Samsung S85F (WOLED) vs IFFALCON U85X

For most of the time, let's say in 90% of film scenes, viewers will hardly see any difference between the S85F versions. When small but very bright light points appear on screen – a lantern in a dark alley, a gunshot, the sun breaking through the clouds – this WOLED panel (just like the smaller S85F) performs exceptionally well. Our measurements showed a peak brightness of around 750 nits. We can confidently state: this is a great result that guarantees fantastic HDR effects. The problem arises in a very specific, uncomfortable situation for any OLED. We're talking about the moment when the entire screen has to shine at full brightness clearly. Examples include a white background screen, a skiing scene, or our test sequences (5) from the film The Meg. And here, unfortunately, the results diverge quite significantly against the WOLED panel variant. Our measurement equipment was able to measure a maximum of around 250 to 300 nits of brightness under such conditions. To be clear: the same model on a QD-OLED panel in the same test is almost twice as bright. The second issue: colours. And here we also have to be honest – QD-OLED has a structural advantage. Why? It’s simple. QD-OLED creates colours from three components (red, green, and blue) and doesn’t need an additional white subpixel. The WOLED panel we’re testing here uses that white subpixel, mainly to boost overall brightness. The effect is that QD-OLED is able to display a slightly wider colour palette, and the colours are a bit "cleaner." But let’s be clear: it’s not that the colours on this WOLED panel are bad! Quite the opposite, they are really very good. Coverage of the DCI-P3 film colour gamut at 97% and 71% for the wider BT.2020 palette is still high-end. We just have to honestly admit that those few percentage points of coverage advantage lie with QD-OLED technology and may be noticeable in very specific moments.

iFFALCON U85 handles HDR in a rather dual manner – on one hand, it can surprise with a solid peak brightness of around 650 nits, which places it significantly above average in this price segment. This is particularly evident in bright, full-screen scenes. Examples from movies like Life of Pi or the final test sequences from The Meg prove that the television can maintain the power and essence of the HDR effect when the entire panel needs to “ignite,” providing truly satisfying experiences. However, problems arise in high-contrast scenes, where smaller, bright details appear on the screen; the dimming algorithms prioritise black depth so much that they can crush the brightness of small bright points down to just 100 nits, drastically lowering the image dynamics and depriving us of the real “bite” we expect from HDR standards. However, the question of colours remains a sweetener, as thanks to the use of the PFS phosphor filter (marketed as QLED by the manufacturer), they look very good, achieving nearly 94% coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut, which allows for a rich and vivid image in most content.

When it comes to factory colour reproduction, our test unit in SDR mode suffered from a slight deficit in red and yellow. This resulted in a subtle yellowish tint visible in shades of white. However, this is not the biggest issue with the S85F. Similar to the QD-OLED panel variant, the main problem with this model is the way it presents HDR content. When we look at the EOTF curve graph, it’s easy to see that the TV has quite significant issues with strong image over-brightening. This results in the final image becoming very unnatural in many scenes.

We tested the factory colours in the iFFALCON U85X model in “Film” mode, which is definitely the most accurate among all available settings, although it is still far from perfect. The main issue that catches the eye in both SDR and HDR content is the improper white balance – an excess of blue and red contributes to a slight purple tint in the image, detracting from the naturalness of the film scenes. An even greater challenge is how the television manages its brightness. Analysing the gamma chart for SDR signal, we noticed significant instability: instead of adhering to the standard value of 2.4, the device oscillates around 2.2, then suddenly makes an unnatural jump to around 3.0. In practice, this leads to confusing effects – large, bright surfaces on the screen appear too dark, while smaller elements are unnecessarily brightened. A similar characteristic can be found in the EOTF curve, which makes the image unpredictable and loses its cinematic authenticity.

After conducting calibration in Filmmaker mode, we managed to eliminate most unwanted effects. In SDR content, the TV performs exceptionally well, and its colour reproduction errors do not exceed a value of 2, which is an outstanding result. The HDR content looks a bit worse, though still very good. Although we managed to eliminate a significant unnaturalness of the image caused by an overly high EOTF curve, the most discerning observers may notice that it is not perfectly aligned. It runs slightly below the reference curve, which would suggest that the S85F has minor issues in displaying all details in the image. We must immediately point out that it is highly unlikely for the average viewer to notice any deficiencies in the picture. We assess the final result after calibration as exemplary.

After professional calibration of the movie mode, we must admit that the effect is more than satisfactory – the iFFALCON U85X undergoes a true transformation here. Colour errors in SDR content have dropped to a level below 2, making them practically undetectable to the human eye. We managed to set the white balance almost perfectly, and brightness management (gamma) has become almost exemplary. As a result, with standard quality materials, the television simply looks perfect and it's hard to fault it.

In the case of HDR signal, the situation has also improved significantly, although here the nature of the device is a bit more noticeable. Colour errors have been reduced to around 3, which is an outstanding result in this price range. It's worth taking a look at the EOTF chart (available on the right side of the screen in filters: 4K HDR, gamma / EOTF) to see what is not immediately apparent regarding brightness management by the U85. Though the reference line looks decent, in actual film scenes the television still interprets the signal “in its own way” due to very aggressive local dimming zone algorithms. Does that disqualify this model for watching HDR content? Absolutely not. It’s simply a typical issue with nearly every Mini-LED that has to balance high brightness with the attempt to maintain deep blacks. One just needs to be aware of these technical limitations, which are unavoidable in this segment.

The processing of tonal transitions (gradients) in the S85F is at a high level. The television effectively handles posterization (the "stepping" effect of colours), even with heavily compressed content, for example, from streaming services. However, using this feature requires a certain compromise. We noticed that the noise reduction algorithm is quite aggressive – even at the lowest setting, it can eliminate the natural film grain, which for many viewers is part of the film's aesthetics. The "Standard" setting seems to be a golden mean, without causing a noticeable loss of important details, so we can recommend it. However, we advise against using the "High" level, which, in addition to noise, also removes desired details such as texture or the structure of objects on the screen.

The upscaling process of lower resolution content works very well in the S85F. The image is sharp and clear. The only minor imperfection we managed to observe is occasional slight aliasing on the edges. The television still displays characteristics typical of this manufacturer, namely active "overscan" (a slight image enlargement). This should be kept in mind, especially when watching older content, as it may result in minimal clipping of the original frame.

When it comes to scaling images to 4K resolution, the iFFALCON U85X performs solidly. The device effectively boosts low-quality signals, making even older materials look clean and clear on the 4K panel. At extremely low resolutions, such as 480p, you can notice slightly jagged edges (especially on thin lines), but let’s be honest – this is a scenario you'll only encounter while watching very old recordings, so in everyday use, it’s not a real issue.

On the other hand, the digital processing aimed at smoothing tonal transitions performs significantly worse. Although the menu features a function called “Gradual Smoothing”, its effectiveness is at least debatable. In practice, it does not effectively eliminate banding (colour stepping) and, worse yet, can cause more harm than good. This filter can be too aggressive where it shouldn’t be, artificially smoothing out details that shouldn’t be touched, such as the natural texture of the face or the fine details of skin texture. Instead of improving quality, this function can give the image an unnatural, “plastic” look, so it’s best to use it with caution or, preferably: leave it turned off.

S85F is a model with impressive speed. The use of a 120 Hz OLED panel ensures that dynamic scenes, both in games and during sports broadcasts, perform as expected: smoothly, sharply, and without loss of clarity. A key role here is played by the lightning-fast pixel response time, which is a natural advantage of OLED technology. Transitions between frames are instantaneous, and the image remains clear even during the fastest camera movements. Moving objects, like a ball on the field or a car in a chase scene, are clear and free from the characteristic smearing of LCD panels (so-called "trail").

Unlike budget constructions that can resemble a slideshow in dynamic sports scenes, the iFFALCON U85X is a heavyweight player equipped with a panel featuring a native refresh rate of 144Hz. It's worth remembering that in the realm of movies, series, or sports, we'll predominantly operate at 120Hz due to the specifics of image enhancement systems. Such a fast panel is excellent news for gamers and sports fans, as it opens the door to advanced motion settings that simply aren't available in cheaper 60Hz models.

Everything is managed from the menu “Motion Clarity”, where instead of using ready-made, often overly aggressive modes, we strongly recommend a custom configuration based on two sliders. The most important of these, Flicker Reduction, is responsible for fluidity in films – here, it's best to aim for a value around 4, which helps maintain the natural, cinematic character of motion without falling into the artificial “soap opera effect.” Meanwhile, the first slider, Motion Blur Reduction, is key to success in sports broadcasts. In this case, it's worth going all out and setting it to maximum, ensuring that the image remains sharp during fast-paced action on the field, while annoying ghosting is eliminated.

85F has practically everything on board to become the dream screen for gaming. It features four full-fledged HDMI 2.1 ports with a bandwidth of 48 Gb/s, support for VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) and ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode). Additionally, there is a super-detailed Game Bar that clearly shows all the key parameters. However, the real gem is the Game Motion Plus feature. This motion smoother dedicated to games makes the animation more pleasant to the eye while only slightly increasing input lag. This is a rare and well-functioning combination that deserves big applause for Samsung.

Now comes the moment where we need to vent a little. The lack of Dolby Vision in Samsung TVs has become standard, so there's no use hoping (unless something changes in the future). Unfortunately, it's much harder to explain the disappearance of support for HGiG after one of the software updates. HGiG (HDR Gaming Interest Group) is a key mode that allows for precise representation of brightness in HDR games, as intended by the creators. Without it, HDR calibration on consoles becomes less accurate, which may result in images that are too dark in the shadows or overly bright in the light areas. Perhaps Samsung will fix this in the next update – we have high hopes for that. Because if HGiG returns, the S85F will become nearly the perfect TV for gamers.

[UPDATE] We have updated our tests of Samsung TVs from the 2025 lineup due to the release of software version 1131, which restored the crucial HGiG feature for gamers.

iFFALCON U85X is an outstanding piece of gear for gamers that has pretty much everything you could ask for from a modern screen for console or PC. It features two full-fledged HDMI 2.1 ports with a full bandwidth of 48 Gbps, which opens the door to key technologies such as VRR and ALLM, ensuring smooth gameplay without screen tearing and with minimal lag. The TV effortlessly handles high refresh rates at various resolutions, and a real curiosity is the mode that allows for up to 240Hz when dropping down to Full HD quality. Everything is managed by the Game Bar (which is a faithful copy from TCL), allowing for instant switching of picture modes, personalization of the interface appearance, or even adding a virtual crosshair in the middle of the screen.