- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Our Verdict
- Video
- Test Results
- Differences
- Compared To Others
- Deals
- Discussions
The Hisense H8G is a very good budget TV and a nice upgrade over its predecessor, the Hisense H8F. It has a VA panel with a high contrast ratio and a full-array local dimming feature, allowing it to produce deep blacks for a great dark room viewing experience. It has decent reflection handling and can overcome glare easily in bright environments. There's very little blur in fast-moving content, as it has a quick response time and an optional Black Frame Insertion feature to further improve motion clarity. Its input lag is low enough for most casual gamers; however, it doesn't support any advanced gaming features like variable refresh rate (VRR) technology. Also, while it has a good color gamut to produce rich and saturated colors in HDR content, it doesn't get quite bright enough to truly make highlights stand out, especially if you're viewing in a well-lit room. On the upside, its Android TV interface is easy-to-use, and there are tons of apps available in the Google Play Store.
Our Verdict
The Hisense H8G is a very good TV for most uses. It's great for watching movies in dark rooms thanks to its excellent contrast ratio and full-array local dimming feature. The HDR experience is a bit limiting as it can't get quite bright enough to bring out some highlights. However, it has a good response time and very low input lag for gaming, and it's a good choice for watching TV shows or sports. It can get bright enough to combat glare, but you quickly lose image accuracy when viewing from the side.
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Displays deep blacks.
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Great SDR peak brightness.
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Incredibly low input lag.
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Narrow viewing angles.
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Limiting HDR experience.
The Hisense H8G is great for watching movies. It's able to display deep blacks and it has a full-array local dimming feature that further deepens any blacks. Also, 1080p content is upscaled almost as good as native 4k content. Sadly, the TV has some uniformity issues as there's a bit of dirty screen effect in the center, which is noticeable during panning shots.
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Displays deep blacks.
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Full-array local dimming.
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Upscales lower resolution content well.
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Some uniformity issues and visible dirty screen effect.
Good for TV shows. The Hisense H8G gets bright enough to combat glare, it has decent reflection handling, and it has okay built-in speakers. Unfortunately, it doesn't have wide viewing angles, so you lose image accuracy if you walk around while watching your favorite show. On the upside, the built-in Google Play Store has a massive selection of apps available, so you can likely find what you need.
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Great SDR peak brightness.
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Upscales lower resolution content well.
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Narrow viewing angles.
The Hisense H8G is good for watching sports. It has a good response time, with little motion blur behind fast-moving objects. If you place it in a bright room, it gets bright enough to combat glare and it has decent reflection handling. Unfortunately, the viewing angles are poor, so it's not ideal for watching the game with a big group of friends. There's also some dirty screen effect visible in the center, which could be distracting during sports.
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Great SDR peak brightness.
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Good response time.
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Narrow viewing angles.
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Some uniformity issues and visible dirty screen effect.
The Hisense H8G is great for video games. It has a good response time, a Black Frame Insertion feature to help reduce motion blur, and an incredibly low input lag in 'Game' mode. Its refresh rate is capped at 60Hz and it doesn't support any variable refresh rate technology, but it's a great choice for dark room gaming as it can produce deep blacks.
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Displays deep blacks.
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Good response time.
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Incredibly low input lag.
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No VRR support.
The Hisense H8G is good for watching movies in HDR. It displays the wide color gamut needed for HDR content, but unfortunately, it doesn't get bright enough in that mode to bring out highlights. However, it looks great in dark rooms thanks to its excellent contrast ratio, and it has a full-array local dimming feature to darken any blacks.
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Displays deep blacks.
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Full-array local dimming.
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Limiting HDR experience.
The Hisense H8G is good for HDR gaming, mainly due to its great gaming performance. It has a good response time, a very low input lag, and it's able to produce deep blacks when viewed in the dark. Its HDR performance is a bit limited, as even though it can display a wide color gamut, it doesn't get bright enough in that mode to bring out some highlights.
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Displays deep blacks.
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Good response time.
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Incredibly low input lag.
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Limiting HDR experience.
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No VRR support.
The Hisense H8G is a good choice for use as a PC monitor. It has a low input lag and can display proper chroma 4:4:4, which is important for reading text. Sadly, it has narrow viewing angles, so the image can look inaccurate at the sides if you sit too close. It has decent reflection handling and gets bright enough to overcome glare.
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Great SDR peak brightness.
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Good response time.
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Incredibly low input lag.
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Narrow viewing angles.
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Some uniformity issues and visible dirty screen effect.
- 7.8 Mixed Usage
- 8.0 Movies
- 7.6 TV Shows
- 7.5 Sports
- 7.9 Video Games
- 7.8 HDR Movies
- 7.8 HDR Gaming
- 7.7 PC Monitor
- Updated Jul 09, 2021: We added new local dimming videos that use real content.
- Updated May 19, 2021: Updated the firmware and confirmed ALLM support.
- Updated Mar 01, 2021: Verified that the interface is still ad-free.
- Updated Mar 01, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.6.
- Updated Jun 27, 2020: We've corrected the HDR10+ compatibility results based on the TV's specifications.
- Updated Jun 16, 2020: Review published.
- Updated Jun 11, 2020: Early access published.
Check Price
Video
Test Results
The Hisense H8G is an upper-mid range TV in Hisense's 2020 lineup. It sits below the Hisense H9G and above the Hisense H6570G. Its main competitors are other budget TVs, like the TCL 6 Series/R635 2020 QLED, the Vizio M7 Series Quantum 2020, and the Samsung Q60/Q60T QLED.
The Hisense H8G has a nice and simple design, similar to the Hisense H8F. The stand is made out of metal, and you can change the position of the feet to accommodate smaller tables, which is a nice feature.
The feet are made out of metal and are adjustable. The stand supports the TV fairly well, especially when the feet are in the widest position possible, but there's still some wobble.
Footprint of the 55" stand at the narrow position: 35.9" x 9.7"
Footprint of the 55" stand at the wide position: 43.9" x 9.7"
The top half of the back is metal, while the bottom half where the inputs are housed is made out of textured plastic. There are hooks for cable management which is something 2019's Hisense H9F doesn't have.
Three of the borders are thin while the bottom is a bit thicker, but it shouldn't be distracting.
This TV isn't very thick and doesn't stick out much when well-mounted.
The Hisense H8G has a decent build quality, but it doesn't have a premium build like other high-end TVs. The metal on the back and the plastic parts are solid. There's a bit of wobble when nudged, but overall, there aren't any obvious issues.
As is the case with most VA panels, the Hisense H8G's contrast ratio is excellent, allowing it to produce deep blacks. There's a local dimming feature; however, it doesn't improve the black level by much. Note that the contrast ratio can vary between individual units.
If you want a similar TV with a higher contrast ratio, check out the Vizio M8 Series Quantum 2020.
Great peak brightness. The Hisense H8G gets bright enough to combat glare and it's a good improvement over the Hisense H8F. Sadly, the brightness changes with varied content. If you want a brighter TV, look into the TCL 6 Series/R635 2020 QLED.
We measured the SDR peak brightness after calibration in the 'Theater Night' Picture Mode, with Backlight set to 'Max' and Local Dimming set to 'High'.
If you don't mind losing a bit of image accuracy, you can get a brighter image by setting the Picture Mode to 'Vivid' and Local Dimming to 'High'. We achieved 666 cd/m² in the 10% window with these settings.
Update 07/09/2021: We've added two new videos demonstrating the local dimming feature with real content.
The Hisense H8G has a decent full-array local dimming feature. It handles blooming pretty well and zone transitions are quick, but it tends to crush small light sources. In regular content, small lights in the background don't stand out at all, even though there's some blooming around them.
Update 07/09/2021: We've added two new videos demonstrating the local dimming feature with real content.
The local dimming feature performs identically in Game Mode, with no reduction in picture quality or increased blooming.
The HDR peak brightness is just okay, but it isn't enough to bring out highlights and varies a lot depending on the content. If you want a similar TV that gets much brighter in HDR, check out the Hisense H9G.
We measured the HDR peak brightness before calibration in the 'HDR Theater' Picture Mode, with Local Dimming set to 'High', and Backlight set to 'Max'. Use these settings if you want the brightest image possible, as they allowed us to reach 679 cd/m² in the 10% window.
Our Hisense H8G has decent gray uniformity; however, this can vary between units. There's a lot less vignetting than on the Hisense H8F, but there's still some dirty screen effect in the center, which is visible during sports or panning shots. In near-dark scenes, the entire screen is a bit more uniform.
Black uniformity is decent, but this can vary between units. Without local dimming, there's visible backlight bleed in the corners and some clouding and here and there. Uniformity is better throughout with local dimming enabled, but blooming around the test cross is much more noticeable.
Like most VA panel TVs, the viewing angles are poor and you quickly lose image accuracy when viewing from the side. There's an Enhanced Viewing Angle setting, but it doesn't improve the viewing angles and causes some sub-pixel dithering.
The Hisense H8G has decent reflection handling, but it's not as good as the Hisense U6G. It handles a small amount of light well but struggles in well-lit rooms, so it's not ideal to place opposite a window. If you want a TV with better reflection handling, then check out the LG NANO90.
The Hisense H8G has okay out-of-the-box color accuracy, but this can vary between individual units. Most colors are fairly accurate, but white balance is noticeably off. The color temperature is a bit warmer than our 6500K target, giving the image has a red/yellow tint. Gamma doesn't follow the 2.2 target all that well, as both dark and bright scenes are over-brightened.
After calibration, the color accuracy is outstanding. There's almost no visible inaccuracies in colors and shades of gray, and the gamma is closer to the target curve. The color temperature is much closer to the 6500k target but still slightly on the warm side.
You can see our recommended settings here.
The Hisense H8G upscales 480p content, like from DVDs, well without any issues.
4k content is displayed perfectly and there are no visible issues. If the Enhanced Viewing Angle setting is enabled, there's some sub-pixel dithering, so it's not recommended to use it.
Like the Hisense H8F, this TV uses a BGR pixel layout. Enabling the Enhanced Viewing Angle setting causes sub-pixel dithering, as you can see here.
This TV has a very good wide color gamut. It has outstanding coverage of the DCI P3 color space used in most HDR content, but it has limited coverage of the wider Rec. 2020 color space. If you want a similar TV with an even wider color gamut, check out the TCL 5 Series/S535 2020 QLED.
The EOTF follows the target curve very well until it rolls off at its peak brightness. The EOTF in 'Game' mode is nearly identical, as you can see here.
If you find HDR too dim, set the Picture Mode to 'HDR Theater' and Local Dimming to 'High'. This doesn't make the picture that much brighter, as you can see the EOTF here.
Decent color volume. Due to its excellent contrast ratio, it can produce deep, saturated colors. It has trouble displaying very bright blues, which is typical for LCD TVs.
The Hisense H8G has decent gradient handling, better than the Hisense H8F and closer to the Hisense H9F. There's banding in every dark color, and it's more noticeable with dark grays and greens. The Noise Reduction and Digital Noise Reduction settings don't improve the performance.
There are no signs of temporary image retention, even immediately after displaying our high-contrast static test image for 10 minutes. Note that temporary image retention can vary between units.
We don't expect VA panels to experience permanent image retention, as the VA panel in our long-term test appears immune.
Good response time, much better than the Hisense H8F. There's no visible overshoot, but it's a little slow in the 0-20% transition, causing a bit more motion blur in dark scenes.
Although the backlight uses Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) to dim its backlight, the flicker frequency is extremely high and shouldn't bother most people.
There's an optional Black Frame Insertion feature, called Motion Clearness that helps reduce motion blur. It reduces the flicker frequency to 60Hz, and there's less duplication in motion than the Hisense H8F.
This TV can interpolate lower frame rate content up to 60fps, but it isn't very effective as it seems to come on/off during movies. That said, it shouldn't be noticeable for most people. To use motion interpolation, set both Judder and Blur Reduction to '10'.
See our recommended settings here.
Since this TV has a good response time, there's a bit of stutter with 24fps content as each frame is held longer, but almost none with 60fps content.
The Hisense H8G can remove judder from native 24p content, like Blu-ray players or native apps. To remove judder, set Motion Enhancement to 'Film'.
This TV has a 60Hz refresh rate and doesn't support any variable refresh rate technology. If you want a similar TV that supports VRR, check out the Vizio M7 Series Quantum 2020.
The Hisense H8G has an incredibly low input lag, low enough to please most casual most gamers. To get the lowest low input lag, set the Picture Mode to 'Game'. Sadly, it doesn't automatically change picture modes when you start playing.
This TV supports all common resolutions at 60Hz, but 1440p must be forced through a custom resolution. It displays proper chroma 4:4:4, which is important for reading text, as long as it's in 'Game' mode. To get HDMI 2.0's full bandwidth, set HDMI Format to 'Enhanced'.
Update 05/19/2021: We updated the TV to firmware K1016 and it now has an Auto Low Latency Mode. For it to work, you need to enable Content Type Auto Detection. With this update, it's also able to support 4k @ 60Hz gaming in HDR with both the PS5 and Xbox Series X, whereas it only worked with the PS5 before the update.
The Hisense H8G supports any resolution up to 60Hz from either gaming console.
Update 06/27/2020: Hisense claims that this TV supports HDR10+, but we weren't able to get it to work with Amazon Prime Video. We can't currently test this more than that, unfortunately, but we've decided to list HDR10+ support based on the manufacturer's reported specifications.
This TV can pass both DTS and Dolby Digital via ARC or optical, which is great, but it doesn't support eARC.
The Hisense H8G has an okay frequency response, better than both the Hisense H8F and Hisense H9F. The bass has some punch to it, but it doesn't get low enough to produce any thump or rumble. It gets very loud and is reasonably well-balanced, which is great for dialogue.
Mediocre distortion performance. There's only a bit of distortion at moderate listening levels, but it increases significantly at max volume. However, it isn't always audible as it depends a lot on the content.
The Hisense H8G runs on Android TV. It's fairly easy to use and operates somewhat smoothly.
Update 02/25/2021: We still haven't seen any ads, even though they appear on the Hisense H9G. Let us know if you've noticed any ads on your H8G.
This TV is currently ad-free, but it's possible to include ads in the future, as seen on other Android TVs, such as the H9G and the Sony X950H.
Android TV's Google Play Store offers a massive selection of apps available to download.
The Hisense H8G has the same remote as the one from past models. It has quick-access buttons to popular streaming services and it has a built-in mic for voice control through Google Assistant.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 55 inch Hisense H8G (55H8G) and we expect our results to be valid for the 50" (50H8G), 65" (65H8G), and 75" (75H8G) models. In Canada, this model is known as the Q8G, and it seems this model supports HDR10+.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their Hisense H8G doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we'll update the review. Note that some tests such as the gray uniformity may vary between individual units.
| Size | US Model | Canada Model | Panel Type | Refresh Rate | Notes |
| 50" | 50H8G | 50Q8G | VA | 60Hz | |
| 55" | 55H8G | 55Q8G | VA | 60Hz | |
| 65" | 65H8G | 65Q8G | VA | 60Hz | |
| 75" | 75H8G | 75Q8G | VA | 60Hz |
The unit we reviewed was manufactured in Jan. 2020; you can see the label here.
Compared To Other TVs
The Hisense H8G is a very good TV with a budget-friendly price. It performs better than most other budget TVs, and if HDR experience isn't all that important to you, it's a good alternative to high-end models. Compared to the previous model, the Hisense H8F, this is a good upgrade, but newer models, like the Hisense U6G, are better. Also see our recommendations for the best budget TVs, the best smart TVs, and the best TVs under $1500.
The Hisense U6G is better than the Hisense H8G. The U6G has much better black uniformity and better reflection handling, so it's a bit more versatile. The U6G also has a slightly faster response time, and the unit we tested has better gray uniformity.
The Hisense H9G is much better than the Hisense H8G. The H9G has a much higher contrast ratio, it gets much brighter, and it handles reflections better. It also has a much quicker response time and it has better built-in speakers. However, the H8G has better out-of-the-box color accuracy and it has a lower input lag.
The Hisense U8G is much better than the Hisense H8G. The U8G has much better reflection handling and significantly higher peak brightness, so it looks better in a bright room. The U8G has slightly better contrast and a better local dimming feature, so dark room performance is better, too. Finally, the U8G has a wide array of gaming features, including support for a 120Hz refresh rate, variable refresh rate support, and 2 HDMI 2.1 ports.
The Hisense H8G is much better than the Hisense A6G we tested. The A6G uses different panel types with different sizes, so the exact performance difference may vary. The H8G has a full array local dimming feature and much higher peak brightness in SDR and HDR. Thanks to the VA panel, the H8G also has much better contrast and better black uniformity, but this comes at the expense of viewing angle, as the A6G remains accurate to a much wider viewing angle.
The Hisense H8G is better overall than the Samsung Q60/Q60T QLED. The Hisense has a full-array local dimming feature, a quicker response time, and it's able to remove judder from any 24p source. The Samsung has a better native contrast ratio and black uniformity, so it may be better suited for watching movies in the dark. The Samsung also has much better out-of-the-box color accuracy, although this can vary between units.
Although they're both budget TVs, the Hisense H8G is better overall than the Samsung TU8000. The Hisense gets much brighter and has slightly better reflection handling, so it's a better choice for bright room viewing. It also displays a wider color gamut and has a full-array local dimming feature for an improved HDR experience. The Samsung has a better contrast ratio, but this can also vary between units.
The Hisense H8G is a good improvement of its predecessor, the Hisense H8F. It gets brighter, has a much faster response time, the full-array local dimming feature is better, and it has better built-in speakers. The H8F has better native contrast and it has better out-of-the-box color accuracy.
The Hisense U7G is better than the model it replaces, the Hisense H8G. The U7G has better contrast, higher peak brightness, and a wider color gamut. The U7G is better for gaming, with an upgraded 120Hz panel and support for new gaming features like FreeSync. The smart interface on the U7G is also a bit faster and smoother in general, but it's no longer ad-free.
The TCL 6 Series/R635 2020 is somewhat better than the Hisense H8G. The TCL gets much brighter, it displays a much wider color gamut, it has a quicker response time, and has VRR support. However, the Hisense has a much lower input lag, better gradient handling, better reflection handling, and the local dimming feature performs better.
The Hisense H8G is slightly better than the TCL 5 Series/S535 2020. The Hisense gets brighter and it has better reflection handling, so it's a better choice for well-lit environments. However, the TCL has a better contrast ratio, wider color gamut, better gradient handling, and the built-in Roku TV is easier to use.
The LG CX OLED is much better than the Hisense H8G. The CX can individually turn off pixels, resulting in deep blacks and perfect black uniformity. It also has a near-instantaneous response time, better out-of-the-box color accuracy, wider viewing angles, significantly improved reflection handling, a wider color gamut, and it's packed with other features like a variable refresh rate technology. On the other hand, the Hisense gets brighter and it doesn't have the permanent burn-in risk associated with OLED TVs.
The Hisense H8G is better than the LG UP8000 for most uses, mainly because it has a significantly higher contrast ratio and full-array local dimming; this means it can display much deeper blacks. It also has a better color gamut and gets a lot brighter in SDR and HDR. However, the LG has better viewing angles, making it more ideal for wide seating areas. Although both TVs score similarly for response time, the Hisense delivers clearer motion because its backlight flickers at a much higher frequency, which causes less image duplication, and has an optional Black Frame Insertion feature to further improve clarity.
The Hisense H8G is significantly better than the Hisense H6570G. The H8G gets much brighter, it displays a wide color gamut for HDR, and it has a local dimming feature. It also has a quicker response time and lower input lag. However, the H6570G has better out-of-the-box color accuracy, but this may vary between units.
The Hisense H9F is a bit better than the Hisense H8G. The H9F gets much brighter, especially in HDR, has a better contrast ratio, it handles reflections a lot better, and the response time is much quicker. On the other hand, the H8G has a lower input lag and it has better built-in speakers.
The Hisense H8G is a bit better overall than the LG NANO90 2020, but they have different panels. The Hisense has a VA panel, resulting in an excellent contrast ratio and narrow viewing angles. It also supports HDR10+, gets brighter, and has a lower input lag. The IPS panel on the LG has a low contrast ratio and wide viewing angles. Also, the LG has better reflection handling, a higher refresh rate, and quicker response time.
The Vizio M Series Quantum 2019 is a bit better than the Hisense H8G. The Vizio displays deeper blacks and its local dimming feature is better. It also produces a much wider color gamut, has better out-of-the-box color accuracy, and the response time is quicker. Meanwhile, the Hisense gets brighter, it upscales lower resolution content better, and the built-in Android TV is easier to use and it has apps available to download.
The Vizio M8 Series Quantum 2020 and the Hisense H8G are very similar TVs overall, with only a couple of differences. The Vizio has a higher contrast ratio, better color gamut, and variable refresh rate support. On the other hand, the Hisense has a better local dimming feature, faster response time, and it gets brighter.
The Hisense H8G is marginally better than the Vizio M7 Series Quantum 2020. The Hisense has a better local dimming feature, it gets brighter, and its Android TV platform runs smoother and has more apps. On the other hand, the Vizio has a much better HDR color gamut, and it supports variable refresh rate technology to reduce screen tearing when gaming.
The Hisense H8G and the TCL 6 Series/R625 2019 are two very similar TVs. The TCL gets brighter, displays a wider color gamut, can remove judder from any source, and it has slightly better contrast and much better black uniformity. Meanwhile, the Hisense has better reflection handling, more accurate colors out of the box, and a much quicker response time, resulting in less motion blur.
The LG GX OLED is much better than the Hisense H8G, but they have different features. The LG is a high-end OLED that doesn't come with a stand because it's meant to sit flush against the wall. Its self-emitting pixels create an infinite contrast ratio and wide viewing angles, and it's packed with gaming features such as VRR support. However, the Hisense is a basic, entry-level model that gets brighter than the LG and its LED panel appears to be immune to permanent burn-in.