Hisense U8QAU Review – Impressive Mini LED picture in a bulky box

Hisense have perhaps the widest range of TVs in market today, with a 32 inch $250 TV right up to their ultra-premium new XL TVs coming later this year in sizes up to 116 inches and price tags as high as $39,999. For this review, we’re looking at their most premium “regular” TV the U8QAU.

Obviously the AU in the model name indicates this is an Aussie model, with Hisense offering a range of different models worldwide. The Q is the indicator of a 2025 model, and the 8 is it’s position in the range. Head into any retailer and you’ll find in the 65 inch screen size that Hisense has a U6, U7 and U8 model on offer. of course that’s a “Good, Better, Best” kind of approach, though on specs I’ve gotta say I’d lean toward the U7 almost every time as it’s mainly sound where the U8 leaps ahead, in fact the U7 has more HDMI ports and that for me would be a big selling point.

At the time of review the 65 inch U8QAU is selling around $2,695, down from the $2,999 list price. The U7 at $1,999 is still appealing.

With that said, this is a stunning TV. Gosh if I could put a 5 or 10 year old Hisense TV alongside this I reckon it would be mind-blowing to see how far Hisense has come. And while we could do the same with any brand, I think the leap forward for Hisense would be far more than any other brand.

Out of the box, this is a unique design from Hisense, but in fact it’s more like Hisense’s new TV design language. Their massive 110 inch and upcoming 116 inch TVs have this very wide or deep design, they are “thick” TVs. In part that relates to sound – in their design allows for speakers on the side to project sound outward without the need to bounce off the rear wall.

It’s off-putting at first, but because it’s not “just” a box, it’s a really slick premium design, intentional angles and style it really does look good. Add to that the look of the flat centre-mount stand and this is a TV seemingly made for Aussie entertainment units.

Power it on and you’ve got the Hisense VIDAA Smart TV operating system. While born out of Hisense, VIDAA is it’s own business unit these days, with the goal of getting onto more and more TVs, and while it has all the apps that 95% of Aussies will want, if you’ve got unique needs – like for me the MLB app, you’ll find yourself plugging in a Google TV pretty quick.

VIDAA is slick, fast and works well. I do wish the App row was the default when you go “home” instead you need to arrow down to it first before navigating left and right through them. I blame the over commercialisation of TV operating systems for this – the whole top of the screen on the Home screen is just ads for content. They all do it, Samsung, LG, it happens, but honestly – I bought the TV, now you’re making money off me showing ads? Frustrating to be honest. I just want to go to my apps.

Further down there are content suggestions which are great for discovery.

Hisense does have VIDAA TV, which are online streamed linear TV channels, similar to Samsung TV Plus and LG Channels, but on a quick scroll, while there are some interesting niche offers, there’s nothing like the content offering Samsung is offering so on this front the VIDAA team have a long long way to go.

Getting down to the nitty gritty though, when you’re watching Disney+, or Netflix, or Stan, it’s all about the picture.

And boy – oh boy, this is a sweet picture.

Really bright colours, something all the brands are pushing on their Mini LED models, pushing brightness to really demonstrate colour is key. But it can come at the expense of the Blacks. You do get a great contrast, but at times the colours really overpower the black and that while it’s not about “blooming” per se, it’s more about finding a balance that you like.

I found scrolling through the picture pre-sets was a good idea while watching a favourite show to find a “look” that you like most. I found a balance of brightness really helped me “see” the colour better, and in the end it highlighted the strong black performance of the U8QAU which it has to be said is utterly stunning.

This is a TV that demonstrates how far Mini LED has come in just the few years since it’s become the premium backlighting technology on the market. We are certainly at the point where we can say for certain that behind OLED, Mini LED is the backlight choice, Hisense choice to go pretty much all-in on Mini LED will pay off.

Watching an older show like The Sopranos and I’m seeing outstanding upscaling, a real depth in the dark areas of the screen – all despite the age of the content.

Throw on something more modern with Dolby Vision and 4K and we’re talking an almost faultless picture, with excellent HDR performance.

Sound is 4.1.2 with some big subs on the back, while for gamers there’s 165Hz when you want it.

The challenge for Hisense in retail is the presence of an LG OLED at roughly the same price (the same at the time of writing) and while that’s LG’s entry level and this is Hisense’s premium – it’s still a drawcard to go OLED. You can imagine someone being drawn that way, but I’d argue this TV is probably the better picture overall, despite the impressive blacks and contrast of the OLED – at that level of screen, the Hisense pips it.

It’s not the most expensive 65 inch TV you’ll find, there’s plenty more expensive than this – but there’s also a strong list of performers in the $800-$1000 this also. I’m tight with money (most of the time) so I might want to stand in front of a U7QAU before I buy this one to just check if I can spot the difference, if you can’t – save the $$ and go U7, but if you’re wanting to really show off some impressive shows and sport to your mates, the Hisense U8QAU is a demonstration of the outstanding quality and performance of Hisense TVs in 2025.