Hisense UR8 RGB TV Review: Bright and Seriously Impressive

Quick summary: The Hisense UR8 RGB is a gorgeous TV. Mine is the 75-inch, about $1,800 to $1,900 at Best Buy when I made this. It gets ridiculously bright, the colors are rich, viewing angles are excellent, and it’s great for movies, sports and gaming. I have no issues with it.

Display

• VA LCD panel with a full-array RGB mini LED backlight: nearly 15,000 individually controlled RGB LEDs.
• 100% BT.2020 color coverage, and virtually every HDR format.
• Up to 3,500 nits, so it shines even in a bright room.
• An anti-reflective (not matte) screen that tones reflections down.
• Excellent viewing angles: even standing right at the side, the colors hold up.

Google TV and Gemini

It runs Google TV with Gemini built in for free, for questions, smart home control and more. You get your apps and recommendations, a live TV guide, almost every app you’d want (I love Instagram on the big screen), and a Hisense recommendations section. It’s snappy, with no lag jumping around.

The remote

It’s backlit, with shortcut buttons for Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video and Disney, a kids button and a custom button, plus user switching, a Gemini/voice button, settings, a free TV button, volume, channels, mute, power and inputs.

Design and ports

On sizes below 98 inches, the feet sit in the middle, so it fits on almost any table. Ports include four HDMI 2.1 (one with eARC), all supporting 4K at 180Hz, plus two USB, Ethernet, optical audio, an RF antenna input, composite AV and a headphone output.

Movies, sports and gaming

Movies look amazing thanks to the RGB mini LEDs. NFL games look great with the high refresh rate and bright colors. My son played The Witcher 3 on the Xbox Series X, and the colors, brightness and frame rates were insane.

Speakers

They get extremely loud, so you could skip a soundbar. I’d still get one for better bass and overall sound.

Verdict

It comes in sizes from 55 to 100 inches. There’s also a UR9, but after seeing the UR8 I’d happily save money and stick with this one. It’s an amazing all-around TV.

• Hisense UR8 RGB TV at Best Buy