The New Hisense U7 Mini LED TV Is Damn Near Perfect
The number one question I get about TVs (and I get plenty) is "How much do I need?" People are talking about how much money they need to spend, but they're also talking about size. How big is too big? Not to mention all the special features and tech crammed into 4K TVs today: Dolby Vision, HDR+, AI processing. The list goes on. But none of those things matter as much as the basics, and if there's one TV brand we've grown to trust to nail the basics its Hisense. I gave its latest mid-range Mini LED gaming TV a spin.
The 2025 U7 model from Hisense is the best and brightest TV in its class. Using proprietary Ultra LED (ULED) display tech, Hisense achieves a color gamut and dynamic range that rivals a true QLED. The U7 boasts a brilliant screen, equipped with a GoogleTV OS (better than FireTV, worse than Roku, in my opinion) for ease of use and a mighty 2.1.2 channel sound system. It's an awesome TV for sports and movies, and no slouch when it comes to gaming either.
I've put the TV through its paces with hands-on testing, and here are my takeaways.
- Impressively bright
- Great colors and contrast in both standard and HDR
- Automatically turns on connected sound and switches inputs when devices are powered on
- Up to 165Hz refresh rate and low input lag mode for gaming
- A good number of HDMI and other ports
- Image quality gets questionable when viewing from a side angle
- Struggles in direct sunlight
- Expensive for a mid-level TV
To be quite honest, I'm loving my time with the U7. I've been testing it in my apartment for a month now and, as an everyday TV, it's excellent. The initial GoogleTV setup is a breeze and once my soundbar and gaming consoles were connected, they were fully integrated. Meaning every time I turn on my PS5 from the controller, the TV and soundbar power up automatically—booting up to the right input too—without me needing to touch a remote. That's something I'm now used to, and switching back to the old ways won't be easy, if I ever do.
I've been testing the 65-inch U7—an upgrade from the 55-inch TCL QLED I'm rocking. This particular TV comes in sizes from 55 inches all the way up to 85 inches. I've seen some of the bigger ones in person outside of my home, and I think 65 inches is the sweet spot for 4K TVs. Unless you have a literal movie theater in your home to put it, there isn't much reason to go bigger. If you buy a U7 you can't go much brighter either. This TV can get aggressively vivid, but thankfully has solid black levels to provide solid contrast.
Whether we were finally catching Final Destination: Bloodlines now that it's on streaming or rewatching Curb, the picture quality never failed to meet the occasion. Sitting down for a night of movies or prestige television, it was nothing but good times. However, when I was off in the kitchen finishing up dinner I began to see the TV's limitations. Combined with the glare from the setting sun, viewing at more indirect angles can get questionable.
Viewing angles weren't my only gripe. There was a fair amount of tweaking settings, which boiled down to turning Hisense's equivalent of motion smoothing off on nearly every preset. I wish I didn't have to do this every time I test a TV, but this is my cross to bear.
In my short time with the product, I've experienced the occasional visual glitch or lack of picture, which can always be fixed by the tried and true "unplug and plug back in" method of tech support. I also thought the sound was decent, but you'll need a subwoofer, or at least a good soundbar, to get that deep cinematic bass to take movies to the next level.
Everything a Console Gamer NeedsI'll admit it, my time testing this TV has been mostly spent gaming. With a dozen hours in Ghost of Tsushima in anticipation of its sequel and a dozen more spent revisiting recent favorites like Astro Bot and Helldivers 2, I've basked in the splendor of Hisense's Game Mode. It's got a familiar offering to anyone who's used a modern TV's game mode, with automated adjustments that reduce latency time and increase refresh rate.
In practice, it's been all I need. Often more than I need, since most console games top out at 60 frames per second and that 165 hertz refresh rate isn't doing anything really. No, most of those features (including Game Mode Pro and AMD Freesync Premium) are there to make the box look good and for the rare PC player who really wants it. Most PC gamers will just get a monitor instead, especially if they are used to mouse and keyboard controls.
Personally, my PS5 games look great on it, and they run as smoothly as they can. and that's all that matters. At the end of the day console gamers (especially on Switch 2) won't need more than this.
Final VerdictWhile not flawless, my time with the Hisense U7 has been as close to the ideal TV viewing experience as I could imagine. It's a great TV—especially for couch gamers—but the 65-inch model comes at a price tag that leaves me hesitant to recommend it with no hesitations.
By getting into the four digit price range with, you are starting to encroach on OLED territory. For not that much more than this Hisense, there are Sony and LG OLED TVs from 2023 and 2024 that will fix your viewing angle and glare issues. Not quite as filled with cutting edge tech, but I have a hunch you'd survive.
- Impressively bright
- Great colors and contrast in both standard and HDR
- Automatically turns on connected sound and switches inputs when devices are powered on
- Up to 165Hz refresh rate and low input lag mode for gaming
- A good number of HDMI and other ports
- Image quality gets questionable when viewing from a side angle
- Struggles in direct sunlight
- Expensive for a mid-level TV
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