always hard Know where to start when shopping for a new TV. The technology is advancing so fast that it seems silly to spend too much money.But if you just buy the cheapest screen from the big box store, you might have a hard time watching darker episodes game of Thronesand it may break faster.
That’s why midrangers like the new Hisense U8H are the best option for most people. It features Android TV, bright and colorful screen and mini LED backlight for deeper black levels for all your apps. Aside from some slightly annoying feet, it has become one of most people’s new favorite models.
About the brand
Hisense may not be as familiar with brand names as Sony or LG, but that doesn’t mean it makes poor quality products. I’ve been a fan of its laser projectors and TVs for years. It has a “best of” philosophy, putting it together with Vizio and TCL.
This year’s U8H is the second-highest TV in Hisense’s lineup, but the 55-inch model still sells for less than a thousand dollars, making it a direct competitor to the TCL 6-series and Vizio M-series Quantum, both of which are have similar specifications.
Photo: Hisense
The star of the show is the mini LED backlight with 528 local dimming zones. That means the backlight is able to adjust the specific brightness of each part of the screen, helping those dark scenes really pop. The Mini LED is also very bright, which helps the TV get great colors thanks to the high dynamic range.
Just like other models in the price range, you’ll get AMD FreeSync and low input lag (the time between when you pull the trigger on the controller and when the #angryenemy420 in Call of Duty is blown to smithereens). That means the TV doubles as a pretty decent gaming monitor, and it’s great for online console gaming.
on the screen
Physically, there’s nothing to write home about other than the TV’s asymmetrical legs. It’s a relatively simple black rectangle with a thin border…and two stork-like feet. The stand can be placed close enough to the edge of the TV so that they can fit on a normal TV stand (thank god). But unless your TV stand is 20 inches deep, they’re too long and pointy for you to put a soundbar in front of them. Right now, about half of the legs hang behind my TV stand, so I can mount the soundbar there too. I would stick to wall mounts (or consider an aftermarket base mount).
Other than that, the U8H is actually a pretty easy monitor to set up and actually use, especially for anyone with a Google account. For most TVs, I recommend an external dongle; this is one of the few I don’t have. The Android TV operating system is very easy to navigate, and logging into the app using your phone is incredibly simple.
The inclusion of Google’s operating system also means you can have Chromecast built in, which makes it easy to stream videos from your phone or computer on your TV, or show a slideshow to family and friends after a trip.
