Samsung S85D vs LG QNED87T6B

Brightness is a key parameter in televisions, and the S85D Samsung model offers a level comparable to other OLEDs from a few years ago. Though it doesn't impress in this regard, its huge advantage is a very competitive price. A peak brightness of 600 nits provides good image quality in HDR conditions, giving users a taste of cinema-like experiences in the comfort of their home. However, as with many budget OLED models, the biggest problem is very bright, full-screen scenes – in such moments, like the final shot from the movie "The Meg," the television can lose as much as half of its brightness, which is noticeable compared to more expensive OLED models. Despite this, the television offers an impressive DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage of 99%, allowing for the display of vibrant and accurate colours.

LG QNED87T6B delivers truly decent visual experiences when it comes to HDR. During our tests on test patterns, the television achieved brightness close to 500 nits, which is a satisfactory result and allows for good visibility of details in high dynamic range scenes. Support for basic HDR formats such as HDR10 and HLG ensures proper image quality. Unfortunately, the television does not support more advanced standards such as Dolby Vision or HDR10+, which are particularly important at this screen brightness. The lack of support for dynamic metadata means that in certain scenes, the television may struggle to fully reproduce details, especially in very bright areas – this is precisely when dynamic metadata could significantly improve image quality. Nevertheless, it is worth noting the excellent coverage of the wide DCI-P3 colour gamut, reaching as much as 96.4%. As a result, the colours displayed by the QNED87T6B model are more vivid and natural, enhancing the quality of 4K content viewed with a wide colour palette.

The Filmmaker mode on Samsung's S85D does indeed offer the best factory settings, but it is not without flaws, particularly evident in colour reproduction. The white balance graph for HD and HDR content shows clear issues – both red and blue colours are significantly weakened, leading to a dominance of green. The result is an unnatural yellowish tint that can affect the perception of realistic scenes. The Color Checker test clearly shows that the colour samples deviate from the expected values – for HD materials, the colours tend to be overly saturated, with a marked shift towards green, which is also evident in the white balance graph. Conversely, for 4K HDR content, the colours appear too dull and lacking in depth, causing the image to lose its appeal and naturalness. This effect is particularly noticeable in delicate scenes where colour precision plays a key role, which can be disappointing for discerning viewers who expect faithful reproduction of details and colour intensity.

When it comes to brightness, the gamma graph for HD content looks quite good; however, there is a clear spike at the end, exceeding the value of 2.4. Although this is not a major issue in most scenes, in more demanding sequences it can affect the clarity of bright details. For 4K content, the EOTF curve, responsible for rendering brightness, proves to be problematic. The initial part of the graph shows a slight spike. This phenomenon can result in excessive boosting of brightness in the brightest areas of the image, leading to a loss of detail in very bright scenes.

Although Samsung S85D offers quite decent factory settings, especially in Filmmaker mode, it is worth considering manual adjustment of settings to improve some imperfections, particularly in colour reproduction.

The colour accuracy in the LG QNED, even in Filmmaker Mode, which is the best factory setting, is not without its flaws. The main issue is white balance – we noticed that the level of blue on the graph tends to drop. This results in a shift in colours towards yellow, making the image have a warmer tone than it should. This deviation affects the naturalness of colour reproduction, especially in scenes with a white or neutral background. The Color Checker test confirmed that some colours are distorted and deviate from reality. Such distortion can make film scenes appear less realistic, and details are presented in incorrect colours, negatively impacting the overall image quality.

Regarding contrast, the gamma graph analysis showed significant drops, while the optimal value should be 2.4. This means that the television may display darker parts of the image brighter in some scenes, which reduces their depth and dynamics. Additionally, on the EOTF curve, which is responsible for brightness reproduction, an unnatural drop was noted at the beginning. This phenomenon can result in less accuracy in reproducing dark scenes, which in turn affects the overall image quality. The television may not convey full black depth, causing more demanding scenes to lose realism and detail. As a result, viewers may notice that details in the darker parts of the image become less distinct.

After calibration, the Filmmaker mode on Samsung S85D really impressed. The white balance, regardless of the type of content, has improved significantly, resulting in more natural colours. The Color Checker test shows that colour reproduction errors are now minimal and rarely exceed acceptable values, which indicates precise colour reproduction. The factory colour representation left a lot to be desired, but now the situation has significantly improved – colours are natural, accurate, and look as if they have been precisely rendered according to the creators' intentions. This is a huge step forward compared to earlier generations, where colours were often distorted or too intense.

The brightness characteristics have also benefited from calibration – it's now more vivid and precise. The gamma, although reasonably good before, has become even more stable, providing a deeper, more natural image. The EOTF curve has been flattened, allowing details in dark areas to be more visible, and the contrast is better balanced. Thanks to all these improvements, the television delivers an image close to reference quality, which definitely enhances the enjoyment of watching films and HDR content.

After calibration, the colours in SDR content look very good. The improved white balance translates to natural and harmonious shades in various scenes. Thanks to precise gamma tuning, details in shadows and bright areas of the image are accurately reproduced. The television performs excellently in everyday use, offering vibrant, well-balanced images and solid colour quality in HD. The biggest beneficiary here is also contrast. The gamma graph has been stripped of significant errors, giving the television a new dimension.

As for the white balance in 4K HDR, it has also been significantly improved. However, some errors still appear at the end of the graph. This may be due to the television's overly aggressive local dimming, which in some scenes affects the inaccurate reproduction of colours. It's difficult to talk about an improvement in brightness represented by the EOTF curve. The television, due to its construction limitations, has some drawbacks, and we can't overlook them. The Color Checker test confirms the issue with colour saturation – even though the television offers a wide colour palette, it fails to fully convey the director's intent.

Despite these shortcomings, the overall picture quality after calibration is significantly better than before. Adjustments in white balance and gamma tuning make the images more vivid and the colours closer to reality.

Samsung S85D does a great job of scaling images and smoothing tonal transitions. Like other Samsung models, the television offers three noise reduction modes: off, standard, and high. While it improves gradation well, it unfortunately also removes film grain, which many viewers desire to give the image a cinematic character. This grain often adds authenticity and a certain rawness to films that is lost once it is smoothed out. Removing the grain can make the image appear too sterile and smooth, which takes away some of the charm of the original film material. When it comes to image scaling, the Samsung S85D excels at displaying lower resolution content – the model in the photo and the branches in the background were shown correctly, without major issues with jagged edges. The only noticeable downside is the presence of overscan, which can sometimes cut off parts of the image, which may not appeal to everyone.

When it comes to lower quality materials, the gradation looks really good. The feature called "Smooth Gradation" effectively smooths out the most problematic parts of the image, while not negatively affecting the film grain. For the best effect, it’s worth setting it to a low level. This solution significantly improves the quality of the displayed content, making the viewing of lower resolution materials more enjoyable and smoother.

In terms of digital processing, the image is displayed without cropping, known as overscan. Although slight fraying of the branches can be noticed against the model's background, everything looks very good. Users should be satisfied with the image quality when watching low-quality materials like standard television. The TV handles this task exceptionally well, providing a satisfying visual experience, even with lower quality content.

As befits an OLED television, Samsung S85D offers excellent motion fluidity. Equipped with a 120 Hz panel and a fast response time, the TV delivers very smooth playback of dynamic scenes without visible blurring. For movie enthusiasts, there is a feature called "Picture Clarity Settings," which allows for adjusting the image smoothness to individual preferences on a 10-point scale. Motion blur reduction enhances the sharpness of fast-moving objects, while motion smoothing eliminates the "judder" effect for a smoother motion. This way, every user can set the appropriate level of clarity that best suits their taste, from a more cinematic effect to clearer, smoother movements.

The television provides decent smoothness when watching movies, thanks to the “Tru Motion” feature, which allows adjustment of motion smoothing from 0 to 10. De-Judder regulates motion smoothness, while De-Blur adjusts motion sharpness. Users have the option to choose between a traditional cinematic effect with subtle juddering motion (lower settings) and a smoother, theatrical image. Although the latter deviates slightly from the cinematic standard, it may be appealing to many viewers.

As for gamers and sports fans, the LG QNED87 television with a 120Hz panel will surely not disappoint. And with the use of an IPS panel, the response time is typically better than that of VA panels available at a similar price. This ensures smoother gameplay and dynamic experiences when watching sports events.

Samsung S85D OLED is an excellent choice for gamers thanks to its many modern features that make gameplay easier and more enjoyable. The TV has four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports, allowing you to connect the latest consoles without worrying about limitations in image quality or frame rates. This means support for 4K resolution at 120 Hz, which is ideal for modern titles. Additionally, the Samsung S85D has an ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) feature that automatically activates low latency mode when it detects a gaming device. This means you don’t have to manually switch settings – the TV takes care of ensuring fast response times, which is crucial in games where every second counts.

The VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) feature and G-Sync support are additional elements that make gameplay smoother. VRR adjusts the refresh rate to match the frame rate generated by the console or computer, eliminating screen tearing and stuttering. This is especially useful in fast-paced games where the frame rate can fluctuate. Auto Motion Plus Game is a feature that Samsung introduced with gamers in mind, and it’s worth appreciating. It makes the picture in games smoother – 30 frames per second looks like 45, and 60 Hz gains in smoothness, giving an effect close to 90 Hz. At the same time, there’s no significant increase in input lag, which remains below 25 ms, making this feature stand out compared to others available on the market. Gamers can enjoy smoother visuals without worrying about reduced responsiveness.

Samsung has also thought of something extra – the TV has a built-in Xbox Game Pass app, which means you can game in the cloud without needing a console. It’s a great solution for those who want to enjoy gaming without investing in additional hardware. All you need is an internet connection, and you have a massive library of games at your fingertips. This makes Samsung S85D an excellent choice for both casual and more advanced gamers.

LG QNED offers a range of features that make it an excellent choice for gamers looking for a high-performance television. The TV is equipped with four HDMI 2.1 ports, allowing connection to the latest consoles like PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, utilising full functionality including Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM). Thanks to the Game Bar feature, gamers can quickly and easily manage all game settings without needing to navigate complex menus. Parameters such as VRR, ALLM, Multi View, and frame rate monitoring can be adjusted. The TV also supports G-Sync and FreeSync technologies, which is particularly important for owners of Nvidia and AMD graphics cards. G-Sync and FreeSync synchronise the TV's refresh rate with the graphics card. The 120Hz panel guarantees incredible motion smoothness and image clarity. Combined with the Black Frame Insertion (BFI) feature, which is available at 60Hz and 120Hz, gamers can enjoy an even sharper and smoother picture. LG QNED87 is a television that meets the expectations of even the most demanding gamers, offering modern technologies and features that significantly enhance comfort and satisfaction during gaming.