LG UT8100 (IPS) vs Hisense U7Q PRO

Unfortunately, the LG UT8100 television does not meet expectations in the HDR effect category. With a peak brightness of only 300 nits on the luminance chart, it is well below the required value to fully enjoy the HDR effects. In practice, the image resembles SDR quality more than true HDR, which is particularly evident in demanding high-contrast scenes. The coverage of the DCI-P3 colour palette is only 82%, further limiting the ability to present vibrant and rich colours. Instead of impressive visual experiences, we receive a muted and lacklustre image. For those looking for a television to fully utilise HDR content, the LG UT8100 model proves to be quite disappointing.

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 Filmmaker Mode in LG UT8100, although theoretically the best for watching films, has significant flaws. The biggest problem is the white balance – drops in blue colour cause a noticeable yellowing of the image, evident in both HD and 4K content. These errors are confirmed by the measurement results in the Colour Checker test, which indicate significant deviations in colour reproduction.

Regarding brightness characteristics, both HD and 4K content feature a substantial tonal boost. The gamma curve in both cases remains significantly below the reference value of 2.4, leading to excessive brightening of darker elements of the image. A similar issue is noticeable in the EOTF curve – for 4K content, the television struggles with properly managing brightness, which results in problems with screen brightness. This means that the factory settings of this model require significant adjustments to achieve better image quality.

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 calibrating the Filmmaker Mode, the gamma has been aligned to practically ideal, reference values, which has significantly improved the overall tonal characteristics of HD content. 4K HDR content also looks better, although certain issues are still visible at the extreme ends of the graph, where the curve deviates from perfection. The EOTF curve performs worse, as the television has difficulty maintaining appropriate brightness values. As a result, the image in some scenes may be overly bright or slightly dimmed, which is due to the very design of the device. Nevertheless, the calibration has brought considerable improvement, especially for HD content, where tonal balance and colour reproduction are now at a much higher level.

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.

The fluidity of tonal transitions is also correct, although the effect depends on the settings. The update has improved the performance of the smooth gradation function, smoothing transitions better than before, but it has introduced minor issues with detail loss, e.g. on textures.

The image scaling on LG UT8100 performs very well. The image looks decent, without significant issues with edge aliasing. Details are preserved at a satisfactory level, which makes lower resolution materials look truly solid on this television. This allows users to enjoy watching older content without noticeable flaws in quality.

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.

LG UT8100, equipped with a 60 Hz panel, is particularly suited for those watching films. The television offers the TruMotion system with de-judder effect adjustment, allowing you to customise the smoothness of the image – from more choppy to exceptionally smooth, resembling a soap opera effect, depending on the user's preferences.

“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 UT8100 offers basic features for gamers, such as ALLM and Game Bar, which makes access to settings easier. The television also supports HGiG, which improves image quality in HDR games. Unfortunately, the lack of support for Dolby Vision and VRR limits the capabilities of the device, as does the 60 Hz panel, which excludes support for 120 Hz resolution. This model is more suitable for less demanding gaming applications.

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.