07 Nov
Blog

Hisense U7G 4K HDR TV Review: Confidently Click Buy Now

Hisense U7G television shows a picture of breakfast items.

Hisense U7G 4K HDR TV

RRP $ 900.00

"At under $ 1,000, the Hisense U7G is an unmistakable value."

advantages

  • Impressive brightness

  • Solid black levels

  • Excellent backlight control

  • Great to play with

  • Easy adjustment

disadvantage

  • Bad off-angle performance

  • Potentially dirty screen effect

My pick for the best TV under $ 1,000 for the past few years went to a TCL TV, but this year Hisense is at least a co-owner of that coveted spot with its U7G 4K ULED TV. At well under $ 1,000, this TV exceeds my expectations almost every step of the way – through the lens of a very picky TV enthusiast (me).

For most people, the U7G is absolutely a breeze. Here's why.

Out of the box

Hisense U7G TV remote control in hand.Riley Young / Digital Trends

Over my 29 years in consumer electronics, I have preached that heavy equipment is premium equipment. Of course, that notion has its limits – you don't want 25-pound headphones. But by and large, the best devices in each category have a certain weight, because even in the digital age, quality components tend to weigh more than cheap components.

This would mean that the Hisense U7G would not qualify as a premium television. It's amazingly easy. So much so that I had serious concerns about its overall build quality and its potential to impress me with its performance. But since I was able to move the U7G from place to place very easily in my test lab, I've found this TV to be well built and should stand the test of time.

Close up of The Hisense U7G TV stand.Riley Young / Digital Trends

As a bonus, the U7G is very easy to assemble and mount on the wall. Stand-alone installation requires just a few feet, and for those using a media center or sideboard, the footprint of the U7G is 47.75 "wide by 10.5" deep.

The box with the TV contains the feet, screws for the feet, a Google Voice remote, batteries for the remote, and some paper-printed product literature that you probably don't need.

Details on the U7G series

While we tested the 65-inch model 65U7G, our test also applies to the other screen sizes available in the series.

Screen size Model no RRP
55 inches

55U7G

 $ 700
65 inches 65U7G $ 900
75 in 75U7G $ 1,200

Put up

Hisense U7G TV with a picture of a chocolate ice cream bar on the screen.Riley Young / Digital Trends

One of the things I like the most about Hisense TVs is their ease of setup – especially when it comes to having the right picture mode presets for all of the different inputs and streaming apps on board.

I realize that a lot of people buy a TV, plug it in, turn it on, endure the necessary setup wizard, and then start watching TV right away without ever touching the picture settings. That's a shame. To get the best picture out of any TV – and the Hisense U7G in particular – it pays to take a little time to make at least a few simple adjustments.

By default, the TV is in a standard picture preset that ultimately suits your tastes, but the TV is also in a low-power mode that I strongly recommend users turn off right away. This eco setting limits the peak brightness of the TV and if you don't turn this off you will never know what your TV is really capable of.

Once the TV's eco mode is turned off, I would also suggest turning off motion smoothing. While motion smoothing is helpful for some fast-moving sports content, it makes movies and some TV shows look artificial and introduces the soap opera effect which I think is terrible. However, not everyone agrees with me. So if you like the smooth looking movement feel free to leave it on – just know, I'll never watch TV with you.

Personally, I think the pro move is to select Theater Day as the picture mode. If the color temperature seems a little warm to you or the picture doesn't seem so vivid, this is normal. Give your eyes a chance to get used to it. I think you will find that it looks a lot more authentic. Theater Day also gives you the best brightness output for SDR content without messing around with other settings.

A photo of kiwi fruit on a Hisense U7G television.Riley Young / Digital Trends

As soon as Theater Tag is selected for an HDMI input, it is also selected for the others. And if you select Theater Tag in one streaming app, that is the default for other streaming apps (again, this applies to SDR content). Most TVs don't offer this convenience, which is why I commend Hisense for making TV setup easy.

For HDR content, I recommend choosing HDR Theater and I recommend Dolby Vision Custom for Dolby Vision. Here, too, these picture modes are used across the board as soon as they are selected for an HDMI input or a streaming app.

One final note on setup: Android TV / Hisense's setup wizard will ask you lots of questions about privacy. Take a moment to read this information and choose carefully based on how well you are collecting data about your viewing habits. Also note that you can keep your ad data to yourself, but at the expense of relevant content suggestions.

Dimensions / specifications

Image of berries on a tree shown on the Hisense U7G TV.Riley Young / Digital Trends

As is common with TV reviews, I used a Spectracal C6 colorimeter profiled on an X-Rite i1Pro spectrometer along with the Calman Ultimate software to measure the out-of-the-box performance of the U7G before making detailed adjustments. Since few people will pay to have such a TV calibrated, I think these numbers are the most valuable.

I checked the peak luminance performance for SDR on Theater Night (283 nits) and Theater Day (566 nits). Theater Day looks just bright enough to provide a good-looking picture in a room with moderate natural light. This isn't overwhelming brightness, but it is definitely above average for televisions priced below $ 1,000. The backlight setting can be increased to increase the brightness in brighter rooms, but the black levels take a beating and look a bit greyish.

For the HDR theater mode, I got between 930 and 950 nits depending on how long I tested the peak brightness. I think almost 1,000 cd / m² in HDR is a good figure for a television in this price range. That's definitely bright enough to make HDR look like HDR, and that's again above average for a TV in this price range.

Interestingly, I found that the HDR standard mode didn't get any brighter than HDR Theater. This is atypical and another reason for me to recommend the HDR theater setting.

I also checked the U7G's 2 point grayscale performance and found it to be flawless. And I don't mean just for Hisense, I mean the grayscale was on Sony A80J accuracy levels. I expected this would result in excellent color accuracy, but oddly enough it didn't.

Normally, accurate grayscale means that the colors are tracking well, but technically the television has chromatic aberrations that go into the visible spectrum. However, they're not so significant that I think most viewers would notice.

Given that the TV is so cheap, a videophile on a budget might do well to buy the U7G and have the color calibrated by a professional. For the modest total cost of ownership increase, I think returning it to the right person might be worth it. However, most people will be happy with the color if they're not downright impressed.

Backlight and black levels

A photo of kiwi fruit on a Hisense U7G television.Riley Young / Digital Trends

I am very impressed with the backlight performance of the Hisense U7G. I have observed little to no blacks (where dark grays / shadow details are represented as black). There was also surprisingly little blooming and halo around light objects on dark backgrounds, which is impressive considering how bright the TV can get.

I have a new favorite piece of content to check black levels, shadow detail, blooming and halo effects all at once: Night on Earth, which is available on Netflix. I watch the show with the subtitles on and quickly learn everything I need to know about backlight controls and the black level performance of a television.

The great thing about this Netflix nature documentary series is that it is shot almost entirely at night – hence the title. They use special cameras and technology to take night pictures – action in nature that has never been seen before. The show is extremely gloomy on average, except where it isn't, which makes for a hell of a torture test, and I can tell you the U7G passed the test with ease.

Close-up of the edges of the Hisense U7G TV stand.Riley Young / Digital Trends

I've seen almost no noticeable blooming from the edges of the TV or halos around bright objects, the best test of which is the closed captions, which are bright white on an almost pitch black background. It's rare that I don't get distracted by a backlight system while watching dark content, but the U7G just got me to enjoy the content – that's a great endorsement.

HDR highlights were exactly what I expected / wanted for a TV in this price range. I think the U7G is a bit high on the brightness curve in terms of accuracy, but it's fun. The U7G reminds me of some Samsung TVs in this regard, but with better blacks for the price. HDR had pop and I enjoyed it.

Movement and processing

The movement performance was good – overall in the middle range. I saw a bit of stuttering and flickering when panning vertically, but that wasn't a consistent problem. Movement problems didn't occur often enough to upset me, which means most people will be very happy with this TV presentation.

Upscaling and processing were generally just fine. The U7G doesn't clean sound as well as a Sony TV, for example, but neither does most TVs. In particular, I noticed a bit of color streaking on low bit depth content from streaming services. The U7G isn't going to make Bob Ross look like a 4K studio master on PBS, but it's good for the type of content most people will be watching today. For the price, I couldn't ask for anything better. You'd have to pay MUCH more to get better build quality so I'm giving it back to Hisense to strike a good balance.

Games

Car video game played on the Hisense U7G TV.Riley Young / Digital Trends

According to the Xbox Series X 4K TV details, the Hisense U7G supports almost every gaming parameter available, including variable refresh rate. I wasn't expecting VRR on this TV, but when I enabled it on the Xbox Series X, I got no argument. What a pleasant surprise! I was only able to verify HDMI VRR and FreeSync support for the U7G – the jury has yet to be on G-Sync for PC gamers.

The U7G will be great for gamers. The input lag is super low (less than 15 milliseconds for 4K and about 7 ms for 1080p and VRR) and the HDR images are fantastic. There is great shadow detail and very little motion blur. All the essentials for a great gaming TV are in place.

Bonus material

The Hisense U7G is an Android TV with Google Assistant support and support for Google smart home devices. It's not as fancy a platform as Google TV, and the U7G has no hope of upgrading to Google TV in the future, but Android TV is a solid platform that will work well for years to come.

Our opinion

The U7G is currently the best TV you can buy for under $ 1,000. This honor was once shared with the TCL R645, however, supply chain issues have raised the price of the TV, leaving the U7G with that title for now. I also have to call the U7G the best TV for enthusiasts who don't have a big budget. This TV proves that you have great picture quality and you can't spend a small fortune.

Is there a better alternative?

At the price, no. The U7G offers unique value in 2021. However, the Hisense U8G only offers slightly higher performance (brightness) for $ 100 to $ 200 more.

How long it will take?

The Hisense U7G is positioned in terms of performance and features to perform well for several years. Hisense provides a one-year parts and labor warranty on its televisions provided they are used in a non-commercial environment.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. The U7G is a great television. The low price makes it a headless buy.

Editor's recommendations



03 Nov
Blog

Hisense U9DG Dual-cell 4K HDR TV Review

Tree image on the Hisense U9DG TV.

Hisense U9DG dual Dell 4K HDR TVs

RRP $ 3,500.00

advantages

  • Excellent backlight control

  • Brighter than OLED

  • Easy adjustment

disadvantage

  • Not as black as OLED

  • Not as bright as other LED / LCD TVs

  • Expensive

I have been looking forward to Hisense introducing its dual cell TV technology to the US market for more than three years. Now that the time has finally come, I find myself more thoughtful than exuberant.

To be clear, the Hisense U9DG is a very impressive television. I just think that this particular TV – and the technology behind it in particular – is likely to have a pretty small audience.

Is it the Right TV for You? Let's find out.

Out of the box

The Hisense U9DG TV remote control.

Riley Young / Digital Trends

Close-up on the display of the Hisense U9DG.

Riley Young / Digital Trends

HDMI ports on Hisense U9DG TV.

Riley Young / Digital Trends

Hisense does product packaging better than most TV brands. When you order your TV online and have it shipped to you, you know that Hisense TVs are well packaged for the trip and will likely arrive in good condition no matter how many hits the box seems to have on the way.

The U9DG dual-cell television (for strangers, I'll explain the dual-cell technology in a moment) looks similar to other Hisense televisions in that it has decorative bezels on the top and sides, with a shiny chrome strip along the bottom. The U9DG differs slightly in that its silver stripe is much thicker than the U8G or U7G TV, for example, as it houses a front-facing speaker system. It's a look that you will either love or hate. But in the end, the person who needs or wants this TV will likely be willing to put up with the aesthetics anyway.

Riley Young / Digital Trends

The U9DG comes with what I refer to as "Dumbo-Ear" stand mount feet. They are large, so they add up to a large footprint and can only be mounted in one place under the TV. So those who will mount a stand will need to have 56 inches wide and 16.75 inches deep on a media stand.

In all fairness, wall mounting this TV seems like the best way to go.

What is dual cell?

Pineapple image on the Hisense U9DG TV screen.Riley Young / Digital Trends

Every time I sit down to explain another TV display technology I take a deep breath, roll my eyes, and then quickly remember that I'm lucky to have this job and just have to go to work. So here's a quick refresher on two popular TV display technologies and how Dual-Cell tries to bridge the gap in a very unconventional and interesting way that is mostly only of interest to geeks like me.

LED / LCD

In one corner we have the LED / LCD television, a technology that has been iterating for more than 16 years. Today, this type of display includes a series of LEDs that act as a backlight. The light from these LEDs shines through a number of different layers before emerging from the LCD layer as a colorful image that you see on your television.

To prevent dark areas of the screen from looking blurry or milky while other areas of the screen are bright, it is necessary to dim “zones” of the light array in some areas while keeping other areas bright. This is where the term “local dimming zones” comes from.

The more zones the better, because the display has more control over the light and dark areas. And if you can make the LEDs really tiny in those zones, that's even better – hence the advent of mini LED backlight technology.

OLED

In the other corner we have OLED TVs. OLED is a type of display that does not rely on LED backlighting. Organic light-emitting diode pixels – the same as many modern telephones – are "self-emitting," which means that when they are turned on, they generate their own light. Conversely, if you take that current away, they'll go dark – no juice, no light, perfect black levels.

To say that LED / LCD TVs chase OLED TVs in terms of picture quality would be an understatement. OLED's perfect blacks make for amazing contrast that is easily perceived by the human eye, and perfect blacks are hard to achieve for LED / LCD TVs, try local dimming zones, mini-LEDs, and the like.

However, OLED is not perfect. OLED TVs can't get as bright as LED-backlit LCD TVs, and OLED TVs have very little risk of burn-in – but most of the time, they just don't get that bright.

How about some new TV technology that fills the gap and lives somewhere in the middle? That is dual cell.

Dual cell and how it works

To be clear, dual cell televisions are LED backlit. The difference is that a dual cell TV adds a black and white LCD layer to the mix rather than dimming and brightening the zones of LEDs and making those LEDs smaller. This black and white layer (technically grayscale) is used to control the background lighting by only allowing light to pass where it is wanted, down to a pixel-by-pixel level.

Confused? I understand. I hope this cool GIF we made could help.

Now that you have an idea of ​​how it works (there really isn't any point in investigating this TV unless you do) I can tell you that the goal of Dual Cell is to have a TV with you to produce really good black levels like OLED and really great brightness like LED / LCD, bridging the gap between the two. Perhaps you can now understand why I was excited about this new technology.

So, does it work?

Yes, Dual Cell works, just not as well as I would like. Besides, I'm not fair.

Double cell: A tough sell … for now

Autumn forest image on the Hisense U9DG TV.Riley Young / Digital Trends

Yes, Dual Cell works, just not as well as I would like. Besides, I'm not fair.

If dual cell display technology works as well as I wanted it to, it would be the perfect balance between OLED and LED / LCD TV picture quality and I could go home, my hands on this whole TV review Dust off, point to dual-cell televisions and just say, "buy this".

Fortunately for me, the Hisense U9DG isn't that perfect, so my job is safe … for now.

Unfortunately for Hisense, this means that the reviews of the U9DG are likely to be an awkward mix of qualifying statements and botched details that could get over the head of many people. With that in mind, I'll break down the U9DG as simply as possible.

The U9DG is a high performance television that offers better black levels and shadow detail than most LED / LCD televisions, while also offering slightly more brightness than most OLED televisions. Unfortunately, it doesn't get as bright as on similarly priced LED / LCD TVs, and it doesn't provide perfect black as on similarly priced OLED TVs.

From a performance point of view, the U9DG offers a very specific compromise in image quality that cannot be matched by any other television currently available on the market. This limits the U9DG's appeal to a relatively small audience, which is fine, but then we have to inexorably hit the U9DG's price point – $ 3,500 MSRP for a 75-inch TV – which makes it difficult to put on one to sell already small audiences.

Bright red raspberries on the Hisense U9DG TV.Riley Young / Digital Trends

To put things in perspective, you can get a 77-inch LG C1 OLED for roughly the same price as the 75-inch UN9DG. And considering that the U9DG is aimed at the type of enthusiast who are already considering the LG C1 OLED as an option, I see more people are choosing the LG OLED. Those concerned about burn-in might be attracted to the U9DG, but again I see this as a relatively small subset of people.

Another topic that dampens my excitement for the Hisense U9DG is, believe it or not, another Hisense TV. I'm so impressed with the image quality of the Hisense U7G and the value it represents that my point of view is a bit skewed. It's hard to say goodbye to enthusiastically referring people to the U7G as one of the best TVs you can get under $ 1,000 (if not the best) to explain the U9DG and its appeal, albeit at a much higher price.

Hisense U9DG Performance: Numbers and More

Crystal horse on the screen of the Hisense U9DG TV.Riley Young / Digital Trends

As always, I tested the Hisense U9DG with a Spectracal C6 meter profiled on an xRite i1 Pro meter, along with the Calman Ultimate software to provide some objective numbers to offset my subjective observations.

What I found out was that my perception that the U9DG wasn't a particularly bright TV was correct.

In the image preset "Theater Day" I measured about 550 nits peak in the standard dynamic range (10% window) with a background lighting setting of 80 and 680 nits with maximum background lighting at 100. This is brighter than SDR needs to be for most people and works well in a room with a lot of ambient light.

For High Dynamic Range, the highest number I saw was around 1,000 nits. Again, these are test samples, not real content, but I don't feel like this TV beats way over 1,000 nits for HDR highlights.

This TV really relies on its black levels to sell it.

In perspective, the Hisense U7G measured roughly the same, and the Hisense U8G measured nearly 2,000 nits (almost double) in HDR – though, to be fair, I got much higher brightness values ​​than other reviewers, and those specs exceeded Hisense's promises.

Anyway, even if you don't know your nits from your nuts – personally, I love the Oregon hazelnut – we can find that the U9DG measures roughly the same brightness in terms of brightness as the U7G which is only half as much costs the 75 inch size. So this TV is really relying on its black levels to sell it.

Play on the Hisense U9DG TV.Riley Young / Digital Trends

And since we're talking about black levels now, I have to mention the LG C1 OLED and its perfect black levels. It's a TV that sells for roughly the same amount of money as the U9DG, but it lags behind the U9DG's peak brightness for HDR by about 250 nits.

The color accuracy was pretty good, but not great. Motion resolution was pretty good, but not great. The image processing is decent, but definitely not great. And what about gaming? Well, the U9DG would make a great gaming TV, but so would many other TVs for a fraction of the price.

All that other stuff

Speakers and stands on the Hisense U9DG TV.Riley Young / Digital Trends

I didn't spend a lot of time talking about the U9DG's sound quality, voice search capabilities, Android TV platform, or any other consideration as they are very similar in many ways to other Hisense TVs on the market. The sound system is more advanced but not spectacularly impressive so I would suggest a soundbar for audio quality that can withstand the excellent picture quality of the TV.

A television ahead of its time

I think the U9DG falls into a category of television that is simply ahead of its time. It's hard to be a pioneer, and I think Hisense sees it with the bold introduction of a dual-cell TV in the US market. I think Hisense will keep improving its dual-cell technology, and I can see other brands picking up on dual-cell and offering a little competition. Perhaps dual cell will be the next big thing in TV technology. Or maybe its application will remain a bit too niche to reach critical mass and assert itself.

Still, I applaud Hisense for taking the risk. I'm excited to see what the brand can do with dual-cell technology, and I'm excited to see whether it will make Hisense a trendsetter in the US TV market.

Our opinion

The Hisense U9DG Dual Cell TV is a marvel of engineering with better black levels than almost any other LED / LCD TV on the market and better brightness than almost any OLED TV on the market. – I would rate the image quality as very good. However, the black levels of the U9DG are not as good as with comparable OLED televisions and its brightness is also not as strong as with comparable LED / LCD televisions, which makes the Hisense attractive for a very small audience.

Should you buy it?

For most people, the answer is no. The U9DG serves a very specific audience with very specific wishes. Most people will either want a brighter TV or a TV with absolutely perfect black levels.

Is there a better alternative?

For better black levels and advanced gaming features, a 77-inch LG C1 TV is a better alternative for a similar price. For a much brighter TV with solid black levels, the Samsung QN90A is a better choice at a slightly lower price.

How long it will take?

It's hard to predict how long the U9DG will hold up in terms of relevance, as I'll assume Hisense will either improve the technology or abandon it altogether – at least in the US market. In terms of their long-term reliability, I believe Hisense TVs have a solid track record of around 3 years and time will tell if that number gets any higher.

guarantee

Hisense offers a one-year limited parts and labor warranty. I think this is more important than usual as dual cell technology is largely unproven in the US market.

Editor's recommendations



06 May
Blog

Hisense U8G 4K ULED HDR TV Review

Hisense U8G 4K ULED HDR TV

Hisense U8G Series 65 "4K ULED TV

"The U8G is Hisense's most impressive television to date."

  • Incredible brightness

  • Excellent black levels

  • Vibrant, bright colors

  • Good exercise

  • Excellent for playing

  • good sound

  • Bad off-angle picture

  • Color problem with low luminance

As a replacement for the popular Hisense H9G from 2020, the new Hisense U8G 4K ULED HDR TV has a lot to offer. The two TVs look very similar, but it depends on what is inside. The H9G was praised as being particularly bright, while maintaining impressive black levels, resulting in high-contrast image quality.

Will we see some improvements and performance improvements with this new model? I hope so, because the U8G costs significantly more than its predecessor. For example. The 65-inch H9G I tested in August 2020 was $ 950 while the 65-inch U8G I tested here is $ 1,300.

In this review, I'll look at peak brightness measurements, take a look at backlight behavior, assess black levels, examine color accuracy and image quality adjustments, and see if it all adds up to make a TV want to buy.

Video review

Jump to: What is ULED? Out of the box | Setup | Connections | Picture settings | Calibration | Processing | Image quality | Sound | Play | Our opinion

What is ULED?

Let's start with the ULED nickname as I think this might be confusing for some people. To be clear, this is a quantum dot TV, so it might as well be called a QLED TV. Hisense only has its own branding, so this TV is comparable to other QLED LED-backlit TVs on the market.

Out of the box

Riley Young / Digital Trends

The Hisense U8G is effectively packaged and should be well protected for transport. There's not much in the box – you get the TV, two legs, screws for the legs, a slightly redesigned remote control, batteries and a composite video cable, and product literature.

Hooking up the TV legs is a breeze, and I really appreciate the central stand that allows larger screen-sized models to fit onto a wider range of stands.

Hisense U8G 4K ULED HDR TV stamdRiley Young / Digital Trends

Hisense U8G 4K ULED HDR TV side viewRiley Young / Digital Trends

The TV has very thin bezels, except for the lower edge, which is finished with a brushed metal strip. The TV doesn't have a particularly thin profile, so it may not look as elegant on the wall as more expensive competing models.

Hisense U8G 4K ULED HDR details

While we tested the 65-inch model 65U8G, our test also applies to the 55-inch model.

Screen size Model no RRP
55 inches

55U8G

 $ 899.99
65 inches 65U8G $ 1,149.99

Set up

Riley Young / Digital Trends

The Hisense U8G runs Android TV as the operating system and not the newer Google TV. I reached out to Hisense to find out if the U8G might get an upgrade to Google TV in the future and will update this review as soon as I hear anything. However, I suspect it will stick with Android TV.

As an Android TV, setting up access to apps requires a lot of user IDs and passwords – there's no getting around that. However, if you sign in with your Google account, you will automatically be signed in to your YouTube account as well.

Hisense U8G 4K ULED HDR TV remote controlRiley Young / Digital Trends

Speaking of Google: The U8G is equipped with a microphone in the remote control and another in the television for calling up the Google assistant. Make sure to choose the setting that allows the Google Assistant to hands-free use the TV's microphone the way you want. It's easy to miss when you tend to click through the setup options quickly.

links

Hisense U8G 4K ULED HDR TV HDMI connectionsRiley Young / Digital Trends

The Hisense U8G has two HDMI 2.1 inputs on the HDMI 3 and 4 inputs. You will find that each is labeled for 4K 120 Hz. It's also worth noting that HDMI 3 is also the eARC connector. So if you plan to use eARC to return sound to a soundbar or A / V receiver, you'll need to use HDMI 4 for your Xbox Series X / S, PlayStation, 5 or HDMI 2.1 equipped gaming PC.

It's also important to browse the picture settings menu, find the HDMI format, and select the "Advanced" option to unlock advanced features like VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), 4K 120 Hz, and automatic device detection.

Picture settings

Riley Young / Digital Trends

The out-of-the-box picture settings I chose (and would recommend to U8G owners) were Theater Day for SDR content, HDR Theater for HDR10 content, and Dolby Vision Dark for Dolby Vision content. Theater Night and Dolby Vision Day are good alternatives depending on the viewing environment. For my calibration and measurement, however, these options made the most sense.

From there, I turned off motion smoothing and made sure the device's local dimming feature was set to high. I left most of the other settings at their defaults as they were set correctly for the image presets I selected.

Calibration and measurements

Hisense U8G 4K ULED HDR TV screen close-upRiley Young / Digital Trends

As part of my calibrations and adjustments, for which I use the Calman software and a SpectraCal C6 colorimeter profiled on an X-Rite i1Pro meter, I set the two-point white balance of a TV. This ensures that the TV uses the optimal mix of red, blue and green primary colors for better color accuracy.

With the H9G, I ran into an issue where I couldn't adjust the SDR and HDR white balance separately. Whether this was a specific issue for this TV or Hisense made a change, this issue no longer exists. I was able to set each of them separately for more accurate readings.

After making these settings, I measured the TV's grayscale and peak brightness and ran a series of color tests.

In SDR, I measured a little over 700 nits of peak brightness, which is pretty intense! When switching to HDR, I got a little more than 1900 nits after adjustments – it was closer to 2,100 before I shifted the white balance. That's pretty incredible, and contrasts the HDR brightness of this TV with the Samsung QN90A, which is a much more expensive TV.

Light colors look amazing.

These brightness numbers are great, but you'll also want to see solid black levels. The good news is that the U8G's black levels are just as impressive as the H9G's, meaning that when the TV is viewed straight on the axis there is minimal bloom or halo. However, once you step aside, those dark colors are lost and the TV's backlight usually shows up. Black turns milky and there are some color shifts too.

As for the color, it's kind of a mixed bag. Light colors look amazing. I found them well saturated, but not oversaturated, very rich and with an impressive range of colors. However, low luminance colors seem to have problems. Objectively, I could tell from the measurements – the darker the color, the more the color missed its target.

You don't often notice this when viewing real content, but there have been times when the image appeared to have some dark, blotchy areas, which at first appeared to be the result of an issue with panel uniformity, but upon closer inspection it actually did to do the performance of the backlight. Again, I haven't seen this often, but it did come up a few times with some of the content I saw. Most of the time I saw the effect when I saw an image slowly fade in – from dark to light. This resulted in a color streak effect that was never present in lighter images. Something to consider.

Otherwise, the backlight on the U8G was very quick to respond – the TV has no problem with delaying dimming or lightening the backlight as I've seen on some other TVs this year. So when something goes black it can go black very quickly, and when an object lights up it lights up instantly.

Processing

The level of detail on this TV is also very impressive. The U8G has fine details with minimal artifacts and passes most of our stress tests with ease. Very rarely do I see the moire effect or the screen door effect on this television. Plus, this particular example has a pretty neat LCD panel. I didn't see any spots or even a lot of vignetting in the corners. It looks great for golf and hockey where you get a lot of green or white and it's easy to see a dirty screen effect.

Movement is impressive on the U8G too. It has great response time and is also very bright, so you will see a jerk when slowly panning images. This can be ironed out with a minimum of motion smoothing, but that can create a soap opera effect that cinephiles like me don't like. Overall, however, the U8G offered surprisingly solid movement performance.

I think my only real complaint about this TV would be part of the macro blocking I saw while watching shallow bit depth content from highly compressed video. I want the TV to clean that up a little better. There have been moments when I saw YouTube and saw a lot of macroblocking (big squares of color) in darker areas. Fortunately, higher quality content doesn't suffer as a result. This is how your Netflix, Disney +, HBO Max, Blu-ray Discs, and PC / console games all look great.

Image quality to take away

Hisense U8G 4K ULED HDR TVRiley Young / Digital Trends

Aside from all of the objective measurements and analysis and just sitting back and watching TV, I could tell that it was difficult not to be impressed with the U8G – when you are sitting right in front of it. This TV is a real blender. The extremely high contrast that the U8G offers is somewhat reminiscent of OLED TVs, and you get that contrast no matter how much light there is in the room because of its exceptional full-screen brightness.

HDR images on this TV look great and luckily there is a lot of HDR and Dolby Vision content out there for you to enjoy these days. The TV looks solid for SDR too, but I'd only say if you are looking at it in a dark room you might want to dim the backlighting a bit as the TV can look almost too bright in general.

sound

Surprisingly, the U8G sounds very good! It has a respectable amount of bass, the dialogue is always very clear, and the highs aren't too harsh, although they sparkle and offer a good amount of high-end detail. Definitely a bonus!

Play

This TV is great for gaming. It has very little input lag in game mode, the HDR images are jumping off the screen, the shadow details are great for first person shooters, and the movement looks solid. The U8G supports VRR and beats up to 120 frames per second thanks to a native 120 Hz panel and HDMI 2.1 inputs. You only get two HDMI 2.1 ports, but that's exactly what we see from almost all manufacturers except LG. So all in all, this TV is great for gamers.

Our opinion

I think it's safe to say that the Hisense U8G is definitely a high-flyer. It improves the H9G in the most meaningful way. The price of this TV tier has increased a bit, but you get performance for the premium you pay. I think the value is very high given the U8G's performance. I look forward to making some comparisons in the months to come as this TV currently looks like it's going to be very hard to beat for the price.

Is there a better alternative?

The Hisense U8G is currently in a class of its own. The closest comparison would be the Vizio P-Series Quantum, which is hard to come by at the time of this review's writing. The TCL 6 series is comparably inexpensive, but this is an aging model and has yet to be replaced. It doesn't get nearly as bright as the U8G. Given the U8G's performance specs, which go well with a premium TV like the Samsung QN90A, it's impossible not to see its incredible value.

How long it will take?

Given the U8G's support for Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HDMI 2.1, this should continue in the future.

warranty

Hisense provides a one-year parts and labor warranty on its televisions. More information about the Hisense warranty program can be found here.

Should you buy it?

Yes. If you're looking for an affordable TV with very good performance, the Hisense U8G has few peers.

Editor's recommendations




25 Aug
Blog

Hisense H9G Quantum 4K HDR TV Review | Blisteringly Bright

hisense h9g quantum tv review 4k hdr ott 00 02 33 01 still008

"The image quality of the H9G Quantum can compete with televisions that cost twice as much."

  • Incredibly bright

  • Very good black levels

  • Surprisingly good HDR image

  • Easy to use

  • Responsive Android TV OS

  • Color is a little off

  • Movement jerks sometimes

Hisense is on a tear.

After several years of chasing the same brand awareness enjoyed by competing manufacturers like LG, Samsung and Sony, Hisense sales have soared. And if its H9G Quantum TV is any indication, the company could be in a dominant position.

The H9G Quantum is the first time I can remember a television that's so heavily under-promised and handed down. It's not perfect, but it's going to be one of the best TV options for the vast majority of people this year.

Out of the box

Although I recently reviewed the Hisense H8G, I was pleasantly surprised at how elegant the H9G looked after setting it up. I have to say I was initially surprised by the TV's feet – they look like giant bottle openers when not attached to the TV – but once they were installed they started to grow on me.

When those huge feet are in place, they don't look so clumsy and big anymore. Half of them are not visible and the other half seem to make the TV look nice. Not that the H9G needs a lot of disguise. It has almost no existing bezels on the top and sides, which are slightly recessed behind the glass panel of the TV, which makes for a very modern and minimalist look. The brushed metal trim at the bottom seems out of place in comparison, but luckily it doesn't attract too much attention.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Inside the box with the TV was the aforementioned feet, four screws, a power cord, remote control, batteries, and a jumble of paper product literature.

As for the remote control, it's pretty simple, but it has a couple of keyboard shortcuts for popular streaming services and a button to bring up voice control, which the Google Assistant supports.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

properties

Connectivity is all the rage these days, and this is where the H9G quantum falls a little short. While competing TV manufacturers are promoting various game-friendly features such as automatic low latency mode (automatic game mode), variable refresh rate (VRR), 4K image performance of 120 Hz, and eARC, none of the H9G's four HDMI ports support any of the following these functions.

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For gamers, there is little input delay and HDR image quality, and those who connect soundbars will need to use standard ARC as Dolby Atmos passthrough is not supported.

These shortcomings can be easy to miss if you have no plans to play with your TV and just want a great picture. The H9G offers a local dimming LED backlight system with 132 zones in the 55-inch ($ 700) model and 180 zones in the 65-inch ($ 950) model.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Hisense also claims that a peak brightness of 1000 nits is not only bright enough to convince HDR images, but should also be enough to make the black levels look nice and dark when controlled over so many dimming zones.

I'll be referring to this TV as the H9G Quantum long enough to mention that the quantum in the name means quantum dots in the TV itself and that this should allow not only a very large color gamut, but also a higher color volume with more degrees of intensity for those colors.

All of this to say, if you are looking for image quality at a great price, then be sure to read on.

User experience

Before I get into image quality, I want to talk about what it's like to use the H9G. On the whole, it's a pleasant experience, but I've encountered a few quirks that could bother those looking to tweak their picture settings for the best possible performance.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

The Hisense H9G runs on the Android TV platform and does this adequately – the experience is fast enough, with some lag in clicking through apps, and apps themselves load pretty quickly. Chromecast is built right in, so you can find your favorite videos, photos or music on your phone and watch them on your TV using a mobile device or computer.

When it comes to image settings, there is some very good news and some a little confusing. The good news is that when you select a picture mode for SDR (standard dynamic range – like cable / satellite TV, DVDs, most games), the system will automatically select the picture mode that makes the most sense for HDR.

Sit, click, watch and know you're getting the best image performance.

For example, if I selected Theater Day mode for the standard display, the TV would automatically switch to HDR Bright or Dolby Vision Bright when I watched HDR content on Netflix or Amazon. When I chose Theater Night, the TV would automatically go to HDR Dark or Dolby Vision Dark mode.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

I've never seen this type of automation and is extremely helpful for the average user who isn't interested in manual adjustments. Sit, click, watch and know you're getting the best image performance.

Hisense has also built in some automatic picture and sound adjustment functions with A.I.support that try to optimize the TV's picture and sound based on environmental factors. I didn't find them particularly useful, however. In general, I prefer to be in control.

And it's the control freak in me who got confused as to why I couldn't have independent white balance settings for SDR and HDR. I admit that this is an issue that most users don't. If you are amazed by what I am talking about, you know that this problem does not affect you. But for those who choose to have their TVs professionally tuned, it has been known that the H9G was unable to make white balance corrections (an adjustment that helps adjust color) for SDR and HDR independently. Ultimately, I went back to the factory setting for this setting.

Image performance

I already hinted at this, but now I want to be very clear: the Hisense H9G offers excellent image quality for the price. In fact, I suspect this might be the right TV choice for a very wide audience.

Hisense claims that this TV can achieve 1,000 nits of brightness right on the box. That seems like an odd thing as the vast majority of the people who would see this TV in its box while shopping are likely not that keen on what a sucker is, let alone how many of them your TV is supposed to produce. But I suppose it's a large number and people might assume it's good.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

That's a pretty good number. I think you need at least 750 nits of peak brightness for HDR images to look good. When the television delivers perfect black levels, like the Sony A8H OLED or the LG CX OLED. For a TV with LED backlighting like the H9G, 1,000 nits provide impressive contrast in my opinion. What I found exciting was that the H9G I received was able to achieve much higher brightness. My sample averaged 1,300 nits and peaked at 1,400 in some scenarios, which is better than advertised. When does this ever happen?

However, all of that brightness doesn't mean much if the TV can't effectively display even dark blacks. To my amazement, the H9G offers some of the most impressive black levels I've ever seen on an LED TV, let alone one that costs under $ 1,000.

The result of the impressive brightness and deep black levels of the H9G leads to a really exciting contrast. You don't have to be a TV aficionado to appreciate it – the H9G just dazzles.

Since I approach every TV with the same level of accuracy, I tested the H9G's color accuracy. It wasn't poor, but not as good as I'd hoped it would be. To make matters worse, I found it difficult to adjust due to a color matching issue mentioned above.

When using the Calman software together with a SpectraCal C6 colorimeter, I found that the white measurement contained far too much blue. Whenever one color is out of balance in white, all other colors are removed. This manifested itself in a magenta hue to white and cream colors, and I felt that shades of red were also significantly affected.

But I'm a TV nerd and I do this every day. I don't think most people will have an issue with the H9G's color accuracy.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

However, I think some people might have a problem handling the H9G. When I test a TV, I turn off the motion smoothing functions because I don't care about the soap opera effect they cause and I have to level the playing field for all of the TVs I have tested.

With motion smoothing turned off, I saw a lot of stuttered movements, and not just in fast-paced sports. Even faces on the screen seem to blink when they move slightly. The problem was more obvious in some scenes than others, but when I saw it I couldn't see it anymore, which I found a little frustrating.

With smooth movement, there was some stuttering to be seen. Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Other users have reported similar issues to me while others still stated that they did not experience the problem. This is likely because some people are simply more sensitive to small anomalies than others.

Overall, however, the H9G is a satisfactory TV, and I think most people will absolutely love it. Both SDR and HDR content appear vibrant and rich, and in some cases seem to disappear from the screen. This is top-notch picture quality that I expect from televisions that cost almost twice as much. The image of the H9G compares well with the Samsung Q80T for $ 1700 and the Sony X950H for $ 1700.

Our opinion

The Hisense H9G Quantum is one of the best values ​​on TV that we'll see in 2020 and well into 2021. Its picture quality will amaze most viewers, while its ease of use makes it a pleasure to experience every time you turn it on.

Is there a better alternative?

Possibly. The TCL R635 looks very promising, as does the Vizio P-series Quantum. At $ 900, the TCL R635 is a slightly better alternative in some ways and costs less. I'm also confident that Vizio's $ 1,000 P-Series Quantum will be very competitive in the brightness department for those who may need an even brighter TV, although that's hard to imagine after looking at the H9G. I will update this section as soon as these televisions have been thoroughly evaluated.

How long it will take?

The Hisense H9G is not well suited to taking advantage of the advanced gaming features offered with next generation gaming consoles. For television, however, it would be many more years.

warranty

Hisense warrants 1 year parts and labor.

You should buy it

Yes. If you don't need advanced gaming features but want a very bright TV with impressive black levels and overall great picture quality without breaking the bank, the Hisense H9G Quantum is an excellent choice.

Editor's recommendations




15 Jul
Blog

Hisense H8G Quantum 4K HDR TV Review | Value verified

Hisense H8G Quantum 4K HDR television

"Iridescent picture quality, especially for the price."

  • Very good black levels

  • High brightness

  • Impressive contrast

  • Solid HDR performance

  • No support for HDMI 2.1 functions

  • Requires moderate color correction

I'm still shocked at how great TVs under $ 1,000 can be these days. Time was, if you wanted premium picture quality from a 55- or 65-inch television, you'd spend at least $ 1,500 to $ 3,000.

The Hisense H8G Quantum is part of a new generation of TVs from China that are bursting the price models of competing brands. At $ 700, the 65-inch H8G Quantum looks like an almost ridiculously good value. But what about this picture quality?

To be honest, I've felt lukewarm about the last Hisense TVs I've checked. Recently the Hisense H8F worked well in bright rooms, but it lacked the deep black levels and vivid colors that I got from the TCL 6 series for the same price. The operating system was also sluggish and frustrating.

When I went into this H8G Quantum test, I hoped quantum dots, a more advanced backlight system, and Android TV could bring the H8G Quantum from good to great. Spoiler alert: I have not been disappointed.

Hisense H8G Quantum 4K HDR TV details

While we tested the 65-inch H8G model, our test also applies to the 55-inch, 75-inch, and 85-inch models.

Screen size Model number RRP
50 inches 50H8G $ 400
55 inches 55H8G $ 600
65 inches 65H8G $ 800
75 inches 75H8G $ 1500

Out of the box

Hisense H8G Quantum 4K HDR televisionDan Baker / Digital Trends

I am pleasantly surprised by the aesthetics of the H8G Quantum. It has remarkably slim bezels and a fairly thin profile.

Like most TVs today, the TV stand consists of two blade feet. Unlike many TVs that offer a range of foot positions at the other end of the TV, the H8G Quantum also has a narrow placement option. If you choose the narrower set, the space requirement is about 36 inches wide and 9.7 inches from front to back. The wider stance, which offers more stability and honestly looks better, is just under 44 inches wide.

I am pleasantly surprised by the aesthetics of the H8G Quantum.

There are limited options for cable management. A simple cable clip is attached to the back of each stand.

The included remote control is an old-fashioned wand-style model with more buttons than you probably need. I'd love to see an update for a more modern remote, but I won't complain for $ 700.

properties

Hisense H8G Quantum 4K HDR televisionDan Baker / Digital Trends

The H8G Quantum offers four HDMI 2.0 inputs, one of which supports ARC, but there is no eARC support. There is also no support for VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) or ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode). Players should consider both features later next year with next generation consoles.

If you have older video components, there is a composite video input next to two analog audio inputs. All three cinch connections are integrated on the back of the TV. There is no need for a breakout cable and no support for component video connections, although the need for them quickly subsides.

Under the hood, the H8G Quantum has a VA LCD panel with a FALD backlighting system (Full Array Local Dimming). The combination of these two should help the TV achieve deeper black levels and minimize the halo effect that rings of light creates around bright objects on a dark background.

Using the VA panel also means that viewing from outside the angle doesn't look very good. The colors are washed out, the contrast is badly affected and you can see the backlight in action more easily – all very typical.

Hisense H8G Quantum 4K HDR televisionDan Baker / Digital Trends

Hisense tried to solve these common problems with some kind of extended viewing angle, but I'm just telling you now that I don't think it works particularly well. Nevertheless, the H8G Quantum offers exactly the same performance as other televisions that have no additional layers to improve off-axis display.

Adding quantum dots should mean that the H8G Quantum not only offers a much wider range of colors, but also offers a richer HDR experience. Speaking of which, the H8G Quantum supports the HDR10, Dolby Vision and HLG HDR formats. Hisense also claims the TV supports HDR10 +, but I could never use it for Amazon Prime Video, which is my only source for that particular format. I don't think this is a TV fault, but a strange mistake.

As previously mentioned, the H8G Quantum runs Android TV and it runs surprisingly well. Android TV has been notoriously difficult to operate in the past, but I had no significant delay or lethargy.

performance

Hisense H8G Quantum 4K HDR televisionDan Baker / Digital Trends

Full disclosure: The first H8G Quantum test sample Hisense sent me was defective. I'm not sure if the problem is related to the image processor, the panel, or both, but it didn't look right to me. I recorded my experience with this TV in this video and requested a replacement that was broadcast immediately. The defective device has been returned to Hisense for analysis, and I will update this review when Hisense reports to me about the exact error.

Hisense assures me that the problems I have had are not common, and I can confirm that there are no widespread reports of problems.

I am very impressed with the image quality of the H8G Quantum.

Within seconds of turning on the replacement pattern, I was able to determine that I had a properly functioning television. However, as I dug deeper, I began to suspect that the TV I had received might work a little too well in some ways. More on that in a moment.

In general, I am very impressed with the image quality of the H8G Quantum. Sitting in front of the TV, I was surprised at how well the backlight system controlled the dark areas around bright objects, especially in HDR mode. A popular test in the real world is watching a dark film with letterbox bars at the top and bottom of the picture while subtitles are activated. The white text at the bottom of the screen often colors the surrounding black bars medium dark gray, and although I've seen part of this effect, it has been impressively minimized.

Hisense H8G Quantum 4K HDR televisionDan Baker / Digital Trends

The H8G Quantum I received is also able to achieve impressive brightness. Here I began to suspect that the TV I had received might perform better than expected for this model. According to Hisense, this television should output a maximum of 700 nits of peak brightness.

I measured the model I received using a SpectraCal C6 HDR colorimeter and Portrait Displays Calman 2020 color calibration software and got a peak brightness value of around 920 nits – significantly higher than Hisense's claimed and higher than that of values ​​measured by other experts.

Commentators on YouTube have indicated that I may have received some kind of “juiced” or “optimized” television from Hisense, but I don't think this is the case. Not only did Hisense assure me that I had received a standard sample, I was doing a factory reset on all the TVs I checked before I rated them, and supposedly deleted any changes that were made to me before the TV was shipped. In short, I think I was lucky.

It was clear that the color was slightly different.

The feeling of hitting the jackpot with this TV continues in the fact that the sample I received has a flawless screen uniformity. When using a full color gray pattern, I did not see any vignetting or other dark spots on the screen. This TV has an extremely clean panel.

Not everything was great. Without taking any measurements, it was clear that the color was a little different. Not bad, just not exactly. Yellow seemed to be particularly intense, and I felt that the orange colors were also a bit overboard. After taking more measurements, I noticed that the blue pixels on the TV were too pronounced. I made a little adjustment and everything clicked into place.

Hisense H8G Quantum 4K HDR televisionDan Baker / Digital Trends

The H8G Quantum is immediately very powerful in the modes Theater Day and Theater Night. Color could use some work, and if you're the type of person who values ​​accurate color, consider some of the money you save on buying this TV and pay a professional calibrator to make some adjustments .

Otherwise, I think people will be amazed by the picture quality of this TV. The black tones are deep, the colors vivid and the HDR material is extremely pleasant to look at. The television looks vivid in a room with daylight and even better in a dark room for a movie night.

As for processing, I feel Hisense is making some progress. When viewing Netflix and Hulu's low bit rate content, the H8G Quantum was unable to clear the image as well as the Sony X900H. This is hardly a fair comparison, but the fact that the H8G is even in the stadium with a TV that is twice as expensive really says something.

Our opinion

The Hisense H8G is an impressive television, especially for the price. With sizes from 50 to 75 inches and prices from $ 380 to 1300, the H8G Quantum line offers a model that meets the needs of a wide range of TV buyers, especially those who want premium picture quality in a budget-friendly set.

Is there a better alternative?

At $ 700, I'm having trouble making comparisons until the Vizio and TCL TV casts arrive. I can say the H8G is well above its price range, and I suspect the IT models will outperform competitors like Samsung's TU8000 and LG's UN7300.

How long it will take?

I don't have enough years of experience with Hisense TVs to make a qualified judgment about how long this TV will last. However, I will say that Hisense's television track record in the US seems to be going in a positive direction.

warranty

Hisense grants a one-year warranty on parts and labor on the Hisense H8G Quantum. The guarantee is full of provisions. Read them carefully here.

Should you buy it

Yes. Most people will love the picture quality of this TV for the price. I wouldn't recommend it to avid gamers who are excited about the arrival of next generation consoles, but it is an extremely practical purchase for most users.

Editor's recommendations