Amazon has dropped the Hisense 85-inch U6 Pro Series Mini-LED ULED 4K TV to $997.99, its lowest price on record.
The discount took effect as of November 12. The TV's list price is $1,999.99, so the cut comes to $1,002, or roughly half. It is one of the first early Black Friday TV deals to appear, ahead of the main sales.
The set pairs Hi-QLED panel technology with Mini-LED backlighting. Mini-LED means many small lights behind the screen, which allows finer control over bright and dark areas than a conventional backlight. Other listed features include 4K resolution, a glare-free display, a native 144Hz refresh rate, DTS-powered audio and a built-in subwoofer. The model runs Fire TV, Amazon's own smart TV software, and Amazon is the seller.
The "50% off" label is measured against the $1,999.99 list price, and list prices are the softest number in any sale. The more useful figure is the record low: $997.99 is the cheapest this TV has been at Amazon, which tells you more than the percentage does.
The 144Hz panel is the detail most relevant to gamers. A native 144Hz refresh rate means the screen itself updates 144 times per second, rather than faking it with processing. It only pays off with a console or PC that can send a signal that fast, so buyers who mostly stream will not see much from it.
For anyone weighing an early purchase against waiting, the benchmark is now fixed. Any price Amazon or a rival retailer posts during the main Black Friday sales has to beat $997.99 to count as an improvement on this one.