Samsung S85F OLED vs Sony BRAVIA 5 (XR5)

As an OLED, the Samsung S85F can shine – literally. In favourable conditions, it can generate brightness exceeding 750 nits. This is significant because most films are created with displays aiming for around 1000 nits. In practice, this means that in scenes with moderately large, bright elements, the picture can look absolutely stunning. However, it's not always so rosy. When an enormous amount of light appears on the screen – whether it's an expansive, bright background or an entire frame filled with white – the S85F must tone it down. Brightness can drop by even four times in such scenes. This limitation is well-known to anyone familiar with OLEDs in this price segment, so we don't view it as a particular fail. However, something that deserves praise is what sets this model apart from the competition – colour gamut coverage. Thanks to the QD-OLED panel, our colour meter indicated values exceeding 100% coverage of DCI-P3 and an impressive 86% for the ultra-wide BT.2020 palette. Such results are hard to find even in televisions that cost several times more.

Looking at similar results in terms of black levels and contrast, we expected the same stable performance as last year's model when it comes to HDR content. Unfortunately – and this must be said plainly – there has been a regression here that is hard to miss. The paradox is that the peak brightness of the Bravia 5 can be impressive: in our synthetic tests, the TV reached around 1000 nits in HDR. Sounds great, right? The problem is that this power doesn't always have a real impact on all movie scenes. When small, pinpoint elements appear on the screen, something that in Sony's case was usually fine-tuned with surgical precision, this time it clearly falters. The algorithms try to maintain deep blacks around small objects, but the side effect is that details can be dimmed to the point of becoming barely visible. One only needs to bring up the example of the movie Sicario 2 – there, in some scenes, small light sources practically vanished as if someone had covered them with dark film.

Of course, not everything looks so dramatic. In simpler, brighter scenes, where the image is filled with more light, the Bravia 5 shows that it can shine: literally and figuratively. At those times, the TV achieves values in the range of 600–800 nits, which we saw both in synthetic tests and during movie screenings. The impression is really positive; the brightness adds dynamism, and the colours look vibrant and fresh. However, there remains a certain dissonance. We feel a slight confusion because it is evident that something has gone in the wrong direction. Technological progress – more zones, more backlight power – has not been supported by the kind of refined image management that we usually associate with Sony. Fortunately, there are elements that have not been compromised and are actually at a very high level. We are talking about colour reproduction. Thanks to the use of the PFS filter, the colour palette coverage is excellent – about 97% DCI-P3 and 75% BT.2020. These values allow for a truly wide colour reproduction, giving films a natural and cinematic character.

Samsung, as befits a manufacturer with ambitions, has equipped the S85F with a mode called Filmmaker. Its task is simple: to make the colours on the newly purchased television as faithful as possible to what the director intended to show us. Sounds great… but, as is often the case, a theory that sounds wonderful doesn’t always translate into perfect practice.

In the tested unit, it quickly became apparent that the image – due to an excess of blue and red – looked as if someone had gone a bit overboard with the saturation. As a result, there were quite significant colour errors, particularly in 4K content. On top of that, there was an issue with brightness – the S85F could brighten most scenes more than it should, stripping them of the intended mood.

Fortunately, Samsung televisions, including the S85F, offer an impressive number of settings for advanced calibrators. This means that we could see what this panel is really capable of when it gets into the right hands.

Sony Bravia 5 was obviously tested in the best possible mode, which is the Movie mode. Right out of the box, it delivers the most natural colours, definitely better than anything offered by the "eco" or "dynamic" modes, which are more suited for a store display than a living room. However, the Movie mode alone does not guarantee that we can always expect cinematic picture quality. In SDR content, we had no significant complaints – the slightly warmed white balance gave the scenes a golden hue, but it was nothing that was glaring. However, a problem arose with HDR materials. Here, the colour reproduction simply looked bad. The white balance was heavily skewed – with an excess of blue and a clear lack of red. At times, it resembled the store mode of "super vivid picture," where everything is blown out and artificially boosted.

This situation made brightness management seem too aggressive as well. The EOTF graph clearly showed that the television has trouble with overexposing many scenes right out of the box. And while we know what Sony televisions are usually capable of, it was hard to remain indifferent here – that’s why we quickly decided to go for calibration.

Thanks to the huge number of settings in the menu, we managed to bring the S85F almost to perfection. White balance in SDR content? Literally perfect – deviations do not exceed a value of "1". So we can confidently say that in materials with not too high dynamics, we have an image that's close to reference.

In HDR content, minor issues appeared, but they don't have much significance in practice – most errors fall below the threshold of perception, which is a value of "3". We also managed to tame the S85F when it comes to brightness management – the EOTF curve, even in films, holds nearly perfect straight line. This is one of those cases where after calibration, you can comfortably forget about the settings and simply watch movies and series at the highest level.

After calibration, the situation changed dramatically. We managed to tune the white balance so that entire scenes began to look more natural, and the image gained coherence and elegance. In HDR, we finally got rid of that unwanted clipping effect that had previously spoiled some shots. Suddenly, it turned out that the Bravia 5 can extract much more from films than the first contact "straight out of the box" suggested. Indeed, if we look at the graphs and compare them with the standards, we can see that the beginning of the EOTF curve slightly strays beyond the reference line. However, this is not so much a calibration error as it is a natural limitation of the Mini-LED technology that cannot be bypassed. Sony, rather than clinging tightly to perfect black, prefers to prioritise the visibility of details – and in practice, it’s hard to disagree with that. We prefer to see the texture of the material on the screen rather than a pitch-black spot where all nuances disappear.

The calibration itself was really beneficial. After about an hour spent on settings, we felt that the image resembled that of the best cinema halls – of course on a home scale, but with the same sense of quality and refinement. And in such moments, we remember why we love Sony televisions: because once we fine-tune them, they reward us with a picture that captivates for long hours.

The tone transition smoothing function in the S85F works really effectively – it can completely eliminate the problem of visible banding in very poor quality material, such as from YouTube. Unfortunately, even the lowest level of this option comes with compromises. The noise reduction is so aggressive that it can smooth out film grain, which many of us consider to be an element of the cinematic atmosphere. At the “Standard” level, we didn’t notice this function removing anything significant from the image, so we can recommend this setting. On the other hand, the “High” level is a different story – it can smooth out not just noise, but also small, desirable details like, for example, the texture of objects.

When it comes to image scaling, the S85F performs very well. The material looks sharp, and the only slight imperfection is the barely noticeable aliasing of edges. And there’s the ongoing issue with Samsung televisions – overscan. This can cause some scenes to be slightly cropped, which is worth noting when watching very old content.

Bravia 5 carries the genes of Sony, which remain intact – and thank goodness for that, because we're talking about absolutely exceptional digital image processing. It's no coincidence that for years, it's been considered that TVs from this brand set the standard for how a screen should handle lower quality materials. If someone still watches classic television, old films, or YouTube in lower resolutions, here they get equipment that can turn such content into a surprisingly enjoyable experience. On board, we find several tools worth activating. The first of these is "digital noise reduction." Set to a medium level, it works superbly – smoothing out tonal transitions that usually cause the most trouble in low-quality materials while introducing no artificial artifacts. Importantly, it also doesn't remove the cinematic character, which is the natural grain that is intentionally present in many productions. Another advantage of the Bravia 5 is the upscaling capabilities of the XR processor. The image presented after scaling is soft, yet sharp and clear. The outlines of characters are well-defined, and backgrounds maintain their texture without excessive artificial sharpening. It's hard to find a better TV for watching lower quality materials – Bravia 5 only confirms why Sony is considered the benchmark in this area.

S85F is an incredibly fast television – and that’s not just empty hype. Thanks to the 120 Hz OLED panel, dynamic scenes, whether in games or while watching a live match, look just as they should – smooth, sharp, and without the feeling that something is "slipping" out of frame. The lightning-fast pixel response time, typical of OLEDs, plays a big role here. Transitions between frames are virtually instantaneous, and the image remains clear even during the fastest camera movements. A ball flying across half the field? A car speeding in a chase scene? Everything here is clear and free of the typical "trail" associated with LCDs.

This is exactly what we expect from a good OLED – zero compromises when it comes to motion smoothness. The S85F gives the impression that regardless of the pace of action, we can focus on what’s happening on the screen, rather than on the imperfections of the image.

Bravia 5 has a 120 Hz panel, which in itself sounds like an invitation to watch sports, fast matches or spectacular action films. However, the real magic begins when MotionFlow – Sony's proprietary motion smoother – comes into play. Thanks to this feature, we can adjust the character of the picture to our own preferences. The "smoothness" slider allows us to transition from a cinematic feel with a slight "judder" to a theatrical fluidity, where every ball in the match glides across the screen as if on a string. The higher the value, the smoother and more fluid it is; the lower it is, the more film-like and natural it becomes. In the options, we also find an additional setting that Sony calls "clarity". This is nothing more than the BFI function (which inserts black frames) aimed at improving motion sharpness. It sounds great in theory, but in practice, it must be used with caution. Why? Because all higher settings cause brightness drops of up to half, and in some cases, contour doubling also appears. So if we want to use it, we recommend setting it to the lowest level – "1" out of the available ten. That way, we gain a bit better motion sharpness without risking losing half the brightness of the picture.

[UPDATE] We have updated our 2025 Samsung TV reviews following the release of firmware version 1131, which officially restores the essential HGiG (HDR Gaming Interest Group) support.

S85F has practically everything on board to become the dream screen for gaming. Four full HDMI 2.1 ports with a bandwidth of 48 Gb/s, support for VRR, ALLM, a super-detailed Game Bar that clearly shows all parameters – plus a gem in the form of Game Motion Plus. This motion smoother makes animation in games more enjoyable, while input lag increases slightly. It's a rare combination, and that’s a big plus for Samsung. Perhaps Samsung will fix this in the next update – and we have high hopes for that. Because if HGiG comes back, the S85F will become nearly the perfect TV for gamers.

In the Bravia 5, there is a significant improvement compared to the X90L model from two years ago. The television offers literally everything its predecessor had, but this time the issues that could frustrate gamers have been addressed. Problems with setting the variable refresh rate (VRR) have disappeared, and there are no longer issues with configuring HDR content in HGiG mode. In short: we get a device that simply works as it should, without any hassles. So, the Bravia 5 has everything you can expect from a modern gaming TV – and it can be confidently advertised with the slogan "ready for PS5." That's something we couldn't say about the X90L model. Well done, Sony!

It's just a shame that this relatively high-priced model lacks a full set of four HDMI 2.1 ports. In everyday use, this won’t be an issue for most people, but if someone has a console, soundbar, and additional equipment connected via HDMI, at some point they'll have to choose or juggle cables.