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Bluetti PV120/PV200 Solar Panels Released, What’s New?

AndroidGuys
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Heading out into the wilderness or hitting the open road helps you leave behind the daily stresses of work and life. However, when your emergency weather radio battery runs low or your phone is down to a 5% charge, it changes everything. Portable solar panels and solar generators are great to keep you powered when dry camping or during the off-grid excursion. With these, you can easily dip your toes in the solar power waters.

They are also great if you only need to generate electricity via solar energy on occasion. Also, portable solar systems are a great way to complement an existing installation of rooftop panels. They give you a bit of flexibility when it comes to parking in less than ideal solar locations.

Bluetti’s solar panel product line has a shorter history than their power stations: the first one SP120 was released on July 2020 along with the super star AC200 power station. And later in Jan, 2021, they announced the bigger 200-watt SP200 with their first household power center EP500/Pro. Both the SP120 and 200 are widely loved by solar generator users around the world and the SP200’s have been my personal favorite portable solar by far. 

But in this fall, Bluetti has updated their solar panel product line with two brand new arrivals – the PV120 and the PV200 along with the brand’s new expandable power stations AC300 and AC200MAX.

Before you buy, let’s take a a closer look at them today and see what’s changed compare to the previous SP solar panels.

Overall Design

The PV series has an integrated handle made from blue ABS material and a smaller logo on it, adding to the more modish design, while the SP series has black rubber handles and a much more eye-catching “BLUETTI” logo on the end of each panel.

The PV series features a one-piece waterproof coating design that encapsulates all of the solar cells, while the panels on the SP series are stitched together on one giant raw canvas.

The PV series removed the metal rings (used for hanging up the solar panel with rope or hooks) that can be found on the SP series.
The SP Series’s Has 2 Metal Rings Like These On Each End Of the Panel

The kickstand of the PV series features a new snap fastener design, which allows the solar panel more angle adjusting options.
Both the PV and SP series are about the same dimensions. However, the PV solar panels are slightly heavier (by ≈2 pounds) due to the advanced waterproof coating.

Efficiency

Before we get into the solar panel efficiency, let’s cover some basic concepts about the solar battery cell: Monocrystalline. It is constructed from a single large silicon crystal. Monocrystalline panels are arguably the most effective because they’re able to produce a high amount of power even when sunlight is lacking. In terms of efficiency, monocrystalline solar panels are the best. While they’re the most expensive of the three types(Monocrystalline, Polycrystalline, Amorphous), they’re usually the most durable and least sensitive to high temperatures.

Both Bluetti’s PV and SP solar panels are made of monocrystalline, which brings similar overall efficiency around 23%~24%. It’s safe to say that they are all the best portable panels in this industry.

Shade Performance

Shade is your enemy when it comes to solar power. Partial shading of the system also matters as all panels in a section need to run at the same voltage; if one panel is shaded even partially, this will bring down the production of the whole system. We’ve also encountered this issue with Bluetti’s SP200 panels, 10% of area shading may cause a shockingly 40% or more power loss to the whole solar array, The same thing can happen with panels from other brands.

And here’s where the most important upgrade happens with Bluetti’s new panels: They changed the connection type of solar battery cells from series connection to parallel! Which means each circuit on the panel can run as an individual and at the same voltage, you will only lose the power of the area with shadows but the impact to your whole system would be nominal.

When solar panels are exposed to shady conditions, their efficiency drops, and their performance suffers as a result. Environmental obstructions such as trees or nearby buildings, clouds, self-shading between panels in parallel rows, dirt, dust, and various other trash such as bird droppings, all cause shading. But now, you can get rid of all these troubles with BLUETTI’s PV200 or PV120.

Where to Buy

Bluetti’s new PV panels are now on hot sale with their solar generator bundles. The 200W PV200 was listed for $549 per piece, and the 120W version for $399 but with an AC200P and three PV200 bundle, you can get the 200W panels for as low as $425 each! 

The sale will end at PDT 7:00pm on September 30th , only a week left! Grab your discount while it lasts: https://www.bluettipower.com/pages/ac300debutsale

BLUETTI PV200 Panels and AC300 Power System In Field

HOT DEAL: Purchase 3 years of PlayStation Plus for just $120 and receive $20 in store credit

AndroidGuys
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The Nitty Gritty: Readers can purchase three years of PlayStation Plus for just $120 right now and pick up a $20 credit for a future purchase.

 

Heads up PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 owners, we have an incredible offer that you’ll find impossible to resist. For a limited time you can pick up three years of PlayStation Plus for as low as $120.

If you’ve ever purchased a year of the online gaming service and perks, you know that it normally runs $59.99 per year. So, throw three of them together and you’d typically be looking at $180 for the bundle. 

Limited Time Offer!

For a limited time you can save $60 on the purchase, getting all three codes for just $120, a savings of 33% on the order. That puts each year of PlayStation Plus at only $40 each. 

About

Take your PlayStation experience to the next level with PlayStation Plus! Connect with an enormous online community of gamers to compete in PS classics like Star Wars: Battlefront, Uncharted, and many more.

If that’s not reason enough to pull the trigger, the subscription also delivers an epic monthly collection of free games, in a library that is constantly expanding. Topped off with exclusive discounts, this membership pays for itself on day one.

Stack ’em or Share ’em!

The best part about this offer is that you do not have to use all three redemption codes on one account. Sure, you can stack them all at one time and be good for the next three years, or you can give them away to friends or family. It’s graduation season and dads always appreciate a good gift card.

Grab three years of PlayStation Plus for $120 in the AG Deals Store.

Receive a store credit!

A few days after your purchase you’ll receive a $20 credit from the AG Deals Store which can be used on whatever you’d like!

What is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870?

Scott Webster
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If you pay close attention to smartphones and their specifications, you’ve surely seen quite a bit of emphasis around the mobile processor. As the brain that powers the overall experience, the chipset is largely responsible for many of the other features that come with your handset.

It’s the processor that determines the quality of screen, cameras, Wi-Fi speed, and other details found in your favorite phone. It’s even responsible for how fast you can charge your device.

Qualcomm, one of the leaders in the mobile processor space, has quite a large portfolio of CPUs, with products that speak to a wide user base.

Here, we’ll showcase some of the key reasons why the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 processor is so important. As 2021 draws to a close this is one of the premier models on the market, powering many a flagship experience.

While it won’t be an exhaustive look at the chip, it will help you get a better understanding as to the types of phones that can be built using the CPU.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 features

  • CPU Clock Speed: Up to 3.2GHz
  • GPU: Qualcomm Adreno 650 GPU
  • Maximum device display: 4K resolution at 60Hz, QHD+ resolution at 144Hz
  • Display features: HDR10+, HDR10
  • Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 6 technology with support for 2.4GHz, 5GHz
  • Fingerprint Sensor: Qualcomm 3D Sonic, Qualcomm 3D Sonic Max (In-Display)
  • Camera:
    • Dual Camera, ZSL, 30fps: Up to 25 MP
    • Single Camera, MFNR, ZSL, 30fps: Up to 64 MP
    • Single Camera: Up to 200 MP
  • Network Connectivity: Up to 7.5Gbps (5G)
    • 8 carriers (mmWave)
    • 800 MHz bandwidth (mmWave)
    • 200 MHz bandwidth (sub-6 GHz)
  • Charging: Quick Charge 4+

Android phones can now work as Google TV remote

Scott Webster
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Google on Thursday confirmed the rollout of a new Google TV feature that will let people use their phones and tablets as remote controls.

Chances are pretty good that while you may occasionally, or often, lose track of the remote or wand for controlling Google TV, you’ll likely have eyes on your phone. As such, you can use your Android phone to power on your TV, navigate recommendations, and start shows.

Further, and more helpful than using an actual remote control, you can use the phone to type out passwords and search for movies and shows. Or, copy and paste movie titles or actors into a search bar. It’s a heck of a lot easier than tapping a cursor in different directions.

The remote tool can be accessed in one of two methods: via a remote tile in your device’s quick settings or through the Google TV app. Speaking of which, Google is bringing that to another 14 countries in the next few weeks.

Google enhances the vehicle experience with updates to Android Auto, Google Assistant

Scott Webster
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Google on Thursday announced new versions of its Android Auto and Google Assistant driving mode experience, improving the ways in which drivers interact with their phones and vehicles.

New to Android Auto are features that include recommendations for music, news, and podcasts whenever the app starts. Moreover, you’ll also be able to enjoy Gamesnacks, or bite-sized games on the in-car display. These titles will be playable when parked or while waiting on your vehicle to charge or for that Doordash delivery.

Additionally, dual-SIM phone users can now pick which SIM to use for making calls through Android Auto. Further, it will support work profiles, meaning it will show you upcoming messages and scheduled meetings.

Perhaps the coolest feature, though, is the new “Hey Google, pay for gas” command which does just that – it lets users pay for gas through contactless payment in Google Pay. You’ll simply select the pump number and complete the transaction. Things get started at some 32,500 locations across the US with Exxon, Mobil, Conoco, Phillips 66, and 76 stations.

Google Assistant driving mode is more or less being pulled out of the Google Maps experience and into the virtual assistant. In the near future users will be able to say “Hey Google, let’s drive” to open the driving mode dashboard.

The dashboard will present glanceable cards which can be tapped on for starting navigation, checking recent calls and text, and resuming media from a host of services. Among those will be Amazon Music, Audible, iHeartRadio, Pandora, SoundCloud, Spotify, YouTube Music, and others.

Those of you who drive an electric vehicle will soon be able to take advantage of another command, “Hey Google, find me a charging station”. Using just your voice, the in-dash experience will show you real-time availability, payment types, and speed preferences.

Looking ahead, Honda will join the ranks of manufacturers offering the full built-in infotainment experience with Google Assistant, Google Maps, and more. The newest partner will launch its first Android Auto vehicles in 2022.

yeedi Vac Station review

Andrew Allen
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Nobody wants to be a slob. Surely you were raised to keep a clean bedroom and personal space. The truth is, as we find out, things are easier said than done.

You need a regular cleaning routine to maintain some sanity and sanitation. Thankfully, keeping that routine couldn’t be easier these days. Yeedi has made an attempt to make this even smoother with a 3-in-1 vacuum station. Does it succeed? Let’s find out in this full review.

Design

While yeedi won’t win any awards for disrupting the way a robo vacuum should look, the Vac Station will do a great job of winning you over. The construction is solid and all the connections and gadgets onboard seem sturdy.

On the “front” you have a bumper system that helps the yeedi bounce of objects with just a slight tap. To the rear, you can see the dust bin. Underneath this same area are the attachment mounts for the optional mopping combo.

Just above the dust bin is the top-loaded door to remove the bin and a cleaning brush. Also, the top side is a camera to help with the system’s 3D mapping (more on that later) and the power button. One note on power buttons. This LED button on the top basically just starts and pauses auto clean. A true power switch can be found under the door to the dust bin.

App and scheduling

On opening the box, the included materials do a good job of walking you through the setup process of getting the app. Once downloaded and the account created, you are then ready for your first zoom around the house.

Once the first few auto-cleaning cycles are completed, you can start to clean specific areas or designated rooms. I love to use this feature for the most trafficked segment of my house while maybe only hitting less traveled areas once a week.

Scheduling is just as easy. You also set these to the entire house or your rooms. Under cleaning schedules, you simply add a time and days you want the yeedi vac station to run and it takes care of the rest. If you can set an alarm on your phone, then you can get this setup. Just make sure doors to all the rooms on those days are open.

While the app does a great job of mapping the entirety of the house, I wish it was a little more granular with the room selections. Other apps have the ability to edit the outline of individual areas slightly better after the initial setup is complete. I have a large, open floor plan but don’t always want to clean the entire footprint each time. I wish I could split certain areas the yeedi sees as one large room.

Cleaning

With the power of 3D cameras, a .45-liter internal dust bin, and the optional .25-liter mopping tank, yeedi has a really robust system for cleaning. The main vacuum on the yeedi station has 3000Pa suction and it shows. I haven’t met much debris this thing won’t pick up.

Pair that with the rollers for pet hair and the intelligent floor identification and any surface in your home is well supported. The intelligent floor feature creates separate programming as the rollers get more resistance from things like carpet. This ramps up the suction of the vac and the RPMs of the rollers.

My one fault if I had to pick one out is the mop. While it will remove light dirt or drink marks off the floor, it’s far from a hand-mopped result. Now, this isn’t exclusive to the yeedi vac station and is something I’ve seen with every mop on a robo device. However, I wanted to point that out.

Cleans up the major flaw in robo vacs

The station is a real game-changer that yeedi has brought to the segment. Essentially, you have two vacuums in the combo. Of course, you have the vacuum on the robotic disc jogging thru your home, but the charger station has one as well.

What happens is that every time the yeedi vac needs to top off a charge or a cleaning cycle is completed, then the station empties the robo vac’s internal dust bin. You don’t have to lift a finger. The yeedi positions itself on the docking station and the vac station sucks it out.

Then what you say? Well, the removed dust bin is stored inside the vac station in a cleverly designed, bio-degradable vacuum bag. While I’d say mileage may vary, I’ve yet to fill this bag and yeedi estimates that in “most environments” you can get 30 consecutive days of use before you need to replace it. And you get your first replacement bag in the box.

Pleasantly surprised

I can’t say when I booked this review that I was excited about a vacuum. Despite my reservations, I found that yeedi’s vac station has added enough features and convenience to truly be impressed.

Pricing isn’t cheap on this great combination yeedi has put together with the vac station. For the full system, it will set you back $500 on the company’s website. While it is an investment I think the offering here by yeedi is worth it. You get a true 3-in-1 cleaning solution with a unique autocleaning feature.

Oh, and we’d be remiss to not mention that while you can go all-out with the vac station, the vacuum itself can be purchased without the auto-empty docking station as the yeedi vac max. This will get you the same great robo vacuum system and a charging deck for just $349.

Nokia offers up $300 G50 with big screen, big battery, and 5G

Scott Webster
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Nokia this week introduced its latest handset in the form of the mid-range G50. Priced $300, it can be pre-ordered immediately with shipping set to commence on September 30.

Key details for the Nokia G50 include a generously big 6.82-inch display with a water drop notch for the front-facing camera as well as a 5,000mAh battery. Good enough for about two days of usage, it supports 18W fast charging.

The Nokia G50 comes in two colors, Midnight Sun and Ocean Blue; however, the former more closely resembles a rose gold.

Running Android 11 at launch, Nokia promises two years of OS updates and three years of monthly security updates.

The Nokia G50 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 processor with 5G connectivity and is supported by 4GB RAM. Storage comes in at 128GB with a microSD expansion card slot that allows for up to 512GB’s worth of external media.

Other noteworthy features include a dedicated Google Assistant button, a 3.5mm headphone jack, NFC, FM radio, and Face Unlock. The power button pulls double duty as a fingerprint reader on the side of the G50.

Learn more about the Nokia G50 or place an order for one at Nokia’s website.

What is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888?

Scott Webster
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0

If you pay close attention to smartphones and their specifications, you’ve surely seen quite a bit of emphasis around the mobile processor. As the brain that powers the overall experience, the chipset is largely responsible for many of the other features that come with your handset.

It’s the processor that determines the quality of screen, cameras, Wi-Fi speed, and other details found in your favorite phone. It’s even responsible for how fast you can charge your device.

Qualcomm, one of the leaders in the mobile processor space, has quite a large portfolio of CPUs, with products that speak to a wide user base.

Here, we’ll showcase some of the key reasons why the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor is so important. As 2021 draws to a close this is one of the premier models on the market, powering many a flagship experience.

While it won’t be an exhaustive look at the chip, it will help you get a better understanding as to the types of phones that can be built using the CPU.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 features

  • CPU Clock Speed: Up to 2.84GHz
  • GPU: Qualcomm Adreno 660 GPU
  • Maximum device display: 4K resolution at 60Hz, QHD+ resolution at 144Hz
  • Display features: HDR10+, HLG, Dolby Vision, HDR10
  • Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 6 technology with support for 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz
  • Fingerprint Sensor: Qualcomm 3D Sonic, Qualcomm 3D Sonic Max (In-Display)
  • Camera: Triple Image Signal Processor support with Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, and HEVC support
    • Triple Camera, MFNR, ZSL, 30fps: Up to 28 MP
    • Dual Camera, MFNR, ZSL, 30fps: Up to 64 MP
    • Single Camera, MFNR, ZSL, 30fps: Up to 84 MP
    • Single Camera: Up to 200 MP
  • Network Connectivity: Up to 7.5Gbps (5G)
    • 8 carriers (mmWave)
    • 800 MHz bandwidth (mmWave)
    • 200 MHz bandwidth (sub-6 GHz)
  • Charging: Quick Charge 5 (0-100% in less than 15 minutes)

Qualcomm has also introduced a variation of the Snapdragon 888 in the form of the Snapdragon 888 Plus. The key difference being that the Snapdragon 888 Plus (888+) is able to run at speeds up to 3GHz.

Other standout features for the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 series include:

  • Qualcomm® Smart Transmit™ technology
  • Qualcomm® Wideband Envelope Tracking
  • Qualcomm® AI-Enhanced Signal Boost adaptive antenna tuning
  • Qualcomm® 5G PowerSave

Microsoft launches new and improved Surface Duo 2 for $1500, pre-orders now open

Jason England
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Last year, Microsoft introduced the Surface Duo, its first Android foldable phone. While many were enamored with the device’s innovative hinge and large display, they were also disappointed by some of the Duo’s rough edges given the phone’s $1,400 price tag.

Fortunately, Microsoft has learned from the criticism and has now launched the new and improved Surface Duo 2. One of the biggest complaints about the first Surface Duo was the inability to check notifications without opening the device.

To solve this issue, Microsoft has included the ability to view notifications, battery life, and more on the spine of the device via a curved display. It’s quite reminiscent of how Samsung used the curved edge on its Galaxy phones in the past, and it is an ingenious way to solve this problem without adding additional displays like on the Samsung’s folding phones.

Another sticking point for many users was the lack of NFC. Can you imagine paying $1,400 for a phone with no way to make contactless payments in 2020? I know I couldn’t. With the Surface Duo 2, this is no longer a problem because Microsoft made sure to squeeze in an NFC chip this year.

Finally, the fact that the Surface Duo only had one camera was the biggest blunder of all. Thankfully, Microsoft went above and beyond by adding four cameras to the Surface Duo 2.

This time around, there is a front-facing f/2.0 selfie camera on the right side of the device, as well as three cameras around the back, including a 12MP f/1.7 primary, 12MP f/2.4 telephoto, and a 16MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle shooter.

When it comes to what’s running under the hood, the Surface Duo 2 packs a Snapdragon 888, 8GB of RAM, and a choice of 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB of storage. It has 5G and Wi-Fi 6 for connectivity, a fingerprint sensor in the power button, supports the Surface Pen, and is powered by a 4,449mAh battery.

Last but not least is the display, the Surface Duo 2 sports two 5.8-inch 1344 x 1892 PixelSense AMOLED displays which add up to a single 8.3-inch 2688 x 1892 screen when opened up. To make better use of the Duo 2’s form factor, there are several apps that have added support such as, TikTok, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, Xbox Game Pass, Kindle, Asphalt 9: Legends, and more.

The Surface Duo 2 is available now for pre-order for $1,500 in Glacier or Obsidian with a release date of October 21, 2021.

Hisense U8G Android TV Review

Jason England
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Over the years I’ve used a variety of Android-powered TVs and streaming dongles. Among them are the original Sony Google TV, Nexus Player, LeEco X4-55, JBL Link Bar, and Chromecast with Google TV.

Google’s platform hasn’t always been the best when it comes to app support, which is why I’ve also used a handful of TCL Roku-powered TVs and streamer boxes to supplement in the past.

Fortunately, the Android TV platform has matured, and these days there’s only a couple of reasons you might still require an additional streamer box. Keep reading below to find out what those reasons are, and all the things I loved about the Hisense U8G.

Design

The Hisense U8G comes in two different sizes, either a 55-inch or 65-inch model. For my review, I’ll be detailing my experience with the 65-inch model which weighs in at a little over 53 pounds and measures 57.1 x 13.6 x 35.6 inches overall.

It’s not a light or small TV by any means, and trust me, you’re going to need help setting this up. Just getting it out of the box and connecting the two feet at the bottom would be nearly impossible to do alone.

Speaking of the base, Hisense has done everyone a favor by not putting the two feet at the very edge of the TV making it easier to place it on TV stands less than 60 inches.

The ports on the back of the U8G include four HDMI ports on the left side with two of them dedicated for 4K 60Hz and the other two supporting 4K 120Hz, one of which features eARC for sound systems.

Flanking the HDMI inputs are two USB ports, a headphone jack, a coaxial input, and a port for connecting composite cables with an adapter.

Next door is another group of I/O, including the Ethernet jack, optical audio out, and serial inputs. The port for the power cable is on the left side of the TV and make note of that for deciding where to place it because if the outlet or surge protector is on the right side of the TV you’re going to need an extension cord.

The front of the Hisense U8G uses small bezels around its massive 65-inch ULED display with a small row of LEDs in the bottom center. There’s also a slider to mute the mic in the TV that’s used for Google Assistant.

Set up

After unpacking and getting the U8G in place, set up is a breeze, if you’re deep into the Android ecosystem like I am. All I had to do was pull out my phone and connect the TV with my Google account and sail through a few menu options.

Next, I connected it to my network where Google automatically filled in the Wi-Fi password and the U8G began downloading an update.

During that time, I was able to connect all my different devices to the HDMI ports and 10 minutes later I was all set up and ready to go. Without a doubt, being invested in the Android ecosystem helped speed along this process, and saved me from a bunch of tedious typing with the remote.

User experience

During the past year, Google has taken a lot of flack for updating the UI on Android TV to include promoted content, aka ads. In case you’re wondering, yes, this is also present on the U8G after the initial update.

While I don’t like ads on my TV more than any other person, and I wish Google would include a way to opt-out of showing them, I still really enjoy the UI and using Android TV. Besides, it’s not like Roku doesn’t also include promoted content, so it’s not like these sorts of ads aren’t present on other platforms.

Plus, I find the Google TV home layout to be clean and easy to use, especially the “Play Next” section, which makes it easy to pick up where you left off watching. That is when it works, as I’ve found it’s not always reliable and not all apps support it, I’m looking at you Prime Video. However, when it does work properly, and your apps support the “continue watching” section, it is a wonderful experience.

Apps

Android TV has matured a lot over the years and these days gives you access to pretty much every major streaming service out there. However, even though you have access to myriad apps, there are some quirks on this particular Hisense TV. For example, the Vudu and Movies Anywhere apps don’t support 4K playback. When attempting to play movies you’ve purchased in UHD using both of these apps you’ll be restricted to HD.

Fortunately, with Movies Anywhere syncing movies between services these days, you can still stream the UHD movies you purchased from Vudu in 4K through Prime Video, Google Play Movies, or even the Apple TV app.

The only problem being that studios such as Lionsgate and Paramount have opted out of Movies Anywhere. Meaning, if you purchased movies like Transformers or John Wick in UHD through Vudu, then you’re stuck watching them in HD unless you hook up a different 4K capable streaming stick to the U8G.

Additionally, I’ve since discovered Hulu also doesn’t support 4K playback on the U8G, making it one more of the built-in apps you’d have to use a different streaming dongle for if you want the highest quality video playback.

Google Assistant on your TV

Voice control is one of the areas where Android TV excels. Requesting a movie or TV show using your voice is simply the most convenient way to interact with your TV. It’s miles above trying to browse with your remote through screen after screen of titles, or trying to type out the name using the buttons on the remote.

The Hisense U8G even gives you multiple ways to issue voice commands, either by pressing the Assistant button on the remote or hands-free by saying the “Hey Google” hotword out loud. Plus, not only can you search content, but also control playback, volume, ask for the weather, control your smart home, and much more. You have the full power of Google Assistant built right into your TV.

My one issue with this, and it’s a big one, is that I have a house full of Google Assistant enabled speakers and smart displays already.

While I appreciate beyond words the ability to search video content on my TV using the remote, I did not want my TV to be always listening and competing with these devices. The primary reason being that it will cause the Assistant to pop up at the bottom of your TV and/or pause the content you’re currently watching.

My TV’s primary function should be to show me the video content on the screen without having it interrupted if I want to turn my lights on or off.

To make matters worse, I’ve had TV shows and movies activate Google Assistant while I’m watching, causing it to pop up and search for whatever random thing the actor just said. It’s a completely disruptive experience when trying to relax and check out a new movie or binge a show.

There are a couple of workarounds for this, such as using the mic slider switch on the front of the TV, disabling Google Assistant on the TV entirely, or turning off permissions for the mic in the Assistant app. Unfortunately, none of these is a good workaround. Disabling Google Assistant or removing the mic permissions means you can’t use one of the TV’s most valuable features.

Alternatively, muting the mic with the slider on the front turns on four bright orange distracting LEDs permanently. While this still allows you to use the mic on the remote, those glaring orange LEDs are just too intrusive to leave on constantly. Ideally, Hisense would have given us the option to turn off the LEDs in the settings and allowed us to use the mic in the remote with the mics on the TV disabled.

Now, besides my criticism of the ads, 4K playback missing on popular apps, and the lack of Assistant customization, Android TV runs wonderfully on the U8G. I never experienced any stutters or issues with the UI, navigation was quick and responsive, and the Assistant integration was smooth as silk.

Picture quality

The Hisense U8G features a 4K resolution 120Hz ULED panel with Quantum Dot technology for brilliant, purer, richer colors. The U8G also boasts a peak brightness of a whopping 1500 nits, up to 360 dimming zones, and support for Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG.

Before discussing the picture quality, I’d like to take a minute to recommend that you immediately go into the picture settings and disable all the motion settings. These are enabled by default and are what give TVs the often dreaded “soap opera” effect. Be aware that you may have to disable it for each input or app that you use, in case you ever notice something looking off when you swap to an input or app for the first time.

Watching UHD Dolby Vision content on the U8G is simply stunning. The display is uber bright and I had to dial the backlight down to 40 or else I was in danger of searing my retinas. If you have a room with a lot of sunlight during the day, then this is your TV. It should be able to overpower sunlight-drenched rooms without a problem.

Thanks to the abundance of dimming zones the Hisense U8G was also able to provide the inky darks needed for HDR content and provided a wide range of contrast in scenes. However, I did notice on a few occasions that the blacks were a little lifted or blooming was present, and there’s also some red smearing that I found most apparent on the Netflix logo when launching the app. Overall, the panel still performed beyond my expectations, and when watching content, you rarely notice these issues.

One issue that I did notice from time to time while watching content was some judder in scenes with slow panning motions. This can be tamed with the motion settings, but I’d much rather live with some occasional judder than watch everything with the “soap opera” effect enabled.

Besides the fantastic dynamic range, the U8G also impressed me with vibrant colors that leapt off the screen. My previous TV only supported HDR10 and seeing movies and TV shows in HDR10+ and Dolby Vision was a real game-changer. Both standards provide more granular high dynamic range control with metadata customized from scene to scene and it makes a big difference.

If you would like a more in-depth analysis, then I’d suggest you check out the rtings.com review, where they have the equipment and expertise to measure and rate the U8G’s display more accurately.

Gaming

The Hisense U8G sports two HDMI 2.1 ports with support for up to 120Hz, which means it is made for next-gen gaming. I gave it a try myself with Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition and saw first-hand how smooth the 120fps mode is in the game.

You’ll need to make sure you go into the settings and switch the HDMI mode from “standard” to “enhanced” though or else you won’t be able to game in HDR or make use of the high frame rate. I’d also suggest changing the HDMI dynamic range to limited on the U8G, otherwise games looked washed out on the PS5.

Besides console gaming, the U8G provides two other ways to get your game on. The first is by installing games from the Play Store. I installed a few to test them out and had no issues playing them with a Bluetooth controller paired with the TV. A word of warning though, the U8G only had 6GB of storage free after I installed my streaming apps, so you won’t be able to load it up with many games.

That leaves us with Stadia, Google’s cloud gaming service which recently added support for televisions running Android TV. After installing Stadia on the U8G, I fired up Cyberpunk 2077 and was so pleased to be able to finally play without the need for an additional dongle attached to the TV.

Sound quality

As far as TV speakers go, I was impressed with the U8G. The speakers had far more bass than I expected them to have and they were plenty loud. I often had the volume set to 10 out of 100 and had no issues with hearing dialog or anything else.

If you want to take things to the next level, then using the optical out or eARC HDMI port makes it easy to hook up an external sound source. About half of the time I used a soundbar with the U8G through the eARC HDMI port and found everything worked perfectly, including adjusting the volume through the TV remote and having it power on or off with the TV.

Final thoughts

In the land of premium budget TVs, the Hisense U8G has a lot going for it. The 4K 120Hz ULED Quantum Dot panel provides a crisp, vibrant, dynamic picture that’s perfect for watching movies in Dolby Vision or next-gen gaming. While it still suffers from some blooming and elevated blacks from time to time, there’s no doubt that the Hisense U8G is one of the best-looking TVs you can buy at this price range.

Regardless, I’d still love to see a software update to disable the always-listening mics on the TV while leaving the one in the remote active, and 4K support in all apps. These are minor annoyances, but they would go a long way in enhancing the overall user experience.

If you’re wondering if the Hisense U8G is right for you, then right now is the perfect time to give it a try. Currently, Hisense is running a promotion through October 31, 2021, that allows you to try out the U8G and other models such as the U800GR (8K), U8G, U7G, U6G, or L9G TriChroma Laser TV for 100 days. If you’re not satisfied, then Hisense will allow you to return the TV for a full refund via a Visa gift card or Paypal transfer. Just be aware that you’ll also need to register the TV within 14 days of purchase or delivery date.

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