Hisense U7KQ vs XIAOMI S Mini 2026 (85"-98") 144Hz

Describing the HDR effect in the hundred-inch model Hisense U7KQ is not straightforward and requires a broader context. As can be seen, the results are highly variable, depending on the type of scene and the intensity of the bright effects that the television has to reproduce. In bright scenes, the device achieves over a thousand nits of brightness, translating to vivid and realistic images – these are exactly the effects we expect from equipment of this class. Unfortunately, the situation worsens in darker scenes. In mixed shots, such as those in the film "Gemini Man," the television still offers good brightness at around 700 nits, allowing for high-quality viewing. However, problems arise in very dark scenes where small light sources play a major role. The television does not fully utilise its capabilities here to avoid degrading the black levels in adjacent areas. As a result, there is no spectacular "WOW" effect, and such shots often do not give the impression of being realised in HDR technology.

The larger versions of the Xiaomi S Mini 2026 offer very similar HDR performance. Peak brightness reaches around 1,000 nits, which is a very solid result for a TV in this price bracket. It's most noticeable in bright scenes, where large, heavily lit areas of the picture can look really impressive. The TV has enough brightness headroom that HDR isn't limited to just a slightly brighter image. However, very small pinpoint highlights on an almost completely black background fare worse. In such cases the local dimming system significantly reduces their brightness to avoid lighting adjacent parts of the image and to preserve good blacks. As a result, small reflections or single lamps don't have the same intensity as in much more expensive models. This is typical behaviour for Mini LED TVs and it's hard to treat it as something unique to Xiaomi.

HDR colours

The colour performance is similarly comparable. Although the manufacturer uses the term QLED, the expanded colour gamut here comes from the PFS phosphor. In our measurements the TV covered about 94% of the DCI-P3 space and about 74% of the much more demanding BT.2020. In practice this yields well-saturated colours in most HDR material and it's hard to point to obvious gaps. Limitations appear mainly with the most saturated shades of green, which the TV can no longer reproduce fully.

The best factory mode we measured was “Filmmaker”. Despite this, its characteristics left a lot to be desired. Let’s take a look at the gamma chart, which is responsible for the depth and contrast of the image. First, we'll note the orange line running through the middle of the graph, starting at point 2.4. This is the reference value of the REC.709 standard. Now let’s look at the measured value, marked by a white, connected multi-point. Such a clear drop in gamma to a value of 2.0 meant a significant reduction in contrast, resulting in the image lacking appropriate depth, and the so-called “milk” effect was noticeable. The next thing we tested was the white balance. Though seemingly minor, if poorly adjusted, it can change the entire characteristic of the image. While the beginning of the chart looked quite promising, as we progressed further, the chart began to be dominated by two colours: red and blue. Due to the current state of affairs, all the materials we used for testing had an unpleasant tint in those colours. However, thanks to rich calibration tools, such as an advanced colour management system (CMS) and 2- and 20-point grey scale adjustments, we were able to significantly improve the display's performance in SDR materials, as confirmed by low deltaE errors and very well-modeled gamma and white balance.

On the larger versions of the Xiaomi S Mini 2026, Film mode performs best, although even here the out-of-the-box settings are not without flaws. In SDR the white balance was noticeably warm due to an excess of red. In HDR the opposite was true, with too much blue and too little red, which made the image cooler. Additionally, both the gamma response in SDR and the EOTF curve in HDR sat slightly above the reference values. In practice this resulted in a slightly brightened image, particularly in the midtones. It wasn't a major fault, but with more demanding material you could see that the image wasn't reproduced entirely in line with the filmmakers' intent.

In SDR mode, after calibration, the Hisense 100U7KQ television performs excellently. There is nothing to fault in terms of colour reproduction - both pastel and deeply saturated hues are displayed according to the Rec. 709 standard. This ensures that the image looks natural and in line with the director's vision. As a result, viewers can enjoy an authentic visual experience, with colours and tonal subtleties faithfully represented.

In HDR mode, however, there is a noticeable boost in bright tones. The television tries to enhance the image, which can lead to artificial brightening. This phenomenon becomes even more apparent in real scenes, where bright parts of the image can be excessively amplified. Although colours in HDR are generally good, they are intentionally boosted too much by the manufacturer, which may affect their naturalness.

This manufacturer's approach to displaying images in HDR mode may not be to everyone's taste, especially those who value authenticity and fidelity to original colours. However, for those who prefer more dynamic and vivid images, this bright tone enhancement can be an appealing solution, adding extra sparkle and impact to scenes.

After calibration we mainly managed to even out the white balance, so colours look much more natural in both SDR and HDR. We also improved the gamma response, so SDR content is no longer unnecessarily brightened and stays closer to reference values. The only larger issue remaining is in HDR. Xiaomi still controls brightness a little too aggressively and renders some scenes brighter than it should. This is less noticeable on the larger models than on the 55–75-inch versions, but the EOTF curve still runs slightly above the reference. In practice HDR is therefore slightly brightened, even though colour reproduction after calibration is already very good.

Despite the television being equipped with a function to reduce posterisation called "Smooth Gradation", we did not notice a significant effect of its operation. Materials subjected to heavy compression, such as YouTube videos, still showed choppy, abrupt tonal transitions, which did not look particularly appealing. While this is due to the material itself and not the television, it would be good if there was a function to mask these issues, similar to those found in competing brands.

Image scaling, which is crucial when playing lower resolution content, we rate as average. Details are not overly blurry, and the image is not "smudged", however, there is noticeable jaggedness on the edges of objects, such as branches, and a halo effect around characters and text. While the television performs quite well, there is still room for improvement, especially in the context of displaying lower quality materials.

The larger variants of the Xiaomi S Mini 2026 also use the MT5896 processor and perform similarly in terms of digital image processing. Upscaling isn't a strong suit of this model. Low-resolution material is upscaled to 4K in a fairly basic way and it doesn't recover fine detail as well as more refined TVs. The 85- and 98-inch versions do include a feature intended to reduce posterisation, but it's barely effective. When it's switched on it's hard to notice any real improvement, so in scenes with visible colour banding the TV still does little to address it.

The TV correctly receives a 4K signal up to 144 Hz, allowing for very smooth images in high resolution. When limited to Full HD resolution, the TV can handle even 240 Hz, but such a signal can only be obtained from a PC. Unfortunately, the use of this feature is limited by several factors.

Firstly, Full HD resolution on a large TV screen may seem insufficient, affecting image quality. Furthermore, the response time of the panel in this model is not short enough to fully utilise the refresh rate of 240 Hz. As a result, at such a high refresh rate, there is significant overdrive, which causes noticeable smearing and so-called "ghosting" behind moving objects.

It is also worth noting the motion smoothing feature in the TV, which operates up to 120 Hz. This is particularly useful when watching sports and movies, where motion smoothness is crucial. The TV offers stable operation of this feature, minimising the amount of generated artefacts. Motion smoothness can be adjusted using two sliders – one for smoothness in movies and the other for reducing smearing in sports content.

In summary, although the TV Hisense U7KQ offers impressive capabilities in image refresh rates, limitations related to the response time of the panel and appropriate resolution may affect the actual benefits of these features. Nevertheless, the motion smoothing function works very well, enhancing the experience of watching dynamic content.

The biggest difference between the various sizes of the Xiaomi S Mini 2026 is the panel's refresh rate. The 55–75-inch variants use a 60 Hz panel, which in practice means noticeably less smooth motion than the larger versions. This is easiest to spot when watching sport, fast-moving scenes or gaming, where the picture isn't as smooth and clear in motion.

The Hisense U7KQ TV supports all the key features for gamers that users of Xbox or PlayStation consoles might expect. These features include support for high refresh rates, low input lag, and a game bar. Generally speaking, most of these features work well, providing a satisfying gaming experience.

However, the VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) technology does not function optimally. When VRR is activated, the TV disables local dimming, which significantly reduces image quality. In VRR mode, there is a lack of good contrast and high brightness in HDR mode, resulting in unsatisfactory image quality. In practice, this means that the VRR mode may be rarely used by gamers due to these limitations.

Additionally, the TV does not support the HGIG (HDR Gaming Interest Group) mode, which is designed to optimise HDR image quality in games. The absence of this mode leads to issues with double tone mapping—once in the TV and again in the console. As a result, the quality of HDR gaming is lower, which can affect the overall gaming experience.

In summary, while the Hisense U7KQ offers many features for gamers, certain key aspects, such as optimal VRR performance and support for HGIG, may not meet the expectations of more demanding users. Nevertheless, the TV still provides good support for most standard gaming features, making it a suitable choice for a wide range of gamers.

The smaller versions of the Xiaomi S Mini 2026 unfortunately have a big limitation for gamers — a 60 Hz panel. In 4K we’re therefore limited to 60 fps and can’t fully take advantage of the PS5 or Xbox Series X. You can run 120 Hz, but only after dropping the resolution to 1080p or 1440p. Other than that, it’s pretty reasonable. The TV supports ALLM and automatically switches to game mode when it detects a console. There’s also a Game Bar where you can quickly check the main gaming settings. Our biggest reservation is HGiG. The HDR calibration screens on the PS5 and Xbox don’t match the TV’s actual capabilities. If you set HDR exactly according to them, some of the brightest elements can simply be blown out.