Hisense U8N vs TCL QM8 vs Samsung QN90D — Best Mini-LED 4K TV for Your Living Room
- The Inspect Aspect
- Nov 18
- 4 min read
TL;DR
Hisense U8N — brightest value pick with punchy HDR and great gaming specs.
TCL QM8 — king of big sizes and overall brightness-per-dollar; fantastic for sports and daylight rooms.
Samsung QN90D — most polished processing, excellent anti-glare, and the slickest smart platform.
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What Actually Matters (Quick Priorities)
Peak brightness + local dimming → Real HDR pop and deep blacks.
Motion handling → Smooth fast action (sports, gaming).
Gaming features → 4K/120–144Hz, low input lag, VRR, ALLM.
Smart platform → App speed, ad clutter, and ease of use.
Anti-glare & viewing angles → Crucial for bright rooms and wide seating.
Spec Snapshot (What You’ll Feel Day-to-Day)
Feature | Hisense U8N | TCL QM8 | Samsung QN90D |
Panel & backlight | Mini-LED, high zone count | Mini-LED, very high zone count | Mini-LED, refined dimming |
Peak brightness | Excellent HDR punch | Class-leading in big sizes | Excellent with stable tone-mapping |
Gaming | 4K/120–144Hz, VRR, ALLM | 4K/120–144Hz, VRR, ALLM | 4K/120Hz, VRR, ALLM (rock-solid) |
Motion & processing | Very good | Very good for sports | Best processing/upsampling |
Anti-glare & angles | Strong | Strong | Best anti-glare/angles |
Smart platform | Google/VIDAA (region dependent) | Google TV | Tizen (fast, polished) |
Sizes | 55–85" (varies) | 65–98" (great big-screen value) | 43–85" (broad range) |
(Exact features vary by region/size; check the SKU before you buy.)
Picture Quality Breakdown
Brightness & HDR
TCL QM8 pushes the highest peaks, making specular highlights (sun glints, fireworks) leap off the screen—especially on 75–98".
Hisense U8N brings near-flagship punch at midrange prices; HDR movies look vivid and energetic.
Samsung QN90D is consistently bright with more conservative tone-mapping that preserves detail.
Black Levels & Blooming
All three use tight local dimming; QN90D handles tricky scenes with the least haloing in mixed content.
U8N/QM8 can look more dramatic out of the box; dialing down contrast enhancer reduces halos.
Color & Upscaling
QN90D leads in clean upscaling and natural skin tones.
U8N/QM8 offer wide color and punch; use Filmmaker/Movie modes for accuracy.
Sports & Motion
TCL QM8 is a crowd-pleaser for live sports: bright fields, crisp motion, and minimal dirty-screen effect on larger panels.
Samsung QN90D has the most reliable motion processing; fewer artifacts on fast pans.
Hisense U8N is very good—set motion interpolation to a low setting for smoothness without soap-opera effect.
Gaming (PS5, Xbox Series X, PC)
Input lag on all three is very low in Game Mode.
U8N/QM8 often support 144Hz at 4K/PC—great for high-end rigs.
QN90D is rock-solid at 4K/120, with excellent VRR handling and stable HDR in games.
Quick gamer setup:Enable Game Mode, VRR, set HGIG/Static tone-mapping (brand term varies), and cap FPS to match your preference (60/120/144).
Smart TV Experience
Samsung QN90D (Tizen): Fast UI, wide app support, polished device control.
TCL QM8 (Google TV): Excellent recommendations; integrates well with Android/Google accounts.
Hisense U8N (Google/VIDAA): Snappy and straightforward; Google TV models have the widest app coverage.
Tip: If you hate home-screen ads, consider a clean streaming box and set the TV to power on to that HDMI.
Bright Room vs Dark Room
Sunlit living rooms: QN90D’s anti-glare coating + viewing angles are best; QM8 wins at sheer brightness for daytime sports.
Dim theaters: All three impress; use Filmmaker/Movie mode, drop contrast enhancer, and set warm color temperature for the most cinematic image.
Sizes & Value Notes
QM8 stands out at 75–98" for big-screen cost/performance.
U8N is the price-to-performance leader at 55–75".
QN90D costs more, but you feel it in polish, processing, and anti-glare—especially 65–85".
Which Should You Buy? (Personas)
Bright family room, lots of daytime TV & sports → TCL QM8“Give me max brightness and a big screen that cuts through glare.”
Mixed use: movies + gaming + casual TV with the best polish → Samsung QN90D“I want balanced brightness, clean processing, and slick smart features.”
Best bang for your buck with big HDR WOW → Hisense U8N“I want near-flagship punch without flagship pricing.”
Buyer’s Checklist (Copy/Paste)
Room type: bright (anti-glare, very high nits) vs dark (dimming finesse)
Size target: 65–85" is the living-room sweet spot; go 75"+ for theater feel
Gaming needs: 4K/120–144Hz, VRR, ALLM, HDMI 2.1 ports count
Calibration plan: Use Filmmaker/Movie mode; warm color temp
Audio: Plan a soundbar/AVR (eARC) for Atmos; TV speakers are a backup
Mount/stand: Check VESA and furniture width—big sets have wide feet
Setup Tips (Fast Wins)
Picture mode: Filmmaker/Movie/Cinema; set Warm 1/2 color temp.
Local dimming: High (then adjust to minimize blooming in your room).
Tone-mapping: Use HGIG (or equivalent) for consoles; disable dynamic contrast.
Motion: Set blur reduction low; turn off heavy judder smoothing for films.
Audio: Enable eARC, set TV to Passthrough/Bitstream, and match speaker channels.
FAQ
Is OLED still better for movies?OLED is unbeatable for perfect blacks in dark rooms. Mini-LED wins for brightness and glare control in bright spaces and costs less at very large sizes.
Do I need 4 HDMI 2.1 ports?If you have multiple next-gen consoles + a PC/receiver, yes. Otherwise 2 ports is fine.
Will these work as monitors?Yes—use PC mode or Game mode, set 4:4:4 chroma, and keep some distance at 65–75".
Final Verdict
Best overall polish & anti-glare: Samsung QN90D
Best big-screen value & daytime punch: TCL QM8
Best HDR pop per dollar: Hisense U8N
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