Why wait for a new product to go on sale when you grab a huge discount on day one? That’s clearly the thinking behind Hisense’s retail launch of its 2023 U8K mini-LED 4K TV, which arrives in stores today. The flagship TV is available in 55-, 65-, and 75-inch screen sizes. Normally, these are priced at $1,300, $1,700, and $2,300 respectively, but for a limited time, Hisense has dramatically reduced all three, which are currently at $800, $1,100, and $1,600.
U8K is the company’s flagship TV and marries the impressive benefits of quantum dots with the precise brightness control of mini-LED backlighting. The U8K offers Hisense’s best and brightest picture quality — that is, until (and if) Hisense releases the UX TV it teased at CES 2023. And it’s loaded with features that will make it a strong contender if you’re looking for a great TV without spending a fortune.
Digital Trends has already had the opportunity to spend some time with the Hisense U8K mini-LED TV, and the TV left a strong impression on our reviewer, Caleb Denison. With 2,000 nits of peak brightness, Denison says, “You can easily spend more with some competitors and not get as bright a TV.”
The U8K also scored highly when it came to black levels, contrast, and tone mapping. Denison noted some inaccuracy in a few of the colors, like cyan, but nothing that should be considered a show-stopper.
The U8K is powered by the Google TV operating system, which gives it full access to thousands of streaming apps and games via the Google Play Store, as well as voice-based commands with Google Assistant. It also works with Amazon’s Alexa if you have one of Amazon’s smart speakers in your house.
The 4K panel boasts compatibility with every major HDR TV standard, including Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG — something you won’t find on either Samsung or LG TVs. There are four HDMI inputs, including one with HDMI eARC, and two of the ports support HDMI 2.1 features like 4K resolution at 120Hz, 144Hz (when connected to a PC), and variable refresh rate (VRR).
If you’re a cord-cutter, the U8K can keep you connected for years to come with its built-in ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV) receiver, which will let you pull in local broadcasts in up to 4K resolutions with Dolby Audio, where available.
