Philips OLED770 vs Hisense E7Q / E79Q

The Philips OLED770 does not attempt to compete with the brightest OLEDs on the market, and it would actually be hard to expect that, as it is the lowest model in Philips's series for 2025. In our measurements, it achieved a maximum brightness of about 700 nits, which allows for enjoyment of HDR effects in scenes where light appears point-wise – for example, in the flash of headlights or a starry sky. In such moments, the picture can truly impress. However, it is different when there are more bright elements on the screen. The television, like many cheaper OLEDs, limits brightness in those cases, and the entire picture noticeably dims. This was best seen in a scene from the movie The Meg, where the sun rises behind an oil rig – at that point, the brightness dropped to about 250 nits, nearly three times less. The HDR effect remains visually pleasing, but it is worth being aware that this model performs best in scenes with less intense light. Fortunately, the OLED770 has an ace up its sleeve – the coverage of the DCI-P3 color palette is as high as 99%, so colors in movies and games are saturated and very close to what the creator intended to convey.

Hisense E7Q / E79Q is a television with average brightness, whose peak luminance level is around 350-380 nits. This is an absolute minimum that allows for watching HDR content in a way that is close to the creators' intentions, although without a clear "wow" effect. The results of synthetic tests on white images have been confirmed in practice – in movie scenes, the bright parts of the image are stable and fairly uniform, but it is hard to speak of a true "lighting impact" here. In everyday use, for example, while watching Netflix or YouTube, the HDR effect is acceptable and is completely sufficient for most users. However, it must be stated clearly – this is not the level of top screens, and one should not expect that at this price point. Fortunately, the Hisense E7Q / E79Q has an advantage that allows it to gain quite a few points: it is a PFS LED QLED panel, utilizing an additional phosphor layer that improves color reproduction. The measured range of the DCI-P3 palette is around 92%, which means that the colors in most scenes are vibrant, well-saturated, and pleasing to the eye, especially for this price range.

The first measurements already show that the factory settings of the Philips OLED770 have a lot to improve even in Filmmaker mode. The white balance chart clearly shows a lack of blue, which gives the image a slightly yellowish tint. In practice, the white is not snow-white, but leans towards warmer hues – which some may even like, but from the accuracy perspective, this is a deviation from the norm. The gamma, on the other hand, tends to be on the darker side – the average value is about 2.6 instead of the reference 2.4. In the mid-tones, the image appears muted and more saturated, which may look too "filmic," but takes away some naturalness. However, the biggest issues can be seen in color reproduction. The average error is relatively high, and some colors – especially shades of gray – clearly deviate from what should be seen. In everyday viewing, this means that sometimes colors may look less natural than we would wish.

In Filmmaker mode, the Hisense E7Q / E79Q television was able to really surprise positively. Even after the first measurements, it turned out that the white balance is quite well calibrated, and the only minor deviation was a slight tendency toward a purple hue, which we mentioned earlier. However, this did not significantly affect the overall character of the image – it remained coherent and pleasant to perceive. A much larger problem turned out to be the brightness characteristics (gamma) in SDR content and the EOTF curve in HDR films. The television clearly brightened the image, flattening the contrast and taking away its depth. Gamma values could drop from the reference 2.4 down to about 1.9, making the image appear as if it were covered with a thin, milky layer. Fortunately, this is a problem that can be relatively easily corrected through calibration.

Philips OLED770 has shown signs from the beginning that it houses significant potential, but it was difficult to fully see this in the factory settings. The image was sometimes too warm, and some colors seemed to have lost their naturalness along the way. However, calibration revealed that it is a television very receptive to adjustments – it reacted to every correction and almost immediately unveiled another layer of its capabilities. The white balance was successfully set both in SDR and HDR, eliminating the yellowish glow and presenting a neutral, clear white. Gamma stabilized closer to perfection, allowing midtones to regain their naturalness, and shadows no longer appeared artificially darkened, possibly even with a slight brightening effect. The effect was obvious... Movies are watched with greater ease; the image has cinematic depth, but without the feeling that something is exaggeratedly darkened. However, the most interesting part was the work on colors. Out of the box, the errors were not dramatic but slightly noticeable – skin tones were sometimes too warm, and gray didn’t always have the shade we expected. After calibration, the error values dropped to around 2, and in many cases even below 1. This is a level significantly lower than the threshold of perception for the human eye. In other words, after correction, the colors finally “clicked” into place. Looking at the screen, we had the impression that the television had begun to speak with a full voice. Like an instrument that has finally been well-tuned.

The biggest beneficiary of calibration for the Hisense E7Q / E79Q turned out to be the SDR mode without a doubt. It managed to achieve nearly perfect picture quality – most errors in the Color Checker test dropped below a value of 3, and often even below 2, which is a remarkable result for this class of equipment. The greatest improvement came from aligning the brightness characteristic (gamma), making the picture no longer look washed out and regaining its natural depth. In HDR content, colors were also improved, and the purple tint we mentioned earlier was eliminated, but errors in the Color Checker measurements were still noticeable. This is due to the fact that – as is often the case with Hisense televisions – the screen manipulates brightness quite strongly, oversaturating some colors. This was also indicated by the EOTF curve, which was slightly above the reference values, suggesting these minor problems with excessive brightening. Despite this flaw and the construction limitations that arise with HDR content, the Hisense E7Q / E79Q gained a lot after calibration. In everyday use, the television presents a cohesive, natural, and pleasant-to-the-eye picture, and the difference compared to factory settings is truly vast.

The problem of the previously mentioned color connections can largely be mitigated by the "distortion reduction" feature, which is an algorithm for smoothing tonal transitions in Philips TVs. It works best at a low setting—effectively eliminating unwanted color bands while not introducing strange artifacts or losing image detail. It's one of those features that is truly worth keeping switched on.

The issue with upscaling is somewhat less favorable. The image from a lower resolution can be too soft, while at the same time, distinctive "jaggies" appear in certain areas. The impression is that the algorithm is trying to reconcile two contradictory directions—smoothing and sharpening—and ultimately hasn't found the golden mean. As a consolation, it's worth noting that the television has no issues with overscan, meaning it doesn't cut off the edges of the image, which sometimes happens with other competing models.

In the case of Hisense E7Q / E79Q, upscaling and digital image processing are not the strongest features of this television. It is clear that the manufacturer opted for simplicity rather than advanced image processing algorithms. The television does not offer any functions for smoothing tonal transitions or systems for improving image clarity, which means that lower resolution materials simply look very raw. On the screen, subtle compression edges can be noticed, which better processors in other models can effectively hide.

During tests of HD materials, we noticed that the E7Q tries to artificially enhance detail, which sometimes works and sometimes has the opposite effect – the image becomes soft, slightly smeared, at times even "watery." There is no aggressive sharpening that ruins naturalness, but there is also no finesse in detailing that better image processors offer.

The issue of the panel in the Philips OLED770 is not entirely straightforward. The manufacturer claims a 120 Hz panel, but our measurements showed that the screen can accept a 4K signal even at 144 Hz. This sounds like great news – because who wouldn't want an extra mode for PC gaming at this price? However, the reality turned out to be more complex. With 120 Hz materials, the television behaves like most OLEDs – the picture is absolutely clear, with no trace of ghosting or blurring, making it ideal for both fast-paced games and sports broadcasts. The problem arises only at 144 Hz. Unlike models with official support for that frequency, here we observe the phenomenon of so-called frame skipping. This means that the television is unable to display all frames – some of them are skipped, causing the motion to lose fluidity, and double outlines appear on the screen. The effect resembles the operation of the BFI function, which Philips does not offer in this model anyway.

Hisense E7Q / E79Q is a television with a 60 Hz screen, so 4K sports fans may feel a slight disappointment – we simply won't see such smooth images here as in more expensive models with higher refresh rates. Fortunately, when it comes to movies, the situation is much better. Cinematic materials recorded at 24 frames per second can be displayed here using a motion smoothing feature, allowing the user to adjust the image to their preferences – more cinematic with a visible frame or smoother, in a theatrical style.

If someone is looking for a gaming TV, the Philips OLED770 is a candidate that's hard to ignore. The mere fact that we have an OLED here provides a great starting point – perfect blacks and infinite contrast make evening sessions in atmospheric games look like they’ve been pulled straight from the cinema. On top of that, there’s the Ambilight system, which features LEDs on the back of the TV that extend the image onto the wall behind the screen. The effect is such that even regular gameplay in FIFA can look like a small spectacle, and in horror games, the atmosphere becomes really intense. On the technical side, it’s pretty good as well. The Philips OLED770 supports Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) up to 120 Hz, has an automatic low latency mode for gamers (ALLM), and if someone is using an Xbox Series X, they can also count on Dolby Vision support in games. You just need to know that in this mode, input lag is slightly higher than standard, although still at an acceptable level. As a bonus, we get the “Game Bar” panel, which is a special tool strip for gamers. It's not the most conveniently designed solution, but it allows you to check key parameters without leaving the game. In total, this presents a picture of a TV that on one hand has all the most important gaming features, and on the other can add something unique – Ambilight. And it’s this mix of technology and visual effect that makes the OLED770 one of the better screens for gaming in a home environment.

Hisense E7Q / E79Q is truly a successful television for gamers, even though it doesn't support 4K signal at 120 Hz. However, the manufacturer has included a set of features that until recently could only be found in more expensive models. There is ALLM, or automatic switching to low-latency mode, which allows the television to activate game mode with very low input lag. We also have VRR, functioning up to 60 Hz – this may not seem impressive on paper, but in practice, it is fully sufficient, as most games on consoles do not exceed this limit. All these settings can be quickly found in the Game Bar panel, a convenient menu created specifically for gamers. From this level, you can change picture modes, turn on a frame rate counter, or even… a crosshair on the screen – in the Vidaa system humorously named "target point," which is a result of awkward translation by the Chinese manufacturer.

Particularly praiseworthy is the ability to play in 1080p at 120 Hz, which realistically improves the smoothness and responsiveness of the image. This way, if someone wants to play a few titles at a higher refresh rate, they can simply lower the resolution and enjoy significantly smoother motion. Despite the lack of 4K@120Hz, Hisense E7Q / E79Q really performs well as a television for gamers – especially those who are not looking for perfection, but a solid and fast screen for everyday gaming.