Hisense U8NQ vs LG NANO81A / NANO80A

Hisense U8NQ demonstrates its capabilities in terms of HDR, achieving a luminance chart score exceeding 2000 nits. In the first, third, and fifth scenes where the screen is bathed in light, the television displayed very high brightness that impresses and allows one to fully enjoy the HDR effect. Unfortunately, in the second and fourth scenes, such as those from the film "Sicario 2", the television encounters difficulties in 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 dim, which detracts from the typical HDR effect. Instead of dazzling brightness, we get a more subdued light that does not realise the full potential of HDR. Nevertheless, the television deserves praise for its very good coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut at 97%. This results in vibrant colours, and most film scenes look really good, significantly enhancing the viewing quality.

If you are counting on HDR in the NANO81A to bring tears to your eyes, I must disappoint you. This television is simply too dark to truly show what this format is all about. With a brightness of only 250 nits, HDR exists here mainly on paper. In practice, during viewing, it is very difficult to distinguish whether we are watching high dynamic range content or regular SDR – it simply lacks that ‘punch’ of light in the bright parts of the image. However, to give credit where it’s due, we do have a glimmer of hope here – and quite a clear one at that. It concerns the colour gamut coverage. Here, the NanoCell filter shows that it is not just marketing nonsense. Our measurements indicated that the coverage of the DCI-P3 space is around 88%. This is a really solid result that places this model significantly higher than typical budget options based on standard white LEDs without any filters. Of course, it still falls short of the level of quantum dot (QLED) TVs or advanced panels with PFS filters, but for this price point, the colours are surprisingly saturated and vibrant. It's just a shame that this low brightness prevents them from fully ‘spreading their wings’ with the Nano filter.

The Filmmaker mode on the Hisense U8NQ television can be described as the most accurate mode available on this model. Despite its accuracy, it has significant errors in reproducing reference images, which we will now describe. In the case of HD content, the white balance shows a clear dominance of red, making the image overly pink and warm. The comparative photo below illustrates how this effect impacts content presentation. The brightness characteristics also leave much to be desired — too low a gamma results in an excessively bright screen, and blacks appear elevated, making the overall image seem cooler than it should be.

In the case of 4K HDR content, the problem is the opposite — the white balance shows too great a dominance of blue, resulting in an artificial appearance and an unnaturally sharp image. All of these deviations for both HD and 4K HDR content can be confirmed using the Colour Checker test, which clearly demonstrates how colours deviate from correct standards.

For every film fan, the natural choice in LG televisions is the Filmmaker Mode. Its aim is to display images as the director intended – without unnecessary "enhancements". Unfortunately, in the case of our test unit NANO81A, the factory settings left something to be desired. The main issue turned out to be the white balance. Measurements showed a distinct deficiency of blue colour, which in practice meant that many scenes had a slightly yellowish, even "yellowed" tint. The white was not perfectly pure, which detracted from the freshness of the image. Additionally, brightness management was also not ideal – the factory-set gamma was too low. The picture often appeared oversaturated, as if overly lifted from the shadows, which caused it to lose naturalness and depth. Fortunately, LG, even in this relatively low price category, does not block access to advanced settings. The calibration possibilities of this model are enormous, which is a big plus for those who enjoy "digging" in the menu. We decided to approach the topic in our own way and see how much we could squeeze out of this panel with professional calibration.

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

However, as with many other Hisense models, there are visible issues with the EOTF curve, which is responsible for managing brightness in high-quality materials. Although at first glance it may seem correct, when the filter is applied to the "EOTF in films" chart, it is evident that the television somewhat "manipulates" 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 noting. It may be of great importance to those seeking a display with the most faithful reproduction of the image. Despite this error, for most, the picture will be more enjoyable. Colours are better represented, and the overall picture quality is significantly improved.

After calibration, the NANO81A is a completely different television. What LG offers in terms of image enhancement tools even in such an affordable model deserves a big plus. We managed to completely eliminate that annoying yellowing of whites and make the colours natural, vibrant, and simply "true". In SDR content (that is, regular television, YouTube, or older films), the picture now looks worlds better – it is clear, well-balanced, and no longer strains the eyes with strange hues. It is clear that this panel has significant potential, which is simply wasted by poor presets out of the box. However, we do have one serious reservation that calibration cannot fully overcome – it concerns brightness management in HDR mode. LG's algorithm in this model is constructed very conservatively. The television intentionally dims the HDR picture to avoid overexposing the already weak blacks of the IPS panel. The programmers faced a choice: either to provide more light and accept that the blacks would become light grey or to reduce the brightness to maintain any contrast. They chose the latter. Nevertheless, after our adjustments, watching anything on the NANO81 is significantly better.

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

Regarding digital processing, or so-called upscaling, the scene with the model is presented correctly — her outline is clear, without significant cropping. Similarly, thin lines, such as tree branches, exhibit slight jaggedness, but overall it looks plastic and soft, which creates a good impression. Unfortunately, there is also an issue with so-called overscan, which causes cropping of the image at the edges. This can be frustrating when watching content like news, where lower information bars may be partially invisible.

It often happens that cheap 4K panels mercilessly bring to light all the "dirt" and imperfections of lower-resolution content. However, with the LG NANO81A, the situation is quite different. This is truly a solid performer when it comes to handling content that is far from ideal. The built-in processor does a great job with upscaling. Even older recordings look quite decent on this screen – the image is coherent, cleaned of digital noise, and simply pleasant to the eye. A significant advantage is the gradation reduction feature that you will find in the settings. It is extraordinarily effective in combating colour banding, which is a lifesaver when watching materials with a low bitrate, for instance, from some streaming services or older files from the web. However, it is worth maintaining a certain level of caution. Since we are dealing with a less powerful chip than in LG's top models, setting this option too aggressively may sometimes result in minor artefacts or slight blurring of details. Despite this risk, I definitely encourage experimenting with this feature - in many cases, it can save the viewing experience and make low-quality material fully watchable.

Hisense U8NQ is equipped with a 144 Hz panel, making it an excellent choice for both sports and gaming. The television will also easily satisfy film enthusiasts, as it features a built-in "Ultra Motion Smoothness" processor that allows you to control the smoothness of the image — you can decide whether you prefer a more "framey" picture or a smoother, theatrical effect. This provides great flexibility in adjusting motion quality to the viewer’s individual preferences.

When it comes to motion fluidity, the NANO81A unfortunately has a hard time. The television is based on a panel with a refresh rate of 60 Hz. If you are looking for perfect sharpness in dynamic football matches or fast action games, you may feel a bit disappointed. With such a low native refresh rate, fast objects on the screen will always be a little blurred.

Hisense U8NQ offers everything a gamer may need for comfortable gameplay. The television supports a refresh rate of 144 Hz, ensuring an extremely smooth image, particularly in dynamic action games. The VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) feature allows the image to adjust to varying frames per second, eliminating stuttering and tearing, resulting in exceptionally fluid gameplay. Additionally, the television is equipped with an ALLM (Automatic Low Latency Mode) feature, which automatically switches the television to gaming mode, minimising input lag. This allows players to enjoy responsive gameplay without the need 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 has a “Game Bar” — a feature that provides quick access to key 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 games. This may be disappointing for gamers expecting optimal detail reproduction in HDR scenes. Nevertheless, the other features of the television make the Hisense U8NQ a solid choice for console gaming enthusiasts, offering fluidity, high contrast, and user convenience.

NANO81A is unfortunately not hardware designed for e-sports. The lack of support for a 120 Hz signal is a fact that users planning to purchase this model simply have to come to terms with. Nevertheless, LG's engineers have made an effort to maximise the potential of this 60 Hz panel, offering a set of features that genuinely enhance the gaming experience. Firstly, the television supports VRR technology (within the range of 48-60 Hz) and ALLM. As a result, the image remains stable and does not "tear", and the device automatically switches to low-latency mode as soon as it detects a signal from a console. Managing these settings is extremely simple thanks to a dedicated system overlay, which allows for quick viewing of parameters without leaving the game. A very significant advantage is the support for the HGiG format. This solution is crucial for owners of modern consoles because it enables the television to correctly "understand" the intentions of game developers regarding HDR tone mapping. In practice, this helps avoid the effect of "blown-out" bright spots, such as clouds or light sources, which is unfortunately a common issue in budget LCD televisions.