Hisense U7NQ vs Samsung Q60D / Q67D / Q68D

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.

The Samsung Q60D television, regardless of the scene being tested, achieves brightness above 500 nits, which is above average for this class of devices. Such a level of brightness allows one to experience a taste of true home cinema, with clearly visible details in bright parts of the image and well-reproduced contrast dynamics, especially when watching content from streaming platforms or movies played from Blu-ray. As a result, film screenings gain greater depth and realism, particularly in well-lit scenes. Despite the use of quantum dot technology (QLED), the television does not achieve outstanding results in colour reproduction. The coverage of the DCI-P3 colour space is only 90%, which may be noticeable in more demanding scenes, where the richness and saturation of colours play a key role in image quality.

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.

Samsung has been offering a "Filmmaker" mode in its televisions for several years, aimed at providing the most faithful picture settings straight from the factory, in accordance with the vision of filmmakers. This is certainly a significant step towards cinematic quality at home; however, it is worth noting that this mode is not without its problems.

For instance, the white balance in both SDR and HDR modes exhibits an excessive amount of red hue, causing the picture to appear too warm. As a result, the skin of actors and bright scenes may seem unnaturally pinkish. The Colour Checker test further confirms this issue – colour samples often shift towards red tones, deviating from the neutral colour reproduction that would be more desirable in a professional setting.

When it comes to contrast, there is a noticeable drop at the beginning of the gamma graph, where values below 2.4 drop all the way down to 2.1. Consequently, the image in darker scenes may appear less distinct, losing depth. In terms of HDR content, the EOTF curve (responsible for brightness reproduction) shows a strong spike at the beginning of the graph, which may lead to excessive brightness in the lighter parts of the image, disrupting the natural tonal balance.

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 professional calibration of the Samsung Q60D television in film mode, users can enjoy a significant improvement in image quality. Samsung televisions have always offered 2- and 20-point grey scale adjustments, as well as an advanced CMS (Color Management System), which allows for precise colour and shade adjustments. The white balance for both SDR and HDR has been free from strong spikes and tendencies for colours to shift to red hues, greatly enhancing the naturalness of the image. Although a few more significant errors can still be observed in HDR mode, the overall colour reproduction quality has been excellently improved. Regarding contrast, although drastic changes cannot be mentioned due to limitations in the television's technology, the improvement is noticeable. Thanks to calibration, details in dark scenes are more visible, and the differences between light and dark elements of the image have been enhanced. This makes the overall viewing experience more satisfying, allowing viewers to enjoy greater depth and realism in the displayed content.

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.

However, when it comes to processing and scaling lower quality materials, the television performs quite well. The image is rendered without overscan, which ensures full use of the available screen area. Additionally, the outlines of the model or the branches of the tree are not overly jagged, which translates to a satisfactory quality of the displayed content. Although noise reduction could be more effective, the overall results of processing lower quality materials are positive and meet expectations.

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.

Samsung Q60D is equipped with a 60 Hz panel and a film smoothness enhancement option known as "Motion Blur Reduction." This feature aims to minimise motion blur and enhance overall image smoothness, which will certainly appeal to users who are primarily looking for a television to watch films and series. Thanks to this technology, viewers can enjoy a more fluid visual experience, even in dynamic action scenes where details are crucial. However, it is worth noting that while "Motion Blur Reduction" improves the smoothness of images in films, for gaming, this panel may not be the best choice as it exhibits significant motion blur, which can be seen in the picture below.

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 Q60D is equipped with features such as ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), HGiG (HDR Gaming Interest Group) and Game Bar, which significantly enhance the gaming experience. However, the lack of HDMI 2.1 implementation limits capabilities, preventing the use of VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), which could further improve smoothness and picture quality. Overall, for casual gamers, this television should perform well in everyday use, providing satisfactory gaming experiences. However, if we are more demanding in terms of gaming, it is worth considering models with a higher refresh rate and HDMI 2.1, which will ensure full functionality and better support for the latest games. In such cases, investing in a more advanced television will yield significantly better results in terms of smoothness and picture quality, which is crucial for gaming enthusiasts.