Hi there! As an avid tech enthusiast, I always keep a close eye on emerging televisions to find the best value for money. In 2021, the feature-packed Hisense U8G seemed too good to be true with its QLED colors and bright HDR highlights priced under $1000 for the 65-inch model.
Naturally, I was super keen to get my hands on the U8G and recommended it to several friends as an affordable home theater display. However, as early adopters shared their experiences over forums and reviews, some worrying complaints came to light.
Today I‘ll be digging deep into the 4 most common grievances highlighted by U8G owners. Understanding these pain points will help you determine whether to purchase this TV or consider better alternatives. Let‘s get started!
Overview – What is the Hisense U8G?
Launched in 2021, the Hisense U8G is a mid-range 4K LED television with quantum dot technology for wide color gamut support. For its reasonable price point, the U8G packs an impressive feature set including:
- Up to 600 nits peak brightness
- 144Hz native refresh rate
- HDMI 2.1 ports enabling 4K 120fps gaming
- Full array local dimming
- Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos
Initially priced around $950 for the 65-inch size, the U8G targeted budget home theater enthusiasts wanting premium capabilities without breaking the bank.
Let‘s examine the four complaints that eventually surfaced after the initial glow of positive reviews faded.
Complaint #1 — Low Quality Panel Causing Noticeable Dirty Screen Effect
Instead of utilizing a native 10-bit panel, Hisense decided to cut costs by equipping the U8G series with a 8 bit + FRC panel.
What does this mean?
- 8 bits per color channel: Allows the TV to display only 16.7 million colors instead of 10-bit‘s 1 billion colors
- FRC (Frame Rate Control): Software technique which alternates colors between adjacent frames to simulate a 10-bit depth
This outdated technique creates visible color banding in gradients. More importantly, it leads to dirty screen effect (DSE) which mars uniform surfaces by uneven backlight distribution.
Noticeable dirty screen effect even in daylight (Image: rtings)
Reviewers like RTings measured very high DSE across the entire U8G lineup. Owners frequently complain about distracting vertical banding spanning 8-10 lines visible when panning on sky shots. This essentially defeats the purpose of buying a large display for an immersive viewing experience.
Complaint #2 – Motion Enhancement Causes Severe Video Stuttering and Color Issues
Hisense touts proprietary technologies like Motion Estimation Motion Compensation (MEMC) to boost motion clarity through software interpolation. However in reality, enabling any motion settings on the U8G series disastrously affects picture quality.
Users report pronounced motion jitter, artifacts, missing frames and loss of fluidity while:
- Watching fast action sports and movies
- Playing video games, especially at 4k 120fps
- Browsing text while scrolling
Gamers also point out visible input lag even with Game Mode enabled causing missed key presses.
Turning on Motion Clearness introduces heavy color tinting making everything unnaturally green. Fast action comes across as an ugly blurry mess destroying the cinematic experience. This occurs consistently across various ports like HDMI as well as built-in Android TV apps.
Obviously such glaring motion defects are unacceptable and render a sizeable chunk of content unwatchable.
Complaint #3 – Frequent Software Bugs Leading to Annoying Video and Audio Issues
Smart TV platforms have complex software running under the hood to handle video processing, apps and connectivity.
It seems Hisense rushed the U8G series to market without sufficient software optimization. Owners frequently complain about bugs like:
- Screen freezes requiring hard reboots
- Failing to wake from standby
- Apps crashing randomly
- Unreliable HDMI-CEC control
Problems are not just limited to general operation either but directly impact picture and audio quality:
- Incorrect colors in HDR content from external devices
- Contrast flickering at lower brightness levels
- No video output over HDMI for MKV files
- Audio dropouts using eARC connection to receivers
Having to constantly troubleshoot basic functionality can turn a brand new TV purchase into a frustrating experience. Based on user reports, Hisense‘s quality control for software is questionable at best for the U8G series.
Complaint #4 – Blurry, Low Quality Upscaling for Non-4K Content
A majority of live television broadcasts and streaming videos still transmit at 1080p or lower resolutions. Upscaling this HD/SD content is crucial to make the most of a 4K panel.
Unfortunately, the mediocre image processing capabilities of the U8G struggle to upscale lower resolution videos cleanly. This leads to noticeably blurry and smudgy picture quality when viewing:
- Cable TV via set-top boxes
- YouTube/Twitch @1080p
- SlingTV, Hulu, Netflix @ sub 4K resolution
There is visible loss of sharpness and detail in text and graphics. Noise processing is also lackluster leading to compression artifacts around edges.
Comparatively, many cheaper panels like the TCL 6-series with AiPQ engine do a better job of upscaling thanks to advanced AI technologies.
Upscaling difference between entry U7G and U8G is barely distinguishable (Image: homebefore.com)
Considering a key selling point of 4K televisions is enhancing lower resolution content, the U8G seems to drop the ball in this department.
Alternatives That Improve on the U8G‘s Shortcomings
Clearly, the Hisense U8G despite its promising specs is plagued by poor panel quality and software issues leading to a below-par viewing experience.
Thankfully, there are alternative television models which check all the right boxes where the U8G fails. Here are the best options across different categories and budget levels:
| Category | Model | Key Features | Price |
| Picture Quality | Samsung QN90A Neo QLED TV | Mini-LED backlight, Neo Quantum AI processor, Quantum HDR, Anti-glare layer | $2497+ (65") |
| Contrast | LG G2 Series C2 OLED Evo Gallery Edition | Self-lit OLED, α9 Gen5 AI Processor, Dolby Vision IQ, G-SYNC, FreeSync | $1996+ (65") |
| Sony Bravia XR-65X90K | Full array LED, XR Contrast Booster, XR Triluminos Pro, XR Motion Clarity, Dolby Vision | $1298 (65") | |
| Gaming | LG C2 42 | OLED Evo Panel, G-SYNC, FreeSync, Dolby Vision, 4x HDMI 2.1 | $996+ (42") |
| TCL 6-Series Mini-LED QLED Google TV | 240Hz VRR, THX Certified Game Mode, AiPQ Engine, Roku TV | $799+ (55") | |
| Brightness | Hisense U8H | 1500 nits peak, ULED boosters, Quantum Dot wide color, 120Hz gaming | $1494+ (65") |
I highly recommend checking out the above models if you found the U8G‘s performance unsatisfactory. Feel free to reach out in comments if you need any help deciding on an alternative TV – I‘m always happy to offer upgrade advice!
The Choice is Yours
I hope this detailed analysis has exposed some of the glaring flaws holding back the Hisense U8G despite its promising specifications. Dropping several hundreds or thousands of dollars only to end up with dirty screen, jumpy video and constant software headaches is no bargain.
You deserve better my friend! I suggest opting for one of stellar options suggested earlier that deliver an enjoyable viewing experience free of nasty surprises. Trust me, the extra money will be worth it the moment you fire up your shiny new TV without encountering visual artifacts, blurry text or green color tints!
Have you had a good/bad encounter with the U8G series? Let me know in comments and happy upgrading!
