If an entry-level TV is just too barebones to your way of life and a premium flagship is just too dear, you may end up selecting between the Hisense U7H and the Samsung Q80B. These mid-range TVs supply a bit extra bang to your proverbial buck, with {hardware} and software program options you received’t discover on TVs under $500.
They’re related sufficient in efficiency and value that selecting between the 2 is usually a tall order. How do they give the impression of being in motion? Which is healthier for the present technology of gaming? We’ve acquired solutions that will help you select.
Purchase the Samsung Q80B at Amazon
Purchase the Hisense U7H at Greatest Purchase
Worth
Credit score:
Reviewed / Tim Renzi
Whereas there’s yet another measurement choice with the Q80B, the U7H is the budget-friendly selection.
Since their launch, each the Q80B and the U7H have seen important reductions. For context, I’m reporting each the unique checklist and lowest present sale value on the time of publishing. There’s no assure that these sale costs will stay the identical by the point you learn this, however going ahead, I don’t count on the prices to climb a lot increased.
Samsung Q80B:
- 50-inch (Samsung QN50Q80BAFXZA), MSRP $999.99 (on sale for $797.99 at Amazon)
- 55-inch (Samsung QN55Q80BAFXZA), MSRP $1,199.99 (on sale for $947.99 at Amazon)
- 65-inch (Samsung QN65Q80BAFXZA), MSRP $1,499.99 (on sale for $997.99 at Amazon)
- 75-inch (Samsung QN75Q80BAFXZA), MSRP $2,199.99 (on sale for $1,547.99 at Amazon)
- 85-inch (Samsung QN85Q80BAFXZA), MSRP $2,299.99 (on sale for $1,927.99 at Amazon)
The Samsung Q80B is out there in 5 sizes starting from 50 to 85 inches. The smallest of the sizes, a 50-inch mannequin, is presently on sale for round $800. The 85-inch mannequin, in the meantime, is presently priced at $1,927.99.
Hisense U7H:
The Hisense U7H is out there in 4 display screen sizes. The one measurement choice within the Q80B sequence that isn’t represented here’s a 50-inch mannequin. The 55-inch U7H is presently out there for round $600, whereas the 85-inch mannequin will be bought for round $1,800.
Until you’ve acquired your coronary heart set on a 50-inch TV, the U7H is the extra budget-friendly choice throughout all measurement variants.
Our choose: Hisense U7H
Design
Credit score:
Reviewed / Tim Renzi
The Q80 has a slick flat stand and a few glorious distant options, though the stand is a tad wobbly.
From a design standpoint, the U7H’s finest function is its a number of stand slots, which let you set the TV’s ft in two configurations, relying in your desire. One in all these configurations retains the U7H’s ft nearer to the middle of the panel, which is a unbelievable quality-of-life function for these with a slender media console.
As soon as arrange, the U7H sports activities a reasonably generic look. The hefty panel widens out on the backside and sits about 2.5 inches off its floor, permitting a good quantity of clearance for many soundbars. The Hisense distant management (which contains a built-in microphone for voice instructions) will get the job completed, however its mushy, chunky buttons and beefy form aren’t precisely modern.
As a substitute of utilizing a pair of ft to carry up its panel, the Q80B depends on a flat, plate-style stand with about three inches of soundbar clearance. The setup appears to be like refined at a look, however because of the weight of the panel and the style by which it’s linked to the stand, there’s an uneasy quantity of wobble each time the Q80B is jostled. In contrast to the U7H, there’s no secondary configuration for the Q80B’s tabletop setup, but it surely ought to nonetheless sit soundly on a slender media console given the centered stand place.
The Q80B ships with the most recent model of Samsung’s Photo voltaic Cell distant management, which makes use of indoor/outside mild and RF waves to cost its inner battery. There’s additionally a USB-C charging port for emergency charging. We love the truth that the Photo voltaic Cell distant doesn’t depend on disposable batteries, and its small, modern construct feels nice to make use of.
Regardless of the Q80B’s tendency to wobble, its design options are extra aesthetically pleasing than the U7H’s. Samsung’s glorious Photo voltaic Cell distant is simply icing on the cake.
Our choose: Samsung Q80B
Options and sensible platform
Credit score:
Reviewed / Tim Renzi
Each TVs have related options, however the Samsung Q80B nonetheless gives essentially the most to players.
The Q80B and U7H are each on the upper finish of the mid-range classification, and in consequence, share most of the identical hardware- and software-related options. Earlier than I get into what units them aside, right here’s a listing of the whole lot they’ve in frequent:
The Hisense U7H helps Dolby Imaginative and prescient, a well-liked, proprietary model of HDR whose suitable titles will be discovered on Blu-ray and streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney+. A number of Xbox Sequence X video games are additionally Dolby Imaginative and prescient-compatible.
Like all Samsung TVs available on the market at this time, the Q80B doesn’t assist Dolby Imaginative and prescient. As a substitute, it helps HDR10+, a royalty-free model of the format that optimizes HDR content material in an analogous method. There are many HDR10+ titles on the market (Amazon Prime Video gives an enormous library, as an illustration), however Dolby Imaginative and prescient is presently the extra in style format. With the U7H, you’re getting each Dolby Imaginative and prescient and HDR10+, whereas the Q80B solely gives the latter.
Whereas we’re with regards to streaming content material, let’s discuss sensible platforms. Each of those TVs include a collection of apps and sensible options preinstalled. Customers even have the choice of downloading and putting in further apps as they see match. The expertise is totally different, nonetheless, relying on which TV you’re utilizing.
The U7H is constructed on Google TV, considered one of our most popular sensible platforms. There’s an array of sponsored content material all through the person interface, but it surely harmonizes nicely with the remainder of the U7H’s software program, and navigating its varied menu choices is comparatively straightforward. Google TV can be pleasantly responsive—it may possibly sustain with skilled customers who know their approach across the platform.
The Q80B, then again, arrives with the most recent model of Samsung Tizen OS. At instances, it appears to be like like a brighter, extra colourful model of Google TV, however I’ve struggled with this model of the working system on each Samsung TV that’s provided it. Like Google TV, there’s a number of sponsored content material to cope with, however Tizen isn’t almost as zippy as its competitor, and its person interface is trickier to traverse. At instances, primary duties (like leaping from one enter to a different) require digging down via a number of layers of menus, and typing utilizing an on-screen keyboard is particularly irritating on account of enter lag.
The Q80B’s gaming prowess, nonetheless, is among the many finest you’ll discover in its class. Whereas each TVs assist 4K gaming at 120Hz with Variable Refresh Price (VRR) and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) for smoother, low-latency gaming, solely the Q80B gives these perks throughout all 4 of its HDMI 2.1 inputs. The U7H is just outfitted with two such inputs, and considered one of them capabilities because the TV’s devoted eARC enter.
Most players received’t thoughts this limitation, however those that personal an Xbox Sequence X, a PlayStation 5, and an eARC-enabled soundbar must put money into an A/V receiver or relegate considered one of these current-generation consoles to a less-capable HDMI enter, thereby leaving some options on the desk.
The Q80B doesn’t skimp on Samsung-specific sensible options, both. It comes with Samsung Well being (for psychological and bodily health monitoring), Q-Symphony assist (for soundbar harmonization), and Multi View (for smartphone picture-in-picture), simply to call a couple of. These options may not resonate with each shopper, however you received’t discover them on the U7H.
With Dolby Imaginative and prescient assist and a superior sensible platform, the U7H is a powerful contender, however the Q80B is not any slouch; it’s a extra versatile gaming machine with a good number of unique sensible options. This one’s a tie.
Our choose: Draw
Efficiency
Credit score:
Reviewed / Tim Renzi
Because of its higher distinction, the U7H is the higher selection for darkish rooms.
Each the U7H and the Q80B make the most of related show {hardware}: full-array LED backlights with native dimming and color-enhancing quantum dots. Distinction in image high quality primarily comes all the way down to distinction.
Apart from the 50- and 85-inch fashions, the Q80B sequence makes use of an ADS-style panel. The U7H sequence, then again, makes use of a VA-style panel—a sort that’s more proficient at delivering deep black ranges. Whereas the U7H’s black ranges often hover within the 0.07- to 0.09-nit vary, the Q80B’s black ranges are likely to settle between 0.3 and 0.4 nits. In real-world phrases, which means darker scenes on the Q80B seem extra grey than black. The chilly, darkish reaches of area, as an illustration, may not look as empty as they must. Shadow element tends to be obscured, as nicely.
With distinction this restricted, the Q80B doesn’t carry out as nicely in darkish rooms because the Hisense U7H. Neither TV could be very adept at limiting mild bloom (hazy clouds of bluish mild round shiny image components), however the U7H is, on the very least, capable of show significant darkness throughout giant swaths of the body.
So, what about daytime viewing? I’m blissful to report that each of those TVs are shiny sufficient to face as much as the daylight, even whereas watching primary SDR content material, like sports activities, cable, and over-the-air broadcasts. In HDR, the U7H and Q80B excel, too; every mannequin is sort of able to producing shimmering, scintillating highlights, like intense reflections of daylight or temporary showers of sparks.
The U7H, nonetheless, will get considerably brighter than its competitor, each when it comes to its common image brightness and its specular highlights. Below sure circumstances, the U7H cracks the 1,000-nit mark, whereas the Q80B not often climbs above 750 nits.
There’s extra to image high quality than simply efficiency information, although. One in all our greatest criticisms of the U7H has to do with Hisense’s image processing; there are some unlucky red-tinted coloration fringing on characters and objects in movement. The impact is most noticeable alongside the perimeters of lightly-colored slender objects (swords, as an illustration) and alongside individuals’s hairlines. The artifacts dissolve away as rapidly as they seem, however with sure scene lighting, they are often distracting when you discover them. Primarily based on my time with the TV, they’re most distinguished throughout sub-4K, SDR content material.
The Q80B doesn’t undergo from this situation, and on the entire, I desire Samsung’s image processing, because it displays an all-around cleaner expression. Nonetheless, it’s troublesome to look previous the Q80B’s restricted distinction, and I think most individuals’s viewing habits can be affected extra by the Q80B’s shallow black ranges than they are going to by the U7H’s image processing quirks.
Our choose: Hisense U7H
And the winner is…
This is without doubt one of the closest matchups I’ve coated in latest reminiscence, however the Hisense U7H wins it by a hair. For most individuals, it’s a greater choice than the Samsung Q80B.
The U7H is a extra reasonably priced TV with higher dark-room efficiency, extra impactful HDR, and a superior sensible platform. Like many Hisense TVs, it displays occasional image processing quirks, however these are solely more likely to hassle eagle-eyed viewers. It is not as sleek-looking because the Samsung, however its design is fuss-free and accommodating for smaller dwelling areas.
It is best to strongly take into account the Samsung Q80B in the event you meet any of the next standards: you’re an avid gamer with a number of current-gen consoles and an eARC enabled soundbar, you’re looking for a 50-inch TV, and/otherwise you fancy your self a Samsung model loyalist who’ll recognize the Q80B’s suite of Samsung-related options.
Purchase the Hisense U7H at Greatest Purchase
Purchase the Samsung Q80B at Amazon
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Costs had been correct on the time this text was printed however could change over time.
