Review – Hisense U7A 4K Ultra HD ULED Smart TV

Today, we are taking a closer look at the Hisense U7A 4K Ultra HD ULED Smart TV. It’s a mid-range 4K TV model that seems to be intended or designed leaning towards sports fans.

As one of the major sponsor of the FIFA 2018 World Cup, this TV boots with a World Cup Russia logo. Furthermore, it can auto-detect sports content for optimised picture performance. Specification wise, this TV seems to be a good bet for gamers and movie fans too.

Bestsellers:

Hisense U7A 4K Ultra HD ULED Smart TV

Hisense U7A 4K Ultra HD ULED Smart TV Amazon UK HDR

Design

Design TL:DR — It features an ultra narrow bezel, a thin VA Edge-lit panel and fancy metallic V  shape stand. It’s very elegant looking.

Hisense U7A 4K Ultra HD ULED Smart TV Amazon UK HDR 2018

The overall design of the Hisense U7A 4K Ultra HD ULED Smart TV is definitely on spot. It has a modern and elegant design that is on par with high-end models from other brands. It has an ultra-thin bezel with a stylish curve. Making its aesthetics and look to be at the premium end of the market.

Hisense U7A 4K Ultra HD ULED Smart TV Amazon UK HDR edge bezel frame design review

The TV itself sits on a metallic and sturdy V-shaped pedestal. Giving it a fancy look and is a welcome change from the brand coming from edge spaced feet design.

Hisense U7A 4K Ultra HD ULED Smart TV Amazon UK HDR stand

Looking at the back of the Hisense U7A, you’ll find four HDMI and three USB inputs. However, not all HDMI outputs support 4K@60Hz. Two ports support it while the other two are limited to 4K@30Hz.

Hisense U7A 4K Ultra HD ULED Smart TV Amazon UK HDR back

The limitation of the other two HDMI ports can be an issue for some. Especially if you are one of those that wants everything hooked up and plugged in. You might find yourself having the need to switch from port to port if you ever need the specs of HDMI 2.0.

Outside of the HDMI ports, multiple standard input connectivity is also available. Such as composite AV inputs, optical digital audio output, and an ethernet port for those that wants to hardwire your network connection.

Picture Quality

Design TL:DR — The picture quality is not on par with OLED or QLED but it has one of the best picture quality we have seen in the 4K TV range.

The Hisense U7A’s picture quality is basically impressive, especially for its price. Though let’s get down to its points. Checking the Cinema modes, it’s actually not particularly flattering. The skin tones result in an unhealthy hue and it produces a flat image. Its standard and dynamic modes offer a better, brighter balance although the latter is an unapologetic crowd-pleaser. Notching down the saturation and sharpness gives a more engaging image quality.

HDR also has its own presets. So for HDR contents, these defaults to either HDR Dynamic, HDR Day, and HDR Night.

Image resolution is without a doubt magnificent. It’s pretty much expected given the long years of the 4K industry. This then results in HDR Dynamic mode giving the best picture detail.

On the low side of things, this TV isn’t a particularly bright performer. It has a measured peak luminance of less than 300cd/m2 (or nits) in HDR Dynamic mode. This is lower than some rival mid-range models we have tested so far. However, despite lacking in the peak luminosity department, this TV was still able to manage dynamic performance.

It has a good black level and a decent uniformity overall. Although there are some patches with grey and black but is to be expected from an edge-lit backlight LED. Another issue that this TV shares with us is its poor performance at an off angle viewing. That’s also to be expected from any VA panel users.

In sports mode, this TV oversaturates its colour. In this mode, the reds and greens have a very bright luminous glow. We then find it very unpleasing and hardly accurate. However, we suspect that plenty will probably like it.

The TVs motion handling is also worth mentioning. It features an ultra smooth motion processor that has no problem preventing judder and retaining detail. However, another low side of this TV is that there are motion artefacts around some moving objects. Fortunately, these aren’t too intrusive or noticeable.

Gaming

Design TL:DR — The U7A is also a good gaming TV monitor with its low input lag of 30.9 ms in Game mode.

Hisense U7A 4K Ultra HD ULED Smart TV Amazon UK HDR 2018 Gaming

When it comes to gaming, the Standard preset has an average input lag of 48ms. In Game mode, its input lag drops to 31ms. Which is by far an acceptable performance for a TV. Though not the best one.

In terms of refresh rate, the smallest screen size is only capable of 60 Hz which is decent but if you want to enjoy or have a smoother gameplay experience, then opting for the 55 or 65-inch screen size will do that. Both sizes offer 120 Hz refresh rate which is double the performance than the 50 inch which is the smallest size for this specific model.

Audio Quality

The Hisense U7A 4K Ultra HD ULED Smart TV has a built-in speaker of 20W. It is capable of getting the job done in most cases but it gets relatively weak when placed in big rooms.

One thing worth mentioning is its pair of rear-mounted drivers. Despite having only 20W output audio power, we find that this TV sounds better than one might think. It has a crisper and cleaner treble because of that.

Although we still highly recommend having a dedicated soundbar for that immersive viewing experience. Especially when watching movies.

Sharp HT-SB140(MT) 150W 2.0 Slim Wall Mountable Soundbar

Sharp soundbar uk 2018

Our Verdict

“yes” “Check on Amazon”

Pros

  • Above Average Picture Quality
  • Price
  • Elegant and Minimal Design

Cons

  • Limited Viewing Angle
  • Limited Inputs (Only 2 HDMI 2.0)
  • Mediocre HDR Performance

If you are looking to purchase a brand new 4K TV that has great value, the U7A is well worth considering. It boasts an impressive feature suite with an overall excellent image quality(despite having low HDR rating).

Furthermore, the brand’s proprietary connected platform offers all the key streaming services. Enjoy Freeview Play tuner with an integrated Catch-Up TV. If you want a 4K TV that’s design to give you a good viewing experience when watching sports, then the Hisense U7A might just be the right one for then job. Other than that, there are other better options out there.

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  • QLED: Get closer to reality with over a billion true-to-life colors. A wider palette of color ensures smoother gradients whilst reds, greens and blues appear for more vivid and realistic watching experience, especially for gaming.
  • 4K UHD: 4 times higher resolution than FHD TVs. Binge watch your favorite shows, immerse yourself in the latest movies, or thrill in every moment of the hottest games.
  • Dolby Vision: Inspired by cinema technology, Dolby Vision HDR technology gives an astonishing brightness and contrast depth by 40 times brighter and blacks 10 times darker than standard picture.
  • DTS Virtual X: Premium audio post-processing solution for TVs that brings height to the entertainment experience. Leveraging the leadership in virtual surround sound, the DTS Virtual solution psychoacoutsically delivers up to 7.1.4 immersive content through traditional speakers in the horizontal plane.
  • VIDAA U5: An easy, smart and intuitive OS, simply access to rich contents and global applications (YouTube, Netflix and Freeview Play etc.), making your TV more interesting

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