Hisense A6N vs Hisense A7NQ

Unfortunately, the HDR effect quality on A6N is not impressive. A peak brightness of 250 nits doesn’t allow for spectacular highlights, and HDR looks rather muted, more like ordinary SDR. This will not satisfy more demanding users who want to enjoy high-quality movie content. Additionally, the color gamut coverage is not very impressive either: DCI-P3 at 82% is an average result that doesn’t let you fully enjoy vivid colors in HDR material.

We checked how the Hisense A7NQ performs with HDR, and there are no surprises here. The luminance chart showed a maximum brightness of 370 nits. The result? Exactly what one could expect – average. At a brightness of around 350 nits, HDR does not stand out particularly compared to SDR. A subtle difference can be seen in more brightly lit scenes, but it’s not a jaw-dropping effect. As for the coverage of the wide colour gamut, the result was 92% for DCI-P3 and 70.2% for BT.2020. These are decent values for a TV in this class that uses a PFS coating – the same one that is sometimes promoted as QLED. The colours look good, but let’s not expect anything that competes with the best screens on the market. HDR on the Hisense A7NQ is more of an addition than a "game changer." For those looking for solid picture quality on a moderate budget – absolutely acceptable. However, if we expect full HDR capabilities, it is worth looking at higher-end models.

In the color reproduction category, the Hisense A6N in Filmmaker Mode leaves much to be desired. Although the mode's name suggests we should expect faithful movie color reproduction, the reality is different. The TV has significant picture quality problems. The white balance issue is particularly noticeable for both HD and 4K material, as it is heavily skewed by a dominance of blue. This results in artificial, cool tones, clearly visible in the comparison photo below. The ColorChecker test further confirms these errors, which are compounded by low color gamut coverage.

The gamma luminance curve shows a serious problem maintaining the 2.4 level, with the plot well below the reference value. That leads to excessive image brightening and washed-out blacks. The EOTF curve for 4K material also indicates brightness problems. At the low end there is a pronounced bump caused by the TV's excessive brightening, which negatively affects picture quality. This image behavior prevents fully enjoying movies and requires manual correction.

When testing the Hisense A7NQ in Filmmaker mode, we hoped for compliance with the manufacturer's assumptions, but unfortunately, the reality looks different. The main issue, as with most TVs, is the white balance. In the case of the A7NQ, we noticed a clear dominance of blue, which affected both lower-quality materials and 4K HDR content. The Color Checker test results confirm this, and the comparison images speak for themselves – the main actress appears cool and pale in "factory" mode. It looks as if she has been stripped of life.

Regarding brightness characteristics, both gamma and the EOTF curve show that the image is excessively bright. As a result, everything seems flat, lacking depth and contrast. This state of affairs definitely does not work in favour of the A7NQ and makes the viewing experience in factory mode leave much to be desired. If we expect natural colour reproduction and appropriate image depth, the A7NQ in Filmmaker mode is unlikely to impress us. It is a TV that requires significant adjustment to extract its potential.

Hisense A6N offers in its settings options and tools to adjust many picture parameters, which we used. As for the white balance, we managed to remove the excess blue; this is clearly visible in the comparison photo below, where the boy in the image practically "comes to life". A large improvement can also be seen in the gamma brightness response, as the TV no longer has serious issues with overbrightening the entire picture. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for 4K content, where the EOTF curve could not be fully corrected due to this model's exceptionally low brightness. For HDR content we use dynamic tone mapping, which allows recovery of many details despite lifting the midtones. For this TV that brings more benefits than drawbacks. The errors that remain visible in the color gamut test and the ColorChecker for 4K content stem from the low color gamut coverage and are difficult to eliminate because of the TV's characteristics. Even so, the image tonality is much better, so we recommend calibrating the factory settings, which are far from ideal.

The Hisense A7NQ offers several tools that allow you to improve image quality, so we decided to take matters into our own hands and "dig around" in the settings a bit. Thanks to professional tools and measurements, we managed to correct the white balance, eliminating the excessive dominance of blue colour in both HD and 4K materials. This is a significant step forward, as in the Color Checker test, colour reproduction errors in lower-quality content dropped to a much more acceptable level. Unfortunately, 4K materials are still far from ideal – colour distortions are considerable and stem from the limitations of the television.

As for gamma, we managed to significantly reduce the excessive brightness of the image set after setting it to the correct level. However, the issue with brightness characteristics in 4K content remains unresolved – the EOTF curve still shows excessive illumination of the entire screen. It is possible that a proper implementation of dynamic tone mapping could help here, but as we mentioned earlier, this feature on the Hisense A7NQ works rather poorly instead of being helpful. Nevertheless, calibration significantly improved the overall image perception. The director's vision is now much better conveyed than in the factory settings, which more demanding viewers will certainly appreciate.

Let's see how A6N handles low-quality material. When it comes to smoothing tonal transitions, the lack of a function to reduce posterization or smooth tonal transitions in low-quality sources, such as broadcast TV or DVD, may be noticeable to more demanding viewers. As for digital processing, the model was rendered correctly and the branches were free of the typical jagged edges. The image has a pronounced sense of plasticity and is soft, which may appeal to those who prefer that kind of picture style.

The Hisense A7NQ impresses with smooth tonal transitions in 4K materials, but unfortunately, there is no feature here that would improve this aspect in older materials of lower quality. In such cases, colour merging becomes more visible, which can somewhat spoil the viewing experience, especially in scenes with a lot of gradients.

When it comes to upscaling, the TV performs surprisingly well. The image is clearly improved, although it does come with some compromises. One can notice that the TV adds a bit of artificial sharpness, and elements in the background, such as branches, tend to exhibit slight "jagginess." These are details, however, that will mainly catch the eye of those who pay attention to such nuances.

The 60 Hz panel in Hisense A6N will likely please people who enjoy watching movies, because the TV offers an "ultra motion smoothing" feature that lets you adjust the image's motion, making it choppier or smoother and more cinematic. As for motion blur, it is rather average. You can see quite noticeable blur, especially on dark backgrounds, which is a common trait in this class of TVs.

The Hisense A7NQ is equipped with a 60 Hz matrix, meaning dynamic scenes – for example, in sports or games – are somewhat average here. This is standard for this level of TV, but it must be admitted that watching more intense, fast-moving content can leave a lot to be desired. However, when it comes to movies, the TV offers a motion smoothing feature that operates on a 10-level scale. The "motion blur reduction" option allows you to adjust the fluidity of the image to your own preferences. At the lowest setting, you get a natural film frame rate, which will please cinema purists. On the other hand, the maximum setting provides a very smooth, theatrical image that may appeal to those who prefer a more "smoothed out" motion.

Hisense A6N is a TV that will likely appeal to casual gamers, mainly because of its 60 Hz panel, which may not satisfy more demanding players. Still, it offers several features that can make gaming more enjoyable. The TV supports functions such as ALLM (automatic low-latency mode), VRR (variable refresh rate) and Dolby Vision, which let you enjoy better picture quality and smoother motion in games that support those technologies. Moreover, the low input lag means in-game reactions are fast, which is crucial, especially in fast-paced titles. Thanks to these features, although the TV isn’t the ideal choice for demanding gamers, it provides solid support for those who value comfortable gaming without complicated settings. It’s an ideal solution for people who want to enjoy gaming without high hardware demands while still having access to modern technologies that enhance gameplay quality.

Hisense A7NQ is a device that can pleasantly surprise gamers, although it is not without its faults. The fact that we have a 60 Hz panel immediately suggests that the TV is not designed for the most demanding gaming scenarios. The motion blur we described earlier can also be a hindrance, especially in dynamic games.

However, there are several things worth praising. The TV supports ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) and VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), which are not always standard in this price range. The biggest surprise, however, is that the A7NQ can display images at 120 Hz – although only in Full HD resolution, it is still a significant nod to gamers. This allows a choice between smoothness and resolution, which is not obvious in TVs at this price point.

A nice addition is the Game Bar, which is clear and practical – all the main features are at hand without digging through the settings. However, there is a lack of support for HGiG, which may be disappointing for gamers looking for perfect HDR in games.