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.