For years, Hisense has been the go-to TV brand for budget-conscious consumers. You’ll rarely pay over $500 but you’ll receive a decent TV that the whole family can enjoy.

If you can give a pass or a blind eye to the plastic-heavy and clunky designs of many of its lower-end TVs, you’ll surely save some cash while still continuing to catch those NFL games on a quality panel. And the sound? Don’t even test it and get yourself a soundbar because the sound quality of the built-in speakers will only disappoint.

Perhaps you’re missing the “oohs” and “aahs” of when your best buddy comes over and doesn’t say a word about your new TV. Well, Hisense may be on the road to change that, even though continuing to manufacture budget TVs for the masses will always be a big part of the Chinese company’s playbook.

Hisense’s 65H9F 65-inch 4K Ultra HD Android Smart ULED TV would be a great place to start if you’re looking for a higher-end model. This TV boasts quantum dot technology (QLED) and produces up to 1,000 nits that will make any program look smooth and refined any time of day. At around $900, it comes at a reasonable price as well. A similar model for Samsung or LG could easily top the $1,500 mark.

If you got the guts to make an even bigger leap, don’t forget to check out Hisense’s Laser TV. Priced at about $10K, obviously, this isn’t something for every household. But what this foray shows is that Hisense, which also has footprints in everything from washing machines to refrigerators, is willing to go beyond its budget-conscious models and try something totally different.

Still, even with these two particular high-end models on the market, the company’s A-game will always be in the lower-priced TVs. Even at these rock-bottom prices, you’ll likely get the core features all consumers desire, such as HDR support or 4K resolution -- and all at the cheapest possible price on the market. Many even support streaming and apps, a must-have for most millennials out there.

Sure, there are probably some corners cut, but the tried and tested way to make the picture look better on a Hisense TV is to just go into the main menu and adjust the different picture settings yourself. If you can live without fancy voice assistants and paper-thin designs, all the better.

Being able to deliver high-end electronics at low-end prices is indeed a balancing act. With Hisense, you definitely won’t get the bells and whistles, but if you don’t care about that, there’s no reason for you to pay more.

Ethen Kim Lieser is a Tech Editor who has held posts at Google, The Korea Herald, Lincoln Journal Star, AsianWeek and Arirang TV.