Hisense A6N vs Samsung U8000F (IPS)

The quality of the HDR effect on A6N unfortunately does not impress. The peak brightness of 250 nits does not allow for spectacular effects, and HDR appears rather dull, resembling more of a regular SDR. This state of affairs will not satisfy more demanding users who wish to enjoy high-quality film materials. Additionally, the coverage of the colour palette is also not very impressive – a DCI-P3 level of 82% is an average result that does not fully allow one to enjoy vibrant colours in HDR materials.

Better does not mean good – and that is exactly how to summarise the capabilities of U8092F when it comes to displaying bright movie scenes in HDR mode. The brightness of the panel is just under 250 nits, which is definitely too little to enjoy any light effects. An interesting situation was observed during the measurement of the fourth scene from the film Sicario 2 – the television clearly dimmed the entire screen in an attempt to achieve better black levels (which remain weak anyway). One might even suggest that the device is using some form of 'global dimming', but unfortunately – the results are still very poor. To make matters worse, the television does not support a wide colour gamut – the coverage of the DCI-P3 space is around 80%, so one cannot expect truly vibrant colours. The HDR image here looks more like a slightly brightened SDR, and it is this form that we would suggest sticking to when it comes to this television.

In the category of colour reproduction, the model Hisense A6N in Filmmaker Mode leaves much to be desired. Although the name of the mode suggests that we should expect faithful reproduction of cinematic colours, the reality is different – the television has significant issues with image quality. The problem with white balance is particularly noticeable, both for HD and 4K materials, which is heavily disrupted by the dominance of blue. This results in artificial, cold tones, which can clearly be seen in the comparison photo below. The Colour Checker test further confirms these errors, which are exacerbated by low colour gamut coverage.

The gamma brightness characteristic shows a serious problem in maintaining a level of 2.4 – the graph is significantly below the reference value, which leads to excessive image brightness and washed-out blacks. The EOTF curve for 4K materials also indicates brightness issues – at the beginning, there is a significant spike, which results from the television's excessive brightness, negatively impacting image quality. Such image characteristics do not allow one to fully enjoy watching films and require manual correction.

The Samsung U8000F has been tested in the best possible picture mode built into the television, namely Filmmaker Mode. This mode should – at least in theory – offer a cinematic, reference picture without unnecessary enhancements. In the case of SDR content (mainly HD/SD), the television, out of the box, showed itself surprisingly well. Errors in white balance hovered around a value of 3, which is roughly on the edge of perceptibility. The only complaint could be about brightness management – the gamma graph showed a slight tendency to lighten or darken certain sections, but even so, the overall performance is quite good for this price segment.

Unfortunately, it looks much worse in HDR mode. Although the white balance was not terrible, the television had significant colour errors – particularly evident in the Color Checker graph, where almost every sample hit outside the target point. The picture in HDR simply looks unnatural, and the colours can be shifted, dull, or too cool. This largely stems from the fact that the U8000F does not support a wide colour gamut (DCI-P3). The television is physically unable to display correct colours in the HDR standard – and unfortunately, this is felt in every more demanding material.

Hisense A6N offers options and tools in its settings to adjust many image parameters that we have utilized. When it comes to white balance, we managed to eliminate the excess blue colour – this effect is clearly visible in the comparison photo below, where the boy in the image seemingly "comes to life". A significant improvement can also be noticed in the gamma brightness characteristics – the television no longer has serious issues with excessively brightening the entire image. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for 4K content, where the EOTF curve could not be fully corrected due to the exceptionally low brightness of this model. For HDR materials, we apply dynamic tone mapping, which allows for the recovery of many details despite the boosting of mid-tones in the image. For this television, this provides more benefits than drawbacks. The errors that are still visible in the colour palette test and Colour Checker for 4K materials stem from the low colour gamut coverage and are difficult to eliminate due to the characteristics of the television. Nevertheless, the tonal quality of the image is significantly better, which is why we recommend calibrating the factory settings, which are far from ideal.

Although the U8000F already offered a fairly well-balanced image in SDR straight out of the box, we were able to refine it a bit further. We managed to eliminate a slight purple tint and adjust the gamma to a more sensible level. However, the television still has a tendency to overexpose the smallest and brightest parts of the image – the gamma chart shows a characteristic 'dip' that is difficult to completely straighten out.

Unfortunately, the situation is worse in HDR. It's hard to speak of any significant improvement here – the television is simply not designed for HDR content. We tried to correct the image in the advanced settings, but despite our efforts, the colour errors remained substantial – a delta E above 7 indicates very noticeable deviations. It's a bit disappointing, but that's the nature of budget construction. In SDR, the U8000F performs reasonably well, whereas HDR is just not its league.

Let's check how A6N performs with low-quality materials. When it comes to smoothing tonal transitions, the lack of posterisation reduction or smoothing of tonal transitions in low-quality materials such as television or DVD can be noticeable for more demanding viewers. In terms of digital processing, the model is presented correctly, and the branches are devoid of characteristic jaggedness – the image is very plastic and soft, which may appeal to those who prefer this style of image.

When it comes to how the Samsung U8000F handles lower quality materials, we must admit that Samsung has made progress compared to its predecessor from last year – namely the DU7192 model, which theoretically occupies the same spot in the range.

This year's model has been equipped with a feature that enhances the fluidity of tonal transitions, which has been implemented much better than last year. Yes, the television still uses fairly strong algorithms that can distort details or remove film grain, but despite that – it can be confidently said that it works effectively.

However, not everything has gone perfectly. The U8000F has noticeable issues with slight image stuttering when watching very old content in very low resolution. If someone plans to play their old VHS tape, they must reckon with the fact that the image may appear slightly "choppy".

The 60 Hz panel in the Hisense A6N will likely satisfy those who enjoy watching films, as the television offers an "ultra motion smoother," allowing us to adjust the motion smoothness – either more choppy or more fluid, cinematic. When it comes to motion blur, it performs rather average – noticeable blur is evident, especially on dark backgrounds, which is quite a typical feature in this range of televisions.

The Samsung U8000F is equipped with a 60 Hz panel, so it's clear from the outset that we shouldn't expect miracles. It's simply the standard in this class – sufficient for everyday viewing but without any fireworks.

The television offers a single motion smoothing slider – a function called “Motion Blur Reduction”, which allows us to adjust the smoothness of the image in films. Higher settings provide a more “theatrical” and smoothed effect, while lower settings maintain the original character of the film with a slight 24p effect. An interesting feature is “LED Clear Motion”, which is a BFI mode – that inserts black frames between frames of the image to improve motion clarity. However, in practice, the screen flickers quite a bit when this feature is activated, and it should be regarded more as an experiment than something that genuinely enhances the comfort of gaming.

Hisense A6N is a television that is likely to appeal to casual gamers, primarily due to its 60 Hz panel, which may not satisfy more demanding users. Nevertheless, it offers several features that can enhance the gaming experience. The television supports functions such as ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), and Dolby Vision, which allows for better picture quality and smoother motion in games that support these technologies. Moreover, the low input lag ensures quick reactions in gameplay, which is crucial, especially in dynamic productions. With these features, although the television is not an ideal choice for demanding gamers, it provides solid support for those who appreciate comfortable gaming without complicated settings. It is an ideal solution for individuals who want to enjoy gaming without high hardware requirements while also having access to modern technologies that enhance gameplay quality.

The Samsung U8000F offers a basic set of features for gamers, which may still prove sufficient for less demanding users. It includes an automatic game mode – upon launching a game on the console, the television automatically switches to low latency mode, significantly improving response times. We also find a VRR feature, meaning variable refresh rate, which operates within a range of 48 to 60 Hz. This means that both Xbox and PS5 will not produce the effect of screen tearing – provided, of course, we stay within this range.

Unfortunately, that is about it when it comes to advantages. Add-ons like Game Bar or higher refresh rates are reserved for higher models of Samsung's 2025 line. In theory, the television also supports the HGiG function, which should adjust HDR images to the intentions of game developers. Unfortunately – despite this feature appearing in brochures and retail materials – its configuration on the Xbox console has proven to be... impossible in practice.