The Hisense 85″ UX Mini-LED X ULED 4K TV (we’re going with 85UX) is a big, handsome machine – we put it through its paces
We set the 85UX up at Tech HQ and indulged in some after-hours testing. The TV comes with a wall mount and a pair of simple, sturdy legs. We found setting it up simple and intuitive, and the legs have two installation options – 461 mm or 1 725 mm apart – so finding a cabinet for the big panel should be easy. You’ll probably need a buddy to help, as there’s quite a bit of heft to the TV, as you’d expect.
The UX range has some interesting tech that allows it to compete with the famously high-contrast OLED market. Mini-LED X is for the display part. The panel contains more than 20 000 mini-LEDs with 5 000 local dimming zones, good for a 150 000:1 contrast ratio and 2 500 nits of peak brightness in HDR. And we can confirm that it is super bright, possibly the brightest we have seen. Hisense’s proprietary Hi-View Engine X, we’re told, uses AI to simulate human brain patters; we’re not sure what that means or does, but it results in a rich viewing experience. Hisense’s self-developed 8107 chipset uses 16-bit computing power, allowing it to output up to 65 536 brightness levels, for an extremely dynamic display at a native 120 Hz refresh rate. UX supports both Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+, and is certified IMAX Enhanced.
The screen has a chunky bezel that conceals a seven-speaker CineStage X-Surround 4.1.2 surround sound system, with a subwoofer at the rear. You may already have a sound system or soundbar, but if you don’t, maybe try the TV on its own first before ordering anything. That said, it is WISA-ready, so if you do get external speakers, they can be wireless, which is nice. It gets plenty loud while retaining impressive clarity – we took a walk to see how far away from the set we could get and still enjoy the music we were listening to (In Rainbows – From the Basement by Radiohead) and ran out of office before we ran out of audio. The sound also stays perfectly clean and undistorted even at somewhat irresponsible levels, which we like a lot.
We also made some time for gaming, something Hisense touts the 85UX as ideal for. We stayed at the office much longer than we anticipated, trying out some racing, some platforming, some more involved racing, some FPS-ing and some more stressful platforming – we won’t say you need a screen this size for, say, Mario Kart 8, but for more graphically impressive games, 4K at 120 Hz will make a big difference, and the 85UX also includes Hisense’s 144 Hz Game Mode Pro. Input lag is unnoticeable and response time was great (but we’re not pro gamers). We hope you have a big gaming room.
The TV runs on the VIDAA U7 operating system, and comes with all of your favourite streaming apps – Netflix, DStv, YouTube, Apple TV and more – installed, some with a shortcut button right on the remote. It’s also compatible with Apple Airplay and Apple Home, so if you’ve bought into the Apple ecosystem, you can soon be streaming and changing channels from the bathtub using your Apple Watch or iPhone.
We really don’t have any complaints about this TV. It has a wide dynamic range and exceptional audio for all kinds of content, an extremely wide viewing angle so you can have everyone – and we mean everyone – around for the game on Sunday, and its brightness, contrast and clarity make for a truly hypnotic experience. More than once, we found ourselves just kind of staring blankly at the HD test videos we were watching, because the picture is just that impressive. It sports lots of forwards-facing tech and a smooth user interface, and seems to cater for everyone, whether you’re into sports, nature doccies, action movies or gaming.
Highlights:
- Very bright
- Impressive contrast, very dark blacks
- Extremely wide viewing angle
- Great audio at any volume
