TCL P7K / P79K vs Sony BRAVIA 7 II

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%.

Sony Bravia 7 II handles HDR very well and, above all, is simply a bright television. In the correct viewing mode for watching, Professional, we measured about 2,000 nits of peak brightness, so the panel’s capabilities are truly large. Of course, in Mini-LED sets a test-pattern result is only part of the story, because much still depends on how the TV controls the backlight in real scenes. Here Sony’s algorithms perform really well. Depending on the scene, the brightness we measured in films ranged from about 1,100 to as much as 1,700 nits. That’s a level at which HDR has proper punch and bright highlights can be genuinely impressive. It’s not perfect in every situation. With small bright elements on a very dark background, the Bravia 7 II clearly prioritises maintaining good black levels, so their brightness can fall to around 500 nits. It still looks good, but it’s clear the TV doesn’t always manage this without compromise.

Colours

The second thing that has a huge impact on HDR is, of course, colour. And this is where True RGB was meant to deliver one of the biggest changes. Looking at the panel’s capabilities alone, the Bravia 7 II performs very well. We measured roughly 98% DCI-P3 coverage and 88% BT.2020, so the potential for showing highly saturated colours is substantial. In RGB TVs the matter is a bit more complex. When we repeated the same measurements with a film-like background applied, gamut coverage dropped to about 92% DCI-P3 and 78% BT.2020. Those are still good numbers, especially for an RGB Mini-LED TV, but they show that the final result largely depends on how the algorithms drive the three backlight colours. In most scenes the Bravia 7 II handles this well and colours retain strong saturation. The biggest differences are visible in blue shades, where samples start to deviate more noticeably from the reference values and coverage is weaker than for the other primaries. True RGB therefore offers genuinely greater potential, but, as with brightness, a lot depends on what’s actually happening on screen.

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.

To evaluate the factory colours we chose the Professional mode, because it performs best among the available presets. It's not perfect. In SDR the white balance is slightly biased toward magenta, so some scenes look a little warmer and less neutral than they should. A bigger issue is the gamma, which sits closer to 2.5 than 2.4. As a result the image is a bit too dark in places, especially in the mid-tones. In HDR the situation is better. As brightness increases there's a little too much red, but it isn't something that really jumps out while watching. Overall the Professional mode is a good starting point, though you can get a bit more out of it with calibration.

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.

After calibration the Bravia 7 II can look significantly better. First and foremost, we managed to set the white balance very well in both SDR and HDR. Gamma can also be improved, and after correction it runs very close to the reference value. For most users those changes will have the biggest impact on the picture. There is, however, a limitation with the colours themselves. On the Bravia 7 II Sony does not provide access to a traditional CMS that would let us adjust individual hues separately. Much is left to the algorithms controlling the True RGB backlight. If the TV reproduces a specific colour inaccurately, we are not always able to do anything about it. In our measurements this is most apparent in parts of the reds and blues, where errors can still be quite large. That does not, however, undermine the value of calibration. Correctly setting the white point and gamma strongly affects the whole picture, so even without the ability to precisely correct every colour the difference from the factory settings is noticeable.

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.

Scaling and digital processing are among the strongest points of the Bravia 7 II and one of Sony's biggest advantages over the competition. Sony has for years excelled at digital image processing, and it's clear here too. Above all, the 'Smooth Gradation' function works very well, smoothing weaker tonal transitions in poorer-quality content. The safest setting is low, but we'd comfortably recommend medium as well. The effect is stronger, and the TV still handles fine detail very delicately. Some minor details may be slightly smoothed, but Sony does it much more subtly than many other brands. Upscaling is also very good. Lower-resolution content is nicely upscaled to 4K; the image looks clean and retains a lot of detail. Of course the TV won't magically turn native HD into true 4K, but the Bravia 7 II does very well with what can be pulled from such a source.

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.

The Bravia 7 II uses a 120 Hz panel, so in terms of motion handling it delivers everything you'd expect from a TV of this class. With sport or games at 120 fps the picture is suitably smooth, and for films Sony provides an advanced motion interpolation system. You can therefore adjust the level of interpolation separately and choose whether to retain a more cinematic motion or achieve noticeably greater smoothness. Motion blur itself is a bit worse. The VA panel used isn't among the fastest, and moving objects can show a slight trailing, especially against darker backgrounds. It's not at a level that will seriously disturb normal viewing, but last year's Bravia 7 was better in this regard and had a noticeably faster panel.

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.

Bravia 7 II has pretty much everything you'd want from a good console TV today. It supports 4K at 120 Hz, VRR from 48 to 120 Hz and ALLM, so when you start a game the TV automatically switches to low-latency mode. HGiG works correctly, so once you configure HDR on the console the TV won't try to brighten the image on its own. Just remember to turn off tone mapping in the TV's menu. Another plus is Dolby Vision in game mode, which will be especially useful for Xbox owners. Sony also includes its own Game Menu, where you can quickly view key signal info, check VRR or change gaming settings without digging through the full TV menu. The only thing missing from the feature list is support for 1440p at 120 Hz. Our biggest complaint is not really about the features but the connectors. The Bravia 7 II has four HDMI ports, but only two of them support full HDMI 2.1 with 48 Gbps bandwidth. One of those is also the eARC port. So if you connect a soundbar or AV receiver via HDMI, in practice you only have one full HDMI 2.1 left for a console or PC. With a single console that's fine, but with a PS5, an Xbox and an audio setup it starts to feel cramped. That's hard to justify from Sony. In cheaper TVs two HDMI 2.1 ports can still be accepted, but in a model of this class, especially in 2026, we'd expect all four ports to be HDMI 2.1.