Compare: Sony X85L vs SAMSUNG QN80F

Sony X85L is a model from 2023 that will continue to be available in the 2024 range from the Japanese manufacturer. Its biggest advantage is the Google TV system. It currently provides the greatest access to applications, so we don’t have to worry about missing any of our favourite apps. The intuitive interface and voice control feature using Google Assistant make daily use of the television convenient and modern. As for picture quality, Sony X85L performs well. Thanks to local dimming (albeit with a very mediocre number of zones), black levels look quite decent. Additionally, its fairly high brightness allows for comfortable TV viewing during the day, even in well-lit rooms. Moreover, the television offers a program recording feature from built-in tuners, which is a great convenience for those wanting to control what and when they watch. In terms of motion smoothness, X85L also does not disappoint. The 120 Hz panel and Motionflow system provide smooth display of dynamic scenes, which will satisfy both movie lovers and sports fans. The television is also equipped with a range of features for gamers, including VRR, Game Bar, and G-Sync support, making it an attractive choice for gaming enthusiasts. Of course, the television is not without its flaws. The lack of HGiG support and high input lag in Dolby Vision mode may be disappointing for more demanding gamers. Additionally, the compromise between font readability and smoothness of the image when connected to a PC may not appeal to everyone. Nevertheless, Sony X85L is a decent piece of equipment that is particularly worth considering if it can be purchased on sale.

QN80F is the first in the history of Samsung's "eighty range" to feature Mini LED backlighting. And it does it really well. Although the number of dimming zones isn't staggering, the black levels are solid, and in combination with high brightness, it allows for a very decent picture in HDR content. Additionally, there's a 144 Hz panel that provides excellent motion fluidity, and the gaming features – VRR, ALLM, Game Motion Plus – make the QN80F an option truly designed for those gaming on consoles or PCs. The television operates quickly and responsively, and the Tizen system runs like lightning – whether you’re searching for apps or switching sources. Is there anything to nitpick? Of course, as always – there are shortcomings in the system (like USB recording), DTS support is absent, and Mini LED comes with its own limitations. But the QN80F is a fantastic everyday television – versatile, refined, and... with great price potential. Looking at the history of this series, we can expect that this "eighty" will still shake things up once it hits the first reasonable promotions. And then it could be virtually unbeatable at its price – especially if Samsung fixes the minor teething issues.

The Sony X85L television is equipped with a VA panel, which offers quite decent contrast on its own. Additionally, this model features local dimming technology – in the 55-inch version, it includes 24 zones. Although this number isn’t impressive, it naturally increases with the size of the television. The contrast in the X85L is good, though not the best, especially compared to other televisions also equipped with advanced local dimming technology. Results at a level of 8000:1 are satisfactory, but they average out against the competition. In some cases, such as the third scene from the movie Arrival, the contrast is promising and performs quite well. This is thanks to the very good dimming algorithm that Sony has been using in its televisions for years. Unfortunately, due to the limited number of local dimming zones, the television struggles with noticeable blooming, which can be seen in scenes with the helicopter from the movie Sicario 2.

QN80F is a representative of the Neo QLED series, meaning it is a television with Mini LED backlighting. Unlike its cheaper cousin, the QN70F model, the diodes here are placed directly behind the panel (instead of at the edges), which gives a solid advantage from the start when it comes to contrast control. In the 65-inch variant we tested, we counted 88 dimming zones – a result that may not be very impressive, but as it turned out, sufficient to achieve quite decent results.

In tests based on scenes from films such as Oblivion or The Meg, the QN80F performed well – blacks were deep, and the overall image consistency was eye-catching. However, in more demanding moments (e.g., scenes with a large number of bright details on a dark background), a halo effect appeared. This is where the limitation of the number of zones comes into play – bright elements could bleed around, and some details in dark areas became less visible. In one scene with a helicopter (The Meg), we even noticed slight brightness flickering, as if the television was trying its best to maintain visibility of the details at the expense of black depth.

However, these are not issues exclusive to this model – the halo effect or contrast drops in very complex scenes are something that most Mini LED televisions struggle with, even the more expensive ones. In its class, the QN80F still performs positively and offers noticeably better contrast than the QN70F model with edge lighting. For most users, this will be a level more than sufficient – although not perfect.

The Sony X85L TV offers solid HDR performance with a brightness of 750 nits, which is sufficient to enjoy vibrant effects. In scenes of moderate difficulty, such as the first, third, or fifth test scenes, a brightness of around 600 nits allows you to fully experience the HDR effect. Unfortunately, in more demanding segments, like the scene from the film Sicario 2, the TV reveals its limitations. Drops in brightness to 250 nits make the HDR effect lose its impressive quality and resemble ordinary SDR. Nonetheless, it is worth highlighting the very good coverage of the DCI-P3 colour palette at 95%, which definitely deserves praise and positively impacts the overall image quality.

QN80F is quite a bright screen – in synthetic tests, it reached nearly 1000 nits, which allows for reasonable expectations of HDR content. And indeed, in many scenes, the TV can truly shine. Sequences with a lot of light – like shots from the movie Life of Pi or wide, bright surfaces in The Meg – look impressive. Brightness stays around 700 nits, which provides a solid effect, enough to feel the true "HDR magic." Unfortunately, not every scene looks this good. In content with small, bright details on a dark background, like in Sicario 2, the TV can struggle – it can significantly dim individual elements, sometimes to the point where they disappear from the image. This is a result of the limited number of dimming zones, forcing the device into compromises: either stick to inky blacks or sacrifice some detail. QN80F usually chooses the former. As a consolation, it offers quite decent coverage of a wide color palette – DCI-P3 at 93%. It's not the highest score on the market, but it's more than enough for most content on streaming platforms.

The television Sony X85L has been tested in IMAX Enhanced mode, which, while associated with world-class cinema, does not guarantee an image consistent with the director's intent. The main issue is the white balance – there is a noticeable strong dominance of blue and significant deficiencies in red. As a result, the image becomes unnaturally cool and looks artificial. Errors in colour reproduction were confirmed by the Colour Checker test, which showed significant discrepancies – colours were "scattered" like shots from a rifle, and only a few samples hit the target values. This clearly shows that the precision of colour reproduction leaves much to be desired.

The brightness of the image is one of the positive features of the television. The gamma for HD content is at an acceptable level, although minor errors occur, but generally it is quite good. However, the issue remains the brightness characteristic for 4K materials, controlled by the EOTF curve. It is evident here that very small, bright elements of the image are too dim, which is the result of the limited number of backlight zones due to the design of the television.

We always test TVs in the best available factory mode – for the Samsung QN80F, this is the Filmmaker mode, and indeed, it provides the settings closest to the creators' intentions. However, this doesn’t mean everything looks perfect. In SDR content, the biggest issue was an unbalanced white balance – slight deficiencies in green and a noticeable excess of red led to noticeable colour errors, and one could say the screen had a pinkish hue. This was clearly visible in the colour checker test, where colours “escaped” outside their target fields – to such an extent that a sensitive viewer's eye could catch it even without the help of a meter.

In HDR content, the white balance was much better, but another issue arose – brightness management. The EOTF curve caused an overly bright image most of the time, which affected the perception of contrast and made the screen slightly “flicker” during dynamic changes in light. We’ve already discussed this in the paragraphs about black levels and HDR. Fortunately, Samsung offers users plenty of options. The QN80F features a rich set of calibration options, including a 20-point white balance – which is why we decided to check what this TV is really capable of after a proper calibration.

Thanks to the use of calibration tools offered by Sony X85L, it has been possible to significantly improve the image quality. After calibration, the white balance for HD content is much more stable, making colours look more natural and enhancing the authenticity of the image. Although it's not perfect, these changes allow viewers to enjoy a more realistic representation of colours, eliminating the earlier cool tone. The gamma, which already performed reasonably well, has been adjusted to an even better version. As a result, tonal transitions and brightness are more consistent, positively impacting the depth and detail of the image.

As for 4K content, despite efforts, the white balance still struggles with a lack of red, which can cause overly warm colours in some scenes. Synthetic tests showed that the EOTF curve in HDR is fairly stable, with a slight boost in mid-bright scenes. However, in actual film material, the TV can still be too bright with fine, light details, which is a result of the limitations of large local dimming technology.

Nonetheless, the calibration has brought significant benefits, particularly in terms of colour accuracy, improving overall image quality and providing a more natural and consistent directorial vision.

After conducting a thorough calibration, it was possible to bring most image parameters to a really good level. The white balance in both SDR and HDR presents itself almost perfectly – the image is natural, neutral, and free from the previously noticeable redness. Colours have gained depth, and the overall visual experience has become more pleasant and cohesive. It was also possible to partially manage brightness, which in the factory version could cause issues. The EOTF chart shows that the television performs much better with brightness after calibration – there is no longer excessive dimming of certain elements. In films, it can still be noticed that the QN80F has a tendency to slightly brighten the smallest bright details – this is already a consequence of the device's construction and the limited number of dimming zones. In short: not everything can be overcome, but what was possible has been improved. After calibration, the QN80F makes a really good impression, looking simply more mature and professional.

The fluidity of tonal transitions in Sony X85L is at a good level – the colour gradation is smooth, even in more demanding areas, making the perception of scenes positive and natural. The biggest issues arise in shadow areas, where subtle colour joins can be visible. Despite this, the television performs well enough that most viewers should not notice these minor imperfections.

In this regard, the QN80F really delivers. Transitions between colours are smooth, nothing tears, and there are no annoying bands in the sky or strange spots in the shadows. Movie scenes in darker tones performed particularly well – and that's where most televisions start to struggle. If you really focus, you might notice slight banding in the brightest areas, but that's really stretching it. In everyday viewing, no one should have a problem with this. To put it simply: the tonal transitions are so good that you can forget about them – and just enjoy the movie.

In terms of smoothing tonal transitions, the Sony X85L television doesn’t offer any dedicated enhancement options, which is a bit of a downside. On the other hand, the image scaling performs quite well – the television adds a touch of artificial sharpness, which can make details such as tree branches more pronounced, although sometimes with visible jagged edges. This type of effect may appeal to some viewers who prefer a more detailed image.

If you notice strange colour transitions or unwanted artefacts while watching lower quality materials – for example from YouTube – it's worth checking the settings and enabling the noise reduction feature. In our opinion, the best setting is at the 'medium' level – it effectively smooths out problematic colour transitions without overly blurring the entire image. However, it's important to know one thing: this option tends to remove film grain. If someone values preserving that effect (e.g., in older films), it's better to simply turn it off – regardless of the level, the grain always disappears.

Regarding resolution scaling (also known as upscaling), Samsung – as usual – performs very well in this area. The QN80F doesn't quite match the top models costing tens of thousands, but for its price class, it performs impressively. Materials of very poor quality (e.g., from SD television or older video files) are noticeably improved and look surprisingly decent. The only noticeable downside is the typical Samsung issue with overscan – which is a slight cropping of the image edges at very low resolutions, such as 576p.

Sony X85L, equipped with a 120 Hz panel, will meet the expectations of a wide range of users – from sports and gaming fans to movie enthusiasts. Movie lovers will surely appreciate the presence of one of the best motion smoothing systems, known as Motionflow. This system offers adjustment using smoothness and clarity sliders – smoothness is responsible for fluid motion, eliminating the stuttering effect, while clarity enhances the sharpness of fast scenes, reducing blur.

QN80F is truly a “fast” TV. The panel used offers a refresh rate of up to 144 Hz, which in practice means that the screen keeps up with the action – whether we’re watching a movie, playing games, or browsing dynamic content online. The image doesn’t stutter, isn’t overly blurred, and everything simply looks smooth and pleasing to the eye. Of course, the manufacturer hasn’t forgotten about cinema fans – in the settings, we find an option to adjust motion smoothness, allowing us to tailor the effect to our own preferences. You can leave a more “frame-y” look (for those who enjoy the classic film vibe) or crank up the smoothness to a higher level to achieve a theatrical smoothing effect. Importantly, the choice is ours. Watching movies and playing on the QN80F is just plain fun.

Sony X85L offers a fairly solid set of features for gamers, making it an attractive choice for gaming enthusiasts. First and foremost, the television has a 120 Hz panel, which translates to smooth and dynamic image display, ideal for both fast-paced action games and more demanding sports titles. It is equipped with two HDMI 2.1 ports with full bandwidth of 48 Gb/s, allowing for the full capabilities of next-generation consoles to be utilised. Additionally, Sony X85L supports VRR (variable refresh rate) technology, which helps reduce stuttering and artifacts during gameplay, ensuring a smooth experience. The television also supports G-Sync, which is particularly beneficial for gamers using NVIDIA graphics cards, allowing for screen refresh rate synchronization with GPU performance, eliminating screen tearing. It’s worth mentioning the Game Bar feature, which facilitates quick access to important game-related settings, such as VRR, brightness levels, or display modes, making it convenient and useful during gameplay.

However, there are some limitations. The television does not support HGiG, which may be a downside for some gamers, as HGiG optimises HDR effect rendering in games, providing a more authentic visual experience. Additionally, the Dolby Vision mode, although available, is not practical for gaming due to very high input lag.

Samsung QN80F is a TV that delivers on almost every front when it comes to gaming. We have a 144 Hz panel, four fully-fledged HDMI 2.1 ports, support for gamers in the form of variable refresh rate (VRR), auto low latency mode (ALLM), and even one of the best-designed game bars on the market. The cherry on top is the motion smoother, which – as the only one in the world – works in games without significantly increasing input lag. Sounds like an almost perfect TV for gamers? And indeed, it’s almost that.

As usual, Samsung does not support Dolby Vision in gaming, but that’s no surprise anymore. However, what is much more surprising is that... the HGIG feature has disappeared – which is a system that allows a console (e.g. PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X) to precisely match HDR tone mapping to the capabilities of the TV. In the latest firmware update for the 2025 models, this option simply vanished. It looks more like a bug than a deliberate move, but it must be honestly noted that as of the writing of this review, the HGIG feature is simply absent.

And it’s this one missing feature that turns the QN80F from an almost perfect gaming TV into a “nearly” perfect device. It’s a pity – because everything else indicated that Samsung could once again set the bar very high in this generation.

Generally speaking, the input lag on the Sony X85L is very good, which is crucial for smooth gameplay and quick reactions in games. In standard modes, particularly when using HDMI 2.1 and playing at 4K resolution at 120 Hz, the input lag is minimal.

Unfortunately, the Dolby Vision mode is an exception to this rule. In this case, the input lag reaches as high as 95 ms. Such a high level of latency makes the Dolby Vision mode practically unplayable, as responses to commands are noticeably delayed.

The QN80F doesn't disappoint when it comes to response time. The input lag for 120 Hz content drops below 10 ms, which can be considered an almost perfect result – it's hard to expect more in this class of televisions. Gaming is smooth, responsive, and without delays that could annoy even the most sensitive players. For 60 Hz material, the lag is higher, around 19 ms, but this is a completely natural phenomenon and still falls within comfortable limits.

The collaboration of the television Sony X85L with a PC involves a bit of balancing between image quality and user comfort. If we want to use the TV for work, where clear fonts matter, we need to set the refresh rate to 60 Hz. In this mode, text looks good and doesn't strain the eyes, which is crucial if we plan to spend a longer time in front of the screen.

On the other hand, if the TV is intended for gaming, where we can take full advantage of its capabilities at 120 Hz, we must consider that the readability of the fonts noticeably decreases. The image becomes less sharp and the text harder to read, which can be frustrating. In short – Sony X85L works well for occasional connection to the computer, but if we need it daily for work and gaming, this compromise may not appeal to everyone.

Playing on the QN80F with a computer connected is pure delight. The television works seamlessly with NVIDIA graphics cards (thanks to G-Sync support) and AMD (thanks to FreeSync Premium), and the 144 Hz refresh rate only enhances comfort during fast-paced gaming. Everything works right away, without unnecessary fiddling with settings – just as it should.

When it comes to work, it's very good as well. The readability of fonts is high, and texts look sharp and clear. With very thin horizontal lines, you might notice slight imperfections or shadows, but honestly – you have to take a good look. Unless, like us, you sometimes like to examine the screen with a magnifying glass… then you might spot something 😉.

Viewing angles on the Sony X85L, as is often the case with VA panels, are not the best. The picture looks great when you’re watching the TV head-on, but all it takes is a slight shift to the side to notice that the colours lose their vibrancy and the contrast noticeably weakens. This could be a problem if the TV is meant for watching in larger groups, where viewers are seated at different angles. For those who typically watch solo or from one central spot, it won't be a major downside, but the picture quality unfortunately drops when watching from the side.

QN80F, like most TVs with a VA panel, isn't impressive in terms of viewing angles. Just tilt a bit to the side, and you'll notice a significant drop in brightness and lost colour saturation. The image loses its "depth" and "vividness", and darker scenes may appear slightly washed out. However, this is a typical characteristic of VA panels, which offer significantly better native contrast compared to IPS panels in return. In short: you win some, you lose some. If you're sitting directly in front of the screen – there won't be any issues. But when watching together in a larger group, it's worth keeping this in mind.

The performance of the television Sony X85L during the day is quite decent. Its satin screen coating handles light reflection moderately well, which means that in bright rooms there may be some glare, but it is not bothersome enough to significantly interfere. The brightness in SDR mode at 570 nits is sufficient for comfortably watching TV during the day, even with natural light coming in through the windows. This ensures that colours remain vibrant and the picture is clearly visible, making the television suitable for everyday use.

QN80F is really a bright television. The average brightness in SDR material is around 550 nits, regardless of the scene, which practically means that you can comfortably watch content even in a well-lit room – and there’s no need to close the blinds every time we turn on a film. The new satin coating on the panel also deserves praise, as it handles glare much better compared to last year's QN80D. Reflections are less bothersome, and the screen maintains readability in various lighting conditions. It’s hard to nitpick here – the QN80F performs simply brilliantly during the day.

Sony X85L operates on the Google TV system, which is a significant advantage for many users. The television offers wide access to apps, and using streaming platforms is smooth and user-friendly. The interface is intuitive and easy to master, allowing for quick switching between apps and searching for favourite content. Google TV allows for personalization of the home screen, enabling each user to tailor it to their preferences. Google Assistant further enriches the experience by offering voice control and quick changes to settings or searching for films without using the remote.

In terms of user features, Sony X85L offers many useful options. The television has the capability to record programs, which is a great convenience for those wanting to watch their favourite content at any time. AirPlay support allows seamless streaming of content from Apple devices, which iPhone and iPad owners will appreciate. In addition, with built-in Bluetooth, various devices such as headphones or keyboards can be connected. However, one drawback is the absence of the PiP (picture in picture) function, which may disappoint users who prefer multitasking on the screen.

The design of the Sony X85L TV, while perhaps not the slimmest, is sturdy and elegant. The metal base with adjustable legs is one of its strong points, allowing for the height and width of the television to be adjusted to fit various furniture and spaces. This practical solution enhances the interior and adds a modern character to it.

SmartTV QN80F: Tizen

When it comes to smart features, the QN80F has nothing to be ashamed of. On the contrary – Tizen is one of the richest operating systems in terms of functionality. We have voice search, AirPlay support, Miracast and all the major streaming platforms at our fingertips. But Samsung's real advantage reveals itself in the smart home – SmartThings. Not only can you sync light bulbs and vacuum robots, but you can also integrate devices from other manufacturers, thanks to support for the Matter standard. And suddenly it turns out that the QN80F can serve as a home command centre. There is just one "but" – Tizen is a closed system, so we might not find a few lesser-known apps. However, in practice, it still has everything that 99% of users need.

Classic TV features:

When it comes to classic features, it’s just as good – well, almost. The QN80F supports Picture-in-Picture, a rare but still useful PiP feature. We'll easily find EPG, the good old teletext (yes, it works!) and the ability to connect external devices via Bluetooth – whether it's headphones or a soundbar. Unfortunately, it lacks the option to record to USB from the built-in tuners. This is a small annoyance, especially since competitors in a similar price range are increasingly offering this feature. It may not be a must-have function, but since everything else works so well, it’s a shame it's missing that finishing touch.

Sony X85L handles playback of most popular file formats from USB without any issues, which is a big plus for those who often access external content. However, it's worth mentioning a minor drawback – the built-in player does not allow for changing the font colour in subtitles, which may be troublesome for some. Fortunately, thanks to the extensive Google TV system, users have a wide range of options. Alternative media players can be easily installed, offering more personalisation options.

The built-in media player in the QN80F handles most popular video formats – from classic MP4 to more demanding containers. It may not be as versatile as VLC, but for home use, it’s more than sufficient. The situation is worse with photos – here, unfortunately, it’s quite limited. Support mainly includes the JPG format, but hey, at least that’s the most important one 👌. During our tests, there was also a minor issue with subtitles. The QN80F only handled the simple text format .txt – unfortunately, other, more advanced formats (like .srt or .sub) were not recognized.

The sound on the Sony X85L is good – it's clear across the entire scale, allowing enjoyment of both dialogue and music. The bass, though light, is noticeable and adds some depth to the overall sound. However, it should be emphasised that this is a subjective assessment – some may be satisfied with this sound profile, while others might require additional audio equipment to fully experience the stronger tones and a more spacious sound.

For a TV of this class, the QN80F sounds surprisingly good. It supports the Dolby Atmos format, which is worth noting as this is still not obvious in many models in this range. Unlike the thinner QN70F, here you can even feel a slight bass – all thanks to the thicker casing, which simply provides more space for the sound to "breathe". It's perfectly adequate for everyday viewing and series, and with the right settings, you could even consider listening to music without the need to connect external equipment. But – as is the case with Samsung, there is unfortunately a lack of support for the DTS:X format, so if we are using audio devices that support this format, we will first need to connect them to the amplifier and only then to the TV.

Sony X85L vs SAMSUNG QN80F

Advantages

Disadvantages

Our verdict

TV appearance

Where to buy

Contrast and black detail

HDR effect quality

Factory color reproduction

Color reproduction after calibration

Smoothness of tonal transitions

Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions

Blur and motion smoothness

Console compatibility and gaming features

Input lag

Compatibility with PC

Viewing angles

TV efficiency during daytime

Details about the matrix

TV features

Classic features:

Smart features:

SmartTV QN80F: Tizen

Classic TV features:

Playing files from USB

Apps

Sound