Hisense U7NQ vs TCL C6KS / C69KS / Q6CS

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.

And what about HDR? Here, the C6KS performs quite well and – as has become a recurring theme of this review – identically to the C6K model. The maximum brightness generated by this television is around 600 nits. In bright scenes, this translates to a really solid, cinematic effect, and generally, the video materials look good here. However, one must keep in mind the specifics of the dimming algorithm in this model. When very small, bright points (e.g., stars) appear against a dark background, the television can dim them quite significantly. The goal is simple: to eliminate blooming and maintain the best possible blacks. This is quite a reasonable compromise. Most viewers will definitely appreciate deep, "true black" more than additional micro-details, the display of which could cause the screen to appear greyed out. This is the nature of local dimming technology in this price range, and one must be aware of it. It is also worth noting that the TCL C69KS (C6KS) has an additional PFS coating, which is marketed under the slogan of QLED technology. Thanks to this, the colours are saturated and vibrant – our measurements showed that the coverage of a wide colour gamut reaches as much as 92% here.

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.

Unlike the more expensive C6K model, the tested C6KS does not have an option in the menu labelled as Filmmaker Mode. Is this a reason to cry? Absolutely not. Our tests have shown that in practice, in terms of colour reproduction, the lack of this specific label makes virtually no difference. The best available Film/Cinema mode here offers an almost identical picture characteristic to the aforementioned Filmmaker in the more expensive model. So we get a very similar image, just under a different name. Therefore, if you were wondering whether paying extra for the C6K gives you better colours – the answer is no, in both cases the base is the same and requires slight adjustments.

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.

Thanks to the white balance adjustment, the C69KS's tendency to distort colours has been effectively limited, resulting in a very good final effect. After calibration, we will no longer see excessive warming of scenes in SDR or overly cool tones in HDR. However, it is worth noting the brightness characteristics. In SDR content, it is hard to have any objections – the image looks very good, especially in older films, television programmes, or materials from YouTube. It is significantly more challenging to evaluate the television's performance in HDR. Analysis of the EOTF curve suggests correct behaviour, but its practical variant reveals certain limitations. The C69KS can overly brighten the smallest elements of the frame, while at other times, it can dim the entire scene. Thus, calibration brought clear benefits in terms of colour quality, but certain limitations resulting from the local dimming operation and the way it is controlled by the C69KS cannot be overlooked, as we also saw in the C6K test.

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 C69KS handles upscaling quite well. The tested 576p material looks surprisingly decent – a considerable amount of detail is retained, and the algorithm adds a slight "rounding" effect to sharp edges, making the image appear more cohesive. The performance in smoothing tonal transitions is less impressive. The television practically cannot improve them, leaving the image in a rather raw state. With older material, this can be quite tiring, as the lack of additional processing highlights any imperfections.

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.

C69KS offers a simplified motion enhancement panel in films, allowing the adjustment of effect intensity with a slider. This makes it easy to match fluidity to personal preferences. The ability to use higher refresh rates is also a plus – although the panel operates natively at 4K at 60 Hz, lowering the resolution to 1440p enables 120 and 144 Hz modes, both on consoles and PC. This sounds like great news, however, in practice, the image at these settings exhibits significant motion blur. The effect is so pronounced that the overall presentation appears merely average and loses its appeal for everyday use.

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.

If we overlook the smudging and lack of native 4K at 120 Hz, the C69KS impresses with how well it performs during gaming. We get everything one can expect from a gaming television: variable refresh rate (VRR), automatic switching to game mode (ALLM), Dolby Vision Gaming mode, and a well-functioning HGiG. The television can also operate at 120 and even 144 Hz at lower resolutions, allowing for smoother gameplay on a console or PC. Additionally, there is a clear Game Bar that lets you quickly glance at key settings while gaming. As a result — despite a few limitations — the C69KS can be a really successful screen for gamers.