Hisense E7N Pro (55E7NQTUK Pro) review: An affordable all-rounder

The Hisense E7N Pro is the brand’s latest mid-range LED LCD 4K TV, supports every HDR format, has a sound system that decodes Dolby Atmos and offers plenty of features for gamers, including the ability to handle frame rates up to 144Hz.

It’s also the first TV I’ve reviewed to support Freely, a new free TV service that allows you to watch live UK television and on-demand content over the internet without the need for a satellite dish, aerial or set-top box. All of which makes this QLED TV a great choice for anyone shopping on a budget.

Hisense E7N Pro (55E7NQTUK Pro): Key specifications

Hisense E7N Pro review: What you need to know

The Hisense E7N Pro is a 4K (3,840 x 2,160) HDR smart LED LCD TV that comes in 55in, 65in, 75in, 85in and 100in screen sizes. As a mid-range model, it uses a 10-bit 144Hz panel with a direct LED local dimming backlight plus quantum dot filters and is affordably priced.

The E7N Pro runs the brand’s VIDAA U 7.6 smart platform and handles every HDR format: HDR10, HLG, HDR10+ Adaptive, and Dolby Vision IQ. There’s also support for eARC, along with Dolby Atmos decoding, a comprehensive choice of streaming video services, and Freely.

The gaming features are also impressive, with two full bandwidth HDMI 2.1 inputs that support ALLM, VRR, and frame rates up to 4K/144Hz, along with Hisense’s Game Bar, and support for AMD Freesync Premium. A very low input lag rounds out an excellent gaming package.

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Hisense E7N Pro review: Price and competition

The Hisense E7N Pro is competitively priced for a mid-range model within the brand’s lineup, and you can buy the 55in version reviewed here for £999. The 65in model will set you back £1,299, the 75in screen size costs £1,699, while the 85in option is available for £2,499. Even the huge 100in model is a very reasonable £3,799.

If you’re not a serious gamer and aren’t bothered about support for high frame rates up to 144Hz, you could always consider the cheaper E7N instead. It’s limited to a 60Hz panel and only comes in two screen sizes, but at £699 for the 55in and £899 for the 65in model it’s great value.

In terms of competition, the most obvious choice is probably the TCL C845K, which also offers a 144Hz LCD panel combined with a direct Mini LED backlight and quantum dot colours. It includes similar gaming features and HDR support, and the 55in model is an absolute steal at just £599.

If you’re looking for an alternative from a more established brand, the 55in Samsung Q60D is worth considering at £1,020. This edge-lit TV doesn’t have local dimming, but it benefits from Samsung’s picture prowess, is feature-packed, and includes the brand’s full Tizen smart OS.

Hisense E7N Pro review: Design, connections and control

The Hisense E7N Pro keeps things simple in terms of design, with a slim black bezel around the screen, and a wider strip along the bottom where the speakers are housed. The TV sits on two widely spaced black feet, but if you’d rather wall mount there are 400 x 200 VESA fixings.

The back of the panel is finished in patterned black plastic, and there’s a combination of rear- and side-facing connections. The majority of inputs are the latter, but unfortunately, they’re only 95mm from the edge, which means cables might be seen poking out the side when viewed from the front.

There are four HDMI inputs (2 x HDMI 2.1 and 2 x HDMI 2.0), two USB ports, terrestrial and satellite tuners, a CI (common interface) slot, an optical digital output, Ethernet port, an AV adapter, and a headphone jack. There’s also Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and AirPlay 2 for wireless connectivity.

All the HDMI inputs support 4K/60Hz, HDR10, HLG, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision, but only the two HDMI 2.1 inputs can handle 4K/144Hz, ALLM and VRR. One of the HDMI 2.1 inputs also supports eARC, meaning you can’t simultaneously connect two next-gen gaming consoles and a soundbar.

The remote is a simple black plastic zapper, but it’s comfortable to hold, easy to use with one hand, and intuitively laid out. All the necessary buttons are included and identified, along with a host of direct access keys for all the main video streaming services, as well as Freely and VIDAA.

Hisense E7N Pro review: Smart TV platform

The Hisense E7N Pro runs the brand’s proprietary VIDAA smart system, which is simple but effective thanks to an interface that presents content in a layered fashion with intuitive navigation. A quad-core processor provides sufficient power to make this navigation slick and responsive.

Along the centre of the home screen are the apps, with promotional material above, and a row of Live TV followed by recommendations below. Down the left-hand side are icons for searches, inputs, settings, and notifications, plus extensive file support for streaming your own content.

The system is easy to navigate and customisable, with a comprehensive choice of video streamers that includes Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+, Now and YouTube. There’s also Freely, which provides access to all the UK TV catch-up services and integrates into a well-designed EPG. You can read more about the platform in our Freely hands-on review.

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Hisense E7N Pro review: Image quality

The Hisense E7N Pro is a solidly specified lower mid-range TV that uses a 4K LCD VA panel with LED backlight and quantum dot colour filters. It can support frame rates up to 144Hz, which should deliver better motion handling, and prove popular with PC and next-gen console gamers.

The use of a VA panel means the black levels are pretty good for LCD, and I measured a contrast ratio of 15,000:1, which is over three times what Hisense claims in its marketing. But the downside is a very narrow optimal viewing angle, with big drop-offs in contrast and colour off-axis.

The E7N Pro uses a direct LED backlight with local dimming, and while Hisense claims fewer than 100 zones in its marketing, I counted 32 (8 x 4). However overall uniformity is good, and the local dimming algorithm managed to avoid obvious blooming despite the limited number of zones.

The E7N Pro ships in the Eco picture mode, but this suffers from the usual excess of blue energy in the greyscale, a gamma that droops massively at the brighter end, and over-saturated colours that result in average DeltaEs (errors) of 12 for the greyscale and just under 10 for the colours.

Switching to the Filmmaker Mode immediately helps, with the average greyscale error dropping to 3.8. However, this is still above the visible threshold of 3 due to there being too much blue. The gamma is tracking better at 2.28, and the colours are also improved, with an average error of 2.9.

While it’s unlikely a TV at this price will be professionally calibrated, there are extensive controls available, and if you do get a calibrator in or have a go yourself, the results can be extremely accurate. I was able to quickly get the greyscale error down to 1.5, and colours down to 1.66.

The video upscaling and processing are both generally good, with the E7N Pro effectively rendering lower-resolution content to match the native 4K panel. The resulting images are clean and crisply detailed, while the processing minimises unwanted artefacts in compressed material.

The overall motion handling is also excellent, with no blurring on fast-paced sports action, and smooth judder-free movement on 24p content that retains a film-like quality. With higher frame rates the E7N Pro delivers exceptional clarity with even the most frenetic gaming motion.

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Hisense E7N Pro review: HDR performance

The Hisense E7N Pro is an equally solid performer with HDR as it is with SDR, although it isn’t that bright – I measured peak luminance of around 400cd/m2 on both a 10% window and full-field pattern. Hisense hasn’t oversold the TV in this regard, however; its marketing states a peak brightness of 400 nits and that’s pretty much bang on. 

When detecting an HDR signal the TV remains in whichever mode was selected for SDR, and using the Filmmaker Mode delivered an accurate greyscale and tracking against the PQ target curve, ensuring highlights aren’t clipped and blacks are free of crush. As a result, whites also appear clean, while the colours are free of any skew thanks to the lack of greyscale errors.

The use of quantum dot filters means the E7N Pro covers the majority of the DCI-P3 colour gamut, and I measured coverage at a vibrant 94%. The colours also closely matched their targets at various saturation points, ensuring that pictures looked natural while also retaining plenty of punch.

The limited brightness is less of an issue as long as the tone mapping remains effective, and here the E7N Pro does well. Content graded at 1,000/4,000/10,000 nits appears correct with no crushed blacks or clipped highlights. HDR10+ and Dolby Vision also look excellent, with correctly tone-mapped images thanks to the addition of the dynamic metadata used by both formats.

The E7N Pro also supports Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive, where the tone mapping can be adjusted based on the measurements from a light meter, allowing the HDR to generally appear brighter overall when watching in ambient light, even if purists will prefer watching in the dark.

Despite its inherent HDR limitations, the E7N Pro produced a good performance thanks to the accuracy of the greyscale, colours and tone mapping. The HDR may lack some punch in specular highlights, but I found films like Dune Part Two retained a pleasing vibrancy. The unbleached desert vistas didn’t lose any detail in the brighter parts, while the shadowy interiors were free of crush.

To test the Hisense E7N Pro we used Portrait Displays Calman colour calibration software.

Hisense E7N Pro review: Gaming

The Hisense E7N Pro is a TV that’s been designed with cost-conscious gamers in mind. Its Game Mode Pro and ALLM combine to detect consoles and switch to the low latency mode, in which I measured lag at just 13ms. That figure rose slightly in Filmmaker Mode but only to 24ms, which is still an impressive result. 

The E7N Pro also supports high frame rate gaming up to 4K/144Hz with VRR, and AMD Freesync Premium, allowing PC and console gamers to enjoy super-smooth motion. A pop-up Game Bar provides info on the TV’s gaming status, such as ALLM, VRR, frame rate and HDR.

There’s no risk of any image retention or screen burn-in with this LCD panel, and the overall gaming experience is great thanks to the low input lag, detailed 4K images, and incredibly smooth high frame rate motion.

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Hisense E7N Pro review: Sound quality

The Hisense E7N Pro is sonically well-endowed for a TV, with a 2.1-channel speaker system that includes 10W for each speaker, and 20W for the built-in woofer. On top of that, it can decode Dolby Atmos and includes DTS Virtual: X, with support for the latter still something of a rarity.

I found the overall sound quality to be reasonable, with the amps driving the speakers and sub with sufficient power to allow the E7N Pro to go loud without distorting. The soundstage has both width and balance, while the treble and mid-range are capable of handling most mixed content audio.

The overall delivery is clear, ensuring dialogue retains clarity and focus on the screen, while the woofer adds a degree of low-end response. However expectations should be managed, and if you want sound with the scale to match the bigger screen sizes, you should consider investing in a soundbar. I recently reviewed Hisense’s AX5125H, which offers 5.1.2-channel surround sound and is incredible value for money at £350. 

Hisense E7N Pro review: Verdict

The Hisense E7N Pro is a solid mid-range 4K TV that offers some really big screen sizes, plenty of features, and competitive pricing. The SDR performance is generally good, despite the limited number of local dimming zones, and while the HDR lacks brightness it delivers pleasing vibrancy.

The E7N Pro is also a capable gaming TV with high-frame-rate support and a low input lag, making it an excellent all-rounder. The only downside for Hisense is that it faces some stiff competition, especially from fellow Chinese brand TCL. However, with Freely on board, Hisense has the advantage where access to those all-important UK TV catch-up services is concerned, the importance of which shouldn’t be underestimated.