The Budget 4K Star with One Major Catch

There’s a familiar journey many of us take when looking for a new television. We start by dreaming of the flagships we see in showrooms—the ones with impossibly deep blacks and colours that seem to leap off the screen. Then, reality sets in as we look at the four-figure price tags. The search then pivots to a more challenging question: how close can I get to that premium experience without emptying my bank account? It’s a balancing act. You want the latest technology like 4K resolution, QLED colour, and immersive sound, but you’re navigating a sea of budget and mid-range options, each with its own set of compromises. The fear is ending up with a TV that looks great on the spec sheet but disappoints in the living room, with washed-out colours, sluggish software, or sound that makes movie dialogue sound like it’s coming from a tin can. This is the precise challenge the Hisense 43E7NQTUK 43 Inch 4K QLED Smart TV aims to solve, promising a feature list that reads like a premium model’s at a price that feels far more accessible.

What to Consider Before Buying a Smart TV

A TV is more than just an electronic appliance; it’s the central hub of modern home entertainment. It’s where we gather for movie nights, binge-watch our favourite series, cheer on our sports teams, and dive into immersive gaming worlds. The right TV can transform a living room into a personal cinema, while the wrong one can be a constant source of frustration. The main benefit of a modern smart TV is its all-in-one nature. It combines broadcast television, on-demand streaming, and internet connectivity into a single, user-friendly interface, eliminating the need for a tangle of extra boxes and cables.

The ideal customer for a product like this is someone who values picture quality and smart features but is working within a sensible budget. This includes families looking for a great-value main TV, individuals seeking a high-quality screen for a bedroom or office, or console gamers who want features like 4K and smooth motion without paying for top-tier gaming-specific monitors. However, it might not be the best fit for audio purists who expect powerful, nuanced sound straight out of the box, or for cinephiles who demand the perfect, inky blacks that only OLED technology can provide. For those users, a higher-end OLED TV or a dedicated sound system would be a more suitable, albeit more expensive, investment.

Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:

• Dimensions & Space: A 43-inch screen is a versatile sweet spot, large enough for immersive viewing in small to medium-sized rooms without being overpowering. Before buying, measure your intended space, whether it’s a media unit or a wall. Check the TV’s dimensions (96.3 cm width) and VESA mount pattern if you plan to wall-mount it to ensure compatibility.
• Performance: The core of any TV is its panel technology. QLED (Quantum Dot) technology, as used here, offers a significant step up from standard LED TVs, delivering a wider range of colours and higher peak brightness. Also, consider the smart operating system (OS). The speed and app availability of the OS (in this case, Vidaa) will define your daily user experience.
• Materials & Durability: At this price point, you can expect a primarily plastic construction for the chassis and stand. This is standard and helps keep the weight down, making setup and mounting easier. Focus on the build quality of the stand for stability and the thinness of the bezels, which contributes to a more modern, premium look.
• Ease of Use & Maintenance: A good smart TV should be intuitive from the moment you turn it on. The setup process should be quick and straightforward, and the remote should be easy to navigate. Look for features like Freely, which integrates live TV over the internet, simplifying your setup by potentially removing the need for an aerial.

Keeping these factors in mind, the Hisense 43E7NQTUK 43 Inch 4K QLED Smart TV stands out in several areas, particularly in its performance for the price. You can explore its detailed specifications and current offers here.

While the Hisense 43E7NQTUK 43 Inch 4K QLED Smart TV is an excellent choice for its size and price, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition, especially if you’re considering a larger screen. For a broader look at all the top models, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:

First Impressions: Premium Tech in an Unassuming Package

Unboxing the Hisense 43E7NQTUK 43 Inch 4K QLED Smart TV, the first thing we noticed was its surprisingly light weight. This was a sentiment echoed by several users who found it exceptionally easy to handle and wall-mount, a task that can often be a two-person job with older, heavier sets. The assembly is refreshingly simple; attaching the two plastic feet took just a few screws and less than five minutes. The overall design is minimalist and modern, with thin bezels on three sides that help the picture feel more expansive. The build is, as expected for the price, predominantly plastic, but it feels sturdy enough and doesn’t look cheap.

The initial setup was a breeze. Following the on-screen prompts, we were connected to our Wi-Fi, signed into our streaming accounts, and scanning for channels in under 15 minutes. One user happily reported they were “all done in under 10 mins,” and our experience validates that claim. Powering it on for the first time, the Vidaa OS boots up quickly, presenting a clean, tile-based interface that feels responsive and snappy. Out of the box, the potential of the QLED panel is immediately apparent, even on the home screen, with vibrant icons and crisp text.

Performance Deep Dive: A Closer Look at the Hisense 43E7NQTUK

A spec sheet can only tell you so much. To truly understand a TV, you have to live with it—watch movies, play games, and navigate its interface day in and day out. We put the Hisense 43E7NQTUK 43 Inch 4K QLED Smart TV through its paces to see if its real-world performance lives up to its impressive feature list.

Picture Quality: Punching Far Above Its Weight Class

The star of the show here is undoubtedly the QLED panel with Quantum Dot Colour technology. Firing up a 4K nature documentary on Disney+, the difference this makes over a standard LED TV is immediately obvious. The colours are incredibly rich and saturated, from the deep greens of a rainforest canopy to the brilliant blues of a tropical ocean. Hisense claims “billions of new shades,” and while that’s hard to quantify, the visual impact is undeniable. The picture is bright, punchy, and full of life, making it a joy to watch in a well-lit room.

The TV also features Direct Full Array backlighting, a technology typically found on more expensive models. This grid of LEDs behind the panel allows for more precise control over brightness and contrast compared to edge-lit displays. In practice, this helps create a dynamic image with bright highlights and reasonably deep blacks. When watching content that supports Dolby Vision, like many originals on Netflix, the TV automatically optimises the picture scene-by-scene, enhancing detail in both the brightest and darkest parts of the image. The result is a cinematic experience that feels far more premium than the TV’s price tag would suggest. However, it’s not perfect. As we and other users observed, there is some noticeable light bleed or “blooming” around bright objects on a completely black background, especially in a darkened room. While not distracting for most content, it’s a clear differentiator from high-end OLED panels. For the price, however, we found the picture quality to be exceptionally good.

The Audio Experience: Dolby Atmos Meets Small Speakers

This is the area where the Hisense 43E7NQTUK 43 Inch 4K QLED Smart TV makes its biggest compromise, and it’s a crucial point for any potential buyer. The TV is marketed with Dolby Atmos, an advanced audio format that creates a three-dimensional soundscape. The TV can process this signal, but it simply lacks the speaker hardware to do it justice. The built-in speakers are, to put it bluntly, weak. They are serviceable for watching the news or a talk show, but for anything more cinematic, they sound thin, tinny, and completely devoid of bass.

This finding is overwhelmingly supported by user feedback. One reviewer stated, “The sound through the tv speakers is not that good,” while another called it “awful – but was expected.” The consensus is clear: to unlock this TV’s full potential, you need an external sound system. We connected a mid-range soundbar via the HDMI ARC port, and the transformation was night and day. With a dedicated soundbar and subwoofer, the Dolby Atmos processing comes alive, creating an immersive, room-filling sound that finally matches the excellent picture. As one happy customer noted after adding a soundbar, “it’s just wow, I can’t get enough of this, watching films on Netflix is just like being in the Cinema.” Our advice is to factor the cost of a soundbar into your total budget when considering this TV. It’s not just a recommendation; it’s practically a requirement for a good experience.

Vidaa OS and Smart Features: Fast, Functional, but Fenced In

A smart TV is only as smart as its operating system, and Hisense’s proprietary Vidaa OS has its own set of strengths and weaknesses. On the positive side, it is incredibly fast. We experienced no lag when navigating menus, launching apps, or switching between inputs. The interface is clean and straightforward, giving you quick access to all the essential streaming services, including Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, and Disney+. All the major UK catch-up services are also present.

A standout feature for UK viewers is the integration of Freely. This new service allows you to stream live and on-demand TV from broadcasters like BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5 directly over your internet connection. As one user pointed out, you “can even watch normal TV without an aerial too using the Freely app.” This is a fantastic bonus, especially for rooms where an aerial connection isn’t convenient. However, the Vidaa OS is not without its critics. Unlike more open platforms like Google TV, it’s a closed system. This means you can’t add apps that aren’t in the Vidaa store, and more frustratingly for some, you can’t uninstall many of the pre-loaded applications. One user expressed extreme frustration with this, calling Vidaa “a true effort to create the worst OS known to man!” While we found that to be an overstatement—for simply using the top 5-6 streaming apps, it works perfectly—it’s a valid criticism for power users who enjoy customisation. If you’re used to the vast app library and flexibility of an Android-based system, Vidaa might feel a bit restrictive.

What Other Users Are Saying

Looking at a range of user experiences, a clear picture emerges. The vast majority of buyers are thrilled with the value proposition of the Hisense 43E7NQTUK 43 Inch 4K QLED Smart TV. Comments like “Great TV for the money” and “fantastic, and the price… you can not go wrong” are common. The picture quality is frequently praised as being surprisingly good, with one user noting it’s “not quite OLED standard but very good, especially for the price.” The easy setup and lightweight design are also consistent highlights.

However, the negative feedback also follows consistent themes. The most prevalent complaint is the poor internal sound quality, with the recommendation to buy a soundbar being almost universal. A smaller but significant number of users have reported quality control issues, receiving units with dead pixels or faults that appeared within a few months. As one unhappy customer warned after their second faulty Hisense TV, “there’s a reason these are the prices they are.” This underscores the importance of buying from a retailer with a reliable returns and warranty policy.

How Does It Compare? The Top 3 Alternatives

No product exists in a vacuum. To make an informed decision, it’s essential to see how the Hisense 43E7NQTUK 43 Inch 4K QLED Smart TV stacks up against its closest competitors.

1. CHiQ U43QM9K 43 inch 4K QLED Roku TV

The CHiQ U43QM9K is a direct competitor, offering a 43-inch 4K QLED panel at a similar budget-friendly price point. The primary difference lies in the operating system. This model runs on Roku TV, which many users find to be one of the most intuitive and user-friendly interfaces on the market, with a massive library of “channels” (apps). If you prioritize a simple, highly-regarded OS and want access to a wider range of niche streaming services, the CHiQ might be a better choice. However, it lacks the integrated Freely service of the Hisense, which could be a deciding factor for UK viewers who want an easy, aerial-free live TV experience.

2. Hisense 58 Inch VIDAA Smart TV 58A6KTUK

If sheer screen size is your top priority and you’re willing to make a slight compromise on picture technology, this 2023 model from Hisense is a compelling alternative. For a similar price, you get a much larger 58-inch screen. The trade-off is that this is a standard 4K LED TV, not a QLED. This means it won’t have the same colour volume or peak brightness as the 43E7NQTUK. It’s an excellent choice for a large living room on a tight budget where size trumps the subtle enhancements of Quantum Dot technology. It also runs on the Vidaa OS, so the user experience will be familiar.

3. TCL 75P7K-UK 75″ QLED 4K Google TV

This TCL model represents a significant step up in both size and features. At a colossal 75 inches and running on the feature-rich Google TV platform, this is for someone with a large space and a bigger budget. It matches the Hisense with QLED technology, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos, but adds gamer-friendly features like a 120Hz Game Accelerator. The choice here comes down to scale and ecosystem. If you have a large viewing area, are invested in the Google ecosystem, and want a more powerful and flexible OS, the TCL is a formidable, albeit more expensive, option.

Final Verdict: An Unbeatable Value Proposition with One Condition

After extensive testing, our conclusion is clear: the Hisense 43E7NQTUK 43 Inch 4K QLED Smart TV is a phenomenal television for its price. It successfully brings premium QLED panel technology down to a price point that was unthinkable just a few years ago. The picture is bright, vibrant, and packed with detail, especially when viewing native 4K HDR content. The Vidaa operating system is fast and covers all the essential apps, and the inclusion of Freely is a genuinely useful feature for UK households.

However, this strong recommendation comes with one major condition: you must be prepared to bypass the internal speakers. Their performance is the TV’s single significant weakness and does a disservice to the excellent visuals. By pairing it with even a modest soundbar, you elevate the entire package from a “good budget TV” to a genuinely impressive home entertainment system that punches well above its price tag. If you can accept this one compromise, you will be rewarded with a viewing experience that is, without a doubt, one of the best you can find for the money.

If you’ve decided the Hisense 43E7NQTUK 43 Inch 4K QLED Smart TV is the right fit for your home, you can check its current price and purchase it here.