I've reviewed a few Hisense TVs in the past, but the company's latest $699 Quantum Series display is the first that I can wholeheartedly recommend without reservations

• Hisense's new 65-inch H8G 4K TV is a budget-friendly High Dynamic Range (HDR) display with impressive picture quality.
• The TV includes local dimming for deep black levels, along with quantum dot technology for wide color capabilities.
• The Android TV platform is integrated as well, enabling extensive smart TV support with Google Assistant voice control.

The market for 65-inch TVs in the under $1,000 price range has changed dramatically over the last five years. Impressive bang-for-your buck display models from companies like Vizio and TCL have been game-changers in this space, packing advanced features into surprisingly affordable packages.

A third manufacturer, Hisense, has also been making strides in the value-priced TV arena, but its displays have typically fallen short of similarly priced models from Vizio and TCL. Starting with its 2019 lineup, however, the company began to step up its game in color and contrast, thanks in large part to the addition of full-array local dimming and quantum dots to more models in its lineup.

This improved quality now continues with Hisense's brand-new 2020 Quantum Series. The collection is led by the flagship H9G, but it's the slightly less advanced H8G that might offer the best overall value. In fact, the H8G is the first Hisense TV I've reviewed that I can wholeheartedly recommend as a comparable or, in some cases, even superior alternative to similarly priced models from Vizio and TCL.

Design

The H8G isn't exactly a standout when it comes to style, but considering its budget-friendly pricing, the display offers a decent enough design.

At 3.1 inches deep, the panel is a little thicker than some similar offerings. Metal left and right feet stands are also included and must be screwed into the bottom of the panel after unpacking. The top and sides of the panel feature a virtually bezel-less frame, while a thicker border rests at the bottom of the screen. With that said, the image itself does not reach the edges of the panel when the TV is turned on. Instead, a thin black border is visible around the image.

Most of the display's inputs are located on the back left side of the panel, including three side-facing HDMI (one audio return channel, or ARC). A fourth HDMI port is located in a rear-facing position to the right of the rest of the connections. Though many new 2020 TVs from other brands are starting to include HDMI 2.1 ports, the H8G sticks with older HDMI 2.0b ports. This shouldn't be a big issue for most people, but it does prevent the TV from supporting a few advanced features, like enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC) and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR).

A black remote with rubber buttons and integrated Google Assistant voice control is also included. The remote is nothing special but it functions well, and it's an improvement over older Hisense remotes which had plastic navigation buttons that all sat flush with one another. This made it hard to feel your way around different buttons when watching movies in the dark. Thankfully, the new remote makes it easier to distinguish between different buttons.

Specs

• 65-inch VA LCD panel
• 4K Ultra HD 3,840 x 2,160 resolution
• 60Hz native refresh rate
• Full-array local dimming with 90 zones
• Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HDR10+ support
• Quantum dot technology with wide color gamut capabilities
• Measures 57.0×35.8×11.1 inches with feet stand attached
• Weighs 44.1 pounds with feet stand attached
• Four HDCP 2.2 compliant HDMI 2.0b inputs (one ARC)
• Android TV platform with Google Assistant
• Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity
• 10w x 2 speakers
• Click button remote with voice control

Setup

Like most modern smart TVs, setting the display up is a fairly simple process, but you will need an internet connection to get the TV updated and synced with your Google account. Once you turn the display on for the first time, the TV will walk you through a series of general configurations, terms of service agreements, and privacy setting options. It also offers a handy option to use an Android phone for the setup process, which easily lets you carry over your Google account info and Wi-Fi settings to the TV.

After the initial configuration process, you can go ahead and access various streaming apps through the TV's interface, or switch inputs to your cable box, antenna, or other connected media devices. I use an Onkyo AV receiver connected to the TV's HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC). The receiver is hooked up to an LG 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player, a Nintendo Switch, and an Xbox One X. All of my components are correctly passed through to the TV with full 4K HDR support when available.

If you'd like to tweak the default image settings, the TV includes an extensive assortment of picture calibration modes. For the most accurate Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) out-of-box picture in a dark room, I recommend using the Theater Dark mode with Color Temperature set to Low and Local Dimming set to High. If you're watching in a brighter environment, you should use the Theater Day mode. Meanwhile, when watching HDR10 videos you should use the HDR Theater mode, and when watching Dolby Vision videos you should use the Dolby Vision Bright mode.

Picture performance

For a 4K TV in this price range, the Hisense H8G is a genuinely impressive display. It holds its own against other leading mid-range models, like the Vizio M-Series Quantum and the TCL 6 Series. Performance can't rival high-end TVs from LG, Samsung, and Sony, but the H8G actually looks better than several more expensive mid-tier models from those brands.

The H8G's strong picture quality is largely a result of two display technologies: quantum dots and full-array local dimming. Quantum dots allow the TV to cover the DCI-P3 wide color gamut. This means that when you watch HDR movies on the TV, you're able to enjoy the full spectrum of colors you'd see in theaters. Full-array local dimming, meanwhile, allows the TV's LED panel to dim and brighten in specific sections across the screen. This results in deeper black levels and more precise highlights.

LED TVs without these two features tend to produce washed out contrast and milky black levels. These flaws are less noticeable when watching TV in a bright room, but if you're someone who likes to watch movies in a dark home theater setting, then you'll definitely appreciate the benefits that local dimming and quantum dots provide.

The H8G's implementation of local dimming uses 90 zones on the 65-inch model. Generally, the more zones a TV has, the better its black level and contrast performance will be. So, 90 is a very solid number for a display in this class. For comparison's sake, the 65-inch Vizio M-Series Quantum also uses 90 zones, while the 65-inch TCL 6 Series uses 120 zones.

In practice, the local dimming translates into strong black level performance, allowing dark scenes to appear nice and inky. It also helps the TV achieve a peak brightness of around 700 nits. A lot of HDR movies and shows are graded for 1,000 nits, so the H8G can get fairly close to covering the range that content creators have in mind.

To test the TV's picture quality, I watched a variety of 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs and streaming titles, including many Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HDR10+ movies and shows. Though I initially ran into some odd issues with HDR10+ content, which resulted in images appearing desaturated, an update corrected this problem.

Overall, 4K HDR movies and TV shows look wonderful on the display, no matter what format they're in. Movies filled with bright colors, like "Aquaman", pop with impressive intensity while avoiding any color bleeding or harshness. The climactic underwater battle in "Aquaman" is an especially impressive showcase for the H8G's contrast and color performance, with specular highlights that dazzle and intricate fine details.

The opening scene of "The Matrix," meanwhile, offers a telling demonstration of the TV's local dimming and black level performance, resulting in inky shadows. As police officers search for Trinity in a dark apartment, their flashlights create bright highlights against deep blacks, without any noticeable artifacts.

With that said, black level performance isn't perfect. Like all local dimming TVs, there are times when you can see the zones at work and blooming around bright objects is occasionally visible. A scene in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" where the kids are approaching Hogwarts in boats at night is a fitting example of this. The lights on the boats cause bright halos to bleed out into the shadows, giving the scene's contrast a patchy look.

As a whole, though, blooming and vignetting are actually pretty mild on the H8G. In fact, the TV seems to favor raising the black levels across the screen as a way to help combat uneven blooming. A test pattern of a moving starfield reveals this behavior. On other local dimming TVs I've reviewed, the starfield often appears patchy, with quadrants of stars visible against pitch black space. On the H8G, however, the starfield remains nice and uniform with all the stars visible, but the dark space between the stars isn't pitch black.

In other words, black levels on the H8G are sometimes a bit lighter than some other local dimming TVs and overall contrast isn't quite as high. This gives the TV's image a slightly flatter look compared to the TCL 6 Series. But, on the plus side, uneven blooming is less frequent.

Like most LCD TVs that use a Vertical Alignment (VA) panel, the H8G doesn't have particularly wide viewing angles. Colors and contrast distort when viewing the picture from the side. This is common for TVs of this type, however, and performance is on par with other mid-range models. Overall screen uniformity is decent, but I do notice some light vertical lines with slight brightness differences across the screen now and then, particularly when playing HDR video games. Again, artifacts like this are pretty common for TVs of this type, and I don't think most buyers will be distracted by these minor flaws.

Android TV features

Honestly, I've never been a huge fan of the Android TV platform. I find the interface to be a bit drab and performance has been very hit and miss across different devices I've tried. An older Hisense Android TV I reviewed was particularly problematic, with odd glitches related to the TV's settings menu that caused different modes to activate unintentionally, while also making it impossible to adjust the picture in certain apps.

Though I'm still not terribly impressed by the visual interface, my experience with Android TV has been a lot better on the H8G, and there are no major glitches to report. The platform seamlessly integrates with existing Google accounts, and includes access to a large selection of apps. Virtually any popular service you could want is featured, including Disney Plus, Netflix, Google Play, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Vudu. HBO Max is also supported, which is noteworthy since that service is currently missing from Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices. The only major app that isn't currently available is Apple TV Plus.

The interface is broken up into a series of rows, with sections for Apps, Play Next, and various recommendations. General navigation between menus is fairly responsive, but the Hulu app is unusually slow compared to other services on the display, and there can be some lag in other apps as well. 4K HDR playback and Dolby Atmos are also supported through most apps that offer such features.

Google Assistant support is integrated, and the included voice remote works well. Content searches are accurate and the system does a nice job interpreting my spoken commands. That said, the results don't always include options for all the apps that titles are available on. Other queries, like weather and general questions, are also typically handled well, allowing you to ask the TV for details on everything from traffic to cocktail recipes.

All things considered, the H8G's Android TV implementation is responsive and comprehensive enough that most buyers will find little need to supplement the TV with a separate streaming box or streaming stick.

The bottom line

I've been less than impressed with some older Hisense TV models, but starting with the company's 2019 lineup, the brand has really stepped things up. Thankfully, that trend continues with its new 2020 65-inch H8G 4K TV. At $699.99, the display is one of the better 4K TVs you can buy in this price range.

Overall picture quality can't compete with flagship sets that cost over $1,000, but if you want an affordable 65-inch display with solid home theater capabilities, Google Assistant support, and a large collection of smart TV apps, the H8G is an excellent purchase.

What are your alternatives?

The Hisense H8G's primary competitors are the Vizio M-Series Quantum and the TCL 6-Series. All three TVs offer pretty similar performance and all three incorporate quantum dots and full-array local dimming. In general, the TCL can produce deeper black levels with better overall contrast, but it's a little more expensive and it tends to display more vignetting. Meanwhile, the Vizio is also a very strong performer, but I actually prefer the Android TV interface on the H8G compared to the SmartCast platform.

If you're willing to pay over $1,000 for a 65-inch TV, there are better options from companies like LG, Sony, and Samsung, but in the $699.99 range, the H8G is better than any comparatively priced model from those brands.

In addition to the 65-inch model we reviewed, the H8G is also available in a 75-inch size for $1,299.99, a 55-inch size for $499.99, and a 50-inch size for $399.99. The 50-inch model is especially noteworthy as it's becoming more difficult to find TVs with this level of performance at that size.

Pros: Support for all three major HDR formats, 700 nits of peak brightness, local dimming, Android TV platform with a large selection of apps, voice remote with Google Assistant

Cons: Overall contrast isn't quite as high as some competing models from TCL and Vizio, viewing angles are mediocre, smart TV navigation can be a little sluggish, no HDMI 2.1 ports