After all, final yr’s U8N was equally potent, throughout the visible margin of error for most folk. It’s no small feat to push the brightness even additional, however I might’ve most popular Hisense focus as a substitute on a few of the U8’s hang-ups, like poor off-axis viewing, a standard subject with LED TVs, or its penchant for oversaturating reds.
That further pink tint was significantly noticeable in HD reveals like Breaking Unhealthy (sure, I’m rewatching for a 3rd time) with the Warm1 coloration temperature, whereas Warm2 seemed too cool. In a single scene from Season 2, Jesse’s nuckles look positively painted pink as he performs with a beetle. In one other, a sure somebody is in search of a funeral costume, pulling out a “blue” one that appears unequivocally violet on the U8QG—however correct blue (with some purple tint) on my LG C1 OLED.
The TV’s tendency to flatten shadow particulars is much less of a difficulty, due to its principally stable reflection dealing with and the flexibility to pep up darkish areas with Peak Brightness or settings like Darkish Element. Scenes just like the darkish depths of Mandalor from The Mandalorian or the torturous hilltop shot from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows proved simple to zip up even in difficult environments.
{Photograph}: Ryan Waniata
The U8 additionally appears to have stepped up its image processing this yr. Picture readability may be onerous to quantify, however the TV does an excellent job rendering sharp 4K photographs and upscaling HD video, whereas principally minimizing moiré, the kind of glittering impact on advantageous patterns that may be an issue with budget-forward TVs. You’ll discover stable movement response, particularly with a contact of movement smoothing, and respectable display uniformity, too. My evaluate mannequin revealed solely minor blotches in difficult take a look at patterns and shifting skylines.
Maybe the U8QG’s greatest brag is that there simply aren’t lots of TVs that carry out this nicely in its worth tier, in a number of sizes (although efficiency between sizes will range). TCL’s rival QM8, presently in our testing rooms, normally prices extra, and costs go up from there for something near this degree of brightness from premium manufacturers, like Sony’s unbelievable Bravia 9 (9/10, WIRED Recommends). That would make the U8QG the default TV for brightness lovers on a finances, particularly as soon as the U8N is gone.
As traditional, all of it relies upon whenever you purchase. Till not too long ago, a 65-inch U8QG price $1,500, on par with the QM8K and bougier OLED fashions from final yr just like the LG C4 (9/10, WIRED Recommends). The C4 isn’t any nuclear titan, but it surely gives a lot better accuracy, readability, off-axis efficiency, and so forth. At $1,000 or much less, the U8QG is so much friendlier, and nicely price contemplating for these after eye-blasting brightness.