Hisense 65U8K: Flagship Specs for $1000

In a world where most affordable TVs blend into a monotonous backdrop, the new Hisense U8K lineup emerges as a breath of fresh air, determined to shake things up. It’s on a mission to bring top-notch tech, once reserved for pricey flagships, to the masses. It weaves a captivating mix of features and value, drawing in movie enthusiasts and gamers alike with open arms.

Available in 55″, 65″, 75″, or 85″, our review sample is the 65U8K—a size often considered the sweet spot, catering to a wide range of spaces without compromise.

Editor’s Choice

Hisense U8K

$850 $998 Save $148

This Mini-LED TV has a Peak Brightness of 1500 and more than double the local dimming zones as last year. With its Quantum Dot Color, Dolby Vision HDR, and Low Reflection panel technology, the U8K delivers unmatched brightness, contrast and detail at a significantly cheaper cost than the competition. 

Brand

Hisense

Dimensions

57.2 × 33.1 × 3.0 inches

Operating System

Google TV

Power Consumption

260W

Connectivity

HDMI 2.1

Refresh rate

144Hz

Weight

56.4 lbs (without stand)

Speakers

50W 2.1.2 Multi-Channel

Peak Brightness

1500nits

Response Time

8ms

VESA

400 x 400

Pros

• Premium features without the price tag
• Excellent HDR quality
• 144hz gaming with AMD Freesync
• Google TV is streamlined & fast
• Built-in speakers are surprisingly powerful & bassy

Cons

• Remote looks and feels cheap
• Not the thinnest or sleekest design

Expand

With Mini-LED QLED technology and support for Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG, you’ll experience inky blacks that rival a moonless night and extremely bright highlights without losing important details. This TV knows how to put on a show—or an IMAX movie, for that matter.

Gaming, anyone? A 144Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync make screen tearing a thing of the past. Combined with its incredible picture quality, if you’ve yet to experience your latest Xbox Series X or PS5, or even PC games on a TV this large and fast, the Hisense 65U8K is easily one of the best TVs in this category.

Design-wise, this is far from the slimmest or sleekest option in 2023. That said, the 65U8K delivers an audio experience that justifies its more pronounced thickness. With a 5-speaker setup, it’s like having a surround sound system without the hassle. You’ll find yourself immersed in sound without cluttering up your space. While future-proofing is a relative term, you will find the latest connectivity with HDMI 2.1 and Wi-Fi 6E. For those in the Apple camp, the Hisense 65U8K also plays nice with Apple HomeKit and Apple AirPlay.

In our time with this TV, we’ve been pretty darn impressed. Hisense is the leader in global TV sales, and clearly knows the game. This TV isn’t just about a single purchase—it’s part of a bigger strategy to win hearts, minds, and possibly some of that juicy user data, too (but what TV brand isn’t these days?).

Design

The bezel thickness of the U8K presents an average facade on its top and sides, measuring around 6.5mm directly on the glass. An additional 2mm gets added to the equation with the plastic bezel, tallying up to approximately 8.5mm. Underneath the display is a dark gray brushed metal trim, about 14mm thick. Interestingly, rather than being flush with the rest of the display, it protrudes outward by about 2mm.

Beneath the Hisense logo, you’ll find another downwards bump that houses its infrared sensor, built-in microphones for voice commands (even when the TV is in its slumber), and a physical mic mute switch for that extra layer of privacy. In the shadows or against a darker wall, this area isn’t too noticeable; however, against a lighter-colored or white wall, it’s hard to miss when you’re viewing the TV straight on. We’ve seen plenty of TVs with significantly smaller—if not completely hidden—integrations, so Hisense’s implementation isn’t doing itself any favors in camouflaging its bezels.

Supporting this TV, we find two upside-down T-shaped metal legs. In comparison, the Samsung 65″ QN90B uses a center base stand which typically require less surface area, making installing your TV in those quirky nooks and crannies easier. The Hisense 65U8K accommodates by providing two mounting positions underneath the frame. This choice is convenient for those with petite entertainment centers, like my own snug setup in my cozy NYC apartment. Opting for the narrower configuration, the TV barely squeezes into its designated space. The Hisense 65U8K also supports the 400 x 400 VESA standard if you prefer wall mounting.

Setup

As you power on the TV for the first time, you’re greeted with the Hisense logo followed by the Google TV emblem. Simplifying the process, you can quickly configure your TV using the Google Home app with your smartphone. This entails linking your Google account, connecting to your home Wi-Fi network, and letting you select which apps you want to download. The alternative is the laborious task of manually typing each detail using the remote, which is never fun.

Once the TV wraps up the login process, it’ll look for updates. You’ll click through a quick guide on Google TV, the features of Google Assistant (if you want to enable it), and then be asked to read a series of consent agreements.

Interestingly, despite interacting with the remote for about two minutes up to this point, you’re now prompted to pair it with the TV. I’m unsure what this step does; however, choosing to skip will disable the Google-powered voice search on the remote.

Continuing with the setup, you are then asked to enter your zip code which will later be used to provide local over-the-air broadcasts via NEXTGEN TV, also known as ATSC 3.0. As the finish line approaches, you’re presented with the Hisense End User and Data Protection Policy agreements.

For your final setting, you can enable the ability to summon the TV to life with “OK Google”, even when the screen is on standby. I didn’t see myself using this enough to justify, but surprisingly, I’ve come to appreciate it. Whether I misplaced or couldn’t be bothered to reach for the remote, I could quickly ask the TV to play my favorite show, pause or change the volume, or ask it a quick trivia question related to what I was watching on screen.

With all this complete, the apps you selected from the previous step will finally begin to download. Altogether, the entire setup process took me approximately 15 minutes before I was ushered into the grand finale: the Home Screen of the TV.

Remote Control

Functionally, the remote works well and does everything you’d need from a TV remote, including housing a microphone for voice features.

On the bottom, you’ll find quick access to five channel apps: Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube, Disney, and Tubi, and a dedicated Apps button. While the preselected streaming services are fine, I’d much rather have programmable favorites. I’ve owned and still use several TVs with dedicated buttons for streaming services that no longer exist… does anyone even remember VUDU?

In contrast to the TV’s allure, the remote strays from premium sentiments, leaning towards a generic, dated design. Fashioned from smooth black plastic, it lacks a distinctive character that instantly identifies it as a Hisense remote or belonging to one of the best-performing TVs of 2023.

Admittedly, having tested other “premium” offerings with USB-C and even solar-rechargeable remotes from brands like Samsung, this remote leaves you wanting more. Housing two AAA batteries, the remote feels overall lightweight, albeit bottom-heavy. I found myself dropping this remote out of my hands more often than I was used to because of that smooth, unshaped underside, combined with the awkward weight distribution. The remote summarizes Hisense’s approach with the U8K lineup—prioritizing the flagship viewing experience while potentially saving costs in other areas.

Connectivity and Smart Features

For wireless connectivity, the Hisense 65U8K uses Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 ax) for 2.4/5G/6G frequencies and Bluetooth 5.2, ensuring it’ll be speedy for at least the next few years.

Most of the TV’s ports are conveniently clustered on the left rear side, facing outward to the left for easy accessibility even after installation. Starting from the top, you’ll find a USB 3.0 port, four HDMI ports (including two that support 144Hz and one eARC), an RF antenna input, a 3.5mm AV In, and a 3.5mm audio output.

Directly adjacent to this section, towards the back of the TV, additional ports are strategically positioned to face outward. Beginning from the left, these include a LAN port, a Digital Audio Out, and one USB 2.0 port. These rear-facing ports might pose a slight challenge if the TV is placed against a wall or if you’re considering direct wall mounting. A slim Ethernet cord might be a practical solution to alleviate potential cable protrusion. The power cable is the only connection you’ll find on the right side of the TV.

Being a Google TV, you can easily stream from most Android devices and even cast directly from a Chrome tab on a device that’s on the same Wi-Fi network. Apple users can take advantage of its support for Apple AirPlay 2 for a similar experience.

By either speaking directly into the remote or (if enabled) in the vicinity of the TV, you can use “Hey, Google” to quickly turn the TV on or off, play a specific show or movie, ask Google a random question, and of course control the other smart home devices that you’ve added to the same Google account.

Google TV is very easy to navigate. At the top left-most side of the screen is a Profile icon, a gateway for user switching and accessing your personal viewing history and recommended content.

The “For You” tab at the top functions as the home screen. A large conspicuous top banner spotlighting recommended shows is front and center, though this compilation is most likely influenced by sponsored placements rather than based on your watch history. Not a great start, but at least it’s not a blatant product Ad, a la Samsung…

Right underneath, you’ll find the Apps section of your downloaded streaming services. Below this is the “Continue Watching” section which does an excellent job of curating watch content from your logged-in apps. Here, the likes of Better Call Saul on Netflix, Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law on Max, a Cruise-related video on YouTube, Scrubs on Hulu, and an array of other shows I’m watching reside, beckoning you to resume your viewing journey with a single click.

As you continue to scroll, an “Explore More” section unfolds, offering an array of categories, popular titles, themed compilations, and content tailored to your viewing history – in my case, lots of Batman and DC comic characters. These curated recommendations surprisingly do a great job at helping you answer the age-old question of “what should I watch next?”—a far better alternative to the tiresome hunt within individual streaming apps. If you want to tune into live broadcasts, the Live tab is curated by default with a mix of channels from Google TV as well as TUBI by default.

Picture Quality

Positioned where natural daylight or overhead LED kitchen lights are present during the day, the TV reflects subtle silhouettes of furniture and myself from about 10 feet away. While not distracting, these reflections become less noticeable with higher brightness settings, fading from your attention when the screen is in motion. Similarly, vividness does seem less pronounced at more dramatic viewing angles. Still, even viewing it from a 45-degree angle at about 15 feet away, content looks great.

The TV’s impressive brightness can border on excessive in default settings, particularly after the sun has gone down. I’ve found a comfortable balance with a Backlight setting around 60 during the day and 30 or lower at night. What stands out is the TV’s ability to achieve deep darkness without compromising black levels, avoiding the risk of muddying the picture and losing all detail.

When winding down, I often set the Backlight to 0, which offers a soothing nighttime viewing experience to which I can easily fall asleep. Moreover, a Bluelight mode can be manually activated or set on an auto-schedule, complemented by an automatic light sensor that adjusts brightness based on room illumination—though I prefer to disable it as I find its dimming too severe.

In the Clarity settings, options for sharpness, Super Resolution, noise reduction, color banding, and motion enhancement await, catering to personal preferences for smoothing or achieving that opera effect.

Remarkably, the TV’s default color settings are satisfying, requiring no additional tuning. Viewing a diverse range of content, from SDR to HDR and gaming, there is an excellent balance of vibrancy, sharpness, and color accuracy. Even classics like Batman: The Animated Series are reinvigorated, with intricate details preserved in the darkest scenes with Batman’s cape and cowl striking fear in Gotham’s criminals.

Supported HDR content, such as The Grand Tour or James May Abroad, exudes vividness, inviting viewers into picturesque landscapes and skies that awaken wanderlust.

Transitioning to gaming on the Xbox One X, the TV’s prowess continues to shine. Utilizing the TV’s 144Hz HDMI ports for the Xbox’s full 4K HDR support in all modes, titles like Overwatch 2 showcase the advantages of the 144Hz refresh rate and the TV’s low latency gaming mode, achieving a response time of 8ms.

The same holds true for racing games like Need For Speed and Forza, where the HDR and Dolby picture truly shines as we race down virtual roads at exhilarating speeds of 150+ mph.

My favorite, cozy games, such as For the King and Moving Out, find a perfect home on this large screen. While these titles don’t demand the highest refresh rate or lowest input lag, their gameplay remains smooth, colors pop, and the overall experience is captivating.

An Affordable Flagship Without Unnecessary Bells and Whistles

The Hisense U8K sets a new standard for affordable, high-quality TVs. Its Mini-LED QLED technology creates captivating visuals that cinephiles and gamers will both appreciate. With a rich color spectrum, striking contrast, and support for multiple HDR formats, the U8K makes all content look great.

Its gaming performance is equally impressive, and this is one of the few choices in 2023 which offers flagship-level picture quality and gaming features without an exhorbitant price tag.