Hisense E8Q vs TCL C6KS / C69KS / Q6CS

Since the E8Q is a twin of the U7Q, it’s no surprise that the HDR effect quality is almost identical. On paper, it looks promising – a peak brightness of 800 nits can impress in many scenes. Moments like light flashes in “The Meg” or shots of the sun in “Life of Pi” can indeed create a “wow” effect. But the longer we watch, the more we notice the limitations. The problem arises when small, bright details need to be shown against a dark background. In such situations, the dimming algorithms try to protect the contrast, but in the process, they also dim what should shine the brightest. Instead of dazzling details, we get almost invisible points of light. This is typical for Mini-LED in this price segment and is not surprising – but it’s worth knowing that the HDR effect will not always be fully preserved. Fortunately, the colour reproduction provides reasons to be pleased. A coverage of the DCI-P3 palette of about 94% is a very good result, and the quantum dot layer used (more precisely, PFS) does its job – colours are saturated and vibrant, especially with 4K content.

And what about HDR? Here the C6KS performs quite well and – as is becoming the theme of this review – just like in the C6K model. The maximum brightness generated by this television is around 600 nits. In bright scenes, this translates to a really solid, cinematic effect and generally, video materials look good here. However, it's important to keep in mind the specifics of the dimming algorithm in this model. When very small, bright points (e.g. stars) appear on a dark background, the television can quite significantly dim them. The goal is simple: to eliminate blooming and maintain the best possible black. It's a reasonable compromise. Most viewers will definitely appreciate deep, “true black” more than additional microscopic details, the display of which could cause the screen to appear greyed out. Such is the nature of local dimming technology in this price range, and one must be aware of this. It’s also worth noting that the TCL C69KS (C6KS) has an additional PFS coating, which is marketed under the QLED technology slogan. Thanks to this, the colours are saturated and vibrant – our measurements showed that the coverage of a wide colour gamut reaches as much as 92%.

Testing the Hisense E8Q in Filmmaker mode, we were hoping for a potentially neutral picture resembling the director's vision. Unfortunately – although it doesn't look too bad on paper (the colour reproduction errors aren't significant), in practice the image feels somewhat unnatural. The reason? The blue colour is boosted too strongly and there is a deficiency of red in the white balance. The effect? Scenes appear cool, and the white seems slightly bluish. Alongside the U7Q model, we also noticed a specific approach to brightness management here. The brightness reproduction curve for HDR content (EOTF) shows that the TV can significantly dim small, bright elements on the screen to maintain contrast – but sometimes it goes too far. On the other hand, it can excessively brighten larger, very bright areas, which disrupts tonal balance. It's a compromise that may not suit everyone – especially if you want a potentially faithful picture straight out of the box.

In contrast to the more expensive C6K model, in the tested C6KS we don't find an option in the menu labelled as Filmmaker Mode. Is this a reason to cry? Absolutely not. Our tests showed that in practice, in terms of colour reproduction, the lack of this specific label makes virtually no difference. The best available Film/Cinema mode here offers an almost identical picture profile to the aforementioned Filmmaker in the more expensive model. So we get a very similar image, just under a different name. Therefore, if you were wondering whether paying extra for the C6K would give you better colours – the answer is: no, in both cases the base is the same and requires slight adjustments.

Calibration of the Movie mode yielded really good results, especially regarding SDR content. The white balance was successfully adjusted, giving the image a natural look – it appeared almost reference-level. The colours were well-saturated, and the overall experience of the content improved significantly. Unfortunately, when we switched to HDR materials, the familiar issues from the U7Q model returned. The TV still likes to "do its own thing," as seen from the analysis of the EOTF brightness characteristics – despite calibration, the E8Q still darkened small details in the shadows, while brighter parts of the screen were sometimes excessively boosted. In practice, this means that in darker scenes, some of the smallest details could simply disappear. Although it's worth noting that the entire calibration process brought a lot of good, not everything can be bypassed – even with the use of professional tools. The E8Q can impress with its picture, but in HDR content, its construction limitations become apparent, and it's worth keeping this in mind.

Thanks to the white balance adjustment, the C69KS's tendency to distort colours has been effectively limited, leading to a very good final effect. After calibration, we will no longer see excessive warmth in SDR scenes or overly cool tones in HDR. However, it is worth noting the brightness characteristic. In SDR content, there are hardly any objections – the image looks very good, especially in older films, TV shows, or YouTube materials. Evaluating the television's performance in HDR is much more difficult. Analysis of the EOTF curve suggests correct behaviour, but its practical variant shows certain limitations. The C69KS can overly brighten the smallest elements of the frame, while at other times it can dim the entire scene. Calibration has therefore brought clear benefits in terms of colour, but certain limitations resulting from local dimming and the way it is controlled by the C69KS cannot be avoided, which we also observed in the C6K test.

In the case of older materials of lower quality, gentle smoothing of tonal transitions often comes in handy. The Hisense E8Q, like the U7Q, has a "Smooth and Gradient Picture" feature, but unfortunately, its effectiveness leaves much to be desired. The "Low" setting is nearly invisible in operation, while higher settings blur details instead of improving transitions. The good news is that the feature does not compromise film grain, which means it does not degrade the structure of the image. On the positive side, scaling is commendable. The TV can reasonably convert older content to a higher resolution – without artificially accentuating contours or excessive sharpening. Although it doesn't match the best models in this category, it performs quite well for its class.

The C69KS handles upscaling quite well. The tested 576p content looks surprisingly decent – a considerable amount of detail is preserved, and the algorithm adds a subtle ‘rounding’ effect to sharp edges, making the image appear more cohesive. However, it doesn't perform as well when it comes to smoothing tonal transitions. The television practically cannot improve them, leaving the image in a rather raw state. With older materials, this can be simply exhausting, as the lack of additional processing highlights all imperfections.

Similar to the U7Q, the E8Q model is a fast television designed with dynamic content in mind. It supports a 144 Hz refresh rate at 4K resolution, and if for some reason someone is still gaming in Full HD – it can even reach 240 Hz. This is a significant advantage, especially for PC users looking for maximum smoothness. In everyday use, the television performs very well. The “Ultra Motion Smoothness” mode gives us two sliders, allowing you to set the picture to your preference – whether it's more cinematic with the film frame preserved or highly smoothed, almost “TV show-like.” It's good that the manufacturer provides a choice here, instead of imposing one style. On sports material, live broadcasts, or in games – motion looks clean and stable. Sure, it’s not at the OLED level, but for this price range, the E8Q does a really good job.

C69KS offers a simplified motion enhancement panel in movies, allowing users to adjust the intensity of the effect using a slider. This makes it easy to tailor the smoothness to personal preferences. It also deserves credit for the ability to utilise higher refresh rates – even though the panel operates natively in 4K at 60 Hz, by lowering the resolution to 1440p, modes of 120 and 144 Hz can be enabled, on both consoles and PC. This sounds like great news, however, in practice, the image at these settings trails exceptionally badly. The effect is so pronounced that the overall experience simply appears mediocre and loses its appeal in everyday use.

Hisense E8Q does not hide its gaming pedigree. Just the specifications reveal that we are dealing with a television that will perform excellently as a gaming screen. Variable Refresh Rate (VRR)? It's there. Automatic Game Mode switching (ALLM)? That's there too. Additionally, there's impressive refreshment – 120 Hz in 4K or even 240 Hz in Full HD. Such a set is rare in this price segment. Everything runs smoothly and without major surprises. The only missing element – similar to the U7Q – remains support for HGiG. It's a shame because this feature facilitates adjusting the brightness curve to the capabilities of the specific television, enhancing visual fidelity with the intentions of HDR game developers. Without it, manual tweaking of the settings is necessary, which does not always yield a satisfying result.

If we overlook the smudging and lack of native 4K at 120 Hz, the C69KS is impressive in how well it performs for gaming. You get everything you would expect from a gaming TV: Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), Dolby Vision Gaming mode, and a consistently functioning HGiG. The TV can also operate at 120 or even 144 Hz at lower resolutions, making gameplay on console or PC smoother. Additionally, there's a clear Game Bar that allows you to quickly check key settings while gaming. As a result — despite a few limitations — the C69KS can be a genuinely successful screen for gamers.