Sharp GP7 vs Philips PQS9011 / PQS9001 (The One 2026)

In terms of HDR, Sharp GP7 can pleasantly surprise us. A maximum brightness of around 500 nits is the threshold at which the real benefits of high dynamic range become visible. During our tests, we achieved stable values between 430 and 500 nits, which translated to clearer differentiation of elements in both bright and slightly darker scenes. Additionally, the DCI-P3 colour space coverage was around 95%, allowing for vibrant, visually pleasing colours. Of course, this is not the highest league, but considering this price range – it’s a big plus.

Philips PQS9000 is a moderately bright TV. In our HDR scenes it reached roughly 450 to just over 500 nits. That's enough to notice a difference compared with SDR. Reflections of the sun, lamps or flares have a bit more sparkle than on basic TVs, whose brightness often tops out around 300 nits. However, it is not a level at which bright elements make a particularly strong impression. The biggest limitation remains contrast. Without local dimming, when the TV brightens a bright object it also raises the black level around it. There is therefore no clear separation of strong highlights from a dark background, and it is that contrast that can show what HDR can do. The PQS9000 offers more than the cheapest models, but despite decent brightness the effect remains fairly basic.

Colours

Philips deserves praise for the colours. Although the manufacturer calls this model QLED, in reality a PFS phosphor is used here instead of quantum dots. That choice does not prevent the TV from achieving good results. On both test patterns and in measurements of film scenes we recorded about 94% coverage of DCI-P3 and 75% of BT.2020. For this class of TV that is really good. In practice this means that the vast majority of colours used in HDR films and series will have appropriate saturation. Vibrant green or intense red are not much of an issue and add appeal to the picture. Limitations are easier to notice in some games and in rarer content that use the most saturated shades of the wide BT.2020 gamut. In such situations, displays with wider colour coverage, such as SQD or RGB LED, can show more. In its price bracket, however, the PQS9000 has nothing to be ashamed of.

Upon removing it from the box, in movie mode, GP7 does not perform poorly at all. In HD materials, we noticed slight disturbances in white balance – drops in red and blue, which made the image have a somewhat greenish hue. This is evident, for example, on the faces of characters, which become less three-dimensional. The gamma is somewhat brightened in places, resulting in less deep blacks. In 4K HDR content, a cooler, bluish tone additionally comes to the fore, making the colours appear less natural. On the other hand, looking from the perspective of "straight out of the box," these settings are not bad – only minor adjustments are needed, and with the help of specific tools, we will try to improve them.

Unfortunately, the factory picture settings for Film mode on the PQS9000 need refinement. In SDR the most noticeable problem is an excess of red in the white balance, which makes whites, greys and skin tones too warm, sometimes even slightly pinkish. On top of that the gamma runs below the reference across most of the range. The TV therefore brightens midtones and highlights, making the overall image look flatter than it should.

In HDR the white balance itself is much better. Apart from minor deviations the RGB components track closely, so there is no pronounced colour cast as in SDR. However, the EOTF curve shows a slight brightening of parts of the image, and the biggest issue appears in measurements of the wide colour gamut. Many hues deviate significantly from the target, with errors reaching levels of 8–9. The good gamut coverage we praised earlier therefore does not mean the TV hits specific colours equally well. It can display a wide colour range, but out of the box it does not use it very precisely.

Calibration really makes a difference in Sharp GP7. After making adjustments, we achieved a better white balance in HD content, and the colours began to appear much more natural, with minimal deviations and without a noticeable dominance of individual hues. In 4K HDR, the change is not as spectacular, but still noticeable. The gamma has been brought to a more neutral level, although there remains an issue with a slight boost in the brightest details on the screen. The lack of control over dynamic tone mapping limits our manoeuvrability, but nonetheless, it is a significant step forward compared to the factory settings.

Calibration brought a significant improvement, especially in SDR material. We managed to even out the white balance and remove the previous colour cast, and the Color Checker measurements now look really very good. Colours are much closer to what should be on screen, so with ordinary TV or SDR films we can be satisfied with the outcome. Unfortunately HDR somewhat spoils that result. On the one hand it is limited by the panel itself, because calibration won't improve contrast or replace local dimming. On the other hand there remain colour errors that we couldn't correct because the CMS settings, that is the colour management controls, were greyed out and inactive. That costs Philips points with us. The white balance can be fine‑tuned, but without access to wide‑gamut adjustments it's not possible to order HDR colours equally well. It's a shame, because the SDR results show the potential is there, but we weren't allowed to make full use of it everywhere.

The television is quite capable of scaling lower quality content. Our test patterns were well reproduced, and although there was minimal banding on fine, delicate shapes (for example, thin branches), it still looked satisfactory. Additionally, Sharp GP7 offers a "10-bit colour reproduction" feature to smooth tonal transitions in poor quality materials. It is useful, but at the cost of some details, so we recommend turning it on only when we are truly watching something subpar.

Digital picture processing in the Philips PQS9000 performs well, though we have a few reservations. The "Distortion Reduction" function helps to smooth tonal transitions in lower-quality material, but it works rather unevenly. It can improve one part of the image, only to seem to lose its effect a moment later, still in the same scene, and show banding between shades again. A plus is that it doesn't remove film grain or fine noise, so the image retains its texture. We found the 'Medium' setting worked best and we recommend it. The upscaling to 4K itself is acceptable, although the image is very soft. Edges are heavily smoothed, which may leave some viewers feeling the picture lacks definition. In that case, it's worth slightly increasing the sharpness in the TV's menu, as this will make edges appear more defined. However, don't overdo the sharpening slider, otherwise artificial halos may appear instead of an improvement.

With a 60 Hz panel and an average response time, it’s hard to expect miraculous smoothness. In dynamic tests, such as the one with the “little green man”, it’s evident that the picture can stutter and occasionally lose sharpness. For watching films and series, this is acceptable, especially as you can make use of a motion smoother with three levels of adjustment. However, if we are keen on ultra-smooth sports broadcasts or super-responsive gaming, we may feel unsatisfied.

In terms of motion handling the Philips PQS9000 performs exceptionally well for an LCD TV. It's not just the 144 Hz refresh rate, but above all how quickly the panel itself responds. At 120 Hz there are virtually no typical trailing smears behind moving objects. What is particularly pleasing is that this also applies to darker scenes, where many VA panels clearly struggle. Here motion remains clear and, in this respect, Philips pleasantly surprised us.

The "Motion Styles" feature lets you adjust how motion is displayed. It includes two sliders: "Smoothness" and "Blur Reduction", allowing you to tailor the effect to the content you're watching and your own preferences. Our suggested settings are shown in the photo. Treat them as a starting point and try to find the level of smoothing that suits you best.

Let's not kid ourselves – GP7 Sharp is not a television for the most demanding console gamers. Yes, it has ALLM which automatically switches the TV to low latency mode, but it lacks VRR or G-Sync. We also won't find any advanced menu to assist in selecting settings during gameplay. Dolby Vision in games? It's there, but with such a high input lag that it's hard to speak of comfort. If we play occasionally and are not aiming for the highest standards, it can be managed, but fans of technological innovations will be disappointed.

Gaming features

In terms of gaming features, the Philips PQS9000 has a lot to offer. Four HDMI 2.1 ports let you connect several devices without having to choose which one gets the full-capability port. Consoles can use 120 Hz at Full HD, 1440p and 4K, while a PC can also make use of 144 Hz at 4K or 240 Hz if you drop to Full HD. There's also VRR, which matches the refresh rate to the frame rate and prevents screen tearing. Its range is 48 to 240 Hz, with the upper limit applying in Full HD mode.

ALLM is present, so the TV automatically switches to game mode, and HGiG works properly, which is useful when setting HDR on a console. There's also a Game Bar for quick access to settings and signal information. The list even includes Dolby Vision gaming, but it's hard to enjoy this option because of very high input lag. Aside from that caveat, the feature set is really solid.