Compare: Xiaomi S Mini 2025 vs Hisense S7NQ CanvasTV

Xiaomi, well-known as a giant in the smartphone market, has decided to compete for the attention of high-end tech enthusiasts by presenting a MiniLED backlit television. The S MiniLED 2025 model looks truly impressive on paper. An enormous number of dimming zones provides excellent contrast, and the brightness, reaching impressive levels, can impress both in high-quality HDR materials and in older SDR. The television performs exceptionally well where motion smoothness is key. The high refresh rate panel and low input lag make it a good choice not only for sports fans but also for gamers. Support for features like ALLM and GameBar further enhances the gaming experience. Google TV on this television works as it should – quickly, smoothly, without unnecessary stutters, which we couldn't say about the model A Pro 2025. Additionally, with such an extensive app library, it will satisfy even the most demanding user. However, not everything looks so good in practice. Despite solid hardware specifications, the television has its quirks. The biggest issue is the algorithms managing the dimming zones, which can be quite irritating when watching movies in the evening. The performance of individual zones is overly noticeable in dynamic scenes, which can effectively distract our attention from the image. Problems also arise in more demanding HDR scenes despite the truly impressive brightness. Small bright elements often lose brightness, which spoils the effect that high-quality imagery should provide. The system is also not without its shortcomings – features that enhance images in lower-quality materials work unevenly, and some options in Google TV are poorly translated or even untranslated. Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 has enormous potential, but in its current form, it seems underutilised. It is clear that Xiaomi wanted to do something really good, but a few significant shortcomings lead to a mixed final outcome. A device with high aspirations that needs better software to truly shine. It is an ideal television for brighter rooms, where high screen brightness plays a key role, and issues with local dimming become less noticeable. It will also perform excellently as a screen for gamers and for those who value the versatility and functionality of the Google TV system.

Hisense S7NQ Canvas TV is a very interesting option, especially for those who are looking for something in the style of a picture-TV but don't want to spend a fortune. At first glance, it stands out primarily because the gallery mode with artwork is completely free – there’s no subscription fee, unlike Samsung's The Frame. Moreover, the box includes a light brown frame right away, which will be an extra bonus and saving for many people. Although it is primarily a TV for displaying art, it surprisingly performs quite well in other applications as well. The 144 Hz panel, full HDMI 2.1, support for VRR and ALLM – all of this makes gaming on consoles entirely possible and quite enjoyable. The Vidaa system runs smoothly, and we find all the most important apps and features here, such as AirPlay, USB recording, or screen mirroring from your phone. But there are also things that fall a bit short. First and foremost – the actual images. Compared to The Frame from Samsung, they simply look more digital here. There's a lack of that depth, paint texture, and subtle details that really impress with the competitor. Even though at first glance we’re dealing with a similar, matte panel, in practice, it performs much worse at suppressing reflections. Colours and blacks fade much quicker, especially in a bright room. This could also be the effect of lower brightness – Hisense is simply darker than its Korean rival. Additionally, there are some minor software flaws – e.g., the lack of displaying external subtitles despite the option to configure them, or the not entirely effective image smoothing function with lower quality materials. In short: the S7NQ is a good TV in the form of a "picture" that can be a great alternative for those who don’t mind the lower quality of displayed artworks but value the absence of subscription fees, an extra frame in the package, and the full functionality of a typical TV. It's not an ideal product, but a reasonable compromise for Samsung The Frame.

Xiaomi S MiniLED is one of the most affordable televisions with MiniLED technology available on the market. The model we tested, sized at 55 inches, is equipped with as many as 308 local dimming zones, which is impressive for such a price. Additionally, it features a VA panel, which inherently offers significantly better contrast than IPS panels. On static test screens, the television performed excellently, achieving an impressive contrast ratio of 182,000:1 in the film Oblivion. Blacks were deep, and details in both bright and dark areas of the image were clearly separated. However, in more demanding scenes where the image is dynamic, the situation begins to complicate.

Where lies the problem? The main cause is the local dimming algorithms. Although on static images, their effects are promising, during movie playback – which reflects the television's natural working conditions – they operate too aggressively. In dynamic scenes, like those from the tested film, one can see how the individual dimming zones "work and flicker," which detracts from the viewer's sense of image coherence. This effect is particularly noticeable in motion, when bright objects move against a dark screen. As a result, although Xiaomi S MiniLED offers fantastic contrast on paper, in practice, the effect is less satisfying. The aggressive operation of the algorithms ruins the perception of dynamic scenes, making the television perform average in this category. This is a good example of how MiniLED technology requires not only a good specification but also adequate optimisation.

The Hisense S7NQ CanvasTV is a television equipped with a VA panel, which on its own provides decent contrast. Our test patterns confirm this – an average score of around 4000:1. It may not be an outstanding value, but for this class of device, it's quite decent. Perhaps the result would be significantly better if the television was equipped with local dimming technology; however, this model sadly lacks that feature. As a result, blacks in a completely dark room resemble shades of navy blue or grey more than true black. This situation causes a slightly noticeable clouding effect. Overall, it's okay, but without any real excitement.

Since Xiaomi S MiniLED boasts an impressive 308 zones of dimming, it's time to see how it performs in HDR tests. Starting with luminance, or the ability to display bright scenes, the television achieved nearly 1000 nits of brightness – a result that can be considered outstanding in this class. But do these numbers translate to real-life experiences in film scenes? In the case of less demanding shots, such as those from the film The Meg, the television indeed delivered excellent results, reaching up to 900 nits. Such values are impressive and can truly convey the strength of HDR effects.

Unfortunately, just like with contrast, there were some issues. When smaller, brighter elements appear on the screen – as in challenging scenes from Sicario 2 – the aggressive action of the dimming zones ruins the entire effect. Brightness in these moments drops to just 100 nits. That is definitely too little to convey the full magic of HDR. Instead of a dynamic and detailed image, the viewer gets a muted, almost flat impression, which takes away all the enjoyment of the viewing experience.

In summary, if we're looking for a television with high brightness for watching movies during the day, the Xiaomi S MiniLED will easily fulfill that task. However, its inability to precisely manage the dimming zones makes watching movies in the evening, especially during demanding HDR scenes, potentially more frustrating than satisfying.

When it comes to the brightness of the television and how it handles bright elements while watching films, it's just average – similar to the contrast. The average brightness level of the Hisense S7NQ is around 500 nits. This is a value that allows you to feel the hints of true HDR, but it's definitely not enough to speak of remarkable effects. However, the television should be praised for its colour gamut coverage – films look very colourful and vibrant. Thanks to the use of a PFS LED (QLED) coating, the device is able to cover more than 90% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut and over 72% of the wider BT.2020 palette. For a television of this class – these are really very good results.

Xiaomi, like many manufacturers, offers a wide range of picture modes. On the S MiniLED, we can find both IMAX Enhanced and Filmmaker. Our tests were conducted in Filmmaker mode, which theoretically aims to reference the image, but the reality turned out to be somewhat different.

Let’s start with the SDR material tests. Here the TV had quite a few problems, especially with white balance. The noticeable dominance of red made the image appear too warm, and all colours gained a reddish hue. This was particularly evident in the comparative scene from the film Star Wars. The brightness characteristic (gamma) also left much to be desired – instead of a smooth transition, we had a real "rollercoaster," with visible excessive brightening of the screen.

In 4K materials, the situation looked considerably better. The white balance, though still not perfect, was much more balanced, with a slight dominance of red and blue, but no excessive impact on the overall perception. The EOTF curve (responsible for brightness in HDR) showed some brightening in the brightest parts of the image, which was noticeable in the test scene from the film Pan that we described above. These brightening effects may disturb the precision of the image, but in 4K, the overall effect was far more acceptable than in SDR.

Although Xiaomi S MiniLED can pleasantly surprise in 4K materials, its factory settings in SDR require significant corrections, especially regarding white balance and brightness. It's definitely a TV that would benefit from calibration.

Let's check how the Hisense S7NQ CanvasTV performs in terms of colour reproduction in its best factory mode, which is Filmmaker. Right from the start, it’s clear that it’s definitely better than in dynamic or standard mode, but there are still a few things to nitpick. In terms of image quality from HD signals, the colours are slightly skewed – there’s a dominance of cooler blue tones and a lack of red. This makes the image seem a bit too cool.

A similar effect is noticeable in 4K content, but it’s more pronounced there. The excessive exposure of blue tones and lack of red makes the image appear distinctly cold. However, the biggest issue with this TV isn’t the colours themselves but the way brightness is managed. The unit we tested slightly increased brightness compared to the reference value. The result of this is indeed better visibility of details, but at the cost of significantly lighter blacks – which makes the entire image seem more "flat."

A similar phenomenon was observed in the 4K signal – the slightly inflated curve at the beginning of the EOTF graph indicates that the TV has a tendency to overexpose certain scenes. Fortunately, this effect can be improved through professional calibration, which we will discuss in the next point.

Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is a television that gains a whole new life after calibration. The results are truly impressive and show how much potential this model has.

In SDR mode, the white balance is almost perfectly aligned. The errors are so minimal that in many cases they can be considered negligible. This is confirmed by the Colour Checker palette results, where errors did not exceed 2 ΔE – a truly rare outcome. Gamma also performs very well, although there are slight brightening effects in the darkest elements at the beginning of the graph. However, this is a minor exception that does not significantly affect the viewing experience.

In 4K HDR material, calibration also brought visible improvements, particularly in white balance. The image looks natural and consistent. However, the characteristic of brightness remains an issue. EOTF analysis in film materials shows that the television tends to overly brighten or darken the smallest elements on the screen. This is the effect of limitations in the dimming algorithms that we previously discussed regarding HDR and contrast testing. Unfortunately, this is a technical feature of this model that cannot be completely eliminated.

Despite this minor flaw, calibration has allowed us to extract the maximum capabilities from this television. The image now looks phenomenal, and its quality impresses in every type of material. Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 demonstrates that with the right settings, it can compete with more expensive models.

The results we achieved after calibrating the Hisense S7NQ are really very good. Thanks to the calibration, we managed to eliminate excessive blue tone exposure and deficiencies in red with HD signals. A similar, albeit slightly weaker effect was also achieved with 4K HDR content. Brightness management in HD materials has also improved – the television no longer struggles with brightening the image "overall".

However, there are things that cannot be circumvented. The character of the EOTF curve has hardly changed, and the lack of local dimming means that the smallest elements on the screen will always be slightly overexposed. You just have to come to terms with this when choosing a television with a similar type of backlighting. Nevertheless, the final effect is very good and should fully satisfy the vast majority of users.

The fluidity of tonal transitions in Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 looks very good. Even in the theoretically most challenging scene with red water, the television performs excellently – we did not notice any major issues. Minor imperfections occur in scenes like Kingsman or The Martian, where you can see subtle colour blending. Nevertheless, Xiaomi stands out in this category, offering one of the best qualities of tonal transitions in its price range. This is definitely a strong point of this television.

The fluidity of tonal transitions is one of those categories that even less advanced users can notice. If someone doesn’t know what this means – we’ll explain. It’s about whether the colours blend smoothly into each other or if their “sticking” is visible in the form of distinct bands. Good tonal transitions are those that are natural and smooth, without significant jumps in colour.

The Hisense S7NQ performs very well in this area, although it must be honestly admitted that it falls slightly short compared to Samsung The Frame. In very bright scenes, slight imperfections can be noticed, but you really need a trained eye to catch them. Overall – as with most “frame” style televisions – it still performs excellently.

When it comes to tonal transitions in lower-quality materials, such as YouTube or television, the Xiaomi S MiniLED comes with a feature called “Colour Contour Removal.” In the "low" setting, it works quite well, but its effectiveness can be uneven. Sometimes it appears as if the TV struggles to smooth things out, which creates a bit of dissonance. On the plus side, we didn’t notice any visible side effects, although given the instability of this feature, one might suspect that unexpected issues could arise in certain situations.

Image scaling also comes across as average. There’s slight jaggedness, especially on thin elements like branches, and text can be a bit ragged. It may not be overly bothersome, but a more discerning eye will certainly catch these imperfections. Overall, most users should be satisfied with the scaling and smoothing quality, but the TV may not satisfy those who expect perfection in every frame.

Equally important is how the television handles tonal transitions with a poorer signal – for example, in older films, on television, or on YouTube. Unfortunately, despite the presence of the “Smooth and Gradient Picture” feature, which was supposedly meant to improve this aspect, its functionality is really poor. It’s barely noticeable that it has any real impact on the visibility of colour transitions.

The image scaling is also disappointing. Yes, you can see that the television is trying to “pull up” the quality, but the end result is far from ideal. The image often appears slightly jagged, which is particularly noticeable in the example of tree branches in the background. Additionally, the Hisense S7NQ has a clear tendency to crop the image at lower resolutions, which could result in missing subtitles in the news or finer details in the image.

Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is equipped with a 4K@120Hz (1080p@240Hz) refresh rate panel, providing sufficient smoothness for both watching dynamic sports broadcasts and playing the latest games. This level of refresh rate makes the image look fluid, even in the most intense scenes. Additionally, the television offers a "Motion Smoothing" feature that allows users to adjust the way the image is displayed in films. We can choose a more choppy effect, typical for cinematic experiences, or a smoother one, resembling the so-called "theatrical effect". As a result, every user can tailor the settings to their preferences and enjoy smooth images in their favourite content.

When it comes to motion fluidity, the television performs really well. Although the S7NQ was primarily designed for displaying static elements – such as images – the manufacturer has used a panel with a refresh rate of 144 Hz. As a result, sports or games look really good on it.

For content that is not recorded at a high frame rate, the manufacturer has provided two features that allow you to adjust the picture to your own preferences. “Motion blur reduction” and “blur” operate on a 10-point scale, enabling a choice between a more cinematic image – with characteristic frame jumps – and a smooth effect reminiscent of a “soap opera.” How to set this up? That’s a personal choice – we leave the decision to you.

Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is a television that has a lot to offer gamers. With two HDMI ports boasting 48 Gbps bandwidth, we can easily connect modern consoles or PCs, utilising their full potential. Additionally, the ALLM feature automatically switches the TV to low latency mode – something we appreciate during fast-paced gaming without annoying lags. No matter what we connect, it runs smoothly, and the TV handles various resolutions exceptionally well. There’s also the GameBar, which may not look as flashy as the "bars" on competing models, but makes up for it in practicality. It’s a straightforward settings panel that allows us to quickly change the most important options or check stats – a perfect solution when time is of the essence.

However, we must admit that navigating the TV itself – or rather, finding gaming features – was quite a challenge for us. We approached the Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 test several times to locate all the necessary options. The hidden menu allowed us to discover the "GameBoost" feature, which enables switching the TV to 240 Hz mode, activating VRR, and allows for enabling the image in HGIG mode.

In summary, the Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is a TV that definitely deserves praise in the gaming equipment category. Its rich set of features – 240 Hz mode, VRR, HGIG, and "GameBoost" – provides an exceptional gaming experience. Unfortunately, the intuitiveness of the menu itself leaves much to be desired and can pose some challenges for the average user.

Even though the S7NQ is an "image" type television, you can actually play games on it. Really. It has practically everything (except for HGiG mode) that a modern gaming television needs. The 144 Hz panel and two full HDMI 2.1 ports allow for seamless connection of two consoles, such as the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X/S.

The television supports Automatic Low Latency Mode (ALLM) and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) without any stutters or issues. It also handles high frame rates at lower resolutions without any trouble. A shoutout to Hisense for the very attractive Game Bar – it displays all available image options, and additionally, we have the ability to enlarge the minimap or turn on the crosshair (because sometimes someone might actually want to "aim" 😉).

The only missing element – as we mentioned earlier – is the lack of proper implementation of HGiG mode. This is the feature responsible for automatically setting the image in games as the developers intended. It’s a shame because it's the only thing that separates the Hisense S7NQ from being a full-fledged gaming "monster".

Input lag in Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is one of its biggest advantages. 8 ms for 120 Hz content and 17 ms for 60 Hz are simply outstanding results that will satisfy even the most demanding gamers. Moreover, the Dolby Vision mode in games deserves praise. Unlike many competing models, Xiaomi maintains a low input lag even in this mode, making it an excellent choice for lovers of high-quality HDR gaming experiences.

Input lag in the Hisense S7NQ performs well, though it can't be said to be exceptional – especially for the standards of 2024/25. Values around 30–20 ms aren't very high and the average player likely won't notice it, but those who spend a lot of time gaming may feel a bit of discomfort.

The situation looks significantly better when playing in Dolby Vision mode – then the lag is lower and the gameplay feels more enjoyable. The problem is that there are still very few games supporting this mode and they are mainly available on the Xbox console.

Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is a good choice if you need a TV for computer work. The fonts are very clear thanks to 4:4:4 chroma support, making it ideal for office work or browsing documents. It also performs excellently in gaming – high refresh rates, G-SYNC, and low input lag ensure smooth gameplay, which will satisfy most gamers.

When it comes to working with a computer, the S7NQ Canvas TV performs really well. Gaming on it is smooth thanks to the presence of a 144 Hz panel and support for G-Sync with Nvidia cards. Input lag – as we mentioned earlier – is good, though not exceptional.

And how about productivity? It’s doable. The TV has a proper implementation of chroma 4:4:4, so fonts look quite sharp. You might nitpick about some minor issues with the thinnest letters on a dark background, but let’s be honest – rarely does anyone sit a metre away from a 55-inch screen reading small text.

In terms of viewing angles, Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is not impressive. This is a typical problem with VA panels, which struggle without additional coatings to widen viewing angles. The image begins to lose quality when watching the TV from the side – colours fade, and contrast significantly drops. However, the advantage of VA panels is their much better contrast compared to IPS panels, which in turn win when it comes to wider viewing angles. This is a classic compromise where one has to choose between better blacks and a more universal image seen from different spots in the room.

Viewing angles here are typical for a VA panel. The S7NQ loses quite a bit when viewed from about a 45-degree angle – colours wash out and brightness noticeably decreases. It's a shame, as after all, it's a television that's meant to display works of art – it would be nice to be able to look at them from different spots in the room, not just straight on.

Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is equipped with a satin finish on the display, which moderately handles glare reduction. On the screen's surface, you can see light reflections, which may be somewhat distracting in bright rooms. However, the key element that saves this television in daytime use is its brightness. With a value of 841 cd/m², the screen performs flawlessly even in very sunlit interiors. This is more than enough to comfortably watch television, movies, or sporting events. Importantly, the television also handles more demanding content, such as winter sports, where the dominant white can pose a significant challenge for other televisions. Here, Xiaomi definitely excels.

Hisense S7NQ Canvas TV is equipped with a matte screen that effectively reduces reflections – quite similar to its Chinese rival, TCL A300 NXTVision. Unfortunately, both constructions fall short in this category compared to Samsung's The Frame, which offers a significantly better anti-reflective coating. In the case of the Chinese models, including the S7NQ, colours fade considerably under light, and black levels perform poorly in such conditions. The brightness of the television reaches about 500 nits – which is quite a decent value for a matte screen, but still lower than that of the aforementioned The Frame. Generally, if someone prefers matte displays, then... it looks like it looks – Samsung simply did it better.

Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is a television that stands out thanks to the Google TV system. It offers access to the most popular streaming services, music apps, and various useful features that significantly enhance everyday use of the TV. For those who enjoy personalisation, the system also provides plenty of configuration options.

The built-in voice assistant operates smoothly – we can not only control the TV but also ask for the weather forecast or set a reminder for the next day. Unfortunately, we noticed during testing that some functions have trouble translating into Polish, which can be annoying, especially for those less proficient in navigating the settings. Despite this, the overall impression is very good, and minor shortcomings can be improved in updates.

The device handles connectivity well. Wireless connections with Windows computers or Apple devices run smoothly, and thanks to Bluetooth, we can easily connect headphones, keyboards, or other accessories. The remote is simple and convenient – it works from any position, so aiming at the screen is not necessary. However, there are some shortcomings. If someone frequently uses traditional television, they might miss the recording functions from tuners or the PiP (picture in picture) option. This somewhat limits the possibilities, but for those focusing on streaming and modern features, it won’t be a major issue.

Xiaomi compensates for these shortcomings with an excellent operating system. Google TV is one of the most advanced and intuitive systems available on the market, which makes the television perform really well in daily use.

As the Hisense S7NQ is a dedicated television, we'll start the description a bit differently – from the most important aspect of this type of model, which is displaying works of art. Like all "art" televisions, it features a special mount that allows for the screen to be installed completely flat. The biggest advantage over the Korean Samsung The Frame is the fact that despite fewer artworks available in gallery mode, all of them are completely free – there’s no subscription fee required. An additional bonus that comes with the S7NQ is the light brown frame. This is a significant plus, especially if someone was already planning to choose that colour – you can save a bit of money on both the frame and the subscription.

However, when it comes to the quality of the displayed images, it’s clear that Samsung The Frame significantly outperforms here. In the S7NQ, the images look more digital, whereas in The Frame, the Art Store mode offers true scans of artworks, showing even the texture of the paint or the brush strokes of the artist. And once again, we return to the old truth – for better quality, you simply have to pay.

Fortunately, the S7NQ is not just an "art piece", but also a normal television – and in this role, it performs really well. Like most Hisense models with the VIDAA system, it offers many basic functions such as USB recording, screen mirroring, and AirPlay support. As for apps – the most popular streaming services are present here, and you can find their complete list below.

The basic file player in Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 performs its task for simple video materials. However, a noticeable drawback is the lack of support for Polish characters, which can be problematic for individuals using subtitles.

Fortunately, the presence of the Google TV system provides a way to easily work around this limitation. It allows for the installation of alternative file playback applications that handle Polish characters and offer significantly more advanced options. As a result, the limitations of the built-in player are not as burdensome as they may seem.

Hisense S7NQ has no trouble playing the vast majority of popular audio, photo, and video formats. So why is the rating in this category relatively low? Well, it's because of software issues. This is another Hisense television that didn't allow us to open external subtitles in movies. Regardless of whether we're talking about the .ass, .srt, .txt, or .sub format – the subtitles simply didn't appear.

The funniest (or rather the most frustrating) part about all this is that in the menu we can find options to change the font colour, size, and background… The problem is, the subtitles themselves are not visible at all.

Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 sounds really pleasant, and even offers a light bass, reminiscent of the sound known from the lower model, the A Pro 2025. The sound is well balanced, making watching movies or listening to music comfortable, even without additional audio equipment. Interestingly, the television seamlessly supports audio formats like Dolby Atmos and the less common DTS:X. This allows you to connect a home theatre system or soundbar and enjoy spatial sound without any difficulties. A nice addition is also the presence of a standard speaker jack connection.

When it comes to sound, it presents itself... just like a television on the wall – rather flat. Despite the use of a 2.0.2 speaker setup with a total power of 36 W, we can't speak of any exceptional sound quality here. But as is often the case – buying even the simplest soundbar can dramatically change the situation.

On the plus side, it does support virtually all popular Dolby and DTS codecs. This means we can easily connect the television to a home theatre system without having to fiddle with settings or audio conversion.

Xiaomi S Mini 2025 vs Hisense S7NQ CanvasTV

Advantages

Disadvantages

Our verdict

TV appearance

Where to buy

Contrast and black detail

HDR effect quality

Factory color reproduction

Color reproduction after calibration

Smoothness of tonal transitions

Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions

Blur and motion smoothness

Console compatibility and gaming features

Input lag

Compatibility with PC

Viewing angles

TV efficiency during daytime

Details about the matrix

TV features

Playing files from USB

Apps

Sound