The showdown between the Hisense U8K and the TCL QM8 is long overdue. This turns out to be one heck of a comparison, because these two TVs are both very, very good, especially considering their highly attractive price points. I think it’s fair to say that these TVs are setting the standard for what’s to be expected when it comes to performance for the price.
I mention soundbars because I think a lot of folks will want sound that’s as good as the picture, but unlike many TVs today, these both have better-than-average onboard audio, which I’ll discuss in a moment. Both of these remotes are backlit, but the TCL remote backlight is usefully brighter, and it’s motion activated, so when you pick it up, it lights up. The Hisense remote dims a couple of seconds after your last button press and doesn’t light up until you press a button, so for me, that’s not especially helpful. I prefer the TCL remote, even if it is a bit larger.
Sound As for sound quality, I first want to say that I appreciate that both Hisense and TCL put some effort into the onboard sound systems for these TVs. They both have big bass transducers on the back to help add fullness and richness to the sound, so it isn’t just a piercing, nasal mess. But the Hisense U8K sounds significantly better than the TCL QM8.
Thinking this might just be a difference in how the TV handles the interface, I went into Netflix, and I noticed more of the same. It’s as if the black areas are made dark gray, even though the Hisense is very capable of dimming these areas down to black. Everything seems raised a bit, even though the picture doesn’t have the same brightness punch, which is interesting.
Then as I proceeded to full brightness of the scene, the TCL was clearly a bit brighter than the U8K. And remember, this is HDR content, so the brightness and contrast are maxed and it’s really about how the TV’s processor decides it’s going to present the image. And the TCL QM8 is punching a little harder.
In sample after sample, the U8K offered smoother gradations, but tracked a touch dimmer than the QM8 across the board. You can see that in how much dimmer the flower in the scene above is at 3:35 before the light intensifies, and then again after it dims down. At 3:55, there’s more of the same, with smoother gradation on the Hisense U8K than the TCL QM8. Get the idea?