If you primarily watch movies in a dark room, the Hisense U8G has excellent contrast which will provide deep blacks and a good viewing experience. However, if you have a bright room, the TCL R655, with its higher peak brightness, would handle reflections and glare better. For sports and fast-paced gaming, both TVs have a high refresh rate, but if gaming features like variable refresh rate (VRR) are important to you, only the Hisense U8G supports it. If you value a more recent release with possibly longer software support, the TCL R655, being newer, may be more suitable. On the other hand, if saving some money while still getting great features is your priority, the slightly less expensive Hisense U8G should serve you well. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Hisense U8G (LCD)
Very good for movies & TV
Very good for news, talk, & other TV
Good for upscaling
Advantages of the TCL R655 (LCD)
Best in class for bright room
Very good for dark room
Key differences
News, Talk, & Other TV
8.6/10
7.2/10
8.8/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.1/10
7.5/10
UPSCALING
5.4/10
The Hisense U8G (LCD) is very good for news, talk, & other TV, while the TCL R655 (LCD) is good.
The Hisense U8G excels in upscaling and has very good colors out of the box, making it a strong choice for watching standard-definition content like news or talk shows. On the other hand, the TCL R655 offers excellent SDR brightness, benefiting visibility in well-lit rooms, and still provides good upscaling and color performance, but not to the same extent as the Hisense U8G.
Bright Room
8.9/10
9.5/10
5.3/10
VIEWING ANGLE
5.2/10
8.8/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.1/10
8.4/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.5/10
8.6/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
8.8/10
The TCL R655 (LCD) is best in class for bright room, while the Hisense U8G (LCD) is very good.
The TCL R655 performs best in bright rooms primarily due to its superior SDR brightness, ensuring clear visibility even under strong ambient light. Both the Hisense U8G and TCL R655 handle reflections very well, minimizing distraction from light sources, but the U8G has somewhat lower SDR brightness which may slightly reduce visibility in brightly lit environments.
The Hisense U8G (LCD) and TCL R655 (LCD) both have very good picture quality.
Movies & TV
8.0/10
7.9/10
7.63/10
CONTRAST
9.07/10
7.2/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
6.1/10
7.5/10
UPSCALING
5.4/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
Yes
HDR10+ SUPPORT
Yes
Yes
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
Yes
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Hisense U8G (LCD) to be very good for movies & TV, while the TCL R655 (LCD) is good.
The Hisense U8G excels in contrast and black uniformity, which are crucial for deep blacks in dark scenes, enhancing the movie-watching experience. The TCL R655 offers better color volume, which results in richer, more varied colors, yet its black uniformity is not as strong as the Hisense U8G.
Sports
6.4/10
6.6/10
3.9/10
MOTION PROCESSING
5.3/10
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
7.6/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
8.7/10
7.5/10
UPSCALING
5.4/10
8.8/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.1/10
Yes
HLG SUPPORT
Yes
The TCL R655 (LCD) and Hisense U8G (LCD) are both only fair for sports.
The Hisense U8G has a higher response time which is great for fast-moving sports action, but its motion processing is less effective compared to the TCL R655, which may affect how smooth the action appears. Both TVs handle reflections well and have similar viewing angles which might limit the view for wider seating, but the TCL R655 has slightly better gray uniformity which can be important when watching sports with uniform colors, like a football field.
Gaming
8.3/10
8.6/10
8.1/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
7.0/10
7.6/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
8.7/10
3.9/10
MOTION PROCESSING
5.3/10
80.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
85.0/100
8.6/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.8/10
The TCL R655 (LCD) and Hisense U8G (LCD) are both very good for gaming.
The Hisense U8G and TCL R655 both have 'Very Good' input lag, which ensures minimal delay between user actions and the on-screen response, crucial for gaming. Both models also have a 'Very Good' response time, resulting in less motion blur and clearer images during fast-paced gameplay.
Cartoons & Animation
8.6/10
8.7/10
8.1/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
7.6/10
7.7/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
8.2/10
8.8/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.1/10
9.0/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
7.7/10
6.4/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
8.2/10
The TCL R655 (LCD) and Hisense U8G (LCD) are both very good for cartoons & animation.
The Hisense U8G delivers excellent colors out of the box and has a very good color gamut, making cartoons and animation vibrant and true to life, while the TCL R655, with good colors out of the box and a very good color volume, ensures a wider range of shades are displayed effectively, though it may not appear as accurate initially as the U8G. Both TVs offer important capabilities for watching animated content with strong contrast and brightness, but the U8G's superior color accuracy makes it a slightly better choice for animations that rely heavily on color precision.
Cost
$971
$1,000
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Hisense U8G (LCD) has a price of $971 and the TCL R655 (LCD) costs $1,000.
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How the Hisense U8G (LCD) and the TCL R655 (LCD) compare to other TVs
"It has an excellent Roku interface, isn’t too expensive, has quantum dots and mini LED backlighting, and looks genuinely fantastic playing everything. If you’re in the market for a new TV, you should still start here. Gamers will like that it has a 120-Hz refresh rate at 4K, which is the maximum that a modern Xbox or Playstation 5 will put out—meaning the smoothest possible gaming and sports viewing in general. We’re no longer in the days of having to spend over $1,000 and spending a few hours on setup for decent black levels and great color accuracy and HDR"
Get a great deal on the Hisense U8G (LCD) or the TCL R655 (LCD)
About Hisense
Hisense, a Chinese TV manufacturer, entered the US market in approximately 2011 and has since acquired TV divisions from various companies such as Toshiba, Sharp, Hitachi, and NEC. Currently ranking as the fourth largest vendor in terms of sales volume, Hisense aims to capture a wide range of TV budget segments. They offer exceptional value with TVs that often outperform their competitors at similar price points, making them a compelling choice for consumers. In the US, they use Google TV as their smart TV software which provides the largest app selection and a very modern user interface, however it is not as user friendly as the software from other vendors.
About TCL
TCL, the highly recognizable TV brand from China, has firmly established itself as the second-largest manufacturer in terms of sales volume. Renowned for striking an impressive balance between affordability, picture quality, and design, TCL TVs deliver a compelling overall package. While they have traditionally excelled in the low-end and midrange TV segments, TCL has recently made remarkable strides in the realm of high-end televisions, introducing impressive models that rival top competitors. Most TCL TVs use Roku software which is very user friendly and easy to use, but they have a few other models that use Google TV which has the largest app selection, but is not as user friendly as Roku.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec TVs team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest TV information and makes it digestible for you.
By the numbers
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