Hisense U8QG Review - Extreme Brightness, Extreme Tradeoffs
RTINGS Home Theater's video review, which frames the TV's very high brightness as coming with real tradeoffs (based on the video title).
Hisense · 2025 · Mini LED
Hisense U8QG Mini LED
Hisense's 2025 value flagship: extremely bright and fast for gaming, held back by only three HDMI inputs and visible blooming.
Previous generation, still sold
Choose a size
Exact model · United States
65U8QG
The size tested by Tom's Guide and TechRadar. TechRadar lists 72 watts of amplification on this size, while Hisense lists up to 82 watts for the series.
Where to buy the 65″
Prices change. Each shows when it was last checked. We may earn a commission when you buy through these links; it never affects what we recommend. Amazon prices are not displayed.
The verdict
The U8QG remains a strong pick for bright rooms and gaming when it is discounted, and its lab brightness is far above most rivals. Tom's Guide says the 2026 U7 series has since taken over as Hisense's top mainstream Mini LED line, so compare both at current prices. Shoppers who need four HDMI 2.1 inputs, or who are buying the 55-inch, should check the notes on size differences first.
The Hisense U8QG is the 2025 top mainstream Mini LED TV in Hisense's US lineup, sold in 55, 65, 75, 85 and 100-inch sizes. Hisense claims up to 5,000 nits of peak brightness, and labs measured roughly 3,300 to 3,900 nits in HDR on the 65-inch. It runs Google TV, has a native 165Hz panel, a 4.1.2-channel Dolby Atmos speaker system and an ATSC 3.0 tuner. The main caveats are three HDMI inputs and blooming, and reviewers expect smaller sizes to be less bright than the 65-inch they tested.
Strengths
- Tom's Guide measured about 3,900 nits of HDR highlight brightness on the 65-inch, far above the Samsung, TCL and Sony sets it was compared with.
- Native 165Hz panel with FreeSync Premium Pro, Dolby Vision and HDR10+ gaming, and 9.7ms input lag in Tom's Guide's test.
- Wide color for a Mini LED, with TechRadar measuring about 98% DCI-P3 and 83% Rec. 2020 coverage.
- Powerful built-in 4.1.2-channel Dolby Atmos speaker system, praised by Tom's Guide.
- Includes an ATSC 3.0 tuner and a USB-C DisplayPort video input.
Weak spots
- Only three HDMI inputs, which both Tom's Guide and TechRadar flagged as below the class norm.
- Noticeable blooming, and Tom's Guide found glare control weak in bright daylight.
- TechRadar measured full-screen HDR brightness below last year's U8N and found the built-in subwoofer prone to distortion on deep bass.
- Filmmaker Mode SDR brightness measured low in TechRadar's test, so the Standard preset suits SDR content better.
- Hisense states 5,000 nits for the whole series, but the 55-inch is expected to reach far less than the tested 65-inch.
Great for
- Bright living rooms where HDR highlights matter
- Gamers with up to three HDMI 2.1 devices
- Buyers who want a large screen with built-in Atmos sound
Skip if
- Anyone who needs four HDMI 2.1 inputs
- Dark-room viewers who prioritise blooming-free black levels
How it fits
Calculated from published specs and independent tests. How this works
Tap a score to see what went into it. These are calculations, not lab results.
Claimed vs. measured
Independent test figures are kept apart from what the manufacturer says. Results vary by tester, test size and firmware.
Measured Claimed
Brightness
HDR peak brightness (10% window)The most-quoted HDR brightness figure. A 10% window is about the size of a bright object in a scene.
- 3,337 nitsTechRadar65″ tested · Filmmaker Mode, 10% HDR window · May 25, 2025
- 2,888 nitsTechRadar65″ tested · Standard mode, 10% HDR window · May 25, 2025
- 3,916 nitsTom's Guide65″ tested · Filmmaker mode, 10% window, HDR · Jun 9, 2025
- 5,000 nitsHisenseManufacturer claim · Maker's series-wide peak brightness claim; window not stated, and Tom's Guide expects smaller sizes to fall short of it
HDR full-screen brightnessBrightness of a completely bright image, like a snowfield or a hockey rink.
SDR peak brightness (10% window)How bright regular, non-HDR content gets, which matters most in a sunny room.
- 2,908 nitsTom's Guide65″ tested · Filmmaker mode, 10% window, SDR · Jun 9, 2025
Color
DCI-P3 color coverageHow much of the color range used by modern movies the TV can show.
- 97.8%TechRadar65″ tested · Filmmaker Mode, UHDA-P3 · May 25, 2025
- 97.53%Tom's Guide65″ tested · UHDA-P3 coverage · Jun 9, 2025
Rec. 2020 color coverageA wider color target than DCI-P3. No consumer TV covers it fully.
- 82.8%TechRadar65″ tested · Filmmaker Mode, BT.2020 · May 25, 2025
- 83.98%Tom's Guide65″ tested · Rec. 2020 coverage · Jun 9, 2025
Color accuracy out of the box (ΔE)Lower is better. Under about 3 is hard to distinguish from perfect by eye.
- ΔE 2.4Tom's Guide65″ tested · Filmmaker mode, out of the box · Jun 9, 2025
Gaming
Input lag, 4K 60 Hz (game mode)The delay between pressing a button and seeing it on screen.
- 9.7 msTom's Guide65″ tested · Game mode, Leo Bodnar tester · Jun 9, 2025
What changes by size
The same name doesn’t always mean the same TV. Here is every size we’ve confirmed.
| 55″ | 65″ | 75″ | 85″ | 100″ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model number | 55U8QG | 65U8QG | 75U8QG | 85U8QG | 100U8QG |
| Lowest price | — | — | — | — | — |
| Local dimming zones | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | 5,000 |
| Width | — | — | — | — | — |
| Weight | — | — | — | — | — |
| VESA | — | 400×400 | — | — | — |
Highlighted rows differ between sizes.
Will it fit?
From your seat
Viewing distance8′0″
A good fit. At this distance a 65″ screen fills 33° of your view. Most people like 59″–80″ from here.
Seen from above
Dimensions and mounting
- Without stand
- Not published
- With stand
- Not published
- Stand footprint
- Not published
- Weight
- Not published
- VESA pattern
- 400 × 400 mm
- Power use
- Not published
Full specifications
From the manufacturer unless noted. Shown for the 65″ model.
Picture
- Display technologyHow the screen makes its picture. OLED types light each pixel on their own for perfect black. Mini LED and QLED are LCDs with a backlight, and tend to get brighter.
- Mini LED
- BacklightFull-array backlights sit behind the whole screen and allow local dimming. Edge-lit TVs are thinner but dim far less precisely.
- Mini LED full-arraysource
- Resolution
- 4K
- Picture processor
- Hi-View AI Engine Pro
- Screen finishAnti-glare and matte coatings cut reflections in bright rooms, sometimes at a small cost to perceived contrast.
- Anti-Glare Low Reflection Pro
HDR & color
- HDR formatsHDR formats describe how a TV should show bright highlights and rich color. Dolby Vision and HDR10+ adjust the picture scene by scene; a source and TV must both support a format to use it.
- HDR10, HDR10+, HDR10+ Adaptive, Dolby Vision, Dolby Vision IQ, HLGsource
- Wide color technology
- QLED Color (Hisense term)
Refresh & motion
- Native refresh rateHow many new images per second the panel can really show. Marketing “motion rates” are often double this number, so check the native figure.
- 165 Hz
- Maximum refresh rateThe highest refresh the TV accepts over HDMI. Sometimes only available at reduced resolution or from a PC.
- 165 Hz
Smart platform
- Smart TV platformThe software your TV runs. It decides your home screen, app selection and how often you’ll see ads.
- Google TV
- Broadcast tunerNeeded to watch free over-the-air TV with an antenna. ATSC 3.0 is the newer US standard; a few TVs have dropped tuners entirely.
- ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV)source
HDMI & connections
- HDMI ports
- 3source
- HDMI 2.1 portsPorts with enough bandwidth for 4K at 120 Hz and beyond. If you have more than one current console or a gaming PC, count these carefully.
- 3source
- HDMI notes
- Tom's Guide and TechRadar both report three HDMI inputs, all HDMI 2.1 with 4K 165Hz support, plus a side USB-C video input with DisplayPort support. Neither review says which HDMI port carries eARC.source
- Optical audio out
- Yessource
Gaming
- Variable refresh rateLets the TV match its refresh to a game’s frame rate, which removes tearing and most stutter.
- FreeSync Premium Prosource
- Auto Low Latency ModeSwitches the TV into game mode automatically when a console starts a game.
- Yessource
- Highest 4K gaming refresh
- 165 Hz
- Dolby Vision gaming
- Yessource
- Game menu
- Game Barsource
Built-in audio
- Speaker configuration
- 4.1.2
- Speaker power
- 82 W
- Dolby Atmos
- Yes
- DTS supportMany TVs no longer decode DTS. If you play discs or a media server with DTS soundtracks, check here and on your soundbar or receiver.
- DTS Virtual:Xsource
Accessibility
- Remote
- Backlit remote with built-in microphonesource
Primary source: hisense.com
Setup notes
- Three HDMI 2.1 inputs accept 4K at up to 165Hz.
- A side USB-C port accepts DisplayPort video from PCs and other devices.
- Includes DTS Virtual:X processing; reviews do not say the TV passes through full DTS formats.
Video reviews
Each video was checked to exist and to be about the Hisense U8QG Mini LED.
This TV Doesn’t Hold Back! Hisense U8QG MiniLED ULED Review
AVS Forum's video review of the U8QG MiniLED ULED, framed around the TV not holding back on performance (based on the video title).
This TV Will Make You Question OLED - Hisense U8QG Review
Jiles McCoy's review, whose title suggests the U8QG's picture will make viewers reconsider OLED.
This Budget TV Does Things OLED Can't - Hisense U8QG
Matt Coykendall's review, titled around the U8QG doing things at its price that OLED cannot.
What reviewers found
Summaries in our own words. Follow the link to read each review in full.
Reviewer found best-in-class brightness, strong contrast for a Mini LED and rich gaming features on the 65-inch. Complaints were blooming, weak handling of bright daylight and only three HDMI ports. Smaller sizes are expected to be less bright.
Read the originalJudged a brighter, better-controlled upgrade over the U8N, with accurate color and strong gaming support. Downsides were weaker full-screen brightness than the U8N, a distortion-prone built-in subwoofer and only three HDMI 2.1 inputs.
Read the original
What owners are saying
From Reddit and forums, paraphrased with a link to the original discussion. Community reports are anecdotal.
An owner coming from an LG C4 OLED was impressed by the U8QG's picture for the price and would pick it over an OLED in any room with some light, while noting worry about how long Hisense sets last.
Read the originalAn owner of a 100-inch U8QG says it has worked flawlessly for about ten months, a small data point on early reliability for the largest size.
Read the originalA new 65-inch owner found the audio decent but felt dialogue was the weakest part, reported slight ear pressure from the side and up-firing speakers, and bought a Hisense soundbar to pair with the TV.
Read the original
Questions
How bright is the Hisense U8QG?
Hisense claims up to 5,000 nits of peak brightness. Tom's Guide measured 3,916 nits and TechRadar 3,337 nits in Filmmaker Mode on the 65-inch, both in a 10% HDR window. Smaller sizes are expected to be dimmer.
How many HDMI ports does the U8QG have?
Three, and all three are HDMI 2.1 with 4K 165Hz support. A side USB-C port also accepts video input, which Tom's Guide used for 144Hz PC gaming.
Is the U8QG replaced by a newer model?
Tom's Guide says Hisense's 2026 U7 series has taken over as the company's top mainstream Mini LED line, with new RGB Mini LED models above it. The U8QG is still sold in the US, so it is treated here as the previous generation.
Also consider
TCL · 2026 · Mini LED
QM8L SQD-Mini LED
65 · 75 · 85 · 98″
From
$999.99
MOV
BRT
GME
Sony · 2026 · RGB Mini LED
BRAVIA 9 II True RGB
65 · 75 · 85″
From
$3,598
MOV
BRT
GME
Hisense · 2026 · RGB Mini LED
UR9 RGB Mini LED
65 · 75 · 85 · 100″
List from
$3,500
MOV
BRT
GME
Splurge
TCL · 2026 · Mini LED
X11L SQD-Mini LED
75 · 85 · 98″
From
$3,000
MOV
BRT
GME
Sources for this page
Last reviewed Nov 9, 2026. Released March 2025. Spotted an error? Tell us.