Verdict
On paper, the Hisense Canvas S7 seems ready to take the challenge to Samsung’s Frame models. In reality, its picture and sound disappoint with an underwhelming performance. Save up for the Samsung Frame instead
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Frames included with the TV
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Matte screen is good against reflection
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Good specs on… paper
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Less expensive than the Samsung Frame
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Poor contrast
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Weak black levels
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Picture lacks sharpness and detail
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Unbalanced sound system
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Expensive considering its performance
Key Features
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Matte screen
Reduces the impact of relfections -
Art Mode
Decorate your TV with art from around the world -
Gaming
Supports refresh rates up 144Hz
Introduction
Lifestyle TVs are in vogue. Samsung was the first to make a splash, opening up a path for people who want a TV that complements their décor. Others followed in their wake, keen to make waves in a market that carries a premium price tag.
Hisense is one of those companies that has waded into the lifestyle TV waters, though it could be said that it has dipped its toes rather than making a splash with the Canvas.
They say imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, in which case Hisense must be infatuated with Samsung’s Frame series. The Canvas TV adopts the same approach, taking many of the same ideas Samsung has brought to the living room.
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Can Hisense usurp Samsung’s original, or is the Canvas TV merely just a replica?
Design
- StyleSwap bezels
- Quick to assemble
- Matte screen for reflections
Currently, the Hisense Canvas S7 is available in the UK in 55- and 65-inch sizes.
The biggest attraction is the customisable bezel, which magnetically attaches to the frame of the TV. Unlike Samsung, who only offer a ‘frame’ with ‘no colour’, Hisense includes a Teak version of its StyleSwap bezels. With Samsung, it’s an optional extra that can cost up to £200.
The Canvas looks handsome enough with the bezels applied, though the frame doesn’t feel the most secure, with a tendency to slip or fall off when I tried to move the TV. Best to look at but probably not touch.
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Assembling the TV is quick – just over a minute – with its feet at either side (so wide AV furniture is required). Prefer to wall-mount? There’s an ultra slim mount included to get the screen flush against the wall.
The matte screen does a good job of reducing reflections – ambient light, bright lights, reflections in a room are all given the reducer, though negatives tot up in terms of picture quality. I’ll get to that later.
But before that, viewing angles – which aren’t that great. Off-axis viewing sees brightness and colours fade with blooming noticeable as well. In terms of viewing position, you’re best served sitting head on.
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Features
- Art Mode
- Full HDR support
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The Art Mode is, well, like Samsung’s Art Mode. It offers users access to artwork from various galleries to display on the TV. It’s not as extensive or as formidable in terms of partnerships Samsung has accrued, but there’s plenty of kickstart your own version of the Saatchi gallery, and the ability to use your own images for a more personal touch or AI generated art.
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There’s a built-in motion detector that recognises when you’re nearby to switch back to the art on TV. The TV’s RGB light sensor claims it can adapt the picture’s brightness and colour temperature in real-time for the best performance, regardless of whether it’s day or night.
On the AV front, it’s a Quantum Dot, QLED screen, though this isn’t a Mini LED backlight, with a less complex Direct LED backlight marshalling brightness, black levels, and contrast.
There’s HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive, which ticks off all the main HDR formats, the latter two adapting the performance for day and dark viewing.
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The built-in sound system comprises four speakers to make a 2.0.2 system, capable of 36W of power – more than your average TV. More surprising is the lack of Dolby Atmos (though online retailers suggest otherwise) but there is DTS Virtual:X for some spatial trickery (with DTS tracks).
WiSA SoundSend connects wirelessly to compatible speakers, while CineStage X – which I can’t say I’ve heard of – is Hisense’s surround sound technology that it says allows for a more cinema-like experience.
User Experience
- Freely support
- Gaming Hub
VIDAA has gained recognition over the years as an accessible, simple and hard-to-dislike user interface and for the Hisense Canvas S7N, that’s exactly what it needs for the audience it’s looking for. In the US, you’ll find that Google TV is the interface of choice.
It features all the entertainment apps you’d want – I won’t bother with a rundown, but they are all here, with Netflix the first port of call.
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Inputs are easily located with quick access to the last used input. There’s a section for live TV, more apps that includes subscriptions and free options; as well as a Kids hub that offers family friendly content.
Interested in football? Hisense are keen to remind you the World Cup 2026 is not far away, with its own hub tucked away in the interface (Hisense is a sponsor, after all).
There’s also Freely, available for UK customers with access to catch-up and on-demand apps such as BBC iPlayer and ITVX over a Wi-Fi connection though antennae broadcasts are still supported.
Freely’s integration runs smoother than on Panasonic TVs I’ve tested, without the lag or grievous loading times. You can add shows to your My List (a little more sensible here since Hisense doesn’t have its ‘list’ like Fire TV or TiVo).
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Got a taste for K-pop? There’s a dedicated channel for that on Freely (and it’s all the way at the bottom).
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There’s the aforementioned Art Mode as well as a Gaming Hub with cloud gaming options, the option of adding a wireless controller, and free games you can play without one. The Art Mode and Gaming Hub serve to amplify that mirroring of Samsung’s set-up.
Hisense VIDAA interface is responsive, flows well enough down the page without too much clutter and is easy to figure out. VIDAA has evolved to offer something for the whole family, adults and children alike.
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Connectivity
- Four HDMI inputs
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections
The four HDMI inputs are all claimed to support HDMI 2.1, which boosts the performance, in particular with gaming.
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The rest of the inputs include CI+ 2.0, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, two RF tuners for broadcasts, Ethernet, and optical output (for audio). HDMI eARC support means you can add a Dolby Atmos/DTS:X soundbar for a higher quality sound experience.
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth make up the wireless options. In terms of connectivity, what you get from the Hisense Canvas S7 is par for the course.
Gaming
- 144Hz refresh rates
- Game Bar
The Hisense Canvas S7 is, surprisingly, no slouch with gaming. The ALLM mode puts the TV into its most receptive state for gaming, an input lag I measured to be 13.8ms – a decently fast figure in this day and age of gaming TVs.
There’s VRR, so even lower latency is within reach, with 4K/120Hz supported for game consoles and up to 144Hz refresh rates for PC gamers to ensure a smooth and speedy response. Even AMD FreeSync Premium is supported to optimise visuals for PC games.
Hisense’s Game Bar allows for customisation of features on the fly – the Canvas S7 is well specc’d TV for games even if the market for this model is more likely to indulge in a spot of casual gaming.
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Picture Quality
- Weak contrast
- Lacks sharpness and detail
- Average brightness
Design, interface, specs – the Hisense Canvas seems to deliver, but the most important factor is picture, and on that front the Hisense suffers.
Some of the issues can’t be avoided and have plagued Samsung’s Frame models, namely, the matte screen. While it’s great at blocking reflections, contrast, sharpness and black levels take a hit.
Watching Alien: Romulus in Dolby Vision HDR, black levels are shallow and thin. Watching Disney’s Soul and black levels are again lacking, backlight bleeding is noticeable and there’s blooming too. With Civil War (HDR10), black levels have a slight green tint to them. Bad Times at the El Royale in HDR10+ is afflicted by the same shallow black levels.
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Whatever HDR title I watch, black levels are the weakest aspect about the Canvas S7’s performance, rendering films and TV series flat and murky in darker scenes. Not helping are instances of Dirty Screen Effect, bringing discolouration to the table.
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Contrast isn’t great, not helped by average levels of brightness for a TV priced near £1000. The Hisense Canvas S7 can reach close to 550 nits, which is where you’ll start to see the benefits of HDR; but weak contrast and dusty levels of sharpness see those benefits fade.
The TV’s levels of clarity, sharpness and detail are not great, and this becomes a problem with dark scenes – the helicopter scene in Zero Dark Thirty is soft, bearing on unfocused. This is not close to being 4K sharp, not helped by the matte screen.
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Colours are where the Canvas S7 performs its best. In brighter scenes, the Hisense displays richer, more saturated and slightly wider range of colours than a Samsung Q7F. It’s a small win in the grand scheme of things.
When it comes to motion processing, avoid using Smooth or Standard modes. Clear offers the best performance.
The Dynamic mode amps up the performance with some colours, but it doesn’t look bright for a Dynamic mode (it’s less bright than the TV’s Standard mode), and the processing of the Hisense makes for an over sharpened image. The matte screen does the TV no favours, but Samsung has manoeuvred around these limitations. Hisense hasn’t learned that trick yet.
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Upscaling
It’s a similar performance when upscaling lower than 4K resolution. Black levels are weak, contrast isn’t the best even with Blu-rays. Compared to a TCL Roku TV that’s more than half the price of the Hisense, it’s bested in terms of clarity, detail and sharpness with a soft looking image.
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It’s summed up in a scene from Game of Thrones season 5 where Sansa is on a boat travelling to another. On the TCL Roku you can see here face clearly through the fog. On the Hisense her face and the boat are almost completely shrouded, so murky are the black levels on this TV.
A DVD of King Kong shows both the Hisense and TCL on an even enough keel. The Hisense shows a little more punch, and the it tidies up better in terms of noise, but the difference isn’t always huge and the Hisense’s colour performance can be inconsistent.
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Sound Quality
- Distortion with bass and treble
- Smooth dialogue delivery
- Loud and energetic sound
Perhaps the strangest aspect of the Hisense Canvas’ performance is its built-in sound system. It’s both entertaining and ragged.
It’s a warm presentation that robs the TV of clarity and detail but the Canvas S7 delivers a smooth presentation with dialogue.
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But it behaves strangely. With The Couple Next Door on Channel 4, there’s distortion at both ends of the frequency range. Highs are confusingly bright and fuzzy, there’s mild distortion with bass – it’s just overcooked.
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With Blade Runner 2049 the sound is what I’d call uncomfortable. Treble sounds fuzzy and distorted – just not very clear at all. Switching through the TV’s sound modes and Standard is also distorted; Theatre is less so but lacking clarity and detail.
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Bass is hard, distorted and uncomfortable to listen to through the TV’s speakers, which makes me suspect it doesn’t support Dolby Atmos at all (or is doing a strange job of processing the signal).
The soundstage is big, and the TV gets very loud even at volume level 26 (any higher and you may want to wear ear defenders). In Civil War its energy works in its favour in some of the film’s more hectic scenes – there are even overhead effects that genuinely feel as if they’re high up on the TV screen
It can entertain but it’s also ragged and unbalanced. This TV is crying out for a soundbar.
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Should you buy it?
A slightly less expensive version of the Frame
If you find Samsung’s Frame models too expensive, then there’s the Hisense Canvas; but that’s the only reason I can think of for buying this over the Frame.
A poor performance for the price
Average brightness, weak black levels, panel issues, lack of detail and sharpness; plus a sound system that’s a bit ragged. The picture and sound are the weakest parts fo the Canvas’ performance
Final Thoughts
On paper, the Hisense Canvas S7 would seem a good TV. In the real world, its picture and sound are lacking, and simply not worth what is a high asking price, especially when it doesn’t outperform a TV priced at £399.
Given Hisense’s strong performance in 2025, this is something of a flat note. The matte screen saves the TV from reflections but negatively impacts the picture. The sound system can entertain, but it is very unbalanced.
Samsung’s Frame TVs aren’t perfect, but there’s a level of finesse the Hisense Canvas doesn’t have. This is an imitation and not a great one at that. Not quite F for Fake but unfortunately for Hisense, this is not the real deal.
How We Test
The Hisense Canvas S7N was tested over several months, using 4K Blu-rays, Blu-ray, DVD discs and streaming apps.
Input lag was measured with a Leo Bodnar 4K lag tester.
Spears & Munsil UHD Benchmark disc was used toe examine viewing angles, brightness and colour accuracy.
- Tested over several months
- Tested with real world use
- Benchmarked with Spears & Munsil UHD disc
- Input lag measured
FAQs
What colours does the Hisense StyleSwap frames come in?
There’s the Teak colour that’s included with the TV, as well as Walnut and White versions.
Test Data
Hisense Canvas S7N
Input lag (ms)
13.8 ms
Peak brightness (nits) 5%
542 nits
Peak brightness (nits) 2%
542 nits
Peak brightness (nits) 10%
542 nits
Peak brightness (nits) 100%
542 nits
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Full Specs
Hisense Canvas S7N Review
UK RRP
£999
Manufacturer
Hisense
Screen Size
54.6 inches
Size (Dimensions)
1256 x 39 x 733 MM
Size (Dimensions without stand)
x 1232 x INCHES
Weight
19.4 KG
ASIN
B0DLLDJZBP
Operating System
VIDAA
Release Date
2025
Resolution
3840 x 2160
HDR
Yes
Types of HDR
HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+ Adaptive
Refresh Rate TVs
60 – 144 Hz
Ports
Four HDMI, CI+ 2.0, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, two RF tuners for broadcasts, Ethernet, optical output
HDMI (2.1)
eARC, ALLM, VRR, HFR
Audio (Power output)
36 W
Connectivity
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Display Technology
QLED
