If you set aside their screens, TVs are kind of boring. Most of the time, you know what to expect: gray-and-black panels attached to a pair of pointy-shaped feet. That’s been the design standard since I started testing TVs over a decade ago.
This formulaic approach is exactly why I’m intrigued to see a brand like Hisense crumpling up the predictable playbook for its newest TV. It’s an affordable, offbeat QLED dubbed the Hisense Deco TV (or Déco, to be precise).
In a sea of garden-variety, gray-colored rectangles on sale at Amazon during Prime Day, this breezy, artful little number caught my eye. It’s precisely the sort of TV I can see people placing in a dorm, a cozy studio apartment or a colorful, neon-soaked bedroom. Even more intriguing is its price: Right now, the 43-inch Hisense Deco TV is just $299 at Amazon for Prime Day.
The Deco TV's design is destined to garner double-takes. In an era of straight lines and shrinking bezels, its round, cherub-like visage is the Bouba to the modern TV's Kiki.
Sure, some folks might not be too keen on the Deco TV's bubbly personality. But, to these jaded, TV-testing eyes, I see a TV that might exist in the retro-futuristic dwellings of Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange."
In a room with contrasting décor — warm wood tones, vintage furniture and such — the Deco TV takes on a form that fashion-forward folks might call a statement piece. In a colorful, neon-lit bedroom with a baddie-style aesthetic, it fits right in.
In a colorful, neon-lit bedroom with a baddie-style aesthetic, it fits right in.
As a TV-tester and all-around picture purist, I've got to hit you with some facts. For one thing, I've not seen the recently released, 43-inch Deco TV up close, so I can't speak to its performance.
The Deco TV sports a 43-inch QLED display, so I assume that its colors are bit punchier than what you'd get on any number of ultra-cheap, $200 TVs that don't look like they belong in the living room of Joaquin Phoenix's character from the movie "Her."
It supports Dolby Vision (one of the most popular enhanced HDR formats), but I suspect that the Deco TV's HDR support isn't much to write home about, given its modest display technology. File that feature — as well as the Deco TV's Dolby Atmos support — under the "just nice to have" column.
Another perk is the Deco's built-in, Fire TV-based streaming software. While Amazon's software suite isn't my top choice for streaming movies and shows, it's a pleasant-enough backdrop for your quirky, goofball-of-a-TV.
The bottom line? I wouldn't go into the Deco TV experience expecting to be blown away by its picture quality, but it's got smart features, looks like nothing else on the market and doesn't cost much. If you're committed to buying a super-cheap TV, you may as well get an adorable one that catches people's eye.
Let me know what you think. Is the Deco TV a stylish screen or a design disaster?
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