Hisense U7KQ vs TCL C7K / QM7K 55"-85"

Describing the HDR effect in the hundred-inch model Hisense U7KQ is not straightforward and requires broader context. As can be observed, the results are highly varied, depending on the type of scene and the intensity of the bright effects the television is meant to reproduce. In bright scenes, the device achieves over a thousand nits of brightness, which translates to vivid and realistic images – these are exactly the effects we expect from equipment of this class. Unfortunately, the situation deteriorates in darker scenes. In mixed shots, such as those in the film "Gemini Man," the television still offers good brightness at a level of 700 nits, allowing for enjoyment of high-quality content. However, problems arise in very dark scenes, where small light sources play a central role. The television does not fully utilise its capabilities here to avoid degrading the black level in adjacent areas. As a result, there is no spectacular "WOW" effect, and such frames often do not seem as if they are being produced in HDR technology.

In terms of brightness, the models ranging from 55 to 85 inches in the C7K series are truly impressive. Under the best testing conditions, the 65-inch screen reached over 1200 nits, which in practice means that the brightest scenes can shine with almost cinematic brilliance. These are not just dry numbers from measurements – during viewings, the white skies, explosions or reflections of light on water looked extraordinarily striking, often giving the impression that the television exceeded its price class. This is particularly effective in scenes with large areas of brightness, where the screen is filled with intense light – such as in sunlit shots or during dynamic action sequences. Viewers seeking strong HDR will definitely be satisfied.

However, scenes that require precise control of the backlighting – with small points of light on a dark background – prove to be more challenging. Here, the C7K, despite having over a thousand zones, still dims the brightness to maintain deep blacks. The effect is that in films like Sicario 2 or Life of Pi, some details, like a distant lantern or single reflections, can be less distinct or blend into the surroundings. This is a compromise inherent in MiniLED technology – it provides excellent image depth and blacks at a level that ordinary LCDs do not offer, but this comes at the cost of limited visibility of the finest lights.

The best factory mode we measured was 'Filmmaker'. Despite this, its characteristics left a wide scope for comment. Let us take a look at the gamma chart, which is responsible for the depth and contrast of the image. First, we will pay attention to the orange line running through the middle of the chart, starting at point 2.4. This is the reference value of the REC.709 standard. Now, let us look at the measured value, which is marked by a white, connected multi-point. Such a significant drop in gamma to a value of 2.0 indicates a considerable decrease in contrast, resulting in an image lacking proper depth, and one could observe the so-called 'milk' effect. The next thing we tested was the white balance. Though unassuming, if poorly configured, it can alter the entire character of the image. At the beginning, the chart was progressing quite well, but as we went further, it began to be dominated by two colours: red and blue. Due to the current state of affairs, all the materials we used for testing had an unpleasant tint in those colours. However, thanks to rich calibration tools, such as an advanced colour management system (CMS) and 2- and 20-point grey scale adjustment, we were able to significantly improve the display's performance in SDR materials, as evidenced by low deltaE errors and very well-rendered gamma and white balance.

A new feature in TCL televisions for 2025 is the long-awaited Filmmaker mode, which until now could be found in most competing brands. This is great news, as this mode is considered the one that most accurately represents the original vision of the creators and is often recommended by enthusiasts of good picture quality. Unfortunately – as is often the case – the mere presence of it does not guarantee perfection. The Filmmaker mode in the TCL C7K is not without its flaws. One can point out the incorrect white balance, particularly the slight dominance of blue, which resulted in cool, somewhat greyish skin tones. But that was not the biggest issue. The main complaint was excessive brightness exposure, which was clearly visible on gamma and EOTF charts. The image was simply too bright, at times even overexposed, which affected not only the texture of the scenes but also the overall viewing experience. Some details were simply lost, and the entire image looked like someone had slightly overdone the brightness slider. As always, we decided to see what could be squeezed out of it after calibration. And that’s where it started to get really interesting…

In SDR mode, after calibration, the television Hisense 100U7KQ looks excellent. There is nothing to fault in terms of colour reproduction - both pastel and strongly saturated hues are displayed according to the Rec. 709 standard. This ensures that the image looks natural and in line with the director's vision. As a result, viewers can enjoy an authentic visual experience, with colours and tonal subtleties faithfully rendered.

In HDR mode, however, there is a noticeable boost in bright tones. The television attempts to beautify the picture, which can lead to an artificial brightening. This phenomenon becomes even more evident in real scenes, where bright parts of the image may be excessively enhanced. Although the colours in HDR are generally good, they are intentionally boosted too much by the manufacturer, which can affect their naturalness.

This approach by the manufacturer to displaying images in HDR mode may not appeal to everyone, especially those who value authenticity and fidelity to original colours. However, for those who prefer more dynamic and vivid images, such an emphasis on bright tones can be an attractive solution, adding extra sparkle and impact to the scenes.

After calibration, the TCL C7K presented itself in a really good light, especially when it comes to SDR content. We managed to precisely tune the white balance, colour gamut, and brightness characteristics so that the colour errors on the ColorChecker palette fell below a value of 2. For the uninitiated – this is nearly a perfect result, indicating that the image closely resembles what the creators intended. Unfortunately, it looked worse with 4K HDR content. While we slightly managed to calm the white balance and correct its previous errors, it still shows that the TV has some “MiniLED traits”, particularly in brightness management. When we checked how the C7K copes with the EOTF curve on real film scenes, rather than just synthetic test patterns, it turned out that the screen still tends to slightly brighten the entire image. This affects the overall impression – the black loses some depth, and the image becomes less contrasty than it should be. Despite these minor shortcomings in HDR content, the overall reception of materials – especially in SDR – is truly very good. After calibration, the C7K is capable of displaying an image that can successfully compete with much more expensive models. Good colour tuning, natural skin tones, and pleasant brightness ensure that movie sessions and everyday content viewing are more than satisfactory.

Although the television is equipped with a feature for reducing posterisation called "Smooth Gradation," we did not notice a significant effect of its operation. Materials subjected to heavy compression, such as YouTube videos, still exhibited choppy, distinct tonal transitions, which did not look particularly favourable. While this is due to the material itself rather than the television, it would be good if there were a feature to mask these problems, similar to those found in displays from competing brands.

The image scaling, which is crucial when playing lower resolution content, is rated as average. Details are not overly blurred, and the image is not "smudged"; however, there is visible jaggedness on the edges of objects, such as branches, and a halo effect around figures and text. Although the television performs quite well, there is still room for improvement, especially in the context of displaying lower quality materials.

The TCL C7K features a function that, according to the manufacturer, is designed to smooth out unwanted colour transitions – a sort of rescue for less successful tonal shifts. It's called "Gradual Smoothing" and... well, it sounds ambitious, but in practice, it works very poorly. Regardless of whether we set it to low or high, the difference is minimal. What's worse, the function can cut out elements from the image that should remain. Fortunately, the film grain remains untouched, so at least it doesn't smooth everything indiscriminately, but still – it's better to simply turn this option off.

When it comes to scaling lower resolution content, it’s much better. SD and HD materials look quite decent, although at times we had the impression that the image was losing sharpness and becoming too soft – as if something was detracting from its clarity. Fortunately, with very low sources (e.g. 576p), there was no overscan effect, meaning the image was not artificially cropped – everything fit on the screen as it should.

The television correctly accepts a 4K signal up to 144 Hz, allowing for very smooth images to be displayed in high resolution. When the resolution is limited to Full HD, the television is capable of handling even 240 Hz, but such a signal can only be obtained from a PC. Unfortunately, the use of this feature is limited by several factors.

First of all, the Full HD resolution on a large television screen may seem insufficient, which affects image quality. Furthermore, the response time of the panel in this model is not short enough to fully utilise the refresh rate of 240 Hz. As a result, at such a high refresh rate, significant overdrive occurs, causing noticeable smearing and so-called "ghosting" behind moving objects.

It is also worth noting the motion smoothing function in the television, which operates up to 120 Hz. This is especially useful when watching sports and films, where smooth motion is crucial. The television provides stable operation of this function, minimising the amount of generated artifacts. Motion smoothness can be adjusted using two sliders – one for film smoothness and the other for reducing smearing in sports content.

In summary, although the television Hisense U7KQ offers impressive capabilities in terms of image refresh rates, limitations related to the response time of the panel and appropriate resolution may impact the actual benefits of these features. Nevertheless, the motion smoothing function works very well, improving the experience of watching dynamic content.

The TCL C7K handles motion smoothness really very well. The matrix used in it offers a refresh rate of 144 Hz, which in itself suggests that this television is something more than a regular "60 Hz" panel. What's more – if we connect the C7K to a computer and set the resolution to Full HD. But we will write more about this in the section for gamers and cooperation with PCs. Returning to everyday use – both sports and films look very good here. Thanks to the fast panel and well-functioning motion smoother, the C7K is great for watching matches, as well as for film screenings. In the menu, we find two sliders – blur reduction and flicker reduction – which allow you to adjust the smoothness effect to your own preferences. At lower settings, we get a more cinematic effect, with a slight choppy motion. At higher settings – the image becomes more theatrical, overly smooth. Everyone can set it to their liking.

The Hisense U7KQ television supports all the key features for gamers that users of Xbox or PlayStation consoles may expect. These features include, among others, support for high refresh rates, low input lag, and a game bar. Generally speaking, most of these features work correctly, providing a satisfying gaming experience.

However, the VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) technology does not function optimally. When VRR is activated, the television disables the local dimming feature, which significantly reduces image quality. In VRR mode, there is a lack of good contrast and high brightness in HDR mode, resulting in unsatisfactory image quality. In practice, this means that the VRR mode may be rarely used by gamers due to these limitations.

Additionally, the television does not support the HGIG (HDR Gaming Interest Group) mode, which is designed to optimise HDR image quality in games. The absence of this mode leads to issues with double tone mapping – once in the television and once in the console. As a result, the quality of HDR games is lower, which may affect the overall gaming experience.

In summary, although the Hisense U7KQ offers many features for gamers, certain key aspects, such as the optimal functioning of VRR and support for HGIG, may not meet the expectations of more demanding users. Nonetheless, the television still provides good support for most standard gaming features, making it a suitable choice for a wide range of gamers.

The TCL C7K is a television that on paper appears to be the dream equipment for gamers – and most importantly, it also holds up in practice. To start with the good news: there are two full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports, so we can easily connect both a console and a computer, making full use of their capabilities. The panel itself supports a refresh rate of 144 Hz, which provides a significant advantage in fast-paced games. Additionally, it comes with a complete set of gaming features: VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), and support for Dolby Vision in games. There is also an HGiG mode that allows for an HDR effect in line with the creators' intentions. GameBar, which is an information bar for gamers. It works quickly, looks clear (like a Nintendo console👌), and shows the most important information: the current frame rate, VRR status, and even HDR parameters.