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Updated January 10, 2024·
Choosing between the Hisense U8K and the Sony X85K depends on what you prioritize: For better overall picture quality, stronger contrast, and superior performance in both dark and bright rooms, the Hisense U8K is a good choice. It's also better suited for gaming due to lower input lag and higher response time. Additionally, this TV has great sound with Dolby Atmos support, and its built-in voice commands can enhance your user experience. Conversely, if saving money is a priority and you watch a lot of sports or require a TV with a wide viewing angle, the Sony X85K could be more suitable. However, its performance in dark rooms is not as strong, it lacks local dimming which enhances contrast, and its speakers are not as powerful as those of the Hisense. 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 U8K (LCD)
- Best in class for bright room
- Very good for dark room
- Very good for gaming
- Very good for movies & TV
- Excellent for cartoons & animation
- Good for use as monitor
- Very good reflections
Advantages of the Sony X85K (LCD)
- Good for sports
- Best in class for upscaling
- Best in class motion processing
Key differences
Picture Quality
8.7
7.2
8.21/10
CONTRAST
7.50/10
9.2/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
7.4/10
miniLED FALD
PANEL TYPE
LED
VA
PANEL SUB-TYPE
VA
The Hisense U8K (LCD) has very good picture quality, while the Sony X85K (LCD) has good picture quality.
Movies & TV
8.5
6.4
8.21/10
CONTRAST
7.50/10
10.0/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
6.8/10
7.0/10
UPSCALING
10.0/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
Yes
HDR10+ SUPPORT
No
Yes
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
Yes
The Hisense U8K (LCD) is very good for movies & TV, while the Sony X85K (LCD) is only fair.
The Hisense U8K excels in movie watching due to its superior contrast, effective local dimming, and excellent black uniformity which enhance dark scene reproduction critical for cinematic content, despite having limited viewing angles. In contrast, the Sony X85K offers fair performance for movies with lower contrast and lack of local dimming, while its black uniformity and viewing angles are relatively better, though still less ideal for movie enthusiasts.
Sports
6.3
7.4
3.5/10
MOTION PROCESSING
10.0/10
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
7.6/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
7.3/10
7.0/10
UPSCALING
10.0/10
9.1/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.4/10
Yes
HLG SUPPORT
Yes
The Sony X85K (LCD) is good for sports, while the Hisense U8K (LCD) is only fair.
The Sony X85K is better for sports due to its superior motion processing which helps in rendering fast action clearly, while the Hisense U8K fair motion processing could result in blurrier fast-moving scenes. When it comes to reflections handling and viewing angles, both TVs do not excel, but the Sony X85K is slightly better, offering a marginally wider viewing angle and better handling of reflections which could be beneficial for watching games with friends in well-lit environments.
Gaming
8.6
7.5
6.8/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
7.6/10
7.6/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
7.3/10
3.5/10
MOTION PROCESSING
10.0/10
90.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
0.0/100
9.2/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
7.3/10
The Hisense U8K (LCD) is very good for gaming, while the Sony X85K (LCD) is good.
The Hisense U8K excels in gaming largely because of its superior response time and input lag, which are critical factors in providing a smoother gaming experience. In comparison, while the Sony X85K performs well in gaming, its response time and input lag are just good, making it slightly less optimal for fast-paced gaming sessions where these factors are very important.
Cartoons & Animation
9.1
8.5
8.3/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
7.5/10
9.2/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
7.4/10
9.1/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.4/10
8.6/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
9.1/10
7.0/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
7.5/10
The Hisense U8K (LCD) is excellent for cartoons & animation, while the Sony X85K (LCD) is very good.
The Hisense U8K excels at displaying cartoons and animation thanks to its very good colors straight out of the box and an excellent color gamut, ensuring vibrant and diverse hues. On the other hand, the Sony X85K provides an excellent color out of the box experience as well, but with a slightly less expansive color gamut and color volume, leading to a marginally less rich color representation.
Bright Room
9.7
7.4
5.3/10
VIEWING ANGLE
5.5/10
9.1/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.4/10
9.1/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
7.0/10
8.9/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
7.3/10
The Hisense U8K (LCD) is best in class for bright room, while the Sony X85K (LCD) is good.
The Hisense U8K is best for viewing in a bright room primarily due to its higher SDR and HDR brightness levels and superior handling of reflections, which ensures a clearer, more vibrant picture even under direct light. On the other hand, the Sony X85K, while still performing well in bright rooms with good SDR brightness and decent reflection handling, doesn't quite match the luminosity and clarity provided by the Hisense U8K, making it a slightly less optimal choice for very well-lit environments.
Cost
$1,798
$1,597
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Hisense U8K (LCD) has a price of $1,798 and the Sony X85K (LCD) costs $1,597.
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Key similarities
News, Talk, & Other TV
8.6
8.2
9.1/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.4/10
7.0/10
UPSCALING
10.0/10
The Hisense U8K (LCD) and Sony X85K (LCD) are both very good for news, talk, & other TV.
The Hisense U8K delivers excellent SDR brightness, which enhances the visibility and clarity of the content in bright rooms, and has very good color performance straight out of the box, contributing to vibrant and accurate news or talk show representations. On the other hand, the Sony X85K also offers very good SDR brightness conducive to well-lit environments, and excels in upscaling lower resolution content, ensuring that standard definition broadcasts are displayed with improved detail and clarity.
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How the Hisense U8K (LCD) and the Sony X85K (LCD) compare to other TVs
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Hisense U8K (LCD) | Sony X85K (LCD) |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,798 | $1,597 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | Hisense | Sony | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | August 4, 2023 | May 6, 2022 | |
Full name | |||
Full name | 85U8K | KD-85X85K | |
Screen Size | |||
Screen Size | 85" | 85" | |
Screen Resolution | |||
Screen Resolution | 4K | 4K | |
TV FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Operating System | |||
Operating System | Google TV | Android TV | |
Sound Quality Score | |||
Sound Quality Score | 8.3/10 | 6.9/10 | |
NextGen Ready | |||
NextGen Ready | Yes | Yes | |
HDMI Ports | |||
HDMI Ports | 4 | 4 | |
Coax Ports | |||
Coax Ports | 1 | 1 | |
DISPLAY QUALITY SCORES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Picture Quality Score | |||
Picture Quality Score | 8.7/10 | 7.3/10 | |
Bright Room Score | |||
Bright Room Score | 9.7/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 8.6/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Movies & TV Score | |||
Movies & TV Score | 8.5/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Sports Score | |||
Sports Score | 6.3/10 | 7.4/10 | |
PHYSICAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Dimensions w/o Stand (H x W x D) | |||
Dimensions w/o Stand (H x W x D) | 43.1" x 74.8" x 2.8" | 43" x 74.9" x 2.9" | |
Dimensions with Stand (H x W) | |||
Dimensions with Stand (H x W) | 45.7" x 74.8" | 46.4" x 74.9" | |
Weight without Stand | |||
Weight without Stand | 108.9 lbs | 98.5 lbs | |
VESA Mount | |||
VESA Mount | 600 x 400 | 400 x 400 | |
DISPLAY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Color Depth | |||
Color Depth | 10 bit | 10 bit | |
Black Frame Insertion | |||
Black Frame Insertion | Yes | Yes | |
Auto Low Latency Mode | |||
Auto Low Latency Mode | Yes | Yes | |
Contrast | |||
Contrast | 8.2/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Local Dimming | |||
Local Dimming | 8/10 | 2.5/10 | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Speaker Setup | |||
Speaker Setup | 2.1.2 | 2.0 | |
Speaker Power | |||
Speaker Power | 50 W | 20 W | |
Dolby Atmos | |||
Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes | |
DTS:X | |||
DTS:X | Yes | Up to DTS Digital Surround, Bypass only | |
Get a great deal on the Hisense U8K (LCD) or the Sony X85K (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 Sony
Sony stands as a highly experienced and widely trusted TV manufacturer, earning a reputation that surpasses all others. A Japanese company, Sony has been making TVs for far longs than it has been making Playstation game consoles. Sony's high-end TVs are often regarded as the ultimate choice for videophiles, representing the epitome of quality, albeit at a premium price point. Renowned for their advanced and precise motion handling, as well as their cutting-edge local dimming algorithms, Sony consistently delivers unparalleled performance in these areas. They include Google TV software with all their TV sets, which grants access to the largest selection of apps available and they also include Bravia Core which is a movie streaming platform specifically for Sony TVs that offers higher picture quality by using more bandwidth.
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