Sharp GP7 vs Xiaomi S Pro 2026

In terms of HDR, the Sharp GP7 can pleasantly surprise us. The maximum brightness around 500 nits is the threshold at which the real advantages of high dynamic range become visible. During our tests, we achieved stable values between 430 and 500 nits, which translated to clearer distinction of elements in both bright and slightly darker scenes. Additionally, there is a DCI-P3 color gamut coverage of around 95%, which allows for vibrant, visually pleasing colors. Of course, this is not the highest league, but for this price range – a big plus.

When it comes to HDR quality, the Xiaomi S Pro 2026 is undoubtedly a really bright TV. On our synthetic measurement charts, we were able to generate a peak brightness of around 1400 nits. This is not only a very good result but even spectacular, considering the price of this model. However, as we always repeat, for our editorial team, measurements and experiences from the content we watch every day—movies and series—are more important. So let's analyze how Xiaomi handles film material. Unfortunately, the result is somewhat mixed. When very bright scenes appear on the screen, the S Pro 2026 truly shows its full potential and can achieve real brightness of 800-1000 nits on bright elements. Moreover, even smaller objects can "burn" the eyes— in scenes from the movie Sicario 2, small metallic elements of the helicopter were really bright. The problem is this—and here the story comes full circle back to our assessment of contrast—that in such scenes, we cannot count on absolutely cinematic black. In our opinion, this compromise is too significant; high visibility of details in bright areas should not come at the expense of such a substantial boost in black levels. And even though the HDR effect itself can be striking here, it is important to remember that when very difficult, mixed scenes appear on the screen, we may feel a slight disappointment. Exactly the one we mentioned in the previous paragraph regarding dimming issues in HDR mode. On a positive note, it is worth adding that the S Pro 2026 is equipped with an additional PFS filter (which works similarly to a QLED layer), effectively broadening the color palette coverage. As a result, measurements showed a DCI-P3 color gamut coverage of up to 94%. This gives us the confidence that in most colorful scenes, the image will look rich and appropriately saturated.

Upon taking it out of the box, in movie mode, the GP7 doesn’t perform badly at all. In HD materials, we noticed slight disturbances in white balance – drops in red and blue, which made the image have a slightly greenish tint. This is visible, for example, on the faces of characters, which become less three-dimensional. The gamma is somewhat brightened in places, resulting in less deep blacks. In 4K HDR content, a cooler, bluish tone additionally emerges, making colors appear less natural. On the other hand, looking from the "out of the box" perspective, these settings are not bad – just minor adjustments are needed, and we will try to improve them with special tools.

Of course, we conducted all our measurements in "Film" mode, which is usually the best and most accurate choice you get straight out of the box. And we have to say it bluntly: even though this is the best mode, it is still very far from ideal. First of all, the television has a clear tendency to give the image a cool, bluish tint – this is due to a poorly set white balance. Additionally, there is a problem with how the S Pro 2026 manages its brightness right after being taken out of the box, which results in an overly bright image. These two flaws contribute to really huge colorimetric errors (Delta E). In HDR content, they were able to exceed our expected error scale of "10" (meaning values close to 20). For reference – the threshold of perceivable error by the human eye is a Delta E value of around 3. Results at the level of 20 mean that the image significantly deviates from what the director intended.

Calibration really makes a difference in GP7. After implementing the adjustments, we achieved a better white balance in HD content, and the colors started to look much more natural, with minimal deviations and without a clear dominance of individual colors. In 4K HDR, the change is not as spectacular, but still noticeable. The gamma has been brought to a more neutral level, although there is still a visible issue with a slight boost in the brightest details on the screen. The lack of control over dynamic tone mapping limits our maneuvering room, but nonetheless, this is a significant step forward compared to the factory settings.

So how does the S Pro 2026 perform after our calibration treatment? We must admit that after calibration, the television becomes a really pleasant device for watching everyday content. As you can see in the graphs, we managed to bring both white balance and gamma values to nearly perfection in HD (SDR) material. Most importantly, the colorimetric errors have become practically invisible to the human eye. In this scenario, the S Pro 2026 is simply a great television that, after professional calibration, can provide a lot of enjoyment while watching. However, it is worth noting clearly – our efforts helped little in 4K HDR mode. Despite calibration, the television still interprets the image rather strongly "in its own way," which is clearly seen in the measurement of the EOTF curve (luminance tracking). It's a bit of a shame, because this shows that the problem lies not in the panel itself, but in the software. Underdeveloped image management algorithms in HDR content can, unfortunately, disqualify this television for many more discerning users.

The TV can quite well scale lower quality content. Our test panels were well reproduced, and although there was minimal aliasing on small, delicate shapes (for example, thin branches), it still looked satisfactory. Additionally, the GP7 offers a "10-bit color reproduction" feature to smooth out tonal transitions in poor quality materials. It is useful, but at the expense of some details, which is why we recommend turning it on only when we are really watching something of poor quality.

Let's start with the issue we addressed in the previous paragraph: can a TV even fix the problem of poor tonal transitions in dark scenes? Theoretically, yes – in the menu, we find a feature with the promising name "Color Contour Removal." Well, "theoretically." Unfortunately, in practice, this setting – regardless of which of the three power levels is selected – yielded absolutely no real results. So we have a feature that, in practice, only exists in the menu. Moving on to the quality of upscaling (scaling the image from a lower resolution to 4K), unfortunately, we have more bad news for you. The S Pro 2026 handles this task very poorly. Interestingly, the phenomenon of "overscan" (slight image cropping) is not a big issue here. The problem is that the TV simply displays a very raw, unprocessed image. Its attempt to upscale the signal to a higher resolution looks simply poor and lacks any "smart" enhancement. There is no denying it – the whole digital image processing is the true Achilles' heel of this model.

With a 60 Hz refresh rate and an average response time, it's hard to expect miraculous smoothness. In dynamic tests, like the one with the "little green man," it is evident that the image can blur and occasionally lose sharpness. For watching movies and series, this is acceptable, especially since one can use a motion smoother with three levels of adjustment. However, if we care about ultra-smooth sports broadcasts or super responsive gaming, we may feel underwhelmed.

On paper, the specification of the S Pro 2026 looks impressive. The television is equipped with a native 144 Hz panel, capable of displaying images up to 288 Hz in a dedicated gaming mode. These are amazing results, but what interested us the most, in the context of everyday use, was how the television handles motion blur and how the image looks at 120 Hz. After all, this is the frequency used today by consoles like PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and it is desired by sports fans. Generally speaking, the panel "holds up." The matrix is fast enough to meet these challenges, and objects displayed at native 120Hz fluidity are shown correctly. As for the software, the television is equipped with a motion smoothing system, but with a key caveat – it only works for input signals up to 60 Hz. This means it is mainly suitable for classic television, movies, and series. Thanks to this, we can adjust the fluidity of the image to our own preferences – from a very smooth, "theatrical" approach to setting the slider to "zero" and maintaining a fully cinematic character.

Let's not kid ourselves – the GP7 is not a television for the most demanding console gamers. Yes, it has ALLM that will automatically switch the TV to low latency mode, but it lacks VRR or G-Sync. There is also no advanced menu to facilitate the adjustment of settings during gameplay. Dolby Vision in games? Yes, but with such high input lag that it's hard to talk about comfort. If we play occasionally and do not aim for the highest standards, we can get by, but fans of technical innovations will be disappointed.

For gamers, the Xiaomi S Pro 2026 is, on paper, an almost ideal proposition. It is equipped with two HDMI 2.1 ports, allowing us to unlock (although these options are somewhat hidden in the menu) the full suite of features: ALLM, VRR, and, crucially, the ability to work in 4K at 144 Hz. This last feature should particularly please owners of powerful PCs. The TV also has something akin to a gaming panel – and while it’s hard to call it a full-fledged "Game Bar," it does its job by displaying key information. It’s just a shame that in its default form, it covers a relatively large part of the screen.

However, our biggest issue with this model concerns how the S Pro 2026 handles gaming in HDR mode. To put it bluntly: it doesn’t handle it well. Due to the poorly implemented HGiG function (the HDR tone mapping standard for games), during the initial HDR calibration on the console, it’s very easy to "blow out" the image. If someone is unaware of this software flaw and follows the on-screen instructions, they will simply set the image incorrectly, with burnt-out details in bright areas. Another major problem is the Dolby Vision mode for gaming. While it does work, it generates such a high input lag that it becomes noticeable in dynamic titles. (All our latency measurements can be checked in the paragraph below). In summary: generally, it’s a really good screen for gamers, but with one small caveat. We would rather avoid HDR mode on it – unless we decide to manually adjust the brightness bar on the console "by eye," completely ignoring the instructions from the console's pictogram.