PRICE $2,199.99
AT A GLANCE
Plus
Over 3,000 nits peak HDR brightness
Fast 165Hz advanced gaming rate
Premium level color accuracy
Wide viewing angles
Competitive price
Built-in NextGen TV tuner
Minus
Inaccurate out-of-box HDR levels
Observable haloing in motion targets
Slight screen reflection
Only 3 HDMI inputs
Hollow, boxy on-board sound with occasional distortion
THE VERDICT
The Hisense 65U8QG is a highly bright 4K quantum dot mini-LED TV that produces an excellent all-around picture for both movies and live video and a nice package of features to please advanced gamers and novices alike. It can also be found at a good value price for a premium television of this caliber around the holidays.
The only issues we observed were some on-screen reflections in lit viewing room conditions and slight diminishment of colors and contrast viewing at very wide angles. As is usual for an LCD-based display, some haloing around bright objects on dark backgrounds was also present on the set’s bright VA-type LCD screen, but this was less noticeable than on many competitive Mini-LED LCD TVs in this class.
The on-board sound is a bit thin, but as we discovered, this can be nicely remedied with an optional add-on soundbar or Hisense HT Saturn wireless surround sound speaker package (See our separate review on this combination).
The Hisense 65U8QG comes loaded with the latest advanced features and is claimed to produce up to 5,000 nits of peak brightness when pushed. We measured the set at over 3,000 nits of peak brightness from a 10% D65 window. More typically, we found brightness surpassing 2,000 nits with the set calibrated in Film Maker Mode for movie viewing.
For the price Hisense is asking for this step-up TV model, we found this to make for an excellent value. At the time of writing, the 65-inch model, which carries a $2,199.99 suggested retail, was being promoted for a highly competitive $1,080, making this a recommended buy. Other models in series are available at 55- ($1,499.99 MSRP), 75- ($2,499.99), 85- ($3,499.99) and 100-inches ($6,999.99).
HDR Performance
The Hisense 65U8QG once again demonstrates the company’s commitment to producing Mini-LED QLED TVs with very bright images, excellent wide color reproduction and advanced gaming capabilities.
Hisense continues to equip the set with the full complement of supported HDR profiles including: Dolby Vision, Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10, HDR10+, Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) and Dolby Vision Gaming, the latter for use primarily with advanced gaming PCs.
Our test readings were taken on a Hisense supplied review sample using the AutoCal system that is now available in this set for Portrait Display’s Calman professional display calibration software. We calibrated and tested for both BT-709 standard definition and BT-2020/P3 HDR content using a Spectracal C6-HDR colorimeter and a Murideo SIX-G test pattern generator.
The new AutoCal implementation was quick and painless and produced reasonably accurate images, although a professional calibration could improve on this.
Our tests revealed a calibrated peak HDR peak brightness level surpassing 3,000 nits when the set was pushed to its brightest levels.
With the picture mode set to “Film Maker Mode,” we measured a 10% D65 white window pattern with 2,096 nits of peak HDR brightness. As we would expect, the black level brightness measured zero with the set producing rich deep black from center screen.
But some fine shadow detail crushing was observed in dark scene images, like the stars in the backdrop of Mars from the opening deep-space title sequence in the Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc version of The Martian. Additionally, as is the case with most backlit displays, this mini-LED model produced some observable blooming around stars in the Star Field test pattern in the Spears & Munsil UHD HDR Benchmark Ultra HD Blu-ray test disc.
When we measured HDR brightness across multiple window patterns the brightness peaked at a 10% pattern and quickly ramped down as the window frame expanded to 100% full screen. On top of this, the QLED color enhancement film in the LCD panel stack enabled coverage of more than 97% of the DCI-D3 wide color gamut. Together with above average contrast from wide viewing angles, these are excellent scores for a premium LCD TV of this price.
As with other mini-LED backlit televisions, the panel uses thousands of tiny LEDs arranged in a matrix of approximately 2048 local dimming zones. This level of density allows shutting off light to individual areas of the screen to achieve OLED like inky black levels, but we still observed more haloing in dark scenes than the self-emissive lighting panel technology.
Hisense drives this mini-LED panel with its ULED processing system powered by a Hi-View AI Engine Pro chip and MediaTek 800 series Pentonic SoC. Together, these deliver very good image clarity, high color volume, natural-appearing saturation levels, high refresh rates and minimized flickering artifacts.
At its brightest sequence, the Spears & Munsil HDR10 moving starfield test pattern showed some noticeable blooming around star clusters. To evaluate peak brightness, we measured the HDR luminance of D65 white window patterns ranging from 1% to 100% of the screen within a solid black background.
We used Film Maker Mode for the picture mode setting to generate the most accurate levels for color temperature and gamma when viewing film-based material. Film Maker Mode also disables many of the picture noise reduction and motion processing systems in the set to present the film-like natural look preferred by most content creators.
A view in Portrait Display’s Calman calibration software of the 65U8QG pre-calibrated HDR10 grayscale showing raised EOTF brightness measured in Portrait Display’s HDR10 evaluation workflow, below is HDR10 post Calman AutoCal calibration, showing EOTF tracking that is much improved.
Uncalibrated out-of-the-box settings showed the set’s EOTF tracking of HDR10 was significantly higher than the brightness curve, meaning some HDR specular highlights will appear brighter than the content producer intended. This is nicely resolved after calibration with Calman Autocal, however.
Unless you have the proper testing gear, we strongly recommend anyone buying this set to have a professional calibration performed by an Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) trained calibrator for best results at home.
When viewing the standard HD Blu-ray Disc version of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, Chapter 12, we found the night scene containing the faint swirling mist around the amassing evil wizard army was well presented by the set’s Full Array Local Dimming (FALD) system. Despite some shadow detail crushing, we were able to detect the faint gray mist, that can sometimes appear as an amorphous black blob on weaker sets.
The Hisense 65U8QG produced excellently bright specular highlights from the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray version of The Revenant. Here, the campfires in the dim forest scenes were nicely bright, and detailed with warm orange flames that appeared to nearly leap out from the dim, wooded background.
The colorful opening credit scene of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 sparkled in with flashes of bright neon-like colors in the Ultra HD Blu-ray edition.
Color
The pre-calibrated Hisense 65U8QG showed good coverage of the P3 wide color gamut recommendation, exceeding 97% in the Portrait Displays Calman HDR evaluation workflow.
The 65U8QG’s ability to present rich natural color was excellent for both SDR and HDR content. The 65U8QG (pre-calibrated) measured an excellent 97.07% of 1931 xy and 97.63% of the 1976 uv of the DCI-P3 recommended wide color gamut, only slightly missing the magenta and red targets.
According to the multi-industry Ultra HD Alliance, a reading of 90% and above is considered “Premium” Ultra HDTV level for an LCD-based television. In real-world HDR content, the color in the reef fish sequences from the BBC’s Blue Planet II Ultra HD disc dazzled us with splashes of brilliant shafts of sunlight penetrating the shallow depths to seemingly spotlight the rainbow hues of the aquatic life below.
Color accuracy was similarly excellent for SDR, with only a slight adjustment for 2 point white balance needed to dial in a D65 white level. Post-calibration color balance was also close to spot on for SDR BT-706, with average Delta E color errors well below 3, where issues begin to be discernible to the unaided eye.
In real-world content, colors from the Full HD 1080p Blu-ray Disc of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, appeared rich, crisp and lifelike in both sunlit and dark shadowed scenes from the upscaled resolution. We noticed only slight amount of low-light noise artifacts from the low-light shooting conditions.
Features
When it comes to the latest features, the Hisense 65U8QG 4K mini-LED LCD TV offers a lot. For advanced gamers, the U8QG series includes a fast 165Hz native refresh rate with relatively low input lag and a newly added USB-C input, providing DisplayPort support for an alternative means to HDMI when connecting a gaming PC. This allows the television’s motion interpolation system to be engaged during game play.
Other gaming features include: Dolby Vision Gaming, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and ALLM. Movie lovers will find excellent results from Film Maker Picture Mode and IMAX Enhanced Picture Mode and certification. Sound is supported with both Dolby Atmos, and DTS Virtual X surround.
Fan of high dynamic range (HDR) movies will find support for Dolby Vision, Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10, HDR10+ and Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG), the latter used for some new over-the-air broadcasts.
For color added brightness and vibrancy, the panel uses Quantum Dot (QLED) Color Enhancement Film. The set is also capable of tuning over-the-air ATSC 1.0 and NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0) broadcasts when connected to an optional antenna. This is important because broadcasters supporting the later system starting to ramp up delivery of 1080p and/or 4K UHD content with various profiles of HDR support.
Design
The Hisense 65U8QG.
The TV features a cosmetic design that was very attractive for a mini-LED television. This look is characterized by a black thin-bezel (approx. .36 inch) border frame around three sides of the screen, with a slightly larger 0.75-inch bezel chin. The frame is gun-metal gray, which blends in nicely with the on-screen image. Total panel depth measures 1.75 inches deep.
The set comes with a hefty metal center-mounted stand that allows reasonably stable placement on most flat table-top surfaces regardless of the furniture width. The stand can be adjusted for one of two height positions, with the tallest (about 3.75 inches) position allowing ample clearance for most soundbars without blocking any portion of the picture.
The lower position provides a 2.17-inches of clearance for those wishing to reduce the visible gap when a soundbar isn’t being used. The stand footprint measures 15.75 x 11.42 inches. Those who opt for the 100-inch model will find a double-footed stand design for greater stability with the larger screen. The television can be wall mounted relatively snuggly using a VESA standard bracket.
The panel is equipped with built-in far-field mics to pick up spoken commands for the Google Assistant system.
Remote
The Hisense 65U8QG backlit remote
To navigate the Google TV smart on-screen interface, Hisense provides a familiar looking candy-bar-shaped remote in metallic gray with the main buttons backlit for easier use in the dark. The controller supports both IR and Bluetooth connections, for added convenience, and the unit presents a well-balanced feel in the hand.
Hisense has positioned six quick-select buttons for some of the most popular streaming apps right at the top of the control, just below the power and input buttons. Users will have fast access to Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, Disney+, Tubi and a programmable button for a user-favored service.
Below this are a mic-activation button, settings button and a circular chrome navigation pad. Volume, channel and play/pause menu controls are just below these.
Inputs
Hisense 65U8QG input panel.
Movie lovers and gamers alike will find a good selection of port options to help stay connected with the latest external audio/video sources and gaming systems. This includes: three HDMI ports (two 4K/165Hz inputs and another with eARC support); two full-size USB ports (2.0 + 3.0) and a new USB-C input placed on the left side of the panel.
This input allows an additional connection with a gaming PC that enables use with motion interpolation for smoother action albeit at the sacrifice of 1080p @ 288Hz and VRR support. Other inputs include a 3.5mm composite video input, a stereo audio output (headphone) jack; an optical audio output; an Ethernet port; and an antenna/cable input. These are all arranged for side access on the left side of the rear of the TV panel.
Smart TV
In North America, Hisense continues to support its premium TV offerings with the latest flavor of the Google TV user interface. The third-party software platform is rapidly gaining market share momentum around the world and has significantly improved its functionality, speed and appearance.
As in the past, Google TV (running atop the Android TV OS) has most of the popular streaming services covered and further provides access to Google Cast to stream additional content through Android or Android-compatible mobile and Chrome devices.
Users can also control various features of the TV as well as various smart home devices via spoken commands using Google Assistant. This can be accessed via selectable far-field microphones built into the TV or via the push-button controlled mic at the top of the supplied remote.
Gaming
The Hisense 65U8QG offers a nice selection of advanced gaming features and capabilities for use with external game consoles, gaming PCs and streamed gaming apps. The set’s three HDMI 2.1 inputs all support up to a very fast 165Hz refresh rate when used with supported advanced PC games.
We measured input lag in a Full HD 1080p/60Hz signal of a fast 12 ms in Game Mode. Other gaming features in the set include support for variable refresh rate (VRR), AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, Dolby Vision Gaming, Game Bar 288Hz, and Game Mode Ultra.
Audio for Video
The Hisense 65U8QG features a 72-Watt 4.1.2-channel speaker array including a built-in 20-Watt subwoofer, which delivers relatively deep bass for many built-in TV sound systems. But the thin cabinet design of the television requires a reduced driver depth, which can produce some distortion at peak loudness points in soundtracks.
The overall sound tends to be slightly boxy and hollow in tone. Hisense supports this with built-in Dolby Atmos and DTS:X multi-dimensional surround sound decoding that help expand the sound stage, but most people who purchase a premium level television like this will likely prefer adding an external Dolby Atmos soundbar or multi-channel home theater speaker system that can better match the excellent picture quality with more compelling spatial surround sound.
We were impressed with the experience presented by the set paired with Hisense’s new HT Saturn Wireless Home Theater System, that can be added for under $1,000 extra. See our related review.
In Conclusion
The Hisense 65U8QG is a nicely bright 4K HDR television when viewing the majority of movies, broadcasts and streamed programming available today. In fact, in some SDR content the brightness can appear a little too high in balance against the darker portions of the image.
However, this can be dialed back to less eye-squinting levels in the settings. The set is being offered at promotional prices that provide a real bargain for a 65-inch 4K QLED mini-LED TV that can present images as natural-looking as this.
Hisense positions the 65U8QG against TCL’s very comparable 65QM8K 4K Mini-LED, which at the time of writing was being promoted for $1,297 while Samsung’s excellent 65QN90D was selling for $1,498. You can use the money saved on a good surround sound system like the Hisense HT Saturn. We think the combination is a powerful package.
Hisense HT Saturn 720W 4.1.2 wireless Dolby Atmos Speaker System
Performance: 4 Stars
Build Quality: 4 Stars
Ergonomics: 4 Stars
Value: 4 Stars
Good for owners of compatible Hisense TVs which can integrate the system sound with the TV’s built-in speakers.
The audio system’s remote control can be difficult to use alone, but a compatible Hisense TV remote makes the processes easier.
To improve and expand the Dolby Atmos surround experience coming from large televisions like its step-up series 65U8QG TV, Hisense recently introduced its HT Saturn 720W 4.1.2 wireless Dolby Atmos home theater system, that was retailing for a very reasonable $999.95 at the time of writing.
This package, which is similar in concept to Sony’s Bravia Quad system plus an included dedicated subwoofer, includes four wirelessly connected compact speakers, a wirelessly connected subwoofer and a connection/control hub with Bluetooth transmitter. The bundle presented clean, clear dialog and sound with punchy bass that significantly widened the sound stage from the television’s speakers.
However, any added dimensionality from overhead Dolby Atmos effects were not as developed as we’ve heard in more elaborate (and expensive) Dolby Atmos home theater system and soundbar packages. When connected to certain Hisense TVs measuring 80-inches and larger, the external sound system can be combined with the output of the TV’s built-in speakers to produce a center channel output, as is the case with Samsung’s Q-Symphony soundbars and Sony’s Center Sync components.
But this was not available on the 65-inch U8QG model used in this review. The HT Saturn system doesn’t offer a dedicated center channel speaker of its own, but “Hi-Concerto” room EQ system available by pairing compatible Hisense TVs with the HT Saturn speakers manages to balance the overall mix through the right and left front and rear channel speakers to present a convincing center channel effect.
The sound is further filled out with deep bass tones from the subwoofer that adds respectably punchy bass without any noticeable distortion. We were pleasantly surprised by how well the HT Saturn’s mid-range was presented for both music and theatrical content.
The tonality made for clear, well-defined vocals. After performing an auto room calibration using the internal EQ system, we found dialog and prominent sound effects to be easily understandable and well presented to the room sweet spot. The system uses a mic built into the TV remote to take sound readings and make balance adjustments.
However, shifting the listening position too close to any particular speaker in the setup after calibration dramatically altered the directionality, making most of the sound appear to be coming from the speaker closest to the listener. The channel output balance is all adjusted automatically through an automated room EQ system which can be accessed through the television’s sound settings menu.
This uses the mic built into the TV’s remote to collect sound from the room before adjusting it with AI to the room tonal dynamics. The size of the listening sweet spot will change with the separation distance of each speaker.
Overall, we found the experience immersive and engaging for movie viewing (particularly with Dolby Atmos soundtracks). Listening to well-produced music tracks was also pleasing for most pop and rock songs, but certain selections can be a touch harsh in high ranges.
Listening to the new multi-channel Blu-ray mix from Jimi Hendrix’s Limited Edition Axis: Bold as Love offered brilliant channel separation and clarity as did the 5.1-channel DVD-Audio mix of King Crimson’s In the Court of the Crimson King. The central transmitter hub for the HT Saturn system offers an HDMI cable to accept disc player input for added flexibility when using external sources.
The relatively small wireless speakers delivered an impactfully engaging experience, although the depth of tone was somewhat shallow compared to listening to reference 3-way tower speakers, as we would expect. When listening to Dolby Atmos movie sound tracks from and Dolby sampler material, the surround sound effects were engaging with punchy dynamics, a nice open sound stage and clear, understandable dialog.
Overhead sound effects from ceiling reflection weren’t evident. The key benefit of the HT Saturn system is that it allows greater flexibility in adding true multi-channel audio in rooms where a more traditional soundbar placements might be difficult or unsightly.
The speaker package offers a more-or-less seamless surround sound experience for movies and TV but it’s most valuable when paired with a compatible Hisense TV, like the 65U8QG reviewed here, to take advantage of the TV’s built-in room EQ system and setup.
For movie viewing the TV and sound system combination delivers an audio experience that can be powerful and immersive, with enveloping surround sound effects. We found the experience to be particularly good when listening to Dolby Atmos enabled theatrical content. Music, especially selections encoded for multi-channel surround, can be quite engaging and immersive as well.
But for a compact turnkey experience for sound and vision this is a nice solution and reasonably good value. Just keep in mind that each of the wireless speakers and subwoofer in the HT Saturn package must be plugged into its own power source. So while the clutter of the source tethers is eliminated, the power cords will still have to be managed.
Overall, we found this combination of the Hisense 65U8QG and the Hisense HT Saturn Home Theater Sound System to be a recommended combination for immersive entertainment and value in 2025.
