Hisense U8NQ vs Philips OLED950

Hisense U8NQ demonstrates its capabilities in HDR, achieving a luminance score on the chart exceeding 2000 nits. In the first, third, and fifth scenes where the screen is covered in light, the television showcased very high brightness, which is impressive and allows you to enjoy the full effect of HDR. Unfortunately, in the second and fourth scenes, such as those from the film "Sicario 2," the television encounters issues maintaining brightness, resulting in disappointing scores around 250 nits. Although the large number of dimming zones should theoretically help, the algorithm responsible for their control does not always work perfectly—bright, small elements like the moon or helicopter lights are too dimmed, which takes away from the typical HDR effect. Instead of blinding brilliance, we receive a more subdued light that does not convey the full potential of HDR. Nevertheless, the television deserves commendation for its very good coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut at 97%. This makes colours vibrant, and most movie scenes look really good, significantly enhancing the viewing quality.

OLED950 is a phenomenal TV for consuming content in HDR format, primarily thanks to the use of innovative Tandem OLED technology. With this technology, the screen can generate astronomical brightness levels, reaching over 2000 nits in movie scenes (on test patterns). This is an outstanding result that places the OLED950 model among the elite displays available on the market. However, it is worth noting a specific aspect of this solution – at moments when full-screen flashes of light appear, brightness can drop by as much as half. Nonetheless, it is important to highlight that levels above 1000 nits on a full screen are still an outstanding result. This allows HDR content to be displayed exactly as filmmakers intended, maintaining the dynamics and impact of bright scenes.

The use of Tandem OLED technology also brought tangible benefits in terms of colour reproduction, improving elements that traditional WOLED panels had issues with compared to QD-OLED competition. In the case of the OLED950, the colour gamut coverage is wider than in classic WOLED panels, reaching nearly 100% of the DCI-P3 colour space and a solid 82% of the demanding BT.2020 palette. While these results still do not match the highly refined achievements of QD-OLED panels, the difference becomes less noticeable during real-world use. We cannot deny that in the vast majority of films, colours look simply fantastic on this model – they are saturated, vibrant, and full of depth.

The Filmmaker mode on the Hisense U8NQ television can be described as the most accurate mode present in this model. Despite its accuracy, it has significant errors in reproducing the reference image, which we will describe now. In the case of HD content, the white balance shows a distinct dominance of red, causing the image to appear overly pinkish and warm. In the comparison photo below, you can see how this effect impacts the presentation of content. The brightness characteristic also leaves much to be desired—a too low gamma causes the screen to be excessively brightened, and blacks appear washed out, making the overall image seem cooler than it should be.

For 4K HDR content, the problem is the opposite—the white balance shows too much dominance of blue, making the image take on an artificial quality and seem unnaturally sharp. All these deviations for both HD and 4K HDR content can be confirmed using the Colour Checker test, which clearly shows how the colours deviate from the correct patterns.

We tested the OLED950 model in Film mode. Although it is intended to be the best and most accurate preset on this television, in practice, it proved to be not without flaws. Interestingly, in the specimen we tested, the biggest challenge was not the white balance itself – although it did show a slight tendency to give the image a pinkish tint. The main issue lay in the way the television managed brightness, both in everyday SDR content and in demanding HDR scenes. Analysis of the gamma chart and the EOTF curve leads to one key conclusion: the television excessively exposes brightness in the lower registers. This results in the image appearing less contrasty than what the panel technology allows. Details in dark areas, which should remain perfectly dimmed (the characteristic "OLED black"), are simply unnecessarily highlighted and brightened. Fortunately, these errors can be corrected using the appropriate tools, so – as always – we proceeded with professional calibration.

The white balance for both 4K and HD content has been heavily adjusted, significantly improving the image quality. While some errors are still visible, they are not large enough to greatly affect the perception of the image. A notable improvement can also be seen in the gamma brightness characteristic — the image is no longer excessively bright, resulting in more natural blacks and better contrast.

However, like with many other Hisense models, there are noticeable issues with the EOTF curve, which is responsible for managing brightness in high-quality materials. Although it may seem correct at first glance, when the filter is applied to the "EOTF in films" chart, it is evident that the TV is somewhat "playing around" with 4K content. It is clear that the EOTF curve is significantly below the reference level, leading to an overall dimming of the image compared to the reference. We noticed this effect in previously tested scenes from the films "Pan" and "Billy Lynn." While it is not a serious issue, it is worth paying attention to. It could be significant for those seeking a display with the most faithful image reproduction. Despite this error, the image will be more enjoyable for most. Colours are represented better, and the overall image quality is significantly improved.

As you can see, the OLED950, after a professional calibration process, becomes an absolutely phenomenal display that, without a shadow of a doubt, can be placed alongside the best televisions currently available in the world. This equipment needed only a professional touch to showcase its full potential and eliminate factory shortcomings. The residual errors in the Color Checker tests and the fidelity of the colour palette speak for themselves. We are dealing with an almost perfect device here. A true window to the world, offering image quality of the highest order.

In the context of smoothing tonal transitions, the Hisense U8NQ unfortunately struggles. The "Smooth and Gradient Picture" feature does not yield noticeable effects — there is no improvement in any setting, which is disappointing, especially in demanding scenes with a lot of subtle tonal transitions.

As for the digital processing, or so-called upscaling, the scene with the model is rendered correctly — her outline is clear, without significant cropping. Similarly, thin lines, like tree branches, have slight jaggedness, but the overall image looks plastically and softly, providing a good impression. Unfortunately, there is also an issue with so-called overscan, which results in cropping of the image at the edges. This can be annoying when watching content such as news, where the bottom information bars may be partially invisible.

Upscaling

In terms of the scaling of the image, the proprietary P5 processor performs just as well as in most of the manufacturer's models. Lower resolution content gains a very soft and plastic character. This presentation will certainly appeal to many people. However, if you prefer sharper contours, you can gently enhance them using the appropriate slider in the TV menu. In this aspect, it's really hard to nitpick. The image simply looks very good and additionally, there are no issues with overscan.

Smoothing and Distortion Reduction

The smoothing of tonal transitions performs somewhat worse. In the settings, we find an option called "Distortion Reduction." This allows for a three-level adjustment of the processor's intervention. Unfortunately, the Minimum setting works poorly and the smoothing effects are minimal. The Medium level gives a decent result, but it also begins to smooth out the details of the actors' skin. On the other hand, the Maximum setting works too aggressively. It removes far too many details from the face and background elements or can even eliminate film grain. To achieve the optimal effect, it's worth playing around with these settings at home and adjusting them to your liking. It might seem that the Medium option represents the best compromise here.

Hisense U8NQ is equipped with a 144 Hz panel, making it an excellent choice for both sports and gaming. The TV will also satisfy movie fans, as it features a built-in "Ultra Motion Smoothness" enhancer that allows users to control the smoothness of the image — you can choose whether you prefer a more "framey" picture or a smoother, cinematic effect. This provides great flexibility in adjusting the motion quality to individual viewer preferences.

The motion reproduction on the OLED950 model is simply perfect. This is typical for screens of this kind (OLED 120Hz+), as the panel shows no motion blur at all. This allows us to enjoy perfect sharpness in practically any conditions. A significant part of this is due not only to the nature of organic technology itself. Equally important work is done here by the smoothing systems employed by the manufacturer.

Hisense U8NQ offers everything a player might need for comfortable gameplay. The television supports a refresh rate of 144 Hz, ensuring an incredibly smooth image, especially in dynamic action games. The VRR (variable refresh rate) feature allows the image to adjust to variable frames per second, eliminating stuttering and tearing, translating to exceptionally smooth gaming. Additionally, the television is equipped with the ALLM (auto low latency mode) feature, which automatically switches the TV to game mode, minimising input lag. This means players can enjoy responsive gameplay without needing to manually adjust settings.

Hisense U8NQ also supports Dolby Vision, which is important for gamers who value high image quality, high contrast, and deep colours in games that support this format. The television also features a "Game Bar" — a function that allows quick access to essential settings during gameplay, significantly enhancing user convenience.

However, it is worth noting that despite its rich set of features, the Hisense U8NQ does not offer support for the HGiG standard, which is a popular HDR format in gaming. This may be disappointing for players expecting optimal detail reproduction in HDR scenes. Nonetheless, the other features of the television make the Hisense U8NQ a solid choice for console gaming enthusiasts, offering fluidity, high contrast, and user convenience.

OLED950 is almost the perfect television for gamers. This is due not only to the unique atmosphere created by the Ambilight system during gameplay. The most important aspect here is the solid hardware support. We literally have everything you would expect from a modern gaming display. The manufacturer has implemented two HDMI 2.1 ports with full bandwidth of 48 Gb/s. This gives us access to gaming in 4K resolution at 120 frames per second. There is, of course, support for VRR technology and the automatic game mode ALLM. The device handles any HDR signal with ease, whether we’re using Dolby Vision or the HGiG standard.

We have access to all settings from one place thanks to the special Game Bar overlay. While this interface may not be the most graphically attractive on the market, it fully accomplishes its task. It displays all the important signal parameters and offers useful additions. Gamers can take advantage of the minimap zoom function or add a fixed crosshair on the screen, which can be seen as a small aid in online competition. The adjustment of contrast range also proves to be useful. It allows you to brighten shadows and achieve better visibility of enemies hiding in dark corners of the map.