Sony BRAVIA 5 (XR5) vs SAMSUNG S95F (TANDEM OLED 83")

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.

The Samsung S95F in the 83-inch variant with a Tandem OLED panel also enchants with its HDR effects. In test movie scenes, such as “Life of Pi” or “Sicario 2,” where smaller light points dominate – stars in the night sky, the glow of the moon, or headlights – the TV easily achieves brightness levels surpassing 2000 nits. This is a result that not long ago seemed unattainable for OLEDs and places this model in the same category as the best Mini-LED constructions.

The limitations of organic panels only emerge in full-screen scenes completely filled with white. In the case of this model, for example, in the final scene of the film The Meg, brightness drops to around 1000 nits – slightly lower than in the smaller QD-OLED variants, where the result hovered around 1400 nits. Nevertheless, we are still talking about an outstanding result, unprecedented in OLED TVs of this size. The colour reproduction is equally impressive. The new Tandem OLED panel nearly catches up to QD-OLED TVs, offering excellent coverage of a wide colour gamut. The results are slightly weaker than those of QD-OLED, but in practice, they still provide an image whose intensity and naturalness of colours are hard to compare with any other television.

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.

The best picture mode right out of the box is undoubtedly Filmmaker Mode. This mode has been present in Samsung televisions for several years and is intended to reproduce the image as faithfully as possible to the creators' vision. In SDR material, it performs reasonably well, though not without flaws. The image is slightly dimmed, and the white balance tends to shift towards red and blue, resulting in a slight pinkish tint on the screen. Average colour errors hover around values of ΔE 3–4, which is on the borderline of what most people can detect with the naked eye.

The limitations are much more apparent with HDR content. Here, a slight excess of blue in the white balance isn't such a big issue – the real obstacle is how the television manages brightness. In many scenes, the image looked as if it had been blown out, and details in the blacks could completely vanish. The final effect didn't do justice to what such a device is capable of, leading to significant colour inaccuracies. It's hard to understand why such a factory characteristic was chosen, as the perception of HDR in this rendition was definitely not what it should have been.

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.

After calibration, the S95F shows what it can really do. The white balance has been straightened out, and minor inaccuracies have been corrected, making the image in SDR content look nearly exemplary. Colour differences have fallen below the level that the human eye can detect – looking at the screen, one just gets the impression of complete naturalness and harmony of colours.

In HDR, the improvement is equally noticeable. The TV handles brightness much better, and there’s no longer the 'blowing out' of the entire frame. Bright scenes are more controlled, and blacks retain more detail, though sometimes a slight brightening of the overall image can still be noticed. However, this doesn’t change the fact that after calibration, the S95F delivers an image that can confidently be called one of the best on the market – regardless of whether we’re watching movies in SDR or spectacular productions in HDR.

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.

The Samsung S95F model features noise reduction, aimed at improving the fluidity of tonal transitions. Its effectiveness is difficult to call ineffective – on the contrary, it can excessively interfere with the image. Older films or materials of lower quality, such as those from YouTube, take on a soft, smoothed character reminiscent of a painting effect thanks to this feature. The problem is that along with the noise, the natural film grain, which gives the image a cinematic quality, also disappears. Fortunately, the feature does not blur significant details, so its use is more a matter of preference. If someone prefers a slightly polished and smooth image, it’s worth turning it on, but in our opinion, the most sensible setting is “Standard”.

Upscaling leaves a better impression. The S95F efficiently enhances the quality of lower resolution content – even 576p videos look quite good, although minor artifacts in the form of blockiness can be noticed. Overall, the effect is very solid, although when compared to the competition – such as the Sony Bravia 8 (II) or LG G5 – it is noticeable that those models can extract a bit more from the image. However, one inconvenience to remember is that in the case of older films and photos, there is a problem with overscan, which causes a slight trimming of the left edge 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.

In the case of the 83-inch S95F with a Tandem OLED panel, the fluidity of motion also makes a huge impression. The panel in native 4K resolution offers a refresh rate of 165 Hz, and this combined with organic technology makes games and sport look fantastic. Additionally, the manufacturer has added a motion smoother and a motion blur reduction system, allowing each viewer to customise the picture to their own preferences – whether a more 'choppy', cinematic effect or a smooth, almost theatrical spectacle.

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.

Low motion blur and phenomenal motion fluidity, hallmarks of the OLED panel, are just the warm-up. The Samsung S95F has been designed with gamers in mind – and this is evident at every turn. Four HDMI 2.1 ports with a bandwidth of 40 Gb/s may sound like a compromise on paper, but in practice, neither consoles nor PCs will feel the slightest limitation here. Onboard is a full set of gaming features: variable refresh rate VRR, automatic game mode ALLM, and an excellently implemented HGiG standard, which allows you to enjoy HDR exactly as the creators intended. All this is complemented by Game Bar – an intuitive command centre where you can check and adjust the most important settings in seconds.

Particularly noteworthy is Game Motion Plus, Samsung's proprietary motion smoother. It can add additional fluidity to animations, which can be a lifesaver in games running at 60 frames, where stability doesn't always hold up. Yes, there's no support for Dolby Vision in games, but it's hard to consider this a serious flaw – the manufacturer compensates for this gap with other solutions. The S95F is one of the absolute favourites for the title of the best gaming television on today's market.