The Samsung QLED TV is one of the best TVs you can buy and has been my personal go-to for a few years now. But when I was offered the opportunity to replace my aging Samsung Q80T QLED TV with Hisense's state-of-the-art U8N mini LED TV, I decided to roll the dice. 

I heard great things about Hisense U8N mini LED TV - in fact, one of my colleagues out of 5 stars for its "incredible" price-to-performance ratio of 4.5 I highly appreciated the performance of my Samsung QLED, but go to the age of five, it is a bit outdated compared to the current innovations in the TV market. It's a great time to commit to yourself, especially since a mini LED TV is having a moment when you start to feel delayed.  Samsung manufactures an excellent selection of mini LED (or what the brand calls Neo QLED) TVs, but they're not cheap. Hisense Mini LED makes a much stronger value proposition that promises premium performance for less. There are some trade-offs that shoppers need to know, but overall, Hisense is an attractive solution for those with tight budgets.

I switched to my Hisense U8N mini LED TV a month ago, but so far I'm happy with my upgrade. I will not say that I will never go back to the Samsung TV, but for now, there are three reasons why I think Hisense U8N is perfectly worth 3.

The biggest impact when replacing the Samsung Q80T with Hisense U8N was the jump from a 55-inch TV to a 65-inch TV. When you switch to a larger TV for the first time, the viewing experience immediately feels more premium. But with price being a major factor in buying a TV, shoppers are tempted to get a smaller size if that means spending less

I get it— for a 55-inch size, the Samsung Q80T costs a hefty 1 in full retail 1,999. Also, the 55-inch Hisense U8N is priced atン1,099, while the 65-inch configuration I have isド1,499. The up to 85-inch configuration actually seems like a bargain considering the u8n looks better than the price tag suggests It's no secret that actually2,799 costs before the TV deals have made the TV brighter, but Hisense U8N will blow away many new TVs in 2024 in this regard. In our lab tests, we measured more than 3,200 nits in HDR, which is nothing but spectacular. The high brightness level means that the TV can handle bright scenes easily. Think about it: an object that you want to see as bright as possible, without explosions or fireworks, or damaging details or being blown away. 

The Samsung Q80T, by comparison, had a maximum brightness of 681nit, but it is worth noting that since the first review, the test protocol has changed. Nevertheless, it is not in a place close to Hisense U8N in the brightness category. It made a noticeable difference for my movie night, where I could see all the action more clearly and continue to immerse myself in the content. 

Perhaps my biggest complaint with the Samsung Q80T was how old the smart TV interface began to feel. The company has since abandoned the pop-up app menu for the entire screen home page that offers tons of content recommendations. This more modernized approach is also seen on the licensed Google TV platform, which Hisense has adopted throughout its TV lineup.

Google TV is a reliable content platform and is especially useful when associated with a Google account. It saves your display settings and even allows you to create multiple user profiles within the same household. Since I live with my sister, each of them uses their profile to get content recommendations based on what we enjoy watching individually. In addition, Google Assistant makes it easy to search for specific shows and movies.  Overall, you get access to what you want to see much easier with the Hisense U8N compared to what Samsung QLED has provided before. 

Do I end forever with Samsung. Certainly not. But for now, Hisense U8N is making a strong case for itself as one of the best TVs you can buy 1.