(Credit: TCL)
LAS VEGAS—Hisense and TCL are eschewing gimmicks like 8K resolution and wireless OLED panels to focus on making the biggest and brightest 4K TVs possible. At CES, both companies introduced models that push the limits of what we've seen in screen size and light output.
TCL's newest extra-large flagship TV, the Q Class QM891G, is a 115-inch LED screen with 20,000 mini-LED dimming zones that can output up to 5,000 nits. It has a 6.2.2-channel built-in speaker system with up-firing drivers for Dolby Atmos spatial audio, a 120Hz panel with support for 144Hz variable refresh rate, Wi-Fi 6, and an ATSC 3.0 tuner for 1080p and 4K over-the-air broadcasts.
The 110-inch Hisense 110UX isn't quite as big as the QM891G, but according to the manufacturer its 40,000-zone mini-LED backlight system can put out up to 10,000 nits. It features a 4.2.2-channel speaker system, a 144Hz native refresh rate, Wi-Fi 6E, and an ATSC 3.0 tuner.
If the stated peak brightness levels are accurate, the QM891G and 110UX will be the brightest consumer TVs ever offered by far. For reference, the brightest TV we've reviewed, the Editors' Choice Hisense U8K, put out 2,114 nits in our tests, and only a handful have even come close to the 2,000-nit mark. We perform these tests by measuring the light output of a white square that takes up 18% of the total screen area, ensuring consistency across all TVs that come into the lab. Even when we shrink the square to 10% to see if any more brightness can be eked out (seldom an issue with LED TVs but often the case with OLED panels), nothing comes close to even 3,000 nits. In other words, Hisense and TCL's new high-end TVs are really, really bright.
(Credit: Hisense)They aren't the only potentially blinding TVs the two companies announced, though. TCL's QM851G is similar to the QM891G in peak brightness (up to 5,000 nits) with up to 5,000 mini-LED dimming zones, and screen sizes available in 65, 75, 85, and 98 inches. Hisense also unveiled the 98-inch 98US, which boasts a 10,000-zone, 5,000-nit mini-LED backlight array like the QM891G and QM851G. The latest iteration of the U8 series, meanwhile, can put out up to 3,000 nits, well exceeding last year's model.
Don't expect these TVs to actually look many times brighter than the brightest TVs currently on the market, though. While light is measured in consistent units like nits and lumens, the human eye perceives light output on a curve. We notice changes in light much more when there's less light, like the difference between 10 nits and 100 nits, than we do when there's more, like between 1,000 nits and 10,000 nits. The 10,000-nit screen will certainly look brighter, but we don't really see it as literally 10 times brighter, just "much brighter." High dynamic range (HDR) content is usually mastered for 1,000 or 10,000 nits, with the former being close to an average of HDR-capable TVs and the latter being the peak of current HDR standards. Each TV then adjusts that mastery to what it's actually capable of by applying its own curve or using tone mapping.
Hisense and TCL are known for offering inexpensive TVs, but the pricing and availability for their new models haven't yet been announced. The QM89G and 110UX will likely be a few thousand dollars each, but still probably less than similar LG and Samsung TVs.
Hisense also announced a presumably (and relatively) budget-priced 100-inch TV in the 10076N. Its peak brightness was not revealed, but it features a 144Hz refresh rate and Wi-Fi 6E. For more budget options, Hisense announced the U6N and U7N models, while TCL unveiled the S551G, Q651G, and QM751G lines. Neither company specified the feature differences between the tiers.