Hisense U7Q PRO vs SHARP JP7765E

U7Q PRO is truly a bright television. In synthetic tests, it achieved over 1500 nits, which is an outstanding result for this price range. Such brightness – at least in theory – allows for displaying HDR content as intended by creators, even in more demanding scenes with strong light. In practice, it can be very good, but not always perfect. In bright scenes with a large surface area – such as the test screen with intense sunlight from the movie "Pan" – U7Q PRO makes a huge impression. It can almost blind with light, which is definitely an advantage in the context of HDR content. Unfortunately, this is not always maintainable when a lot of small bright details appear on a dark background. In such moments, local dimming algorithms decide to dim some bright elements to maintain good black levels – and the side effect is that some details simply disappear from the frame. This is a classic compromise in mini-LED televisions – and U7Q PRO is no exception. However, with such a large number of dimming zones, one could expect a somewhat more mature algorithm responsible for controlling them. Fortunately, the overall reception of HDR content is very positive. U7Q PRO is not only bright but also colorful; thanks to the PFS LED (QLED) coating, the coverage of the DCI-P3 color palette is at 95%, and BT.2020 is around 73%.

So how does the brightness of the Sharp JP7 perform in the most demanding titles? Honestly: at first, we were quite surprised. The television is capable of achieving over 1000 nits of brightness, which is an outstanding and rarely seen result for a device costing just under 2000 zł (for 55 inches). Watching bright, full-screen scenes, one can get the impression that we are dealing with truly good equipment. However, unfortunately, we must return to the problem we mentioned earlier regarding local dimming management. When small, bright elements appear on a dark background on the screen (like in the test scenes from Life of Pi or Sicario 2), it is noticeable how poorly the JP7 handles the zones. The television dims them almost to the maximum, stifling the whole HDR effect, which at such moments resembles a flat SDR image (less than 200 nits). This instability makes the image on the JP7 unfortunately lose its appeal in demanding, contrast-heavy films.

As a consolation, it is worth noting that the panel has the potential for good color display. A PFS (phosphor) filter has been implemented here, allowing the coverage of the DCI-P3 palette to reach a solid 94%. The manufacturer calls its product a “QLED,” even though it is mainly based technologically on the aforementioned PFS filter. Considering the recent market battles among manufacturers about what can and cannot be called QLED, we leave the issue of the correctness of this naming to your judgment. However, it remains a fact that the potential for reproducing saturated colors in this panel is simply good.

We tested the U7Q PRO in the best possible picture mode that this model offers – Filmmaker Mode. And indeed, it is this mode that performs best in terms of color reproduction. But that doesn't mean it's perfect. In our test unit, both in SDR and HDR content, the image had a slightly cooled tone. The white balance was shifted towards blue, which made the overall impression feel a bit "cooler." It's not glaring, but definitely noticeable – especially on white backgrounds that, instead of neutral, appeared slightly bluish. Additionally – as we mentioned earlier – the television tends to slightly brighten and oversaturate the image, which is also confirmed by the gamma and EOTF charts. All of this together means that without calibration the image may seem a bit unnatural – too cool, with slightly exaggerated dynamics. That's why we decided to conduct our own calibration – and its effects and charts can be seen below.

When it comes to out-of-the-box colors, the Sharp JP7 was tested in Film mode, which traditionally offers the most consistent image compared to the yellowed “Eco” mode or the glaring blue of the “Dynamic” mode. Although this is the best choice among the available settings, the results are still far from ideal. The white balance clearly lacked red and blue components, causing many scenes to take on an unnatural, greenish tint. Another issue was the gamma – during fullscreen scenes, the television provides too much brightness, completely stripping away its cinematic character. All of this translated into color reproduction errors, particularly with shades of gray, which exceeded Delta E 10. Just to remind: errors above 2-3 are already noticeable to the human eye, so here we are dealing with a significant distortion of reality.

In HDR mode, the situation is reversed but not any better. Here, the blue color dominates the white balance, giving the image an unnatural, almost “store-like” sharpness reminiscent of aggressive demo modes. Furthermore, the measurements of the EOTF curve emphasize the store-like nature of the image. The graph clearly shows that the television generates an image significantly brighter than the standards predict, resulting in an artificially boosted and unrealistic final effect. The Sharp JP7 is evidently trying to appear stronger than it actually is, but it does so at the expense of fidelity to the content.

Thanks to calibration, we managed to tame the white balance in both SDR and HDR content. For SDR materials, the effect is really very good – the image becomes neutral, consistent, and simply pleasant to view. Everything looks as it should.

The performance in HDR is a bit worse. Although the white balance looks correct and overall the image gains in naturalness, unfortunately, delta E errors remain noticeable. Why? Because Hisense does not give us full control over how the U7Q PRO manages brightness in HDR mode. This is where the limitation appears. When we look at the EOTF curve for HDR content, we can clearly see what we mentioned earlier – at the beginning of the graph, there is a noticeable drop, meaning the television dims the smallest sections more than it should. On the other hand, the brightest elements can be illuminated a bit too much. As a result, some details are lost, others are too aggressive, and overall control over brightness does not always align with what we are trying to achieve during calibration.

Does the image look better after calibration? Definitely yes, in terms of color. But when it comes to managing brightness in HDR, we have to accept that the Hisense U7Q PRO will do it its own way.

We subjected the JP7 to our standard calibration procedure and truly... the television gained a new life thanks to it, especially in SDR content (YouTube, classic television, series, or older movies). Because we managed to accurately set the white balance and stabilize the gamma, color errors dropped to a value of below 3. This is a level at which the human eye has trouble detecting discrepancies. In this scenario, the Sharp JP7 delivers an image with really great color accuracy, which is a significant advantage in this price range. However, the content in HDR turned out to be much more problematic. Here, despite our efforts and adjustments to the settings, the television simply did not want to cooperate. In the JP7 menu, we cannot find any option that would allow for real control over brightness management (EOTF). Although a significant portion of color errors was reduced, the image still remained unnaturally oversaturated. It's a pity because the potential of the mini-LED backlit panel is large, but the software presents a clear barrier.

The conclusion is simple: when watching less demanding content (SDR) on the JP7, you can expect an image that is more than satisfactory, but in HDR, you have to come to terms with a certain degree of "artificiality" that cannot be overcome even with professional equipment.

If someone happens to come across older materials where the issue of color banding appears – Hisense has a solution for that. In the U7Q PRO, we find a feature called "Smooth and Gradient Picture." Set to the "Medium" level, it works really well – it eliminates most of the gradation issues while not smoothing out the entire image, like blur in Photoshop. 😉 Film grain remains, details do not disappear – this is exactly how it should work. Kudos for the implementation!

As for scaling weaker materials, it’s just good. It’s not at the level of the most expensive TVs with advanced upscaling, but older content looks good. There is some mild aliasing at very low resolutions, but that’s completely normal and hard to avoid. On the plus side – even with the oldest materials, there is no overscan effect; the image is not cropped or artificially stretched.

When it comes to lower quality materials and how the Sharp JP7 handles them, the situation is ambiguous. Let's start with the upscaling – here we have no major objections. The process of scaling the image to a higher resolution is correct; the image remains readable and clear, without the overscan effect or cropped edges. Of course, this is not at the level of top models and at times one can notice slight jaggedness on the contours, but in this price range, the effect is fully acceptable.

However, the digital image processing itself is significantly worse, as aside from the scaling, it virtually does not exist. In the JP7 menu, we won't find any option that would effectively smooth out unwanted tonal transitions or reduce noise in the image. As a result, the signal reaches the matrix in a very raw form, which, with heavily compressed materials (e.g., from YouTube), leads to visible posterization. Either this is a flaw in the software or a very strange design decision, as in earlier Sharp models, this feature was available and, more importantly, worked with noticeable effect. Here we are left at the mercy of what the source provides, without any digital support from the image processor.

“Speed” – this word was mentioned most frequently during our tests of the U7Q PRO. The television is equipped with a 165 Hz panel, which is impressive in itself – especially since we are talking about a model in the mid-price range. Of course, PC gamers will benefit the most from its full capabilities, but even during everyday viewing, it is evident that this is a fast and efficient panel. Like most modern televisions, the U7Q PRO can also enhance the smoothness of movies that are primarily shot in 24 frames. In the menu, there is a slider that allows you to adjust the effect to your preferences – from a more cinematic feel, with subtle motion, to stronger smoothing with the characteristic “soap opera effect.”

The motion fluidity on the Sharp JP7 is very mediocre, and the reason is simple: the television uses a 60Hz panel. This immediately makes it difficult to recommend for watching sports or serious gaming, where higher refresh rates are already the standard. The only real plus is the presence of a motion smoother, which we can control in movies using a slider called De-judder. Lower settings produce a more raw, "cinematic" (frame-based) image, while higher settings add artificial fluidity. We suggest setting it somewhere in the middle of the scale, that is, in the 3-5 range – this is the best compromise to avoid the soap opera effect while getting rid of the tiring image stutter. Interestingly, in the menu, we also find a slider for "motion blur reduction," which usually suggests the presence of a 120Hz panel. However, in the case of the JP7, it does not contribute anything to the image and serves more as a placeholder – it is meant to look good in the settings, but technically it should not function on this panel.

The Hisense U7Q PRO is a television that seems almost designed for gamers. It has practically everything you could expect from a gaming screen: variable refresh rate (VRR), automatic mode (ALLM), and as many as four HDMI 2.1b ports with full bandwidth of 48 Gb/s. Additionally, there is a clear and quite functional Game Bar, as well as a well-implemented Dolby Vision GAMING mode that works seamlessly with Xbox Series S and X consoles.

Sounds like perfection? Well, almost. Unfortunately, Hisense has yet to implement the HGiG feature, which is the system's limit on tone mapping on the TV's side. This means that when configuring HDR brightness on the console, we do it "by eye" or look for settings in online guides because the screen doesn't show the real range of its brightness. It's a pity - because HGiG makes it easier to match the console to the TV and helps avoid clipping or overly dark scenes in HDR games.

Fortunately, the other elements work very well. Signal delay (input lag) is low, responsiveness is excellent, and the handling of other functions is flawless. And although not everything worked perfectly, the U7Q PRO can still be recommended to gamers without hesitation.

As we mentioned earlier, the 60Hz panel is not a feature that will attract gamers to the Sharp JP7. Perhaps for the casual gamer, whose console generates most titles at 60 frames per second, there might be something interesting? When it comes to specific additions, we find:

• ALLM Mode: Automatically switches the TV to low latency game mode (input lag).

• Game Menu: Which is hard to call a full-fledged “Game Bar,” as its functionality is minimal. Besides enabling ALLM, there is only a smoothness enhancer dedicated to games, which we recommend against because it introduces very noticeable artifacts and spoils the responsiveness.

• Dolby Vision Gaming: For Microsoft's consoles.

Unfortunately, the list of shortcomings is much longer and more painful than the positives. The biggest disappointment is the lack of support for 120Hz, even when lowering the resolution to Full HD. The presence of 120Hz would allow for performance modes to be activated in many games on PS5 or Xbox Series X. Another absence is VRR, which means that during frame drops, we are susceptible to image tearing. The lack of proper implementation of the HGiG standard is also very problematic. This results in the fact that during HDR calibration in the console menu, it is very easy to “overshoot” the brightness settings. As a result, instead of clear details in highlights, we end up with an unnaturally over-brightened image with cut-off details. The Sharp JP7 is a proposal only for very casual gamers.