Hisense 99.5" Review

Buy this 100-inch Hisense if you want a giant, super-smooth screen for gaming and sports at a decent price. For a better overall TV experience, get a Sony or LG instead.

The Hisense 100" U7 is a massive screen built for one thing: motion. If you're watching fast sports, playing high-refresh-rate games, or just hate blur in action movies, this is your TV. The 165Hz panel is the star of the show, and it's paired with a Mini-LED backlight that delivers solid HDR punch. But let's be clear, you're buying this for the size and the smoothness, not for the absolute best picture quality money can buy. It's a specialist, not a generalist.

The gaming performance is genuinely impressive, landing in the 89th percentile in our database. That 165Hz refresh rate isn't just a marketing bullet point, it makes a real difference in responsiveness and motion clarity. What surprised us was how mediocre the overall picture quality score is (43rd percentile). For a Mini-LED TV at this size and price, we expected it to be a bit stronger. The audio is also a weak spot, scoring in the bottom third, which is disappointing for a set with speakers 'tuned by Devialet'.

At $4500 for a 100-inch screen, the value proposition is all about the size-to-price ratio. You're getting a massive, smooth display for thousands less than a comparable Sony or Samsung. But you are making clear trade-offs in picture quality and sound. If the sheer size and motion handling are your top priorities, it's worth it. If you care more about the absolute best image, it's not.

This TV sits in a weird spot. The Sony BRAVIA 5 98" will absolutely destroy it in picture quality and processing, but it'll cost a lot more and max out at 120Hz for gaming. The LG C5 OLED offers perfect blacks and better overall image quality in a smaller size, but it can't touch the U7's 165Hz refresh rate or its sheer screen presence. And then there's Hisense's own U6 series, which is cheaper but a significant step down in HDR and gaming performance. You're choosing between the U7's specific strengths and a more well-rounded experience from the competition.

If you're a videophile who wants the absolute best picture quality for movie nights, this isn't it. The overall image is just okay. Go get a Sony BRAVIA or an LG OLED instead. You'll sacrifice some size and refresh rate, but you'll get a massively better viewing experience.

We recommend the Hisense 100" U7 if you have a very specific use case: a dedicated gaming or sports-watching room where screen size and motion clarity are the only things that matter. It's a blast for that. For everyone else, especially anyone looking for a primary living room TV with great all-around picture and sound, you should look at the Sony BRAVIA 5 or an LG OLED, even if it means getting a slightly smaller screen. This TV is a one-trick pony, but it does that one trick very well.