Hisense E8Q vs Xiaomi S Pro 2026

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.

When it comes to HDR quality, the Xiaomi S Pro 2026 is undoubtedly a very bright television. On our synthetic measurement patterns, we were able to achieve peak brightness of around 1400 nits. This result is not only very good but quite spectacular, considering the price of this model. However, as we always say, our editorial team values measurements and the viewing experience of content that people watch on a daily basis – from movies to series. So let’s analyse how Xiaomi performs with film material. The result is, unfortunately, quite mixed. When very bright scenes appear on screen, the S Pro 2026 truly shows its full capabilities and can achieve a real 800-1000 nits on bright elements. Moreover, even smaller objects can "burn" the eyes – in scenes from the movie Sicario 2, small metallic parts of the helicopter were really vivid. The problem is – and here the story comes full circle, returning to our contrast assessment – that in such scenes, we can’t count on absolutely cinematic black. In our opinion, this compromise is too significant; the high visibility of details in bright sections should not come at the expense of such a substantial drop in blacks. And even though the HDR effect can create a stunning impression here, it’s important to remember that when very challenging, mixed scenes appear on screen, we may feel a slight disappointment. Precisely the one we mentioned in the previous paragraph regarding issues with dimming in HDR mode. As a consolation, it’s worth adding that the S Pro 2026 is equipped with an additional PFS filter (similar in function to a QLED layer), which effectively broadens the colour gamut coverage. As a result, measurements showed DCI-P3 coverage reaching 94%. This gives us confidence that in most colourful scenes, the image will look rich and properly saturated.

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.

Of course, all our measurements were conducted in "Film" mode, which is typically the best and most faithful choice we get straight after taking the TV out of the box. And to put it bluntly: while this is the best mode, it is still very far from perfect. Above all, the TV has a clear tendency to give the picture a cool, blueish tint – this is due to poorly set colour balance. Additionally, there is the issue of how the S Pro 2026 manages its brightness straight out of the box, which results in an over-saturated image. These two flaws contribute to really significant colourimetric errors (Delta E). In HDR content, they could double exceed our expected error scale of "10" (i.e. reaching values close to 20). Just to remind you – the threshold of perceivable error by the human eye is a Delta E value of around 3. Results at the level of 20 mean that the image significantly deviates from what the director intended.

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.

So how does the S Pro 2026 perform after our calibration process? We must admit that after calibration, the TV becomes a really enjoyable device for watching everyday content. As you can see in the charts, in HD (SDR) material, both white balance and gamma values have been brought to nearly perfection. Most importantly, colourimetric errors have become practically invisible to the human eye. In this scenario, the S Pro 2026 is simply a great TV that, after professional calibration, can provide a lot of joy from viewing. However, it is worth noting clearly – our efforts did little to help in 4K HDR mode. Despite the calibration, the TV still interprets the image quite strongly in its "own way," which is clearly evident in the measurement of the EOTF curve (brightness tracking). It's a bit of a shame because it shows that the problem lies not with the panel itself, but with the software. Poorly refined image management algorithms in HDR content can, unfortunately, rule this TV out for many more discerning users.

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.

Let's start with the issue we raised in the previous paragraph: can a TV even fix the problem of terrible tonal transitions in dark scenes? Theoretically yes – in the menu, we find a feature with the promising name "Colour Contour Removal." Well, "theoretically." Unfortunately, in practice, this setting – regardless of which of the three power levels is chosen – yielded absolutely no real results. So we are dealing with a feature that practically only exists in the menu. Moving on to the quality of upscaling (scaling from a lower resolution to 4K), unfortunately, we have more bad news for you. The S Pro 2026 handles this task very poorly. Interestingly, the phenomenon of "overscan" (slight image cropping) is not a major issue here. The problem is that the TV simply shows a very raw, unprocessed image. Its attempt to boost the signal to a higher resolution looks simply dull and lacks any "intelligent" enhancement. There's no denying it – the entire digital image processing is the true Achilles' heel of this model.

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.

On paper, the specifications of the S Pro 2026 look impressive. The television is equipped with a native 144 Hz panel, capable of displaying images at up to 288 Hz in a dedicated gaming mode. These are incredible results, but what we were most interested in, in the context of everyday use, was how the TV handles motion blur and how the picture looks at 120 Hz. After all, this is the frequency used today by consoles such as the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and it is desirable for sports fans. Generally, the panel "holds up". The matrix is quick enough to meet these challenges, and objects displayed at a native smoothness of 120 Hz are rendered correctly. When it comes to software, the TV is equipped with motion smoothing technology, but with a key caveat – it only works for input signals up to 60 Hz. This means it's mainly suitable for traditional TV, movies, and series. With it, we can adjust the smoothness of the picture to our own preferences – ranging from a very smooth, "theatrical" approach, to setting the slider at "zero" and maintaining a fully cinematic character.

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.

For gamers, the Xiaomi S Pro 2026 is on paper an almost perfect proposition. It has been equipped with two HDMI 2.1 ports, which allow us to unlock (although these options are somewhat hidden in the menu) the full suite of features: ALLM, VRR, and, crucially, the ability to operate in 4K at 144 Hz. This last feature should particularly please owners of powerful PCs. The TV also has something resembling a gamer panel – and while it’s hard to call it a full-fledged "Gamebar," it does its job by displaying key information. It’s just a shame that in its default form, it covers a relatively large part of the screen.

The biggest problem we have with this model, however, concerns how the S Pro 2026 handles games in HDR mode. To put it bluntly: it doesn’t handle it well. Due to the poorly implemented HGiG feature (the HDR tone mapping standard for games), during the initial HDR calibration on the console, it’s very easy to "blow out" the image. If someone is unaware of this software flaw and follows the on-screen instructions, they will simply set the picture incorrectly, with burnt-out details in bright areas. Another significant issue is the Dolby Vision mode for games. While it works, it generates such a high input lag that it becomes noticeable in dynamic titles. (You can check all our lag measurements in the paragraph below). In summary: Generally, this is a really very good screen for gamers, but with one small caveat. We would rather avoid HDR mode on it – unless we decide to manually set the brightness slider on the console "by eye," completely ignoring the tips from the console's pictogram.