Hisense U8N series TV review: Solid picture quality for the price

Although we might think of the CRT as the oldest TV technology, it’s actually Liquid Crystal — LCD was discovered a full decade earlier than cathode rays in the 1880s. The display type is actually quite old — especially compared to the new OLED — but LCD continues to improve with TVs like the Hisense U8N and TCL QM8 2024 implementing the latest lighting technology, including mini-LED backlighting and quantum dot color .

In my side-by-side comparisons, the Hisense delivered excellent contrast and maintained that excellent balance between picture quality and price. It runs on the Google TV interface and thus integrates well with Google smart homes and Android phones. The rival TCL QM8 is ahead of the Hisense U8N in terms of picture quality — largely due to improved brightness from its more LED backlight — the Hisense is also more affordable. It’s also worth noting that the TCL QM8 doesn’t come in a 55-inch size.

If you’re looking to spend around $1,000 on a 65-inch TV, then the Hisense UN8 is the best I’ve tested in terms of overall performance. If you’re looking for a TV that can squeeze out an even better picture, it’s worth paying more for the TCL QM8 or LG C4 OLED.

Hisense U8N series TV sizes

I conducted hands-on testing of the picture quality of the 65-inch Hisense 65U8N, but this review also applies to other screen sizes in the series. All sizes have similar specifications and should display similar picture quality.

Hisense 55U8N (55 inches)

Hisense 65U8N (65 inches)

Hisense 75U8N (75 inches)

Hisense 85U8N (85 inch)

A design pattern

Hisense’s biggest design change since last year’s U8K is that a centralized pedestal stand replaces the awkward claw feet of the previous one. The pedestal design makes it easier to place this TV on a smaller base (and is definitely more stable if knocked over).

The screen, which features “Anti-Glare Low Reflection technology” is surrounded by a thin black and silver frame. Unlike the LG C4 with its carbon fiber back, the U8N is built from a more traditional mix of metal and plastic.

I’ve seen a number of remotes in my time, and the Hisense feels like a premium clicker should (but usually doesn’t). It is made of plastic but boasts a high-end finish. The fact that Hisense offers a remote like this on a relatively affordable TV is even more impressive.

The year of Google TV

Panasonic has opted for Fire TV in its premium offering, but if you’re buying a new Hisense, TCL or Sony TV, it will boast Google TV on board. Google TV is better than the proprietary interfaces we saw a few years ago, but I prefer the simplicity of an Apple TV (which is only available on a separate device). Not only is Hisense’s Google TV interface pretty busy, it’s largely immune to customization — the only home screen item you can really change is the order of apps in the shortcut bar. Content recommendations, of which there are many, are under Google’s control.

Accordingly, my colleague Chris Wedel looked at integrating Hisense’s similar Canvas model into a smart home, so head over there if you want to know more. The result is that if you use Google Assistant or have a Nest smart speaker, then a Hisense Google TV will integrate very well. For my tests, I used apps including Netflix and Fandango At Home, and found that while they weren’t as noisy to load as a Google TV Streamer, you don’t really need an extra device.

Although Hisense offers a simpler, apps-only mode, just like the TCL and Streamer, it’s the most restrictive of all. The interface looks very simple with a main carousel image and rows of apps, but search is surprisingly disabled.

Mini-LED and high refresh rates

The U8N LCD TV uses a mini-LED backlight and it is the small size of these LEDs that enables the TV to have thousands of local dimming zones. In areas over 2,000, the U8N has double those of the previous U8K — while the QM8 drops both to 5,000 areas. Full-band local dimming allows the display to dim and brighten different areas at the same time and this ultimately increases contrast and therefore picture quality.

The Hisense U8N has a 120Hz refresh rate, which can lead to better motion performance than 60Hz TVs. Like most TVs in its class, the U8N uses quantum dots to improve color performance. Like most non-Samsung manufacturers, Hisense supports Dolby Vision and HDR10 High Dynamic Range formats.

The audio system features a 2.1.2 configuration with five speakers, but most of these drivers face the wall or down. I didn’t test the TV’s sound quality specifically, but even a budget soundbar will likely sound better.

Like last year’s TV, the Hisense U8N includes a built-in ATSC 3.0 tuner for NextGen TV broadcasts. Given the slow rollout of the format and the prevalence of FAST TV, you may never use this feature.

Hisense U8N vs TCL QM8 vs Roku Pro: Picture quality compared

For this review, I compared three 2024 65-inch LCD TVs at different prices — the $1,100 Hisense U8N, the $1,300 TCL QM851, and the $900 Roku Pro. I watched them side-by-side with a combination of HD and 4K content, in a dark theater environment with the lights on.

TV and movies

When looking at the program material, I found that the U8N fits between the TCL QM851 and the cheaper Roku Pro, which ties in nicely with the actual price of either display. I found that the Hisense offered superior black levels and contrast to the Roku, but it wasn’t as dynamic as the TCL, though it depended on whether I was watching HD or 4K HDR material.

For example, the U8N displayed similar shadow detail to the TCL when viewing standard HD (non-HDR) material such as the opening scene of the horror film It. Young Georgia is seen wandering the basement and, in a foreshadowing of things to come, sees what looks like a pair of eyes in the dark. In HD, both TCL and Hisense render these highlights and scale shadow details in a similar way. As an experiment, I tried changing the Hisense’s Gamma 2.2, but it looked too washed out in this scene — the standard 2.4 might look dark, but it didn’t negatively affect HD performance. It was only when it crossed the stage in HDR that TCL pulled ahead and Hisense’s tendency to suppress HDR blacks became apparent.

As I noted in the TCL review, the Hisense can obscure low-level shadow detail, and this was exemplified in Oppenheimer’s launch scenes. At 1.51.26 we see the launch pad set against a pre-dawn sky, and on both Roku and TCL you can see light in the sky and a hint of mountains in the background. By “contrast” there was no visible sky on the Hisense, and a bright light in the upper third of the screen also darkened.

Whether HD or HDR, it was the TCL that caught my eye every time with bolder colors, better contrast and brighter highlights. The Hisense trailed behind thanks to its better contrast than the Roku, but the less expensive Pro TV managed to hold its own in terms of color.

Games

The jury is still out on whether variable refresh rate (VRR) is a useful thing to have on a TV or not. I say this because not everyone connects a high-end gaming PC to their TV, and not every newer gaming console supports higher refresh rates. For example, you won’t find 4K/120Hz support in Call of Duty Black Ops 6, but you will in the platformer Ori and the Will of the Wisps. However, Hisense will still support 120Hz and 144Hz and I confirmed the two respective ports as 4K/120Hz ready after connecting an Xbox. The TV automatically detected the Xbox and activated the automatic low latency mode.

In terms of gaming, either the TCL or the Roku would be better because of the better shadow detail with HDR – like you’d use when connecting a PS5 or Xbox. If you can’t see an enemy hiding in a corner, it can put you at a huge disadvantage.

Bright lighting

It may not have as many dimming zones as the TCL, and perhaps uses fewer LEDs as a result, but the Hisense was still capable of some scorching brightness. This meant that the TV was capable of significant levels of contrast in a well-lit room. I could still see myself reflected on the TV despite the TV’s Low Reflection coating, but during most scenes, it wasn’t distracting. The Samsung S95D remains the high watermark for mitigating reflections in a bright room, but it’s also much more expensive.

Light production in the lumen

TV	Brightest mode (HDR)	Correct Mode (HDR)	Brightest Mode (SDR)	Precision Mode (SDR)
TCL QM851	3,183	3,183	3084.00	1262
Hisense U8N	3175	3175	3,168	1,112
LG C4	1213	968	414	390
Samsung S90D	1218	1201	505	182
LG G4	1799	1420	792	792
Samsung S95D	1734	1666	544	265
LG OLED65G3	1,378	1,378	725	724
Samsung QN65S95C	1,348	1,326	238	648
LG OLED65C3	861	817	501	464

Picture mode settings and notes

Of the three TVs I compared, the Hisense had the most accurate test results when measured with our Konica Minolta meter. I believe this contributed to the TV’s excellent display of HD material. The only readings less than Good were for black levels and gamma. You can adjust the black levels for HD content by going to picture > brightness > Range > 2.2but I found that it washed out the picture too much.

When it came to SDR material, it was the Filmmaker that the TV performed best with and led to the readings above. Meanwhile, I couldn’t find a fully adequate HDR mode — none of them were able to lighten the pre-dawn sky in Oppenheimer, for example — while the Imax mode was the best.

Geek Box

Test	The result	The result
Black Glow (0%)	0.052	Average
Maximum white brightness (SDR)	3168	Good
Average Gamma (10-100%)	2.41	Poor
Average grayscale error (10-100%)	1.90	Good
Dark gray error (30%)	1.33	Good
Light gray error (80%)	2.84	Good
Average color control error	2.02	Good
Average saturation erases error	1.56	Good
Average color error	2.22	Good
Cadence 1080p/24 (IAL)	Go through	Good
Input lag (game mode)	13.97	Good
HDR10
Black Glow (0%)	0.021	Good
Max White Brightness (10% win)	3175	Good
Gamut % UHDA/P3 (CIE 1976)	97.06	Good
ColorMatch HDR error	2.29	Good
Average color control error	1.43	Good
Input Lag (Game Mode, 4K HDR)	13.67	Good

See How We Test TVs for more details on the Geek Box and our TV testing methodology.

Calman Displays Portrait calibration software was used in this review.