Hisense U7NQ vs Samsung Neo QLED QN95D

The Hisense U7NQ 65 television showed considerable potential on the luminance chart, exceeding the 1000 nits barrier and easily achieving very high brightness results in the first, third, and fifth test scenes. However, as before, in the second and fourth test scenes, such as from the film Sicario 2, there are significant issues with maintaining brightness, and results around 200 nits are very disappointing. Despite a large number of dimming zones, the algorithm in the television responsible for controlling these zones fails to respond adequately — in this case, it significantly dims small elements such as the moon or the light from a helicopter. The bright light that should dazzle us is too dim to be considered HDR effect. Nevertheless, it is worth praising the television for its high coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut at 96%, which allows it to represent most film scenes well.

Samsung QN95D handles HDR exceptionally well, achieving a peak brightness of around 2000 nits. In the tested movie scenes, where the screen is fully lit, the television provides intense and realistic representation of HDR content, significantly enhancing the visual experience. Nevertheless, similar to contrast, the dimming algorithm may sometimes show limitations. Despite the considerable number of Mini LED zones, the television does not surprise the user with incredible brightness. For instance, in scenes from the film "Life of Pi," where a bright moon appears against a dark background, and in excerpts from "Sicario 2," where a strong light effect occurs on a dark background, the television displays very poor results. At such moments, the television attempts to reduce the halo effect by darkening the image to a level reminiscent of SDR quality. As a result, blacks appear deep and uniform, but this comes at the cost of losing some detail in bright areas. It is a compromise aimed at maintaining the best possible quality of black, although it simultaneously causes the image to lose a bit of its dynamism. Despite certain flaws in the operation of the local dimming algorithm, this television deserves praise for its wide coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut. This is made possible by the use of a quantum dot coating, also known as QLED technology, which allows for vibrant and rich colours.

The Chinese manufacturer offers various picture settings in its televisions, but the best mode in this model is undoubtedly Filmmaker Mode. Despite its name, this mode has its issues: white balance, although roughly correct, is characterised by a strong dominance of warm tones due to the oversaturation of red, both in 4K and HD content. The Colour Checker test confirms these errors — deviations of samples towards inappropriate hues are visible. As for brightness characteristics, the gamma responsible for HD content shows values below 2.4, leading to some brightening of the screen. Meanwhile, the EOTF curve reveals the television's struggles with displaying small bright elements, as confirmed by the previously described paragraphs.

In the category of factory colour reproduction, the television Samsung QN95D was tested in Filmmaker mode, which offers the best settings from the manufacturer. Nevertheless, it is not entirely free from flaws. In the case of HD content, there is a noticeable colour deviation, particularly in white balance, where the red colour clearly dominates the graph. The situation improves with 4K HDR content; however, there are still significant drops in blue colour reproduction. These effects can be observed in a scene from the film "Star Wars," where the protagonist is depicted in overly warm tones.

As for contrast, we can observe an initial large jump on the gamma graph, indicating that the television effectively highlights the brighter parts of the image. However, at the end of the graph, we notice a distinct drop, which may mean that in darker tones, details can be lost. Such a shape of the gamma curve can affect the way users perceive dark scenes, where some details may become too blurred or too dark, causing the image to lose clarity. It is also worth noting the curve responsible for brightness (EOTF), which is quite correct, except for the initial drop.

Although Samsung QN95D boasts impressive parameters and advanced technologies to deserve the title of one of the best televisions on the market, it requires certain adjustments in colour reproduction and contrast to fully utilise its potential.

Hisense televisions offer many image correction tools that allow users to adjust settings to their own preferences, which is why we decided to take advantage of these capabilities to bring the image quality closer to a reference standard. In terms of white balance, we were able to eliminate the dominance of the red colour, resulting in more neutral hues, which allowed for a more realistic image in both 4K and HD materials. We observed similar improvements in brightness characteristics. The gamma, which previously led to excessive screen brightness, was corrected, contributing to better detail reproduction in the darker areas of the image while maintaining a natural tonal balance.

However, the biggest challenge was calibrating the EOTF curve, which corresponds to brightness in 4K materials. At first glance, the EOTF value appeared nearly perfect, but detailed tests showed somewhat different results. When we examined it more closely — especially using the filter on the right side of the EOTF chart — we noticed how the television manipulated 4K film materials, often significantly boosting brightness. This effect was particularly noticeable in scenes from films such as Pan and Billy Lynn, where the television attempted to artificially increase the brightness of elements, affecting their naturalness. Despite these imperfections, the calibration yielded positive results, especially in terms of tonal improvement. For most users, the final effect should be satisfactory, particularly if they are keen on bringing the image quality closer to professional reference standards.

After calibration, the picture on the Samsung QN95D television achieves truly impressive results. The white balance is perfectly aligned, and error readings rarely exceed 2, which means that colours are displayed very accurately. Most samples from the Color Checker test fall within an acceptable error range, confirming that the television reproduces hues excellently. The contrast has also improved significantly, and the gamma curve is more stable, resulting in better visibility of details in both dark and bright scenes. However, it is worth noting the EOTF (Electro-Optical Transfer Function) curve, which shows some discrepancies in film tests. Although the television performs well in most scenes, details in the blacks can still be lost in more extreme cases – this is due to an aggressive dimming algorithm.

Nevertheless, these minor imperfections do not detract from the overall picture quality. After calibration, the Samsung QN95D impresses with its visual quality, offering an exceptional experience that will certainly satisfy anyone looking for a top-tier television.

When it comes to smoothing tonal transitions, despite the presence of the "Smooth and Gradient Image" function in the test sequence, we did not notice that the function made any difference — we recommend turning it off. As for upscaling, the television handled our model reasonably well, and the branches in the background are not overly jagged — the image appears quite plastic. However, it was slightly cropped by the so-called overscan.

The Samsung QN95D television handles tonal transitions even in lower quality materials, thanks to the noise reduction feature employed, which functions like a gentle gradation. This feature is extremely effective, smoothing out the image and eliminating unwanted noise while significantly improving the quality of the displayed material. However, as is often the case, too much effectiveness can lead to unintended side effects. In some materials, this feature may also blur elements that should remain sharp, such as film grain.

Despite this, the television performs well in the context of image scaling, eliminating larger jagged edges. In a scene where branches are visible, they are not excessively artificially sharpened, allowing for a natural appearance, and the model does not have an artificial outline. Overall, this means that even in more challenging conditions, the film material presents itself satisfactorily on the Samsung QN95D. The only downside when watching HD/SD content (such as regular terrestrial television) is the fact that we have a slightly cropped image – this is caused by the so-called overscan, which cannot be turned off.

Hisense U7NQ has a refresh rate of 144 Hz, which definitely contributes to smooth movement. For film enthusiasts, two functions are available: judder reduction and motion blur reduction. The judder reduction function minimises the effect known as judder, or unpleasant jumps in the image, particularly noticeable at lower frame rates. Meanwhile, motion blur reduction helps to sharpen fast-moving objects, which is useful when watching dynamic action scenes.

As for ghosting, the television has a good response time, meaning excessive ghosting is not visible, except in specific situations, such as the test with the little green man on a dark background. In such cases, slight artefacts may appear, but overall the television handles dynamic images well, providing satisfactory motion quality.

The panel in Samsung QN95 performs very well in terms of motion blur and smoothness of movement. With a refresh rate of 120 Hz and features for reducing blur and judder, the picture settings can be customised to personal preferences, whether for watching films or for dynamic sports broadcasts. The user has the option to adjust the smoothness of the image on a 10-point scale – from a more frame-like appearance reminiscent of traditional film to a smooth, almost theatrical effect, which works particularly well for sports transmissions.

Hisense U7NQ offers everything a gamer might need for comfortable gameplay. The television supports a refresh rate of 144 Hz, providing an incredibly smooth image, especially in dynamic action games. The VRR (variable refresh rate) feature ensures that the image adapts to varying frames per second, eliminating stuttering and screen tearing. Additionally, there is an ALLM (automatic low latency mode) feature, which automatically switches the television to game mode, minimising input lag.

The television also supports Dolby Vision, which is particularly important for gamers who appreciate high contrast and rich colours in games that support this format. The Hisense U7NQ also has a Game Bar feature that allows quick access to the most important settings during gameplay, as well as support for G-Sync technology, further reducing screen tearing effects.

Unfortunately, despite a wide range of features, it lacks support for the most popular HDR format in gaming — HGiG. This may be disappointing for gamers who expect optimal detail reproduction in HDR scenes. Nevertheless, the other features make the Hisense U7NQ a solid choice for any console gaming enthusiast.

Samsung QN95D offers quite a few features that gamers will appreciate. First and foremost, the television supports variable refresh rate (VRR), which allows for smoother gameplay, eliminating issues with tearing, especially during dynamic scenes. We also find the auto low latency mode (ALLM) feature, which automatically switches the television to low latency mode when it detects a connected console or computer, ensuring more responsive controls.

Furthermore, the QN95D Samsung has a game mode that reduces input lag to a very low level, which is crucial in games where reflexes play an important role. With a high refresh rate of 120 Hz, the picture is exceptionally smooth, significantly enhancing the experience of fast-paced action games and sports productions. The television also supports G-Sync and FreeSync technologies, which further enhance gameplay smoothness and improve user comfort. An interesting addition is the 'Game Bar' – a special menu that provides quick access to all game-related settings, allowing easy adjustments of picture and parameters to suit user preferences without the need to interrupt gameplay.

Although the Samsung QN95D does not support Dolby Vision – which is quite obvious for Samsung televisions – it does offer the HGiG feature, which ensures appropriate picture quality in HDR games, in line with the creators' vision.