LG QNED87T6B vs Hisense A7NQ

The QNED87T6B provides a solid HDR performance, delivering an impressive visual experience in many aspects. With a brightness approaching 500 nits, it offers good visibility of fine details in high-dynamic scenes. Support for HDR10 and HLG ensures the content appears well on the screen, though the absence of more advanced formats like Dolby Vision or HDR10+ limits the potential for optimal brightness and detail in certain scenes. Without dynamic metadata, the TV may struggle to reproduce fine details in very bright areas, where these advanced standards would typically make a difference. However, its excellent coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut (96.4%) provides vibrant, natural colours, enhancing the overall visual quality of 4K content.

We checked how the Hisense A7NQ performs with HDR, and there are no surprises here. The luminance chart showed a maximum brightness of 370 nits. The result? Exactly what one could expect – average. At a brightness of around 350 nits, HDR does not stand out particularly compared to SDR. A subtle difference can be seen in more brightly lit scenes, but it’s not a jaw-dropping effect. As for the coverage of the wide colour gamut, the result was 92% for DCI-P3 and 70.2% for BT.2020. These are decent values for a TV in this class that uses a PFS coating – the same one that is sometimes promoted as QLED. The colours look good, but let’s not expect anything that competes with the best screens on the market. HDR on the Hisense A7NQ is more of an addition than a "game changer." For those looking for solid picture quality on a moderate budget – absolutely acceptable. However, if we expect full HDR capabilities, it is worth looking at higher-end models.

The LG QNED87T6B, even in its best factory setting, Filmmaker Mode, exhibits issues with colour reproduction. A significant problem is the white balance, where the blue colour tends to drop on the graph, causing a shift towards yellow. This results in a warmer hue than intended, which affects the naturalness of color reproduction, especially in scenes with white or neutral backgrounds. The Colour Checker test confirmed that certain colours are distorted and do not accurately reflect reality, which can make movie scenes seem less lifelike and distort details.

In terms of contrast, there are notable issues with the gamma graph, showing significant drops where the optimal value should be around 2.4. This results in the TV displaying darker areas brighter in some scenes, which reduces depth and dynamic range. Additionally, the EOTF (Electro-Optical Transfer Function) curve, which corresponds to brightness reproduction, shows an unnatural drop at the start, leading to lower accuracy in dark scenes. This diminishes the TV's ability to convey full black depth, causing details in darker areas to be lost. As a result, more demanding scenes may appear less realistic, with a noticeable loss of detail in shadows and dark areas.

When testing the Hisense A7NQ in Filmmaker mode, we hoped for compliance with the manufacturer's assumptions, but unfortunately, the reality looks different. The main issue, as with most TVs, is the white balance. In the case of the A7NQ, we noticed a clear dominance of blue, which affected both lower-quality materials and 4K HDR content. The Color Checker test results confirm this, and the comparison images speak for themselves – the main actress appears cool and pale in "factory" mode. It looks as if she has been stripped of life.

Regarding brightness characteristics, both gamma and the EOTF curve show that the image is excessively bright. As a result, everything seems flat, lacking depth and contrast. This state of affairs definitely does not work in favour of the A7NQ and makes the viewing experience in factory mode leave much to be desired. If we expect natural colour reproduction and appropriate image depth, the A7NQ in Filmmaker mode is unlikely to impress us. It is a TV that requires significant adjustment to extract its potential.

After calibration, the LG QNED87T6B delivers impressive results with SDR content. The white balance has been improved, resulting in natural, harmonious tones across various scenes. The precise gamma tuning allows for accurate reproduction of details in both dark and bright areas, making the TV perform excellently in everyday use. The overall image is vivid and well-balanced, with solid colour quality in HD. The contrast has also improved, with the gamma chart showing fewer significant errors, providing a more refined viewing experience.

In 4K HDR, the white balance continues to perform well, though some errors remain at the end of the chart. These might be linked to the TV's aggressive local dimming, which can affect colour accuracy in certain scenes. While the TV does not fully improve brightness as indicated by the EOTF curve, its inherent construction limitations prevent it from achieving perfection in this area. The Colour Checker test highlights an issue with colour saturation, as the TV, despite offering a wide colour gamut, cannot fully capture what the director intended.

Nevertheless, the overall picture quality after calibration is considerably better than before. The improvements in white balance and gamma tuning result in more vivid and realistic colours, enhancing the viewing experience despite the remaining shortcomings.

The Hisense A7NQ offers several tools that allow you to improve image quality, so we decided to take matters into our own hands and "dig around" in the settings a bit. Thanks to professional tools and measurements, we managed to correct the white balance, eliminating the excessive dominance of blue colour in both HD and 4K materials. This is a significant step forward, as in the Color Checker test, colour reproduction errors in lower-quality content dropped to a much more acceptable level. Unfortunately, 4K materials are still far from ideal – colour distortions are considerable and stem from the limitations of the television.

As for gamma, we managed to significantly reduce the excessive brightness of the image set after setting it to the correct level. However, the issue with brightness characteristics in 4K content remains unresolved – the EOTF curve still shows excessive illumination of the entire screen. It is possible that a proper implementation of dynamic tone mapping could help here, but as we mentioned earlier, this feature on the Hisense A7NQ works rather poorly instead of being helpful. Nevertheless, calibration significantly improved the overall image perception. The director's vision is now much better conveyed than in the factory settings, which more demanding viewers will certainly appreciate.

When it comes to lower-quality content, the LG QNED87T6B performs admirably, with smooth gradation effectively addressing problematic areas in the image without negatively impacting the film grain. For optimal results, setting the "Smooth Gradation" feature to a low level delivers the best effect, significantly enhancing the viewing experience of lower-resolution materials by making them smoother and more visually appealing.

The TV handles digital processing well, ensuring the image is displayed without overscan or clipping. While slight jaggedness may be noticeable on certain fine details, such as branches against a background, the overall presentation remains impressive. Users will be satisfied with the quality of the image when watching lower-quality content, such as standard television, as the TV does an excellent job of enhancing the visual experience.

The Hisense A7NQ impresses with smooth tonal transitions in 4K materials, but unfortunately, there is no feature here that would improve this aspect in older materials of lower quality. In such cases, colour merging becomes more visible, which can somewhat spoil the viewing experience, especially in scenes with a lot of gradients.

When it comes to upscaling, the TV performs surprisingly well. The image is clearly improved, although it does come with some compromises. One can notice that the TV adds a bit of artificial sharpness, and elements in the background, such as branches, tend to exhibit slight "jagginess." These are details, however, that will mainly catch the eye of those who pay attention to such nuances.

The LG QNED87T6B delivers decent motion smoothness, particularly with the "TruMotion" feature, which allows users to adjust motion smoothing on a scale from 0 to 10. The "De-Judder" setting helps regulate the smoothness of motion, while the "De-Blur" option enhances motion sharpness. This provides flexibility for users to choose between a more traditional cinematic effect with slight judder (lower settings) and a smoother, more theatrical image, which, while slightly deviating from the cinematic standard, can be appealing to many viewers.

For gamers and sports fans, the 120Hz panel ensures an immersive experience, while the IPS technology offers better response times compared to comparable VA panels at a similar price. This results in smoother gameplay and more dynamic viewing of fast-paced sports events, making the QNED87T6B an excellent choice for those seeking high-quality motion performance.

The Hisense A7NQ is equipped with a 60 Hz matrix, meaning dynamic scenes – for example, in sports or games – are somewhat average here. This is standard for this level of TV, but it must be admitted that watching more intense, fast-moving content can leave a lot to be desired. However, when it comes to movies, the TV offers a motion smoothing feature that operates on a 10-level scale. The "motion blur reduction" option allows you to adjust the fluidity of the image to your own preferences. At the lowest setting, you get a natural film frame rate, which will please cinema purists. On the other hand, the maximum setting provides a very smooth, theatrical image that may appeal to those who prefer a more "smoothed out" motion.

The LG QNED87T6B is a top-tier choice for gamers seeking high-performance features. It is equipped with four HDMI 2.1 ports, allowing seamless connection to the latest consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. This ensures full functionality, including support for Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), which provide a smoother and more responsive gaming experience. The Game Bar feature enables easy management of gaming settings, allowing users to adjust VRR, ALLM, Multi View, and monitor the frame rate without navigating complex menus.

Additionally, the TV supports G-Sync and FreeSync, which are crucial for gamers using Nvidia and AMD graphics cards. These technologies synchronize the TV's refresh rate with the graphics card, reducing screen tearing and stuttering. With a 120Hz panel, the LG QNED87 delivers exceptional motion smoothness and image clarity, while the Black Frame Insertion (BFI) feature, available at 60Hz and 120Hz, further enhances visual fluidity. Overall, the LG QNED87T6B meets the demands of even the most discerning gamers, offering a comprehensive range of features that elevate the gaming experience.

Hisense A7NQ is a device that can pleasantly surprise gamers, although it is not without its faults. The fact that we have a 60 Hz panel immediately suggests that the TV is not designed for the most demanding gaming scenarios. The motion blur we described earlier can also be a hindrance, especially in dynamic games.

However, there are several things worth praising. The TV supports ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) and VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), which are not always standard in this price range. The biggest surprise, however, is that the A7NQ can display images at 120 Hz – although only in Full HD resolution, it is still a significant nod to gamers. This allows a choice between smoothness and resolution, which is not obvious in TVs at this price point.

A nice addition is the Game Bar, which is clear and practical – all the main features are at hand without digging through the settings. However, there is a lack of support for HGiG, which may be disappointing for gamers looking for perfect HDR in games.