Hisense U7KQ vs XIAOMI S Mini 2026 (85"-98") 144Hz

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.

The larger versions of the Xiaomi S Mini 2026 offer very similar HDR capabilities. Peak brightness reaches around 1,000 nits, which is a very solid result for a TV at this price point. This is most apparent in bright scenes, where large, heavily lit areas of the image can look really striking. The TV has enough brightness headroom that HDR isn't reduced to just a slightly brighter image. However, very small pinpoint highlights on an almost completely black background perform worse. In those situations the local dimming system significantly reduces their brightness to avoid illuminating adjacent image areas and to preserve deep blacks. As a result, small specular highlights or single lamps don't have the same intensity as in much more expensive designs. This is, however, typical behavior for Mini LED TVs and is hard to treat as something unique to Xiaomi.

HDR colors

Color performance is similarly comparable. Although the manufacturer uses the term QLED, the expanded color gamut here is achieved by a PFS phosphor. In our measurements the TV covered about 94% of the DCI-P3 color space and about 74% of the much more demanding BT.2020. In practice this yields well-saturated colors in most HDR material and it's hard to point to obvious shortcomings. Limitations appear mainly with the most saturated shades of green, which the TV can no longer reproduce in full.

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.

In the larger versions of the Xiaomi S Mini 2026, Film mode performs best, although the factory settings here are not without flaws. In SDR the white balance was noticeably warm due to an excess of red. In HDR the situation was the opposite: there was too much blue and too little red, which made the image cooler. Additionally, both the gamma curve in SDR and the EOTF curve in HDR were slightly above the reference values. In practice this resulted in a slightly brighter image, especially in the midtones. It wasn't a major fault, but with more demanding content you could tell the image wasn't reproduced exactly as the creators intended.

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, we were mainly able to even out the white balance, so colors in both SDR and HDR look much more natural. We also improved the gamma curve, so SDR content is no longer unnecessarily bright and stays closer to reference values. The only significant remaining issue is in HDR. Xiaomi still controls brightness a bit too aggressively and renders some scenes brighter than it should. That is less noticeable on larger screen sizes than on the 55–75 inch models, but the EOTF curve still runs slightly above the reference. In practice, HDR is therefore slightly brightened, even though color reproduction after calibration already looks very good.

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.

Larger variants of the Xiaomi S Mini 2026 also use the MT5896 processor and perform similarly in terms of digital image processing. Upscaling is not a strong suit of this model. Low-resolution content is upscaled to 4K in a fairly basic way and it does not recover fine detail as well as more refined TVs. The 85- and 98-inch versions do include a feature intended to reduce posterization, but its effectiveness is very limited. With it turned on it's hard to notice any real improvement, so in scenes with visible color banding the TV still does little to address it.

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 biggest difference between the various sizes of the Xiaomi S Mini 2026 is the panel's refresh rate. The 55–75-inch models use a 60 Hz panel, which in practice means noticeably less motion smoothness than the larger versions. It's easiest to notice this when watching sports, fast-moving scenes, or playing games, where the picture isn't as smooth or clear in motion.

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.

Unfortunately, the smaller versions of the Xiaomi S Mini 2026 have a significant limitation for gamers: a 60 Hz panel. In 4K we're therefore limited to 60 fps and can't fully take advantage of the PS5 or Xbox Series X. You can run 120 Hz, but only after dropping the resolution to 1080p or 1440p. Otherwise it's fairly reasonable. The TV supports ALLM and automatically switches to Game Mode when it detects a console. There's also a Game Bar that lets you quickly view the most important gaming settings. Our biggest issue is with HGiG. The HDR calibration screens on the PS5 and Xbox don't match the TV's actual capabilities. If you set HDR exactly according to them, some of the brightest highlights may simply be clipped.