The appeal of the 55A7GQ is clear: it offers 55 inches of 4K, HDR-capable visuals for just £499.

Dive deeper, and the 55A7GQ reveals more than just affordability. It's powered by Hisense’s advanced VIDAA platform, includes support for Dolby Vision alongside standard HDR formats, boasts built-in Dolby Atmos sound, and features a Quantum Dot color system.

So, what's the catch?

Price

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Paying just £499 for a 55-inch 4K TV is hard to resist. When that 55-inch TV also offers a number of mid-range features, you’re looking at a potential bargain of the year.

Hisense typically varies its TV range for different territories, so it’s not surprising to find no direct equivalent of the 55A7GQ available in the US. There is a Hisense A7G range in Australia, but it doesn’t come with the same specifications. In particular, it lacks Quantum Dot colors.

In addition to the 55-inch version reviewed here, the UK’s A7GQ range includes 43, 50, 58, 65, and 75-inch models, currently priced at £379, £460, £549, £670, and £999 respectively.

Design

Our product's design is a harmonious blend of form and function. With sleek contours and meticulous craftsmanship, it promises not only aesthetic appeal but also practical utility. The user-friendly interface and thoughtful layout make it an ideal choice for both tech enthusiasts and casual users.

The 55A7GQ boasts a premium look without the hefty price tag. The bottom edge is adorned with a sleek silver, metallic-like finish while the other three edges are slim and sport a polished black finish. The screen sits flush with the frame, adding to its sophisticated appearance.

The desktop stand, though not actually metallic, presents a stylish 'open' design that seamlessly fits into your decor without being obtrusive.

Even with the stand attached, the TV remains lightweight, subtly hinting that not all shiny surfaces are metal. However, the high-quality build ensures that the plastic components are not noticeable from a typical viewing distance.

While the 55A7GQ is slightly deeper at the back compared to other modern TVs, this is due to Hisense's commendable choice of using a direct LED backlight, which we can't complain about.

The remote control, although lightweight and plasticky with an abundance of buttons, becomes intuitive after a few uses. It's convenient to find direct access buttons for Youtube Music, Youtube, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Rakuten, and Freeview Play.

Features

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Experience the stunning visuals of the 55A7GQ TV, featuring native 4K resolution and support for HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision high dynamic range formats. While HDR10+ isn't included, the presence of Dolby Vision at this price point is impressive.

The TV offers a wider color gamut than typical LCD TVs, thanks to a Quantum Dot color system. Combined with direct LED lighting, the 55A7GQ delivers remarkable performance for its price.

However, the absence of local dimming and the use of an IPS-style LCD panel, as opposed to a VA one, raises some concerns. While IPS screens provide wider viewing angles, they often struggle with black levels and contrast.

For gamers, the 55A7GQ may not support 4K/120Hz gaming, but its three HDMI ports handle variable refresh rates (up to 60Hz) and non-HDR 1080p at 120Hz. Although the 60Hz screen can't fully render 120Hz frames, it checks a compatibility box.

Additionally, the TV's HDMI ports support ALLM (Automatic Low Latency Mode), perfect for devices like the Xbox Series X. In Game mode, the TV delivers an impressive 14.6ms input lag.

The 55A7GQ includes other convenient inputs such as a pair of USB ports, an optical digital audio output, an Ethernet port, a headphone jack, and Wi-Fi support.

The fifth generation of Hisense's VIDAA system powers the smart features, offering a clean layout, responsive performance, and a robust set of streaming apps, now including Disney Plus. Unfortunately, Apple TV+ is still missing.

Rounding out the features is built-in Dolby Atmos decoding, supported by an eARC HDMI that can transmit lossless Atmos to compatible soundbars or AV receivers.

Picture

The visual quality of this product stands out remarkably. The vibrant colors and deep contrast ensure an immersive viewing experience, making every scene come to life. The clarity and detail are simply extraordinary, providing a visual feast for the eyes.

Color Reproduction

Thanks to advanced color technologies, the hues are rich and accurate. Whether you're watching a thrilling action movie or a serene nature documentary, the colors are true-to-life and highly engaging.

Resolution

With high-definition resolution, you won't miss a single detail. Each pixel works harmoniously to deliver sharp images, enhancing your overall viewing experience. It's like bringing a cinematic experience into your home.

Contrast and Brightness

The contrast ratio is impressive, offering deep blacks and dazzling whites that make the image pop. Additionally, the brightness levels are optimized to suit various lighting conditions, ensuring clear visibility even in brightly lit rooms.

Viewing Angles

Worried about sitting off to the side? This product maintains excellent picture quality across a wide range of viewing angles. Everyone in the room can enjoy the show without compromising on visual quality.

Motion Handling

Fast-paced scenes remain smooth and fluid, thanks to superior motion handling capabilities. Whether it's a high-speed car chase or a fast-paced sports match, you're in for a seamless viewing experience.

Overall, the picture quality is nothing short of impressive, making it a top choice for viewers seeking an exceptional visual experience.

Let’s get right to the point: the 55A7GQ’s picture quality is quite a letdown, especially considering the recent improvements in Hisense TVs.

The major issue is the significant lack of black level response. Dark scenes are obscured by excessive greyness, making it hard to discern details. For instance, during the scene with Voldemort’s army gathering above Hogwarts in the final Harry Potter film, the greyness is so overwhelming that it’s difficult to see anything clearly, almost as if Voldemort is alone.

It’s not just the darkest scenes that suffer. Any scene that isn’t brightly lit ends up looking flat, with colors muted and contrast diminished due to the pervasive greyness.

Hisense offers several picture tweaks, like picture presets and an Adaptive Contrast mode. Unfortunately, the black level problems are so intrinsic to the 55A7GQ’s image that these adjustments provide little help. The Low and Medium Adaptive Contrast settings actually worsen black levels, while the High setting offers only minor improvement, far from a real solution.

Additionally, the High Adaptive Contrast setting leads to distracting shifts in the image’s brightness as the TV attempts to boost black levels by adjusting the backlighting based on content analysis. This system is so sluggish and heavy-handed that it often exacerbates the contrast issues.

Regarding picture presets, the HDR Day and Night settings perform worse than the default Standard setting by diminishing bright highlights and allowing the greyness to dominate.

The only adjustment that significantly affected the black level issue was reducing the backlight setting to near zero. However, this darkens the image so much that it’s as difficult to watch as the overly grey default setting.

It might have been easier to forgive the 55A7GQ’s black level problems if it delivered exceptional brightness. However, when compared side by side with competitors, it’s evident that the 55A7GQ’s peak brightness is comparable to other budget sets and substantially lower than most mid-range models.

The 55A7GQ’s limited brightness levels significantly hamper its performance with HDR images. Combined with the lack of black level depth, HDR images fall short of expectations, barely looking HDR at all.

Moreover, playing HDR on the 55A7GQ tends to worsen black levels.

The issues seem to stem from a mix of its IPS panel and its budget QD colour system. Ironically, the IPS panel fails to deliver the expected viewing angle benefits. Even at slight angles, contrast becomes worse.

Despite its poor black level performance, further inspection reveals additional problems. Brightness borders can be seen around the image edges, and occasional areas of backlight clouding appear.

Additionally, the 55A7GQ's upscaling of sub-4K sources is basic. While it enhances sharpness and definition, it fails to separate source noise from actual image details, exaggerating grain in the process.

However, the 55A7GQ avoids a complete picture quality wash-out on a few fronts. Its native 4K pictures are impressively sharp and crisp, with minimal judder and blurring when using the Clear Motion setting.

Though impacted by grey overwash, the TV's core colour processing shows enough subtlety in blends and tones, similar to other Hisense TVs.

The black level and brightness limitations are less noticeable with game graphics, especially in SDR. Contrast looks better, and colours appear richer and more credible. The sharp detailing and clean motion in game mode also complement gaming graphics.

In conclusion, while the 55A7GQ gets some aspects right, these positives don't outweigh the significant drawbacks.

Sound

Experience pristine audio quality with our cutting-edge products designed to deliver an immersive sonic experience. Whether you're a casual listener or a die-hard audiophile, our offerings ensure you hear every note with stunning clarity. Step into a world of rich, layered soundscapes that captivate your senses and elevate your listening pleasure.

Our commitment to excellence ensures each product is meticulously engineered to produce superior sound quality. From deep bass to crystal-clear highs, feel the difference with each beat. Discover how our innovations can redefine your audio experience and bring your favorite tunes to life.

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The 55A7GQ’s audio offers a notably satisfying experience, outperforming its picture quality by a noticeable margin. The sound is crisp and detailed, especially with Dolby Atmos soundtracks. It's clean and can reach impressive volumes without any cabinet buzzing or low-frequency distortions.

While heavy bass lines might sound a bit muffled due to a lack of deep low-frequency extension, the highs can occasionally come off slightly harsh during dense soundtrack moments. Nonetheless, the mid-range is wide and dynamic enough to keep you engaged, even with epic movie soundtracks. Despite the speakers not projecting the sound far beyond the immediate area of the screen, the overall audio still manages to impress.

Verdict

Hisense's recent success takes a nosedive with the 55A7GQ. While there are merits in this TV, its contrast performance is so weak that dark or even mid-bright scenes fail to deliver a convincing visual experience. In fact, it can be challenging to discern what's happening on screen.

Despite the 55A7GQ's affordability for a 55-inch TV, this is a case where a low price doesn't necessarily mean good value.