Sony Bravia 9 (XR90) vs SAMSUNG OLED S95F (QD-OLED)

The brightness measurement results on the Sony Bravia 9 are phenomenal. Each scene achieves well over 1500 nits, and while watching movies, the TV can sometimes shine even brighter. It goes without saying that such brightness allows for unprecedented experiences and engagement with video material at the highest possible quality. With a high coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut, the image is full of colours and, combined with such high luminance, it practically breathes. Thanks to the high peak brightness, viewers can enjoy the full spectrum of colours even in the most difficult scenes, such as those based on dynamic lighting changes. The Bravia 9 supports Dolby Vision and HDR10 formats, which further enhances the viewing experience.

The new generation of QD-OLED panels in Samsung's S95F showcases its full potential, and the brightness results are simply astounding. In test film scenes, such as “Life of Pi” or “Sicario 2”, where smaller light elements appear – stars, the moon, or spotlights – the television managed to achieve over 2000 nits of brightness. This is a result that surpasses even most top Mini-LED models.

The secret lies in the technology itself – instead of a limited number of dimming zones like in Mini-LED televisions, here we have millions of glowing pixels, allowing the television to fully demonstrate its power without technological compromises. Of course, since it is still an organic panel, in scenes that are full-screen and flooded with white – like in the final sequence from The Meg – brightness drops to around 1400 nits. Nevertheless, the result remains excellent and definitely exceeds what any OLEDs, both QD-OLED and WOLED, have offered so far. The colour reproduction is also particularly noteworthy. Thanks to QD-OLED technology, the television achieves almost 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 colour space and around 80% in BT.2020. These values make HDR images not only dazzling in brightness but also stunning in their range of colours.

The best factory mode on Sony televisions has remained "IMAX Enhanced" for years. This is what we used throughout the entire testing procedure. Despite being the closest to the reference compared to other predefined options, it has a number of aspects that can be improved to make viewing even more enjoyable. When we look at the gamma in SDR materials, we notice quite a significant boost that is related to over-contrasting the image. It is worth noting that the very beginning of the graph has an even greater spike compared to the reference, which leads to the merging of details in the blacks, creating a uniform blob. The EOTF curve in HDR content looked quite accurate and only showed slight deviations from the reference. However, a common characteristic for both was: a greenish tint in the white balance, issues with greys, and general colour misalignment. The most noticeable issue was related to the uneven distribution of colours in the white balance. Due to the excess of the aforementioned colour, the image was covered with an unpleasant greenish tint.

The best picture mode straight out of the box is undoubtedly Filmmaker Mode – a mode that Samsung has been using for several years and which is intended to faithfully convey the creators' vision. In SDR content, its implementation is not bad, although some imperfections can be noticed. The image is slightly dimmed, and the screen has a subtle pinkish hue resulting from an excess of red and blue in the white balance. Colour errors remained at a level of 3–4 ΔE units – and for the uninitiated: a value above 3 is the threshold where the average human eye starts to notice differences.

Much bigger problems arise in HDR content, however. Here, the white balance was not as much of an issue – a slight excess of blue did not significantly hinder things. The problem became brightness management. In practice, the TV "blows out" the image too much, causing details in the blacks to completely disappear. The final effect was far from what was expected, and the colour errors in this mode became quite significant. It’s hard to say why such a design decision was made, but it was clear that the factory HDR settings do not allow this TV to showcase its full potential.

The colour reproduction after the calibration process should be regarded as excellent. Regardless of the signal, whether it's SDR or HDR, we can expect an image incredibly close to what the film director saw. Practically every image flaw has been modelled and maximally improved. This was made possible by the advanced tools used for the calibration process, which Sony has provided in its televisions for years, including 2- and 20-point grey scale adjustment and a very elaborate CMS.

After calibration, it was possible to make subtle adjustments to the white balance and significantly improve the image characteristics. In SDR content, the quality has become practically reference-level – most colour errors have dropped below a ΔE value of 1, which is the level at which the human eye can no longer perceive differences. This is a result that places the S95F among the absolute top TV models available on the market.

In HDR material, calibration also brought a significant improvement. The tendency of the TV to blow out the image was managed, as confirmed by the analysis of the EOTF curve. There is still a slight tendency to brighten the entire scene or occasional loss of detail in the blacks, but this does not significantly affect the overall perception. After calibration, the S95F shows its full potential and can be regarded as one of the best TVs on the market!

Let's take another look at the quality of tonal transitions, but this time we will analyse the quality of image scaling, which will be crucial when watching lower quality materials. We'll start with the function responsible for the quality of tonal transitions. While they are quite average by default, after activating the option, even at the smallest degree, we can confidently say that these are some of the better ones we've seen. You can confidently enable this function, as it does not cause any negative phenomena, such as grain blur.

Sony has been boasting for several years that its "XR" processor is unmatched when it comes to image scaling. And it's not hard for us to believe that, because the image is indeed incredibly sharp, yet very natural.

Samsung S95F offers a noise reduction feature that smooths tonal transitions. It works very effectively, but in practice, it can be too aggressive. Materials of lower quality – e.g. older recordings or videos from YouTube – become soft and plastic when it is enabled, resembling an image digitally smoothed in graphic software. Unfortunately, the natural film grain, which often adds authenticity to the image, disappears in the process. Fortunately, the television does not lose too much fine detail, e.g. in skin textures or environmental elements. Therefore, this feature is best used judiciously – depending on preferences, one can achieve a smooth but less natural image or one that is truer to the original. In our opinion, the most universal choice is the “Standard” setting.

Image scaling performs significantly better. The television handles lower resolution materials well – even 576p content looks quite decent, though slight blockiness can be observed. Overall, the effect is very good, although it slightly trails behind what Sony Bravia 8 (II) or LG G5 can achieve. It’s also worth mentioning a small imperfection of the S95F – in older materials, overscan may occur, causing a slight trimming of the left edge of the image.

The maximum refresh rate of the Sony Bravia 9 is 120 Hz. This is the essential minimum for watching primarily sports or content that has a lot of movement dynamics while maintaining a sharp and smooth image. For demanding users, the manufacturer has implemented a very advanced smoothing system, which is divided into three segments: Smoothness (Film), Smoothness (Camera), and Clarity. The first two correspond to: blur degree and smoothing degree, respectively. The third option will be described in more detail below. Additionally, we can adjust all settings to various levels, each of which will have an effect, ensuring that we can find our very own sweet spot. In the photo, we present a setting with slight smoothing, without the soap opera effect.

The Samsung S95F excels in motion fluidity, presenting phenomenal performance. The panel operates at a native resolution of 4K with a refresh rate of up to 165 Hz, and when combined with QD-OLED organic technology, it delivers incredible results. Sports and games look sensational – the picture is fast, dynamic, and very natural. Additionally, the built-in motion smoother and blur reduction system allow you to customise the character of the image to your own preferences. You can opt for a more 'framey' effect with visible film texture or a smooth, cinematic spectacle. Every viewer will find a setting that suits them.

The Sony Bravia 9 television is equipped with four HDMI ports. However, somewhat incomprehensibly for this class of device, only two of them operate in the 2.1 standard. Nevertheless, it shouldn't be taken away that almost all features work excellently and do not cause any negative feelings upon being activated. Games operating in either HDR10 or Dolby Vision have a very short input lag, allowing for a very comfortable session with the title. A consolation remains in the good implementation of the HGIG mode, which after proper tuning does not deviate significantly from Dolby Vision.

A year ago, Sony added to its televisions what has been standard for some manufacturers for years. This is, of course, the GameBar, allowing for quick adjustment of settings without the need to exit the game. The implementation of this feature was successful and works very smoothly. We have been provided with conveniences such as: crosshair grid, black level correction, and the ability to reduce the screen to the proportions of gaming monitors.

Sony Bravia 9 will certainly find its group of fans, most likely among PlayStation enthusiasts. Here, we must admit that this will be the most sensible choice, as in practice both the console and the television have exactly the same capabilities. However, looking more broadly, aside from issues with Dolby Vision in games, one cannot deny that the Bravia 9 is a very good television in the context of gaming.

The same advantages of low motion blur and excellent motion fluidity characteristic of OLED panels are just the beginning, as the Samsung S95F has been designed with gamers in mind. The manufacturer has equipped it with four HDMI 2.1 ports – though limited to a bandwidth of 40 Gb/s, in practice, this has no impact on compatibility with consoles or PCs. We get a full package of gaming features: variable refresh rate (VRR), automatic game mode (ALLM), as well as a very well-implemented HGiG standard, ensuring that HDR titles look as the creators intended. This is complemented by Game Bar – a clear settings hub, where with one motion, we can preview and change all key image parameters. The proprietary motion smoother Game Motion Plus also deserves praise, as it can smooth out animation, which is especially useful in productions running at 60 frames, where stability is not always exemplary. While there is no support for Dolby Vision in games, it’s hard to consider this a serious drawback – Samsung compensates with other solutions. This is one of the best, if not the best, gaming TVs available on the market today.