Hisense U7NQ vs Samsung DU8002 (IPS)

The Hisense U7NQ 65 television showed impressive capabilities on the luminance chart, surpassing the 1000 nit barrier and achieving very high brightness scores effortlessly in the first, third, and fifth test scenes. However, just like before, in the second and fourth test scenes, such as from the film Sicario 2, there are significant issues with maintaining brightness, and results around 200 nits are very disappointing. Despite the large number of dimming zones, the algorithm in the television that controls these zones is unable to respond adequately — in this case, it strongly dims small elements like the moon or the light from a helicopter. Bright light that should dazzle us is too dim to be considered an HDR effect. Nevertheless, the television deserves praise for its high coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut, at 96%, which allows it to accurately render most film scenes.

The HDR effect on the DU8002 television leaves much to be desired. A brightness level of 300 nits is unable to provide a true high dynamic range experience, making the content viewed resemble more standard SDR than impressive HDR. Scenes that should dazzle with brilliance and detail appear muted and lack depth. Nevertheless, the television deserves praise for its high coverage of the DCI-P3 colour palette at 92%. This allows for vibrant and saturated colours, which may please viewers who prefer rich tones, even if the HDR effect does not fully meet expectations.

The Chinese manufacturer offers various picture settings in its televisions, but the best mode in this model is undeniably the Filmmaker Mode. Despite its name, this mode has its issues: the white balance, although roughly correct, is characterised by a strong dominance of warm tones due to the prominence of red hues, both in 4K and HD material. The Colour Checker test confirms these errors — deviations in samples can be seen in improper shades. As for brightness characteristics, the gamma responsible for HD material shows values below 2.4, which leads to some screen brightness. Meanwhile, the EOTF curve shows the television's problems with displaying small light elements, as confirmed by the previously described paragraphs.

DU8002 offers a Filmmaker mode, which is supposed to provide authentic image reproduction in line with the creators' intentions. Unfortunately, despite its promising name, the effects are far from ideal. The white balance in this mode shows significant drops in blue colour, leading to a noticeable yellowing of the image, as seen in our comparison photo. Colour Checker tests confirm these errors. Regarding brightness, the gamma characteristic is too low compared to the reference line of 2.4, resulting in excessive screen brightness. A similar problem occurs with 4K content – the EOTF responsible for brightness in 4K materials shows significant increases above the reference line, leading to overly bright small light elements. As a result, the Filmmaker mode in DU8002 does not meet expectations and instead of providing high quality, presents an image full of tonal and colour inaccuracies.

Hisense TVs offer a range of image correction tools that allow you to adjust settings to your own preferences, which is why we decided to use these capabilities to bring the image quality closer to reference standards. In terms of white balance, we were able to eliminate the dominance of red, resulting in more neutral colours, which allowed for a more realistic image in both 4K and HD content. We noticed a similar improvement in brightness characteristics. The gamma, which previously led to excessive brightness on the screen, has been corrected, contributing to better detail reproduction in darker areas of the image while maintaining natural tonal balance.

However, the biggest challenge was calibrating the EOTF curve, which is responsible for brightness in 4K content. At first glance, the EOTF value looked almost perfect, but detailed tests revealed somewhat different results. When we looked closer — especially using the filter on the right side of the EOTF chart — we noticed how the TV manipulated 4K film content, often significantly boosting brightness. This effect was particularly noticeable in scenes from films like Pan and Billy Lynn, where the TV attempted to artificially increase the brightness of elements, impacting their naturalness. Despite these imperfections, the calibration yielded positive results, especially in terms of tonal improvement. For most users, the end result should be satisfying, particularly if they are looking to bring image quality closer to professional reference standards.

Samsung is one of those companies that offers advanced tools to enhance picture quality in its televisions, including a 20-point white balance adjustment. Even in the budget model DU8002, after proper adjustments, surprisingly good results can be achieved. The white balance, especially for HD content, performs really well – tests on the Colour Checker palette confirm accuracy levels of 2–1.5, which indicates the significant capabilities of this television in colour reproduction. In 4K content, although not as perfect as in lower quality material, the overall picture looks much better.

The gamma brightness has also been significantly adjusted, meaning the image is not overly brightened and appears more natural. What about the EOTF curve? At first glance, it seems fine, but upon closer inspection, especially in film tests, it's clear that the television struggles due to its low-contrast panel. And the EOTF drops below the reference line. Nevertheless, the DU8002 is an example of a budget model where investing in calibration is worthwhile. Although construction flaws, such as the type of backlighting, cannot be completely eliminated, colour accuracy is surprisingly good, especially considering its price.

When it comes to smoothing tonal transitions, despite the presence of the "Smooth and Gradient Image" feature in the test sequence, we did not notice that the feature added anything — we recommend turning it off. As for upscaling, the television handled our model quite well, and the branches in the background are not overly jagged — the image appears quite plasticky. However, it has been slightly cropped by the so-called overscan.

Smoothing tonal transitions on the DU8002 television leaves mixed feelings. Although the menu has an option for smoothing tonal transitions, in practice it yields no results and can even generate unwanted side effects.

Nonetheless, the television handles upscaling, or digital image processing, exceptionally well. The test pattern with the model looked really good – the image isn't overly jagged, and the overall presentation is decent and pleasing to the eye. This is definitely good news for those planning to watch traditional television on this model.

Hisense U7NQ has a refresh rate of 144 Hz, which definitely enhances motion smoothness. For movie enthusiasts, there are two features available: judder reduction and motion blur reduction. The judder reduction function minimises the effect of so-called judder, that is, unpleasant image jumps, particularly noticeable at lower frame rates. Meanwhile, motion blur reduction helps to sharpen fast-moving objects, which is useful when watching dynamic action scenes.

When it comes to trailing, the television has a decent response time, which means excessive trailing is not visible, except in specific situations, such as the test with the alien on a dark background. In such cases, slight artifacts may appear, but overall the television handles dynamic images well, providing satisfying motion quality.

The DU8002 with a 60 Hz panel is a television that performs better for watching movies than for intense gaming. The motion smoothing feature acts as a fluid enhancer, smoothing out movement and giving scenes a more fluid appearance, which is useful for movie sessions. In the context of gaming, this model is likely only suitable for occasional entertainment.

Hisense U7NQ offers everything a gamer might need for comfortable gameplay. The TV supports a refresh rate of 144 Hz, providing an extremely smooth image, especially in dynamic action games. The VRR (variable refresh rate) feature ensures the image adapts to varying frames per second, eliminating stuttering and tearing. Additionally, there is an ALLM (automatic low latency mode) function that automatically switches the TV into game mode, minimising input lag.

The TV also supports Dolby Vision, which is particularly important for gamers who value high contrast and rich colours in games that support this format. The Hisense U7NQ also features a Game Bar, allowing quick access to key settings during gameplay, as well as support for G-Sync technology, further reducing image tearing.

Unfortunately, despite its wide range of features, it lacks support for the most popular HDR format in gaming — HGiG. This may be disappointing for gamers who expect optimal detail reproduction in HDR scenes. Nevertheless, the remaining features make the Hisense U7NQ a solid choice for any console gaming enthusiast.

DU8002 is a television that is mainly suited for casual gamers. The 60 Hz panel won't provide the highest motion fluidity, so in dynamic games, you might miss that extra smoothness of the image. On the plus side, it has ALLM and HGiG functions, which automatically adjust the picture settings for HDR games, enhancing the gaming experience. Unfortunately, the TV only comes with HDMI 2.0 ports, so we have to forget about more advanced features like VRR or support for 4K at 120 Hz. Choosing this equipment means we will have to make do without a full set of gaming features.