Hisense E7NQ PRO vs TCL C655 / C69B 98'

Based on the luminance chart, which indicates around 550 nits, it can be said that Hisense E7NQ PRO theoretically has the potential to somewhat "magically" enchant us with its image in HDR. While testing various scenes from films, we noticed that the television continually tries to balance maintaining appropriate brightness with preserving the deepest blacks possible. In favourable conditions – for instance, during a scene from “The Meg,” where the screen is flooded with bright light – this brightness can indeed impress us. In such moments, we feel that HDR actually adds that "something" to the image. Unfortunately, when more challenging shots appear on the screen with small, bright elements on a dark background, the situation looks significantly worse. The brightness then drops to 200-300 nits, which is decidedly too little to truly distinguish HDR from standard SDR.

It is clear that the television tries, but hardware limitations – mainly the limited number of local dimming zones – prevent it from fully spreading its wings. The final effect is therefore often quite uneven and just as mediocre as in the contrast tests. However, it deserves credit for its impressive coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut at 97%. Thanks to this, the television can display a truly wide range of colours, which, in suitable scenes, can give us at least a taste of the true HDR effect. It’s just a shame that the overall experience is not complemented by better control of brightness and contrast.

The quality of HDR effect on the TCL C655 / C69B looks quite promising. The average value in the test charts is around 450 nits, which already allows for a hint of the brilliance of light effects and better image dynamics. However, as previously mentioned, this effect can be somewhat subdued by slight differences in bright and dark colours, resulting from the lack of local dimming technology. Nevertheless, the DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage of 94% deserves high praise, and this is made possible by the use of a quantum dot (QLED) panel. As a result, colours are vibrant and well-rendered when watching HDR content.

When we took our copy of Hisense E7NQ PRO out of the box, we immediately began to check the available picture modes. Among them, the Filmmaker mode seemed the most promising, although it too was not without its flaws. With standard SDR content, we noticed a clear tendency for excessive red enhancement, which made the image unnaturally warm. This was particularly evident in the comparative photo attached below. Conversely, when we switched to HDR content, the situation went in the opposite direction. This time, blue was dominant, and red was scarce, resulting in a cool effect, at times almost "shop-like" — although not as drastic as in those modes that are actually intended for display in exhibitions. As a result, in our tests assessing colour reproduction, these disturbances in colour balance led to significant errors.

Additionally, the television had issues with reproducing brightness characteristics. At lower resolutions, it noticeably brightened the darkest elements of the image, and with HDR content, the brightness curve (eotf) simply wouldn't conform as it should. Initially, the television excessively darkened the smallest details, only to then overly brighten larger areas. Fortunately, the E7NQ PRO provides us with plenty of calibration tools, so knowing that there is potential within it, we decided to take matters into our own hands and try to adjust it to eliminate these problems.

The TCL C655 / C69B television offers a film mode that has been tested for colour reproduction quality. Although this mode is called film mode, unfortunately, it has many errors that the director would certainly not want to see when recording their work. Starting with image analysis, it's worth examining the white balance – both in HD and 4K HDR content, the white balance has significant errors. In both cases, the red colour dominates, making the colours too warm, and the overall image takes on a pink or yellow tint. The Colour Checker test confirms these errors – the colour samples stray into incorrect shades, affecting the overall colour fidelity. A minor issue is the brightness characteristics. However, this too is not without flaws. The gamma graph shows a strong spike at the beginning, which can cause the image to be excessively brightened, and the EOTF curve responsible for brightness in 4K HDR materials also has significant variations – it is evident how the television tries to maintain the appropriate brightness, but it does not always manage to do so effectively.

Thanks to the tools available in E7NQ PRO, we managed to extract quite a decent image from it, especially with lower quality content. After refining the white balance of the SDR materials, the colours look much more natural, and what we see on the screen seems closer to the vision that the manufacturer intended to present. Additionally, we improved the brightness characteristic (Gamma), which means the television is no longer prone to excessive brightening, and everything presents itself distinctly better than before our intervention.

We also managed to achieve some results with HDR materials, although it isn’t quite as rosy here. Indeed, the white balance has approached an acceptable level, but the problem lies elsewhere. It concerns the EOTF curve, which is the way the television manages brightness and tonal range of the image. At first glance, it might seem that the biggest issue only relates to mid-tones being overly brightened. However, after more detailed testing and enabling the filters for displaying the EOTF curve, it becomes apparent that the receiver tends to brighten the entire screen. This appears to be a limitation arising from the small number of local dimming zones and generally modest brightness management capabilities. Such hardware limitations are simply insurmountable. Despite this, after our calibration, the image is noticeably better than at the outset. One just needs to be aware that in terms of contrast and brightness management, this model has its limits, which even good calibration cannot fully overcome.

After calibrating the television's movie mode TCL C655 / C69B , the white balance has been adjusted, and the colours are displayed as they should be – which is confirmed only by slight deviations in the Colour Checker test. The gamma is really correct, which means the television shouldn't have problems with brightness in low-resolution materials. Unfortunately, a similar EOTF characteristic is still visible, which is a natural phenomenon in televisions that do not have local dimming – they simply struggle to "shine" stronger in a given section of the screen. Despite this design limitation, which cannot be bypassed, we recommend adjustment in the settings, as the overall coloration looks really very good.

When it comes to the function of smoothing tonal transitions in lower quality materials, the "smooth and gradient image" feature in Hisense E7NQ PRO unfortunately does not impress. At the lowest setting, the change is hard to notice at all – it is rather a cosmetic improvement. Switching to "Medium" mode yields a noticeable effect, but it is still nothing special, and in the process, the television begins to excessively interfere with other elements of the image, which can look unnatural.

Moreover, image scaling is rather average. On the test screen, where a portrait of a model and text are displayed, slight jagged edges are visible, making the overall appearance less smooth and aesthetically pleasing than one would expect in this class of device. It's simply difficult to talk about truly effective improvement in the quality of lower resolution.

The TCL C655 / C69B television handles tonal transitions in lower quality materials well. The "Gradual Smoothing" function, at its lowest setting, effectively eliminates visible banding, but at the same time causes a loss of detail, for example, in the texture of objects. The advantage is that it does not interfere with film grain, allowing the image to maintain a natural appearance.

In terms of digital processing, the television adds a considerable amount of artificial sharpness, which may appeal to those who prefer a crisp image. For those who favour a more subtle representation of details, this could be a downside. Another drawback is the rather aggressive overscan – the image gets cropped, leading to the loss of portions at the edges and limiting the field of view.

Thanks to the use of a 144 Hz panel, E7NQ PRO performs excellently with nearly every type of content. Whether we are watching fast-paced matches, dynamic games or action films – the smoothness of motion leaves a good impression. When it comes to films, the manufacturer has equipped the television with two key tools: "motion blur reduction" and "judder reduction". Each of these functions can be adjusted on a scale from 1 to 10.

At lower values, the processing is subtle, barely noticeable, and gently smooths out motion without compromising the cinematic quality of the image. The higher we move up the scale, the more the television interferes with the presented material, smoothing out motion more intensely, and consequently – minimising any judders or micro-cuts. Conversely, the highest settings can resemble the so-called "soap opera effect", which makes the image appear excessively smooth, slightly losing its filmic atmosphere. However, with such a scale, we can find a happy medium, adjusting the smoothness of motion to our own preferences.

Unlike smaller versions, the 98” model stands out with significantly better motion fluidity. Instead of the standard 60 Hz, this colossal screen is equipped with a full-fledged 144 Hz matrix, which opens up entirely new possibilities – both for gamers and movie lovers. Thanks to the full motion smoother, the television provides incredible image fluidity, eliminating motion blur and enhancing the viewing comfort of dynamic scenes. It is worth noting that this technology works across the full refresh range, meaning that there is no need to compromise between fluidity and quality. Additionally, the "Flicker Reduction" function allows you to adjust the fluidity to your own preferences – you can opt for a more cinematic effect with visible frames or an extremely smooth image.

If we sometimes enjoy turning on the console and immersing ourselves in the world of games for long hours, E7NQ PRO can make quite an impressive impact. Thanks to the 144 Hz refresh rate, gameplay is surprisingly smooth, and support for HDMI 2.1 and VRR ensures that the picture doesn't 'tear' even during the most dynamic actions. Additionally, there's ALLM, which automatically sets the lowest latency as soon as we switch to the console – so we don't have to fiddle with the options ourselves.

A major plus is also the ability to run games in Dolby Vision, making colours and contrast simply look better. Hisense has also added a clear 'gamebar', allowing us to constantly monitor the most important parameters and change settings without leaving the game. The only thing we might regret a bit is the lack of HGIG support. While it may not be a crucial element, it could matter to some gamers aiming for the most faithful representation of the creators' vision. Nevertheless, in practice, the E7NQ PRO performs excellently and provides truly enjoyable gaming experiences.

The 98-inch TCL C655 / C69B is excellently equipped for gamers. Full HDMI 2.1 ports and a 144 Hz panel allow for gaming in 4K at 120 Hz, providing fluidity and responsiveness that will impress even the most demanding.

The television supports Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), eliminating screen tearing, while the Automatic Low Latency Mode (ALLM) ensures that the game starts immediately without the need for manually switching settings. There is also support for Dolby Vision and HGiG, making the image quality in games even better – details are sharp, colours are natural, and contrast is perfectly balanced.

Additionally, the television offers a dedicated gaming panel that allows for quick adjustment of picture settings without the need to exit the game. It is a device that meets virtually all the requirements of a modern gamer.