I’ve picked the best sub-$ 1000 TV for the past few years, but this year, Hisense at least co-owns this coveted place with its U7G 4K ULED TV. Priced well below $ 1,000, this TV surpasses my expectations at almost every turn – and that’s through the lens of a very picky TV enthusiast (me).
For most U7G users, the choice is easy. That’s why.
Go to: How To Watch UFC 267 Online In The USA | Out of the box | Sony Bravia XR Z9J details | Setting | Dimensions / Specifications | Backlight and Black Levels | Movement and handling | Games | Bonus Features | Our opinion
From the box
Riley Young / Digital Trends
In my 29 years in the consumer electronics industry, I have preached that a heavy device is a premium device. Of course, there are limits to this concept – you don’t need a pair of 25 pounds of headphones. But by and large, the best devices in any given category tend to carry some weight, because even in this digital age, quality components tend to weigh more than cheap components.
By this measure, Hisense U7G could not be considered a premium TV. It’s surprisingly lightweight. So much so that I had serious concerns about its overall build quality and its potential to impress me with its performance. But since I moved the U7G very easily from place to place in my test lab, I determined that this TV was built very well and should stand the test of time.
Riley Young / Digital Trends
As a bonus, the U7G is easy to assemble and wall-mount. It only needs a couple of feet to mount on a rack, and for those using a media center or credenza, the U7G has a base footprint of 47.75 inches wide by 10.5 inches deep.
The TV box contains feet, screws for the feet, a Google Voice remote, batteries for the remote, and some paper product literature that you probably won’t need.
Sony Bravia XR Z9J Details
Although we reviewed the 65-inch 65U7G model, our review also applies to other screen sizes available in this series.
| Screen size | Model number | MSRP |
| 55 inch | 55U7G | |
| 65 inch | 65U7G | |
| 75 inch | 75U7G |
Tune
Riley Young / Digital Trends
One of the things I love the most about Hisense TVs is their ease of setup – especially with regards to getting the correct picture mode presets for all the different inputs and streaming apps on board.
I understand that many people buy a TV, plug it in, turn it on, endure the required setup wizard, and then immediately start watching TV without ever touching the picture settings. What a pity. To get the best picture possible on any TV – and especially the Hisense U7G – it’s worth spending a little time, at least a few simple tweaks.
By default, the TV will have a standard picture preset that may ultimately suit your taste, but the TV will also be in power saving mode, which I highly recommend users turn off immediately. This green setting will limit the peak brightness of the TV, and if it is not turned off, they will never know what their TV is actually capable of.
After turning off the eco-mode of the TV, I would also suggest turning off motion smoothing. While motion smoothing is useful for fast-paced sports content, it makes movies and some TV shows look artificial, creating a soap opera effect that I find horrible. However, not everyone agrees with me on this, so if you like fluid motion feel free to leave it on – just know that I will never go and watch TV with you.
Personally, I think it is professional to choose Theater Day as the picture mode. If the color temperature seems a little warm to you, or the image is not as bright, this is normal. Give your eyes a chance to get used to it. I think you will find it looks much more authentic. Theater Day also provides the best brightness for SDR content without the need to change any other settings.
Riley Young / Digital Trends
If “Theater Day” is selected for one HDMI input, it will be selected for the others as well. And if you choose Theater Day on one streaming app, it will default to other streaming apps (again, that’s for SDR content). Most TVs don’t offer this kind of convenience, which is why I praise Hisense for making it easy to set up the TV.
For HDR content, I suggest choosing HDR Theater, and for Dolby Vision, I recommend Dolby Vision Custom. Again, once these picture modes are selected for a single HDMI input or a single streaming application, they will be applied across the board.
One final note on setup: The Android TV / Hisense setup wizard will ask you a lot of privacy-related questions. Take a moment to read this material and make the right choice based on how comfortable you are with collecting data on your browsing habits. Also be aware that you can keep your browsing data to yourself, but this will be at the expense of or at the expense of relevant content suggestions.
Dimensions / characteristics
Riley Young / Digital Trends
As usual for TV reviews, I used a Spectracal C6 colorimeter profiled for the X-Rite i1Pro spectrometer, along with Calman Ultimate software, to measure the U7G’s off-the-shelf performance before making any detailed adjustments. Since few people would pay to calibrate such a TV, I think these numbers are the most valuable.
I checked the maximum brightness for SDR in Theater Night (283 nits) and Theater Day (566 nits). The theater day looks bright enough to provide a beautiful picture in a room with moderate daylight. It’s not overwhelming brightness, but definitely above par for TVs under $ 1,000. The backlight setting can be increased to increase brightness in brighter rooms, but black levels will suffer and begin to look a little grayish.
For HDR Theater mode, I got between 930 and 950 nits depending on how long I tested for peak brightness. I find HDR just under 1000 nits a good figure for a TV in this price class. It’s definitely bright enough to make HDR look like HDR, and again, that’s way above par for a TV in this price class.
Interestingly, I found the standard HDR mode didn’t get any brighter than HDR Theater. This is atypical and is another reason for me to recommend the HDR Theater setting.
I also checked the standard U7G two-point grayscale and found it to be flawless. And I don’t mean just Hisense, I mean the grayscale was on par with the Sony A80J’s precision. I expected this to result in excellent color fidelity, but oddly enough, it didn’t.
Usually an accurate grayscale means that colors will track well, but technically speaking, the TV has color errors that go into the visible spectrum. However, they are not so significant that, I think, most viewers would notice.
Given that the TV is so inexpensive, it might be useful for a videophile on a budget to grab the U7G and ask a professional to calibrate the color. I think that for a small increase in total cost of ownership, a return might be worth getting the right person. However, most people will be happy with the color if not completely impressed.
Backlight and black levels
Riley Young / Digital Trends
I am very impressed with the performance of the Hisense U7G backlight. I have seen little to no black crushing (where dark grays / shadow details are black). There was also surprisingly little bloom and halo around bright objects against a dark background, which is impressive when you consider how bright a TV can get.
I have a new favorite content to check black levels, shadow details, bloom and halo at the same time: Night on Earth , which is available on Netflix. I watch shows with subtitles on and quickly learn everything I need to know about TV backlight controls and black levels ..
The great thing about this Netflix nature documentary is that it’s almost entirely filmed at night – hence the name. They use special cameras and technology to capture night shots – an unprecedented action in nature. The show is, on average, very dark except in the places where it is not, which is a hell of a torture test, and let me tell you that the U7G passed the test with ease.
Riley Young / Digital Trends
I have seen almost no noticeable bleeding around the edges of the TV or halos around bright objects, the best test of which is around closed captioning, which is bright white against an almost jet-black background. It’s rare that I’m not distracted by the backlighting system when watching dark content, but the U7G made me just enjoy the content – that’s a lot of praise.
The HDR highlights were exactly what I expected / wanted from a TV in this price range. I think that in terms of accuracy, the U7G overestimates the brightness curve a little, but it’s nice. In this respect, the U7G reminds me of some Samsung TVs, but with better blacks for the price. HDR had a pop and I loved it.
Movement and handling
The driving characteristics were good – generally in the middle range. I noticed slight stuttering and flickering when I panned vertically, but this was not a constant issue. Movement issues didn’t come up often enough to make me upset, which means I think most people will be very happy with this TV presentation.
Upscaling and handling were generally fine. The U7G doesn’t remove noise as well as, say, a Sony TV, but again, most TVs don’t. In particular, I noticed small color bars in low bit depth content from streaming services. U7G isn’t going to make Bob Ross look like a 4K studio master on PBS, but it’s great for the content most people are going to watch today. For the price, I couldn’t even dream of a better one. It would have to pay MUCH more to get the best handling, so I’ll hand this over to Hisense again to find a good balance.
Games
Riley Young / Digital Trends
According to Xbox Series X 4K TV , Hisense U7G supports almost every available gaming setting, including variable refresh rate. I didn’t expect VRR on this TV, but when I turned it on on Xbox Series X, I had no argument. What a pleasant surprise! I was only able to test the U7G’s HDMI VRR and FreeSync support – the G-Sync jury for PC gamers has yet to be decided.
U7G is perfect for gamers. Input lag is very low (less than 15ms for 4K and about 7ms for 1080p and VRR) and the HDR images are fantastic. Excellent shadow detail and very little motion blur. All the essential elements are in place for a great gaming TV.
Bonus features
Hisense U7G is an Android TV with support for Google Assistant and Google smart home devices. It’s not a fancy platform like Google TV, and U7G has no hope of upgrading to Google TV in the future, but Android TV is a solid platform that will perform well for years to come.
Our opinion
The U7G is by far the best TV you can buy for under $ 1000. That honor was once shared with the TCL R645, however, the price of this TV has skyrocketed due to supply chain issues, which is why U7G owns that title for now. I would also call the U7G the best TV for enthusiasts on a small budget. This TV proves you can get great picture quality without spending a fortune on it.
Is there a better alternative?
For the price, no. U7G offers unique value in 2021. However, the Hisense U8G offers slightly higher performance (brightness) for $ 100-200 more.
How long it will be going on?
The Hisense U7G is designed to perform well for several years in terms of performance and features. Hisense provides a one-year warranty on parts and repairs for its TVs, provided they are used for non-commercial purposes.
Should you buy this?
Yes. The U7G is a great TV. Its low price makes it an easy purchase.
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