- Matching (Score) |
- Our verdict |
- Competing TVs |
- TV appearance |
- Where to buy |
- Contrast and black detail |
- HDR effect quality |
- Factory color reproduction |
- Color reproduction after calibration |
- Smoothness of tonal transitions |
- Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions |
- Blur and motion smoothness |
- Console compatibility and gaming features |
- Input lag |
- Compatibility with PC |
- Viewing angles |
- Daytime performance |
- TV features |
- Apps |
- Playing files from USB |
- Sound |
- Panel details
Hisense UR8S Review
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Panel type: LCD VA Refresh rate: 180Hz Brand: HISENSE Resolution: 3840x2160 System: VIDAA Model year: 2026
This review is an English translation of the Polish original. Read the original on Wybierz.tv.
Hisense UR8S is the cheapest RGB Mini-LED TV in the Chinese manufacturer's 2026 lineup. Its task is fairly simple: to be a much cheaper way to enter the world of the new three-color RGB backlighting. Compared with the flagship UR9S we tested earlier, it costs significantly less, yet still uses the same technology. So the question is, where did Hisense have to cut costs and how much do we really lose by choosing the cheaper model?
HISENSE UR8S - Our verdict
8.2
Overall rating
The Hisense UR8S is, above all, a very versatile high-end TV that performs well or very well in most use cases. It’s not a model aimed solely at movies, gaming, or watching in a bright living room. Its biggest advantage is that it can combine all those things in one chassis without any single, clearly weak point. In terms of picture, the UR8S has a lot to offer. Contrast is high, HDR can look very impressive, and the brightness level is more than enough for daytime viewing. Add very good image processing and smooth motion handling. RGB Mini-LED also gives it a very wide color gamut, and you can see that the technology has a lot of potential. However, it’s important to remember that it doesn’t completely change the character of an LCD TV. In more demanding scenes you can still see the limits of local dimming, and very high color saturation isn’t always maintained to the same degree as on simple test patterns. A major strength of the UR8S is, above all, its everyday usability. The TV works well for sports, is excellent for gaming, and its high brightness and matte screen coating make a big difference in a bright room. On top of that, the VIDAA system runs quickly, and Hisense hasn’t removed many features that remain useful for normal TV use. That’s why we see the UR8S best as a TV for people looking for one solid screen for everything. RGB Mini-LED is an interesting addition here and provides some real benefits, but it’s not the technology alone that makes this model perform well. Its strongest point is that it’s complete, well equipped, and very versatile.
Advantages
Very high contrast and deep blacks
High picture brightness
Potentially wider color gamut thanks to RGB backlighting
Excellent image processing and upscaling
Panel with refresh rate up to 180 Hz
Very good gaming performance
Good viewing angles for a Mini-LED LCD
Matte finish and excellent daylight performance
Fast VIDAA and lots of useful features
Support for Dolby Vision, HDR10+, Dolby Atmos, and DTS
Disadvantages
The full potential of RGB Mini-LEDs isn't always realized in movies
HDR brightness can deviate from the creators' vision
No proper HGiG implementation
The VIDAA system still lacks a few apps
Movies and series in UHD quality7.4
Classic TV, YouTube7.6
Sports broadcasts (TV and apps)7.4
Gaming on console8.4
TV as a computer monitor8.5
Watching in bright light9.5
Utility functions9.4
Apps8.3
Sound quality7.8
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HISENSE UR8S - Competing TVs in this price range
HISENSE UR8S - TV appearance
HDMI inputs: 0 x HDMI 2.0, 4 x HDMI 2.1 (48Gbps) Outputs: Toslink (Optical audio), eARC (HDMI), ARC (HDMI) Network Interfaces: Wi-Fi 2.4GHz, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Ethernet (LAN) 100Mbps
Build quality: Good
Stand type: Central
Bezel color: Graphite
Stand: Height adjustment
Flat design: No
Accessories: Stand
If we look at the UR8S's appearance alone, it quickly becomes clear that this is a design we already know well. The TV's design strongly references, or rather is almost a copy of, the Hisense U7S Pro. The difference, of course, is that the U7S Pro uses the more classic combination of quantum dots and Mini-LED backlighting, whereas here we have RGB Mini-LED. But let's leave the technology for later. The UR8S's looks are simply adequate. There's nothing particularly striking or unusual, but it's also hard to fault the build quality. The bezels around the screen are slim, and the central stand allows height adjustment, so you can make room under the TV's bottom edge for, say, a soundbar. The UR8S is not among the slimmest TVs on the market. The cabinet is fairly thick, so when wall-mounted the screen will protrude noticeably. The only more distinctive touch is a small RGB Mini-LED logo on the front of the cabinet, along with a rainbow marking that reveals what kind of backlighting we're dealing with.
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HISENSE UR8S - Contrast and black detail
8/10
Local dimming function: Yes, number of zones: 936 (26 x 36)
Result
267,450:1
Result
48,550:1
Result
19,450:1
Result
14,850:1
Result
10,800:1
We tested the Hisense UR8S in the 65-inch size, and this variant uses a VA panel, so the native contrast is already at a very good level and reaches much higher values than IPS panels. The most important thing, however, is local dimming. In our unit we counted 936 zones and you can clearly see that they can really help in dark scenes. In movies where a large part of the screen is black, the UR8S does really well. Blacks are deep, the black bars on films don't have a bluish glow, and in some shots the effect can even somewhat resemble an OLED. Of course only slightly, since the difference is still noticeable. It's easiest to notice with small, bright elements on a black background. Then a slight halo may appear around the object. It's not large and during normal viewing it shouldn't be too distracting, but it shows that this is still a TV with 936 zones, not a display that can dim each pixel individually.
Halo effect and black detail visibility:
HISENSE UR8S - HDR effect quality
6/10
Supported formats: HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, Dolby Vision IQ, HLG
Luminance measurements in HDR:
Result
1241 nit
Result
269 nit
Result
594 nit
Result
188 nit
Result
1452 nit
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.
BT.2020 color gamut coverage and primary color luminance
| Data set | BT.2020 | P3 | R | G | B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Synthetic patterns | 93.9% | 98.4% | 86% | 80% | 45% |
| Film measurements | 74.2% | 86.0% | 74% | 58% | 81% |
BT.2020
BT.2020 and P3 – average color gamut coverage (percent of the target gamut).
R, G, B – average primary color luminance relative to target (percent).
Scene from the movie “Pan” (about 2800 nits)
Scene from the movie “Billy Lynn” (about 1100 nits)
UR8S can deliver a truly impressive picture, and that's hard to deny. Most highlights reach adequate brightness, so when watching HDR movies you can really tell you're dealing with a TV with considerable capabilities. It's only in more demanding scenes that its limitations become apparent. A good example is a scene from the film "Pan", where a very bright sky, blue hues, white clouds and yellow sunlight appear side by side. UR8S still shines strongly, but the colors begin to lose saturation. The sky is no longer as intensely blue, and the other colors also look a bit paler. That's precisely what it lacks most compared with the best TVs: the ability to maintain strong, saturated colors in the most demanding film scenes.
HDR luminance chart:
UR8S supports all the major HDR formats currently available on the market, including Dolby Vision and HDR10+. That's a big plus, because even with the TV's high brightness, Dolby Vision can still noticeably help. With films in that format the UR8S handles the brightest parts of the image better and preserves more details that in standard HDR10 more often blend together or get blown out. As a result, bright clouds, reflections, and highlights show more detail and simply look more natural.
Static HDR10
Dynamic: Dolby Vision
Factory color reproduction
5.1/10
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.
Color reproduction after calibration
7.5/10
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.
HISENSE UR8S - Smoothness of tonal transitions
9.3/10
The UR8S handles tonal transitions very well. In most scenes the colors shift between successive shades almost without any visible stepping or banding. This applies to both darker and brighter parts of the image. Only at very extreme shades of gray can you notice slight imperfections. It looks a bit worse in Dolby Vision. In the same scenes, subtle banding becomes easier to spot, especially in the darker parts of the image. It's still good, but because of this difference the rating is slightly lower.
Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions
8/10
Smooth transition function
Image without overscan on the SD signal
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.
HISENSE UR8S - Blur and motion smoothness
7.8/10
Maximum refresh rate of the panel: 180Hz
Film motion smoothing option: Yes
Blur reduction option: Yes
BFI function 60Hz: Yes, 120Hz (double contours)
BFI function 120Hz: Yes, 240Hz (double contours)
Brightness drop with BFI: 69%
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.
Blur (native resolution, maximum refresh rate):
Blur (BFI function enabled):
Blur (1080P@340Hz):
Frame interpolation is also a plus. The UR8S uses the Motion Enhancement feature, which has two separate sliders controlling motion smoothness. That lets you fine-tune the effect to your liking, from subtle smoothing for movies to much stronger smoothing for sports. The processor handles it well and, with sensible settings, doesn't produce too many artifacts.
HISENSE UR8S - Console compatibility and gaming features
8.5/10
- ALLM:
Yes
- VRR:
Yes
- VRR range:
48 - 330Hz
- Dolby Vision Game Mode:
Yes
Correct implementation of HGIG:
No - 1080p@120Hz:
Yes
- 1440p@120Hz:
Yes
- 4K@120Hz:
Yes
- Game bar:
Yes
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.
HISENSE UR8S - Input lag
9.8/10
Input lag on the UR8S is very low. With a 60 Hz signal we measured about 15 to 16 ms, while switching to 120 Hz reduces the lag to about 9 to 10 ms. Importantly, we recorded similar results in HDR and Dolby Vision, so using those formats doesn't noticeably increase the lag. In practice the response to controls is very quick, and even more demanding gamers shouldn't have any reason to complain.
| SDR | HDR | Dolby Vision |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p60: 16 ms | 2160p60: 15 ms | 2160p60 DV: 15 ms |
| 1080p120: 10 ms | 2160p120: 9 ms | 2160p120 DV: 9 ms |
| 2160p60: 16 ms | ||
| 2160p120: 10 ms |
HISENSE UR8S - Compatibility with PC
8.5/10
Chroma 444 (max. resolution and refresh rate): Yes
Font clarity: Good
Readability of dark text and shapes: Good
Input lag in PC mode (4K, max. refresh rate): 9ms
Matrix subpixel arrangement: BGR
Max refresh rate: 180Hz
G-Sync: Yes
The UR8S also works very well as a large monitor for a computer. The TV properly handles 4:4:4 chroma at its maximum resolution and refresh rate, so small fonts remain legible and don't have heavily jagged or colored edges. The BGR subpixel layout used isn't a major obstacle here and text still looks good, though picky users will notice it's not perfect.
On top of that there's up to 180 Hz refresh at 4K, G-Sync support, and very low input lag, which at the maximum refresh rate is around 9 ms. So if someone wants to use the UR8S not only for a console but also for gaming with a powerful PC, the TV is really well suited for that.
HISENSE UR8S - Viewing angles
5.5/10
Brightness drop at an angle of 45 degrees: 74%
Viewing angles on the UR8S are quite good, helped by the use of an RGB backlight. Thanks to the tricolor LEDs, colors seen off-axis hold up better than on many conventional Mini-LEDs that use white or blue backlights. Of course, it's still not at the level of OLED, and even less so QD-OLED. At wider angles the image loses a bit of contrast and saturation, but for an LCD TV the result is really decent.
HISENSE UR8S - Daytime performance
9.5/10
Panel finish: Matte
Reflection suppression: Very Good
Black levels during daytime: Average
The UR8S handles daytime viewing very well. Above all, it's a very bright TV — in SDR we measured around 1500 nits, so even with a lot of ambient light the picture remains punchy and easy to see. A big plus is the matte coating, which does a great job of diffusing reflections from windows and lamps. Instead of a sharp reflection on the screen you get more of a soft glow, which is much less distracting while watching. However, it's worth noting that the coating works best when you're viewing the TV straight on. At wider angles it starts to look more like a satin finish and reflections become more pronounced, making them more bothersome. In a brightly lit room blacks also lose some of their depth, but at such high brightness that's not a major issue. Overall, the UR8S is simply a very good choice for a bright living room.
Panel brightness
Hisense UR8S: 1468 cd/m2
HISENSE UR8S - TV features
9.4/10
System: VIDAA
System performance: Very good
- HDMI inputs: 0 x HDMI 2.0, 4 x HDMI 2.1 48Gbps
- Outputs: Toslink (Optical audio), eARC (HDMI), ARC (HDMI)
- Network Interfaces: Wi-Fi 2.4GHz, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Ethernet (LAN) 100Mbps
- TV reception: DVB-T, DVB-T2, DVB-S, DVB-S2, DVB-C
Classic features:
- Recording to USB (terrestrial TV): Yes
- Recording programming: Yes
- Picture in Picture (PiP): No
- RF remote control (no need to aim): RF
- Backlit remote control: Yes
- Teletext: Yes
- Audio only mode: Yes
- Bluetooth headphones support: Yes
- Simultaneous Bluetooth headphones & TV audio: Yes
Smart features:
- AirPlay: Yes
- Screen mirroring (Windows Miracast): Yes
- Voice search: Yes
- Voice search in native language: Yes
- Ability to connect a keyboard and mouse: Yes
Classic features
Hisense is one of those manufacturers who, fortunately, haven't given up on classic TV features. The UR8S lets you record programs to USB, schedule recordings, has teletext and an audio-only mode. You can also use the TV's speakers and Bluetooth headphones at the same time. The only real omission is picture-in-picture (PiP). The remote also deserves praise. It's well made, backlit and has plenty of buttons, so you can reach most important functions without digging through menus. It communicates with the TV via radio, so you don't need to point it directly at the screen.
VIDAA system
The VIDAA system on the UR8S runs very quickly and responsively. Apps launch smoothly, navigating the menus is fluid, and during testing we had no major complaints about its performance. The app library is already large enough to include all the major streaming services. There are also additional smart features. The UR8S supports AirPlay, Miracast, voice search in Polish and the ability to connect a keyboard and mouse. VIDAA may not offer as much flexibility as Google TV, but for everyday TV use it provides pretty much everything you need.
Sound connection options
HDMI audio:
Other audio outputs:
- Toslink: Yes
Wireless audio:
- Bluetooth: Yes
Supported audio formats (external HDMI eARC audio):
- Dolby Digital Plus 7.1: Yes
- Dolby True HD 7.1: Yes
- Dolby Atmos in Dolby Digital Plus (JOC): Yes
- Dolby Atmos in Dolby True HD: Yes
- DTS:X in DTS-HD MA: Yes
- DTS-HD Master Audio: Yes
Senior accessibility
- Numeric keyboard on TV: Yes
- Font size adjustment: Yes
- Audio description: Yes
HISENSE UR8S - Apps
8.3/10
HISENSE UR8S - Playing files from USB
8.5/10
| Maximum photo resolution: | Supported photo formats: |
|---|---|
| 4 Mpix | JPEG |
| 6 Mpix | HEIC |
| 8 Mpix | PNG |
| 10 Mpix | GIF |
| 12 Mpix | WebP |
| 16 Mpix | TIFF |
| 20 Mpix | BMP |
| 24 Mpix | SVG |
| 28 Mpix | |
| 32 Mpix |
The USB media player works fine and handles most common files without major problems. Our biggest reservation is how it handles photos. The UR8S is rather selective about their resolution; for example, it can open a 16 MP or 32 MP photo and at the same time refuse to display a 10, 12, or 20 MP file. It's hard to find much logic in that, so if you often view photos directly from a USB flash drive, you may occasionally run into a file the TV simply won't open.
HISENSE UR8S - Sound
7.8/10
92dB
Maximum volume
Supported codecs (TV speakers)
Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
Dolby True HD 7.1
Dolby Atmos in Dolby Digital Plus (JOC)
Dolby Atmos in Dolby True HD
DTS:X in DTS-HD MA
DTS-HD Master Audio
In terms of sound, the UR8S performs very similarly to the lower-positioned Hisense U7S Pro, and that's no accident. The manufacturer has used practically the same 2.1.2 speaker setup here, with a total power of 50 W. There's an additional subwoofer at the back of the cabinet, while the other speakers are placed across the lower part of the TV. For built-in speakers, the result is quite good. The subwoofer adds some bass, so the sound isn't as flat as on basic TVs, and the whole system can also get really loud. In our testing the maximum loudness reached about 92 dBC. It's not, of course, a replacement for a good soundbar, but it's perfectly adequate for regular TV viewing or YouTube.
Sound Quality Test:
Acoustic Measurements
92dBC (Max)
75dBC
HISENSE UR8S - Panel details
Software version during testing: V01.09.60W.Q0624
Panel uniformity and thermal imaging:
Backlight Type: Mini-LED RGB
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