Philips MLED920 / MLED910 vs Samsung S85F (WOLED)

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.

For the majority of the time, let's say in 90% of film scenes, viewers will see virtually no difference between the versions of the S85F. When small, but very bright light points appear on the screen – a lantern in a dark alley, an explosion, the sun breaking through the clouds – this WOLED panel (similar to the smaller S85F) performs exceptionally well. Our measurements indicated a peak brightness of around 750 nits. We can state with full confidence: this is a great result that guarantees fantastic HDR effects. The problem arises in a very specific, uncomfortable situation for any OLED. We're talking about the moment when the entire screen must light up at full power brightly. Examples include a scene with a white background, a skiing scene, or our test sequences (5) from the film The Meg. And here, unfortunately, the results diverge significantly to the detriment of the variant with the WOLED panel. Our measurement equipment was able to register a maximum brightness of around 250 to 300 nits in such conditions. To be clear: the same model with a QD-OLED panel in the same test is nearly twice as bright. The second matter: colours. And here, we also have to be honest – QD-OLED has a structural advantage. Why? It's simple. QD-OLED generates colours from three components (red, green, and blue) and does not require an additional white subpixel. The WOLED panel we are testing here uses that white subpixel mainly to boost overall brightness. The effect is that QD-OLED is able to show a slightly wider colour palette and the colours are somewhat "purer". But to be clear: it's not that the colours on this WOLED panel are bad! On the contrary, they are really very good. The coverage of the DCI-P3 film palette at 97% and 71% for the broader BT.2020 palette is still high-end. We just need to honestly admit that this few percentage points of advantage in colour coverage lies with QD-OLED technology and may be noticeable in very specific moments.

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.

When it comes to factory colour reproduction, our test sample in SDR mode suffered from a slight deficit of red and yellow colours. This resulted in a faint yellowish tint visible in shades of white. However, this is not the biggest problem with the S85F. As with the variant with a QD-OLED panel, the main issue with this model is the way it presents HDR content. When we look at the EOTF curve chart, it is easy to see that the television has quite significant problems with strong image clipping. Such behaviour causes the final image in many scenes to become very unnatural.

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.

After conducting calibration in Filmmaker mode, we managed to eliminate most of the unwanted effects. In SDR content, the television performs excellently, with its colour reproduction errors not exceeding a value of 2, which is an outstanding result. HDR content looks slightly worse, though still very good. Although we were able to eliminate the significant unnaturalness of the image caused by the excessively high EOTF curve, the most discerning observers may notice that it is not perfectly aligned. It runs slightly below the reference curve, which would suggest that the S85F has minor difficulties in showcasing all the details in the image. We must emphasise here that it is very unlikely that the average viewer will notice any shortcomings in the image. The final effect after calibration is evaluated as exemplary.

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.

The processing of tonal transitions (gradients) in the S85F is at a high level. The television effectively handles posterisation (the "banding" effect of colours), even with heavily compressed content, e.g., from streaming services. However, using this feature requires a certain compromise. We noticed that the noise reduction algorithm is quite aggressive – even at the lowest setting, it can eliminate natural film grain, which for many viewers is part of the film's aesthetics. The "Standard" setting seems to be a happy medium, not causing a noticeable loss of important details, which is why we can recommend it. However, we advise against using the "High" level, which, in addition to noise, also removes desirable details such as texture or structure of objects on the screen.

The upscaling process of lower resolution content works very well in the S85F. The image is sharpened and clear. The only minor imperfection we managed to observe is occasional, subtle aliasing on the edges. The television still exhibits characteristics typical of this manufacturer, namely active "overscan" (slight image enlargement). It is worth keeping this in mind, especially when watching older content, as it may result in minimal clipping of the original frame.

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.

S85F is a model with impressive speed. The use of a 120 Hz OLED panel ensures that dynamic scenes, both in games and during sports broadcasts, meet expectations: smoothly, sharply, and without loss of clarity. A key role here is played by the instant response time of the pixels, which is a natural advantage of OLED technology. Frame transitions are instantaneous, and the image remains clear even during the fastest camera movements. Moving objects, such as a ball on the pitch or a car in a chase scene, are clear and devoid of the characteristic motion blur associated with LCD panels (the so-called "ghosting").

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 85F has practically everything on board to become the dream screen for gaming. It features four full-fledged HDMI 2.1 ports with a bandwidth of 48 Gb/s, support for VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) and ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode). Additionally, there's a super-detailed Game Bar, which clearly shows all the key parameters. However, the real gem is the Game Motion Plus feature. This motion smoother dedicated to games makes the animation more visually pleasing, while only slightly increasing input lag. This is a rare and well-functioning combination for which Samsung deserves great applause.

Now comes the moment where we must do a bit of complaining. The lack of Dolby Vision in Samsung TVs has become standard, so there's no point in hoping (unless something changes in the future). Unfortunately, it is much harder to explain the disappearance of support for HGiG after one of the software updates. HGiG (HDR Gaming Interest Group) is a key mode that allows for accurate reproduction of brightness in HDR games, according to the creators' intent. Without it, HDR calibration on the console becomes less precise, which can lead to an image that is too dark in the shadows or overly washed out in bright areas. Perhaps Samsung will fix this in the next update – we have high hopes for that. Because if HGiG returns, the S85F will become an almost perfect television for gamers.