Our verdict
The UR9S matters because RGB Mini LED is finally available in a size that fits an ordinary living room. Instead of white backlight LEDs, it uses tiny red, green and blue ones behind the screen, split into 980 zones that brighten or dim separately. Hisense claims up to 3,500 nits on the 65-inch model. What Hi-Fi found a bright, rich and cinematic HDR picture rather than a technology demonstration. It supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+, the two main HDR formats that adjust the picture scene by scene. It is not flawless: What Hi-Fi measured 32.5ms of input lag at 60Hz, slower than the best, it has only three HDMI ports, and processing needs care. Even so, it is one of the first RGB Mini LED sets with enough real evidence to judge.
Buy it if
- You watch HDR films and series in a bright room
- You want RGB Mini LED without buying an enormous screen
- You game on a PC at high frame rates and want broad HDR format support
Skip it if
- Perfect dark-room black is the priority
- You need four HDMI ports
- Most of your gaming is lag-sensitive play at 60Hz
How it would fit your home
Daytime HDR viewing
High brightness and rich colour are the UR9S's clearest wins, so HDR films and sport stay vivid even with the curtains open.
High-frame-rate PC gaming
The 170Hz ceiling makes better use of a powerful gaming PC, and What Hi-Fi measured lag falling to 24.6ms with the high refresh setting on.
Dark cinema room
OLED still controls small highlights and black more precisely, so a dark-room viewer may prefer one.
The details, in plain English
Picture quality
The 65-inch model uses an RGB Mini LED backlight: tiny red, green and blue LEDs rather than white ones, which helps colour look richer at high brightness. They are grouped into 980 local dimming zones, areas that brighten or dim independently, and Hisense claims up to 3,500 nits. What Hi-Fi praised a controlled, consistent backlight but noted that OLED rivals still have better contrast, with blooming (a faint glow around bright objects) rare but present. Viewing angles are narrow.
HDR formats
HDR (high dynamic range) keeps detail in bright and dark parts of a scene at the same time. The UR9S supports Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG, plus Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive, which adjust the picture to your room's light. That means whichever format a streaming service or disc uses, the TV can play its best version, which is unusually complete.
Gaming and motion
All three HDMI ports are HDMI 2.1 at 48Gbps, enough for 4K at up to 170Hz. VRR (variable refresh rate) stops tearing when frame rates dip, and ALLM switches to game mode automatically; Dolby Vision gaming is supported too. Smooth, high-frame-rate play is the strength. What Hi-Fi measured 32.5ms of lag at 60Hz, so fast console games at 60Hz feel less immediate than on class leaders; with the high refresh setting it fell to 24.6ms.
Living with it
Hisense's VIDAA smart system is quick and includes the main UK services, though its app range is narrower than Google TV. The built-in 4.1.2-channel speakers, tuned by Devialet, support Dolby Atmos and DTS:X; the ".2" means upward-firing speakers for height. You may still want a soundbar to match the picture's scale; eARC sends full-quality sound to one. The stand and 65-inch size suit normal rooms.
Strengths and drawbacks
What it does well
- RGB Mini LED backlight with 980 dimming zones: a very bright, colourful picture
- Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG: every major HDR format covered
- Up to 170Hz gaming, with VRR and ALLM on all three HDMI 2.1 ports
- 4.1.2-channel Devialet-tuned speakers with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X
- What Hi-Fi tested the 65-inch model reviewed here
What to watch out for
- What Hi-Fi measured 32.5ms of input lag at 60Hz, slower than class leaders
- Only three HDMI ports, fewer than LG or Samsung rivals
- Hisense's VIDAA smart system is less flexible than Google TV
- Zone dimming still trails OLED's pixel-level black in dark scenes, with occasional blooming
Samsung's R95H is far more expensive and less independently established, OLED rivals keep better pixel-level black, and Hisense's U7S is the value alternative. The UR9S is the evidence-backed RGB Mini LED option in this group.
Make the Hisense UR9S easier to live with
Add-ons that answer a drawback we named above. Check compatibility with your exact model before buying.
Solves: only three HDMI ports, fewer than LG or Samsung rivals
Cable Matters 4-Port 8K HDMI Switch, product ID 103101 Not yet reviewed by us
Shares a remaining suitable HDMI input between consoles or boxes, reducing cable swapping when the TV has too few suitable sockets.
Check first: Connect soundbar eARC directly to the TV.
Alternatives we have reviewed
| Product | Our verdict | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
 Hisense UR9S (65-inch) (this one) | A convincing first practical RGB Mini LED TV, strongest for bright HDR films and high-frame-rate PC gaming, less so for dark-room purists. | £2,999RRP · 65 inches, RRP recorded 12 Oct 2026 | Check price |
 Hisense UR8S | A strong choice for bright rooms, rich colour and gaming, provided you can live with dimming that GadgetGuy found a little aggressive on dark scenes. | £2,299RRP · 65-inch model, RRP recorded 12 Oct 2026 | Check price |
 Hisense U7S (65-inch) | A strong feature list for a bright gaming room, but only worth buying if it is clearly cheaper than the U7S Pro. | £1,599RRP · 65 inches, RRP recorded 12 Oct 2026 | Check price |
 Panasonic Z95B (65-inch) | One of the best film-first OLED TVs, especially if you value built-in sound, but only two of its four HDMI sockets suit games consoles. | £2,999RRP · 65 inches, RRP recorded 12 Oct 2026 | Check price |
Not sure it is the right one for you?
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Where our findings come from
This research-based review combines Hisense's exact 65-inch listed features with What Hi-Fi's product-specific independent test covering dimming zones, HDR formats, connections and measured input lag. Measurements quoted here are What Hi-Fi's; we have not tested this TV ourselves.