Hisense U7KQ vs TCL C7K / QM7K 55"-85"

Describing the HDR effect in the Hisense U7KQ 100-inch model is not straightforward and requires context. In bright scenes, the TV achieves over a thousand nits of brightness, delivering vivid and realistic images that meet expectations for this class of equipment. However, performance declines in darker scenes. In mixed shots, like those in Gemini Man, the TV maintains a brightness level of 700 nits, providing good quality. The issue arises in very dark scenes with small light sources, where the TV limits its capabilities to preserve black levels. This results in a lack of the "WOW" effect, making such frames feel less like true HDR.

In terms of brightness, the models from 55 to 85 inches in the C7K series are truly impressive. In the best testing conditions, the 65-inch screen achieved over 1200 nits, which practically means that the brightest scenes can dazzle with almost cinematic brilliance. These are not just dry numbers from measurements – during screenings, white skies, explosions, or light reflections on water looked incredibly striking, often giving the impression that the television exceeds its price class. This is particularly effective in scenes with a large area of illumination, where the screen is filled with intense brightness – such as in sun-drenched shots or during dynamic action sequences. Viewers looking for strong HDR will definitely be satisfied.

However, scenes requiring precise control of backlighting – with small points of light on a dark background – are more challenging. Here the C7K, despite having over a thousand zones, can still dim brightness to maintain deep blacks. The effect is that in films like Sicario 2 or Life of Pi, some details, such as a distant lantern or single reflections, can be less defined or blend in with the surroundings. This is a compromise inherent to MiniLED technology – it provides excellent image depth and blacks at a level that ordinary LCDs do not offer, but this comes at the cost of limited visibility of the smallest lights.

The best factory mode we measured on the Hisense U7KQ was "Filmmaker." However, its performance still left room for improvement. Let's start with the gamma chart, which affects image depth and contrast. The orange line, which represents the REC.709 standard reference value, begins at 2.4. Looking at the white multi-point line that indicates the measured value, a noticeable drop to 2.0 indicates a decrease in contrast, making the image lack depth and resulting in a "milky" effect. Next, we checked the white balance, which, although minor, can drastically affect the overall image quality if poorly calibrated. Initially, the chart was fine, but red and blue began to dominate, giving all test materials an unpleasant tint. Fortunately, with the advanced colour management system (CMS) and 2- and 20-point grayscale adjustment tools, we managed to significantly improve SDR material performance, as reflected in low deltaE errors and well-calibrated gamma and white balance.

The novelty in TCL televisions for 2025 is the long-awaited Filmmaker mode, which until now could be found in most competitive brands. This is great news because this mode is considered the most faithful to the original vision of the creators and is often recommended by enthusiasts of good picture quality. Unfortunately – as is often the case – the mere presence of this mode does not guarantee perfection. The Filmmaker mode in the TCL C7K is not free from flaws. One could point out the incorrect white balance, particularly the slight dominance of blue, which led to cool, somewhat grayish skin tones. But that was not the biggest problem. The main complaint was excessive brightness exposure, which is clearly visible in the gamma and EOTF charts. The image was simply too bright, at times almost blown out, which affected not only the depth of scenes but also the overall viewing experience. Some details were simply lost, and the whole image looked as if someone had slightly overdone the brightness slider. As always – we decided to see what could be squeezed out of this after calibration. And that’s when things started to get really interesting…

In SDR mode, after calibration, the Hisense 100U7KQ performs excellently. Regarding colour reproduction there is nothing to criticise – both pastel and highly saturated colours are displayed according to the Rec. 709 standard, ensuring the image looks natural and in line with the director's intent. Viewers can enjoy an authentic visual experience, with colours and tonal subtleties faithfully represented.

In HDR mode, however, there is a noticeable boost in bright tones. The TV attempts to enhance the image, which can lead to an artificial brightening. This phenomenon becomes more apparent in real scenes, where bright areas of the image may be excessively brightened. While colours in HDR are generally good, they are intentionally over-boosted by the manufacturer, which can affect their naturalness.

This approach to HDR may not appeal to everyone, particularly those who value authenticity and fidelity to the original colours. However, for those who prefer more dynamic and vivid images, the boost in bright tones can add extra brilliance and impact to scenes.

After calibration, the TCL C7K showed itself in a really good light, especially when it comes to SDR content. We managed to tune the white balance, color gamut, and brightness characteristics so precisely that color errors on the ColorChecker palette dropped below a value of 2. For the uninitiated – this is almost a perfect result, which means that the image is very close to what the creators intended. Unfortunately, it looked worse with 4K HDR content. Although we were able to slightly calm the white balance and correct its previous errors, it is still evident that the television has some "MiniLED traits," especially in brightness management. When we checked how the C7K handles the EOTF curve on actual film scenes, and not just on synthetic test patterns, it turned out that the screen still tends to slightly brighten the entire image. This affects the overall experience – black loses some depth, and the image becomes less contrastive than it should be. Despite these minor shortcomings in HDR content, the overall reception of materials – especially in SDR – is really very good. After calibration, the C7K can display an image that can successfully compete with much more expensive models. Good color tuning, natural skin tones, and pleasant brightness make movie sessions and everyday content viewing more than satisfactory.

Although the Hisense 100U7KQ is equipped with a feature to reduce posterisation called "Smooth Gradation," we did not notice a significant effect from its operation. Material subjected to strong compression, such as YouTube videos, still showed uneven, cut-off tonal transitions, which did not look particularly favourable. While this is the fault of the material itself and not the television, it would be beneficial if there were a function to mask these problems, similar to screens from competing brands.

The image scaling, which is crucial when playing lower resolution content, is average. Details are not excessively blurry, and the image is not "smeared," but there is noticeable aliasing on the edges of objects, such as branches, and a halo effect around characters and text. While the television performs fairly well, there is still room for improvement, particularly in the context of displaying lower-quality material.

TCL C7K features a function that, according to the manufacturer, is supposed to smooth out unwanted color transitions – something like a rescue for less successful tonal changes. It's called "Gradual Smoothing" and... well, it sounds ambitious, but in practice, it works very poorly. Regardless of whether we set it to low or high, the difference is minimal. Worse still – the function can cut out elements from the image that should remain. Fortunately, film grain remains untouched, so at least it doesn't smooth everything indiscriminately, but still – it's better to just turn this option off.

When it comes to scaling lower-resolution content, it's already better. SD and HD materials look quite decent, although sometimes we felt that the image loses sharpness and becomes too soft – as if something took away its clarity. Fortunately, with very low sources (e.g., 576p), there was no overscan effect, meaning the image was not artificially cropped – everything fit on the screen as it should.

The Hisense 100U7KQ TV correctly receives a 4K signal up to 144 Hz, allowing for very smooth images in high resolution. When the resolution is reduced to Full HD, the TV can handle up to 240 Hz, but this signal can only be obtained from a PC. However, the use of this feature is limited by several factors.

Firstly, Full HD resolution on a large TV screen may feel insufficient, affecting image quality. Additionally, the panel's response time isn't fast enough to fully utilise the 240 Hz refresh rate. As a result, at such a high refresh rate, significant overdrive occurs, leading to noticeable motion blur and "ghosting" behind moving objects.

The motion smoothing feature, which works up to 120 Hz, is also worth noting. This is especially useful for sports and movies where motion fluidity is crucial. The TV provides stable operation of this feature, minimising generated artefacts. Motion fluidity can be adjusted using two sliders – one for smoothness in movies and another for reducing blur in sports content.

In summary, while the Hisense 100U7KQ TV offers impressive image refresh rates, the panel's response time and resolution may affect the overall benefits of these features. Nevertheless, the motion smoothing function enhances the viewing experience of dynamic content.

The TCL C7K handles motion fluency really well. The panel used in it offers a refresh rate of 144 Hz, which in itself suggests that this TV is something more than just an ordinary "60 Hz" panel. Moreover, if we connect the C7K to a computer and set the resolution to Full HD. But we'll write more about that in the paragraph about gamers and PC collaboration. Back to everyday use – both sports and movies look very good here. Thanks to the fast panel and well-functioning motion smoother, the C7K is great for watching matches, but also for movie screenings. In the menu, we find two sliders – blur reduction and flicker reduction – which allow you to tailor the smoothness effect to your own preferences. At lower settings, we get a more cinematic effect, with a slight stutter in motion. At higher settings – the image becomes more theatrical, smooth to the point of exaggeration. Everyone can set it up according to their liking.

The Hisense U7KQ TV supports all the key features when using Xbox or PlayStation consoles, including high refresh rates, low input lag, and a game bar. Most of these features work well, providing a satisfying gaming experience.

However, VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) technology does not perform optimally. When activated, VRR disables the local dimming function, significantly reducing image quality. In VRR mode, the TV struggles with maintaining good contrast and high brightness in HDR, resulting in unsatisfactory image quality. As a result, VRR mode may be infrequently used by gamers due to these limitations.

Additionally, the TV does not support the HGIG (HDR Gaming Interest Group) mode, which optimises HDR image quality in games. Without this mode, tone mapping issues arise in the TV and the console, leading to lower-quality HDR games, which could affect the overall gaming experience.

In summary, while the Hisense U7KQ offers many features for gamers, certain key aspects, such as VRR performance and HGIG support, may not meet the expectations of more demanding users. Nonetheless, the TV supports most standard gaming functions, making it suitable for gamers.

TCL C7K is a television that on paper looks like the dream equipment for gamers – and most importantly, it holds up well in practice. First, the good news: we have two full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports, so we can easily connect both a console and a computer, taking full advantage of their capabilities. The panel itself supports a refresh rate of 144 Hz, which provides a significant advantage in dynamic games. Additionally, it comes with a full suite of gaming features: VRR (variable refresh rate), ALLM (automatic low latency mode), and support for Dolby Vision in games. There's also an HGiG mode that allows for HDR effects consistent with the creators' intentions. GameBar, which is an informative bar for the gamer. It operates quickly, looks clear (like the Nintendo console👌), and shows what’s most important: the current frame count, VRR status, and even HDR parameters.