The UR9 was originally more expensive than flagship OLEDs from LG and Samsung. This price makes it far more attractive.
The UR9 was originally more expensive than flagship OLEDs from LG and Samsung. This price makes it far more attractive.
The Hisense UR9 — the first RGB LED TV to be released this year — is now available for much less than originally revealed. The 65-inch UR9 is now $1,999, while the 75-inch model is $2,999 and the 85-inch is $3,999. (There’s no updated price yet for the 100-inch.) That’s between $1,500 and $2,000 off, depending on size.
When I reviewed the UR9, my biggest issue was its price. At $3,500 for a 65-inch, both the LG G6 and Samsung S95H — flagship OLED TVs — were less expensive than the UR9, and OLED still outperforms what I’ve seen from RGB LEDs. Then, two days after my review published, Samsung released pricing for its own high-end R95H RGB LED TV, which was $300 less than the Hisense. I suspect this pricing change from Hisense is at least partially in response to the Samsung announcement.
Both Hisense and Samsung are currently the only TV companies that have a 65-inch size available of their top-tier RGB model. LG’s MRGB95 starts at 75 inches, while the smallest TCL RM9L is 85 inches and both are more expensive than Samsung and Hisense — now significantly so. (We’re still waiting for details about Sony’s True RGB offerings later this year.)
All TV companies eventually bring down their prices the longer a TV model has been available, with Hisense and TCL historically lowering prices by a few hundred dollars a month or two after release. This year it took TCL a week to lower its 65-inch QM8L price from $2,500 to $1,800. But a $1,500 cut the day of release is a new level of aggressive pricing from Hisense.
The Hisense UR9 is a bright and color-vibrant TV, now at a far more affordable price. Its main competition is the TCL QM8L, which uses a blue LED backlight and SQD technology like the X11L instead of red, green, and blue LEDs. The TCL potentially has similar performance — I will be reviewing one soon — but for someone set on getting the new RGB LED tech, this price cut makes the UR9 an even better option.
