Hisense U7S / U77SE Review

U7S / U77S

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Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Main photo

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Panel type: LCD VA Refresh rate: 144Hz Brand: HISENSE Resolution: 3840x2160 System: VIDAA Model year: 2026

Last updated:
9/25/2026 11:47 AM

This review is an English translation of the Polish original. Read the original on Wybierz.tv.

The Hisense U7S is the successor to last year's U7Q, which, at least on paper, doesn't bring major changes. It's one of the entry-level models with Mini LED backlighting, designed primarily to attract buyers with an appealing price. With only minor changes, has picture quality improved and does the U7S stand a chance of being one of the best value TVs in its class? We put it to the test!

Review Hisense U7S / U77SE TV features

HISENSE U7S - Our verdict

7.3

Overall rating

Hisense U7S is the latest iteration of the U7 series, whose biggest advantage remains its price-to-quality ratio. You get a Mini LED TV with local dimming, which really improves black levels and gives the picture depth for evening viewing. During the day, the generous brightness headroom is useful, so you don't have to immediately cover the windows. It's not a device without compromises, but as an everyday TV it makes a lot of sense. Gamers benefit a lot as well. The U7S supports high refresh rates from consoles and PCs, has an extensive set of gaming features, and responds very quickly to controller input. Pleasingly, the low input lag is preserved in Dolby Vision too. Add in the smoothly running VIDAA, which offers both Smart features and handy extras for regular TV, and the package is fairly versatile, though compared with last year's U7Q it's hard to call it a big step forward. Unfortunately there are also things that clearly bother us. The first is motion blur. The panel has a high refresh rate, but its pixels don't always keep up, so visible trails follow moving objects. Fans of sports and fast-paced games will notice this especially. The second issue is HDR, which the TV shows somewhat "its own way." Instead of sticking to the brightness encoded in the content, it strongly brightens parts of the image. That was probably meant to look more impressive, but it often has the opposite effect: the scene becomes over-bright, loses depth, and clearly departs from the creators' intent. It's a shame this behavior can't be effectively corrected even during calibration. Despite these remarks, the U7S remains an interesting choice if you're looking to get as much as possible for a reasonable price. Compared with basic LCDs without local dimming, which you can still find at a similar price, it primarily offers much better blacks. And that's exactly its greatest strength. You don't have to reach for an expensive model to get a Mini LED whose advantages are actually noticeable when watching. If you accept its flaws, the Hisense U7S can above all be a cost-effective purchase.

Advantages

  • Good black levels thanks to MINI-LED backlighting + VA panel

  • Bright, clear picture even during the day

  • Natural colours after calibration when watching standard TV and SDR films

  • Plenty of options for PC and console gamers

  • Low input lag

  • Feature-rich VIDAA system

  • Support for multiple audio/video formats, including Dolby Vision | Atmos and DTS

  • Pleasant sound with light bass

Disadvantages

No like
  • Severe smearing on the VA panel

  • HDR image excessively brightened, clearly deviating from the creators' intent

  • Incorrect HGiG implementation making HDR configuration in games difficult

  • Poor viewing angles

  • Some apps missing from the VIDAA system

  • Movies and series in UHD quality

    6.9

  • Classic TV, YouTube

    6.9

  • Sports broadcasts (TV and apps)

    6.4

  • Gaming on console

    8.2

  • TV as a computer monitor

    8.2

  • Watching in bright light

    7.0

  • Utility functions

    8.9

  • Apps

    8.3

  • Sound quality

    7.2

HISENSE U7S - Competing TVs in this price range

Philips PQS9011 / PQS9001 (The One 2026) 65”

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Samsung The Frame 2026 (LS03H) 65”

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Sony BRAVIA 2 II (S25M2) 65”

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Samsung The Frame Pro 2026 (LS03HW) 65”

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Samsung M80H 65”

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SONY BRAVIA 3 II (XR35M2) 65”

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Samsung R85H / R86H 65”

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Samsung R95H Micro RGB 65”

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Samsung S85H 65”

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HISENSE U7S - TV appearance

HDMI inputs: 2 x HDMI 2.0, 2 x HDMI 2.1 (48Gbps) Outputs: Toslink (Optical audio), eARC (HDMI), ARC (HDMI) Network Interfaces: Wi-Fi 2.4GHz, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Ethernet (LAN) 100Mbps

Build quality: Good

Stand type: Central

Bezel color: Graphite

Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Appearance of the TV Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Appearance of the TV Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Appearance of the TV Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Appearance of the TV Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Appearance of the TV Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Appearance of the TV Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Appearance of the TV Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Appearance of the TV Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Appearance of the TV

Stand: Fixed

Flat design: No

Accessories: Stand

Hisense U7S is a well-made mid-range TV. It has narrow graphite bezels with a slightly thicker strip along the bottom, and from the front it looks neat and fairly light. The central stand, with a generous gap underneath, gives it a bit of character. Although plastic, it holds the screen securely and also allows it to be placed on a narrower cabinet. From the side it is already clear that the U7S is not one of the slimmest televisions. The casing is quite thick, so when wall-mounted it will protrude noticeably from the wall. Overall it is acceptable for its class, without the more refined materials or finish found on pricier models, but with few real grounds for complaint.

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HISENSE U7S - Contrast and black detail

8/10

Local dimming function: Yes, number of zones: 192 (8 x 24)

Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Contrast and black detail

Result

507,800:1

Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Contrast and black detail

Result

51,250:1

Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Contrast and black detail

Result

30,900:1

Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Contrast and black detail

Result

21,250:1

Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Contrast and black detail

Result

5,650:1

Visibility of details in the lights:
Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Visibility of details in the lights

Hisense U7S delivers good black levels, especially for an entry-level Mini LED model. The 55-inch sample we tested uses 192 local dimming zones, which work well with the VA panel. In most of our scenes contrast ranged from about 21,000:1 to over 51,000:1, and in one it even exceeded 500,000:1. In many films you can clearly see the difference. Dark scenes have depth and blacks don't look grey like on many cheaper LCDs without local dimming.

It gets worse when the screen shows a lot of small bright objects on a dark background (for example the scene shown below). There are too few zones to light each of them separately, so small objects have a bright ring around them. This so-called halo effect is most noticeable when watching in a dark room. In the most demanding shot the contrast fell to around 5,650:1 and here the backlight limitations are already apparent. Even so, given the class of the television, it is hard to call this a flaw, because many Mini LED televisions in a similar price range will have comparable problems.

Halo effect and black detail visibility:

HISENSE U7S - HDR effect quality

5.5/10

Supported formats: HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, Dolby Vision IQ, HLG

Luminance measurements in HDR:

Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Brightness measurement

Result

700 nit

Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Brightness measurement

Result

297 nit

Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Brightness measurement

Result

640 nit

Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Brightness measurement

Result

154 nit

Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Brightness measurement

Result

745 nit

The Hisense U7S has considerable potential for HDR display, but it cannot exploit that potential in every scene. On a test pattern it reaches around 1,100 nits, so the backlight itself is very strong. In our brighter film scenes we measured about 640 to 745 nits. That is still plenty for the sun or bright highlights to have a clear bloom and to show an advantage over SDR material. When the TV needs to brighten a larger portion of the image, it handles it fairly well.

The problem appears with small highlights on a dark background. Each of the 192 zones covers an area much larger than a tiny point on the screen. If the TV were to light that whole zone strongly, it would also brighten the area around the highlight. Hisense tries to avoid that and dims the entire zone. This makes blacks look better, but a small bright object that should attract the eye also loses intensity. That is why in two more demanding scenes we recorded only 297 and 154 nits. The difference is large: in one shot HDR can impress, and in the next small highlights are noticeably muted. The U7S therefore prioritises preserving deep blacks, even at the expense of bright details. With that number of zones it is an understandable compromise, but worth bearing in mind — the peak 1,100 nits tells us about the backlight’s capability, not how brightly the TV will show every element of a film.

Colours

Hisense describes the U7S as ULED, but that is a marketing name, and it is a PFS phosphor backlight that expands the colour palette here. In our measurements the TV covered about 91% of the DCI-P3 colour space and 71% of BT.2020. Those are good results, though they fall short of the best screens on the market. The largest shortfall is in green — the TV does not even reach the DCI-P3 boundary here, so the most intense shades will be less saturated than they should be. Most colours in HDR films and series still look suitably vibrant. A positive is the repeatability of the results. Gamut coverage on test patterns and in film scenes is practically identical.

BT.2020 color gamut coverage and primary color luminance

Data set BT.2020 P3 R G B
Synthetic patterns 70.6% 90.6% 71% 76% 77%
Film measurements 70.7% 90.8% 69% 70% 74%

BT.2020 and P3 – average color gamut coverage (percent of the target gamut).

R, G, B – average primary color luminance relative to target (percent).

Scene from the movie “Pan” (about 2800 nits)

Review Hisense U7S / U77SE section HDR effect quality, scene “Pan”

Scene from the movie “Billy Lynn” (about 1100 nits)

Review Hisense U7S / U77SE section HDR effect quality, scene “Billy Lynn”
The photos show two HDR10 movies. 'Pan' is one of the brightest productions ever made, while 'Billy Lynn' (soldier) has brightness typical of streaming (Netflix, Prime, HBO MAX). Notice the intensity of effects and detail in whites.

Unfortunately tone mapping is not a strong point of the Hisense U7S. With content graded to around 1000 nits the TV can still preserve detail in the brightest highlights — in the scene from "Billy Lynn" they do not completely wash into one blot. The problem, however, is the overall brightness of the scene. The image is over-brightened, which is also confirmed by EOTF measurements on the films. That removes some depth, and the scene looks flat and bears little resemblance to how it should look. Even worse are the more demanding items graded to 4000 nits. In the scene from "Pan", whose brightest parts reach around 2800 nits, the brightening causes a loss of detail in the highlights. Areas around the sun merge together, and subtle transitions between bright tones vanish. So instead of striking HDR we get an over-boosted image that lacks both naturalness and detail. It's a shame, because the U7S has fairly good backlighting to show something better, but the way brightness is controlled severely spoils the final result.

HDR luminance chart:

The issues described earlier with the image becoming too bright and losing detail concerned HDR10 content. Fortunately the Hisense U7S also supports Dolby Vision, and in this case it makes a real difference. Thanks to the dynamic metadata the TV receives much more precise guidance on how to display individual scenes. The same material then looks considerably better: the picture is less washed-out, it regains depth, and brighter areas reveal more detail. In the shot of the horses it's easier to make out the texture of the snow and the trees in the distance, which in HDR10 partly vanished into white. Dolby Vision does not solve all of the U7S's problems, but it clearly reduces its tendency to render HDR its own way. If the film is available in this format, it's definitely worth choosing.

Static HDR10

Review Hisense U7S / U77SE section HDR effect quality, Static HDR10

Dynamic: Dolby Vision

Review Hisense U7S / U77SE section HDR effect quality, Dynamic: Dolby Vision
The photos present the visibility of white details in various HDR formats. They do not show brightness differences between TVs (these can be compared in the previous gallery).

Factory color reproduction

5.8/10

Out-of-the-box colours on the Hisense U7S are decent, but there are a few areas to improve. In SDR there is a red bias in the white balance, which makes the picture too warm and, in places, slightly pink. You can notice this on faces and on bright, neutral surfaces. The gamma also runs below the target, so the TV brightens the image, particularly in darker areas. That makes shadow detail easier to see, but the scene loses some of its depth.

In HDR the white balance is somewhat more even, but not entirely neutral, with a shortage of blue in the mid-tones and a lack of red in the brightest parts. A bigger issue is how brightness is rendered. The EOTF curve shows a large portion of the mid-tones being lifted, causing the picture to look brighter than the source intends. Color Checker measurements are also weaker than in SDR: many errors are around 3 to 4, and some reach as high as 8. Colours can therefore look attractive, but they are not always faithful to what we should see. There is room for improvement here and we will see how much can be corrected through calibration.

This gallery shows how colors change after professional TV calibration. If you notice the difference, we recommend ordering this service at SkalibrujTV.com.

Color reproduction after calibration

7.5/10

Calibration of the Hisense U7S brought the biggest improvements with SDR material. We managed to even out the white balance, so the previous warm tint has gone and whites and greys now look neutral. Gamma is also now very close to the reference, and the TV no longer brightens the picture unnecessarily, so darker scenes have regained depth. Color Checker measurements confirm the improvement: most errors are below 2. That means the picture is very well set up for watching regular TV and SDR films. It wasn't as smooth in HDR. There is no effective way to correct the EOTF curve, so the TV still interprets a film's brightness somewhat on its own. It brightens parts of the picture and can dim the brightest elements depending on the scene and the behaviour of the local dimming. Calibration could not eliminate this. This is also reflected in the Color Checker results, where many errors remain around 3–4 and a few exceed 7. So the result in SDR is really very good, but in HDR we must accept that the TV adds its own interpretation of brightness to the image.

Review Hisense U7S / U77SE section Colors after calibration
Review Hisense U7S / U77SE section Colors after calibration
The photos show how movies look on the TV. Pay attention to black detail visibility, colors, and shadow tint.

HISENSE U7S - Smoothness of tonal transitions

8.5/10

Smoothness of tonal transitions is one of the strengths of the Hisense U7S. HDR10 content performs particularly well, with colours blending gently from one to another without obvious banding. Even in dark scenes it is hard to find significant issues. Minor colour banding becomes visible only in brighter shots, but during normal viewing it is hardly noticeable. It is slightly worse in Dolby Vision, where the boundaries between tones can be more apparent. For that reason Hisense loses some points with us, although overall this remains a very good result and one of the better performers in its class.

Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Smoothness of tonal transitions Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Smoothness of tonal transitions Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Smoothness of tonal transitions Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Smoothness of tonal transitions
Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Smoothness of tonal transitions
Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Smoothness of tonal transitions
Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Smoothness of tonal transitions
Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Smoothness of tonal transitions
These are selected scenes that show smooth tonal transitions from one color to another. If you see distinct banding, it’s the TV panel’s fault.

Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions

6/10

OK Smooth transition function

Review Hisense U7S / U77SE section Upscaling and digital image processing, match photo

OK Image without overscan on the SD signal

Review Hisense U7S / U77SE section Upscaling and digital image processing, shot with a model
The match photo shows how the TV smooths weak tonal transitions in low-quality video. The model photo shows how it handles upscaling of SD material.

The handling of lower-quality material is fairly mediocre on the Hisense U7S. The Pentonic 700 chipset used here does not cope particularly well with strong compression artefacts. The menu includes a "Smooth and Gradient Image" function, but its performance leaves much to be desired. At the low setting tonal transitions show little improvement, although at least the image does not suffer. The medium and high settings still do not remove obvious banding between shades, and they begin to blur details; in our test material even parts of characters' faces disappeared. Interestingly, film grain remains untouched at every level. If you do use this feature, stick to the low setting. Its current behaviour needs refinement, but that is mainly down to the chipset used here.

Upscaling to 4K performs much better. Lower-resolution content gains in legibility, edges are well reproduced, and fine elements look sharp. That does not mean it recovers details that were never in the recording, but the TV makes good use of what it receives from the source. Another plus is that it does not crop the image edges, even with an SD signal.

HISENSE U7S - Blur and motion smoothness

7/10

Maximum refresh rate of the panel: 144Hz

Film motion smoothing option: Yes

Blur reduction option: Yes

BFI function 60Hz: Yes, 120Hz (double contours)

BFI function 120Hz: Yes, 240Hz (double contours)

Brightness drop with BFI: 55%

Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Blur and motion smoothness

Motion handling on the Hisense U7S is decent thanks to the 144 Hz refresh rate. For films there is also a motion smoother with adjustable judder and blur reduction. You can therefore keep a more cinematic motion or increase smoothness if jerky camera pans bother you. The high refresh rate is also useful for sports and gaming, but unfortunately it does not solve the panel's biggest problem.

That problem is pixel response time. Fast-moving objects leave long, clearly visible trails, as our UFO test shows. It looks worst on dark backgrounds, where the trail behind the object is particularly pronounced. So motion can be smooth, but the moving object itself loses sharpness, and that difference on the U7S is fairly easy to notice.

Blur (native resolution, maximum refresh rate):

Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Blur (native resolution, maximum refresh rate)
Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Blur (native resolution, maximum refresh rate)
Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Blur (native resolution, maximum refresh rate)

Blur (BFI function enabled):

Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Image flickers in this mode
Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Image flickers in this mode
Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Image flickers in this mode

Blur (1080p@240Hz):

Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Blur
Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Blur
Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Blur

The 240 Hz mode is an interesting addition that does improve the clarity of moving objects. However, it doesn't make motion blur disappear. Pixels still can't keep up with some transitions, especially in dark shades, so even at higher refresh rates a visible trail remains behind them. It's a useful option for PC gamers, but it can't fully make up for a poor panel response time.

HISENSE U7S - Console compatibility and gaming features

8.5/10

  • Yes ALLM: Yes
  • Yes VRR: Yes
  • Yes VRR range: 48 - 240Hz
  • Yes Dolby Vision Game Mode: Yes
  • No Correct implementation of HGIG: No
  • Yes 1080p@120Hz: Yes
  • Yes 1440p@120Hz: Yes
  • Yes 4K@120Hz: Yes
  • Yes Game bar: Yes
Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Console compatibility and gaming features
Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Console compatibility and gaming features

The Hisense U7S has a lot to offer gamers. You get two HDMI 2.1 ports and support for 120 Hz at Full HD, 1440p, and 4K, so modern consoles’ capabilities are well used. When connected to a PC you can use 144 Hz at 4K or switch the resolution to Full HD and run 240 Hz. So there’s a wide choice, although it’s worth remembering the motion smearing mentioned earlier, which the high refresh rate does not eliminate. VRR and ALLM are also present. The first helps prevent tearing when frame rates in a game change. The second automatically switches the TV into game mode, so you don’t have to dig through the menu each time. VRR works from 48 to 240 Hz, with the highest refresh rate available in Full HD. Xbox users can also play in Dolby Vision, including at 120 Hz. Importantly, this format does not introduce significant input lag here. The Game Bar also looks very good. It’s easy to read, visually appealing, and lets you quickly check what signal the TV is receiving. There are also handy gaming settings at your fingertips, including shadow brightening. If it’s hard to spot an opponent in a dark game, you can improve visibility without digging through the entire menu.

Our biggest complaints concern HGiG. Hisense continues to do its own tone mapping, which makes setting HDR on the console confusing. You adjust a checkerboard test pattern and the TV continuously adapts how it looks. As a result, the moment the pattern disappears does not correctly indicate the screen’s brightness limit, and it’s easy to set the value too high. For this model it’s better to set the target HDR peak brightness on the console to about 900 to 1000 nits, rather than relying on the configurator.

Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Console compatibility and gaming features
Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Console compatibility and gaming features

HISENSE U7S - Input lag

9.9/10

In terms of input lag, the Hisense U7S performs excellently. At 60 Hz we measured 14 to 16 ms, and at 120 Hz just 9 to 10 ms. The controls are responsive and even in fast-paced games the TV doesn't add any noticeable delay. Importantly, Dolby Vision performs just as well: 14 ms at 60 Hz and 9 ms at 120 Hz mean you don't have to give up the format for fear of added latency. The motion blur described earlier is a separate issue: the screen reacts quickly to inputs, but the pixels do not always keep up with changes in colour.

SDR HDR Dolby Vision
1080p60: 16 ms 2160p60: 14 ms 2160p60 DV: 14 ms
1080p120: 10 ms 2160p120: 9 ms 2160p120 DV: 9 ms
2160p60: 16 ms
2160p120: 10 ms

HISENSE U7S - Compatibility with PC

8.2/10

Chroma 444 (max. resolution and refresh rate): Yes

Font clarity: Good

Readability of dark text and shapes: Average

Input lag in PC mode (4K, max. refresh rate): 10ms

Matrix subpixel arrangement: BGR

Max refresh rate: 144Hz

G-Sync: Yes

Review Hisense U7S / U77SE section Computer compatibility, font readability test

When connected to a PC you can run 4K at 144 Hz, with G-Sync enabled and input lag of around 10 ms. It's a good setup for gaming, although panel smearing is still noticeable in fast-moving scenes. 4:4:4 chroma subsampling also works correctly, even at the maximum refresh rate, so coloured text and small desktop elements remain legible.

For web browsing or occasional work the U7S is quite suitable, but not all fonts look equally sharp. Our main complaint is small, dark text: thin strokes of letters can disappear and characters look uneven. It's hard to notice that from the sofa, but when working up close, especially with text or spreadsheets, it can become distracting.

HISENSE U7S - Viewing angles

3.1/10

Brightness drop at an angle of 45 degrees: 74%

Viewing angles are unfortunately a weak point of the Hisense U7S. Even after shifting to the side, colours lose saturation, blacks become lighter and the picture looks washed out. At a 45-degree angle we measured as much as a 74% drop in brightness, so the difference compared with watching head-on is really significant. This is a typical limitation of VA panels. When seated centrally you can appreciate its good contrast, but people at the far ends of a wide sofa will see a noticeably poorer picture. The U7S is therefore best suited to setups where seating is positioned as directly in front of the screen as possible.

HISENSE U7S - Daytime performance

7/10

Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Daytime performance
Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Daytime performance

Panel finish: Satin

Reflection suppression: Decent

Black levels during daytime: Good

The Hisense U7S handles daytime viewing well. In SDR we measured an average of around 664 nits, and depending on the screen content brightness ranged roughly between 500 and 800 nits. Even with an all-white image it stays above 500 nits, so a sports broadcast or a bright TV programme does not suddenly look dimmed. That is plenty of headroom for comfortable viewing in most living rooms. The satin coating does a decent job suppressing reflections, but a window opposite the TV will still be visible. In the photo it is clear that its reflection can obscure part of the picture, so high brightness alone does not solve everything. A plus is the handling of blacks and colours in daylight, which do not become overly grey. Overall the U7S performs well in a bright room, though you should position it to avoid direct reflections from windows.

Panel brightness

Hisense U7S / U77SE: 664 cd/m2

HISENSE U7S - TV features

8.9/10

System: VIDAA

System performance: Good

  • HDMI inputs: 2 x HDMI 2.0, 2 x HDMI 2.1 48Gbps
  • Outputs: Toslink (Optical audio), eARC (HDMI), ARC (HDMI)
  • Network Interfaces: Wi-Fi 2.4GHz, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Ethernet (LAN) 100Mbps
  • TV reception: DVB-T, DVB-T2, DVB-S, DVB-S2, DVB-C

Classic features:

  • Yes Recording to USB (terrestrial TV): Yes
  • Yes Recording programming: Yes
  • No Picture in Picture (PiP): No
  • RF RF remote control (no need to aim): RF
  • No Backlit remote control: No
  • Yes Teletext: Yes
  • Yes Audio only mode: Yes
  • Yes Bluetooth headphones support: Yes
  • Yes Simultaneous Bluetooth headphones & TV audio: Yes

Smart features:

  • Yes AirPlay: Yes
  • Yes Screen mirroring (Windows Miracast): Yes
  • Yes Voice search: Yes
  • Yes Voice search in native language: Yes
  • Yes Ability to connect a keyboard and mouse: Yes
Review Hisense U7S / U77SE TV features Review Hisense U7S / U77SE TV features Review Hisense U7S / U77SE TV features Review Hisense U7S / U77SE TV features

Smart TV: VIDAA

VIDAA HOME OS on the Hisense U7S is feature-rich, yet runs quickly and does not complicate everyday use. Besides apps there is AirPlay for streaming from Apple devices and Miracast, which lets you mirror a computer’s screen. There is also voice search in Polish, so instead of typing a film title with the remote you can simply say it. You can also connect a keyboard and mouse. So there is little to complain about in terms of smart features, although before buying it is worth checking the availability of specific apps you use, because it is not as extensive as on competing systems.

Conventional features and the remote

Hisense has not forgotten people who watch regular TV. The U7S lets you record programmes from terrestrial TV to USB and schedule recordings for later. There is teletext, the ability to listen to audio with the screen turned off, and support for Bluetooth headphones. Usefully, headphones can work at the same time as the TV speakers, so one person can use them, for example a senior, while others continue to listen normally. One notable omission is picture-in-picture, or PiP.

We were not fond of the remote itself. It feels very plastic and looks rather cheap, but it does its job well. It has a full numeric keypad, plenty of shortcuts and operates via radio, so you do not need to point it at the screen. It is a shame the buttons are not backlit. Hisense reserves more stylish versions of the remote for higher-end models, such as the U7S Pro.


Sound connection options

HDMI audio:

eARC (HDMI), ARC (HDMI)

Other audio outputs:

  • Yes Toslink: Yes

Wireless audio:

  • Yes Bluetooth: Yes

Supported audio formats (external HDMI eARC audio):

  • Yes Dolby Digital Plus 7.1: Yes
  • Yes Dolby True HD 7.1: Yes
  • Yes Dolby Atmos in Dolby Digital Plus (JOC): Yes
  • Yes Dolby Atmos in Dolby True HD: Yes
  • Yes DTS:X in DTS-HD MA: Yes
  • Yes DTS-HD Master Audio: Yes

Senior accessibility

  • Yes Numeric keyboard on TV: Yes
  • Yes Font size adjustment: Yes
  • Yes Audio description: Yes

HISENSE U7S - Apps

8.3/10

OK
Disney_Plus
OK
Amazon_Prime_Video
OK
Player_TVN
OK
Polsat_Box_Go
OK
Canal_Plus_Online
OK
TVP_VOD
OK
Apple_TV_Plus
OK
SkyShowtime
OK
Rakuten
OK
CDA_Premium_Browser
OK
Spotify
No
Tidal
OK
Netflix
OK
YouTube
OK
HBO_MAX
No
Kodi
No
Apple_music
No
Eleven_sports
OK
Xbox Game Pass
No
GeForce Now!
No
Amazon Luna
OK
Boosteroid
No
Steam Link

HISENSE U7S - Playing files from USB

8.4/10

Review Hisense U7S / U77SE Playing files from USB
Maximum photo resolution:Supported photo formats:
Yes 4 Mpix
Yes JPEG
Yes 6 Mpix
No HEIC
Yes 8 Mpix
Yes PNG
No 10 Mpix
Yes GIF
No 12 Mpix
Yes WebP
Yes 16 Mpix
Yes TIFF
No 20 Mpix
Yes BMP
No 24 Mpix
No SVG
No 28 Mpix
Yes 32 Mpix

The USB player in the Hisense U7S handles most common file types. It played our H.264 and H.265 material without problems, including high-bitrate 4K clips and a Dolby Vision test file. SRT and SUB subtitles work, including Polish characters and changes to font colour. Not everything ran, though. AV1 and H.266 VVC files did not play, nor did ASS and TXT subtitles. Audio performance is good, from ordinary MP3s to FLAC 96 kHz/24-bit, although AIFF and DSD are not supported.

Our biggest reservations concern photos. The range of supported formats is broad — besides JPEG and PNG, WebP and TIFF also work, but HEIC won’t open. Resolution handling is odd. The TV displayed 4, 6, 8, 16 and 32 Mpix images but couldn’t cope with 10, 12 or 24 Mpix files. So this isn’t a simple image-size limitation. The player is perfectly adequate for movies and music, but when showing holiday photos you may find you need to convert some files beforehand.

HISENSE U7S - Sound

7.2/10

88dB

Maximum volume

Supported codecs (TV speakers)

Yes Dolby Digital Plus 7.1

Yes Dolby True HD 7.1

Yes Dolby Atmos in Dolby Digital Plus (JOC)

No Dolby Atmos in Dolby True HD

Yes DTS:X in DTS-HD MA

Yes DTS-HD Master Audio

The USB player in the Hisense U7S handles most common video and music files well. It supports 4K content, including a Dolby Vision file we tested, and displays Polish characters correctly in subtitles. It should therefore be sufficient for everyday use with a USB stick, although there are problems with less common formats. Our main reservations concern photos. The TV handles photo resolutions rather inconsistently and can open a larger image but refuse to display a smaller one. That can be irritating when browsing a holiday album, as you cannot be sure that all photos will work. Some will require prior preparation on a computer.

Sound Quality Test:

Acoustic Measurements

88dBC (Max)

75dBC

HISENSE U7S - Panel details

Software version during testing: v01.09.60c.q0516

Panel uniformity and thermal imaging:

Review Hisense U7S / U77SE section Panel details / Panel uniformity and thermography

Backlight Type: Mini-LED PFS LED

Although the rear woofer on the U7S looks different to that on last year’s U7Q, we didn’t hear major changes in the sound itself. Once again it’s a 2.1 system with a combined output of 40 W, which sounds quite pleasant for this class of TV. The additional bass speaker gives the sound a bit more body, so the whole thing doesn’t sound as flat as basic stereo setups. However, it isn’t a deep, powerful bass that would replace a separate subwoofer. For everyday viewing this setup is perfectly adequate, although you may find it lacking with action films and music. A plus is support for Dolby Atmos and DTS formats, including DTS. It should be noted that on the built-in speakers Atmos works with Dolby Digital Plus tracks, whereas in our test it did not work with the Dolby TrueHD-based version.

Maciej Koper Avatar
Maciej Koper

Founder and originator of the "ChooseTV" portal

Paweł Koper Avatar
Paweł Koper

Journalist, reviewer, and columnist for the "ChooseTV" portal

Michał Wołoszyn Avatar
Michał Wołoszyn

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