I wasn’t expecting much when I set it up. Hisense U8K I use it in my office/gaming room, but as always, I put this TV through our rigorous testing and the U8K impressed me in every way. With a bright, crisp image, crisp audio, and customizable refresh rate and contrast adjustments, the Hisense U8K is definitely worth the money, especially for console gamers.
The Hisense U8K looks great in the photos I took, but it’s even better in person. Colors are vibrant and bold, whites are bright, and blacks are nearly as dark as you’ll find on a non-OLED panel. Details are crisp and clear, highlighting a variety of visual styles.
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Setting up the TV was thankfully quick, taking about 10 minutes from out of the box to streaming, though it could be quicker if you had someone to help you. The T-bar legs are sturdy and can be positioned in two different positions: narrow and wide. This feature gives you more placement options, especially if you have a smaller TV stand. I kept my test model on the floor, since that’s where I have the most space for a 65-inch TV.
The Mini LED panel has a peak brightness of 1500 nits. While I don’t have the test equipment to confirm that figure at the moment, I can say that it’s a very bright screen. This brightness is beneficial in my office, where there is a lot of direct sunlight in the mornings. The TV supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10+, which helps improve contrast and detail, especially with upscaled content. The sound quality of the built-in speakers is great for the price, with music and dialogue sounding clear and crisp.
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The best feature of the Hisense U8K is that it can support a refresh rate of up to 144Hz at 4K resolution. All four HDMI ports support 2.1 connections, which means the base refresh rate will be 120Hz. However, two of the HDMI ports can support a native refresh rate of 144Hz, making the Hisense U8K the perfect TV for gaming.
You’ll need to manually enable high refresh rate in your TV’s settings once you’ve plugged in your games console. It would be nice if the display settings enabled it automatically, but for those who still have older consoles that can’t support high refresh rates, it makes sense to have the toggle option.
I have tested U8K extensively. Batman Forever and M3 Gun We saw how the mini-LED panel handled upscaling and darker contrast movies and shows, and we also plugged in a PlayStation 5 to see how it performed. Persona 5 Dancing Moonlight We pushed the 144Hz refresh rate and Dolby Vision HDR to their limits, and while playing Our Moment in All Night mode, my brain and hands struggled to keep up, the U8K displayed the smooth action and clear geometry that’s so essential for rhythm games.
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Where the Hisense U8K really excels is in console gaming and streaming: with a 144Hz refresh rate, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, Dolby Vision and a Mini-LED panel, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better TV at this price point. The 65-inch model costs $849.very worth it for what you get.
Keep in mind that this TV doesn’t come in a screen size smaller than 55 inches, so you’ll need plenty of space. This size might not be an issue for those who prefer to mount their TV on the wall, but if you need a TV stand, finding space for a larger screen can be difficult. This is especially true for TVs like the Hisense U8K, which has bracket-style legs rather than a central pedestal.
If you don’t think you’ll ever need a higher native refresh rate, the Hisense U6K is another great choice for upgrading your home theater, and it’s even more affordable.
