Hisense Q8G 4K ULED Android TV Review

Television units are becoming shockingly expensive again, after nearly a decade of prices slowly decreasing. Brand new technology, including brand new consoles such as the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X, are so powerful, they are demanding more from television sets than ever before. The introduction of HDMI 2.1 – which will allow gamers to play games at 4K resolution at 120 frames per second – might be the single biggest contributor to increased prices. So what’s a person to do if they want a 4K experience, but not shell out north of $1500? Look for where you get tons of features at one great price. That place is Hisense, and for me, that TV is the Q8G 4K QLED Android TV.

This TV was provided by Hisense as part of a tech review partnership.

Setup

When you first get your Hisense TV out of the box, you’ll instantly be amazed by how light the entire model is. While we definitely recommend having an extra set of hands when setting up your TV, I was able to get it out of the box, laid on a flat, soft surface to attach the legs, and position it, all by myself.

In the box you will have your panel, power cord, two legs with corresponding hardware to attach, a fantastic remote, and customary health and safety, as well as setup, booklets. The manuals are also available on the manufacturers website for easy access. Attaching the legs to the bottom of your TV couldn’t be easier, but will require a screwdriver. Lay the TV down on a flat, soft surface – I laid out a thick blanket – and attach the legs to the bottom of the TV. Hisense has smartly provided two foot placement options, allowing for a narrower or wider stance. This option is available only on TVs 55″ and larger. This really comes in handy if you are placing your TV on an entertainment unit with minimal space. That being said, while both positions work and obviously are recommended by Hisense, we preferred to place our legs on the outside slots of the TV, giving us a wider, sturdier stance.

Once complete, we setup our TV on the stand, plugged in our power cable, and began the setup process. Hisense has created a seamless setup process, walking us through all the steps necessary to setup the TV, connect to the Internet, log into all my subscription services, and set up my Google Assistant. The TV has built in Android TV capabilities – which changed to Google TV and within 20 minutes or so – including software updates, depending on Internet speeds – you should be ready to plug in all your devices.

Connecting your Devices

The Hisense Q8G provides a number of connection options more a multitude of devices. It should be noted that this TV does not support HDMI 2.1. What does that mean? Well, if you are into gaming and have one of the new next generation consoles, you will not be able to get 4K resolution with 120 frames per second. You will be capped at 4K 60. Many have asked how much of an issue this should be for gamers, and my quick response is not much. We wrote extensively about why this is, but I’ll quickly touch on two points here.

1. There aren’t a ton of games that support 4K 120 right now, with most games being capped at 4K 60.
2. While you can easily see the difference between 30 FPS and 60 FPS, the visual difference between 60 FPS and 120 FPS is much less noticeable, if noticeable at all.

The TV has 4 HDMI 2.0b ports, 2 USB 2.0 ports, and even a composite video port. You’ll also have the necessary connections for your cable or satellite TV.

I’ve been using all 4 of the HDMI ports – connections included my Nintendo Switch dock, my Xbox Series X, my PlayStation 5, and my Apple TV. The Xbox Series X has handy, built in software that can detect the capabilities of your TV, in their current picture setting. One of the biggest issues I had – which was an oversight by me – was that when ON the input for my Xbox Series X, as well as my PlayStation 5, I had to select the enhanced HDMI 2.0 option – it was toggled to standard by default. After making all the necessary changes, my Xbox built in software was coming up all green, except for 4K 120 options. That’s pretty amazing for a line of TVs that starts under $600 for a 50″ screen!

Full of Features

I love that this is an Android TV. On the record, I’ve never owned a smart TV before, so having all my apps right on my television without needing to plug in devices is foreign to me. After just a few days of using the Android TV, it was incredibly impressed. Not only is everything I need in one place – and when this is rebranded with Google TV, it will be even better – I don’t have to draw extra power to use other devices like my Xbox Series X or my PlayStation 5!

For those wondering, “Will this TV have obscure apps that I really need?” I can safely say that you likely can. Outside of games, it appears as if most apps available via the Play Store are available on the TV. We were able to quickly setup our Internet Service Provider internet protocol TV application with little issue. It took me less than 10 minutes to setup the TekSavvy TV application and begin streaming some of the Walking Dead episodes we had missed.

Inexpensive but Quality Panel

And that takes us to what’s most important. Listen, I’ve used inexpensive TVs in the past, and during every experience, you knew that you were using an inferior product. While I know the Hisense Q8G has it’s limitations, once I got past those limitations, I never felt like I was using an inferior product just to save a few bucks.

This is a gorgeous panel, and it looks good no matter which picture preset I chose. There is also the ability to customize your image should you have the savviness to do so (which I do not). That being said, I was able to find numerous Hisense TV guides online by popular tech YouTubers, and setup my TV to be optimized for my PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.

Movies and TV

My wife and I have been working through a number of different TV series’ at the moment, including the always vibrant Schitts Creek and the the dark and dingy Walking Dead: World Beyond mini-series. These are two contrasting titles in terms of what images they produce. Schitts Creek is colourful, bright, and vibrant, while the Walking Dead is dark and dank. Both look phenomenal, if you you have your TV setup in a certain way, the display will detect what you are watching and make adjustments on the fly. It really is something. For those worried about their screen always changing, you can turn automatic content recognition off at any time in the settings.

We’ve also been enjoying Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom on Disney+. This nature focused, animal heavy docuseries from Disney that takes a look behind the scenes at Animal Kingdom looks phenomenal. Harry Potter, another movie series we’ve been working through with our kids, also outstanding on this TV.

Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch

While not optimized for next generation consoles – because of the lack of HDMI 2.1 – for what is currently available on the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, the Hisense Q8G is more than adequate. With these consoles cost nearly $700 after tax, finding an inexpensive TV model that will give you almost all the benefits of next generation gaming can be difficult.

One other feature that will be missed by video game enthusiasts is the TV having a variable refresh rate. So far at least, developers are harnessing the power of the Xbox and PlayStation consoles, creating a crazy smooth 60 frames per second experience. When the consoles are doing the heavy lifting here to create an ultra smooth 60 frames, your TV doesn’t need to, which diminishes the need for a variable refresh rate. The only time I’ve noticed so far was with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. This title on Xbox Series X had major frame refresh issues, which some larger sites like IGN said a variable refresh would somewhat fix. That being said, Ubisoft Montreal has recently patched that issue, removing any work your TV might have needed to do for you.

Conclusion

Are there better TVs on the market? Of course there are, and no one would argue otherwise. I just found out this week you can purchase a 100,000, 12K TV right now! The real questions are these: 1) Is there a better TV for your money; and 2) Is this TV adequate for 4K movies / TV and next generation consoles.

I’ve been fortunate to work with dozens of companies and look at many budget friendly TV. Shoot, I own some of them. But at this price point, and with these features, none of them hold a candle to the Hisense Q8G QLED 4K TV. And as for the second question, this model TV is more than adequate for next generation consoles, but if you are looking to get just a bit more out of those new shinny toys, Hisense has models that will be even more compatible, and still at a fantastic price.

If you are reading this here on our site, it’s likely you have spent the money and purchased an Xbox Series X or a PlayStation 5. This TV is the perfect companion to begin experiencing the power of next generation.