Sony Bravia 8 MK2 vs Hisense E7Q PRO / E79Q PRO

Thanks to the new QD-OLED panel, the Sony Bravia 8 II can achieve astronomically high brightness levels of around 2000 nits, translating into nearly reference-quality for films and series recorded in HDR format. In test materials such as Life of Pi and Sicario 2, the effect is truly captivating – details in bright areas of the image remain perfectly visible, and night scenes enchant with depth and contrast. However, it is not perfect. Compared to its fiercest competitors, the Bravia 8 II shows a noticeable drop in brightness during full-screen, very bright scenes. When comparing maximum peak luminance with 100% white brightness in HDR mode, the Bravia 8 II appears even two or three times dimmer than LG G5 or Samsung S95F models. This was especially evident in a scene from the film The Meg – the screen became noticeably darker than in competing televisions. Despite this shortcoming, the results of the Bravia 8 II still place it among the top of the market. It deserves praise for its absolutely top-tier colour gamut coverage – nearly 100% DCI-P3 and close to 90% BT.2020. These parameters allow for fully extracting the potential of HDR content and providing experiences akin to those in a cinema within the comfort of home.

When it comes to the quality of the HDR effect, the E7Q PRO is unfortunately not a television that can impress with brightness alone. In real film materials, we measured around 250–300 nits, which is simply too little for HDR to look spectacular. There is a lack of that "spark" in bright details, highlights, and light effects, and in many HDR scenes, it can resemble good SDR more than true cinematic HDR. The consolation in all this is the colours. We managed to confirm that the E7Q PRO is a PFS-type television, meaning it has an additional filter that improves colour gamut coverage. As a result, even if the brightness does not deliver, the colours in HDR content can be appropriately saturated and pleasing to the eye, without the feeling of a "washed-out" image.

Straight out of the box, the Bravia 8 II performs quite well. In the best IMAX® Enhanced mode, the television is able to render colours in a pleasant and natural way, although “good” doesn’t mean “best in class” here. The white balance definitely needs adjustment – skin tones tend to lean towards slightly pink/cool hues, both in SDR and HDR materials. We also noticed that the characteristic of the EOTF curve reveals a certain tendency to brighten the darkest parts of the image. This is probably due to the manufacturer’s desire to highlight as many details as possible even in deep shadows. Is this a good approach? It’s hard to say definitively, but we know one thing – it is not an ideal solution.

In terms of colour reproduction, we tested the Hisense E7Q Pro in Movie mode, which turned out to be the best built-in preset without a doubt. This mode, unlike the Eco, Standard or Dynamic settings, offers the most natural colours straight out of the box. Although no factory mode is completely free of flaws, the E7Q Pro deserves high praise for its colour rendering in standard SDR content. The colour palette is very well tuned here, and the errors in the Color Checker tests often did not exceed a value of 3, which is an outstanding result rarely seen in such affordable televisions. The only drawback we noted in SDR is the tendency to darken some elements of the image, as indicated by the slightly raised gamma graph. The television performs slightly worse with colours in HDR mode. Here, colour errors become noticeable to the naked eye, mainly due to a lack of blue in the white balance. This causes the colours on the screen to be too warm, and for some viewers, they may even seem “too cinematic.” Of course, to improve these parameters, we proceeded with professional calibration.

After calibration, the excessive cooling of the image caused by an overly strong boost of the blue colour was mainly eliminated. The reds have become deeper, and skin tones have taken on a natural, healthy appearance. The actors, who previously seemed "cold," now look much livelier and more convincing on screen. However, one thing has not changed – the analysis of the EOTF curve still shows that the Bravia 8 II has a tendency to brighten the darkest areas of the image. It is difficult to determine whether this is a deliberate method used by the manufacturer or a result of the panel and software design. In practice, this means that scenes which the creators intended to leave in deep darkness can reveal more details than anticipated. Despite this, the image quality after calibration is clearly improved – warm, natural colours and realistic skin tones make viewing on the Bravia 8 II simply more pleasant to the eye.

In the case of materials with a standard dynamic range (SDR), our actions in Filmmaker mode turned out to be largely cosmetic 😉. We mainly focused on a subtle adjustment of the white balance and equalising the gamma curve, which allowed us to recover details in the darker areas of the image that previously tended to get lost. However, it is worth noting that the E7Q Pro unit we tested was exceptionally well-made at the factory. We remind you that these parameters depend on the specific unit – with mass production, factory calibration can be random, so your unit may require slightly different intervention. The biggest beneficiary of professional calibration was undoubtedly HDR mode. This is where we did the most work, which brought spectacular results. We managed to effectively tame the excessive warmth of the image, caused by a factory deficiency in blue colour. After calibration, the colour errors were reduced to a significantly lower level, which will certainly please those who watch a lot of streaming content in HDR format, expecting faithful reproduction.

Upscaling and digital image processing are a true showcase of the capabilities of the Bravia 8 II. Sony has long been regarded as a master in this field, and here it only reaffirms its reputation. The proprietary XR processor can extract nearly the maximum from lower-resolution materials – whether it's television or an old DVD film, the image appears clearer, with more detail and better depth. Of course, if we feed it exceptionally low-quality material (like our archival photo with the Model), it won't work wonders, but in everyday viewing, it's hard to find fault with it.

The gentle gradation feature also performs excellently. In the "Medium" setting, it effectively smooths tonal transitions, eliminating banding in coloured and grey gradients, while not destroying the film grain or fine details in the image. It is this balance between subtlety and effectiveness that keeps Sony televisions among the best on the market in this category.

When it comes to upscaling and digital image processing, the E7Q PRO deserves praise. The scaling performs really well and does not dramatically fall behind much more expensive, advanced televisions. Lower-quality materials can look clean and sensible, without the impression that the image is artificially "enhanced." However, the smoothing function presents a bit worse. Indeed, it can be effective and improve tonal transitions in poor quality materials, but at the same time, it can introduce undesirable effects. It sometimes removes grain or adds unwanted artefacts, giving the image a more "digital" character. Therefore, we mainly recommend it to those who prefer a smoother, less cinematic style of image.

The smoothness of motion is practically a closed topic in the case of the Bravia 8 II. The OLED with a refresh rate of 120 Hz naturally provides a very clear, sharp image in dynamic scenes, so it's hard to complain about anything here. However, one of the best motion smoothing systems on the market truly deserves special praise. They allow precise adjustment of film smoothness to one’s own preferences – from gentle smoothing to almost a “theatrical” effect – without the risk of artificial jumps, tearing of the image, or annoying artifacts. This is one of those features that will be appreciated both during movie screenings and while watching sports.

In the category of smearing and motion fluidity, the E7Q PRO has one very strong argument. At this price, Hisense has included a 120 Hz panel, and in PC mode, it can even operate at 144 Hz. This immediately provides greater possibilities in motion settings, as the menu offers more options for smoothing the image. Among other things, we have frame interpolation options, which allow us to adjust the fluidity for sports or films, depending on whether we prefer a more cinematic character or a "theatrical" smoothness.

Sony has really learnt its lessons from previous years and in the Bravia 8 II has prepared a package of features for gamers that is hard to describe in any other way than "almost perfect". We have everything you'd expect from equipment of this class – VRR, ALLM, Dolby Vision Gaming mode, HGiG, and even a handy Game Bar that allows you to quickly preview parameters and change settings without leaving the game. It's also worth noting how smoothly and seamlessly these features work – no delays, no strange stutters. You simply start the game, and everything looks as it should. Unfortunately, there are a few "buts". The manufacturer still only provides us with two full-bandwidth HDMI ports, so if someone has a console, PC, and another device such as a soundbar connected via eARC, it becomes a hassle of switching cables. It is also surprising that there is no support for 1440p resolution at 120 Hz – particularly important for Xbox gamers. Overall, however – this is one of those televisions that can easily be placed in the centre of a gaming lounge and enjoyed without significant compromises.

The E7Q PRO is a phenomenal screen for gamers. Aside from the typical "ache" of Hisense, which is the lack of support for the HGiG format due to permanently active tone mapping, we get practically everything one can expect from a television that is to have a gaming label. There are two HDMI 2.1 ports, along with a full set of key features. We have variable refresh rates, automatic switching to game mode, and support for 4K at 120 Hz. Additionally, all the most important settings are at hand in a clear Game Bar. This tool not only looks modern but also has a typically "gaming" edge and truly makes life easier while gaming.