Hisense U8NQ vs Samsung S85F (WOLED)

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.

For most of the time, let's say in 90% of film scenes, viewers will hardly see any difference between the S85F versions. When small but very bright light points appear on screen – a lantern in a dark alley, a gunshot, the sun breaking through the clouds – this WOLED panel (just like the smaller S85F) performs exceptionally well. Our measurements showed a peak brightness of around 750 nits. We can confidently state: this is a great result that guarantees fantastic HDR effects. The problem arises in a very specific, uncomfortable situation for any OLED. We're talking about the moment when the entire screen has to shine at full brightness clearly. Examples include a white background screen, a skiing scene, or our test sequences (5) from the film The Meg. And here, unfortunately, the results diverge quite significantly against the WOLED panel variant. Our measurement equipment was able to measure a maximum of around 250 to 300 nits of brightness under such conditions. To be clear: the same model on a QD-OLED panel in the same test is almost twice as bright. The second issue: colours. And here we also have to be honest – QD-OLED has a structural advantage. Why? It’s simple. QD-OLED creates colours from three components (red, green, and blue) and doesn’t need an additional white subpixel. The WOLED panel we’re testing here uses that white subpixel, mainly to boost overall brightness. The effect is that QD-OLED is able to display a slightly wider colour palette, and the colours are a bit "cleaner." But let’s be clear: it’s not that the colours on this WOLED panel are bad! Quite the opposite, they are really very good. Coverage of the DCI-P3 film colour gamut at 97% and 71% for the wider BT.2020 palette is still high-end. We just have to honestly admit that those few percentage points of coverage advantage lie with QD-OLED technology and may be noticeable in very specific moments.

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.

When it comes to factory colour reproduction, our test unit in SDR mode suffered from a slight deficit in red and yellow. This resulted in a subtle yellowish tint visible in shades of white. However, this is not the biggest issue with the S85F. Similar to the QD-OLED panel variant, the main problem with this model is the way it presents HDR content. When we look at the EOTF curve graph, it’s easy to see that the TV has quite significant issues with strong image over-brightening. This results in the final image becoming very unnatural in many scenes.

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 conducting calibration in Filmmaker mode, we managed to eliminate most unwanted effects. In SDR content, the TV performs exceptionally well, and its colour reproduction errors do not exceed a value of 2, which is an outstanding result. The HDR content looks a bit worse, though still very good. Although we managed to eliminate a significant unnaturalness of the image caused by an overly high EOTF curve, the most discerning observers may notice that it is not perfectly aligned. It runs slightly below the reference curve, which would suggest that the S85F has minor issues in displaying all details in the image. We must immediately point out that it is highly unlikely for the average viewer to notice any deficiencies in the picture. We assess the final result after calibration as exemplary.

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.

The processing of tonal transitions (gradients) in the S85F is at a high level. The television effectively handles posterization (the "stepping" effect of colours), even with heavily compressed content, for example, from streaming services. However, using this feature requires a certain compromise. We noticed that the noise reduction algorithm is quite aggressive – even at the lowest setting, it can eliminate the natural film grain, which for many viewers is part of the film's aesthetics. The "Standard" setting seems to be a golden mean, without causing a noticeable loss of important details, so we can recommend it. However, we advise against using the "High" level, which, in addition to noise, also removes desired details such as texture or the structure of objects on the screen.

The upscaling process of lower resolution content works very well in the S85F. The image is sharp and clear. The only minor imperfection we managed to observe is occasional slight aliasing on the edges. The television still displays characteristics typical of this manufacturer, namely active "overscan" (a slight image enlargement). This should be kept in mind, especially when watching older content, as it may result in minimal clipping of the original frame.

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.

S85F is a model with impressive speed. The use of a 120 Hz OLED panel ensures that dynamic scenes, both in games and during sports broadcasts, perform as expected: smoothly, sharply, and without loss of clarity. A key role here is played by the lightning-fast pixel response time, which is a natural advantage of OLED technology. Transitions between frames are instantaneous, and the image remains clear even during the fastest camera movements. Moving objects, like a ball on the field or a car in a chase scene, are clear and free from the characteristic smearing of LCD panels (so-called "trail").

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.

85F has practically everything on board to become the dream screen for gaming. It features four full-fledged HDMI 2.1 ports with a bandwidth of 48 Gb/s, support for VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) and ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode). Additionally, there is a super-detailed Game Bar that clearly shows all the key parameters. However, the real gem is the Game Motion Plus feature. This motion smoother dedicated to games makes the animation more pleasant to the eye while only slightly increasing input lag. This is a rare and well-functioning combination that deserves big applause for Samsung.

Now comes the moment where we need to vent a little. The lack of Dolby Vision in Samsung TVs has become standard, so there's no use hoping (unless something changes in the future). Unfortunately, it's much harder to explain the disappearance of support for HGiG after one of the software updates. HGiG (HDR Gaming Interest Group) is a key mode that allows for precise representation of brightness in HDR games, as intended by the creators. Without it, HDR calibration on consoles becomes less accurate, which may result in images that are too dark in the shadows or overly bright in the light areas. Perhaps Samsung will fix this in the next update – we have high hopes for that. Because if HGiG returns, the S85F will become nearly the perfect TV for gamers.

[UPDATE] We have updated our tests of Samsung TVs from the 2025 lineup due to the release of software version 1131, which restored the crucial HGiG feature for gamers.