Blinded by science!
Every year the gap between the high-end TV sets and the more reasonably priced ones becomes smaller and smaller. It has gotten to the point where for most people, picking up a Hisense or TCL unit is actually preferred, myself included. Earlier this year I checked out Hisense’s U7QG model and was extremely impressed. It was on the same level as last year’s high-end U8 model, and in some ways even better, so I was extremely excited to see how this year’s U8 turned out. Now that I have spent ample time with it, I can safely say that the U8QG is one of the best sets to pick up this year, especially at a time when discounts are abundant due to the holidays.
First, let’s talk about the design. Unlike the U7, this model has a brand-new style that sets it apart. The TV is thicker than most other sets I have reviewed. This is due to the fact that it has speakers on each side as well as up-firing speakers on top of the TV. The build quality is great though and it feels like a premium set. There are two subwoofers on the back of the set and the stand is a center-mounted design, which is becoming common for Hisense. I prefer this as it gives it a more elegant design and still leaves room for a soundbar.
MSRP: $1499.00 (currently on sale for under $1k)
Price I’d Pay: $1499.00
The TV controls are on the bottom middle and once again features one button and a mute, nothing fancy. The HDMI inputs are on the left side if facing from the front with the power being on the right. This model has three 2.1 HDMI ports, which is awesome, but one of them is for eArc and not having that fourth input is a huge downside for me. I maximize my inputs and even have splitters for all my devices, so one less was disappointing. They did replace it with a USB-C display port for PC gaming, but I don’t use my TV for PC gaming, so I didn’t use that input. Even with that input though, it is limited as it does not support 288Hz or VRR, limiting it for PC gamers as well. I wish they had just added a fourth HDMI 2.1 port like on the U7.
The HDMI ports all support up to 48Gbps, which is awesome. There is also an ATSC 3.0 tuner for over-the-air 4K where supported. The rest is pretty standard with two USB ports, one audio out, one composite, and one digital optical port. There is also an ethernet port for internet, but it of course supports WiFi. The TV supports all the audio formats including Dolby Atmos and allows for passthrough, not much has changed as far as the audio goes. The TV itself sounds better than most other sets I have checked out, but I still recommend a soundbar, as is tradition. You can get by with how good this sounds, but even a cheap soundbar will still sound better.
The remote remains the same one we have had for the past few years. This is my favorite remote; I love the brush metal design and of course being backlit is always a plus. It has all the buttons you could ever need including a selection of streaming services as well as one custom button that can be assigned to almost anything. If I had one gripe about this remote, it would be its size. I would like it to be a little shorter in length, otherwise it is easily my favorite remote design.
Like most Hisense TVs, the U8QG is powered by Google TV. This is version 14 and it should feel familiar for anyone that has used the system in the past. Google TV remains the best backend system by far. It is snappy and has everything you could ever want or need. All the apps are here as well as live TV options. I really like Google TV and wish all TVs used this system.
Alright, let’s talk about picture quality. The U8QG is bright…very bright. This is by far one of the brightest TVs I have ever used. I loved a good, bright picture, but even I had to turn this one down in SDR. It is blinding at times and makes it perfect for rooms with tons of natural light. The black levels are also some of the best I have seen for a non-OLED set. Another outstanding feature of this set is its upscaling abilities. Older content has never looked this good. The backend upscales older content and makes it feel fresh. I was watching old TV shows and movies, and this set cleans it up better than any before it.
The colors are also outstanding. They pop off the screen in both moves and gaming. The contrast really makes them stand out. If there is one area I was not a huge fan of, it was the HDR. I love the feature, but I also hate when it dims the image too much. I had that issue with the U8QG, and especially in Dolby Vision. I could just never get it as bright as I wanted without washing out the colors and raising the black levels. Most people won’t have an issue with this as they don’t like images as bright as I do.
Gaming on the U8QG is fantastic. I tested everything from retro titles to brand new games and everything in between. The response time is excellent, not quite the best I have ever seen, but near the top. The game bar remains excellent with all the options and features I could ever want. ALLM and VRR work flawlessly and I was getting great response time in my most important games such as Overwatch and Rock Band. I never missed a beat, and it supports all the features of both the Series X and PS5. I also never had to worry about burn-in, which is why I love that these Mini-LED TVs are getting near OLED levels when it comes to black levels and contrast.
If there is one gripe with gaming, the U8QG has some slow pixel transition, which means when action moves faster, it takes a while to catch up. Most people won’t notice, but when every frame matters, it can be an issue. I also am disappointed at the USB-C display port, without the features of 288Hz and VRR, I feel like it was a waste of adding a fourth HDMI input.
While this set is mostly fantastic, it has some glaring issues…literally. The reflection handling is not idea. I had a lamp in my room, and it was easily visible during regular TV viewing. The angles are also not fantastic, which is expected for most LED TVs. I didn’t have much issue with the dirty screen effect, so I must have gotten a great panel, but mileage may vary on that. Still even with these issues, the U8QG is by far one of the best options for those looking for a new Mini-LED set this year. It is easily near the top of the choices out there and gives the big boys a run for their money.
Review unit provided by Hisense.
