RGB Mini LED for 16,990 CZK: Hisense 55UR8S is the most affordable way to new backlighting technology

RGB Mini LED was still a technology for giant and expensive TVs last year. This year, Hisense was one of the first to bring it to common screen sizes with the UR8S series, and the 55-inch model 55UR8S now costs 16,990 CZK on Alza. In May, it was selling for around 28,000.

Quick summary:
✅ Worth it for bright living rooms and gamers – it’s very bright, supports 180 Hz, and has four HDMI 2.1 ports.
⚠️ Don’t expect OLED: a halo appears around bright objects on a dark background, and blacks are not as deep.
💡 For 16,990 CZK plus a year of Antik TV worth 4,068 CZK after registration.

Colors directly from the backlight

Standard Mini LED TVs use blue or white diodes and build colors from layers of quantum dots and filters. With RGB Mini LED, the backlight has its own red, green, and blue diodes, so the light source directly produces the color.

Below that is a VA panel with 704 local dimming zones and a native 180 Hz refresh rate. The manufacturer states a peak brightness of 2,500 nits, and a matte anti-reflective layer helps in a bright room. It supports HDR in both Dolby Vision and HDR10+ formats.

Four HDMI 2.1 ports and a response time of around ten milliseconds

All four ports feature HDMI 2.1, one of which also has eARC for a soundbar. Consoles will run in 4K at 120 Hz, and PCs up to 180 Hz. The TV also supports VRR, ALLM, and FreeSync Premium Pro.

The sound was tuned by the French company Devialet. The 2.1.2 system has a power output of 50 W, including a built-in subwoofer, and supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. According to reviewers, it’s good enough for casual viewing that you won’t immediately need to consider a soundbar.

It’s not an OLED killer yet

Reviews agree on brightness and gaming features, but less so on contrast. Reviews highlight a halo around small bright objects on a dark background and weaker contrast when viewed from the side.

This is also important due to the price. In recent weeks, the 55-inch LG B6 OLED, which inherently achieves perfect blacks but will have much worse brightness, was sold for under 20,000. So it depends on where you want to use the TV.

For bright living rooms and gamers

For 16,990 CZK, the 55UR8S is particularly interesting where the TV is watched during the day, games are played on a console or PC, and where you want more colors than a standard LCD offers. For movies in a darkened room, an OLED makes more sense for similar money. Additionally, after registration, you get a year of Antik TV with over 160 channels and a 20-day archive. The Hisense 55UR8S now costs 16,990 CZK on Alza.

Would you give RGB Mini LED a chance, or do you remain loyal to OLED?