We compared the highest-scoring TVs that actually price out under $1,000 CAD, using owner mentions collected from Reddit alongside ClearPick's scored specs and verdicts. The under-$1,000 segment has moved fast — Mini-LED backlighting and 4K/120Hz gaming that used to cost twice this much now show up at $699 to $999. This guide sticks strictly to sets priced inside that ceiling; anything over it, however capable on paper, isn't featured here. The owner mention sample behind these four picks is still thin in places, and we say so pick by pick rather than smoothing it over.
1. Hisense U8N 65" — the brightness and gaming pick
The Hisense U8N is the top-scoring TV in this guide at 9/10, built around a 1,000+ zone Mini-LED panel rated to 3,000 nits peak brightness, four HDMI 2.1 ports, and a native 144Hz refresh. At roughly $999 CAD it sits right at this guide's ceiling. The two owner mentions collected for it are both critical rather than promotional: one Hisense subreddit owner describes screen-tearing that surfaced with an AMD 7900XTX and reports the same issue affecting Nvidia cards and even PS5/Xbox Series X connections after a firmware update, and a second reports banding and artifacts appearing on the panel over time and asks whether the LEDs are failing. Neither report erases the picture-quality advantage on paper, but they're the kind of longer-term reliability flags worth weighing against the price.
2. TCL Q6 65" — the QLED alternative
The TCL Q6 (ClearPick score 8.6) undercuts the U8N by about $200 CAD at roughly $799, pairing Mini-LED backlighting with four HDMI 2.1 ports and Google TV. Of the five owner mentions collected, three are positive and two are mixed. Owners on r/buildapcsales call the picture quality "very solid for the price point" and single out Google TV for letting them install third-party apps and launchers. The mixed mentions center on a specific quirk: the port capable of 4K144 isn't the eARC port, so a soundbar or receiver connected via eARC is capped at HDMI 2.0 bandwidth — worth checking before buying if a sound system is part of the setup.
3. Hisense U6N 65" — the true-budget 65-inch
At roughly $699 CAD, the Hisense U6N is the cheapest 65-inch set in this guide (ClearPick score 8.1), trading the U8N's Mini-LED zones and 144Hz panel for a simpler ULED backlight and a 60Hz native refresh. Value and HDR subscores both land at 8.5/10, and Smart TV and gaming subscores sit close behind at 8.5 and 8.0. No owner mentions were collected for the U6N in the pack behind this guide, so this entry leans on spec comparison rather than lived-in reports — a thin data point worth knowing if reliability feedback matters to your decision, and one we'll revisit as more owner reports come in.
4. TCL S5 55" — the budget 55-inch
The TCL S5 (ClearPick score 7.7) is the only 55-inch set in this guide and the cheapest overall at about $499 CAD, with QLED color and Google TV but no Mini-LED and only one HDMI 2.1 port. Both owner mentions collected for it are negative: one buyer states plainly that QLED beats standard LED and that it's worth paying more for the color, and a second reports that Dolby Vision content looks visibly "darker" and produces more drab visuals when streamed through an Apple TV, compared to the native apps or a Fire TV 4K. It's a reasonable second-room or first-4K-upgrade option, but the mention sample here skews toward buyers who ran into real limitations.
Best For
| Hisense U8N 65-Inch 4K | TCL 65Q650G Q6 QLED | Hisense U6N 65-Inch 4K | TCL 55S555 S5 QLED | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bright room / daytime viewi… | ✓ 3,000-nit Mini-LED | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Gaming (4K/120Hz+) | ✓ 144Hz, 4 HDMI 2.1 | ✓ | — | — |
| Price / budget fit | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ $499 |
Who It’s For
Your room gets bright daylight and you game on PS5 or Xbox Series X. It's the top score in this guide, though both mentions collected flag banding and HDMI sync issues to watch for.
See review →
You want 65-inch Mini-LED for less than the U8N and don't mind checking your soundbar's HDMI wiring first — most mentions collected for it are positive.
See review →
$699 is your hard ceiling for a 65-inch set and 60Hz is fine for your use. No owner mentions have been collected for it yet, so this rests on specs more than reports.
See review →
You need a 55-inch set under $500, most likely for a second room, and can live with the color and Dolby Vision limits both collected owner mentions describe.
See review →What owners actually say
What buyers love
“Picture quality is very solid for the price point. I hooked it up to an Apple TV but the onboard interface is nice looking and quick enough.”
r/Costco
“Google TV is one of the best Os's for a TV. It natively let's you install third party apps, and you can even install 3rd party launchers that get rid of all the ads.”
r/buildapcsales
Common complaints
Banding and artifacts over time
So my TV has always had a little banding on the right side, it didn't bother me enough to do a warranty claim but now recently I've noticed these artifacts at the top and bottom of the screen.
r/HisenseHDMI sync issues after firmware update
Other users appear to report the same issue with Nvidia Cards or even connecting it to their PS5 and Xbox Series X.
r/HisenseDolby Vision varies by streaming source
I have a TCL 5-series that is Dolby Vision capable. The native apps and Fire TV 4K produce great Dolby Vision quality with bright visuals and colors but if I stream from the Apple TV the Dolby Vision is visibly "darker" and produces more drab visuals.
r/appletvWithin a strict $1,000 CAD ceiling, the Hisense U8N is the highest-scoring pick at 9/10 and the strongest all-rounder for a bright room or console gaming, though the only two owner mentions collected for it both raise reliability flags worth watching before you commit to it as a long-term set. The TCL Q6 at $799 has the better-reviewed mention sample so far, with one manageable HDMI eARC quirk to check against your sound setup before buying. The Hisense U6N is the value 65-inch pick at $699 if 60Hz is acceptable, though no owner mentions exist for it yet in this data, so treat its ranking as spec-driven rather than field-tested. The TCL S5 makes sense only as a genuinely budget-constrained second TV — both mentions collected for it describe real limitations rather than satisfaction, not a ringing endorsement at any price. Samsung's Q80D was part of the original comparison set but prices around $1,399 CAD, well outside this guide's under-$1,000 promise, so it isn't featured here.