LG QNED80A6A (IPS) vs Hisense E7Q PRO / E79Q PRO

When it comes to image dynamics and brightness, the QNED80A has its feet firmly on the ground. It is not a "light beast" – during our measurements, peak brightness oscillated around 350-400 nits. To put it plainly: these are values that will not allow HDR formats to fully spread their wings. So don’t expect the glare of the sun or car headlights in movies to blind you. However, this TV has a powerful ace up its sleeve that saves the overall view of the image – it is the colors. LG engineers have implemented an advanced filtration system here (technically likely based on a PFS phosphor, marketed as QNED/NanoCell), which does a fantastic job. Thanks to it, despite the average brightness, the screen can generate exceptionally saturated and pure colors. Our instruments showed coverage of the wide DCI-P3 cinema palette at the level of 93-94%. This result outclasses most standard LCD TVs. In practice, this means that when watching 4K HDR content, the image – while not particularly bright – is very plastic, vibrant, and pleases the eye with the depth of colors.

If it comes to the quality of the HDR effect, the E7Q PRO is unfortunately not a television that can impress with brightness alone. In real film materials, we measured about 250–300 nits, which is simply too little for HDR to look spectacular. It lacks that "spark" in bright details, flashes, and light effects, and in many HDR scenes, it can resemble better SDR than true cinematic HDR. A consolation in all of this is the colors. We managed to confirm that the E7Q PRO is a PFS type television, meaning it has an additional filter that enhances color gamut coverage. As a result, even if the brightness doesn't deliver, the colors in HDR content can be adequately saturated and pleasant to the eye, without the feeling of a "faded" image.

Here, regardless of whether you encounter the VA or IPS version, the situation looks identical. LG engineers once again served us their vision of a "gaming look," which unfortunately has little to do with accuracy. After switching to console, the white balance automatically drifts into very cold areas. The image is dominated by the color blue, making it seem artificially sharpened, and the white is so aggressive that it is almost burned out. This creates an effect that we associate with bright retail modes – everything is supposed to shine and scream "I am digital." While some may like this, we must say it straight: this is not an accurate image. If you care about naturalness, we suggest checking the settings right away and changing the color temperature to a warmer one.

In terms of color reproduction, we tested the Hisense E7Q Pro in Movie mode, which proved to be the best built-in preset without a doubt. This mode, unlike the Eco, Standard, or Dynamic settings, offers the most natural colors right out of the box. Although no factory mode is completely free of flaws, the E7Q Pro deserves high praise for its color representation in standard SDR content. The color palette is very well tuned here, and errors in Color Checker tests often did not exceed a value of 3, which is an exceptional result rarely seen in such inexpensive TVs. The only drawback we noted in SDR is a tendency to darken some image elements, as indicated by a slightly raised gamma chart. The TV performs somewhat worse with colors in HDR mode. Here, color errors become noticeable to the naked eye, mainly due to a deficiency of blue in the white balance. This causes the colors on the screen to appear too warm, and for some viewers, they may seem “too cinematic.” Of course, to improve these parameters, we proceeded with professional calibration.

After professional calibration, the QNED80A in the IPS version has changed beyond recognition, especially in "regular" content (SDR). We managed to eliminate the greenish tint and calm down the overly bright gamma. In classic television or older games, color errors (DeltaE) fell below the threshold of perceptibility (value < 2). The image is now consistent, natural, and truly pleasing to the eye. The situation is somewhat more complicated in HDR mode. Although the colors are already in place, the television has trouble perfectly controlling the brightness (EOTF curve). Due to the limitations of edge lighting and the rather poor adjustment options provided by LG in this area, the television's software sometimes "does what it wants" just to mask the imperfections of black and contrast. However, this is not a cause for concern – despite these technical limitations, the image after calibration is a class better than what you saw out of the box.

In the case of materials with a standard color range (SDR), our efforts in Filmmaker mode turned out to be largely cosmetic 😉. We mainly focused on gentle white balance correction and gamma curve adjustment, which allowed us to recover details in the darker parts of the image that previously tended to get lost. It is worth noting, however, that the E7Q Pro unit we tested happened to be exceptionally well-made from the factory. We remind you that these parameters depend on the specific unit – with mass production, factory calibration can be random, so your unit may require slightly different adjustments. The biggest beneficiary of professional calibration was undoubtedly the HDR mode. This is where we did the most work, which yielded spectacular results. We managed to effectively tame the excessive warmth of the image, caused by a factory deficiency of blue color. After calibration, color errors were reduced to a significantly lower level, which will certainly please those who watch a lot of streaming content in HDR format, expecting faithful reproduction.

It often happens that cheap 4K TVs mercilessly expose the flaws of low-resolution materials. Here, it's different. The QNED80A is great equipment for watching content that isn't perfect. The processor does a great job of upscaling the image, making even older recordings look quite decent on a 4K screen – they are consistent and free of digital noise. An interesting feature is the gradation reduction available in the settings. It is quite effective in combating so-called banding (color banding) in low-bitrate materials. Of course, one should approach it with some caution. Due to the lower computing power of the chip (compared to the premium series), enabling this option can sometimes result in unwanted artifacts or blurriness. Despite this risk, we encourage experimentation, as in many cases this feature can save a poor-quality viewing experience.

When it comes to upscaling and digital image processing, the E7Q PRO deserves praise. The scaling performs really well here and does not fall drastically behind much more expensive, advanced televisions. Lower-quality materials can look clean and sensible, without the impression that the image is artificially "overdrawn." However, the smoothing function presents a bit worse. It can indeed be effective and improve tonal transitions in low-quality materials, but at the same time, it can introduce unwanted effects. Sometimes it removes film grain or adds unwanted artifacts, giving the image a more "digital" character. Therefore, we mainly recommend it to those who prefer a smoother, less cinematic style of image.

In terms of motion reproduction, the QNED80A unfortunately has a tough time. The television is based on a 60Hz refresh rate panel, which in 2025 in the QNED series is quite a disappointment. If you are looking for perfect sharpness in dynamic soccer matches, you might feel a bit unsatisfied. A solution in this situation is the TruMotion system. It allows for artificially adding frames, which smooths out the image in movies and series. In the menu, you will find the De-Judder slider – we recommend setting it to a value of 2, 3, or 4. This is the "golden mean" that improves fluidity without turning the film into a soap opera.

In the category of motion blur and fluidity of movement, the E7Q PRO has one very strong argument. At this price, Hisense has added a 120 Hz panel, and in PC mode, it can even operate at 144 Hz. This immediately provides greater possibilities in motion settings, as the menu displays more options for smoothing the image. Among other things, we have frame interpolation options, which allows us to adjust the fluidity for sports or for movies, depending on whether we prefer a more cinematic character or a "theatrical" smoothness.

In the gaming section, we won't sugarcoat it for you – the QNED80A is not e-sports equipment. The lack of support for 120Hz signal is a fact that must be accepted. However, LG engineers have done everything to squeeze the maximum potential out of this 60 Hz panel, providing gamers with a set of desired features. First and foremost, the television supports VRR (in the range of 48-60Hz) and ALLM. This means that the image is smooth, does not stutter, and the television automatically switches to low latency mode as soon as we pick up the controller. Accessing these options is incredibly simple thanks to the dedicated system overlay – Game Dashboard. It is also worth appreciating the support for the HGiG format. This is a nod to owners of modern consoles. Although the screen does not support gaming Dolby Vision, HGiG ensures that the television "understands" how to display games in HDR. This helps us avoid the issue of blown-out clouds, which is unfortunately a plague on cheaper LCD televisions.

The E7Q PRO is a phenomenal screen for gamers. Aside from the typical "thorn" of Hisense, which is the lack of support for the HGiG format due to the constantly active tone mapping, we practically get everything one might expect from a television that is supposed to have a gaming label. There are two HDMI 2.1 ports, along with a full set of key features. We have variable refresh rates, automatic switching to game mode, and support for 4K at 120 Hz. On top of that, all the most important settings are at hand in a clear Game Bar. This tool not only looks modern but also has a distinctly "gaming" edge and actually makes life easier while playing.