Sony Bravia 8 MK2 vs Panasonic W95B

Thanks to the new QD-OLED panel, the Sony Bravia 8 II can achieve astronomically high brightness levels of around 2000 nits, translating to near-reference quality in films and series recorded in HDR format. In test materials such as Life of Pi and Sicario 2, the effect is absolutely stunning – details in bright parts of the image remain perfectly visible, and night scenes captivate with depth and contrast. However, it’s not perfect. Compared to its most formidable competitors, the Bravia 8 II shows a noticeable drop in brightness during full-screen, very bright scenes. When comparing peak luminance with 100% white brightness in HDR mode, the Bravia 8 II can appear two or three times dimmer than LG G5 or Samsung S95F models. This was particularly evident in a scene from the film The Meg – the screen became noticeably darker than in competitors' televisions. Despite this flaw, the Bravia 8 II's results still place it at the forefront of the market. It deserves praise for its absolutely top-notch colour gamut coverage – nearly 100% DCI-P3 and close to 90% BT.2020. These parameters allow full potential extraction from HDR content and provide a cinematic experience in the comfort of your home.

The Panasonic W95B is truly a bright screen, capable of achieving peak luminance levels of around 1400 nits. In brighter, well-lit movie scenes, this value translates into spectacular HDR effects that can leave a big impression. However, knowing our test setup, you probably see that in very demanding shots – such as the moon in the distance or the lights of a helicopter in a scene from Sicario 2 – the television doesn’t impress. In such situations, brightness drops to around 200 nits, making the HDR effect much less noticeable. This happens because Panasonic focuses on maintaining deep blacks, not illuminating the background – which shouldn’t be a concern for many users. However, it’s important to remember that in such moments, the picture starts to resemble SDR content. The coverage of the colour palette also deserves praise, as it reaches around 93% of the DCI-P3 space thanks to the use of the PFS filter (also known from QLED technology). This means that most films look very good in terms of saturation and colours, maintaining a cinematic quality to the image.

Right out of the box, the Bravia 8 II performs really well. In the best IMAX® Enhanced mode, the TV manages to render colours in a pleasant and natural way, although "well" doesn’t mean "best in class" here. The white balance definitely requires adjustment – skin tones tend to lean towards slightly pink/cool tones, both in SDR and HDR content. We also noticed that the EOTF curve characteristics show a tendency to brighten the darkest parts of the image. This is likely due to the manufacturer's desire to highlight as many details as possible, even in deep shadows. Is this a good approach? It's hard to say definitively, but we know one thing – it's not an ideal solution.

In Filmmaker mode, the Panasonic W95B offers an image with quite accurate colour reproduction, although it is not without minor imperfections. The white balance slightly leans towards red, which can cause a subtle warm tint to the image, and the gamma curve is slightly elevated, making the screen appear a bit brighter. It's good that the manufacturer has included this mode – even in its factory configuration, it provides a fairly natural look for films. However, knowing how susceptible Panasonic televisions are to calibration, we decided to check how much the image could be improved after professional tuning.

After calibration, the excessive cooling of the image caused by an overly strong boost in blue colour was primarily eliminated. The reds became deeper, and the skin tones took on a natural, healthy appearance. The actors, who previously seemed "cold," now look much livelier and more convincing on screen. However, one thing hasn't changed – the analysis of the EOTF curve still shows that the Bravia 8 II has a tendency to brighten the darkest parts of the image. It's hard to say whether this is a deliberate effect by the manufacturer or a consequence of the panel's design and software. In practice, this means that scenes that the creators wanted to leave in deep darkness can reveal more details than intended. Despite this, the reception of the image after calibration is clearly better – the warm, natural tones and realistic skin shades make viewing on the Bravia 8 II simply more pleasant to the eye.

After professional calibration, the Panasonic W95B shows what it’s really capable of. Colour errors have mostly dropped below values of 2–3, making them practically invisible to the human eye. The excess red in the white balance has also been corrected, which means the image is no longer slightly tinted pink, and details in dark areas no longer get lost due to excessive dimming in the gamma. The improvement in HDR content is also noticeable – colour saturation is now more stable and doesn’t lean towards blue as distinctly as it did before. It’s truly a fantastic television for watching movies and series in the highest possible quality. While we know that Mini LED screens are not always perfectly suited for this, the W95B is a prime example that with proper tuning, a result close to OLEDs can be achieved.

Upscaling and digital image processing are a true showcase of the capabilities of the Bravia 8 II. Sony has long been regarded as a master in this field, and here it only confirms its reputation. The proprietary XR processor can extract nearly the maximum from lower resolution materials – whether it's TV or an old movie from a DVD, the image appears clearer, with more detail and better depth. Sure, if we feed it exceptionally poor-quality material (like our archival photo with the Model), it won't work miracles, but in everyday viewing, it’s hard to find fault.

The gentle gradation feature also performs excellently. In the “Medium” setting, it effectively smooths tonal transitions, eliminating stripes on colourful and grey gradients, while not destroying film grain or fine image details. It’s this balance between delicacy and effectiveness that keeps Sony TVs among the best on the market in this category.

In terms of image processing, the Panasonic W95B performs exceptionally well. The proprietary processor responsible for digital image processing effectively upscales lower resolution content to 4K, maintaining a high level of detail and a natural look to contours. The end result is impressive – the upscaling is truly top-notch, and Full HD content can look surprisingly good. Also noteworthy is how the TV smooths tonal transitions in low-quality materials. The algorithm doesn’t operate as aggressively as in some competing models, which helps avoid the loss of detail or the blurring of film grain.

Motion fluidity is practically a closed topic in the case of the Bravia 8 II. The OLED with 120 Hz refresh rate naturally provides a very clean, clear image in dynamic scenes, so it's hard to complain about anything here. However, one of the best smoothing systems on the market deserves particular praise. They allow for precise adjustment of movie fluidity to personal preferences – from gentle smoothing to an almost "theatrical" effect – without the risk of artificial jumps, image tearing, or annoying artifacts. It's one of those features that will be appreciated both during movie screenings and while watching sports.

The 144 Hz panel used in the Panasonic W95B offers excellent smoothness, although in practice, given how television content looks or how new-generation consoles are limited, it’s worth looking at its performance when refreshing at 120 Hz. In this mode, the television performs exceptionally well – despite being a VA panel, which is not known for the fastest pixel response times, motion blur is minimal and difficult to detect with the naked eye.

Sony has really done its homework from previous years and in the Bravia 8 II, it has prepared a package of features for gamers that is hard to describe as anything other than "almost perfect". We have everything you’d expect from equipment of this class – VRR, ALLM, Dolby Vision Gaming mode, HGiG, and even a handy Game Bar that allows you to quickly check parameters and change settings without leaving the game. It's also worth noting how smoothly and seamlessly these features work – no delays, no strange stutter. You simply turn on the game and everything looks as it should. Unfortunately, there are a few "buts". The manufacturer still provides us with only two full bandwidth HDMI ports, so if someone has a console, a PC, and another device like a Soundbar connected via eARC, the fun begins with plugging and unplugging cables. It's also surprising that there's no support for 1440p at 120 Hz – particularly important for Xbox gamers. Overall though – this is one of those TVs that can comfortably be placed in the centre of a gaming lounge and enjoyed without major compromises.

Aside from the previously mentioned issue related to VRR mode, where local dimming does not work, the Panasonic W95B is a true gaming beast. The TV offers practically everything that gamers could expect – perhaps apart from four HDMI 2.1 ports, as there are only two available. On board, we find automatic low latency mode (ALLM), correctly implemented HDR modes for gamers, including HGiG, as well as support for Dolby Vision in games. The whole package is complemented by an interestingly designed Game Bar, presented in the form of circles. It may not be the most visually attractive, but it fulfills its purpose – allowing quick access to key game parameters and adjusting settings without diving into the system menu.