Compare: LG OLED C4 vs Hisense S7NQ CanvasTV

LG C4 is a television that, in its price range, will likely have no competition for many users. Thanks to its extensive capabilities, it will appeal to those looking for a television not only for films and series but also for gaming. The advanced WebOS system and a remote control that functions like a mouse will certainly be a significant convenience in everyday use, making it likely that we will stick with this brand for much longer. The OLED panel implemented by the manufacturer, resulting from over 10 years of history, shows that this brand has not yet said its last word. The brightness results in HDR materials are very solid and can deliver an incredibly dynamic and deep image. It is worth mentioning the excellently implemented dynamic tone mapping feature, which makes HDR10 content look almost as good as Dolby Vision. And when it comes to fidelity to artistic vision, one cannot overlook how calibratable LG televisions are, allowing considerable freedom for calibrators and classic calibration for home users, as well as 3D LUT for professionals. However, if we are looking for a gaming television, then the LG C4, like most of the manufacturer’s OLED televisions, will be an ideal choice. With the implementation of HDMI 2.1 ports and the full utilisation of their potential, we can enjoy incredibly smooth gameplay with all the benefits, such as VRR, ALLM, FreeSync, and G-Sync. Of course, the panel, with a maximum refresh rate of 144 Hz and an advanced motion smoother, will also provide a very smooth and sharp image during the broadcast of various sporting events. It is hard not to give a high rating to LG OLED C4, as a television in a similar price range with such advanced features is difficult to find among the competition.

The Hisense S7NQ Canvas TV is a very interesting proposition, especially for those looking for something in the style of a picture-television but do not want to spend a fortune. At first glance, it stands out primarily because the gallery mode featuring works of art is completely free – there is no subscription to pay, as is the case with Samsung's The Frame. Moreover, in the box, we immediately get a light brown frame, which will be an additional bonus and saving for many people. Although it is essentially a TV for displaying art, surprisingly, it also performs quite well in other applications. The 144 Hz panel, full HDMI 2.1, support for VRR and ALLM – all this makes gaming on consoles quite possible and quite enjoyable. The Vidaa system operates smoothly, and we find all the most important apps and features here, such as AirPlay, USB recording, or screen mirroring from a phone. However, there are also things that fall a bit short. Above all – the images themselves. Compared to The Frame by Samsung, here they simply look more digital. It lacks the depth, texture of paint, and subtle details that really impress with the competitor. Although at first glance we are dealing with a similar matte panel, in practice, it performs significantly worse at suppressing reflections. Colours and blacks fade much quicker, especially in a bright room. This could also be the effect of lower brightness – Hisense is simply darker than its Korean rival. On top of that, there are minor software issues – for example, the inability to display external subtitles despite configuration options, or the not entirely effective image smoothing feature for lower quality materials. In short: the S7NQ is a good TV in the form of a "picture," which can be a great alternative for those who do not mind the lower quality of displayed works but appreciate the lack of subscription fees, an additional frame included in the package, and full functionality of a typical television. It is not an ideal product, but a reasonable compromise for Samsung's The Frame.

LG OLED C4, as the name suggests, uses an organic panel of its own production. This series definitely ranks among the most recognisable on the market. Over 10 years of experience in the construction of self-emitting panels has allowed for the refinement of each subsequent design, with the models from the 2024 vintage being the epitome of this. Of course, the use of this type of screen enables the achievement of impeccable contrast and blacks, allowing for immersion in the world created by the director. This is made possible by the OLED panel, characterised by the absence of conventional backlighting, with current passing through organic pixels instead. This allows for super-accurate control of the image, thereby eliminating issues such as the dimming of delicate fine details or the halo/blooming effect. Looking at both of our test scenes, we can observe two things: perfect separation of lights and a whole plethora of details in the film "Sicario 2".

The Hisense S7NQ CanvasTV is a television equipped with a VA panel, which in itself provides decent contrast. This is confirmed by our test charts – an average score of around 4000:1. It's not a stunning value, but for this class of device – quite decent. Perhaps the result would have been significantly better if the television had been equipped with local dimming technology, however, unfortunately, this model lacks it. As a result, blacks in a completely darkened room resemble shades of navy or grey rather than pitch black. This situation causes a slightly noticeable clouding effect. Generally, it's okay, but without much enthusiasm.

The results of HDR materials are definitely among the better ones. Practically every film significantly exceeds the 700 nits barrier, allowing for a very realistic image. Of course, none of them surpasses the magical thousand, yet the combination of such results and unlimited contrast and black effectively boosts the outcome optically. The last of the scenes, featuring a full-screen burst of sunlight, is actually less bright than the others, although it still represents a commendable level. It is also worth mentioning the excellent coverage of the DCI-P3 colour palette, which will allow for achieving extremely vivid colours.

When it comes to the brightness of the television and how it handles bright elements while watching films, it is simply average – similar to the case with contrast. The average brightness level of the Hisense S7NQ is around 500 nits. This is a value that allows one to feel the beginnings of true HDR, but it is definitely too little to speak of remarkable effects. However, the television should be praised for its colour gamut coverage – films look very colourful and vibrant. Thanks to the use of PFS LED (QLED) coating, the device is capable of covering over 90% of the DCI-P3 colour palette and over 72% of the wider BT.2020 palette. For a television of this class – these are really very good results.

The best factory mode implemented in the tested television was "Filmmaker". It was this mode that we used during all tests. This mode proved to be quite good in terms of colour reproduction; however, other shortcomings effectively detracted from the enjoyment of viewing. Starting with the most basic aspect, the white balance, it was easy to notice that it was marked by a dominance of red, which overall changed the characteristics of the image. We could thus see a strong yellowing of the whites and a shift of all colours towards warmer shades. The gamma, which is a curve just as important, if not more so, was quite significantly lowered, resulting in a considerable drop in contrast, except at the beginning of the graph, where the television insidiously lost details. That’s all regarding SDR materials. Taking a closer look at films with a wide dynamic range, we can observe exactly the same phenomenon of yellowing of the white balance as in films with a standard colour palette. The EOTF curve, which replaces our gamma curve, is practically perfect and cannot be faulted.

Let's now check how the Hisense S7NQ CanvasTV performs in colour reproduction in the best factory mode, which is Filmmaker. Right from the start, it is clear that it is decidedly better than in dynamic or standard modes, but there are still a few things to nitpick. Regarding image quality from an HD signal, the colours are slightly inaccurate – there is a dominance of cooler shades of blue and a lack of red. This makes the image appear somewhat too cool.

A similar effect can also be observed with 4K content, but there it is much more noticeable. The excessive exposure of blue tones and the lack of red result in the image appearing distinctly cold. However, the biggest problem with this television is not the colours themselves but the way brightness is managed. The tested unit slightly boosted brightness compared to the reference value. While this results in better visibility of details, it comes at the cost of significantly brightened blacks – causing the entire image to seem more "flat".

A similar phenomenon was noticed in the 4K signal – the slightly elevated curve at the beginning of the EOTF chart shows that the television has a tendency to overexpose certain scenes. Fortunately, this effect can be improved with professional calibration, which we will discuss in the next point.

As we mentioned earlier, LG televisions are equipped with advanced tools for carrying out the calibration process. We therefore used them to model the image in the way that the director intended. And without modesty, we must admit that we achieved this phenomenally. Both SDR and HDR materials present a level that clearly indicates that this is how a film should look. It is worth looking at the colour errors on the "ColorChecker" palette here, where practically none of them exceeds "1", apart from two samples.

The results we achieved after calibrating the Hisense S7NQ are really very good. Thanks to the calibration, we managed to eliminate the excessive exposure of blue tones and deficiencies in red with HD signal. A similar, albeit slightly weaker effect was also achieved with 4K HDR content. Managing brightness in HD material has also been improved – the television no longer has issues with brightening the image "across the board."

However, there are things that cannot be bypassed. The characteristic of the EOTF curve has practically not changed, and the lack of local dimming means that the smallest elements on the screen will always be slightly overexposed. One simply has to come to terms with this when choosing a television with a similar type of backlighting. Despite this, the final effect is very good and should fully satisfy the vast majority of users.

The fluidity of tonal transitions in LG televisions has always been a fairly sensitive issue, as the manufacturer, despite impeccable performance in other areas, has almost always struggled to get this right. The results of the assessment of the fluidity of tonal transitions in the tested television were quite good, and the problems are mainly visible in darker scenes, such as the last two scenes. Interestingly, this is a result that is definitely better than the highest model from the manufacturer, namely the LG G4.

The fluidity of tonal transitions is one of those categories that even less advanced users can notice. If someone doesn't understand what it means — we're explaining it now. It concerns whether the colours blend smoothly into one another or if their "gluing" is visible in the form of distinct bands. Good tonal transitions are those that are natural and smooth, without large jumps in colour.

The Hisense S7NQ performs very well in this category, although it must be admitted that it fares slightly worse than Samsung The Frame. In very bright scenes, slight imperfections can be noticed, but you really need a keen eye to catch them. Overall, as with most "frame" style televisions, it still performs excellently.

Once again, we will take a look at the function responsible for smooth gradation, but we will also address the one that aims to improve the quality of lower-quality materials. The default smoothing of tonal transitions, as we have seen, was not the worst, but it can still be improved. The function has a slider, which allows us to adjust its strength. We recommend using the first one, as it yields very good results and does not blur important details.

Image scaling in LG C4 is quite good; however, it cannot be said to be without flaws. The image is slightly sharper by default, although not in a very noticeable way. Admittedly, there are jagged edges on the trees, but this is not a major issue compared to other manufacturers.

Equally important is how the television handles tonal transitions on a poor signal – for example, in older films, television, or on YouTube. Unfortunately, despite the presence of the "Smooth and Gradient Picture" feature, which was supposedly meant to improve this aspect, its performance is truly poor. It's barely noticeable that it has any real impact on the visibility of colour transitions.

The image scaling is also lacking. Yes, it can be observed that the television tries to "enhance" the quality, but the end result is far from ideal. The image often appears slightly jagged, which is particularly noticeable in the example of tree branches in the background. Additionally, the Hisense S7NQ has a clear tendency to crop the image at lower resolutions, causing subtitles in news items or finer details in the image to be missed.

The maximum refresh rate that we can set on the LG G4 is 144 Hz. Naturally, this is only possible when connecting the television to a very powerful PC. In other cases, we will be operating at a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz, which is recommended if we primarily want to watch sport or content with a lot of motion dynamics. For those requiring high fluidity of the image, the manufacturer has implemented a multi-step motion smoother called "TrueMotion". It has been divided into two separate sliders that adjust the sharpness of moving images (De-Blur) and judder (De-Judder). Both sliders can be set within a range from 0 to 10, with each degree affecting the degree of smoothing, allowing everyone to find their golden mean.

The LG OLED C4 panel features an average response time of less than 1 ms (which directly results from our measurements), allowing for an incredibly clear image that is unattainable for LCD televisions, whose response times can be as high as several milliseconds. This is clearly visible in the pictures from the "UFO Test," showing no trailing blur behind the object.

When it comes to motion fluidity, the television performs remarkably well. Although the S7NQ was designed primarily for displaying static elements – such as images – the manufacturer has implemented a 144 Hz refresh rate matrix. As a result, sports and games look really good on it.

For materials that are not recorded at a high frame rate, the manufacturer has provided two features that allow you to adjust the picture to your own preferences. "Motion blur reduction" and "judder reduction" operate on a 10-point scale, allowing you to choose between a more cinematic image – with characteristic frame jumps – and a smooth effect reminiscent of a "soap opera". How to set this up? That’s a personal matter – we leave the decision to you.

We can already say that LG C4, like practically every OLED television from the manufacturer, is exceptionally good in terms of compatibility with consoles and PCs. Thanks to the implementation of four full bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports at 48 Gbps, the manufacturer has included all features that enhance the gaming experience, among which we find simultaneous support for FreeSync and G-Sync technology. With such a tandem, gamers with a graphics card from AMD or Nvidia can confidently opt for C4. However, what should delight the players requiring the highest possible quality the most is the simultaneous implementation of HDR Dolby Vision and HGIG mode. The first is particularly important as it works with extremely low input lag in all settings.

A standard in the Korean manufacturer's televisions is also the implementation of GameBar, allowing for quick adjustments of settings "on the fly" without the need to exit the game. It also enables image adjustments for visually impaired individuals, which is a very nice touch. Another important piece of information is that when VRR technology is enabled, we will not experience a drop in contrast. This is, of course, due to the panel's design and the absence of conventional backlighting. However, it is normal for shades of grey to flicker slightly, although this is a characteristic feature of this function regardless of the manufacturer and television.

In summary: LG C4, just like all of the manufacturer's OLEDs equipped with high refresh rate panels and HDMI 2.1 ports, creates a harmonious whole with consoles. In practice, it is a complete television, and if we expect the highest possible performance in gaming, C4 will be an ideal choice.

Although the S7NQ is a "picture" type television, it can indeed be used for gaming. Really. Here you can find almost everything (except for the HGiG mode) that a modern gaming television needs. The 144 Hz panel and two full-fledged HDMI 2.1 ports allow for the hassle-free connection of two consoles, such as the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X/S.

The television supports Automatic Low Latency Mode (ALLM) and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), with no stuttering or issues. It also handles displaying high frame rates at lower resolutions without any trouble. Hisense deserves praise for a very attractive Game Bar – it displays all available picture options, and additionally, we have the ability to enlarge the minimap or turn on the crosshair (because sometimes someone might actually want to "aim" 😉).

The only missing element – as we mentioned earlier – is the lack of a proper implementation of the HGiG mode. It is specifically responsible for automatically adjusting the picture in games as the creators intended. It's a shame, because that’s the only thing preventing the Hisense S7NQ from being a full-fledged gaming "beast".

The input lag of the LG C4 is at an incredibly low level in every scenario. Even the most dedicated gamers will surely appreciate the very low input lag at demanding 4K 120 Hz settings with HDR, which is just 5 ms. It is also worth noting that the lag at the same settings but with Dolby Vision HDR enabled remains unchanged, which is not so obvious with the competition. Therefore, it deserves the highest rating and recommendation.

Input lag in the Hisense S7NQ is decent, though it cannot be said to be extraordinary – especially by the standards of 2024/25. Values around 30–20 ms may not be very high and the average player is unlikely to notice it, but those who spend a lot of time gaming may experience a slight discomfort.

The situation is definitely better when playing in Dolby Vision mode – then the latency is lower and the gameplay feels more pleasant. The problem is that there are still few games supporting this mode, and they are mainly available on the Xbox console.

LG C4 in combination with a PC performs excellently, thanks to a very low latency of just 13.5 ms, which is practically an instantaneous response between the mouse, eye and screen. A particularly important issue when working on the screen is the readability of text, which in the case of the tested television is very good. However, it is worth noting that to achieve sharp fonts, you need to enable the passthrough option in the settings.

The RWBG pixel arrangement has no significant impact on the display of fonts or letters, which is a considerable advantage over Samsung's QD-OLED panels. Users of both computers equipped with the Windows operating system and macOS will certainly be satisfied with the experience on the screen of the tested television.

When it comes to working with a computer, the S7NQ Canvas TV performs really well. Gaming on it is seamless thanks to the presence of a 144 Hz panel and support for G-Sync with Nvidia cards. Input lag – as we mentioned earlier – is good, though not exceptional.

And what about work? It’s doable. The television has a correct implementation of chroma 4:4:4, so fonts look quite clear. You might nitpick about some minor issues with the thinnest letters on a dark background, but let's be honest – rarely does anyone sit a metre away from a 55-inch screen reading small text.

The undeniable advantage of OLED panels is their efficiency in the context of group viewing, that is, from various angles. LG C4 maintains very good contrast, colour saturation, and fidelity. Although this is not the result of organic televisions supported by MLA technology, it cannot be said that anyone who purchased the device was dissatisfied with the results obtained. However, it should be noted that at sharp angles, a slight greenish tint can be observed. This is a characteristic feature of WRGB panels from LG, without the aforementioned microlens technology, and unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done about it.

The viewing angles here are typical for a VA panel. The S7NQ loses quite a bit when viewed at around a 45-degree angle – the colours fade, and the brightness clearly drops. It’s a pity, because after all, this is a television that is meant to display works of art – it would be nice to be able to look at them from different places in the room, not just straight on.

The maximum brightness of the television in SDR materials is 367 nits. For an OLED television, this is a very good result that allows for quite comfortable viewing during the day. It is worth noting two things. Thanks to the glossy coating of the screen, reflections are held well in place and do not spill over onto the rest of the display. The second issue is the brightness of the screen at 100% white fill, which hovers around 220 nits, a remarkable result, as until recently OLED televisions in this range could only "boast" of brightness that was half as much. This means that conditions for watching, for example, winter sports will be very good.

The Hisense S7NQ Canvas TV is equipped with a matte display, which quite effectively suppresses reflections – very similar to its Chinese rival, the TCL A300 NXTVision. Unfortunately, both designs fall short in this category compared to Samsung's The Frame, which offers a significantly better anti-reflective coating. In the case of the Chinese models, including the S7NQ, colours fade quite noticeably under light, and black performs poorly in such conditions. The brightness of the television reaches around 500 nits – a fairly decent value for a matte screen, but still lower than that of the aforementioned The Frame. Generally, if someone prefers matte displays, well... it looks like it looks – Samsung simply did it better.

LG uses the well-known proprietary WebOS system that has been around for many years. The system offers practically all the most important applications, and the few that are missing can be counted on one hand, such as CDA or KODI. It is also worth mentioning that the modern web browser and the remote control with a built-in mouse allow for convenient use of streaming services in this way, if there is no built-in application.

WebOS also features a highly valued ability to perform operations with a cursor that appears when the remote control is in motion. The convenience of such a function is invaluable when typing in queries or passwords for portals. WebOS, like most systems, also supports features such as screen mirroring, AirPlay, voice search in Polish, and the ability to connect headphones via Bluetooth. On more practical matters, WebOS allows simultaneous use of headphones and the TV speaker, which will certainly be a big help for people with hearing impairments. Among the more interesting features, particularly appreciated by sports fans, is the option to turn on an alert notifying about an upcoming match, ensuring that we never miss a broadcast. The home panel is also praiseworthy, allowing for the control of all smart devices connected to the home network. For example, the cycle of completed laundry will be signalled by a notification in the upper right corner.

In summary, the WebOS system, although less known and having certain limitations compared to Android TV, offers stable and fast performance and supports most features that users may need. It is a solid solution for those looking for a simple and effective operating system in their television.

As the Hisense S7NQ is a television designed for a specific purpose, we will start the description a bit differently – from the most important aspect of such models, which is the display of artworks. Like all "art" televisions, it features a special mount, allowing the screen to be installed completely flat. The biggest advantage compared to the Korean Samsung The Frame is the fact that, despite the lesser availability of images in gallery mode, all of them are completely free – there is no need to pay any subscription fees. An additional bonus included with the S7NQ is the light brown frame. This is quite a plus, especially if someone was planning to choose that colour anyway – it can save a bit of money on both the frame and the subscription.

However, when it comes to the quality of the displayed images, unfortunately, it is evident that the Samsung The Frame performs significantly better in this regard. In the S7NQ, the images look more digital, while in The Frame, the Art Store mode offers real scans of artworks, where you can even see the texture of the paint or the brush strokes of the artist. And once again, we return to an old truth – for better quality, you simply have to pay.

Fortunately, the S7NQ is not just an “art piece,” but also a regular television – and it performs really well in that role. Like most Hisense models with the VIDAA system, it has many basic functions such as USB recording, screen mirroring, and AirPlay support. As for applications – the most popular streaming services are present here, and you can find their full list below.

The default file player in LG C4 definitely handles all image resolutions well. We can successfully play videos recorded in virtually all the most popular formats, including Dolby Vision. The only codec that the C4 does not support is H.266 VVC, although this is currently rather unused. However, it is a pity that subtitles in .txt format are not supported. Attention should be paid to the supported image formats, of which there are only three: JPEG, PNG, and, importantly for Apple phone users - HEIC. However, the tested television cannot be faulted for lack of diversity in audio files, the playback of which will not be met with a compatibility warning.

The Hisense S7NQ effortlessly plays the vast majority of popular audio, photo, and video formats. So why the relatively low rating in this category? Well – due to software issues. This is yet another Hisense television that did not allow us to open external subtitles in films. Regardless of whether we are talking about the .ass, .srt, .txt, or .sub format – the subtitles simply did not appear.

The most amusing (or rather the most frustrating) thing about all this is that in the menu, we find options to change the font colour, size, and background… The problem is that the subtitles themselves are not visible at all.

The implemented audio system in LG C4 has been very well tuned, allowing us to experience strong bass, as well as balanced mid and high tones. We can confidently say that in its price range, it is one of the better sounding televisions. However, we believe that those deciding to purchase the C4 will already own a dedicated audio set. The presence of DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby Atmos codecs will not be without significance.

When it comes to sound, it presents itself... much like a television on the wall – that is to say, rather flat. Despite the use of a 2.0.2 speaker set with a total power of 36 W, we cannot speak of any exceptional sound quality here. But as is the case in most instances – buying even the simplest soundbar can radically change the situation.

On the plus side, it is worth noting the support for practically all popular Dolby and DTS codecs. This means we can easily connect the television to a home cinema system without having to fiddle with settings or sound conversion.

LG OLED C4 vs Hisense S7NQ CanvasTV

Advantages

Disadvantages

Our verdict

TV appearance

Where to buy

Contrast and black detail

HDR effect quality

Factory color reproduction

Color reproduction after calibration

Smoothness of tonal transitions

Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions

Blur and motion smoothness

Console compatibility and gaming features

Input lag

Compatibility with PC

Viewing angles

TV efficiency during daytime

Details about the matrix

TV features

Playing files from USB

Apps

Sound