Pros & Cons
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- Incredibly bright picture
- Deep blacks
- Wide, accurate colors
- 4.1.2-channel spatial audio system
- 165Hz VRR with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro
- Apple AirPlay and Google Cast
- Side-mounted USB-C port that supports DisplayPort video
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- Only three HDMI ports
- Slight light bloom
- More expensive than its predecessor
Hisense 65U8QG Specs
| AMD FreeSync | FreeSync Premium Pro |
| HDMI Ports | 3 |
| HDR | Dolby Vision |
| HDR | HDR-10 |
| Input Lag (1080p120) | 4.3 |
| Input Lag (4K60) | 10.1 |
| Nvidia G-Sync | None |
| Panel Type | LED |
| Refresh Rate | 165 |
| Resolution | 3,840 by 2,160 |
| Screen Brightness | 3200 |
| Screen Size | 65 |
| Streaming Services | Yes |
| Video Inputs | HDMI |
| Video Inputs | RF |
| Video Inputs | USB |
| VRR |
The Hisense U8 TV line has been a favorite of ours for a few years now. New for 2025, the U8QG puts out even more light than last year’s incredibly bright U8N. It also has more accurate colors, features a 4.1.2-channel spatial audio speaker system, and adds a convenient side-mounted USB-C port that supports 4K165 video over DisplayPort. It isn’t all upgrades, though; it loses an HDMI port (for three total), and it’s notably more expensive than the U8N. The 65-inch model we tested has a hefty-for-Hisense $2,199.99 retail price, though you’ll most likely find it for the much more reasonable and officially acknowledged “everyday price” of $1,499.99 ($350 more than the last generation). Even so, it’s an excellent value and earns our Editors’ Choice award for LED TVs.
Design: Surprises on the Side
From the front, the U8QG takes a standard approach to design with no bezel on the sides and top and a narrow brushed metal strip along the bottom edge featuring a bump in the middle for the indicator LED, power/input button, and far-field microphone array. Look around to the side, and you’ll see a unique feature. The left and right sides of the TV have deep grooves running down their lengths for the side-firing speaker drives (and, on the left, a USB-C port with support for DisplayPort for easy device connection), while the flat top panel features grilles for the upward-firing drivers. It means the U8QG is hardly the slimmest high-end TV available, but it’s all in the service of a 4.1.2-channel sound system.
Unless you choose to mount it on the wall, the U8QG sits on a flat, octagonal metal table stand that can be set to two height options depending on which screw holes you use to attach it to the TV.
(Credit: Will Greenwald)On the back of the U8QG, almost all connections sit in a rectangular recess near the left edge, facing left. They include three HDMI ports (one eARC), two USB-A ports, a 3.5mm composite input, a headphone output, and serial control jacks, an optical audio output, an Ethernet port, and an antenna/cable RF connector.
It's surprising that this TV has only three HDMI ports when almost all others have four, but there is another high-end video input option available. The USB-C port on the left edge of the TV supports DisplayPort video at up to 4K165, so you can connect most computers, Android phones, and modern iPhones and iPads directly to it with one cable. It doesn’t support HDR like the HDMI ports, though.
The side USB-C port is convenient if you find yourself wanting an easily accessable wired video connection for a bunch of different devices, but it doesn’t replace a fourth HDMI port if you want to keep three gaming devices (like a Nintendo Switch, a PlayStation 5, and an Xbox Series X) constantly hooked up to the TV along with a soundbar. The port’s position is clearly not for any semi-permanent connection, because using it means having a wire visible sticking out of the left side of the TV. The easy-access video connection also feels a bit redundant when the U8QD already supports Android, iOS, and Chrome tab streaming wirelessly with Apple AirPlay and Google Cast.
(Credit: Will Greenwald)The remote is a flat plastic bar with a brushed metallic gray finish, backlit buttons, and a silver, circular navigation pad near the middle. Above the pad, there's a pinhole microphone and buttons for power, input, settings, user profiles, and Google Assistant, along with dedicated service buttons for Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Netflix, Tubi, and YouTube, plus a sixth customizable shortcut. Volume and channel rockers sit below the pad, along with menu navigation and playback controls.
Sound: 4.1.2-Channel Spatial Audio
We don’t typically test TV speakers, but the U8QG’s 4.1.2-channel sound system should be acknowledged for its built-in side-firing and height channels, and Dolby Atmos spatial audio support. It’s a similar audio configuration to the Hisense U9N and an upgrade from the U8N’s 2.1.2-channel speaker system. Its output varies by screen size, with the 55-inch model topping out at 66W, the 65-inch model I tested at 72 watts, and the 100-inch at 82 watts. It will almost certainly offer a better audio experience than other built-in stereo TV speakers. If you really want rumble or rear channels, though, you’ll have to give up the TV’s speaker system in favor of a soundbar with those features, as the two can’t be used together.
Software: Google TV With Apple AirPlay
(Credit: Will Greenwald)Like Hisense’s other ULED TVs, the U8QG uses the Google TV smart TV platform. As always, it’s a full-featured interface that covers all major streaming services, including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Crunchyroll, Disney+, Netflix, Twitch, and YouTube. The platform also has Google Cast by default for local streaming from Android devices and Chrome tabs, and Hisense adds Apple AirPlay to its implementation for local streaming from iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
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Google Assistant is built into Google TV, and the U8QG has a far-field microphone array so you can use it free of hands. It lets you control the TV, plus any Google Home-compatible smart home devices, with your voice. You can also search for content, get general information, and set reminders and alarms. If you don’t want your TV always listening for a wake word, you can disable the microphone array and still use the voice assistant by pressing a button on the remote and speaking into it.
Picture Quality: Extra Bright and Colorful
The Hisense U8QG is a 4K QLED mini-LED TV with a 165Hz native refresh rate. It supports high dynamic range (HDR) in Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, and hybrid log gamma (HLG). It features Wi-Fi 6E connectivity and has an ATSC 3.0 tuner for 1080p and 4K over-the-air broadcasts.
I test TVs using a Klein K-10A colorimeter, a Murideo SIX-G signal generator, and Portrait Displays’ Calman software. The U8QG is stunningly bright, showing a peak brightness of 845 nits with a full-screen white field in HDR Theater mode with an HDR signal, and 3,200 nits with an 18% field. That’s significantly brighter than the U8N (2,755 nits, 18% field) and the TCL QM7K (2,092 nits, 18% field), and almost matches the current brightness champion, the TCL QM851G (3,308 nits, 18% field).
The mini-LED backlight produces perfect black levels for an OLED-like infinite contrast ratio. I saw almost no light bloom with an 18% white field against black, though I did notice it in test footage as explained below. I also saw an odd reverse light bloom with a 10% field, where the edges of the white box dimmed slightly. While OLED TVs are almost always much dimmer than LED TVs, they don’t suffer from any light bloom thanks to their per-pixel light output control.
(Credit: PCMag)The above charts show the U8QG’s color levels with an SDR signal in Theater Day mode compared against Rec.709 broadcast standards, and with an HDR10 signal in HDR Theater mode and a Dolby Vision signal in Dolby Vision IQ mode compared against DCI-P3 digital cinema standards. Whites are close to spot-on, and colors are wide and mostly accurate, covering nearly the full color space with little drift. Cyans run just a touch green and magentas slightly red in HDR10, though not so much that they’ll significantly skew. Warm magentas are a common issue with QLED TVs, and the effect is more pronounced in HDR Filmmaker and HDR IMAX modes, so you’ll probably want to stick with HDR Theater if what you want to watch isn’t in Dolby Vision.
The “Islands” episode of BBC’s Planet Earth II looks vibrant and accurate on the U8QG, with well-saturated and varied greens and blues. While they’re vivid, the colors don’t look overblown or cartoonish, making the nature footage appear lifelike. Fine details like black and white fur are clearly discernible, with both highlights and shadows preserved.
The U8QG’s incredible contrast is on full display in the party scenes of The Great Gatsby. White lights and balloons stand out blazingly, and black suits are very dark while still clearly showing their cuts, contours, and textures. The wide brightness range lets white shirts and balloons appear properly white and not gray, but still less vivid than white lamps. Flourishes of color like oranges and blues pop nicely, and skin tones appear varied and natural.
(Credit: Will Greenwald)The Spears & Munsil Ultra HD benchmark disc’s demonstration footage looks similarly excellent on the U8QG. Snowy scenes display plenty of detail in the highlights, letting falling snow and wispy clouds be easily seen against white skies. Wide shots of landscapes look colorful and natural, and dark, shadow-covered treelines are visible even with the rising or setting sun shining brightly. Some slight light bloom can be seen around bright, colorful objects against completely black backgrounds, though it’s a very minor, fine haze, and I saw no sign of the odd reverse-bloom I noticed when measuring the TV’s contrast.
Gaming: Speedy 165Hz
With a 165Hz native refresh rate, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, and a Game Bar quick menu for confirming common settings and enabling features like an on-screen crosshair, the U8QG is well-equipped for gaming. It’s also very responsive: Using a Leo Bodnar 4K Video Signal Lag Tester with the TV in Game mode, I measured an input lag of just 10.1 milliseconds with a 4K60 signal and 4.3ms with a 1080p120 signal. I consider a latency of under one frame (16.6ms at 60Hz, 8.3ms at 120Hz) to be among the best for gaming, and the U8QG definitely succeeds.