Hisense CanvasTV: The Artful Way to Control Your Smart Home - CNET

Article updated on October 31, 2024 at 5:00 AM PDT

Hisense is taking on Samsung’s The Frame TV at nearly half the price, and it has Google smart home control built-in.

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The Hisense CanvasTV is about more than just looking great.

My home is a mixed bag when it comes to style and design. While I’d love to have it meticulously laid out with a cohesive look, the reality is that isn’t going to happen with two busy kids and a budget that doesn’t lend itself to tasteful decor. So, melding my love of art and design with a high-end TV is a great way to tie it together.

That’s where the new Hisense CanvasTV comes into play. While it isn’t the first television to have an art mode to transform from a black rectangle into a work of art on the wall -- Samsung’s The Frame series has long offered the same -- Hisense has done it for half the price.

But that isn’t the only thing the CanvasTV has going for it. It has 4K Google TV built into it, so it’s also a smart home controller. This won’t be a full, in-depth review of its TV capabilities or a comparison to other TVs, but rather about how it can manage my smart home and its performance.

A TV that turns into art when not in use is so much better than a black box hanging on your wall.

Much like folding phones have changed the perception of what a smartphone can be, televisions are going through a similar evolution. As I mentioned, Samsung’s The Frame TV kicked off the idea of our television doubling as art when it's not in use. But many, including myself, can’t stomach the price tag, which starts at $1,000 for the 43-inch model.

Earlier this year, Hisense dropped its version of The Frame, called the CanvasTV. It, too, starts at $1,000, but that's for the 55-inch model (the 65-incher is $1,300). Both come with magnetically attached teak frame pieces and a wall mount. Additional frame options are available in white and walnut.

The CanvasTV uses QLED technology to produce a 4K image on the matte screen. As a flagship television in 2024 it has Dolby Vision, HDR 10 Plus, HDR 10, Hybrid Log-Gamma and a 144Hz refresh rate. This all comes together to give a great viewing experience.

The audio prowess of the 2.0.2 surround-sound system in the Hisense CanvasTV surprised me, especially since I haven’t been able to mount it to the wall yet. It surprised me because the sound from the TV speakers is full and clear, and as it’s designed to hang on the wall, using it to bounce sound off of. So, for the audio quality to be as good as it is not hanging on the wall is a big win.

The frame attaches via magnets with clips on the back to keep it in place.

The remote control is well-designed, with shortcuts to top streaming platforms and a customizable favorite button. My favorite feature is its backlight. It’s a simple element that takes some frustration out of movie night.

Hisense packed numerous sensors into the CanvasTV, one of which is an RGB light sensor that changes the screen’s color temperature and brightness based on real-time readings from the room's lighting. This worked well in my testing and improved the appearance of images on the screen.

The artwork on the matte display looks fantastic.

Now for one of the standout features of the TV -- art mode. This 1.4-inch thick television, with its tasteful picture frame attached, looks stunning when displaying art. As I said before, I don’t have this mounted to my wall yet, I’m still in the moving process. But that isn’t stopping the CanvasTV from looking great.

Combining modern video technologies with the matte display turns the screen into a work of art at the push of a button. I’m not sure if it’s magic, but when viewing any of the 120 preloaded pieces of artwork on the TV, I was fooled into thinking it was a painting. It wasn’t until I got up close that I was able to convince myself it wasn’t.

Hisense did a good job with the remote, making it comfortable to use and with intuitive button placement.

One of my favorite features of art mode is that the TV will use the built-in motion sensor to detect when someone is in the room and automatically enable art mode. This is a great feature as it helps to reduce energy usage but still offers style to the room when in use.

The preloaded art spans a wide range of artistic styles. But if you prefer, you can turn the TV into a photo frame with photos, or if you have specific works of art you want featured on the screen, you can upload them directly to the CanvasTV. However, this was a feature I was unable to get to work.

The side panel within Google TV allows for quick access to different TV functions, as well as the Google Home app.

Because this new television is Google TV certified, it offers a first-class experience with features found in Google products like the new Google TV Streamer. Out of the box, you’ll have access to over 700,000 movies and shows from over 10,000 subscription-based streaming apps.

The CanvasTV also has Chromecast built-in, so you can wirelessly send any supported content to the TV. For those times when you aren’t sure what you want to watch, you can use the remote control to talk to the built-in Google Assistant for recommendations.

You have the same smart home controls on the Hisense CanvasTV as you would from the Google Home app on your phone.

With Google Assistant accessible through the TV, it not only helps find something to watch but offers every other feature you’d get with Google’s smart speakers and displays, only bigger.

However, the easy access to the Google Home app helps this TV stand out from other great televisions. When watching TV, pressing the gear icon on the remote brings up the quick toggle panel, with Google Home being one of the options. Selecting this brings up access to all of your smart home devices.

From here, you can control your lights, outlets, fans and anything else connected to Google Home. But on top of that, you can view your connected cameras right on the big screen.

I love that when someone presses the button on my Nest Doorbell, a notification with the camera's video feed pops up on the CanvasTV. I can then select it and the video will expand so I can interact with whoever is at my door.

When a connected video doorbell is pressed, a popup shows on the TV and you can view the camera feed and interact with it.

Being able to turn my TV into a giant smart home hub controller is so nice. It makes movie nights with the family less distracting because we can all put our phones away and I can still adjust lighting to set the perfect scene for the film. Not to mention keep tabs on who is at my door.

The Hisense CanvasTV blends high-end features and great design into a budget-friendly smart TV.

While the Hisense CanvasTV may not wow cinephiles with its video display capabilities -- blacks aren’t inked out, and colors don’t jump off the screen like an OLED TV can -- the images produced on the screen are impressive nonetheless.

All around, this TV has features missing from others in a similar price range, like QLED technology, integrated 2.0.2 surround sound, 144Hz refresh rate and more. But it's the art mode, frame and sensors that help it stand out. Combine that with excellent Google TV integration with smart home controls and you have the best-looking smart home hub you can buy.