Sharp FQ8 vs Hisense U7Q PRO

The Sharp FQ8 achieves a maximum brightness of over 450 nits, which is commendable for its price range. While this level might not be groundbreaking, it places the television among the better-performing models in its class. At this brightness, the image appears vivid and detailed, and the HDR metadata functions effectively, offering a more immersive viewing experience compared to dimmer devices.

The television supports the advanced Dolby Vision HDR format, enhancing the depth and richness of the content. It also includes Dolby Vision IQ, which adjusts the image's brightness and colours based on ambient lighting. However, the implementation of this feature on the Sharp FQ8 is suboptimal, introducing artificial brightening and noticeable distortions. For this reason, it is advisable to disable Dolby Vision IQ for the most accurate picture quality.

With quantum dot technology, the television achieves a colour gamut coverage of approximately 94%, resulting in vibrant and realistic colours. This combination of features ensures the Sharp FQ8 delivers an engaging and detailed visual experience, even with some limitations.

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%.

The Sharp FQ8 was evaluated for colour reproduction in its movie mode, which provides the best default settings for achieving realistic visuals. While it performs adequately, certain issues impact the overall image quality. Tests on HD content revealed significant white balance problems, with a marked dominance of red. This is evident in the colour graph, where the red line noticeably rises above the others, and in practical tests, such as a movie scene featuring a child, where the image appears overly warm and unnaturally red. Similar issues persist with 4K HDR content, where an excessive red tint detracts from the accuracy of colour reproduction, an important consideration for viewers prioritising faithful visuals.

For SDR contrast, the gamma graph displayed an unusual anomaly at the start, highlighting reproduction issues. The remainder of the gamma curve lies below the reference line, indicating suboptimal brightness and contrast levels for standard content. In 4K HDR, the EOTF curve also deviates significantly, suggesting inconsistencies in brightness reproduction. These fluctuations can result in less enjoyable viewing experiences for HDR content, particularly in scenes requiring precise light and dark balance.

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.

After calibration, the Sharp FQ8 shows notable improvements in its performance for SDR content. The white balance has been significantly refined, with all lines approaching the reference line. While the lines are not perfectly straight, the results are impressive for a TV in this price range. This adjustment enhances the naturalness and accuracy of colours, contributing to a more enjoyable visual experience. However, the gamma chart still displays the peculiar jump at the start, though the remaining line now aligns much closer to the expected outcome.

For HDR content, the white balance also sees meaningful improvements compared to the pre-calibration state, although it doesn’t perform as well as in SDR mode. This refinement results in more consistent and visually appealing colours, despite some remaining imperfections. On the downside, the EOTF chart reveals limited progress in contrast due to the lack of control over dynamic tone mapping settings, which hampers uniform brightness representation in HDR.

Despite these limitations, the calibration significantly elevates the Sharp FQ8, particularly in SDR mode. The improved white balance and colour reproduction deliver a more natural and pleasant viewing experience. While HDR content still leaves room for improvement, the TV achieves a respectable level of performance, solidifying its position as a strong contender in its price range.

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.

The Sharp FQ8 performs adequately with its 10-bit colour reproduction feature, providing smooth transitions between grey shades in the light bulb photo. For optimal results, setting it to medium is recommended, as it avoids issues like grain smoothing or blurring key elements. The "low" setting also yields good results without introducing unwanted visual artefacts.

In terms of upscaling, the Sharp FQ8 TV handles video without overscan, making full use of the screen. The jagged edges of branches are noticeable, but the edges of trousers appear without any clear jaggedness, contributing positively to the overall image quality. Additionally, the TV's AI Super Resolution feature enhances clarity by artificially sharpening jagged elements, further improving the viewing experience.

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.

The Sharp FQ8 features a 120 Hz panel, able to support playback at 144 Hz when connected to a PC, which should theoretically provide smooth motion rendering. The TV includes features designed to enhance film fluidity and reduce motion blur, crucial for more dynamic content. However, in the absence of Black Frame Insertion (BFI) technology, the panel's average response time leads to less-than-ideal results. This results in slight motion blur, which may be particularly noticeable when watching sports or during intense gaming sessions.

“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 Sharp FQ8 offers several features that cater to gamers, enhancing the overall gaming experience. Firstly, the television is equipped with HDMI 2.1, which brings several advantages. ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) automatically switches the TV to a low-latency mode when a gaming device is detected. VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) helps reduce screen stuttering by adjusting the screen’s refresh rate to match the number of frames generated by the console or PC, providing smoother gameplay, especially in dynamic games. Additionally, the TV supports G-Sync, which synchronises the image with the graphics card, preventing stuttering and screen tearing.

Despite these advantages, the FQ8 has some limitations. The lack of support for HGiG (HDR Gaming Interest Group) means the TV does not optimise the dynamic range for HDR games. Furthermore, while Dolby Vision mode can improve picture quality in supported games, it suffers from very high input lag.

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.