I tested Hisense's flagship Mini LED TV, and it left me with no OLED envy (especially at $700 off)

jun / 2025

The Hisense U8QG is one step down from the company’s flagship TV, (the U9QG), and it’s currently on sale for about $1,500 at major retailers (normally $2,200).

If you’re up to speed on modern TV tech, then you might know the difference between OLED and QLED, and perhaps how Mini-LED fits into the ecosystem of television research and development. You might’ve even heard of QD-OLED and Micro-LED as envelope-pushing technologies that will forever change our viewing experience. 

But have you heard of ULED?

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According to Hisense, ULED (or Ultra LED) is the company’s proprietary “ultimate viewing experience… that combines 20 different patents to create the most vivid and true-to-life viewing experience.” It deploys these technologies across four key areas: Ultra Local Dimming, Ultra Wide Color Gamut, Ultra 4K Resolution, and Ultra Smooth Motion Rate. 

TV marketing nomenclature can get further convoluted because, while you won’t find Hisense’s competitors using the term “ULED” to describe their new models, the 2025 Hisense sub-flagship U8QG also categorizes itself as a Mini-LED and QLED (Quantum Dot) television. So many labels. 

Yet most consumers only want to know a couple of things: How do all these labels translate into performance and value? And how does this model stack up to others? I tested the 65-inch Hisense U8QG in our Louisville lab to find out.

Setup and hardware observations

Setting up the U8QG involved the usual dance of attaching the stand and connecting the unit to our network. While the assembly process was not terrible, it certainly required four hands (two people) to do safely, and it helped that my helper is my Lab Manager and an engineer. 

Even so, we consulted the Quick Start instructions to use four screws adjoining two plastic components to a heavy iron plate that serves as the foot of the U8QG — which seemed like it could deflect a 50-caliber bullet.

In that light, this TV isn’t going to topple over if your cat spasmodically bounces off the wall or your kids roughhouse too close to the centerpiece of your living room.

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The remote came with fresh batteries (always a plus), and I am also always pleased by remote controls that light up when you pick them up, as this one does. It also has an ambient light sensor and Find My Remote feature, in addition to being a voice remote tied to the TV’s Google OS. 

I enjoy the hardy feel of this remote, which has a brushed metal finish but is clearly made of plastic. Notably, this remote mirrors the width of the TV itself, at approximately two inches. This TV is not super-sleek, but that’s not the role the U8QG is playing in the crowded market of budget to midrange options. 

Three HDMI ports are great, especially since the U8QG has a 165Hz native refresh rate, an upgrade from the 144Hz rate in 2024’s U8N model. However, four ports are becoming the standard among premium TVs because you’re likely to use three ports with a gaming console, an external speaker/soundbar, and a streaming device, if not a cable or satellite box. Four ports permit a new level of versatility, from a second gaming system to a laptop connection or a digital camera, and the U8QG falls just short of that versatility.

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Having said that, the U8QG is the first Hisense TV to include a USB-C port that can act as an alternate display port for PC gamers, which is quite cool.

How does ULED really look?

When I first powered on the U8QG, the retail mode demos on its screen were arresting. Waterfalls of color and light poured vertically through a montage of imagery that I would call captivating. This is a 4K TV, but when playing high-res video, it looked 8K, at least to my human eye. So let’s break down those four components that Hisense celebrates with the term “Ultra.”

‘Ultra Local Dimming’ in action

This is where the U8QG’s mini-LED aspect really shines (literally) because thousands of tiny LEDs can be controlled with exquisite precision. This means deeper blacks that are actually black, not a murky gray positioned right next to bright, punchy highlights. 

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The contrast is striking. During a particularly dark scene in “Alien: Romulus,” the U8QG rendered the inky blackness of space with an intensity that can give an OLED a serious run for its money. The distant stars and nebulae popped with brilliant, well-defined light with minimal blooming or haloing around bright objects on dark backgrounds.

How colors are reproduced

In one of many test videos of natural scenery, the vibrant plumage of tropical birds, the rich greens of a rainforest, and the deep blues of the ocean felt incredibly lifelike and saturated, but not in an artificial, overblown way. Similarly, when tuning in to “Top Gun: Maverick,” the U8QG handled skin tones with a natural warmth, avoiding that plasticky or overly ruddy look that can sometimes creep in.

Our Calman software and Klein colorimeter test results indicate a close match to targeted measurements for the BT.2020 Gamut Coverage on at least three picture modes (i.e., standard, cinema, filmmaker). However, the BT.709 and P3 Sweeps weren’t as successful, although these variables are not widely considered perceivable to the naked human eye. 

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No less, the out-of-the-box color accuracy in Filmmaker mode was also very good, meaning you’re getting a picture that’s close to the creator’s intent without needing to dive deep into calibration settings (though those options are there for tinkerers). 

What about 4K video playback?

4K resolution is standard fare for most TVs nowadays. So what puts the Hisense recipe into an “Ultra” category?

I will attest that for 4K viewing, the U8QG’s clarity was exceptional. Fine textures in clothing, distant landscapes, and tiny details in complex scenes were all rendered with impressive precision, even for 1080p content. Hisense’s upscaling engine, the Hi-View AI Engine Pro processor, also supports Dolby Vision, HDR10+, which is noteworthy but not uncommon. 

While it’s not magic (you won’t mistake an old DVD for a 4K Blu-ray), the U8QG’s MediaTek Pentonic 800 chip sharpens and cleans up lower-resolution sources effectively, making them far more appealing on a 4K canvas.

Ultimately, with 8.3 million pixels, we can expect sharp visuals and crisp contrast, and this is the case with all 4K TVs. But as far as I can tell, the “Ultra” part of Hisense’s branding refers to additional technologies it uses to enhance picture quality (like Noise Reduction, Detail Enhancement, and Dynamic Tone Mapping for HDR). Not to dismiss or demystify the term “ULED,” but I want to be clear that it does not describe a whole new category of contemporary TV technology.

Sports and gaming

One way I like to assess motion rate on a TV is to watch NFL highlights, especially of long downfield passes. For the U8QG, the spiraling launches from quarterbacks were fairly tight in terms of blur, and there was almost zero blur trailing the running players. Frantic action sequences in all the footage I sampled retained their impact without devolving into a juddery mess.

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Gamers, too, will appreciate the U8QG’s responsiveness, especially with features like ALLM, Game Mode Ultra (another “Ultra”), and AMD FreeSync PremiumPro — all included to enhance fast-action content. Any TV that offers a variable refresh rate (VRR) of 288Hz for gaming has an edge on its contenders, which very well might convert to an edge for you as a gamer. The U8QG reaches this potential, and that puts it in the upper echelon for motion clarity and smoothness in the consumer TV space. And that’s “Ultra” enough for me.

A word on sound performance

The on-device sound quality of the U8QG was surprisingly robust. While it won’t replace a dedicated soundbar or surround sound system for true audiophiles, the 4.1.2 multi-channel speakers deliver clear dialogue and a decent amount of bass for everyday viewing. But as I cranked up the volume, I did notice some rattling bass that the hardware in this TV can’t overcome.

ZDNET’s buying advice

If you’re looking for deep blacks and vibrant colors on a TV that holds up well in ambient light without the price tag of an OLED screen, then the Hisense U8QG is a sensible consideration. The TV is great for mixed usage, including gaming and sports, even in rooms with abundant ambient lighting.

While the 65-inch U8QG retails for $2,200, major retailers have slashed its price by up to 32%, bringing the total to $1,500. The 75-inch U8 is also on sale for 20% off on Amazon, putting it at $2,000.

There are higher-end Mini-LEDs that offer more dimming zones and more refined processing, but the U8QG delivers a level of performance where the law of diminishing returns really starts to kick in for those pricier models. The value proposition here is strong, especially when priced right. Take advantage of the discount while you can.