What we liked
- The deep blacks and well-controlled brightness
- The excellent handling of HDR formats
- The cinematic image
- The smooth picture
- The clear, detailed sound
- The backlit remote control
We would have liked
- A more refined design
- More efficient upscaling
- More effective anti-glare treatment
- More bass
- Brighter backlighting on the remote control
Our expert’s opinion
The Hisense 65U8Q impressed me in many ways. Its image is spectacular, with excellent light control, deep blacks and beautiful color fidelity. The HDR experience is one of the best in this price range. Regarding audio, the collaboration with Devialet pays off: the sound is full, clear and immersive. The VIDAA interface is fast and complete, although the app catalog is more limited than on Android TV. For movie and video game fans, this TV offers excellent value for money. We would have liked to see a more refined design and more effective anti-glare treatment, but these are mere details when compared with its overall qualities.
The Hisense 65U8Q is a 65-inch (164cm) Mini LED QLED TV designed for movie buffs and gamers alike. A brightness of 5,000 nits, full HDR, 165Hz panel, HDMI 2.1, Dolby Atmos sound by Devialet: it promises an immersive experience, whatever the content, all for less than €1,500!
Presentation
The Hisense 65U8Q uses a 65-inch Mini LED QLED panel, ideal for total immersion in your living room. Its precise 2,048-zone backlighting and 5,000-nit brightness promise vivid images, with deep blacks and vivid colors. The native frequency of 165Hz, increased to 288Hz in HSR mode, hints at remarkable fluidity, enhanced by MEMC processing and a powerful Quad Core processor. Numerous image modes, extended HDR compatibility and an Ultra Game Mode at 165Hz with reduced input lag should appeal to movie lovers and gamers alike. In terms of connectivity, three HDMI 2.1 and one USB-C DisplayPort 1.4 port cater for all uses. Dolby Atmos 4.1.2 sound, the VIDAA U9 smart interface, Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3 round out the specifications of this high-end TV, designed for a highly immersive audiovisual experience.
Key specifications
- Native 165Hz 4K panel
- 288Hz Smart Refresh Technology (HSR)
- Mini LED backlighting with 2,048 zones
- Peak brightness of up to 5,000 nits
- 4.1.2 audio system by Devialet
- Dolby Atmos and DTS:X compatible
- DisplayPort 1.4 via USB-C
Included accessories
The Hisense 65UXKQ comes with a metal center stand (screws supplied) with a cover to guide and conceal cables, a detachable power cable, a user manual and a warranty booklet.
The included remote control is virtually identical to that of the Hisense PX3 Pro projector. It features a solar sensor on the lower part of the front panel for recharging. It can also be charged using a USB-C cable (charger and cable not supplied).
Hisense 65U8Q test conditions
I tested this Hisense TV in the auditorium of the Nantes Son-Vidéo.com store, with the Sony UBP-X700 Blu-ray player and a PlayStation 5 as my main video sources, connected via an AudioQuest Carbon HDMI cable. We connected these two devices to an AudioQuest PowerQuest 303 power strip supplying stabilized and filtered current. I connected the TV to the store’s network with an Ethernet cable to access replay and streaming services in the best possible conditions.
📝 Expert advice
As the Hisense 65U8Q's panel is relatively bright, it's important to limit light pollution, by drawing the curtains to avoid reflections during the day, and switching off any lamps that might be reflected on the screen in the evening. You should also check that the brightness sensor is activated, enabling the TV to adjust the brightness of the picture according to the ambient light. This is particularly useful if you want to enjoy a clear picture in a very bright room, and it also allows you to benefit from the remote control's backlighting.
The TV's placement influences the sound: by placing it closer to a wall, low frequencies are amplified slightly, and any surround or Atmos effects benefit from greater breadth. For films and TV series, use the Cinema audio mode, and check that Dolby Atmos is activated in “Sound mode settings”.
My impressions
Design
The aesthetics of the Hisense 65U8Q are cleaner than those of the Hisense 65UXKQ reviewed just over a year ago. Gone are the vertical speakers on either side of the screen. The audio section is better integrated into the the TV, making it visually much more discreet. The chassis remains solid, but has a thinner frame around the screen, leaving more room for the picture. The TV is slim, with a thickness of just 4.5cm.
The metal stand provides perfect stability for the TV and offers two different installation heights, the higher of which lets you install a soundbar under the screen. It allows cables to be grouped together in the integrated cable management system, and comes with a cover to hide them from view.
Even before you switch on the TV, you’ll notice that you’ll have to deal with the lighting in the room if you don’t want to be affected by glare. The panel’s surface is shiny, with a pronounced reflective effect. Once the screen is turned on, the TV’s high brightness partly compensates for this inconvenience, although it persists in the darker parts of the picture.
Connectors
When facing the screen, all the Hisense TV’s connectors are grouped together on the rear left-hand side, with the exception of the power supply socket on the right. The three HDMI ports, all with full-speed HDMI 2.1 (48 Gbps), are compatible with 165Hz 4K streams, as well as 288Hz 1080p/1440p (HSR) for gaming. There are also two powered USB multimedia ports to accommodate a memory stick or hard drive.
Not often found on TVs, this model also includes a USB-C port on the left-hand side, compatible with DisplayPort 1.4 (32.4 Gbps, 120Hz 4K). I was able to connect my laptop to this port to duplicate the screen and extend my desktop. You can also connect a compatible tablet or smartphone. Finally, this powered USB-C port (5V/2A) can recharge a smartphone or TV remote control, but not a laptop.
In terms of audio connectivity, this TV features an HDMI eARC port, an optical output and a line/mini-jack headphone stereo output, with separate volume control. The TV’s sound can also be streamed wirelessly to Bluetooth headphones or speakers.
Remote control
This TV’s remote control is large – very large, in fact – in contrast to competitors’ simplified models with few buttons.
This format is explained by the fact that has a genuine numeric keypad in its lower section, which also houses a solar sensor to recharging the battery. This is a very good idea, although it could probably have been integrated into the back of the remote control to reduce its dimensions!
At the top are the power/standby button, source selector and access buttons for the main streaming services. In the center is the directional pad, surrounded by the usual navigation keys, with the volume control and TV channel scroll button above.
It feels good in the hand, making it easy to control your TV on a daily basis. The icing on the cake is the backlighting. Curiously, it is controlled automatically by the TV’s ambient light sensor. Activated by a gyroscope as soon as the remote is picked up, it cannot be turned on via a dedicated button. It works, but the brightness of the buttons, though sufficient in the dark, seemed a little dim otherwise.
Smart TV features
The ninth generation of the proprietary VIDAA (U9) operating system powers this TV. As smooth and responsive as ever, the interface integrates the majority of streaming platforms, accessible directly from the home menu. It now natively features the SFR app, and should add those of Orange and Free over the course of the year. This means you no longer need to connect your Internet operator’s box to the TV to enjoy your subscriptions, as you can use it to stream your favorite content to a second screen!
Among the other benefits of this new version of VIDAA, the parental control is one of the most comprehensive on the market: viewing times and access to channels, content, sources, apps and websites can be set to restrict access. This can be done from the TV menu, or via the free VIDAA Smart TV app.
All formats are supported!
The Hisense 65U8Q proves extremely versatile when it comes to multimedia playback, whether from its HDMI and USB ports, via streaming services or over the local network. HDR10+ and Dolby Vision content, as well as the various variations of Dolby and DTS audio formats, are supported, whatever the source.
No matter which streaming service you subscribe to, and no matter which soundtrack format your favorite films are in, you’re guaranteed to enjoy them in the best possible conditions, with no restrictions. There’s also the Filmmaker and IMAX Enhanced modes, to ensure that the experience is true to the director’s vision.
This Hisense TV even handles large-capacity hard drives (>1TB), with its integrated media player offering fluid navigation through the folders.
Superb picture quality
This Hisense 65U8Q TV makes excellent use of QLED technology and Mini-LED backlighting to display well-balanced images with accurate colors. With a peak brightness announced at 5,000 nits, we were worried about the panel being blindingly bright, but this is not the case.
The Hisense 65U8Q proves to be very precise in its management of light, both in HDR and SDR. The image remains constantly balanced, with intense but controlled highlights. On Dune Part II, the Feyd-Rautha fight scene in the arena, shot in black and white with highlights bordering on the extreme, takes full advantage of the screen’s capabilities. It perfectly reproduces the harsh, colorless light of Giedi Prime’s black sun, reflecting the brutality and inhumanity of the Harkonnen environment and the on-screen battle.
Blacks are impressively deep and nuanced, so much so that you’d think you were looking at an OLED panel. With over 2,000 independently managed backlight zones, the intensity of the dark areas of the image is enhanced, while blooming is virtually absent. You really have to look for it to see it, manifesting itself mainly on the subtitles, with a very slight halo of light around the letters displayed on a dark background.
The colors are equally convincing, especially with the Cinema and Filmmaker picture modes, guaranteeing realistic, nuanced hues (see photos below). The cars driven by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May under the Moroccan sun are gleaming, and facial complexions appear very natural. With Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the film’s rich, warm photography is respected, as the Hisense renders saturated colors, natural light and textures with authenticity. The result is a very pleasant cinematic look.
The same applies to SDR content, with the superb ARTE documentary on Miyazaki. The Hisense delivers beautiful images with soft tones, especially on the watercolors shown on screen.
The Hisense’s image definition and precision prove surgical in 4K, with many fine details (see photos below, including skin texture, hair, fabric…).
Upscaling is also very effective on high-quality Blu-ray sources, and remains decent on low-definition content.
Recommended settings
| Picture mode | Filmmaker (with default picture settings) |
| Dynamic color enhancement | Off |
| Noise reduction | Off |
| Digital noise reduction | Off |
| Color gradation | Low |
| Super Resolution | Low or medium |
| Motion compensation | Film |
| Audio mode | Cinema |
| Dolby Atmos | Activated |
| AI-driven sound optimization | Off |
Ultra-fast and smooth 4K gaming
This is one of the TV’s strengths: its gaming features are among the most advanced on the market. The ultra gaming mode offers an input lag of 13.5ms, with an image refresh rate of up to 165 fps in 4K and 288 fps in 1080p and 1440p (HSR), guaranteeing extremely high fluidity. The three HDMI 2.1 inputs support ALLM, VRR and FreeSync Premium Pro, guaranteeing optimal display synchronization, with no tearing effects. Whether you’re team console or PC, you won’t be disappointed!
As soon as the PlayStation 5 is switched on, the TV detects it and prompts you to select the corresponding HDMI input. It then automatically switches to gaming mode to offer the lowest possible latency (ALLM).
Pressing the remote control’s menu button activates the gaming bar, which provides a range of information (framerate, HDR, VRR) and lets you adjust multiple parameters on the fly, without taking your eyes off the game (on-screen FPS display, brightness, detail enhancement in dark areas, FreeSync…).
The TV’s VRR function is fully compatible with the PS5 and enabled me to enjoy a variable framerate, with optimal fluidity. I was therefore able to enjoy Gran Turismo 7 in 4K up to 120Hz, with excellent responsiveness and an image free from latency or tearing.
Immersive 3D sound
This Hisense 65U8Q TV features an audio system designed by Devialet, the two manufacturers having announced their collaboration earlier this year. Dolby Atmos and DTS:X compatible, it broadcasts sound over 4.1.2 channels. It features two front stereo channels, two surround channels, two channels for vertical effects, and two woofers (on the back).
The Hi-Concerto function is still present, allowing you to obtain even more power and immersion by using the TV’s drivers with those of a Hisense soundbar or the Hisense HT Saturn wireless home theater system. With the latter, the TV can even be assigned the center channel, so that dialogue is even more distinct and focused.
Tested without an additional audio system, the sound of the Hisense 65U8Q is quite convincing: dialogues are perfectly audible and I appreciated the overall clarity, which allowed me to enjoy many details in the soundtracks. While energetic, the bass could do with more weight to engage the audience, although its impact can be increased a little by moving the TV closer to the wall behind it. Lateral and vertical surround effects are deployed widely enough around the screen for great immersion.
Hisense 65U8Q compared to the Samsung TQ65QN80F
The Hisense 65U8Q boasts a particularly bright panel, full support for HDR formats, a very high refresh rate (288Hz in HSR mode) and a Dolby Atmos and DTS:X-compatible 4.1.2 audio system, ideal for movie buffs and gamers alike. It also stands out for its USB-C DisplayPort 1.4 port, rare on a TV, and its three HDMI 2.1s compatible with VRR 4K at 165Hz.
For its part, the Samsung TQ65QN80F relies on its NQ4 Gen2 processor to optimize the image, a display frequency of up to 144Hz on its four HDMI 2.1s, and an enriched Tizen ecosystem. It also integrates advanced gaming functions (Gaming Hub, Mini Map Zoom, cloud gaming) and offers wireless Dolby Atmos sound with Q-Symphony-compatible Samsung soundbars.
The Hisense TV is perfect for those looking for a striking picture and immersive sound, whatever the source, while the Samsung model will appeal to those who prefer cutting-edge video processing, on-board intelligence and a wealth of connected services.
Hisense 65U8Q compared to the TCL 65Q8C
Although both TVs achieve a brightness of 5,000 nits, ideal for a striking picture even in bright light, the Hisense 65U8Q benefits from a more precise Mini LED backlight spread over 2,048 zones, compared to 1,680 for the TCL 65Q8C. As a result, the Hisense model offers more precise contrast, and also benefits from more comprehensive HDR processing, with HDR10+ Adaptive in addition to Dolby Vision IQ.
In terms of fluidity, the 65U8Q reaches 165Hz in 4K and 288Hz in 1080p and 1440p, compared with 144Hz in 4K and 240Hz in 1080p for the TCL. As for audio, the Hisense features a 4.1.2 system compatible with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, while the TCL offers a 4.2.2 configuration by Bang & Olufsen with Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual:X. Finally, VIDAA U9 is fast and more responsive, but with a more limited catalog than Google TV, which offers a wide range of apps and connected services.
Who is the Hisense 65U8Q designed for?
The Hisense 65U8Q is aimed at discerning users looking for a high-performance, versatile TV. Movie buffs will appreciate the rich colors, deep blacks and compatibility with all HDR formats. Gamers will also appreciate the 165Hz Ultra Gaming mode, VRR, excellent responsiveness and full compatibility with the latest consoles and PCs. Finally, those who want an all-in-one TV, without adding a soundbar, will enjoy its 4.1.2 audio system optimized by Devialet.
FAQ – Hisense 65U8Q
Yes, it supports Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+ and HDR10+ Adaptive. You can enjoy an optimized image, whatever the content or source.
Absolutely. Thanks to its three HDMI 2.1 ports (48 Gbps), the TV supports 4K up to 165Hz, VRR, ALLM and FreeSync Premium Pro. It’s perfectly suited to PS5, Xbox Series X and gaming PCs.
Yes, the Devialet-optimized 4.1.2 system delivers clear, balanced, immersive sound. Dolby Atmos effects are well rendered, and dialogue is precise. The result is very satisfying for a TV alone.
Yes, it has automatic backlighting controlled by the TV’s ambient light sensor. However, it is not possible to activate this backlight manually.
Yes, the DisplayPort 1.4-compatible USB-C port accepts signals up to 120Hz 4K. It can also recharge a smartphone or remote control (5V/2A), but not a laptop.
Yes, VIDAA U9 is fast and well thought-out, and benefits from regular updates. It integrates the main streaming platforms and comprehensive parental controls. On the other hand, the choice of apps remains more limited than on Android TV or Google TV.
Yes, the Hisense 65U8Q lets you stream sound wirelessly to Bluetooth headphones or speakers. This also works for compatible soundbars.
The panel is bright (up to 5,000 nits), but remains glossy. We recommend limiting direct light sources for greater comfort, especially during the day.
Yes, it’s VESA-compatible, and its thickness (4.5cm) allows for discreet wall mounting. It can also be mounted on its supplied stand, which is height-adjustable on two levels.
Filmmaker mode deactivates superfluous image processing to restore the director’s original intentions. It guarantees more accurate colorimetry and a more natural image, ideal for film lovers.
