Hisense 85in ULEDX 8K hands-on review: a smart(er) TV
Hisense are banking on mini-LED (and AI) in the smart TV wars
Is the TV world really ready to leave 4K television behind already? Don’t worry, the confusingly-named ULEDX 8K dominating the Hisense stand at this year’s IFA show isn’t packing double the number of pixels as everyone else.
But this enormous 85in set, set to go on sale in North America imminently, offers a glimpse at the possible future of TV.
Hisense is banking on mini-LED tech to lead the way for picture quality, with a little helping hand from some artificial intelligence magic. It promises crisper, more reactive images than regular LED screens, that can practically compete with OLED when it comes to contrast – but with eye-searing brightness levels at the same time. Does it deliver? Here’s our initial verdict.
Design & features: AI all the way
On the surface, the ULEDX 8K packs in all the usual features you’d expect from a top-tier telly. There’s Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, Google Chromecast device streaming built-in, plus Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands. A 120hz refresh rate is suited for gamers who need a (gigantic) screen that keeps up with the in-game action.
The big standout is apparently its quad-core hi-view engine X image processor, which Hisense reckons uses AI to tweak images in real-time. Basically if you can see the grass of a football pitch, the TV will also have recognised it, and boosted sharpness accordingly to really draw out the detail from every bit of content. It’ll also know when a sky is meant to be blue or grey, and calibrate on the fly.
To us that doesn’t sound massively different from the object recognition algorithms TV brands have been using for years, but perhaps Hisense has found some secret sauce to make those millisecond-to-millisecond adjustments that little bit more impactful. With no side-by-side testing on offer during our hands-on, we’ll have to wait for a full review to see how it compares to the likes of LG, Sony and Samsung.
Picture quality
Hisense is basically all-in on mini-LED at this point, with only one OLED model in its current line-up and the upcoming sets announced at IFA all going with the more affordable tech. It combines thousands of tiny, individual LED lights to illuminate the screen, which don’t risk burn-in and get much brighter than the equivalent OLED.
For the ULEDX 8K that means 5000 separate local dimming zones, courtesy of 20,000 mini-LEDs. Peak brightness is a claimed 2500 nits, which is sunglasses-inside-the-house territory. In theory, micro-LED also offers a much greater control over colour balancing and colour.
In the flesh, it certainly seems to do the job. Images slide across the screen, showcasing deep and well balanced colours. Lake scenes are rich in detail, while darker colours don’t bleed into the others. Pictures are so crisp they look like they’ve been painted in hyper-realism. Charcoals burn in deep, ember reds, textures are enhanced, and finer details are emboldened.
Audio
It’s hard to truly distinguish sound quality within a busy conference room, but the ULEDX 8K looks certainly promising from the spec sheet. There’s a 4.1.2-channel surround sound setup inside, with seven speakers including a dedicated subwoofer. Total output is 82W, which should be enough power to fill a room big enough to house an 85in screen – although for the full effect we’re betting a dedicated home theatre or soundbar will still be the way to go.
Either way, you get Dolby Atmos sound and IMAX enhancement built-in.
Hisense ULED X U8K initial verdict
While we were unable to truly test out the limits of its AI powered tech and audio capabilities, the Hisense 85in ULEDX 8K impresses with its on paper credentials. In the real world, colours beam out the screen with richness. Finer details are smoothed and improved, and the Vidaa smart TV platform should make streaming a doddle.
Together, this all makes the Hisense 85in ULEDX 8K an exciting concept, but primarily just a really good, massive TV.
Jack Needham
