LG QNED87T6B vs Hisense U7Q PRO

LG QNED87T6B delivers truly decent visual experiences when it comes to HDR. During our tests on test patterns, the television achieved brightness close to 500 nits, which is a satisfactory result and allows for good visibility of details in high dynamic scenes. Support for basic HDR formats, such as HDR10 and HLG, ensures appropriate image quality. Unfortunately, the television does not support more advanced standards, such as Dolby Vision or HDR10+, which are particularly important at this screen brightness. The lack of support for dynamic metadata means that in certain scenes, the television may struggle to fully reproduce details, especially in very bright areas – precisely when dynamic metadata could significantly improve image quality. Nevertheless, it is worth noting the excellent coverage of the wide DCI-P3 colour gamut, reaching as high as 96.4%. This ensures that the colours displayed by the QNED87T6B model are more vibrant and natural, enhancing the quality of 4K content with a wide colour palette.

U7Q PRO is truly a bright television. In synthetic tests, it achieved over 1500 nits, which is an outstanding result for this price range. Such brightness – at least in theory – allows for HDR content to be displayed as intended by the creators, even in more demanding scenes with strong lighting. In practice, it is often very good, but not always perfect. In bright scenes with large areas – like the test chart with intense sunlight from the movie "Pan" – the U7Q PRO makes a huge impression. It can almost dazzle with its brightness, which is definitely an advantage in the context of HDR content. Unfortunately, it doesn't always manage to maintain this when many small bright details appear on a dark background. In such moments, the local dimming algorithms choose to dim some bright elements to maintain good black levels – and the side effect is that some details simply disappear from the frame. This is a classic compromise in mini-LED televisions – and the U7Q PRO is no exception. However, with such a large number of dimming zones, one could have hoped for a slightly more mature algorithm responsible for their control. Fortunately, the overall perception of HDR content is decidedly positive. The U7Q PRO is not only bright but also colourful, thanks to the PFS LED (QLED) coating, the coverage of the DCI-P3 colour palette is at 95%, while BT.2020 is around 73%.

The colour reproduction in the LG QNED, even in Filmmaker Mode, which is the best factory setting, is not without flaws. The main issue is the white balance – we noticed that the level of blue on the graph tends to decrease. This results in a shift towards yellow tones, making the image appear warmer than it should. This deviation affects the naturalness of colour reproduction, especially in scenes with a white or neutral background. The Color Checker test confirmed that some colours are distorted and deviate from reality. Such distortion can make cinematic scenes seem less realistic, and details are represented in incorrect colours, which negatively impacts the overall picture quality.

In terms of contrast, the analysis of the gamma graph revealed significant drops, while the optimal value should be 2.4. This means that the television may display darker parts of the image brighter in certain scenes, which reduces their depth and dynamism. Additionally, on the EOTF curve, which is responsible for brightness reproduction, an unnatural drop was noted at the beginning. This phenomenon may result in less accuracy in reproducing dark scenes, which in turn affects the overall picture quality. The television may not convey the full depth of black, causing more demanding scenes to lose realism and detail. As a result, viewers may notice that details in the darker areas of the image become less distinct.

We tested the U7Q PRO in the best possible picture mode offered by this model – Filmmaker Mode. And indeed, this mode performs the best in terms of colour reproduction. However, that doesn't mean it's perfect. In our test unit, both in SDR and HDR content, the image had a slightly cooler tone. The white balance was skewed towards blue, giving the overall impression of being a bit "colder". It may not be glaring, but it is definitely noticeable – especially on white backgrounds, which seemed slightly bluish rather than neutral. Additionally – as we mentioned earlier – the television has a tendency to slightly brighten and oversaturate the image, which is also confirmed by the gamma and EOTF graphs. All this together means that without calibration, the image can appear somewhat unnatural – too cool, with slightly exaggerated dynamics. Therefore, we decided to carry out our own calibration – and you can see its effects and graphs below.

After calibration, the colours in SDR content look very good. The improved white balance translates to natural and harmonious shades in various scenes. Thanks to the precise adjustment of the gamma, details in shadows and bright areas of the image are accurately reproduced. The television performs excellently in everyday use, offering vivid, well-balanced images and solid colour quality in HD quality. The greatest beneficiary here is also the contrast. The gamma chart has been freed from very large errors, so here the television has gained a second face.

As for the white balance in 4K HDR, it has also been significantly improved. However, certain errors still appear at the end of the chart. This could be due to the overly aggressive operation of the television's local dimming, which affects the accurate reproduction of colour in certain scenes. It is difficult to speak here of an improvement in brightness represented by the EOTF curve. Due to its construction limitations, the television has certain disadvantages and we are not able to overcome them. The Color Checker test confirms the issue with colour saturation – despite the television offering a wide colour palette, it is not able to fully convey what the director intended.

Despite these shortcomings, the overall picture quality after calibration is significantly better than before. Improvements in white balance and gamma adjustment make images more vivid, and colours closer to reality.

Thanks to the calibration, we managed to tame the white balance in SDR and HDR content. In the case of SDR materials, the effect is really very good – the image becomes neutral, cohesive, and simply pleasant to take in. Everything looks as it should.

HDR performs a bit worse. Although the white balance appears correct and the image overall gains in naturalness, unfortunately, the delta E errors remain noticeable. Why? Because Hisense does not give us full control over how the television manages brightness in HDR mode with the U7Q PRO model. This is where the limitation comes into play. When we look at the EOTF curve for HDR content, we can clearly see what we mentioned earlier – at the beginning of the graph, there is a distinct drop, meaning the television darkens the smallest areas more than it should. On the other hand – the brightest elements can sometimes be overly bright. As a result, some details get lost, others are too aggressive, and overall control over brightness does not always match what we are trying to achieve during calibration.

Does the image look better after calibration? Definitely yes, in terms of colour. But when it comes to managing brightness in HDR, we have to accept that the Hisense U7Q PRO will do it in its own way.

When it comes to lower quality materials, the gradation looks really good. A feature called "Smooth Gradation" effectively smooths out the most problematic areas of the image without negatively affecting the film grain. For the best effect, it’s worth setting it to a low level. This solution significantly improves the quality of the displayed content and makes watching lower resolution materials more enjoyable and smoother.

In terms of digital processing, the image is displayed without cropping, known as overscanning. Although slight fringing of the branches against the model’s background can be noticed, the overall presentation is very good. Users should be satisfied with the image quality when watching low-quality materials, such as standard television. The television handles this task exceptionally well, providing a satisfying visual experience even with lower quality content.

If someone happens to come across older materials where the colour banding issue occurs – Hisense has a solution for that. In the U7Q PRO, we find a function called "Smooth and Gradient Image". Set to the "Medium" level, it works really well – removing most issues with gradation while not smoothing out the entire image, like blurring in Photoshop. 😉 Film grain remains, details do not disappear – this is exactly how it should work. Well done on the implementation!

As for upscaling weaker materials, it is simply good. It is not at the level of the most expensive televisions with advanced upscaling, but older content looks good. There is minor aliasing at very low resolutions, but this is completely normal and hard to avoid. On the plus side – even with the oldest materials, there is no overscan effect, the image is neither cropped nor artificially stretched.

The television provides decent smoothness when watching films, thanks to the "Tru Motion" feature that allows for adjustment of the motion smoothing level on a scale from 0 to 10. De-Judder adjusts motion smoothness, while De-Blur regulates motion sharpness. The user has the option to choose between a traditional, cinematic effect with slight judder (lower settings) and a smoother, theatrical image. Although the latter slightly deviates from the cinematic standard, it may be appealing to many viewers.

As for gamers and sports fans, the LG QNED87 television with a 120Hz panel will certainly not disappoint them. And with the use of an IPS panel, the response time is generally better than that of VA panels available at a similar price. This guarantees smoother gameplay and dynamic experiences when watching sports events.

“Speed” – this word came up most often during our tests of the U7Q PRO. The television is equipped with a 165 Hz panel, which is impressive in itself – especially since we are talking about a model in the mid-range price category. Of course, PC gamers will benefit the most from its full capabilities, but even with everyday viewing, it's clear that this is a fast and efficient panel. Like most modern televisions, the U7Q PRO can also enhance the fluidity of films that were originally recorded at 24 frames. In the menu, we find a slider that allows us to adjust the effect to our own preferences – from a more cinematic look, with subtle motion, to stronger smoothing with the characteristic “telenovela effect.”

LG QNED offers a range of features that make it an excellent choice for gamers looking for a high-performance television. The television is equipped with four HDMI 2.1 ports, allowing for connection to the latest consoles, such as PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, and taking full advantage of features including Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM). With the Game Bar feature, gamers can quickly and easily manage all their game settings without having to navigate through complicated menus. It is possible to adjust parameters such as VRR, ALLM, Multi View, and monitor frame rates. The television also supports G-Sync and FreeSync technologies, which is particularly important for owners of Nvidia and AMD graphics cards. G-Sync and FreeSync synchronise the television's refresh rate with the graphics card. The 120Hz panel ensures incredible motion smoothness and image clarity. Combined with the Black Frame Insertion (BFI) feature, available at 60Hz and 120Hz, gamers can enjoy an even clearer and smoother picture. LG QNED87 is a television that will meet the expectations of even the most demanding gamers, offering modern technologies and features that significantly enhance comfort and satisfaction in gaming.

The Hisense U7Q PRO is a television that seems almost designed with gamers in mind. It has practically everything one could expect from a gaming display: variable refresh rate (VRR), automatic low latency mode (ALLM), and as many as four HDMI 2.1b ports with full bandwidth of 48 Gb/s. Additionally, there is a clear and quite functional Game Bar, as well as a well-implemented Dolby Vision GAMING mode that works seamlessly with Xbox Series S and X consoles.

Sounds like perfection? Well, almost. Unfortunately, Hisense has still not implemented the HGiG feature, which means the system limitation of tone mapping on the television side. This means that when configuring HDR brightness on the console, we do it "by eye" or search for settings in online guides, as the display does not show the actual range of its brightness. It’s a pity – because HGiG indeed makes it easier to match the console to the television and helps avoid overexposure or overly dark scenes in HDR games.

Fortunately, the other features work very well. Input lag is low, responsiveness is excellent, and the handling of other functions is impeccable. And while not everything worked perfectly, the U7Q PRO can still be recommended to gamers without hesitation.