Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Audio / Video
  3. News

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Hisense kicks off its U8K mini-LED TV availability with deep discounts

By
Hisense U8K mini-LED TV.
Hisense

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.

Recommended Videos

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.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Simon Cohen
Simon Cohen
Contributing Editor, A/V
Simon Cohen covers a variety of consumer technologies, but has a special interest in audio and video products, like spatial…
Sharp’s promised Roku OLED TV is now available and deeply discounted
Sharp Roku TV OLED 4K UHD.

In January 2023, Sharp surprised many observers by announcing its return to the North American TV market -- and then surprised us again by saying it intended to launch the first OLED TV powered by Roku. True to its word, you can now buy the Sharp Roku TV OLED 4K Ultra HD in 55- and 65-inch screen sizes, each of which has already been discounted for Black Friday sales.

Normally $1,900 for the 55-inch model and $2,500 for the 65-inch screen size (very similar prices to what LG asks for its 55- and 65-inch LG C3 OLED), the new Sharp OLED TVs are now $1,500 and $2,000, respectively.

Read more
Sony Bravia X95L mini-LED vs. TCL QM8 QLED: The best LCD TV and the one you should buy
Sony X95L vs TCL QM8

This comparison puts Sony’s flagship mini-LED TV, the Sony X95L, versus the TCL QM8, TCL’s best mini-LED TV. I’ve called the Sony X95L the best LCD TV I’ve ever tested, and I’ve said that the TCL QM8 might just be the best value in TV right now, despite a few notable quirks.

But is this really a fair fight? There’s more than $2,000 separating these 85-inch TVs. In terms of price, Sony’s X90L is a closer match to the TCL QM8. But in terms of technology and the fact that these are the best LCD TVs on offer from Sony and TCL, I think this versus will be fun — never mind whether it makes a lot of sense.

Read more
Mini-LED vs. QLED TV: how one technology is improving the other
The Samsung QN90C ron a media stand with white speakers.

Mini-LED and QLED are two TV tech acronyms that have more in common than one might expect. They're technically both types of LED lighting, but the former is one type of LED lighting, while the latter is what you get when you combine the TV's LED backlighting with a layer of quantum (that's where the "Q" comes from) dots. If we're starting to confuse you, our sincere apologies, but do bear with us.

Let's take a closer look at both mini-LED and QLED tech, starting with the most important element: the LEDs.

Read more