8.5/ 10 SCORE Hisense U8QG Pros
Super vivid
Great gaming options
Excellent colour and distinction
Cons
Slightly much less cinematic picture than competing TCL
Some lack of high-brightness element in some HDR content material
Over the previous twenty years as a reviewer, I’ve seen important enhancements to TV image high quality firsthand, largely on account of advances in applied sciences comparable to OLED, QLED, mini-LED and Dolby Vision. Televisions right this moment are higher than ever, and shows with supernova ranges of brightness assist push the envelope even additional. The Hisense U8QG is the brightest TV I’ve reviewed (to this point), and it enhances that brightness with glorious distinction and well-saturated colours. It’s additionally a strong selection for avid gamers, with its 165Hz refresh price and fast response instances. Technically, the large and ridiculously costly Hisense 116UX is even brighter at round 8,000 nits peak, however I did not formally evaluate that mannequin. The rivalry between TCL and Hisense continues, but the efficiency hole between the 2 corporations’ high-end fashions is smaller than ever. In my evaluate of the TCL QM8K, I discovered that the TCL is the extra cinematic of those two TVs, whereas the Hisense U8QG is best for gaming. Even so, each are completed performers, and when you’re seeking to purchase an excellent LCD-based TV, my recommendation is to only go for whichever one is most cost-effective. Conversely, if you need much more brightness, TCL claims its QM9K is able to as much as 6,500 nits — look out for my evaluate on CNET quickly. Read extra: Best TVs of 2025 Hisense U8QG sequence TV sizes Ty Pendlebury/CNETI examined the image high quality of the 65-inch Hisense 65U8QG hands-on, however this evaluate additionally applies to a lot of the different display screen sizes within the sequence. While the says the 75-inch mannequin makes use of a special panel, the opposite sizes as much as 100 inches have comparable specs and will exhibit comparable image high quality. In the house of two years, Hisense’s TVs have greater than doubled in brightness, from the U8K (1,500 nits) to the U8QG (5,000 nits). This is a helpful improve, too, as many HDR films are mastered at greater brightness ranges (as much as 4,000 nits), and so having a show that’s (theoretically) able to displaying it is a bonus. The firm has achieved this improve in brightness via using its so-called mini-LED Pro expertise and Full Array Local Dimming. An eye to options Ty Pendlebury/CNETThe Hisense U8QG retains the pedestal design launched with the U8N, and it felt fairly secure after I put it collectively. Like with most TVs, you may want to purchase an exterior wall mount to connect the Hisense to the wall.The display screen, which options an upgraded Anti-Glare Low Reflection Pro panel, is surrounded by a skinny black and silver body. The again of the TV is generally plastic with a few eyeball-looking audio system on the high. Ty Pendlebury/CNETThe U8QG LCD tv makes use of a mini-LED backlight, and the small measurement of those LEDs permits the TV to have 1000’s of them. In addition to greater brightness, the TV has additionally drastically expanded the variety of native dimming zones to 5,000 (up from 2,000 in final yr’s U8N). Full-array native dimming permits the display screen to dim and brighten completely different areas concurrently, finally growing distinction and, due to this fact, image high quality. The Hisense U8QG has a claimed 165Hz native refresh price, which might result in higher movement efficiency than 60Hz TVs. However, it’s largely designed for gaming. Like most TVs in its class, the U8QG makes use of quantum dots to enhance colour efficiency. The Hisense helps each Dolby Vision and HDR10 high-dynamic-range codecs. Connections embody HDMI, USB and antenna. Ty Pendlebury/CNETThe audio system encompasses a six-speaker 4.1.2 Dolby Atmos configuration, however most of those drivers face into the wall or downward. I did not take a look at the TV’s sound high quality particularly, however upgrading to a funds soundbar would probably sound higher. The Hisense U8QG features a built-in ATSC 3.0 tuner for NextGen TV broadcasts, however given the format’s sluggish rollout and the prevalence of FAST TV, chances are you’ll by no means use it. Connections embody: Hey Google, activate my TV Ty Pendlebury/CNETIt’s not flashy, however Hisense’s Google TV interface is however glorious for serving to you drill into the content material you watch essentially the most. A Google TV-based… er… TV additionally integrates very properly into an Android-owning or Google sensible house, and you’ll ask for reveals or see your door cam from the sofa. The Hisense distant has a built-in mic with a button, which communicates with Google. If you need to management the TV hands-free, you possibly can flip hands-free on through the TV menu or add a separate Nest mini or different Google Assistant/Gemini speaker.However, like most variations of Google TV, Hisense’s interface will be fairly busy, and it is largely resistant to customization; the one house display screen merchandise you possibly can actually change is the order of the apps within the shortcut bar. The content material suggestions, of which there are numerous, keep beneath Google’s management. For my very own assessments, I used apps together with Netflix and Fandango At Home and located that whereas it might not have been as speedy to load as a Google TV Streamer, you do not actually need an add-on system. Although the Hisense does provide a less complicated, apps-only mode, identical to different gadgets, together with the TCL and the Streamer, it’s fairly restrictive. The interface appears to be like tremendous easy, with a major carousel picture and rows of apps, however search is weirdly disabled. Hisense U8QG vs. TCL QM8K vs. LG C5 vs. TCL QM851Image high quality in contrast TV and flicks In my testing, together with a raft of measurements, it rapidly turned clear that the Hisense U8QG is a better-performing TV than the one it replaces, and its much-higher brightness is just the beginning of its enhancements. The caveat is that I did not watch the 2 Hisense fashions collectively, however I’ve in contrast each fashions’ image high quality with the older TCL QM851. Starting with the post-apocalyptic motion traditional Mad Max: Fury Road, I discovered that it was a detailed race between the QM8K and the Hisense U8Q. The purple desert sands and stark-blue night time skies regarded greatest on the Hisense with loads of saturated colours. Meanwhile, the QM8K had a bit of extra distinction than the Hisense, but it surely was the LG C5 that got here up quick with muted highlights in comparison with the LED TVs. Next, considered one of my favourite assessments for shadow element comes via watching the horror film It. At the beginning of the film, Georgie stands on the high of the basement stairs and appears down into the murk beneath. The Hisense positioned equal second with the LG — each exhibited greenish shadows and rather less element than the QM8K, which had the most effective image right here. Meanwhile, the TCL QM851 had the objectively worst response with a barely overblown shadow space, which was approach too inexperienced. One barely disappointing discovering I had was that regardless that the Hisense is able to very excessive ranges of brightness, I discovered that it “crushed” some materials particularly mastered for greater brightness ranges. This was most evident with the Spears and Munsil HDR take a look at disc, which blew out white throughout a take a look at scene of horses towards a snowscape. It regarded good at 1,000 nits, however at 4,000, the white particulars have been crushed. It’s value mentioning that the LG C5 additionally crushed particulars a bit of at this brightness stage, however not as considerably — and that almost all HDR materials continues to be mastered at 1,000 nits, not at 4,000.This disc is a torture take a look at, although, and in most different scenes the Hisense did properly — particularly in the course of the excessive distinction scenes. The Hisense had little or no blooming of the objects on the black backgrounds, and it held up properly towards the OLED. As you’d anticipate, given its excessive brightness, the U8QG additionally had the brightest highlights. Ty Pendlebury/CNET Gaming I performed quite a lot of video games, from shooters to platform video games, and, like the entire TVs in my roundup, the Hisense was in a position to preserve its composure with out blurring or tearing. Where the Hisense pulled forward was in its thermonuclear ranges of brightness whereas nonetheless sustaining distinction, which made video games merely burst with life. The Hisense was additionally a bit of faster than final yr’s. The TCL QM8K is not the quickest TV with regards to displaying video games, as my Leo Bodnar assessments urged, besides, its Game Mode is just about 4ms behind the quickest TVs. In the true world, this is not noticeable, however extra obvious was that this mode wasn’t as color-saturated because the LG C5 I examined it towards. Bright lighting and off-axis I watched the Hisense in a lit room and located that it had respectable distinction in a lit room, and it was additionally in a position to reject a good quantity of ambient mild. I subsequent shone my telephone’s flashlight immediately on the display screen from my seating place to simulate the results of obtrusive mild sources comparable to overhead lamps. The LG C5 is probably not nearly as good at killing reflections because the high-end Samsung S95F or Frame TVs, but it surely was the most effective of the bunch right here. It was adopted by the Hisense, which confirmed a bit of extra of a “starburst” impact in reflections. The two TCL QM8s tied for final when it comes to having essentially the most reflectivity. This yr’s TCL QM8K options halo management, which is meant to enhance each blooming and off-axis colour shift. Yet even with this expertise at hand, I noticed the QM8K as solely marginally better-looking than the Hisense when seen off-axis. In each instances, colours nonetheless rapidly turned to gray if I wasn’t sitting dead-on to the display screen. The LG OLED was a lot better at retaining colours off-axis. Settings and film mode notes While measurements can solely let you know a lot a few TV’s efficiency, and direct comparisons between fashions are simply as beneficial, the Hisense did put in present for the Konica Minolta meter. It was “Good” all throughout the board for its colour, distinction, and brightness. On paper, this factor is a magnificence. It’s value noting that the primary change from final yr was flipping the two.4 gamma to 2.20 gamma, which interprets to raised shadow element. Check out how we take a look at TVs for extra particulars on our TV testing methodology.Portrait Displays Calman calibration software program was used on this evaluate. Hisense U8QG take a look at measurements Test ResultScoreBlack luminance (0%) 0.000GoodPeak white luminance (SDR) 4107GoodAvg. gamma (10-100%) 2.29GoodAvg. grayscale error (10-100%) 2.03GoodDarkish grey error (30%) 2.06GoodBright grey error (80%) 2.20GoodAvg. colour checker error 2.10GoodAvg. saturation sweeps error 1.97GoodAvg. colour error 1.93Good1080p/24 Cadence (IAL) GoGoodInput lag (Game mode) 10.80Good HDR10 Black luminance (0%) 0.000GoodPeak white luminance (10% win) 4080GoodGamut % UHDA/P3 (CIE 1976) 97.50GoodColorMatch HDR error 2.65GoodAvg. colour checker error 1.88GoodInput lag (Game mode, 4K HDR) 13.27Good Portrait Displays Calman calibration software program was used on this evaluate. Read extra: How We Test TVs