Hisense U7NQ vs Sony X75WL

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 luminance chart for the X75WL Sony television showed a maximum value of 350 nits, which unfortunately is not an impressive result. The television does not surprise with its brightness, and all the HDR scenes we tested lacked depth and the appropriate lighting effect that should accompany HDR content. Additionally, the tragic coverage of the DCI-P3 colour palette makes it difficult for the television to reproduce rich colours, which significantly affects the overall viewing experience of HDR content. The lack of adequate brightness and poor colour coverage means that HDR effects are very limited in this model.

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.

Colour reproduction tests for the model Sony X75WL are conducted in film mode, which offers the best picture settings but also has its flaws. The biggest issue with the X75WL Sony is the white balance – for both HD and 4K HDR content – which is characterised by a dominance of blue. As a result, the entire image feels too cool. The colour checker confirms these errors, showing that colours lean towards cooler shades. Regarding brightness characteristics, the contrast gamma is at quite a decent level; however, the same cannot be said for the EOTF curve. There are significant issues with maintaining the appropriate brightness – the image is either too bright or too dim, which affects the visual perception of the content.

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.

X75WL Sony is one of those cases where image calibration may not be heavily spectacular, but it provides a very good improvement in colour perception. The white balance, both for HD and 4K materials, has been significantly improved – we no longer have a strong dominance of cooler shades. The gamma curve also appears more stable, which translates to better image quality. However, the biggest issue remains the EOTF curve, which is responsible for brightness in 4K materials. Due to the technological limitations of the television (IPS panel and lack of local dimming technology), it's hard to talk about significant improvement, as we can't squeeze more out of this model. Despite these limitations, the tonality of the image has been significantly improved.

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.

In the case of low-quality tonal transitions, the Sony X75WL television performs poorly. The lack of any feature to improve tonal transitions results in noticeable imperfections in colour gradation. However, it can be noted that the digital processing is quite good – the image is displayed without overscan, and the overall presentation is relatively good thanks to the added slight sharpness, which some users may appreciate.

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 X75WL Sony television features a 60 Hz panel, making it more suitable for watching movies than for fast-paced gaming. This model includes a motion smoother called Motionflow, which allows the user to adjust the picture on a 10-point scale. Smoothness adds intermediate frames, thus increasing motion fluidity, and the image becomes more theatrical while minimising the judder effect. Clarity reduces motion blur, which is especially useful during fast-paced scenes, such as sports or dynamic action in films. With this feature, the user can tailor the fluidity and sharpness of motion to their own preferences.

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.

X75WL is not the best TV for gamers. It only has the ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) feature and a basic Game Bar, which are not sufficient to satisfy more demanding users. In this price range, one would expect support for features such as VRR or 120 Hz refresh rates – although in FULLHD, which are already standard – unfortunately, they are lacking here. This is a big downside for Sony, as the competition offers much more for gamers in a similar budget.