Hisense A6N vs Hisense U7Q

Unfortunately, the quality of HDR effect on A6N is not impressive. A peak brightness of 250 nits does not allow for spectacular effects, and HDR is rather pale, resembling more of a regular SDR. This state of affairs will not satisfy more demanding users who want to enjoy high-quality film materials. Additionally, the color gamut coverage is also not very impressive – DCI-P3 at 82% is an average result that does not fully allow for enjoying vibrant colors in HDR materials.

Since the algorithms responsible for blacks are performing quite well, we expected a similarly good effect when it comes to brightness and overall HDR quality. Unfortunately – here we have to disappoint you a bit.

The U7Q is quite a bright TV – in optimal conditions, it can reach around 800 nits, which indeed impresses on some screens, especially in scenes like those from the movie The Meg. Bright segments can really shine, and the HDR effect is noticeable. The problem arises when very small, bright elements appear on a dark background – for example, in Sicario 2 or in the second scene of the movie Life of Pi. In such moments, the dimming algorithms operate too aggressively. Yes, the blacks look great then, but the brightest points can almost completely fade, causing the HDR effect to disappear and details to be barely visible. That's just the nature of this technology in this price segment.

As a consolation, it's worth adding that the U7Q is advertised as a QLED TV (in practice, a PFS layer is used, which works very similarly), and it is indeed capable of displaying a wide color palette – with DCI-P3 coverage at around 94%, that's a very good result for this class.

In the category of color reproduction, the Hisense A6N model in Filmmaker Mode leaves a lot to be desired. Although the name of the mode suggests that we should expect faithful reproduction of cinematic colors, the reality is different – the television has significant problems with image quality. The issue with white balance is particularly noticeable, both for HD and 4K content, which is heavily skewed by the dominance of blue. This results in artificial, cold tones, as clearly seen in the comparative photo below. The Colour Checker test additionally confirms these errors, which are exacerbated by low color gamut coverage. The gamma brightness characteristic shows a serious problem with maintaining a level of 2.4 – the graph is significantly below the reference value, leading to excessive brightness and washed-out blacks. The EOTF curve for 4K content also indicates brightness issues – at the beginning, there is a substantial peak due to the TV's excessive brightness, which negatively impacts image quality. Such image characteristics do not allow for full enjoyment of watching films and require manual adjustment.

We tested the U7Q in the best possible picture mode, which is Filmmaker Mode. This mode is supposed to provide the most "filmic" experience and fidelity to the creators' intent – right out of the box. Unfortunately, even this professionally sounding name does not guarantee a perfect picture.

In our unit, the problem lay in a poorly set white balance. Both in HD and 4K content, the image had too much blue and red, giving the screen a slightly pinkish hue. It didn't look terrible, but it was noticeable – especially in bright scenes and white backgrounds. This alone could have been forgiven, but the biggest issue is the management of brightness in HDR content. The EOTF curve from the measurements confirms what we saw earlier during the scene tests: the television often dims the smallest bright elements too much, causing them to almost disappear, or conversely – excessively brightens the brightest ones, affecting the naturalness of the image.

Hisense A6N offers options and tools in its settings for correcting numerous image settings that we have utilized. When it comes to white balance, we managed to eliminate the excess blue color – this effect is clearly visible in the comparison photo below, where the boy in the image almost "comes to life." A significant improvement can also be observed in the gamma brightness characteristics – the TV no longer has serious issues with overly brightening the entire image. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for 4K content, where the EOTF curve could not be fully corrected due to the exceptionally low brightness of this model. For HDR content, we use dynamic tone mapping, which allows for the recovery of many details despite the boosting of mid-tones in the image. In the case of this TV, it provides more benefits than drawbacks. The errors that are still visible in the color palette test and Colour Checker for 4K materials stem from low color gamut coverage and are difficult to eliminate due to the characteristics of the television. Nevertheless, the tonal quality of the image is significantly better, which is why we recommend calibrating the factory settings that are far from ideal.

Thanks to specialized tools, we managed to correct the color quality in SDR content to nearly perfection. In materials with lower dynamics, delta E errors dropped below 0.5, which can be considered an almost reference result. The image on television, YouTube, or classic Full HD looks really good after calibration. Well, but where couldn’t we improve the image so easily? Primarily, it concerns HDR quality content. While we managed to somewhat "tame" the white balance and eliminate pink hues in most scenes, unfortunately, we did not have full control over brightness management. We set the local dimming settings according to the best observations – SDR: Medium, HDR: High – but the U7Q still did everything a bit its own way. There were still cases of overly strong dimming or brightening of details that the calibration simply couldn't eliminate. And although the overall reception of the content is much better, it must be taken into account that the U7Q will always have something to say at the end "but."

Let's check how the A6N handles low-quality materials. When it comes to smoothing tonal transitions, the lack of posterization reduction or smoothing of tonal transitions in low-quality materials, such as television or DVD, may be noticeable for more demanding viewers. As for digital processing, the model was presented correctly, and the branches were free of characteristic jaggedness – the image is very plastic and soft, which may appeal to people who prefer this kind of image style.

There are situations where we would like to smooth out tonal transitions a bit, especially in older materials – those that have limited source quality. The U7Q is equipped with a feature called “Smooth and Gradient Image,” but unfortunately… it works very poorly. In the “Low” option, the effects are practically unnoticeable, and other settings smooth out details but do not improve tonal transitions. The only plus is that the feature does not interfere with film grain, so it does not ruin the natural structure of the image.

Fortunately, content scaling performs quite well. The image is not overly sharpened, there is no artificial clarity – and although it is known that this is not the level of high-end televisions, the U7Q handles displaying really old content in a completely acceptable manner without any problem.

The 60 Hz panel in the Hisense A6N will likely please those who enjoy watching movies, as the TV offers an "ultra motion smoother," allowing us to adjust the motion blur – either more choppy or smoother, theatrical. As for trailing, it performs quite average – noticeable trailing can be seen, especially on dark backgrounds, which is a rather typical feature in this tier of TVs.

U7Q is truly a fast television, similar to its more powerful version "PRO". At a resolution of 4K, it supports up to 144 Hz refresh rate, and if someone wants even more – in Full HD you can achieve up to 240 Hz! This will mainly benefit PC gamers, but it’s worth appreciating – this is a rare feature in this price segment. Right from the start, it’s clear that U7Q was created with dynamic content in mind, such as games or sports. In films, we are not left "out in the cold" either – U7Q offers the "Ultra Motion Smoothness" feature, where using two sliders you can adjust whether you want a smoother, theatrical image, or something closer to a cinematic style with a visible frame. It’s good that, like with most manufacturers, we have a choice here and can adjust it to our own preferences.

The Hisense A6N is a television that will likely appeal to casual gamers, primarily due to its 60 Hz panel, which may not satisfy more demanding users. Nevertheless, it offers several conveniences that can enhance the gaming experience. The television supports features such as ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), and Dolby Vision, allowing for better image quality and smoother motion in games that support these technologies. Furthermore, the low input lag ensures quick responses in-game, which is crucial, especially in dynamic titles. With these features, although the television is not the ideal choice for demanding gamers, it provides solid support for those who value comfortable gaming without complicated settings. It is an ideal solution for individuals who want to enjoy gaming without high hardware requirements while still having access to modern technologies that improve the gaming experience.

The Hisense U7Q is a TV designed for gamers – and you can see that right away based on its gaming capabilities. It has practically everything you could wish for: variable refresh rate (VRR) – check, automatic game mode (ALLM) – also check, and high refresh rates of up to 240 Hz in Full HD, as well as support for various resolutions, not just 4K. It's truly a great set of features that makes the U7Q excel in both fast-paced shooters on consoles and more demanding titles on PC. Of course – like in most Hisense models – it lacks a proper implementation of the HGiG function. That's a shame because HGiG allows you to adjust the brightness of the console to the specific TV, which in practice makes displaying HDR games according to the creators' intentions much easier. Without this, you simply have to reckon with certain limitations in the final HDR image in games.