Hisense U8Q vs Philips MLED920 / MLED910

When it comes to HDR, the Hisense U8Q shows its claws. On paper, that is, in synthetic measurement tests, the television can achieve nearly 4000 nits of peak brightness. This is a value that most models can only envy. In practice, this translates to very strong light effects in films – in some scenes, we managed to measure a real brightness of between 1500 and 2000 nits, which is a level typically reserved for the absolute top tier of televisions on the market.

Of course, it's not always perfect. In small, pinpoint elements, brightness can drop – a good example is scene number 4 from the film Sicario 2, where instead of thousands of nits, we get around 500. But it’s worth noting that the effect does not disappear completely – the light is still visible, and the image does not seem artificially dimmed. This is a typical issue with Mini LEDs, so it's difficult to consider this a major downside.

On the other hand, the colour reproduction is a huge plus. Thanks to additional coatings that enhance colour saturation, the U8Q nearly covers the entire DCI-P3 colour space (98%), and for the wider BT.2020 range, it achieved over 80%. This is an excellent result that makes HDR films look rich, vivid, and simply very cinematic.

Philips MLED920 in our measurements in static tests even reached around 900 nits, which is really a solid result for a mid-range model. In practice, this translates to a lot of satisfaction during viewing sessions – in scenes rich in bright light, such as the first, third or fifth test slide, the screen managed to generate about 700 nits, which is sufficient to feel the true "HDR effect." However, it cannot be denied that the limited number of dimming zones and the compromises typical of mini-LEDs in more demanding scenes reveal their nature. In sequences with small light sources – like the moon or a scene from the film Sicario 2 – the television clearly prioritises maintaining deeper blacks at the expense of the brightness of these small elements. For most viewers, this is still a reasonable compromise, as the dark background looks significantly better, though it is important to be aware that the details themselves may not impress with their intensity. There is also a certain sense of dissatisfaction regarding the colours. Although the applied PFS filter (the equivalent of quantum dots known from QLEDs) does its job and the colours appear quite vivid, the coverage of the DCI-P3 palette reaches “only” 90%. In everyday viewing, this will be sufficient, but in extremely colourful productions – like the latest Disney animations – one can notice that some tones are not as vibrant as they could be in other setups.

We must admit that when the U8Q arrived at our editorial office, we were slightly surprised… and positively so. Usually, in televisions, the white balance immediately requires adjustment – it can be too warm or too cold, which immediately leads to strange colour mistakes. Meanwhile, here the situation looks really good straight out of the box. Of course, we are talking about our unit, so there is no guarantee that every model will be equally well calibrated, but in our case, the first impressions were very positive. The only more apparent issue concerned the way the television manages brightness. Looking at the EOTF graph, it is clear that the U8Q tends to brighten small elements on the screen. This, in turn, caused what we mentioned earlier – slight overexposure and the impression that the entire scene can be a bit too bright. However, this is not a flaw that undermines the picture, rather an effect characteristic of this model.

Like every Philips television we tested, we primarily assessed the MLED920 in Filmmaker mode – this is meant to be the "most honest" mode, designed for films and to faithfully convey the intentions of the creators. Indeed, in terms of colour reproduction, it performs the best among all the modes available on the television, but it is not without flaws. The first thing that catches the eye is the white balance. The image has a slight tendency towards purple-pink tones, which gives it a somewhat unnatural character. An even bigger problem, however, turned out to be what we mentioned earlier – image blooming. Just looking at the gamma or EOTF charts reveals that the line significantly deviates from the norm, dropping below a value of 1.8. In practice, this means "bleeding" of the brightest whites, where the image becomes almost milky. Fortunately, most of these issues can be corrected – the MLED920 responds well to calibration, and with a few adjustments, one can significantly improve the viewing experience.

Of course, we wouldn’t be ourselves if we didn’t make adjustments to the white balance. After calibration, we managed to equalise the SDR signal to practically perfection – older films, YouTube content, and classic television looked almost ideal on the U8Q. This is truly an exceptional level that shows this model can do a lot if given a bit of help. Unfortunately, the situation is different with HDR content. The colours themselves don’t pose many problems, but the U8Q’s biggest issue remains the EOTF brightness characteristics. In practice, the television tends to “over-expose” beyond how the image should look in its original form. It’s that slight "bleeding" that we noticed earlier in comparisons with the best screens on the market. It’s a bit of a shame that this characteristic can’t be fully tamed – if we could maintain equally good control over brightness in HDR as in SDR, we would be dealing with an absolutely reference-quality image.

After calibration, we managed to largely tame the white balance – to the extent that the average viewer will not be able to detect distortions in colours. The characteristic pink-purple haze that previously disrupted the naturalness of the image has also disappeared. The colour palette has been organised, and the colours appear more coherent and neutral. The gamma in SDR content post-calibration looks really good – there is no longer any mention of the previous 'bleeding' effect in bright scenes. The image has become more contrasty and devoid of that milkiness which had previously greatly harmed the viewing experience. In the case of HDR content, the improvement is also noticeable, although here it is still evident that the television is going 'its own way'. The EOTF curve cannot be fully shaped, as Philips simply does not offer the tools to allow precise control over this parameter in its settings. In many films, the television still exposes the image 'in its own way'. Despite these limitations, the calibration has delivered quite a bit of good – most of the colour distortions have been minimised, and the overall balance of the image has significantly improved. However, it must be noted that certain barriers stem from the very design of the hardware and simply cannot be overcome.

Hisense U8Q handles lower quality materials quite well. The television can smooth out tonal transitions thanks to the "Smooth and Gradient Picture" feature – it works best when set to Medium. At this setting, it nicely dims unwanted bands and unevenness in the picture, but importantly, it does not remove the film grain or fine details.

The upscaling itself is also at a good level. Images from lower resolutions appear smooth and soft, sometimes even overly so – we get a plastic effect that may not appeal to everyone. Fortunately, this can be easily corrected with the sharpness slider, allowing the picture to be adjusted to personal preferences.

The manufacturer has equipped this model with several features that improve signal quality, and although we usually approach such "enhancements" with caution, here they prove to be really helpful. The key option is called "distortion reduction" – it works best at a medium level, as on one hand it effectively smooths out unwanted stair-stepping and colour banding, while on the other it does not excessively cut out details, allowing the image to still look natural.

Things are a bit worse with upscaling. Lower quality materials – such as the test video with the model – appeared soft and lacking in sharpness. Indeed, it can be partially corrected with the sharpness slider in the menu, but the effect remains far from what competitors in a similar price range offer. Philips therefore still needs to work on this element, as compared to the successful improvement of tonal transitions, the upscaling simply falls short.

Hisense U8Q features a panel that can refresh the image up to 165 Hz in 4K resolution. In practice, this will primarily be utilised by PC gamers, but as the saying goes – it’s better to have it than not 😊. For films and series, we have a built-in smoothness enhancer called Ultra Motion Smoothness. In the settings, it can be easily adjusted to suit personal preferences – whether we want a more “cinematic” frame rate or a smooth, theatrical spectacle.

The Philips MLED920 features a 144 Hz panel, which immediately suggests that we shouldn't complain about motion smoothness. And indeed – the motion blur is relatively low for a VA panel, and although slight issues can sometimes be noticed on darker backgrounds, they are not something that would stand out to most people during regular viewing.

Another significant advantage is the presence of a motion smoother called “Motion Style.” It allows you to adjust the sensation of smoothness to your own preferences – if someone prefers a more “theatrical,” almost television-like image, they can increase the sliders, whereas if they prefer to maintain the natural “jumps” of cinematic frames, it’s enough to set lower values. This way, everyone can find their golden mean.

In terms of features, the Hisense U8Q has practically everything one could expect from a modern gaming television. Thanks to the new processor, the manufacturer managed to implement as many as three HDMI 2.1 ports, so there is no problem connecting several consoles or a computer. On top of that, it includes all the key technologies – Game Bar with parameter preview, variable refresh rate (VRR), automatic low latency mode (ALLM)… in a word, a complete set.

But as is often the case with Hisense, it fell a bit short of perfection. The biggest drawback remains the lack of support for the HGiG format, which allows the brightness of the television to be adjusted to the console and maximises HDR in games. It’s a shame, because if this element were included, we would have a device practically made for gamers. As it stands, the U8Q remains “only” a very good choice 😉

For gamers, the Philips MLED920 is truly a complete tool. The manufacturer has taken care of everything that is considered standard in televisions designed for consoles and PCs today. It features ALLM, so the console automatically switches the screen to game mode, alongside VRR and a refresh rate of 144 Hz, which guarantees smooth gameplay even in fast-paced titles. All key HDR formats are supported – including HGiG and Dolby Vision Gaming for Xbox – which means that regardless of what you are playing and on which console, the television will be able to extract the maximum potential from the image. The Game Bar also proves useful in daily gaming – a relatively simple implementation by Philips, but a functional panel where you can quickly check image parameters, enable VRR or adjust settings without leaving the game. It may not be as comprehensive as the competition, but it performs its task flawlessly. And finally, something that sets Philips apart from the competition – Ambilight. The three-sided LED backlighting can create a huge impression in games, especially in the evening. It's also a way to slightly 'extend' the screen and enhance the feeling of immersion. And as colourful LEDs have recently become almost a mandatory element of a gamer’s room, the MLED920 fits into this trend perfectly.