Philips PUS7009 (VA) vs Hisense U6NQ

In terms of HDR effect quality, Philips PUS7009 performs very poorly. A brightness level of 250 nits does not allow for an enjoyable HDR experience, and the image resembles more of a standard SDR. There’s no mention of dynamic effects or vivid bursts of light. The coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut is only 75%, which is definitely insufficient. The lack of full colour coverage means that the colours are not as vibrant as they should be, resulting in a flat and unconvincing image. There are no aspects of this model that could be praised in the context of HDR.

Hisense U6NQ offers a stable HDR effect, which is a rarity in TVs with local dimming. On most streaming platforms, in films and series recorded in 4K, the TV delivers consistent performance – in every tested scene, regardless of difficulty level, brightness is around 450 nits. This is a pleasant surprise, as many models in this class exhibit distinct differences – some scenes are well-lit, while others are heavily dimmed by dimming algorithms. However, the Hisense U6NQ prioritises maintaining higher brightness, which comes at the cost of blacks, as noted in the paragraph about the contrast test.

The HDR effect on the U6NQ is satisfying, offering a noticeable 'punch' of light in bright moments, although it's worth remembering the aforementioned blooming, which can be visible in challenging scenes. In terms of colour, the TV also performs adequately – the coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut is 89%, while BT.2020 is 71%. While these are not results that would impress more demanding users, for beginners in the world of high-quality materials, the U6NQ is a solid choice. As such, it presents an interesting option as an 'entry-level' TV for home cinema.

The television was tested in movie mode, which - despite its name - does not provide correct image display. The white balance in both 4K HDR and HD/SDR content shows drops in the red color, making the image cooler and the colors lose their natural warmth. The gamma brightness characteristic and EOTF curve confirm that the television struggles to maintain appropriate brightness - it excessively boosts it, resulting in an unnaturally washed-out image. This effect can be seen in the comparisons below, where everything looks as if a milky filter has been applied. Additionally, the limited coverage of a wide color gamut does not contribute positively to quality - color checker tests indicate significant color fluctuations, making it difficult to achieve faithful image reproduction.

Hisense U6NQ in Filmmaker mode offers really decent colour reproduction, although it's worth remembering that differences between individual units can be noticeable. The model we tested was pleasantly surprising, especially with HD content in SDR quality. The white balance was correct here, and errors in the range of 3–4 ΔE should be acceptable for the average viewer. The television performed slightly worse in reproducing colours with 4K HDR material. The dominance of blue tones led to unnatural cool shades on the Colour Checker chart, giving the image a "store" character. Combined with issues in brightness characteristics – gamma and EOTF curve caused some parts of the image to be too dark – the Filmmaker mode in this case loses some of its credibility. Although the factory settings of the tested unit deserve praise, particularly in SDR, there were still minor shortcomings that would require adjustments to fully utilise the television's capabilities.

After calibration, the image significantly improved, especially in terms of white balance, which is now more stable, and the hues have gained a natural quality, eliminating the previous impression of an overly cool image. The calibration brought noticeable benefits in tonal quality – shadows and midtones are now more realistic, and the overall appearance seems more harmonious. Unfortunately, hardware limitations still affect image quality. Brightness characteristics remain problematic, despite our efforts, and due to poor coverage of the DCI-P3 and BT.2020 colour gamut, delta E errors are still at a high level. Although calibration improved some aspects, the television still does not provide full satisfaction.

Although the factory settings of the Filmmaker mode on Hisense U6NQ were quite good, we decided to undertake calibration to fully assess the capabilities of this model. Only after such a procedure can one see how the television performs under ideal conditions. In the case of SDR content, which was already at a high level, we managed to further improve the white balance. However, the biggest change came from adjusting the brightness characteristics – gamma was optimised and no longer causes excessive darkening of the image, which improves its naturalness.

For 4K HDR content, calibration also yielded positive results. We eliminated the issue of blue dominance, which resulted in a more balanced and natural image. However, managing brightness in HDR materials remains a more complicated issue. The EOTF curve, although it had problems with image darkening in the 10–30% brightness range under laboratory conditions, reveals other shortcomings in real scenes. The television tends to overly brighten the smallest elements on the screen. As a result, this leads to noticeable halo effects around bright objects. This phenomenon, which we mentioned earlier in the context of contrast and HDR, arises from the technological limitations of the model and is often difficult to eliminate.

In short: although the Filmmaker mode with factory settings performed decently, calibration allowed us to achieve an even better effect – minor adjustments resulted in a more balanced image, particularly in HDR content. For users seeking the highest quality picture, calibration will be a beneficial step.

When it comes to tonal transitions in low-quality material, the function called "Distortion Reduction" (setting “minimum”) effectively improves the gradation, eliminating unsightly tonal transitions. However, this setting on Philips televisions is quite aggressive – while it does not blur grain or good quality material, it can introduce unwanted effects and blur elements that should remain clear with a poorer signal.

In terms of image scaling, Philips PUS7009 performs reasonably well. A major advantage is the lack of cropped edges of the image, meaning no overscan, which allows for displaying the full frame without losses. The image is noticeably enhanced, making characters and backgrounds, such as the model or branches in the background, appear quite detailed and natural, even with lower quality signals. Although scaling is not perfect, as it can remove desired details in the distance, the results are good enough to satisfy most users.

With high-quality materials like 4K, tonal transitions on U6NQ look really good – colours blend nicely and the image is consistent. Unfortunately, when we switch to lower resolution content, the television doesn’t offer any extra features that could improve this aspect. An example is the test with the light bulb, where it’s clearly visible that the television struggles with reproducing subtle tonal transitions.

On the other hand, digital processing performs quite well. The image looks lively, is pleasantly soft, and free from excessive artifacts. Moreover, thanks to the sharpness settings, it can be tailored to individual preferences – whether towards a softer or sharper image. Overall, while upscaling lower quality materials could be better, the television handles image processing well.

Philips PUS7009 does not have motion smoothing features, which means there's no option to adjust the picture for a choppier or smoother, theatrical effect. Such features could positively affect the viewing of dynamic scenes. In terms of motion blur, this model is equipped with a 60 Hz VA panel, which delivers slightly worse results than the IPS panel variant. The VA panel introduces minimally greater motion blur, although the differences are not significant and should not pose a problem for most viewers.

Hisense U6NQ offers native refresh rates of 60 Hz at a 4K resolution, but the manufacturer has added a feature that allows for an increase in refresh rate to 120 Hz, at the cost of reducing the resolution to Full HD. This is a solution we have previously seen in TCL televisions, such as C655 or C655 PRO. This gives the user the option – higher motion fluidity or full resolution. This makes sense, especially considering that many new generation console games do not achieve full performance in 4K at 120 Hz.

When it comes to movies, the television is equipped with a motion smoother feature, which allows you to adjust the motion characteristics to your own preferences. This enables a more cinematic effect or increases fluidity in dynamic scenes. Overall, Hisense U6NQ offers sensible solutions in terms of motion fluidity that should satisfy both gamers and movie enthusiasts.

In terms of compatibility with consoles, Philips PUS7009 is likely to satisfy casual gamers. Although equipped with HDMI 2.0, it offers features such as ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), and Game Bar. ALLM automatically switches the TV to low latency mode, which speeds up responses during gaming, and VRR adjusts the refresh rate to minimise screen tearing. The Game Bar provides quick access to game settings and monitors key parameters, although visually it falls short compared to competing solutions. However, more demanding gamers may feel underwhelmed. Philips PUS7009 does not support advanced HDR formats in games, and the 60 Hz panel limits its ability to display smooth and detailed images in dynamic scenes, which may not satisfy fans of fast-paced action games.

Hisense U6NQ gives the option to choose between 4K at 60 Hz and Full HD with 120 Hz refresh rate. This solution may appeal to gamers who want to decide what is more important to them – higher resolution or smoothness. The TV supports features like ALLM and VRR, which help in providing smoother gameplay. A nice addition is the GameBar – an easy-to-use panel that allows quick adjustments to picture settings and checking statistics. We also find the Dolby Vision Game mode here, which operates with low input lag, a big plus for console enthusiasts. Unfortunately, it lacks HGiG, which could further improve HDR quality in games. Nevertheless, the Hisense U6NQ performs quite well as a gaming TV, especially for those who play occasionally and do not require the highest refresh rate in 4K. It is a solid choice for less demanding users.