TCL P7K / P79K vs Hisense U8Q

When it comes to assessing HDR performance, we need to be clear and straightforward without any marketing fluff: the P7K/P79K is not and never was meant to be a champion in this area. The maximum peak brightness that this panel can generate hovers around just 300 nits. This represents a threshold, a sort of thin red line between what can be considered barely satisfactory HDR signal and what is, in reality, only slightly better than standard dynamic range (SDR), unfortunately leaning towards the latter. Synthetic tests confirmed this harsh reality – our measurements taken during movie sessions showed that the luminance in key bright scenes rarely exceeded 200-250 nits. Therefore, this is not a TV that would allow content created in a wide tonal range to truly shine, and that must be openly acknowledged.

Unfortunately, the issue of colour reproduction is presented just as conservatively. Although the manufacturer positions this model within the "QLED" family, owing to the use of a PFS LED filter, the results do not match the heightened expectations. The coverage of the wide DCI-P3 colour gamut reaches only 86%. Compared to the market, this is at best an average result, since most devices that utilise additional layers to expand the colour spectrum easily achieve values at a minimum of 90-92%.

When it comes to HDR, the Hisense U8Q shows its claws. On paper, meaning in synthetic measurement tests, the TV can "push out" nearly 4000 nits of peak brightness. This is a value that most models can only envy. In practice, this translates to very strong light effects in movies – in some scenes we managed to measure real levels from 1500 to 2000 nits, which is a level usually reserved for the absolute top-tier TVs on the market.

Of course, it's not always so perfect. In small, point-like elements, brightness can drop – a good example is scene number 4 from the movie Sicario 2, where instead of thousands of nits we get about 500. But it's worth noting that the effect doesn't disappear completely – the light is still visible, and the image doesn't appear artificially dimmed. This is a typical issue with Mini LEDs, so it’s hard to consider it a major drawback.

However, a huge plus has to be granted for colour reproduction. Thanks to additional coatings improving colour saturation, the U8Q almost covers the entire DCI-P3 colour space (98%), and for the wider BT.2020 gamut it achieved over 80%. This is an excellent result that makes HDR films look juicy, intense, and just very cinematic.

Every reliable assessment of image quality must start with selecting the most optimal, factory preset mode. In the case of the tested P7K/P79K model, the choice was made without hesitation for the "Film" mode. It is the mode that presents an image closest to the intentions of its creators, avoiding both the exaggerated brightness of the dynamic mode and the excessive dimming known from eco settings. And it must be admitted that, for a device in this price range, the factory calibration is surprisingly decent, although it is not without a few stumbles. The most noticeable shortcoming turned out to be the not entirely correctly set white balance. A slight dominance of the blue component gives the image a subtly cool, frosty character, straying from the ideal neutrality that the director intended to show us. The television handles the reproduction of greyscale in the standard dynamic range much better – the gamma curve is almost exemplary. The only slight reservation can be made for the darkest parts of the image, where a delicate deviation from the norm causes a loss of some detail in the shadows. The most significant challenge, however, for the TCL software was interpreting the HDR signal, as illustrated by the EOTF curve. The television follows its own, rather free path here – the darkest details are disproportionately brightened, followed by a noticeable slowdown in brightness increase for mid-tones. Fortunately, most of these imperfections are of a software nature, which can be eliminated. With that thought in mind, we proceeded to the process of professional calibration.

We have to admit that when the U8Q arrived in our editorial office, we were slightly surprised… and in a good way. Usually, white balance in televisions immediately requires adjustment – it can be too warm or too cold, which immediately causes strange colour errors. Meanwhile, here the situation looks really good straight out of the box. Of course, we’re talking about our unit, so there’s no guarantee that every model will be tuned as well, but in our case, the first impressions were very positive. The only more noticeable issue was related to how the television manages brightness. Looking at the EOTF chart, it’s clear that the U8Q tends to brighten small elements on the screen. This, in turn, caused what we mentioned earlier – slight overexposure and the impression that the whole scene is a bit too bright. However, this is not a flaw that negates the picture, rather an effect characteristic of this model.

The calibration process turned out to be spot on, especially in the context of standard dynamic range (SDR) content. We successfully managed to eliminate the tendency of the television to showcase cool tones, restoring white to its natural neutrality. Moreover, the precise adjustment allowed us to correct a slight error in the gamma curve, enabling the darkest parts of the image to regain proper depth, without any signs of unnatural brightness. The results are measurable and impressive – in the ColorChecker test, the vast majority of colour reproduction errors fell below the perceptual threshold, achieving a deltaE value of below 2. This is a result that more expensive models would not be ashamed of. Unfortunately, in the case of HDR content, we encounter a wall in the form of the panel's structural limitations. And although we managed to bring the colours into line, the software's specifics mean that the television still adapts brightness in its own way, as evidenced by the persistent, non-standard EOTF curve. To summarise, calibration adds tremendous value, but it is important to be aware that it won't overcome certain physical barriers. The slightly elevated blacks, resulting from the lack of local dimming, and limited peak brightness mean that HDR content won't always be able to showcase its full potential. This is simply not the main task of this display; its true strength, especially after professional tuning, lies in viewing SDR material.

Of course, we wouldn’t be ourselves if we didn’t make adjustments to the white balance. After calibration, we managed to level the SDR signal to near perfection – older films, YouTube content, and classic television looked nearly ideal on the U8Q. It’s truly an impressive level that shows this model can do a lot if given a bit of help. Unfortunately, the situation is different with HDR content. The colours themselves don’t pose much of a problem, but the biggest issue with the U8Q remains the EOTF brightness characteristics. In practice, the television tends to "shoot" above how the image should originally look. It’s this slight "blowout" we noticed earlier in comparisons with the best screens on the market. It’s a bit of a shame that this characteristic can't be completely tamed – if we could maintain equally good brightness control in HDR as we do in SDR, we would be looking at an absolutely reference-level image.

After a series of harsh evaluations, thankfully, it’s time for some praise, and this is deserved by the TCL AiPQ image processor for its work in the field of digital processing and content scaling. It should be noted right away that we are not talking about the level known from flagship models; nonetheless, in the price segment represented by the P7K/P79K, the results achieved are more than solid. The function that smooths tonal transitions performs particularly well, effectively eliminating posterization, which are the characteristic bands often visible in materials with higher compression, for instance, from choose.tv. The algorithm can elegantly remove unwanted gradients, which ultimately looks really good. The television also handles upscaling competently, which means the task of raising low-resolution materials to 4K standard. The resulting image, although it may seem a bit too sharp out of the box, is fortunately not a problem. The software allows for free adjustment of this parameter using a sharpness slider, allowing the final appearance to be easily tailored to personal preferences.

Hisense U8Q handles lower quality materials quite well. The television can smooth tonal transitions thanks to the “Smooth and Gradient Picture” feature – it works best on the Medium setting. It nicely dims unwanted bands and irregularities in the image, but importantly, it doesn't remove the film grain or fine details.

The upscaling itself is also at a good level. Image from lower resolutions appears smooth and soft, sometimes a bit too much – we get a plastic effect that may not appeal to everyone. Fortunately, this can be easily corrected with the sharpness slider, allowing you to adjust the image to your personal preferences.

The issue of fluidity and sharpness of motion image is inextricably linked to the fundamental parameter of the panel, and in the case of the TCL P7K/P79K, we are dealing with a panel that has a native refresh rate of 60 Hz. This specification at the outset defines its capabilities and makes it hard to unequivocally recommend it to enthusiasts of dynamic sports broadcasts. During quick camera movements, the image loses sharpness, and the panel also shows a slight tendency to smudge, which may be noticeable to more sensitive viewers. Fortunately, not everything in this aspect has been left to chance. The manufacturer has implemented a simple motion smoothing system, which is primarily used in film materials recorded at 24 or 30 frames per second. Thanks to a dedicated slider, the user can decide on the final nature of the motion – from maintaining a fully cinematic, slightly jerky image, to achieving a very smooth, almost theatrical effect. It is a simple yet effective tool that allows one to adjust the viewing experience to their own preferences.

Hisense U8Q has a panel that can refresh the image up to 165 Hz in 4K resolution. In practice, this will mainly benefit PC gamers, but as they say – better to have it than not 😊. For movies and series, we have a built-in smoother called Ultra Motion Smoothing. In the settings, it can be easily adjusted to your own preferences – whether you want a more ‘cinematic’ frame rate or a smooth, theatrical spectacle.

Although on paper the native 4K@60Hz matrix might suggest that the TCL P7K/P79K is not a TV tailored for gamers, the reality turns out to be surprisingly different. On the contrary, the manufacturer has ensured a rich set of features that make it a very friendly companion for next-generation consoles. Onboard, we find key technologies such as ALLM, which provides automatic switching to low-latency mode, and VRR, or variable refresh rate, which eliminates screen tearing. The list is rounded off with support for Dolby Vision Gaming and a simple yet functional Game Bar. However, the real and extremely pleasant surprise is something else. It turns out that the TV effortlessly supports a high refresh rate signal of 120Hz, but at lower resolutions – 1080p and 1440p. This is fantastic news for console owners, who know how rarely games run in native 4K at a full 120 frames per second. The option to choose between higher resolution and doubled smoothness is therefore an incredibly sensible compromise.

In summary, while the P7K/P79K may not be the target screen for the most passionate, tournament gamers, it offers a package of options for casual or occasional console users that is hard to find among many competitors at this price point.

In terms of features, the Hisense U8Q has practically everything one would expect from a modern gaming television. Thanks to the new processor, the manufacturer has managed to implement three HDMI 2.1 ports, so there’s no trouble connecting multiple consoles or a computer. On top of that, it includes all the key technologies – Game Bar with parameter previews, variable refresh rate (VRR), automatic game mode (ALLM)… in a word, a complete set.

But as often happens with Hisense, it’s missing just a bit from perfection. The biggest drawback remains the lack of support for the HGiG format, which allows the TV's brightness to be adjusted to the console and gets the most out of HDR in games. It’s a shame because if this feature were included, we’d have a device practically made for gamers. As it stands, the U8Q remains “only” a very good choice 😉