LG 55 B4 vs Sony A95L

The brightness results in HDR materials LG B4 are very good. It is true that none of them exceed 1000 nits, although the luminance stability is excellent and looks practically the same in every scenario. The only moment where the tested television performs worse is the last scene, although this should not come as a surprise. Large frames filled with a lot of white have always been, and will likely continue to be, somewhat of a weakness for OLED televisions. However, the combination of perfect contrast, black levels, and brightness in the LG B4 allows for a full spectrum of the HDR effect. Additionally, the incredibly high coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut, which reached 99%, deserves recognition. As a result, colours look incredibly vibrant and stunning.

Sony A95L offers an incredible HDR effect, achieving an impressive brightness level of 1500 nits in scenes such as those from Life of Pi and Sicario 2. These results are truly remarkable – the bright elements in these films practically come alive on the screen, providing the viewer with immersive visual experiences. The only thing to note is minor issues with maintaining brightness in the scene from The Meg, where the entire scene is flooded with light. However, this is a natural effect associated with OLED technology. A big plus also goes to the wide coverage of the BT.2020 colour palette at 89%, which places A95L Sony among the top TVs in terms of colour reproduction. All of this is made possible by the QD-OLED panel from Samsung Displays.

The best factory mode prepared by the manufacturer is "Filmmaker," and we used it throughout the entire testing procedure. We must admit that the unit we received straight out of the box had quite decent colour reproduction. The biggest issue in both SDR and HDR content turned out to be white balance. In the former, there was a strong dominance of red, resulting in a noticeable yellow tint in the displayed image, particularly evident on skin tones and whites. In high-quality materials, this colour was also pronounced, but due to a lack of blue, there were also signs of green visible. Besides these shortcomings, we also encountered issues with greyscale and the colours themselves.

The best factory mode for colour reproduction on the Sony A95L is IMAX Enhanced. This mode seems well-calibrated at first glance, but upon closer analysis, several areas for improvement become apparent. Firstly, the white balance for both SDR and 4K HDR content is marred by an excess of blue and red hues, leading to a subtle pink tint, particularly noticeable on neutral tones. As a result, skin tones are skewed, affecting the realism of the displayed image. This is clearly visible in the comparison photo below. Additionally, the Colour Checker test confirms the presence of these errors – the colour samples often deviate from their reference values, indicating some inaccuracies in the factory colour reproduction of the A95L Sony. The maximum deltaE error values reach up to 5.8, which is a clear indicator that colours are not always reproduced as accurately as they should be.

Regarding brightness characteristics, the gamma for HD/SDR content is generally quite good, maintaining an appropriate balance between brightness and contrast. Unfortunately, a significant jump is visible at the end of the graph, leading to a strong brightening of the image when the screen is fully flooded with white. This can make scenes with very bright backgrounds, such as snowy landscapes or intense daylight, appear too glaring and lose detail. For HDR content, the EOTF curve, which controls luminance, is slightly elevated compared to reference values. This, in turn, causes the image to be somewhat brighter than it should be, which can affect the perception of more subtle details in the darker areas of the frame.

LG B4 has been providing very advanced calibration tools in its TVs for years. We can even say that as the only manufacturer on the market, it allows for such deep intervention in image adjustment. Thanks to these, we were able to calibrate the device so well. The evidence of this is the extremely low deltaE errors, which can be said to stand at a reference level. Both SDR and HDR materials now look exactly as the film director intended. It is no coincidence that TVs of this brand are most often used as preview screens for various graphic or post-production studios.

Sony A95L offers excellent tools for professional screen calibration, allowing you to maximise the potential of the IMAX Enhanced mode. We used them to achieve an image quality that satisfies even the most demanding viewers. After calibration, the white balance for both 4K HDR and SDR content looks simply fantastic – nearly perfect. The Colour Checker test confirmed that deltaE errors do not exceed a value of "2", which means that colour reproduction is extremely accurate, and any deviations are practically imperceptible to the human eye.

The calibration also brought a significant improvement in brightness – gamma is now perfectly balanced, eliminating the previous problem of excessive brightening in scenes with very bright backgrounds. Thanks to this, even the brightest moments, such as snowy landscapes or intense daytime scenes, appear natural, without the risk of blown-out highlights. The EOTF curve, responsible for controlling luminance in HDR content, has also been improved – it now reaches reference levels in both synthetic tests and practical movie watching.

As a result of the calibration, A95L Sony provides an excellent experience, whether you are watching regular TV content or your favourite films. Every detail is reproduced exactly as the creators intended – without unnecessary brightenings, with perfectly rendered colours and appropriate depth. This shows that this television, after professional tuning, can compete with the best screens on the market, offering an image that truly impresses.

In this paragraph, we will take another look at the tonal transition smoothing feature, but we will also check how the TV handles lower quality material. As we have managed to check, the setting responsible for smooth gradation works quite effectively, although it has its weaker moments. While the feature works well with SDR content, it becomes less useful with HDR content. Even at the lowest of options, it blurs essential details, so we advise against using it.

The image scaling on LG B4 is rated fairly moderately positively. Although there is no edge splitting, the image itself is naturally "soft". We can change this by adjusting the sharpness slider.

The tonal transition smoothing function in Sony A95L works really well and is worth noting. We recommend setting it to "Medium" level, as this value achieves an ideal compromise – no artifacts appear, and the image looks incredibly natural and pleasing to the eye. This ensures that transitions between different shades are smooth while maintaining scene detail, which further enhances viewing comfort.

When it comes to upscaling, you can see the full power of the XR processor here. Sony A95L handled our test material featuring a model exceptionally well – the image is remarkably clear, there are no excessive jagged edges, and the background details are perfectly preserved. The XR processor effectively improves low resolution, providing very good results that allow you to enjoy content in nearly high quality, even if its source is not perfect.

The maximum refresh rate we can set on the LG B4 is 120 Hz. This is the absolute minimum for those who require high image smoothness. The manufacturer has implemented a multi-level motion smoother called "TruMotion". It has been divided into two separate sliders that adjust the sharpness of moving images (De-Blur) and stuttering (De-Judder). Both sliders can be set in the range from 0 to 10, with each level affecting the degree of smoothness, so everyone can find their sweet spot.

The LG OLED B4 panel features an average response time of 0.1 ms (which directly results from our measurements), allowing for an incredibly clear image, unattainable for LCD TVs, which have response times of even several milliseconds. This can be clearly seen in images from the "UFO Test", showing no trace of blur trailing behind the object.

Sony A95L is a television that should satisfy both gamers and movie enthusiasts. When it comes to watching films, this model is equipped with Motionflow technology, which allows you to precisely adjust whether you want the image to be more "framey," like in traditional cinema, or exceptionally smooth, like in cinema TVs. The "Smoothness" slider allows you to control the level of fluidity – from subtle changes to more noticeable effects, while the "Clarity" slider reduces flicker and artifacts, helping to achieve more natural and clear movement. When it comes to gaming and watching sports, the A95L Sony offers a refresh rate of 120 Hz, making every dynamic action look incredibly smooth. Gamers will appreciate the lack of blur, and sports fans will see every movement in full clarity. Overall, the television performs excellently – both with fast-paced gameplay and emotionally charged film sequences.

The LG B4 television is equipped with four full-fledged HDMI 2.1 ports with a full bandwidth of 48Gbps. All functions corresponding to this standard activated without any issues, and throughout the entire testing procedure, they caused no problems. The combination of such extensive functionality and low input lags leads us to say that the tested television is truly designed for gaming. This is not surprising, considering that the manufacturer has always placed great emphasis on this. Therefore, we can enjoy both a properly implemented HGIG mode and gameplay in Dolby Vision with low latency. Such a tandem will surely attract the attention of all passionate gamers for whom quality is the most important.

A standard feature in televisions from the Korean manufacturer is also the implementation of GameBar, allowing for quick adjustments of settings "on the fly," without the need to exit the game. It also enables image adjustments for individuals with visual impairments, which is an extremely nice touch. Another important piece of information is that when the VRR technology is turned on, we will not experience a drop in contrast. This is, of course, due to the construction of the panel and the lack of conventional backlighting. However, it is normal for shades of grey to flicker slightly, although this is a characteristic feature of this function regardless of the manufacturer and the television.

In summary: The LG B4, like all OLEDs from the manufacturer equipped with 120Hz panels and HDMI 2.1 ports, creates a harmonious whole with the console. In practice, it is a complete television, and if we expect the highest possible efficiency in gaming, the B4 will be the ideal choice.

Sony A95L is a television that will truly satisfy gamers, thanks to several key features that set it apart from the competition. To begin with, the 120 Hz refresh rate – this is something that anyone who loves fast-paced action games, racing, or dynamic shooters will appreciate. This makes the image exceptionally smooth, and gameplay more satisfying, without annoying stutters. The A95L Sony also has an ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) feature, which automatically activates low-latency mode when we start up a console. What does this mean? Primarily, faster reactions on screen, which in games where every second counts, is simply invaluable. Added to that is VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), which ensures that the image refresh rate adapts to the number of frames generated by the console. The effect? No tearing of the image, and everything looks smooth and cohesive – even with varying FPS.

It's worth mentioning the support for Dolby Vision with low input lag in games – something we don't often see in televisions, but here it is included. As a result, the image in HDR-compatible games is incredibly vibrant, with vivid colors and excellent contrast. Both the brightest and darkest details are visible, making everything look just as the game developers intended. And there's also the "Game Bar" – a small but very practical convenience. It gives us all the essential gaming-related settings at our fingertips, such as VRR and lag information. There's no need to interrupt gameplay to adjust settings – everything is at hand.

However, it's important to note that the A95L offers only two full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports, one of which is allocated for eARC. This could be somewhat limiting if we plan to connect multiple devices – for example, a next-gen console and a soundbar simultaneously. In such cases, eARC occupying one of those ports may be a bit problematic, blocking the option to connect a second console.