Philips MLED920 / MLED910 vs Panasonic Z95B

Philips MLED920 in our measurements in static tests even reached around 900 nits, which is really a solid result for a mid-range model. In practice, this translates to a lot of satisfaction during viewing sessions – in scenes rich in bright light, such as the first, third or fifth test slide, the screen managed to generate about 700 nits, which is sufficient to feel the true "HDR effect." However, it cannot be denied that the limited number of dimming zones and the compromises typical of mini-LEDs in more demanding scenes reveal their nature. In sequences with small light sources – like the moon or a scene from the film Sicario 2 – the television clearly prioritises maintaining deeper blacks at the expense of the brightness of these small elements. For most viewers, this is still a reasonable compromise, as the dark background looks significantly better, though it is important to be aware that the details themselves may not impress with their intensity. There is also a certain sense of dissatisfaction regarding the colours. Although the applied PFS filter (the equivalent of quantum dots known from QLEDs) does its job and the colours appear quite vivid, the coverage of the DCI-P3 palette reaches “only” 90%. In everyday viewing, this will be sufficient, but in extremely colourful productions – like the latest Disney animations – one can notice that some tones are not as vibrant as they could be in other setups.

The quality of HDR on the Panasonic Z95B is among the absolute best. Thanks to the latest generation panel, referred to by the manufacturer as Primary RGB Tandem OLED, the television can achieve over 2000 nits of brightness in cinematic scenes. The effect is impressive and can amaze with the intensity of the light, providing a sense of connection with the screen that goes beyond previous experiences. Similar feelings accompanied us only during tests of the LG G5, Samsung S95F, or Philips OLED910. Of course, there are moments when the device's algorithms decide to limit luminance – this especially concerns full-screen bright sequences, such as the closing credits in the film The Meg. Even then, the Z95B maintains a level of around 1500 nits, which is still an incredibly impressive result. One can thus say that HDR in this model has reached masterful form. A significant step forward is also evident in colour reproduction. The new tandem OLED panel does not yet match the best QD-OLED screens in terms of full gamut coverage, but the gap between these solutions has significantly decreased. When watching films, the differences are subtle enough that under normal conditions they are hard to notice, and the colours remain vivid and saturated.

Like every Philips television we tested, we primarily assessed the MLED920 in Filmmaker mode – this is meant to be the "most honest" mode, designed for films and to faithfully convey the intentions of the creators. Indeed, in terms of colour reproduction, it performs the best among all the modes available on the television, but it is not without flaws. The first thing that catches the eye is the white balance. The image has a slight tendency towards purple-pink tones, which gives it a somewhat unnatural character. An even bigger problem, however, turned out to be what we mentioned earlier – image blooming. Just looking at the gamma or EOTF charts reveals that the line significantly deviates from the norm, dropping below a value of 1.8. In practice, this means "bleeding" of the brightest whites, where the image becomes almost milky. Fortunately, most of these issues can be corrected – the MLED920 responds well to calibration, and with a few adjustments, one can significantly improve the viewing experience.

The factory colour reproduction of the Filmmaker mode, my dear friends, is truly remarkable in the case of the Panasonic Z95B. I'm referring to our test sample, but the result was so good that it’s hard to believe. The only detail one might nitpick about is a slight lack of blue in the white balance, but apart from that, the television straight out of the box presented an image unlike anything we have ever seen in factory mode. Tests of the colour palette, Color Checker – everything indicated values below Delta 2. That’s a much lower result than the threshold of human eye perception, which means, quite simply, that the viewer has no chance of noticing any serious deviations. It looks as though Panasonic has actually calibrated this model at the factory stage. Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility that we received an exceptionally well-set sample, but the result is still impressive. We are very strict when it comes to evaluating factory calibration, and here our jaws simply dropped.

After calibration, we managed to largely tame the white balance – to the extent that the average viewer will not be able to detect distortions in colours. The characteristic pink-purple haze that previously disrupted the naturalness of the image has also disappeared. The colour palette has been organised, and the colours appear more coherent and neutral. The gamma in SDR content post-calibration looks really good – there is no longer any mention of the previous 'bleeding' effect in bright scenes. The image has become more contrasty and devoid of that milkiness which had previously greatly harmed the viewing experience. In the case of HDR content, the improvement is also noticeable, although here it is still evident that the television is going 'its own way'. The EOTF curve cannot be fully shaped, as Philips simply does not offer the tools to allow precise control over this parameter in its settings. In many films, the television still exposes the image 'in its own way'. Despite these limitations, the calibration has delivered quite a bit of good – most of the colour distortions have been minimised, and the overall balance of the image has significantly improved. However, it must be noted that certain barriers stem from the very design of the hardware and simply cannot be overcome.

The colour representation after calibration in the Z95B is a topic that is difficult to elaborate on, as there was simply not much to be done here. A slight adjustment of the white balance was sufficient to eliminate the lack of blue, and at this point, the picture reached an almost reference level. It must be admitted that we haven't had such a small range of work in a while. If any of you are particularly observant, you may notice minimal deviations in the EOTF curve, but this is rather related to the operation of the dynamic tone mapping function we mentioned earlier. In fact, it is not a flaw, but a characteristic of this solution, which deliberately alters the brightness characteristics depending on the scene. In summary, we are extremely impressed. The Panasonic Z95B is a television that looks great straight out of the box, and after calibration, it reaches a level where it is truly difficult for us to find anything to improve.

The manufacturer has equipped this model with several features that improve signal quality, and although we usually approach such "enhancements" with caution, here they prove to be really helpful. The key option is called "distortion reduction" – it works best at a medium level, as on one hand it effectively smooths out unwanted stair-stepping and colour banding, while on the other it does not excessively cut out details, allowing the image to still look natural.

Things are a bit worse with upscaling. Lower quality materials – such as the test video with the model – appeared soft and lacking in sharpness. Indeed, it can be partially corrected with the sharpness slider in the menu, but the effect remains far from what competitors in a similar price range offer. Philips therefore still needs to work on this element, as compared to the successful improvement of tonal transitions, the upscaling simply falls short.

Let’s start with what works well. The upscaling on the Z95B is at a very high level – the picture in lower resolutions is clear and sharp, and the only minor drawbacks are subtle aliasing in certain areas of the image. It’s also important that the television does not crop the material in any way and maintains its proportions, which is not always an obvious fact even in 2025.

The situation with digital processing is less impressive. Features such as “gradation smoothing” or “block noise reduction” practically do not work – the material tested looked identical regardless of the settings. We might as well state that this feature simply does not exist. This is somewhat disappointing, especially since Panasonic heavily promotes its HCX Pro AI II processor, boasting the presence of artificial intelligence to enhance picture quality. Meanwhile, in such a basic area, the television does not provide a real effect and it appears weaker than one might expect from high-end equipment.

The Philips MLED920 features a 144 Hz panel, which immediately suggests that we shouldn't complain about motion smoothness. And indeed – the motion blur is relatively low for a VA panel, and although slight issues can sometimes be noticed on darker backgrounds, they are not something that would stand out to most people during regular viewing.

Another significant advantage is the presence of a motion smoother called “Motion Style.” It allows you to adjust the sensation of smoothness to your own preferences – if someone prefers a more “theatrical,” almost television-like image, they can increase the sliders, whereas if they prefer to maintain the natural “jumps” of cinematic frames, it’s enough to set lower values. This way, everyone can find their golden mean.

The OLED matrix with a very high refresh rate already provides an extremely sharp image even in dynamic sports scenes, such as football or basketball matches, and the Z95B is no exception. It is also very important that the television is equipped with an proprietary motion smoothing system called “Intelligent Frame Creation”. Among the available sliders, the most important one is the one named “film smoothness”, as it allows you to adjust motion to your own preferences when watching 24-frame materials, i.e. films – from a more “frame-like” appearance to a smooth, almost theatrical effect. It is somewhat disappointing that Panasonic did not choose to overclock the latest OLED matrix to 165 Hz, as Samsung did with the S95F or LG with the G5, because we know that the panel is technically capable of it. On the other hand, this is mainly an advantage for PC gamers, so in everyday viewing, it is not a significant drawback since we are limited to 120Hz.

For gamers, the Philips MLED920 is truly a complete tool. The manufacturer has taken care of everything that is considered standard in televisions designed for consoles and PCs today. It features ALLM, so the console automatically switches the screen to game mode, alongside VRR and a refresh rate of 144 Hz, which guarantees smooth gameplay even in fast-paced titles. All key HDR formats are supported – including HGiG and Dolby Vision Gaming for Xbox – which means that regardless of what you are playing and on which console, the television will be able to extract the maximum potential from the image. The Game Bar also proves useful in daily gaming – a relatively simple implementation by Philips, but a functional panel where you can quickly check image parameters, enable VRR or adjust settings without leaving the game. It may not be as comprehensive as the competition, but it performs its task flawlessly. And finally, something that sets Philips apart from the competition – Ambilight. The three-sided LED backlighting can create a huge impression in games, especially in the evening. It's also a way to slightly 'extend' the screen and enhance the feeling of immersion. And as colourful LEDs have recently become almost a mandatory element of a gamer’s room, the MLED920 fits into this trend perfectly.

The Panasonic Z95B is fully equipped for gaming. Two HDMI 2.1 ports with full bandwidth of 48 Gb/s guarantee support for everything you would expect from a modern screen. There is VRR frame synchronization, an automatic ALLM game mode, and full compatibility with HDR formats used in games. The television supports both Dolby Vision for Xbox and the popular HGiG, which has been implemented correctly in this case, so it actually works as it should.

Although the brand is mainly associated with home cinema and equipment for filmmakers, there is also room here for features for gamers. On board, there is a Game Bar (or rather Game Circles) – visually, it looks a bit unusual, but it serves its purpose and allows you to quickly check the most important picture parameters. The only thing that is actually missing for complete happiness is having four HDMI 2.1 ports instead of two. It's a minor detail, but in a television of this class, one could expect a full set.