Hisense U8QTUK

Further proof that Hisense now sits comfortably at the top table in TV land

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Hisense's mission to prove that it is now officially a serious player at the premium end of the TV market is really hitting its stride. No sooner have we had our retinas blown off by the dazzling colour, contrast and brightness of the brand's debut RGB Mini LED TV, the mammoth 116in 116UX, than we find our test benches sagging under the weight of the eye-catching talents of the 65in U8QTUK. As well as being built like a tank, this representative of the most premium series from Hisense's regular (as in, not RGB Mini LED or projector-based) TV range packs all kinds of serious and cutting-edge features and specifications.

Once upon a time, not so long ago, £1699 for a premium, feature-rich 65in Mini LED TV would have looked like a bargain. The past couple of years have seen premium TV prices plummet so fast, though, that the 65U8QTUK actually looks quite expensive.

TCL’s latest flagship 65in TV, the 65C8K, for instance, is currently available for just £1199, and two excellent OLED options, Panasonic's Z9OB and Philips' OLED760 (review coming soon), are also available for similar or less than the Hisense.

One note on model numbers: while there is a U8Q model available in the US, we understand it is fundamentally different to the UK U8Q we are reviewing. We are told the Australian version is, however, the same as ours.

Setting the Hisense U8Q up proves quite the workout. While the bezel around its screen is fairly on-trend slim, it’s pretty chunky around the back by modern standards. This is a seriously heavy and solidly made beast too, even before you attach its robust metal footplate-style support - which, incidentally, lets you adjust the TV's height, potentially opening up enough of a gap to install a soundbar.