Hisense 55U8QFTUK vs Samsung UE55TU8500, A Deep Dive into Two 55-Inch TV Titans

Picture yourself searching for the best 55-inch TV, as though it were a foolproof recipe for finding an ideal partner that shares your personality, likes and dislikes. And you need to act fast since the virtual shopping shelves are being replenished constantly with counterfeit models displaying unrealistic promises of breathtaking visual fidelity or the ultimate immersive home entertainment experience.

The Hisense 55U8QFTUK and the Samsung UE55TU8500 are two such models with a staggering commitment to excellence. To better explain the difference between the two, we’ve gone beyond the shallow surface analysis and dug deep into technical details and user experiences. ‘Just the facts, ma’am’, is the motto that inspired this comprehensive comparison of the two models. Its sole purpose is to help you narrow down your search when looking for a 55-inch TV by getting to the bottom of things and making the right decision for you.

Picture Quality: A Symphony of Colors and Clarity

And the best viewing experience you will get will be the one that has the best picture, and both of these are bright, beautiful 4K screens. Here they both look glorious but the reasons they look glorious are different, which means they feel different.

Hisense 55U8QFTUK: A Quantum Leap in Color Accuracy

With Quantum Dot technology, the Hisense 55U8QFTUK and other TVs ensure that every colour is more accurate and more vibrant than ever before. Quantum dots are extremely small semiconductor crystals that fluoresce at different wavelengths depending on their size. When illuminated, each quantum dot produces a precise colour of light. And, thanks to the range of quantum dot sizes available, LED displays (which combine numerous quantum dots) can present significant improvements in colour range compared with standard LED sets. This means better, more accurate, more saturated colours, hence – once again – an experience closer to real life. When you see HDR content on these screens, you truly feel transported into the universe or action you see or live through.

Samsung UE55TU8500: Crystal Processor 4K for Enhanced Detail and Clarity

Instead, the Samsung UI55TU8500 has the Crystal Processor 4K, a sophisticated image processor that uses algorithms to evaluate the incoming video signal then optimise detail, adjust colours and remove noise to create a sharp, clear and vibrant image. Samsung’s processor doesn’t quite deliver vibrancy in the way that Quantum Dot technology does, but it presents a delightful balance of detail that turns watching the television into a purposeful and entertaining activity. This is especially apparent in moments of fast action, and at least to my eyes, when the image is detailed yet smooth, but it tends to shine more when watching greater details, such as sweeping landscape scenes.

HDR: Unlocking a World of Visual Brilliance

HDR (High Dynamic Range) technology has brought television viewing to a new level of vividness. It vastly increases the range of colours and contrasts from the palette of light, allowing the viewer to have the sensation that they are seeing reality on their TV. Both the Hisense 55U8QFTUK and the Samsung UE55TU8500 feature HDR. But it’s the type of HDR that their respective TVs support that ultimately defines their visual capabilities.

Hisense 55U8QFTUK: A Comprehensive HDR Arsenal

The Hisense 55U8QFTUK supports the full gamut of high dynamic range – Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma). Dolby Vision is a premium HDR format with best-in-class colour accuracy and dynamic contrast, bringing cinema-grade dynamic range to the living room. HDR10 is a broadly adopted HDR format for UHD ecosystems. A high-quality HDR experience is guaranteed on a growing library of content. HLG is a broadcast-based HDR format, ensuring consistent HDR viewing experience across the programme supply chain, and allowing you to receive the benefits of HDR from live TV as well.

Samsung UE55TU8500: HDR10+ for Enhanced Contrast and Color

It comes with support for HDR10+ – the premium HDR format developed by Samsung in collaboration with Amazon – which promises peak contrast and colour on a frame-by-frame basis for an altogether more striking and cinematic look, particularly in scenes of high contrast and wide detail. This is tremendously enjoyable to watch, though bear in mind that HDR10+ content is a good deal less common than HDR10.

Sound Quality: Immerse Yourself in Audio Excellence

But truly immersive entertainment also means making audio match the action on screen. Both these TVs have great sound, but they take very different approaches.

Hisense 55U8QFTUK: Dolby Atmos for a Multi-Dimensional Soundscape

Dolby Atmos sound technology, which is offered in the Hisense 55U8QFTUK, brings a cocoon-like effect that literally puts you in the middle of the sound and gives ‘objects’ in the audio such precision and depth, the product refers to the system as Dolby Audio Dolby Surround Sound. In Dolby Atmos, many speakers create a three-dimensional layering of the elements, moving around you both in front and behind the screen.

So, Dolby Atmos immerses you in a specific atmosphere or environment of the film content. By immersing you in the scene and placing sounds around you with precision and fidelity, you feel like you are actually in the scene, a mood that puts an exclamation mark on any movie you watch. For gaming, this puts you in the centre of the action, as if you are there in the scene, allowing you to better hear and understand everything surrounding you in ways that make you more immersed and competitive.

Samsung UE55TU8500: Dolby Digital Plus for Enhanced Audio Fidelity

The UE55TU8500’s sound derives from Dolby Digital Plus. Though it can’t deliver the intoxicating ‘objects-based’ audio of Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital Plus assures heightened sound fidelity with clear dialogue and pushing bass. An excellent addition for binge-watchers and film fanatics, a quality sound system like the UE55TU8500 lets your favourite audio entertainment equal the cinematic blockbuster quality of the visual, it feels like you have no choice but to hear every word spoken as it happens, while seeing those speakers like the eyes of people with booming voices. Overall, it’s an excellent audio system. Although it may lack the supreme presence of a full nine.1.6 Atmos audio setup, it stands as a good compromise between clarity and power.

Smart Features: Navigating the World of Connected Entertainment

Smart features are now a must-have in an interconnected world, living rooms. Fortunately, both of these sets are smart, packing them full of features, but both implement different operating systems and ecosystems, each with a different take on how to navigate the world of connected content.

Hisense 55U8QFTUK: Android TV for a Vast App Ecosystem

It runs on Android TV, a popular, versatile operating system that lets you browse thousands of apps with easy-to-use interface and a library of apps that includes Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play Movies, and others, so you’ll have plenty of entertainment options on hand. Voice control allows you to address your Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, so you can control your TV with just your voice for a more efficient experience. Moreover, the streaming device has Chromecast integration.

Samsung UE55TU8500: Tizen for a User-Friendly Interface

This Samsung UE55TU8500 runs on Tizen, Samsung’s proprietary OS for TVs. Tizen has an intuitive interface with a whole selection of apps. These include Samsung’s TV Plus streaming service, which offers a selection of free live channels, and SmartThings, which you can use to control the smart home devices you have in your house. Tizen means your Samsung TV can become a central hub for all the connected bits of your home. You can also use your Samsung TV’s Bixby, Samsung’s virtual assistant, for voice commands to operate your TV. Bixby enables voice control for navigation, so you can move around your Samsung TV simply by speaking.

Price and Value: Finding the Sweet Spot Between Features and Affordability

Price can be a deciding factor, and you get a very good deal with any of them The Hisense 55U8QFTUK has usually been a little more expensive than the Samsung UE55TU8500, but given its picture quality, Dolby Atmos sound and comprehensive smart features, the Hisense model delivers a great deal, the type of high-end viewing experience that you usually pay a great deal more for. The Samsung UE55TU8500 does not quite offer you the best quality for your money in the same way that the Sony does, but it gives you about as you much for as little as you’re willing to spend. Its picture quality, its user interface and its array of smart features are competitive with what you might achieve in a more expensive TV. It offers a great picture, oriented around your value for money. You have to choose what’s most important to you.

Conclusion: A Tale of Two TVs, Both Exceptional in Their Own Right

The Hisense 55U8QFTUK TV and the Samsung UE55TU8500 TV are both great 55-inch TVs for different people, for different reasons. The Hisense 55U8QFTUK is the better choice if you want the most vivid pictures, the most immersive sound, and the most features, basically throwing you into two plus extra dimensions of entertainment. The Samsung UE55TU8500 is the better watch if you want things to be simple, focused and inexpensive, with the extra benefit of the Samsung ecosystem. Ultimately, the best device for you depends entirely on your taste and priorities. You should ask yourself whether the best screen or the best sound, or good gadgetry, is most important to you when you buy your next device.