Compare: Philips The One (PUS8959 / PUS8919 / PUS8909 / PUS8949 vs XIAOMI A PRO 2025

Philips PUS8959, also known by other designations under the abbreviation PUS89 (depending on the retail network), is a model from the popular series The One. Its biggest standout feature is the Ambilight system, which continues to make a great impression. The three-sided backlighting adjusts to the image on the screen, making films, series or games literally extend beyond the edges of the TV. The One is also a good option for gamers. The 120 Hz panel and low input lag make games run smoothly, and the motion on screen is clear. We tested several dynamic titles on the console, and the TV handled them without any issues – no stuttering or delays. Additionally, support for HGiG allows for better rendering of HDR effects in games. This is a great solution if we care about matching the image with what the creators intended. The picture quality is good, particularly during the day. With a brightness level of 550 nits, The One performs well even in well-lit rooms, and Dolby Vision in HDR movies delivers vivid colours and sharp details. However, the ADS panel has its limitations – black in dark scenes more resembles a grey shade, which can be noticeable when watching in a darkened room. When we watched movies with the lights off, the lack of depth in the blacks was somewhat striking. The Titan OS operating system is something that still needs refinement. It’s fast, but the limited number of applications can be frustrating for those used to more extensive platforms like GoogleTV. In daily use of Netflix or YouTube, it works flawlessly, but if we're counting on more advanced features, the system may not meet expectations. Overall, the Philips The One is a good choice in its price range. The Ambilight system impresses and significantly enhances the viewing experience, especially in the evening. It’s also a solid option for gamers, thanks to the smooth image and low input lag. Although the black level isn't perfect, and the operating system needs improvement, the TV excels in everyday use. For fans of unique solutions like Ambilight, this is a proposal that definitely deserves attention.

Xiaomi A Pro 2025 is an affordable QLED model that works well as a basic television at home. The Google TV operating system deserves special mention. Thanks to it, you can easily use apps like Netflix or YouTube. The interface is clear and easy to navigate, and the voice search capability in Polish ensures that we can quickly find the content we are interested in. The picture quality of the A Pro 2025 is sufficient for everyday TV watching or movies. Smooth tonal transitions and the enhancement of older materials make even lower resolution content look good. However, the screen brightness may disappoint in very sunny rooms – here, the TV performs moderately, but it fares much better in a darkened room. The television is more suited to occasional gaming. The low input lag provides quick response times, which is important for dynamic games. However, the 60 Hz panel and lack of more advanced features may not appeal to gamers looking for perfect image fluidity. On the other hand, A Pro 2025 may be sufficient for those who play from time to time. Not everything works perfectly. When connecting the TV to a computer, the fonts are hard to read, which can be an issue when working with text. The Google TV system itself can be a bit slow, which sometimes makes it difficult to switch between apps quickly. Xiaomi A Pro 2025 is a simple and functional TV that is good for everyday TV watching and using apps. It has its drawbacks, such as average brightness and issues with font readability, but at this price, it offers a lot. It’s a good choice for those looking for budget equipment for basic uses.

The television Philips PUS8959 is based on an ADS panel, which offers slightly different parameters compared to the popular VA panels. In the tested screens, the contrast was around 2000:1, making the black level far from ideal. ADS panels are known for their weaker contrast compared to VA panels, which in practice means that instead of deep black, we see more navy or grey shades. However, the ADS panel is still better than the standard IPS panel, which cannot achieve such a level of contrast. Additionally, the Philips PUS8959 is not equipped with local dimming technology, which could improve these parameters. The absence of this function exacerbates the effect of shallow blacks, particularly noticeable in dark scenes, such as those in the movie "Sicario 2". Instead of intense black, the screen generates a silvery glow, which can be bothersome, especially when watching in darker conditions. All of this leads to a visual experience that lacks depth, and details in dark scenes are not as well visible as one might expect from higher-end screens. Despite the lack of local dimming, the television is equipped with what is known as Global Dimming. The television is capable of completely dimming the panel to achieve higher contrast, but at the cost of details that may blend together, for example, lights in the test screen from the movie Oblivion. It’s worth noting that the model we received for testing has quite noticeable blobs resulting from uneven backlighting, although this isn't a dealbreaker; one should consider when purchasing that we might receive a similar piece.

Xiaomi A Pro is equipped with a VA panel, which inherently offers distinctly better black depth and colour intensity compared to IPS panels, especially in darker conditions. Based on the tests conducted, the contrast measurement tool indicated a maximum value of around 6000:1. This is a solid result, ensuring good separation of image elements in darker scenes. An example is the film Oblivion, where the TV excelled at separating bright and dark areas, enhancing the visual effects. Unfortunately, the TV does not support local dimming technology, which is an obvious fact in this price range. This particularly stands out in tougher scenes, such as those from the film Sicario 2. In such moments, the black loses intensity and starts to resemble a navy blue shade. The lack of dynamic dimming of image segments means that details that should be deeply dimmed remain slightly illuminated.

The luminance graph for Philips PUS8959 shows that the television can achieve around 550 nits of brightness, which can be considered a satisfactory level. Such brightness allows you to feel the effects of HDR, which stand out particularly in more demanding scenes. In the tested patterns, the television performed quite well, even in challenging sequences like those from "Sicario 2". Due to the lack of local dimming, the television does not dim small bright elements, and they shine at the full "power" of the television but at the cost of silvery blacks, which we mentioned in the paragraph about black levels. It’s also worth praising Philips PUS8959 for its good coverage of the DCI-P3 colour palette, which is around 94.5%. This ensures that the colours are vivid and close to the creators' intentions, which further enhances the quality of HDR effects and the experience of watching high dynamic range content.

In the HDR category, the television Xiaomi A Pro performs, to be blunt – poorly. In ideal conditions, it offers brightness at around 250 nits. This is a weak result; however, in this price range, many competing models offer similar or lower values. Such brightness is too low to fully capture the potential of HDR content. In practice, this means that the image lacks the proper depth and intensity expected from high-quality HDR. These values are more characteristic of Standard Dynamic Range (SDR), which means the true HDR effect remains out of reach for this model, and scenes that should stand out with spectacular brightness and contrast seem flat and lacking in vibrancy. However, for its price, the television offers good coverage of the DCI-P3 colour palette at 92%, thanks to quantum dot technology (specifically PFS LED). This results in vibrant and saturated colours, which will appeal particularly to gamers and movie enthusiasts who appreciate richer hues and better colour reproduction compared to traditional televisions without this technology.

The television Philips PUS8959 has been tested in the best, theoretically most precise picture mode – Filmmaker. Although the name suggests film quality, it unfortunately falls short of perfection. The biggest issue in this mode is the white balance, both in HD and 4K content. It is characterised by a significant dominance of the red colour and drops in the green levels, resulting in unnatural colour reproduction. For example, white elements of the image have a noticeable pink hue, and the green is less intense, which diminishes the overall naturalness and colour balance. The ColorChecker test confirms these errors – it is clearly visible how the colour samples "deviate" from the proper values, which can best be observed on the sample squares that should precisely reproduce the colours. The lack of accuracy in this regard affects the realism and fidelity of the image, which is particularly undesirable in Filmmaker mode.

As for the brightness characteristics, the gamma graph resembles a roller coaster – with small elements displayed on the screen, the brightness is excessive, causing details to become overly exposed. Conversely, at higher gamma values, the image loses contrast and becomes too dark, making the whole appear lacking in dynamism. Similar problems can be observed in the EOTF characteristics – the television is unable to accurately reproduce the brightness levels, negatively impacting the overall picture quality.

The Xiaomi A Pro 2025 TV has been tested in movie mode, which offers the best colour reproduction straight out of the box. However, it’s worth noting that it is not without flaws. Analysing the white balance, one can see that the green values are in the negative. This phenomenon leads to some distortions in the shades of white, and at full white, the graph shows clear deviations. The high-contrast image results in inadequate tonal transitions in red, which negatively affects the quality of colour display. Generally, in the image below, it can be seen that the entire scenery before calibration takes on pink hues. Additionally, when analysing the gamma contrast, the graph is significantly below the value of 2.4, suggesting that the TV overly emphasises dark tones, while the brighter areas of the image may appear less pronounced. Furthermore, the EOTF curve shows a strong spike at the start, which can lead to a loss of detail in bright scenes and an unpleasant feeling of over-exaggeration. These aspects indicate the need for further calibration to achieve a more balanced colour reproduction and improve overall picture quality. Users who expect precise colour reproduction may need to take action to adjust the TV settings to achieve more realistic and natural visual results. In xiaomi tv a pro 2025, the factory colour settings in Xiaomi are average and may require calibration. After appropriate colour adjustment, the image gains a natural and vibrant colour palette, significantly closer to cinematic standards. It’s worth adding that the issue of inaccurate colour reproduction is typical for many TVs of this class, meaning it’s not a fault unique to the Xiaomi A Pro 2025 TV. For those who value perfect colour reproduction, professional calibration will be a key element that enhances overall picture quality.

After calibration, the Philips PUS8959 shows a significant improvement in colour reproduction, especially in HD content. The white balance is exceptionally even, and the Delta E error values are below 1, which can be regarded as an outstanding result. Additionally, the gamma, which affects brightness in lower quality materials, performs very well, maintaining a stable level at 2.4, leading to an appropriate balance between bright and dark areas of the image.

When it comes to 4K HDR materials, there is also a noticeable improvement. The white balance, although not as perfect as in HD content, no longer suffers from excessive red exposure, making the image appear more natural and harmonious. Unfortunately, regarding the EOTF characteristic, it’s difficult to speak of any significant improvement, which stems from the structural limitations of the television that prevent substantial enhancement in this aspect.

Nevertheless, overall, it looks much better after calibration, making the Philips PUS8959 one of those televisions where it's truly worth investing time in precise calibration to achieve satisfactory image quality.

Now it’s time to check how the Xiaomi A Pro 2025 TV performed after calibration. The biggest beneficiary of this process is white balance. After calibration, all previous errors were corrected in both HD and 4K content, and most errors no longer fell significantly outside the value of "2". This means a much more balanced and natural colour reproduction, which certainly affects the viewing comfort. In terms of gamma, the drop has been greatly mitigated, resulting in a more consistent tone reproduction across various scenes. However, the EOTF curve has not improved significantly due to a lack of effective control over dynamic tone mapping. This limitation means that there are still some issues with detail reproduction in bright scenes, which can affect the perception of certain materials. Nevertheless, despite these minor shortcomings, the overall shape of the picture is definitely better after calibration. The TV has gained quality, and the improved white balance along with reduced gamma issues means that users can enjoy a more realistic and pleasant visual experience. Further adjustments to the settings could improve the picture quality even more, but already the TV is demonstrating its capabilities, meeting the expectations of many users.

The gradation on the Philips PUS8959 television looks very good, offering smooth tonal transitions in most scenes. Occasionally, minor issues can be detected, especially in transitions between certain colours, where subtle inconsistencies are noticeable. However, these imperfections are subtle enough that they do not significantly impact the overall viewing experience and can be considered completely acceptable. In everyday use, the television provides good enough gradation quality to satisfy even more demanding users, maintaining the naturalness of the image and a lack of glaring tonal distortions.

During the fluidity tests of tonal transitions in Xiaomi A Pro 2025, the gradation proved to be close to ideal. In most of the test sequences, there were no noticeable issues. Only in the scene with red water did very cosmetic imperfections appear, which, however, have no significant impact on the overall image quality. Both colour and grey gradients were reproduced with almost perfect precision, making this TV model a very good choice for those who pay attention to this particular feature of a television.

When it comes to smoothing tonal transitions, the "Distortion Reduction" function in the minimum position performs quite well, effectively smoothing tonal transitions without excessive impact on other elements of the image. In testing, I did not notice that the reduction negatively affected the structure of the image, such as film grain or details of objects – everything remains in its place, which is a big plus for users who value the natural look of film material.

As for digital processing, the image looks pretty good, although it features very softened contours, giving it an almost "leafy" character. This effect may evoke mixed feelings – some users will appreciate the fluidity and delicacy of this type of presentation, while others may find it too gentle, losing detail. It is a matter of individual preference, but it must be admitted that Philips PUS8959 provides quite subtle yet effective tools for improving tonal transitions without excessive interference with the natural character of the image.

How does the Xiaomi A Pro 2025 handle tonal transitions, especially with lower quality materials? Thanks to advanced digital processing, the colour contour removal feature works surprisingly well. We recommend setting this option to "Medium" – this way, the television significantly improves the smoothness of tonal transitions while avoiding excessive smoothing of other image elements, such as film grain.

In the case of the test shot with the model and numerous branches in the background, the Xiaomi A Pro 2025 showcased its capabilities in the context of digital processing. Adding artificial sharpness to this scene made the details of the model clearer, and her hair appeared more detailed. However, delicate contours appeared around the branches in the background, which were a result of digital intervention. While this enhances the overall impression of details, excessive sharpness can make some elements of the image seem unnaturally emphasised.

Philips PUS8959 TV is equipped with a 120 Hz panel, which should satisfy more demanding users, especially those who love watching dynamic sports broadcasts or playing games. Such a high refresh rate allows for significantly smoother images, being a key aspect during dynamic scenes and fast actions.

For those who prefer watching movies, the TV offers an additional motion smoother that allows adjustment of the frame rate according to personal preferences. The Philips PUS8959 features a 10-step adjustment for functions called "Smoothness" and "Motion Blur Reduction". The "Smoothness" function increases the number of frames through interpolation, making movement on the screen smoother, reminiscent of the so-called "soap opera effect". Meanwhile, "Motion Blur Reduction" focuses on minimising streaking and improving motion clarity, which is particularly noticeable in dynamic sequences such as action scenes or fast sports shots.

Xiaomi A Pro 2025 offers a motion smoothing feature called "Motion Smoothing," which primarily works for films. It can be customised to favour either a more cinematic, film-like effect with visible frames or a smoother, theatrical image. This feature should satisfy those who intend to watch mainly films on it. However, gamers and sports fans may feel disappointed. The panel with a refresh rate of 60 Hz, typical for this price range, does not impress. Our "Ufo" test revealed some blurring. Those expecting better clarity for moving objects may be slightly let down.

Philips PUS8959 is a television that will surely please gaming enthusiasts. It supports most modern technologies useful during gameplay, such as HGiG, allowing for better representation of HDR effects in games. As a result, the image is more aligned with what the game developers intended to achieve.

The television also supports displaying images at 120 Hz, ensuring smoothness and dynamism, particularly important during action games and sports broadcasts. The Game Bar feature provides quick access to game settings, making it easier to adjust the image according to user preferences without interrupting gameplay.

Unfortunately, the Dolby Vision mode does not offer low input lag, which may be noticeable during dynamic scenes. Nevertheless, thanks to the HGiG feature and high refresh rate, the Philips PUS8959 remains an attractive choice for gamers, offering good image quality and suitable smoothness during gameplay.

Xiaomi A Pro 2025 offers several features useful for gamers, including Game Bar, which differs from the typical “dashboards” with interfaces found in other manufacturers. With this, users can quickly access game-related settings, which is convenient during intense gaming sessions. The TV also supports automatic low-latency mode (ALLM), meaning it automatically switches to a mode optimised for gaming, reducing signal delay. Unfortunately, it lacks support for HDMI 2.1, limiting the connection capabilities for the latest gaming consoles that may require higher bandwidth. Additionally, the TV does not support features such as VRR (variable refresh rate) or G-Sync, which are increasingly desired by gamers as they allow for smoother images and eliminate tearing. For these reasons, although Xiaomi A Pro 2025 has some features for gamers, in this price range, better options can be found that offer more advanced gaming solutions.

Philips PUS8959 TV offers impressive results in terms of input lag, making it a great choice for gamers. For 120 Hz content, the lag is less than 6 ms, which is an absolutely excellent result and allows for immediate response in games, especially in dynamic titles. For 60 Hz content, the input lag is 15 ms, which is also an outstanding result and ensures comfortable gameplay in most cases.

Unfortunately, the Dolby Vision mode does not perform as well, as the input lag increases to 31 ms. While such a result may be acceptable for less dynamic content, for demanding gamers it may prove insufficient, impacting precision and reaction speed. Nonetheless, in standard modes, Philips PUS8959 still offers remarkable performance, making it a competitive choice in the TV market for gamers.

Xiaomi A Pro 2025 delivers outstanding performance, regardless of resolution or HDR mode. With measurements as low as 15 ms, this TV ranks among the best in terms of responsiveness.

Philips PUS8959 works excellently as a monitor for use with a PC. With support for chroma 4:4:4, it provides full colour clarity, which is crucial for text work – fonts are sharp and readable, regardless of the background they are on. This makes using office applications, browsing the internet, and graphic editing comfortable and precise.

Additionally, the low input lag provided by the television ensures smooth and responsive operation, which is important both during everyday tasks and in more dynamic applications, such as gaming or multimedia editing. Philips PUS8959 is an excellent choice for users looking for a television that also functions as a PC monitor, offering high image quality and user comfort.

In the category of collaboration with PCs, Xiaomi A Pro 2025 performs very poorly. The fonts are of low quality, and their display on the screen is often problematic. Dithering is ubiquitous; when zooming in on the fonts against a dark background, they are displayed in three colours, which is definitely eye-catching and can significantly hinder comfortable use of the device. Such issues can be a significant drawback for users planning to use the television as a computer monitor.

Philips PUS8959, equipped with an ADS panel, offers quite decent viewing angles, definitely better than those found in VA panels. The image retains its quality even when viewing from a wider angle – colours are vivid, and contrast does not deteriorate as much as in VA panel televisions. Because of this, watching the television from different spots in the room still allows for enjoyment of well-saturated colours and overall image quality, which makes Philips PUS8959 perfect for larger rooms and during shared viewing with family or friends.

In the viewing angles category, Xiaomi A Pro 2025 with its VA panel simply performs poorly. While directly in front you can enjoy better blacks, the image loses quality from side perspectives. Our specialists found during the testing of the television that sitting a metre away from the device, the image on the right side is brightened and desaturated. However, moving a bit to the side improves everything, highlighting how significant the difference in image reception is depending on the viewing angle. All this makes the viewing experience in a larger group potentially less satisfying.

Philips PUS8959 features a satin finish on the panel that effectively dampens light reflections, which is beneficial when using the television in bright daytime conditions. However, such a finish causes blacks to take on shades of grey during the day, losing their depth and intensity, which impacts the perception of the image in darker scenes.

A brightness level of 562 cd/m² allows for comfortable television use during the day, even in well-lit rooms. The image is bright enough to cut through daylight, and the reduction of reflections ensures decent visibility of content, making Philips PUS8959 a good choice for rooms where the lighting level cannot always be controlled.

Xiaomi A Pro 2025 presents itself as average. The panel coating is satin, which may help reduce reflections, but the suppression of glare is moderate. The brightness of the television is only 250 nits, which is relatively low compared to other models on the market. As a result, during sunny days or in brightly lit rooms, the image quality may suffer, and details may be hard to discern.

Philips PUS8959 is equipped with a three-sided Ambilight system – a flagship patent of this brand, which has been enjoyed by a dedicated group of fans for years. Ambilight is based on dynamic lighting of the wall behind the television, adapting to the content displayed on the screen, significantly enhancing the viewing experience, especially in a darkened room. This effect is unique and adds a certain kind of "magic" to watching, making many users choose Philips specifically for this feature.

When it comes to the operating system, Philips PUS8959 uses Titan OS – a system that is still in the early stages of development. There are visible growing pains, especially since Philips has moved away from Android in most of its models. Titan OS has a limited number of available applications. This is frustrating for those accustomed to a broader ecosystem like GoogleTV. Additionally, the television does not have AirPlay functionality, which limits its compatibility with Apple devices and may be a drawback for users looking for a flexible way to stream content.

The user features of Philips PUS8959 are a mix of pros and cons. The remote control that comes with the television is quite annoying – it requires aiming directly at the screen, which can be inconvenient. On the other hand, the voice function works without the need to aim, but it only supports English. On the plus side, the remote is backlit, making it easier to use in the dark. The television lacks PiP (Picture-in-Picture) functionality and the ability to record programs, which is a significant omission. However, the television is equipped with Bluetooth, allowing users to connect headphones or a keyboard, which can be useful – especially given the limited number of available applications, which may encourage the use of the built-in web browser.

In the functionality category, Xiaomi A Pro 2025 stands out with the Google TV system, which is one of its biggest advantages. This allows users access to a wide range of apps and streaming services, significantly enhancing the convenience of using the television. The Google TV system also offers a voice assistant that facilitates navigation and allows for quick content searches without the need to dig through menus. One of the key strengths of this system is the ability to download virtually unlimited apps from the Google Play Store, enabling personalisation of the television according to individual needs. Users can install apps for streaming, gaming, and various tools, making the television a multimedia entertainment hub. However, it is worth noting that this model lacks recording functions and AirPlay, which may be disappointing for some users. Additionally, there are quite significant lags in the operating system, affecting the ease of use. On the positive side, it also features the ability to pair other peripheral devices via Bluetooth and a remote that does not require aiming at the screen, which significantly improves user comfort. Despite some shortcomings, Xiaomi A Pro 2025 has the potential to meet the needs of users looking for a modern television.

Although the Titan OS system on the Philips PUS8959 TV is still in its early stages, it deserves praise for supporting Polish subtitles embedded in films, which is a significant convenience for users dealing with external files. If we want to play a film from a connected USB device, the TV will do this without any major issues, providing a comfortable viewing experience without the need for additional subtitle configuration.

As for photos, the TV should have no major difficulties playing them. It supports most popular formats, although there is a lack of support for less common standards, such as HEIC used in Apple devices. This means that some photos, especially from newer Apple devices, may require prior conversion to a more standard format in order to be played on the Philips screen.

Xiaomi A Pro 2025 offers a decent built-in media player that meets the basic expectations of users. However, the TV has its drawbacks and sometimes encounters issues with playing certain file formats, which can be frustrating. Fortunately, with access to Google Play Store, users can easily download alternative players that better meet their needs. In our test of the Xiaomi TV A Pro 2025, we demonstrated that its compatibility with applications is high, and additional media playback applications work flawlessly. It is also worth highlighting that the Xiaomi TV A Pro 2025 is equipped with the Android TV platform, enabling access to a wide range of applications and streaming services. Installing alternative media players enhances the overall functionality of the device and eliminates format compatibility issues. As a result, Xiaomi A Pro becomes a more versatile television that can meet the diverse expectations of users, even those with higher demands regarding media playback.

The sound on the Philips PUS8959 unfortunately leaves a lot to be desired. While you can hear low frequencies in the playback, the bass is very weak, which results in overall unsatisfactory sound quality. The television performs averagely, especially when compared to more advanced sound systems available on the market.

Despite the average quality of the speakers, the television supports all essential audio codecs, which may please users utilizing external home theatre systems. Thanks to compatibility with various audio formats, the Philips PUS8959 can offer a good audio experience when connected to the right external speakers or amplifier, providing a fuller, more cinematic sound.

When it comes to sound, Xiaomi A Pro 2025 pleasantly surprises, especially considering its price. The sound quality is really solid, and the audio does not deviate from what one might expect in this class. Additionally, the TV supports DTS audio formats, which are often missing in much more expensive TVs. It's worth noting that this rating is subjective and may vary depending on individual preferences.

Philips The One (PUS8959 / PUS8919 / PUS8909 / PUS8949 vs XIAOMI A PRO 2025

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