Hisense U8NQ vs Samsung S90F QD-OLED

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.

The biggest difference between the 65-inch S90F and the other versions is brightness. The QD-OLED panel can reach up to 1700 nits in laboratory tests, which is over 500 nits more than the variant with a WOLED matrix. This translates to a decidedly stronger and more engaging HDR effect. In most scenes, bright parts of the image look fantastic, and we must admit that we were positively surprised, as we expected results more similar to the WOLED version, but we got an effect that makes a great impression even in films. Just like with every OLED, there are moments when the panel needs to limit its brightness a bit. This mainly refers to full-screen, very demanding scenes – for example, in the last test frame from the film "The Meg," the brightness drops to around 800 nits. However, it is hard to consider this a disadvantage, as it is still an excellent result, unprecedented in OLED televisions in this price range. Everything suggests that the 65-inch S90F could be one of the best choices this year for those looking for a strong OLED at a reasonable price. Another advantage of the QD-OLED matrix in HDR content is its colour gamut coverage. Thanks to quantum dots, the television achieves almost a full 100% of the DCI-P3 colour space and nearly 90% of the BT.2020 colour space. These values place it alongside much more expensive models and make it exceptional in its class.

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.

Samsung S90F, like most modern televisions, offers several picture modes, but in line with our tradition, we tested it in the most important one, which is Filmmaker. This setting makes the image look much more natural than in the default, often overly saturated modes. It is neither excessively vivid nor artificially subdued – just closer to what one should actually see. However, this does not mean it is perfect. The S90F had noticeable shortcomings in white balance, mainly in the blue range, which gave a slightly yellowish filter effect on most scenes. One might argue that it looks more "filmic" because it is warmer, but let’s not kid ourselves – George Lucas didn't shoot Star Wars in sepia 😉 (a comparison with the scene can be found, as always, below). In HDR materials, there was also an issue with brightness management. The EOTF curve clearly showed that the television brightens the picture more than it should, leading to some effects appearing too intense and deviating from the reference. Fortunately, a large part of these shortcomings can be eliminated through professional calibration – we will discuss the effects of this procedure further on in the test.

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.

Calibration quickly revealed that the S90F has a significant margin of capability. The image in SDR immediately gained a natural quality – classic films no longer looked as if someone had applied a yellowish filter to them, and the colours regained their proper character. It is a return to the atmosphere of the original, without the impression that someone tried to "age" it forcefully. In HDR content, the difference was even more pronounced. The EOTF curve was managed almost to a reference level, and any deviations are so subtle that most viewers won't even notice them. In practice, the S90F shows an image very close to perfection after calibration. Compared to the WOLED version, it performs even better – mainly due to the wider colour gamut coverage, which makes the colours appear fuller and more intense.

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.

The S90F performs really well here, although there are some comments that recur with most Samsung televisions. The noise reduction feature can effectively smooth out unwanted colour transitions in poorer materials, such as television or YouTube, making them simply look better. However, it should be noted that it operates quite aggressively and can also soften elements we wouldn't want to touch, like facial details. Therefore, if we want to use it, it’s best to set it to 'medium' and be aware of the compromise it entails. The upscaling itself is at a high level – low-quality materials are upscaled towards a 4K-like image. The only caveat is that the S90F can still struggle with so-called overscan, meaning it slightly trims edges with very poor materials like 576p and lower.

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.

S90F is an OLED with a refresh rate of 144 Hz, but in practice, it primarily indicates how it performs at 120 Hz, as this frequency is most significant when watching sports. The QD-OLED panel is no different in this regard from WOLED panels – the response of the pixels is nearly instantaneous, so motion is rendered with surgical precision. The result is predictable. The image is virtually devoid of motion blur, making gaming on consoles, matches, or other sports broadcasts incredibly enjoyable on the S90F.

Fans of films and series have not been overlooked either. Like every Samsung television with a refresh rate of 120 Hz and above, the S90F features a proprietary motion smoothing technology called "Image Clarity." Here, we find two sliders – blur reduction and judder reduction – which allow for improved fluidity of materials recorded at 24 frames and tailoring the effect to personal preferences.

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.

The S90F is a television that truly brings a lot of joy when gaming. To start, we have four full-fledged HDMI 2.1 ports, which means you can connect all consoles and PCs without worrying about which device has priority. This is a convenient and practical solution that is by no means a given with other manufacturers. Additionally, there are key features such as automatic game mode (ALLM), which automatically switches the screen to low-latency settings, and VRR frame synchronization that operates in a wide range from 48 to 144 Hz. As a result, the picture remains smooth regardless of whether we're playing fast-paced online shooters or more leisurely narrative titles. The Game Bar also deserves a mention – a panel that allows quick access to several useful additions. For example, you can enable an additional crosshair in the centre of the screen, enlarge the minimap, or, in the case of PC, change the aspect ratio. Lastly, there is also the unique Game Motion Plus mode from Samsung. Its purpose is to smooth out older or poorly optimized titles, and it actually works pretty well. Thanks to this mode, even less polished games can look better and provide a more enjoyable gaming experience than on other televisions that theoretically offer the same technical specifications.