Hisense U8K Mini LED TV Review

Tom's Guide

We go hands-on with the Hisense U8K Mini LED TV, a 2023 set that might surprise you with its first-rate specs. Great performance at a fair price?

Transcript

00:00 (upbeat music)

00:02 I'm here with Hisense's brand new U8K Mini LED TV,

00:12 one of the company's top flagships for the year.

00:14 Let's go take a closer look.

00:16 Improving on last year's Hisense U8H Mini LED TV,

00:20 the 2023 U8K introduces double the number

00:23 of local dimming zones, a native 144 hertz refresh rate,

00:27 a new 85 inch screen option, and more.

00:30 All in all, Hisense's flagship set has the kind of specs

00:33 previously reserved for premium tier TVs.

00:35 The U8K comes in four sizes, 55, 65, 75, and 85 inches.

00:40 The design language and most specs are the same

00:43 across all models, with the total number

00:45 of local dimming zones increasing for each configuration

00:48 being the only notable difference.

00:50 While I like how the two feet prop the setup high enough

00:52 for it to fit a low profile soundbar beneath,

00:55 there's not much else that stands out

00:56 about the TV's simple look.

00:58 That's not to say the U8K looks cheap,

01:00 but Hisense's TV typically prioritized function over form.

01:04 On the back of the TV is a port array

01:06 that features four HDMI 2.1 ports.

01:09 That's impressive based on how much the U8K

01:11 will likely cost compared to this year's

01:13 premium mini LED TV.

01:15 What's more, the U8K has an ATSC 3.0 tuner

01:18 for next gen TV, which is something

01:20 even the LG C3 OLED TV lacks.

01:23 Hisense says it upped the number of local dimming zones

01:26 in the U8K, with the 65 inch configuration

01:28 sporting 1,008 zones, up from the 528 zones

01:32 on the previous gen U8H.

01:34 This should help with blooming,

01:35 while promising the same impressive brightness abilities

01:37 as last year's model.

01:39 We did see the 2022 U8H struggle with image banding

01:43 and upscaling in some instances,

01:45 so those are things that we'll pay close attention to

01:47 when we test the U8K in the lab.

01:50 We'll also need to take a closer look

01:52 at the TV's native 144 hertz panel,

01:55 which positions the U8K as possibly

01:57 a great gaming TV for this year.

01:59 It has auto low latency mode, variable refresh rate,

02:02 and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro.

02:04 As far as OS, the U8K's Google TV platform

02:07 should pack plenty of smart features and streaming apps.

02:10 The included TV remote features a number

02:12 of dedicated launchers for popular apps,

02:15 plus voice control via Google Assistant.

02:17 From what I've seen, the U8K could make

02:20 some first rate specs accessible

02:21 to more budget conscious customers.

02:23 Hisense hasn't announced specific pricing

02:26 and availability information for the U8K,

02:28 but if I were to guess, it should hit stores

02:30 alongside the rest of Hisense's 2023 TV lineup

02:33 in early summer, either June or July.

02:36 As for price, it would definitely surprise me

02:38 if Hisense deviated greatly from the $1,000 price tag

02:42 of the U8H 65 inch configuration,

02:45 but as I mentioned, the U8K will come

02:47 in an 85 inch configuration for the first time,

02:49 and this will likely cost somewhere

02:51 in the $2,000 to $2,500 ballpark.

02:54 Of course, we can't wait to get this in the lab

02:57 for testing to take a closer look

02:59 at the performance and other specs.

03:01 In the meantime, be sure to check us out

03:03 on social, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,

03:04 and TikTok @tomsguide, and as always,

03:06 I'm @katekosich.

03:07 Thanks for watching, I'll catch you next time.

03:10 [BLANK_AUDIO]

Category

Transcript

Recommended