There’s something slightly ridiculous about bringing a 75-inch television into your family room, but it only took a day to get used to it.
The Hisense 75-inch UR8S RGB MiniLED TV replaced our five-year-old Samsung, which was around a third smaller. My first reaction was that the new screen looked enormous, but we adjusted quickly.
Two things stood out immediately: how well the TV performed in our very bright family room, and how good sport looked on it.
The tech
The UR8S sits within Hisense’s premium RGB MiniLED range and features a 4K screen, 180Hz panel, Anti-Reflection & Glare-Free technology and a 2.1.2 multi-channel surround sound system tuned by French audio specialist Devialet, along with Dolby Atmos.
Setting it up
Despite the 75-inch screen, I found the TV manageable to handle. The stand felt sturdy and, once set up, the television looked thin and sleek.
Setup took around 20 minutes. It detected our Wi-Fi immediately, software updates were quick and logging into Netflix, Disney+, Stan and other streaming services was easy thanks to QR-code logins.
The interface was clean and responsive, with no noticeable lag.
The feature I didn’t expect to love
Our family room opens onto a verandah and has windows beside the television, so there is a lot of natural light. With our previous TV, we often had to close the blinds during the day.
The Hisense Anti-Reflection and Glare-Free screen is excellent. Even in a bright room, the picture remained clear and easy to watch without shutting out the sunlight.
If your TV sits beside large windows or in a room that gets a lot of sunlight, the anti-glare performance alone could make the UR8S worth considering.
So, what exactly is RGB MiniLED?
Unlike conventional MiniLED displays, Hisense’s RGB MiniLED technology uses individually controlled red, green and blue MiniLEDs in the backlight, allowing the television to produce colour more directly.
Hisense claims the technology can reproduce up to 100 per cent of the BT.2020 colour spectrum, with the UR8S also Pantone Colour and SkinTone validated.
You don’t need to understand the technology to notice the result. Compared with our five-year-old Samsung, the improvement in colour was immediately obvious. We watched Ted Lasso, Colin From Accounts and I Will Find You, and colours looked rich and vibrant while the picture remained detailed.
Older HD content also looked good, although the difference between high-quality streaming or sport and some regular free-to-air television was noticeable.
Sports fans will LOVE this TV
This was one of the highlights for me.
We tested the UR8S with rugby league, rugby union, AFL and Formula One, and the combination of the enormous screen and smooth motion made sport fantastic to watch.
The 180Hz panel and AI Smooth Motion are designed to keep fast-moving action clear. What I noticed was that the ball didn’t blur, the grass remained detailed and it was easy to follow play. Formula One was particularly impressive, with the picture staying smooth and detailed even as cars flew around the circuit.
We sat about three metres, or 10 feet, from the television and, while 75 inches initially seemed comically large, we became accustomed to it very quickly.
Do you need a soundbar?
For me, no.
The UR8S has a built-in 2.1.2 multi-channel surround sound system tuned by Devialet, together with Dolby Atmos. I found the sound clear, full and spacious enough that I wouldn’t personally spend extra on a soundbar.
Dedicated home-cinema enthusiasts may want something more substantial, but for everyday TV, streaming and sport, the built-in audio was more than adequate.
Smart TV experience
Hisense uses its VIDAA U9 smart TV platform, which I found quick and straightforward to navigate. Apps were easy to find, casting worked well and the television woke in around two seconds.
The remote is easy to understand, with shortcut buttons for Netflix, Disney+, Stan and Prime Video. My biggest irritation was that the remote didn’t always respond immediately. Sometimes I needed to point it directly at the television, press a button twice or hold it down slightly longer than expected. It’s not a deal-breaker, but on a premium television I’d expect the remote experience to be almost flawless.
What I loved
The anti-glare performance was the standout. Being able to watch television during the day without closing our blinds genuinely changed how we used the room. Picture quality and colour are excellent, sport looks superb, movement is smooth and the 75-inch screen delivers an immersive experience from around three metres away.
What could be better
At around $4,000, this is still a significant investment.
The remote doesn’t feel quite as premium as the television itself and occasionally needed a second press. Regular free-to-air broadcasts could also look noticeably softer when displayed across such a large 4K screen.
Who is it for?
I’d particularly recommend the Hisense UR8S to two types of households: people who love watching sport, and those whose television sits in a bright room.
The verdict
After living with the Hisense 75-inch UR8S, the hardest part was giving it back!
At $3,999 at the time of writing, this isn’t an impulse purchase, and I’d like a better remote at this level. But if you’re looking for a premium large-screen television, it definitely delivers.
Rating: 9/10
Disclosure: The Hisense 75-inch UR8S RGB MiniLED TV was supplied to Women Love Tech by Hisense for the purposes of this review and was returned following the review period.
