Compare: Philips OLED909 vs TCL A300W NXTVision

Philips OLED909 is undoubtedly a highlight of engineering from the Dutch manufacturer for 2024. When it comes to picture quality, the television delivers what you can expect from OLED technology – deep blacks and infinite contrast. Additionally, it is equipped with META technology (MLA microlenses), which significantly enhances its brightness and further improves the already excellent viewing angles of organic matrix televisions. This makes HDR effects look phenomenal, and the television will satisfy most users looking for great picture quality in this class of devices. In terms of motion fluidity, the OLED909 does not disappoint either. The 144 Hz panel, combined with a full set of gaming features like HDMI 2.1, ALLM, and VRR, makes it a perfect choice for gaming enthusiasts. Both fast-paced shooters and spectacular racing games will look smooth and responsive. Regarding usability, the television is equipped with the Google TV operating system, just like the model OLED809. This solution is significantly better than TitanOS, which we find in the lower series OLED 769 from the Dutch manufacturer. It provides access to a massive number of applications, easy operation, and support for a voice assistant. Additionally, there's a four-sided Ambilight system that adds magic to every movie night, creating a unique atmosphere. However, it is not a device without flaws. The biggest issue regarding image quality is the average smoothness of tonal transitions – you can see the colour joins in subtle gradients, which may be bothersome to more demanding viewers. In terms of PC compatibility, while this is phenomenal equipment for gamers, it may not be the best choice for text or graphic work due to the lack of 4:4:4 chroma support. From a usability perspective, it’s worth mentioning a few disappointments. The remote control in this model really impressed us – it’s well designed, and the backlit numeric keypad is a great addition, especially when using the television in the evening. Unfortunately, it mainly operates via infrared, so we found ourselves getting irritated a few times when we had to aim precisely at the screen. This seems a bit odd, considering that in this price range we expected more modern solutions. The lack of recording functions or picture-in-picture (PiP) also surprised us – these are features that are often standard in this segment. Despite these flaws, the Philips OLED909 is a television that delights with its picture quality, gaming features, and unique additions like Ambilight. The biggest question to ask oneself is: is it worth it? It’s great equipment, but its high price raises the question of whether it is the best choice in terms of price to quality.

At first glance, it’s clear that the TCL A300 NXTVision aims to be more than just an ordinary television. It offers a picture display mode that – unlike competitors from Korea, Samsung The Frame – is completely free. Additionally, just like its rivals, extras are included at no charge. In the packaging, alongside the television, we find extra frames that mimic light wood and a flat wall mount, allowing the television to truly resemble a gallery piece. When it comes to everyday use, the standout feature is the Google TV system – comprehensive, fast and offering access to a massive number of apps. And if we feel like stepping out of the digital museum and jumping straight into the gaming world, the A300 can surprise us. With two HDMI 2.1 ports, 144 Hz, VRR, ALLM, and a very low input lag, even demanding gamers can feel at home here. Well... perhaps except for those sensitive to motion blur – as this remains one of the bigger issues with this model. There are also downsides. While the picture mode is free – which is commendable – the actual quality of the available graphics falls noticeably short compared to what Samsung offers in its paid ART Store. The displayed images resemble photos rather than realistic reproductions of artworks. Unfortunately, the A300 – much like the competing Hisense S7NQ – performs poorly here and additionally has some software issues. The brightness of the television itself also leaves much to be desired – it’s the dimmest of the “framed trio,” which translates to average daytime viewing and limited HDR effect. Nevertheless, the TCL A300 NXTVision is a reasonably sensible alternative to Samsung The Frame or S7NQ – especially if we are looking for a cheaper solution without additional charges for access to the “gallery” mode and with an operating system that doesn’t limit us in any way regarding the number of apps. However, it’s important to remember that this is a proposal with a lot of compromises. If we want to save a bit and don’t expect top-notch picture quality, the A300 can hit the visual bullseye. Otherwise, it’s worth looking at its competition.

The Philips OLED909 sets a standard in contrast and black levels, characteristic of OLED technology. Tests on five screens confirmed infinite contrast, making the TV an ideal choice for film lovers watching in dark rooms. The scene from the movie Oblivion impresses with the excellent separation of light sources, allowing for a full appreciation of the precise rendering of even the smallest details. The scene from Sicario 2 also performs well, with the bright helicopter lights perfectly separated from the dark background. However, in this same scene, a desaturation phenomenon, or loss of colour saturation, is noticeable. Although it is not directly related to the assessment of contrast and black levels, it is worth mentioning, especially if perfect colour reproduction is critical in every situation. Despite this minor flaw, the black levels generated by the Philips OLED909 remain extraordinarily deep and deserve the highest marks.

TCL A300, also known as NXTVision, uses a VA panel, so from the outset, decent contrast could be expected. On our test screens, the television indeed showed typical results for this type of panel – in the best case, the contrast reached around 5000:1, which is not a bad result for this segment.

However, it should be noted that the model is not equipped with any local dimming technology, which unfortunately is evident in practice. Black, although at times quite deep, often turns into navy blue or grey – especially in darker scenes. In short: for a television without local dimming, it’s not bad, but it shouldn't be compared to models that already have such a feature on board.

Philips OLED909 impresses with its HDR effect quality, achieving up to 1500 nits of peak brightness in tested scenes. This is an excellent result, placing this television among the best OLED models on the market. The MLA panel, also used in models like the Panasonic Z95A and LG G4, plays a crucial role here, allowing for exceptionally bright and detailed reproduction of dynamic scenes. However, it is worth noting that in the most demanding scene from the film The Meg, brightness drops to around 700 nits. This is a typical phenomenon in OLED technology, where intensely bright full-screen images cause a reduction in luminance. Nevertheless, the HDR effect still looks very good, and the television performs better than most competitors under similar conditions. The wide colour gamut coverage also deserves praise. The OLED909 offers 95% coverage of DCI-P3, ensuring that the television guarantees the ability to display vibrant and realistic colours.

When it comes to brightness, the TCL A300W is definitely the dimmest TV among all frame-style models, such as Samsung The Frame or Hisense CanvasTV – and unfortunately, you can see that right away. In our measurements, peak luminance reached only around 400 nits, and on test movie screens, this value dropped to 350 nits. That’s definitely too little to feel the real "magic" of bright HDR effects. As a consolation – the TV is equipped with a PFS LED coating (which is something like QLED), which provides very good coverage of a wide colour gamut, both DCI-P3 and BT.2020. In addition, there is full support for all popular HDR formats – HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, and Dolby Vision – which somewhat compensates for the shortcomings in brightness and helps improve the overall experience of materials in this quality.

Like other TVs, the Philips OLED909 has been tested for colour reproduction in factory modes. The best mode was found to be Filmmaker Mode; however, despite its name, it is not without faults.

The biggest problem is the white balance. In both HD and 4K HDR content, there is a noticeable dominance of green and red hues, resulting in a clear yellow tint on the screen. This effect is particularly visible in test materials, for example, in a scene with Tom Cruise in the foreground, where the difference compared to a calibrated image is very clear.

As for the brightness characteristic, in HD materials, the gamma was excessively boosted - it was below the reference value of 2.4, giving the image a “milky” filter and impacting overall clarity. For 4K HDR content, we observed the opposite phenomenon – at the beginning of the EOTF curve, there is a noticeable drop, indicating issues with reproducing the smallest details in dark scenes. Although Filmmaker mode offers acceptable quality, noticeable errors in white balance and brightness characteristics show that the TV requires additional calibration to fully realise its potential in colour reproduction.

TCL A300 offers several picture modes, but without a doubt, the movie mode performs the best. Unfortunately, even though it is the best option available, it is not free from errors. Both in HD and HDR content, the image has a noticeably too warm hue – it has a slight pink tint, which is particularly noticeable in snowy scenes. Instead of pure white, we get a pinkish coating that spoils the natural perception of colours.

The management of brightness is also lacking. In the case of older HD materials, the image often seems too dark – confirmed by an elevated gamma value. Conversely, with HDR content, the effect is the opposite – the image is overly bright, as we observed in scenes from the film Pan. Such a lack of consistency also affects colour accuracy – a test with a ColorChecker showed that many samples clearly deviate from reference values.

Fortunately, TCL allows for manual adjustment of settings, so we decided to check how the television would perform after our professional calibration. The effects of this adjustment are described below.

Philips OLED909 offers tools for image calibration, significantly improving its quality. After calibrating the Filmmaker Mode, the television displays a much more natural colour reproduction. The white balance after calibration looks very good. Although we noticed slight blue tint deviations in HD content, the errors fall within acceptable limits, and the picture is significantly better than in factory settings. The brightness characteristics, including gamma and EOTF, have also been clearly improved. The television no longer has issues with excessive brightening or dimming of the image. Both dark and light details are now rendered correctly, making the picture look very good in every scene. After calibration, Filmmaker Mode on the Philips OLED909 offers excellent picture quality that will meet the expectations of even the more demanding users. The calibration fully utilises the potential of this model.

After our professional calibration, the TCL A300 has literally been given a new lease on life. The image has stopped being too warm, and the colours finally look as they should – as confirmed by the ColorChecker test, where the colour samples finally started hitting their marks, at least to some reasonable degree. It was also possible to partially correct the brightness management – the image is now more balanced and less "wobbly" between different types of content. Of course, certain limitations can't be bypassed – a slightly visible blooming effect still occurs, but that's a characteristic of the technology, not something that can be eliminated even after professional settings.

Generally: after calibration, the A300 looks significantly better and gains a whole new quality.

The Philips OLED909 performs averagely in the category of fluidity of tonal transitions. The WOLED panel used in this model is not known for handling tonal transitions perfectly, and in the case of the OLED909, it appears to be slightly worse than competing models with similar panels. Subtle transitions and colour blends can be noticed in both bright and dark areas of the image, which may be particularly evident in more demanding scenes with subtle gradients. This effect may influence the perception of content, especially for users who pay attention to such details.

TCL A300 NXTVision is another frame-style television that really manages well with the smoothness of tonal transitions. It's hard to find distinct bands or sharp transitions between shades of one colour – it all looks natural and smooth.

However, it's fair to say that among the three tested models (The Frame and S7NQ), TCL performs the weakest in this category. In darker and lighter scenes, you can notice slight imperfections. Nevertheless, looking at it as a whole, for a television in this range – it really presents itself solidly. It might not be the best of the bunch, but it holds a very good standard.

Philips OLED909 offers a distortion reduction feature designed to smooth tonal transitions. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of this feature leaves much to be desired. Setting it to "Medium" achieves some effects, but it comes with the risk of blurring important details in the image. For this reason, we do not recommend using this option unless you are looking to soften visible artifacts at the expense of detail.

As for image scaling, the TV presents a very pliable image, which may appeal to viewers who prefer a softer picture. Those expecting sharper clarity will also find a solution, as image scaling can be adjusted to individual preferences in the settings.

TCL A300 handles tonal transitions in high-quality films very well, but the question arises – how does it perform with weaker materials? The TV is equipped with a tonal smoothing feature; however, its effectiveness can be described in one word: “random”. In one scene, it may work and improve the gradation, but when turned off… the effect remains the same. There is a lack of consistency and predictability here.

Image scaling is also not one of A300's strong points. On the test pattern, the main character actually looked better than on the raw signal, but with thin lines – like fonts or background details – there was noticeable jaggedness and aliasing. On the plus side, the TV does not cut off the image and has no issues with overscan, but the overall quality of scaling is rather average.

The Philips OLED909 with a 144 Hz panel offers excellent image fluidity, which should satisfy both movie lovers and gamers. Additionally, the TV is equipped with a motion smoothing feature called "Motion Style," which allows for precise adjustment of image fluidity according to personal preferences. In the settings, we find two sliders: "Fluidity," which adjusts the smoothness of motion in films, and "Motion Blur Reduction," which helps eliminate minor artifacts and distortions in dynamic scenes. This feature works well, ensuring that even quick movements on the screen are clear and readable.

TCL A300 is equipped with a 144 Hz panel, which should instantly satisfy virtually everyone - both gamers and sports fans. Motion is fluid and the image is clear even during fast scenes. Additionally, the television offers a motion enhancement feature called "Motion," where we find two sliders on a 10-point scale. These allow you to adjust the effect to your own preferences - from a classic, filmic look with visible frames to a very smooth (though already unnatural) image reminiscent of a soap opera effect. This way, everyone can find a setting that suits them.

Philips OLED909 is a TV that meets practically all the requirements of gamers. Equipped with ALLM (automatic low latency mode), VRR (variable refresh rate), and support for Dolby Vision, it guarantees an excellent gaming experience. Additionally, the TV offers very low input lag, ensuring that the response to player movements is instantaneous, which fans of dynamic games will particularly appreciate.

The TV effortlessly supports any resolution at 120 Hz, and even higher refresh rates. The HGiG function, responsible for correctly displaying HDR content in games, works as it should, making the picture in game mode balanced and aligned with console manufacturers' guidelines.

The OLED909 is also equipped with a Game Bar feature, which allows for quick preview and adjustment of gaming settings. Although the interface of this solution seems less visually appealing than that of competitors, it serves its purpose by offering all the essential options in one place.

The TCL A300 is a television designed not only to transport us to a digital art museum but also into the full-fledged world of gaming. It offers practically everything you can expect from gaming hardware: two full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports, 144 Hz refresh rate, support for VRR and ALLM.

It also deserves credit for the proper implementation of the HGIG mode – something that competing Hisense sometimes struggles with. The television handles lower resolutions (e.g., Full HD) with ease while maintaining high refresh rates, which will be appreciated by owners of older consoles or PCs.

Additionally, there's an attractive and clear GameBar that facilitates quick access to settings for gamers. The A300 is indeed well-prepared for gaming at the highest level – it’s just a shame that issues with ghosting somewhat detract from its overall appeal as a gaming device.

Philips OLED909 achieves outstanding results in the input lag category. Values of 13 ms at 60 Hz and 5 ms at 120 Hz are among the best results available on the market. This low input lag ensures immediate response, which is crucial for gamers expecting maximum precision in dynamic games. The performance in Dolby Vision mode deserves special praise, as it also maintains a low input lag. This allows gamers to enjoy not only smooth gameplay but also fully leverage the visual potential of HDR games without any compromises. In this regard, the Philips OLED909 is one of the best choices for gaming enthusiasts.

In terms of input lag, the TCL A300 performs really well. Values below 10 ms at a refresh rate of 120 Hz are something many gamers dream of – such low lag is practically unnoticeable, both during everyday gaming and in more demanding esports titles. One could nitpick about the result of 23 ms in Dolby Vision mode at 60 frames, but it's still low enough that serious objections are hard to come by. In this category, the A300 truly excels.

The Philips OLED909 is a good choice for gaming on the computer. The TV supports G-SYNC, provides very low input lag, and offers a refresh rate of 144 Hz in PC mode, making it an ideal solution for gamers who value smooth and responsive gameplay. However, when it comes to everyday work with text or graphics, the situation is a bit less favourable. While font readability is at an acceptable level, up close one can notice that they appear somewhat blurred. This is due to the lack of full implementation of chroma 4:4:4, which is responsible for perfect sharpness and clarity of fonts.

The OLED909 will work perfectly in gaming applications, but for those planning to use the TV mainly for text work, it may be less suitable. In such cases, it’s worth considering a device with full support for chroma 4:4:4.

If we plan to use the TCL A300 as a computer monitor, we may be pleasantly surprised. The television performs really well in this role. It is equipped with a 144 Hz panel, supports G-Sync, and, as we mentioned, offers very low input lag, so gaming on it with a connected PC is pure enjoyment.

Working with text is also possible, although with some limitations. The TCL A300 has slight issues displaying dark fonts and thin lines – this is due to the construction of the subpixels, which in everyday use can be a bit annoying, even though it looks better in photos than in reality.

The television supports chroma 4:4:4, but only up to 120 Hz. Therefore, we noted that this feature is available, but with a limitation – if we care about perfectly readable fonts, it's worth sticking with the refresh rate of 120 Hz. At 144 Hz, the clarity of the text may suffer somewhat.

Philips OLED909 offers some of the best viewing angles available on the market. OLEDs are renowned for their excellent picture quality at various angles, but the use of micro-lens technology further enhances this capability. As a result, the television maintains outstanding colours, contrast, and brightness even when viewing the image at a significant angle. In practice, the OLED909 performs so well that it can compete even with televisions equipped with QD-OLED technology, which also provides wide viewing angles. This makes the television perfect for large rooms and group viewing from different positions, without the worry of losing picture quality.

The viewing angles on the TCL A300 NXTVision are, let’s be honest, average. The TV is equipped with a VA panel, which inherently has quite limited angles, and unfortunately, this is evident here. The video below speaks for itself – even a slight deviation from the centre results in a noticeable drop in contrast and colour saturation. It’s a shame that this is yet another frame-style TV that has done absolutely nothing about it. After all, we don't always have the option to sit perfectly straight on – especially if the device is also meant to serve a decorative function in the living room.

Philips OLED909, despite the glossy surface of the panel, handles the suppression of reflections from direct light hitting the screen quite well. This is particularly useful in brighter rooms where reflections can interfere with viewing. However, the use of microlens technology has its limitations – the blacks during the day take on a slightly pinkish hue. A similar, albeit more noticeable phenomenon can be observed in QD-OLED panels.

When it comes to brightness, the OLED909 achieves an average brightness in SDR of 430 cd/m². This is sufficient for comfortable use of the television even in moderately challenging lighting conditions. Nevertheless, it's worth remembering that the brightness levels of OLEDs still fall behind televisions with mini-LED technology, which can be several times brighter.

The TCL A300 NXTVision is equipped with a matte panel very similar to the one found in one of its Chinese competitors – the Hisense S7NQ. This type of surface does quite well in reducing reflections, although it must be admitted that it performs worse than Samsung's The Frame, which offers a significantly higher level in this regard. As is usually the case with matte displays, blacks during the day lose depth and appear more grey than black – and this is no different here. Unfortunately, the fact that the A300 is the darkest TV of the three tested doesn’t help either. This gives it a real problem in breaking through in heavily sunlit rooms.

In the OLED909 model, Philips has replaced its proprietary Titan OS with Google TV. This solution provides users with significantly greater opportunities, especially in terms of app availability. Google TV offers a vast library of programs to download, from popular streaming services to tools and games. The system also supports voice commands, making it easier to search for content and manage the device, enhancing everyday user comfort.

In terms of features, the television performs well. Here, we find support for AirPlay and Miracast technologies, which enable easy streaming of video and audio from other devices. Additionally, the television effortlessly supports external accessories like mice and keyboards, allowing it to serve as a more versatile entertainment centre. However, it's worth noting that the OLED909 lacks the PiP (picture-in-picture) function or the ability to record programs from built-in tuners. A novelty in this model is the backlit remote, which looks attractive and operates in hybrid mode – it can function as a smart remote, and when the appropriate button is pressed, the numeric keypad also lights up. Unfortunately, its operation can be annoying, as it relies on standard infrared control, and the only function supporting RF (radio) technology is the handling of voice commands.

The Philips OLED909 also stands out from other models with its four-sided Ambilight system. This allows the television to create dynamic lighting around the screen that adapts to the displayed content. This solution not only enhances the feeling of immersion but also improves viewing comfort in darker rooms. Ambilight remains one of the most distinctive features of Philips televisions, which is hard to find among competitors.

TCL A300 is a television styled as a painting, which in everyday use can successfully pretend to be a work of art hanging on the wall. It is equipped with a special image display mode, additional frames in a light wood tone, and a flat wall mount that allows you to hang the television like a real painting – without any gap from the wall.

A significant advantage of the image mode is that it is completely free. We have access to several dozen works from which we can choose one to be displayed while in standby – instead of a black screen, the image we selected remains on the wall. The quality of graphic reproduction is okay, but it must be admitted that it clearly falls short of that from Samsung's ART Store. Although access to images there is paid, the quality of the scans is significantly better – you can see the texture of the paint, canvas, and details. In the TCL A300, it resembles high-quality photos rather than realistic reproductions of artworks. Additionally, the implementation of the image mode in the system leaves a lot to be desired. For example – if we set the brightness to 10% in image mode, that same value automatically transfers to the regular viewing mode, where we could easily set the brightness to 50% or even 100%. It also works the other way around – when we set the brightness to 100% in regular mode, after switching to gallery mode, the images are displayed with the same maximum brightness, shining too intensely and losing the whole effect of a “picture on the wall.” These are minor but irritating errors that can spoil the experience of what was supposed to be visually subtle and elegant.

Moving on to more classic functions – the A300 runs on the Google TV system, which currently offers by far the largest selection of applications (full list available below). The responsive voice assistant with support for the Polish language also deserves a big plus. As standard – as with most TCL televisions – the USB recording function or picture-in-picture (PiP) mode was missing.

Philips OLED909 has a built-in media player that handles most popular video, audio, and subtitle file formats with ease. However, it is worth noting that the pre-installed player does not support Polish characters in subtitles, which can be a nuisance when watching content from USB. Fortunately, thanks to the Google TV system, this shortcoming can be easily bypassed. You just need to download an alternative player from a wide range of available apps, which will provide full support for Polish characters and additional features such as more advanced subtitle settings or support for less common formats. This means that even minor shortcomings of the factory software are not a major problem for users.

The built-in player on the TCL A300 works as it should – most popular video and photo files play without any problems. It lacks support for Apple's HEIC format (which is quite common in many TVs), but most users still use AirPlay, so it shouldn't be a major issue. If someone isn't satisfied with the default player, the Google TV system offers plenty of options – you can easily install an alternative app that better suits your tastes. Nevertheless, it's worth noting that the factory solution is completely sufficient for everyday use.

The Philips OLED909 stands out with its built-in soundbar featuring a navy fabric finish, branded by the renowned company Bowers & Wilkins. At the bottom of the screen, we find a solid speaker system, further supported by a built-in subwoofer at the back of the casing. The sound quality is truly impressive for the class of this device. The soundbar delivers clear and detailed sound that handles both dialogues and sound effects in films or games exceptionally well.

When it comes to sound, the TCL A300W – like its competitors – sounds quite... flat, after all, we are talking about a super slim television. For everyday watching of news or series, this level is more than sufficient, but during movie screenings, we might noticeably miss depth and space. On a positive note, it’s worth mentioning that the television supports both Dolby Atmos and the increasingly rare DTS:X – which provides more options when connecting an external audio system. It’s also worth noting that the A300 PRO model is equipped with a dedicated, flat soundbar. And it’s no ordinary soundbar – it sounds better than most of the televisions we’ve tested.

Philips OLED909 vs TCL A300W NXTVision

Advantages

Disadvantages

Our verdict

TV appearance

Where to buy

Contrast and black detail

HDR effect quality

Factory color reproduction

Color reproduction after calibration

Smoothness of tonal transitions

Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions

Blur and motion smoothness

Console compatibility and gaming features

Input lag

Compatibility with PC

Viewing angles

TV efficiency during daytime

Details about the matrix

TV features

Playing files from USB

Apps

Sound