- 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 UR9S Review
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Panel type: LCD VA Refresh rate: 170Hz Brand: HISENSE Resolution: 3840x2160 System: VIDAA Model year: 2026
RGB Mini LED is one of the biggest buzzwords in the TV world in 2026. One of the first models to use this technology is the Hisense UR9S, the manufacturer's new flagship. In theory, separate red, green, and blue LEDs are supposed to deliver higher brightness and even better colors. What we primarily checked, though, was how this TV performs in practice and whether RGB Mini LED actually offers anything more than conventional Mini LED backlighting.
HISENSE UR9S - Our verdict
8.4
Overall rating
The Hisense UR9S is without a doubt one of the more interesting launches this year, though not necessarily for the reasons the manufacturer emphasizes most. Admittedly, the first RGB Mini LED backlight in both the brand’s history and this series looks impressive in measurements, but in practice the TV’s main strength is simply that it’s well refined. It’s clear Hisense learned from previous models and fixed things that really matter for everyday viewing. RGB Mini LED itself has plenty of potential, but right now it’s not yet a reason to buy this particular model. In real movies and TV shows the advantage of the new technology isn’t as pronounced as test-pattern results might suggest. Maybe future generations will show much more, but for now we treat it as an interesting direction rather than a true revolution. The UR9S stands out above all for its versatility. It handles black levels very well for an LCD, processes lower-quality content effectively, and offers extensive features for both regular viewing and gaming. It also includes a few solutions missing from competitors, such as a USB-C port with DisplayPort and a very high panel refresh rate for PC gamers. Is it worth considering? We think so, especially if you’re looking for a flagship LCD TV. Not because it uses an RGB Mini LED backlight, but because it’s a very good, versatile, and simply pleasant TV for everyday use.
Advantages
High HDR and SDR brightness
Very good black levels and contrast for an LCD TV
Excellent image processing and upscaling of lower-quality sources (Pentonic 800)
Matte coating that effectively reduces reflections
Rich features for gamers (170/180 Hz, VRR, FreeSync, G-Sync, HDMI 2.1)
Low input lag
USB-C port with DisplayPort support
Support for Dolby Atmos and DTS
Good audio system for a TV
Smoothly running HomeOS (VIDAA)
Convenient remote with backlight, solar panel, and USB-C charging
Disadvantages
In movies, the full potential of RGB Mini-LED backlighting is not always utilized
The HDR image brightness differs from the director's vision
Lack of proper HGiG implementation (a feature for gamers)
Some key apps are missing
Movies and series in UHD quality7.9
Classic TV, YouTube7.9
Sports broadcasts (TV and apps)7.6
Gaming on console8.4
TV as a computer monitor8.4
Watching in bright light9.9
Utility functions9.4
Apps8.3
Sound quality7.8
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HISENSE UR9S - Competing TVs in this price range
HISENSE UR9S - TV appearance
HDMI inputs: 0 x HDMI 2.0, 3 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: Premium
Stand type: Central
Bezel color: Silver
Stand: Height adjustment
Flat design: Yes
Accessories: Stand
The Hisense UR9S strongly references last year’s flagship models from the brand. It again uses a solid metal stand mounted centrally under the screen, so the TV can be placed easily even on a narrower media cabinet. The stand’s height is adjustable, so most soundbars will fit under the screen without blocking the picture. The TV itself is about 4 cm thick across the entire housing. It’s therefore not one of the thinnest models on the market, but thanks to its flat back, when wall-mounted it looks neat and doesn’t stick out as much as TVs with a noticeably thicker bottom section.
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HISENSE UR9S - Contrast and black detail
8.5/10
Local dimming function: Yes, number of zones: 1056 (24 x 44)
Result
411,100:1
Result
152,050:1
Result
38,100:1
Result
28,450:1
Result
14,700:1
Visibility of details in the lights:
The 65-inch Hisense UR9S has 1,056 local dimming zones. That's still quite a lot, though fewer than last year’s U8Q with a traditional QD Mini LED backlight. However, the raw number of zones doesn't determine black performance; how the TV controls them is equally important. Despite the smaller number of zones, the UR9S delivers a comparable level in this respect. The contrast we measured was very high in most scenes, reaching six-figure values. As a result, blacks look deep and the image retains good depth. Naturally, as with any Mini LED TV, a halo effect can appear around bright elements on a dark background, which lowers contrast in those areas. With the UR9S, the bloom is not as unnatural to the eye as on traditional Mini LED screens. The glow often takes on the color of the displayed object. If a small colored element appears on the screen, the backlight in that area glows in a similar color rather than creating a typical white halo. Of course, this is not a TV that can match OLED when it comes to blacks. Still, the UR9S is certainly among the better LCD TVs in its class.
Halo effect and black detail visibility:
HISENSE UR9S - HDR effect quality
6.8/10
Supported formats: HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, Dolby Vision IQ, HLG
Luminance measurements in HDR:
Result
1704 nit
Result
385 nit
Result
845 nit
Result
291 nit
Result
1719 nit
The Hisense UR9S is without a doubt a show of strength from the Chinese manufacturer when it comes to luminance. On a synthetic test pattern the panel reached as much as 2600 nits, which is an impressive result. But you have to clearly separate lab results from film realities. In real material the UR9S behaves much more restrained. Peak brightness in balanced scenes hovers around 1500 nits. In demanding, dark shots—where the algorithms must at the same time preserve deep blacks and precisely light small details—brightness can drop drastically, even down to around 400 nits. The gap between the chart and reality is therefore huge. This is a direct consequence of conservative local-dimming behavior. When a bright object occupies a large portion of the frame, the system can easily maintain a high luminance. But in night scenes the priority becomes protecting black levels and fighting the halo effect (unsightly glows around bright edges). To avoid degrading contrast, the TV drastically limits its light output. Even so, the UR9S can still produce a very powerful, engaging HDR effect that impresses in bright, spectacular sequences.
Color gamut coverage
On test patterns the Hisense UR9S performs excellently in terms of color. DCI-P3 coverage is nearly 100%, and BT.2020 coverage reaches 93%. Those are figures even the best QD-OLED TVs don't achieve. But again, synthetic measurements are one thing and movies and series are another. In real-world scenes the numbers fell to 93% for DCI-P3 and 81% for BT.2020. That's still great, but the advantage of RGB Mini LED is no longer as dramatic as manufacturers promise in marketing materials. You could even say their capability is now close to TVs equipped with quantum dots, the so-called QLEDs. Why does this happen? Largely, color reproduction depends on how the local dimming zones operate. When a highly saturated color appears next to white or another, more complex element, a single zone must handle both parts of the image at once. Under those conditions the backlight cannot maintain extreme saturation of a given color on the screen, because the emitted light takes on a character closer to white. Hisense refined this quite well in the UR9S, but still not enough for the TV to sustain such high color saturation in every situation.
BT.2020 color gamut coverage and primary color luminance
| Data set | BT.2020 [%] | P3 [%] | R [%] | G [%] | B [%] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Synthetic patterns | 92.9 | 99.2 | 71.6 | 77.5 | 32.8 |
| Film measurements | 81.1 | 93.8 | 74.7 | 74.9 | 73.5 |
Arithmetic means of BT.2020 and P3 gamut coverage and the luminance of the primary colors (red, green, blue) as a % of target.
Scene from the movie “Pan” (about 2800 nits)
Scene from the movie “Billy Lynn” (about 1100 nits)
Brightness measurements alone don't tell the whole story about picture quality. That's why we also checked how the Hisense UR9S handles material mastered to 1000 and 4000 nits. With films mastered to 1000 nits, like this scene from Billy Lynn, the TV performs very well, extracting practically the maximum from the source while keeping a good balance between contrast and detail in the brightest parts of the image. Content prepared for 4000 nits is a bigger challenge for the UR9S. Because the panel can't reach those values, tone mapping becomes crucial. On the UR9S it works quite well, but in the brightest sections you can see that some detail is already being simplified. It's still a very good result, but the TV can't reproduce all the information stored in the source material. Overall, the vast majority of HDR content available on streaming platforms will look excellent on this model. Only the most demanding material mastered to 4000 nits exposes the TV's limits, which stem primarily from its maximum brightness and how it handles tone mapping.
HDR luminance chart:
As we showed in the previous chapter, the effectiveness of tone mapping on the Hisense UR9S largely depends on the brightness of the specific scene. For most content the TV handles it very well, but in the most demanding shots you can already see some limitations in reproducing the brightest details. A good example is the test scene with horses on a snow-covered meadow. In standard HDR10 some details in the whites are slightly lost. These are exactly the moments when formats with dynamic metadata, such as Dolby Vision, gain an advantage. Instead of fixed settings for the entire movie, the TV receives precise instructions for each scene, and even for individual frames. That allows the algorithms to manage the available brightness much better and to know which parts of the image to prioritize. In practice the differences are not dramatic, but they are easy to notice. In the toughest shots Dolby Vision can pull more detail out of the bright areas, making the image more accurate. This proves that even a bright panel like the one in the Hisense UR9S can genuinely benefit from the presence of dynamic metadata.
Static HDR10
Dynamic: Dolby Vision
Factory color reproduction
5.1/10
We tested the Hisense UR9S in Filmmaker Mode, which, by default, provides the most accurate image reproduction. In HDR content the TV performed quite well in that regard. White balance did not show large errors, and the luminance curve, though typical for Hisense, was at a reasonable level. So the image was neither overly bright nor noticeably color-shifted. The same mode fared much worse with SDR content, meaning the content we watch most often, such as broadcast TV or YouTube. White balance was strongly shifted toward red and blue, giving the image a slightly pink tint. This also affected the gamma curve. Instead of approaching the reference value of 2.4, it was closer to 2.0, which made the image look too bright, especially in midtones and darker areas. Filmmaker Mode therefore remains the best out-of-the-box choice, but it's not without flaws.
Color reproduction after calibration
8/10
After calibration we saw the biggest improvement in SDR mode, though we also refined the HDR picture. Hisense offers a lot of calibration settings in the TV's menu, so we could precisely correct the white balance and other image errors. The most important change was removing the pink cast that had previously been clearly visible in SDR content. After calibration the picture looks much more natural, especially in everyday content such as TV or YouTube.
Color reproduction errors on the ColorChecker chart are very small after calibration. The vast majority of colors fall below a Delta E of 2–3, meaning at a level very hard for the human eye to detect. The only thing we couldn't completely eliminate is the characteristic HDR tone mapping typical of Hisense TVs. It affects how brightness is distributed in movies and can subtly "beautify" the image, rather than strictly following the creators' intent. For a less experienced viewer this can produce a stronger "wow" effect, but it won't always fully match how the content should look.
HISENSE UR9S - Smoothness of tonal transitions
9.4/10
In terms of the smoothness of tonal transitions, the Hisense UR9S performs very well. In high-quality content, such as movies on Ultra HD Blu-ray discs or from streaming services, transitions between shades are smooth and there is no noticeable posterization. Occasionally minor imperfections can be seen, mainly in Dolby Vision content, but they are so small that during normal viewing they are hardly a real problem.
Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions
8/10
Smooth transition function
Image without overscan on the SD signal
Digital image processing has been one of Hisense's strengths for two years, and the UR9S is no exception. The manufacturer uses the Hi-View AI Engine RGB processor, which is essentially based on the well-known MediaTek Pentonic 800 platform, previously used, among others, in the U8Q. The TV handles upscaling lower-resolution material to 4K and low-bitrate content very well, where various compression-related artifacts are common. Thanks to a feature called "Smooth and Gradient Picture", the image remains detailed without appearing overly sharpened or artificially smoothed. When watching regular TV or older, lower-quality material, the UR9S can pull a surprising amount out of them. In terms of digital image processing, this is one of the most refined LCD TVs we've had the chance to test.
HISENSE UR9S - Blur and motion smoothness
7.9/10
Maximum refresh rate of the panel: 170Hz
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: 71%
The Hisense UR9S is one of the first TVs on the market with a 4K panel and a 170 Hz refresh rate. In the larger sizes, 75 and 85 inches, that goes up to 180 Hz. Such a high refresh rate will mainly be useful to owners of very powerful PCs. We still watch movies and series mostly at 24 fps, and sports broadcasts at 50 fps, so in everyday use panel response time and the performance of motion smoothing are more important. In that respect the UR9S performs very well. Motion blur is minimal, as our UFO test also confirmed. Moving objects do not leave a pronounced trail, so the picture remains clear even in fast scenes.
Blur (native resolution, maximum refresh rate):
Blur (BFI function enabled):
Blur (1080P@330Hz):
The TV also has a two-slider motion enhancement system. The first slider controls the smoothness of material shot at 24 fps and lets you choose between a more cinematic look and stronger smoothing. The second controls blur reduction and, in our opinion, is best set to the maximum. There is also a ClearMotion mode that improves motion clarity through backlight strobing. This can be particularly useful when watching sports. The TV can then use the full 170 or 180 Hz for additional motion smoothing, but this comes at the cost of reduced vertical resolution. Therefore we would treat this feature more as a novelty than as a mode for everyday viewing.
HISENSE UR9S - 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
The Hisense UR9S is very well prepared for gaming. All three HDMI ports are HDMI 2.1 and offer the full 48 Gb/s bandwidth. The TV supports 4K at 170 Hz, and on larger screen sizes even 180 Hz. On top of that there are VRR, ALLM, NVIDIA G-Sync and AMD FreeSync, so in terms of core features there’s little to complain about. PC gamers can also enable DLG mode. After switching the resolution to Full HD the refresh rate can increase to as much as 330 Hz. That’s probably an option for a narrow group of users, but it shows how much headroom the panel has. Hisense also added a Game Bar that lets you quickly change key settings, check the refresh rate, or enable a reticle and minimap zoom. The biggest downside remains the lack of a properly working HGiG. The TV keeps using its own tone mapping, which makes setting HDR on a console a bit more difficult. In our case values between 1500 and 2000 nits worked best, but it’s worth checking which setting still preserves all the details in the brightest parts of the image.
HISENSE UR9S - Input lag
9.5/10
The Hisense UR9S also boasts very low input lag. With a 4K/120 Hz signal, input lag is just about 10 ms, meaning controller thumbstick movements register instantly. That’s a level that easily meets the demands of both casual gamers and fans of fast-paced online matches. We recorded slightly higher values after enabling Dolby Vision on an Xbox console. In that scenario, input lag rises to about 20 ms. Still, that’s low enough not to negatively affect gameplay comfort and remains practically unnoticeable during play.
| SDR | HDR | Dolby Vision |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p60: 19 ms | 2160p60: 15 ms | 2160p60 DV: 35 ms |
| 1080p120: 10 ms | 2160p120: 9 ms | 2160p120 DV: 19 ms |
| 2160p60: 18 ms | ||
| 2160p120: 10 ms |
HISENSE UR9S - Compatibility with PC
8.4/10
Chroma 444 (max. resolution and refresh rate): Yes
Font clarity: Good
Readability of dark text and shapes: Average
Input lag in PC mode (4K, max. refresh rate): 9ms
Matrix subpixel arrangement: BGR
Max refresh rate: 170Hz
G-Sync: Yes
Overall the PC compatibility is very good, mainly thanks to full support for gaming technologies. The aforementioned G-Sync and FreeSync work flawlessly, and PC gamers will certainly appreciate being able to natively take advantage of higher panel refresh rates. The panel does fare somewhat worse, however, for typical text-document work. Although the TV handles 4:4:4 chroma sampling without issue, keeping standard fonts generally legible, a closer inspection of darker text reveals some imperfections. Letter shapes can be imprecise, and the horizontal strokes of fonts are more subdued than the vertical ones, which sometimes reduces character clarity. This is undeniably a flaw, but it's specific enough that it's hard to call it a major downside in a device whose smallest model starts at 65 inches. It's hard to imagine anyone planning to put such a screen directly on a desk for everyday office work. 😉
HISENSE UR9S - Viewing angles
5.6/10
Brightness drop at an angle of 45 degrees: 66%
The Hisense UR9S is equipped with a VA panel. A natural characteristic of this type of panel is a drop in contrast and color saturation when you view the screen at an angle. In the model we tested this effect is of course noticeable, but in our opinion not strong enough to materially reduce everyday viewing comfort. To some extent this is also a feature related to the specifics of TVs that use RGB backlighting. Compared with many other LCD TVs based on VA panels, the UR9S simply performs well. Color or black-level degradation doesn't occur as abruptly as it does in some competing models, so people sitting a bit to the side of the screen still receive a satisfying picture. Of course you'll get the fullest performance and the best perceived depth when sitting directly in front of the panel, but for a VA design we rate the viewing angles very positively.
HISENSE UR9S - Daytime performance
9.9/10
Panel finish: Matte
Reflection suppression: Very Good
Black levels during daytime: Average
Hisense UR9S is equipped with a matte screen coating that deals very well with direct reflections. That’s especially important in brightly sunlit living rooms, particularly when light falls straight onto the screen. The TV is also very bright, so even in difficult conditions the image remains readable. However, the matte structure causes black levels to appear slightly elevated during the day, and colors lose some saturation compared with glossy screens. Still, it’s a fair compromise. It’s clear Hisense is aiming this model at people who want a flagship TV but also watch a lot in bright rooms.
Panel brightness
Hisense UR9S: 1639 cd/m2
HISENSE UR9S - TV features
9.4/10
System: VIDAA
System performance: Good
- HDMI inputs: 0 x HDMI 2.0, 3 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
In terms of traditional TV functions the Hisense UR9S does not disappoint. In addition to a full set of tuners, it also offers a CI+ slot and the ability to record programs to a USB drive, a feature that more and more manufacturers are dropping. The remote also deserves praise. Along with backlighting, USB-C charging and a small solar panel, the manufacturer kept a full numeric keypad and a dedicated input button. These are small details, but they can be really convenient in everyday use.
Smart TV
The Hisense UR9S runs on HomeOS, which is an evolution of the well-known VIDAA platform. The system itself is very responsive and during the entire test period caused no performance issues. The app library is slightly smaller than Google TV’s, but the main streaming services are, of course, available. The manufacturer also added a new app with recommendations for movies, series and sporting events, plus a voice assistant that uses artificial intelligence.
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 UR9S - Apps
8.3/10
HISENSE UR9S - Playing files from USB
8.3/10
| 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 built-in media player generally does a decent job and will be more than sufficient for most users. During our tests, however, we ran into a few annoying quirks that could put a damper on things. Above all, the TV is picky when trying to display high-resolution photos; the system simply refused to work with files sized 10, 12, 20, 24, or 28 MP. Sure, it's not a flaw that disqualifies the model, but if you want to copy raw photos from your camera onto a USB flash drive to show friends your holiday shots, you'll be in for an unpleasant surprise. In that scenario you're left either resorting to wireless screen mirroring via Miracast or manually lowering the files' resolution on your computer beforehand.
HISENSE UR9S - Sound
7.8/10
89dB
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
The Hisense UR9S has a 4.1.2 speaker system with a total power of 90 W. The manufacturer strongly highlights its collaboration with the French brand Devialet, both on the chassis and in the TV's menu. You have to admit the UR9S sounds really good for built-in speakers. It's loud, will easily fill a larger living room, and the sound is full and clear. Dialogue is clearly audible, and there's more bass than in most TVs. Do you hear a big difference compared with last year's Hisense flagships? To be honest, no. Despite the Devialet logo, the sound character remains very similar. That said, the UR9S is still one of the better-sounding TVs on the market. It's also a plus that it supports Dolby Atmos and DTS, which many manufacturers have already dropped.
Sound Quality Test:
Acoustic Measurements
89dBC (Max)
75dBC
HISENSE UR9S - Panel details
Software version during testing: v01.09.50k.q0127
Panel uniformity and thermal imaging:
Backlight Type: Mini-LED RGB
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