Samsung QLED Q80D vs Hisense UR8S

In the context of HDR, the Samsung Q80D television delivers impressive brightness performance in tested movie scenes, achieving levels between 600 to 900 nits when the frame is filled with light. This brightness enhances the vibrancy of the image and allows users to perceive the differences between HDR and SDR quality. However, challenges arise when small light effects appear against a dark background. For instance, in specific scenes, such as test slide 4 from Sicario 2, there is a noticeable drop in brightness due to the larger size of the dimming zones employed by the television. This limitation, coupled with the local dimming algorithm, affects the TV's ability to accurately display small bright elements on dark backgrounds, leading to a lack of brightness that can diminish the HDR effect, making it appear similar to SDR quality.

UR8S is a slightly higher-end Mini-LED, so you could expect a lot in terms of brightness. And indeed, on a synthetic test pattern the peak brightness reached around 2200 nits. That's a very good result, but as always what matters more is what the TV does in normal film scenes. Here the results are a bit more uneven. In bright scenes with a lot of light on screen, the UR8S can deliver really strong HDR. Brightness then reaches about 1500 nits, so the image is very intense and has a lot of punch. It's worse with small bright elements on a dark background. The TV noticeably dims them to maintain good blacks and avoid excessive blooming. As a result, things like single stars or tiny specular highlights can be only around 200 nits. And here HDR is no longer as impressive. So the local dimming algorithm works effectively, but it comes at a cost, sometimes it simply sacrifices the brightness of small details too much in favor of contrast.

Colors

With RGB Mini-LED TVs, colors should be evaluated a bit differently than usual. If we look solely at the panel's capabilities, the UR8S performs great. We measured about 94% coverage of BT.2020 and practically full DCI-P3. These are among the highest values currently found in LCD TVs, and this is where the potential of RGB backlighting is most apparent. The problem is that this potential isn't always used in real scenes. When we ran the same measurements on patterns with an overlaid film background, the saturation of some colors dropped noticeably. Individual zones can't always control the three RGB components as precisely when the scene becomes more complex. This is most noticeable with blue and magenta. In simple test patterns they can look very strong, but in tougher scenes samples of those colors clearly shrink. So the UR8S has enormous potential, but the TV can't always make full use of it.

In "Filmmaker" mode, which is considered the best out-of-the-box choice, the Samsung Q80D demonstrates solid colour reproduction. However, when viewing SDR content, there is a visible drop at the beginning of the gamma curve, suggesting that details in dark scenes may be less clear, which could detract from the overall viewing experience. While the white balance in SDR content is generally accurate, significant drops in blue at screen coverage above 70% can lead to less natural hues in both bright and dark scenes. Users might notice that some blue elements appear less intense, resulting in a warmer tint to the colour presentation.

For HDR content, the EOTF (Electro-Optical Transfer Function) curve being above the reference line most of the time indicates that the TV may struggle to accurately reproduce brightness and detail in the brighter areas of the image, which can be less than ideal for viewers. Additionally, there is a notable drop at the beginning of this graph, signifying the TV's difficulty in reproducing brightness in dark areas; this limitation is apparent in contrast and black tests, where several scenes fail to showcase the TV's full brightness potential.

Regarding white balance, the initial performance on the chart is promising, however, a sharp drop in red, coupled with a significant rise in blue, may lead to inaccuracies in reproducing certain skin tones and other key colours. This issue can be particularly noticeable in scenes where colour details are essential, potentially affecting the viewer's overall experience.

For evaluating out-of-the-box colors we used Filmmaker mode, which is supposed to show the image as close as possible to how the material was intended. Looking at white balance alone, the UR8S does quite well. There is no strong color cast that immediately jumps out, although as brightness increases a bit too much blue and red appear while green becomes deficient. Color errors therefore show up in measurements, but the image itself does not look bad.

We have far bigger reservations about how the UR8S manages image brightness. In SDR the gamma stays around 1.9 to 2.0 for most of the range instead of the target 2.4. In practice this simply means the image is too bright, especially in the midtones. Shadows are lifted too much, so the image loses some depth. A similar trend is visible in HDR. The EOTF curve sits above the reference value for a large portion of the range, so the UR8S again brightens the image more than it should. This is not a matter of the TV lacking brightness; it has plenty of it. The issue is how it manages that brightness. As a result, HDR material can look very striking, but not always exactly as it should.

After calibration, the Samsung Q80D’s Movie mode offers a noticeable improvement over the out-of-the-box settings. Samsung provides an advanced suite of calibration tools, including 2- and 20-point grayscale adjustments as well as a CMS (Colour Management System), allowing for precise control over both SDR and HDR content. The calibration greatly enhances white balance, although minor errors remain in HDR content toward the end of the graph. Contrast has also improved, and the gamma curve for SDR content now aligns well with expected levels.

In HDR, the EOTF curve initially appears to sit ideally, however, closer examination reveals all lines are slightly above the reference line, a phenomenon that may be seen as the TV "enhancing" brightness for added appeal. This effect, however, comes at a cost: while the screen may appear brighter overall, it sacrifices detail in darker areas, leading to a loss of subtle textures in shadowed scenes. As a result, scenes with deep shadows or dark elements may lose some finer visual details that would enhance the viewing experience.

Hisense offers quite a few calibration options, and in SDR you can achieve a really good result with them. After calibration, the white balance is practically uniform across the entire range, and color errors drop to very low values. The UR8S can be adjusted very precisely here. HDR looks a bit different. The white balance itself can also be noticeably improved, although at the highest brightness levels larger deviations start to appear. What's most interesting, however, is the behavior of the EOTF curve. Even after it is properly set on test patterns, the UR8S can still interpret brightness its own way during movie playback. Depending on the scene, parts of the image are slightly brightened while others are darkened compared to how they should look. This shows that the algorithms responsible for backlight control have a fairly large impact on the final image. So calibration can greatly improve colors, but we can't completely "turn off" the way the UR8S manages brightness in HDR.

Performing admirably with low-quality content, the Q80D’s noise reduction feature uses gentle gradation to smooth out unwanted image disturbances. However, this technique can also soften certain details, like film grain, that some viewers might prefer to retain. For those who appreciate a more polished and smoother image, particularly with lower-resolution material, this becomes a significant advantage.

In terms of image scaling, the Q80D stands out, enhancing both quality and detail for lower-resolution media. Advanced processing technology reduces artefacts and maintains clarity, as seen in the clean edges and absence of fraying in elements like branches during test scenes. This capability makes it an excellent option for viewers seeking an enhanced and comfortable viewing experience, even with less-than-ideal content quality.

A major advantage of the UR8S is its MediaTek Pentonic 800 processor, and digital image processing is one of this model’s strengths. The TV handles smoothing tonal transitions very well, especially with lower-quality sources. The feature responsible for this effect works effectively without overly interfering with the picture. Even at the medium setting it can noticeably reduce visible banding and unevenness without heavily blurring details. Upscaling also performs very well. Lower-resolution content is displayed cleanly, edges look natural, and the image isn’t overly sharpened. The UR8S simply copes very well with weaker signals, and in that respect it’s one of its clear strengths.

Motion smoothness and blur reduction are standout features on the Samsung Q80D TV, thanks to its 120Hz panel and impressive response time. Users have two customisation options to enhance smoothness: "Motion Blur Reduction," adjustable on a 10-step scale for refined control, and "Blur Reduction," which works particularly well at higher refresh rates, enhancing clarity in fast-moving scenes. In the UFO test, the panel performs without trailing or forward-cloning effects, indicating a lack of overshoot and delivering clear, sharp visuals during rapid motion.

The UR8S is equipped with a panel that has a native 180 Hz refresh rate, so it already offers great potential for smooth motion. The panel itself performs really well, though some limitations typical of VA panels are still visible. Smearing is relatively low for this type of screen, but with faster motion (especially on darker backgrounds) it can still be noticed, particularly when compared with the same image on OLED TVs.

The Samsung Q80D is a fantastic choice for gamers, offering a range of advanced gaming features that are rare in this price category. Equipped with four HDMI 2.1 ports, it enables key functionalities like ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), and 120Hz support at 4K resolution, ensuring smooth and responsive visuals, essential for fast-paced gaming. The TV also supports HGIG (HDR Gaming Interest Group) for optimal HDR display in games and includes a Game Bar for quick access to gaming settings. Gamers with Nvidia graphics cards will appreciate the G-Sync support that eliminates screen stuttering and tearing.

Although it lacks Dolby Vision support, which may disappoint those seeking that HDR format, Samsung has partnered with Microsoft since 2022 to provide the Xbox Game Pass app, enabling cloud gaming access to a wide library of games without a console.

In terms of gamer features the UR8S performs really well. The TV supports practically everything you’d expect from a modern console or PC display. It offers ALLM, VRR, and 4K at 120 Hz. It also supports Dolby Vision in game mode, so when using an Xbox Series X you don’t have to give up that HDR format. PC gamers get even more options. The panel can run at 4K/180 Hz, and dropping to Full HD can raise the refresh rate up to 330 Hz. There’s also a Game Bar that lets you quickly view key information and change gaming-related settings. The only clear shortcoming is a proper implementation of HGiG. With it enabled the TV still interferes with HDR brightness mapping, so we don’t get the effect intended by that standard. Aside from that, the UR8S is very well prepared for both consoles and a powerful PC.