Samsung S85D vs Sharp GR8

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.

Sharp GR8 in its promotional materials boasts of "very high brightness" at a level of 500 nits. Unfortunately, our tests showed that reality is somewhat different – the average luminance we were able to achieve was around 360 nits. This is rather an average result, especially in the context of the manufacturer's claims. Such brightness does not allow for a full enjoyment of HDR effects. The image is a bit sharper than in standard SDR, but it's hard to talk about true vibrancy and depth of bright elements here. However, the coverage of the DCI-P3 colour palette at 95% deserves praise. This is the result of applying an additional PFS coating, known from QLED technology. As a result, colours are vibrant and have a pleasant, natural tone, which partially compensates for the shortcomings in brightness.

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.

At the beginning, it's worth noting that colour reproduction tests are always conducted in the best factory picture mode. In the case of Sharp GR8, this is the “Film” mode. When it comes to white balance, which affects how we perceive colours on the screen, in SDR mode the strong dominance of blue immediately stands out. This results in an unnatural cooling of the image – blue elements take on a purple hue, and skin tones appear to have a pink tint, which we can see in the comparative photo from the film STAR WARS. During the Color Checker test, it was clearly visible how the colour samples deviated from the standard values, confirming significant errors in colour reproduction. The gamma was also not ideal – it caused excessive brightening of the entire image, causing the scene to lose depth and proper tonal transitions.

In the 4K HDR mode, the situation looks much better. The dominance of blue is much less noticeable, although there are minor issues with the blending of red and blue. This makes some shades look slightly unnatural. The EOTF curve, which is responsible for image brightness in 4K HDR content, showed another problem – the TV tends to excessively darken the image across the entire surface of the screen.

To summarise, the “Film” mode in Sharp GR8 would require some adjustments in order to fully utilise the potential of this television. Fortunately, we took care of this and proceeded with calibration.

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.

Sharp GR8 is one of those televisions that really gains a second life after proper calibration. Both in HD and 4K content, the white balance performs very well, especially considering this model's price segment. The picture becomes significantly closer to what the director intended to show – colours appear natural, and skin tones gain the right depth and warmth. The brightness characteristics also leave a very positive impression. Both the gamma and the EOTF curve demonstrate really solid values. While slight imperfections can be noticed, they are subtle enough that it's difficult to see them during everyday viewing. In summary, calibration allows Sharp GR8 to show its best face, offering a picture that is not only pleasant to the eye but also faithfully conveys the creators' intentions.

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.

Sharp GR8 is equipped with a feature called "10-bit colour reproduction," which theoretically should improve the smoothness of tonal transitions. In practice… well, the effect is surprising, but not in a very positive way. Even at the highest settings, it’s hard to notice any impact on the actual tonal transitions. Instead, the feature surprisingly smooths out things it shouldn’t - walls, shirts, or other flat surfaces look almost as if they have been ironed. In the test, we had to note that there is simply no actual impact on tonal transitions.

When it comes to image scaling, Sharp GR8 performs significantly better. The television can give the image a plastic, smooth characteristic, making even lower resolution content look quite good. Of course, with more demanding details, such as thin branches of trees in the background, you can see slight jaggedness, but it’s not something that would significantly affect the viewing comfort.

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.

This is where Sharp GR8 has the opportunity to stand out against the competition in its price segment. The television is equipped with a 144 Hz refresh rate panel, which is an impressive result, especially if we plan to use it for dynamic content such as action films, sports broadcasts, or video games. Additionally, the manufacturer has included a motion smoothing feature, commonly known as a 'smoother'. The user has three levels of adjustment available, allowing them to tailor the effect to their personal preferences – from subtle smoothing to a more aggressive intervention in the fluidity of the image. It's a nice addition, particularly for those who mainly watch films and care about smooth, cinematic sequences without annoying judders or stuttering.

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.

If the television has a 144 Hz panel and two full HDMI 2.1 ports, it’s clear it was designed with gamers in mind. The Sharp GR8 offers exactly that – high refresh rates and the right connections to get the most out of modern consoles and PCs. It also features ALLM, which automatically switches the TV to low latency mode, and VRR, ensuring the picture doesn’t stutter even in more demanding moments. In practice, everything works as it should, and it's difficult to find fault. However, it’s not without its shortcomings. There’s a lack of support for HGiG, which better adjusts HDR for games, as well as Game Bar, which makes it easier to quickly adjust settings without leaving the game. Despite these drawbacks, the Sharp GR8 is a really solid option for gamers.