Review: Hisense UR8 RGB MiniLED TV
An array of brilliant colors is what you want from an RGB television, and on that front, the Hisense UR8 RGB MiniLED delivers. After having reviewed a number of the top RGB TVs, including the flagship Hisense UR9 RGB MiniLED and offerings from Samsung and LG, I can report that this UR8 is solidly good. It provides mini RGB tech at a lower price than the impressive UR9. As long as you can accept UR8’s lacking contrast and brightness capabilities—at least compared to its high-performing sibling—the television’s color accuracy stands to wow you.
What makes RGB models like the Hisense UR8 RGB MiniLED so interesting is that you can tweak the picture quality for more brilliant and accurate colors. While testing proved the UR9 has a brighter panel that performs at a higher caliber for movies, shows, games, and even displaying artwork, the UR8 is certainly colorful. But are the compromises of this more budget-friendly model worth the savings? That has less of a clear, black-and-white answer.
Setting Up Shop
The UR8 is a bit thicker than the UR9, but it is otherwise visually similar: They appear to have the same chassis and similarly feature a single pedestal. The stand snaps into place and requires some screws, but the assembly process is overall straightforward and quick. Installation couldn’t be simpler: Just scan a QR code that connects to Google Home and move through the steps.
The left side of the TV houses all of the port inputs: an Ethernet port for reliable streaming, an optical audio port, a coaxial port, and one USB-A port for external storage or connecting an HD antenna. Like the UR9, this model supports Wi-Fi 6E for speedy and reliable streaming. For color accuracy, the UR8 meets 100 percent of the BT.2020 spec and is Pantone Validated, meaning it can showcase a broad selection of color variation.
Now for the key differences in specs between the UR8 and UR9 RGB models: The UR8 is around 3,500 nits while the UR9 is 5,000 nits—a delta that made a big difference in my benchmarks, which I’ll cover in a bit. The UR8 has four HDMI 2.1 ports, while the UR9 only has three; however, the UR9 adds a USB-C port on the side for low-latency gaming, which didn’t prove particularly impactful.
The UR8 also has less capable internal speakers than the UR9. It’s a 2.1.2 system (two main channels, one sub, and two height channels) compared to the 4.1.2 channel configuration on the UR9 (which adds a side channel). If you use a soundbar or an AV receiver, this won’t matter. Both models support Dolby Atmos and have an eARC passthrough audio port for surround sound.
The UR8 offers a 55-inch size, while the UR9’s smallest size is 65-inch. Otherwise, both are available in 75-inch, 85-inch, and 100-inch sizes.
Finally, the two share a remote control design, with a nicely centered Home button but a strangely hidden Mute on the lower right. I am not sure why there is a shortcut button for Kidoodle.TV, either, but I love that it’s backlit.
Diving Into the Benchmarks
First, some background on micro and mini RGB televisions: Like traditional LED televisions, RGB models use LED backlights. But instead of shining white or blue lights through a color filter and LCD panel (as is the standard for an LED television), RGB TVs use red, green, and blue lights. The result is often strikingly realistic, even if you’re watching during the bright daylight.
To test the capabilities of the UR8, I watched scenes of the film Awake on Netflix that are so remarkably dark on many midrange televisions that it’s nearly impossible to see what’s happening. As with all RGB televisions I’ve tested, I could adjust the picture quality on the UR8 to help with contrast, but that function isn’t a cure-all. Initially, a scene where the main character rides a bike was almost completely dark, especially while using Dolby Vision Reference mode and standard Dolby Vision modes. Switching to a custom Dolby Vision setting helped after I cranked up the brightness, but the picture still wasn’t overly clear.
Next, I watched an episode of House of the Dragon using the HBO Max app via Google Cast. During a scene with a dragon, the scales looked visible but not nearly as textured as they did when using the UR9. Whether the subtle difference is worth paying more for the higher model remains to be seen, but the differences are noticeable nonetheless.
In the movie The Creator on Fandango at Home, a beach landing looked a bit washed out and dark. During The Batman, gunfire looked bright enough in a dark hallway scene, but—similar to the aforementioned dragon scene—lacked rich detail.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie on Peacock is tailor-made for testing colors: Stars floated around on the screen in a brilliant rainbow of colors, appearing bright and accurate, but some of them had too much blooming (aka a halo effect where bright tones bleed onto their darker surrounding colors). In all fairness, the UR9 also rendered this scene in a similar way.
It’s not all bad news, though. In fact, in the movie Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 on Disney+, the RGB tech kicked into high gear. The color accuracy was ultrarealistic, showing bright blues, reds, and oranges in an opening scene. My only issue was that the contrast was not as tonally rich as it was on the UR9, and it also lacked some shadow detail. The LG Micro RGB Evo rendered this scene even brighter.
For benchmark tests using the Spears & Munsil discs, skin tones looked dimmer and less varied than the LG Micro RGB Evo or the Hisense UR9. The demo reel revealed a few other differences, too: White mist on a white mountain didn’t look as distinct as it did on the UR9, but (thanks again to the color accuracy) it did render green grass by a fence to a similar appearance as what the UR9 produced. A scene showing dark trees at night looked much clearer on the UR9 thanks to the higher nits rating. On the UR8, you could see the texture on the trees, and a red cactus and yellow flower also looked darker on the UR8.
Games People Play on RGB and More
This is a great TV for video games, as it can sense the game content, adjust for latency, and even help improve picture quality. Every time I started a game, the UR8 (similar to the UR9) automatically made key picture adjustments. Blacks looked a bit richer than expected, which was great for Resident Evil: Requiem, because it seemed the entire game took place in the dark. Here, the Hisense UR8 delivered an atmospheric look: dark and moody but not washed out. In fact, I didn’t notice much of a difference in latency compared to playing the same game on the UR9. (Indeed, Hisense reps told me the latency was roughly the same.)
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II on the Xbox Series X looked vibrant on the UR8, despite its dark scenes by an ocean. Rocks in one scene reflected the ambient light in an ultrarealistic way that could make you feel as if you could pick one up. I also played NBA 2K27 with the DLSS 5 setting turned on and loved the clarity and crispness. Some players looked amazingly photorealistic, and colors popped so clearly.
Surround sound audio using the UR8’s internal speakers was not as convincing as with the Hisense UR9, but the lower model still had a nice oomph during more explosive action movies.
Several features matched the caliber of the UR9, including Google Gemini suggesting movies and letting me create an AI-generated slideshow by voice. AI smoothing for motion worked well for games and movies, and both televisions did a good job adjusting for ambient light. I also loved how artwork (including a shipwreck painting) featured deep textures and luminance.
All in all, the Hisense UR8 RGB MiniLED performed as expected at this price—not as bright as the UR9, but certainly just as colorful. As long as you can accept that it’s not the flagship model, the UR8 color accuracy is still a major perk.
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