Hisense U8NQ vs Samsung Neo QLED QN90D / QN92D

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.

During synthetic tests, Samsung QN92D showed its incredible capabilities in terms of brightness. The charts clearly indicate that the television can achieve an impressive 2000 nits, giving it a solid power base to compete with the best models on the market. Such a result places it at the forefront, especially in the context of displaying HDR content, where brightness plays a key role. However, what happens when we move the tests to real film scenes? In favourable conditions, such as the first scene from the movie Life of Pi or the last scene, where the image is completely flooded with light, Samsung QN92D can achieve almost laboratory results, impressing with its brightness. The situation looks different when small, bright objects appear on a dark background, as in the fourth scene from the movie Sicario. In such cases, the television doesn't perform as well – brightness drops several times, and maximum values in the best conditions are around 600 NITS. Similar to contrast, these limitations arise from the use of an aggressive local dimming algorithm. This algorithm aims to reduce the 'halo' effect around bright objects on a dark background, but often at the expense of overall brightness. As a result, while the television performs well in bright scenes, its ability to display full brightness is limited when it comes to small, vivid elements.

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.

The best mode that reproduces colours best on the Samsung QN92D has consistently been the Filmmaker mode for years. While it generally offers decent colour quality, it is not free from significant issues. Let's start with the analysis of HD/SDR image quality. The biggest challenge here is the white balance – the graphs show considerable instability, with a clear dominance of red making the image too warm. This distortion causes hues to be unnaturally shifted towards warmer tones, which can negatively affect the perception of materials with natural colours. Contrast, based on the gamma chart, although not the worst, remains far from ideal, impacting the overall image quality, especially in darker scenes.

This issue also persists with 4K materials, such as series or films of higher quality. In this case, the white balance also turns out to be faulty, with noticeable deficiencies in blue and red colour, leading to tonal shifts. Tests using the Colour Checker tool confirm these problems – all colours tend to skew towards yellow shades, further distorting the natural appearance of the image. Although the Filmmaker mode is one of the best available modes for watching cinematic content, it still requires improvements, especially in terms of colour accuracy and white balance.

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.

After calibration, the Filmmaker mode on the Samsung QN92D television shows significant improvement, particularly in the SDR content range. The white balance has been greatly enhanced – the previous colour misalignment and dominance of red have been eliminated, resulting in a more natural colour reproduction. In terms of brightness, although the gamma chart did not require significant adjustments, it has been stabilised, which affects the overall picture quality.

Regarding high-quality materials, the white balance has also improved in this case. However, it is worth noting the contrast. The EOTF curve, which illustrates the values in this area, appears correct at first glance. However, upon closer inspection, the television struggles to maintain appropriate contrast in film materials. The EOTF curve reveals some discrepancies, suggesting that despite the progress, there are still areas that require improvement in this aspect. The television continues to strive for excellence in contrast reproduction. A strength of this television is the saturation of colours. Skin tones are rendered very well, and although some colours may be slightly oversaturated, the overall effect looks really attractive – the colours appear rich and vibrant.

Despite some shortcomings in contrast, after calibration, the Filmmaker mode on the Samsung QN92D offers excellent image quality, with natural colour reproduction, making it a great choice for watching movies.

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.

Let's check how the Samsung QN92D TV performs with tonal transitions in very poor quality materials. The noise reduction feature shows good effectiveness, improving the fluidity of tonal transitions even in difficult conditions. However, it should be noted that, similar to other Samsung TVs, the effectiveness of this feature can lead to the removal of desirable elements, such as film grain, which can sometimes affect the authenticity of the image.

When it comes to digital processing, the Samsung QN92D TV also performs excellently. During tests, the image looked very good, with the model presented in a natural and correct way. Details, such as branches in the background, were reproduced with great precision, highlighting the TV's ability to enhance the quality of low-resolution materials.

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 Samsung QN92D television is equipped with a 144 Hz panel; however, when watching content using the smoothness feature, the maximum refresh rate is 120 Hz. As a result, both gamers and sports enthusiasts will be satisfied with the picture quality. It’s also worth mentioning the available options for image enhancement, such as the "motion blur and judder reduction" feature, which allows users to adjust smoothness to their individual preferences on a 10-point scale. Motion blur reduction increases the sharpness of fast-moving objects, while judder reduction smooths out motion, eliminating the "stutter" effect. With these advanced settings, one can achieve optimal visual experiences, making the Samsung QN92D perfect for both dynamic scenes and intense gaming.

In terms of motion blur, the television performs really well, and it’s hard to pick faults. The only note we might have is a slight overshoot effect noticeable on dark backgrounds during our test with "Ufoludkiem." Nevertheless, thanks to the advanced smoothness settings, the Samsung QN92D excels in both dynamic scenes and intense gaming.

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.

The television Samsung QN92/QN90 is an excellent choice for avid gamers, deserving of the highest recommendations. This model offers practically all the features available on the market in terms of gaming, making gameplay even more exciting. One of the key differentiators is the 120 Hz panel, which ensures exceptional motion smoothness, crucial during dynamic action games. The television also boasts low input lag, guaranteeing instant reactions to player commands. Additionally, technologies such as VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) and ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) adjust the refresh rate and automatically switch the television to game mode, translating to even better gaming experiences. Another advantage is the Xbox app, which allows gaming of favourite titles directly on the television, eliminating the need for a console. This is a typical feature of Samsung televisions, making them exceptional in the gaming world.

Auto Motion Plus Game is a feature that really deserves praise for Samsung. It is a motion smoother that works wonderfully in games, creating the impression of a higher frame rate – a 30 frames per second image looks like 45, and 60 Hz becomes close to 90 Hz. Importantly, this feature does not introduce significant lag (input lag does not exceed 25 ms), so it does not negatively affect gameplay comfort, unlike many other smoothers available on the market. This allows gamers to enjoy a much smoother image without compromising responsiveness.