Philips PML9009 / 9019 / 9059 vs SAMSUNG S90F (WOLED)

Philips PML9009 does not really operate at the highest values in HDR content. Most effects with brightness at around 550 nits will not leave us thrilled with the lighting effects, although they are quite stable, which is a plus and will make a considerable difference compared to SDR content. It is worth noting that we can only achieve a good result in one scenario, namely in the film "Gemini", where the flashlight as the only light source can shine. Why in that scene specifically? The answer is quite simple. The scene itself does not contain a large amount of black, and the flashlight is not as large an object as the sun in the first and last scenes. Overall, the brightness measurement results in HDR content do not provide a basis for recommending this television for viewing productions that utilise a wide colour spectrum. Although it is worth noting that this model can cover it to a decent extent of 93% in the case of the DCI-P3 palette.

Does the S90F handle not only black, but also bright parts of the image? Definitely yes. Tales of OLEDs as “dark screens” can slowly be regarded as a myth. The Samsung S90F, like the LG C5 based on a very similar panel, achieves brightness exceeding 1000 nits. This is a value entirely sufficient to enjoy impressive and dynamic HDR imagery – both in films and series. Most of the scenes we tested look superb, with well-defined highlights and high contrast. Of course, OLED technology still has its limitations – in very bright, full-screen sequences, such as the test pattern from the film The Meg (picture 5), the television may noticeably dim the image. However, it should be emphasized that such scenes are rare. It can be considered that the HDR effect is good enough that even mid-range OLED models like the S90F can provide a cinematic experience in the home living room.

The best factory mode used during our tests was "Filmmaker". Here, we will look at both SDR and HDR content. The element that distinguishes them is primarily the EOTF curve in materials with a wide colour gamut and the gamma in those recorded "the old way". Starting with SDR films and series and the most basic thing we can observe, which is white balance, we see a significant dominance of red colour. This led to a yellow tint across the entire image, causing unnaturally looking faces and yellowed whites. This flaw is also evident on the "ColourChecker" palette, where all colours have shifted towards their warmer counterparts. Looking at a more significant graph, that of the gamma responsible for image contrast, we see considerable errors starting from the very beginning. From the left, the value we measured, marked by a connected ellipsis, clearly spiked upwards, causing complete merging of details in the darkest scenes. This state of affairs remained until 10% screen brightness, after which it dipped below the reference orange line, leading to a deterioration in contrast, which, as we know, the Philips PML9009 already lacks. In HDR materials, the white balance issues were very similar to those in SDR content. The discrepancy arises when checking the EOTF curve, which controls the rate of brightness increase and severely limited it, causing the image to appear unnaturally dark. As for the colours themselves, there were more reasons for concern here, as the television's too low luminance caused a huge discrepancy between the actual state and the correct one, which is perfectly visible on the error graph, often exceeding the scale.

The Samsung S90F, like most modern televisions, offers many picture modes, but – in line with our testing tradition – we assessed it in the best one, which is the Filmmaker mode. This way, the image looks significantly more natural than in the default, often oversaturated settings. It was neither overly saturated nor artificially muted – just closer to what should be seen. Of course, "more correct" does not mean "ideal". Unfortunately, our S90F unit had considerable issues with white balance, especially in the blue range, resulting in a slightly yellowish filter being applied to most scenes. Someone might say it looks more "cinematic" – because it is warmer – but let's not kid ourselves, George Lucas did not film Star Wars in sepia 😉 (you will find the comparison with the scene as always below).

Additionally, in HDR materials, there was a noticeable issue with brightness management. The EOTF curve showed a clear "spike" in brightness – the television brightened the image more than it should have, which made some effects look overly intense and diverged from the reference. Fortunately, some of these problems can be eliminated through professional calibration – you will read about its effects later in the review.

Philips PML9009, like most leading manufacturers, has been offering advanced tools for the calibration process for years. Thus, we find 2- and 20-point greyscale adjustment as well as an advanced CMS (Colour Management System). The differences resulting from calibration are evident, and even someone not paying attention to picture quality (although there probably aren't many such here) will notice a positive difference. Both SDR and HDR materials have undergone a significant transformation. The former, as well as the latter, have primarily rid themselves of the unpleasant yellow tint resulting from a red colour dominance in white balance. As for the SDR materials and gamma, although it is not 'lined up' perfectly and still loses dark details, the rest of it is on a more than decent level, and minor errors will not be noticeable. The colours themselves look infinitely better, and thanks to low deltaE errors, they are nearly reference-quality. On the other hand, the HDR materials, due to the low luminance of the unit, were not blended as we would have liked. Although the white balance has been largely normalised, here and there one can notice a slight blue tint. Fortunately, the EOTF curve turned out to be much more accessible and allowed for practically ideal geometry. Unfortunately, due to the screen's insufficient brightness, colour errors are still quite high.

After calibration, we managed to eliminate practically all the previously mentioned errors. Older films in SDR quality finally look as they should – without the sepia effect or artificial aging of the image. The atmosphere of the classics returns to its rightful place (you’re welcome, Star Wars fans), and the colours no longer resemble an Instagram filter.

One of the key changes was also the improvement of brightness characteristics in HDR content. We managed to control the EOTF curve in almost a reference manner. Yes, the most demanding users may spot minimal deviations in brightness, but honestly – most viewers won’t even notice that. And it's no wonder, because the vast majority of errors are below a ΔE value of 3, which is below the threshold of visibility. After calibration, the S90F (WOLED) truly becomes an excellent display – one that provides nearly perfect picture quality.

Judging by how PML9009 Philips handled tonal transitions, the image scaling test should perform equally well. This time we are examining the television's algorithms responsible for enhancing the quality of images that have been recorded in lower quality. Such images can be found in various television programmes or older films. In this regard, Philips PML9009 performs quite mediocrely and significantly blurs the image. This is particularly evident in fine branches or the model's hair.

We will take another look at the tonal transitions, which performed remarkably. Within the unit, we find several levels of smoothing. Even the lowest setting can effectively eliminate any non-fluid tonal transition and will work well with the vast majority of content. More importantly, none of the settings for this function softens the effect of film grain, which is extremely important in terms of alignment with the director's vision. However, we note that sometimes it may turn out that fine details will be blurred.

Digital Image Processing in the S90F:

Fortunately, Samsung, as in most of its models, effectively manages the unwanted posterisation effect in the S90F. The feature responsible for this aspect is noise reduction, which does a decent job of smoothing tonal transitions and eliminating unnatural colour connections – of course, within its limitations. Unfortunately, it operates rather aggressively, so using it comes with compromises. In addition to improving gradation, it can also remove film grain or gently soften facial features. In this case, the choice is yours – do you prefer a more "clean" image, or do you want to preserve the original texture of the material?

Image Scaling in the S90F:

In this year's model, Samsung implemented its own AI processor – NQ4 Gen3, which does quite well with upscaling. In our test scenes, the television effectively "pulled up" lower quality towards artificial 4K – the image was more pleasant to view, and the differences in sharpness between native and scaled content were minimal. Unfortunately, behind all this AI marketing facade lies a certain shortcoming. The S90F struggles with overscan. If you reach for truly archival materials – e.g. a VHS tape of your parents' wedding – you must expect that the lower part of the image may be cut off. The image adaptation function to resolution simply does not work here as it should.

Philips PML9009 is equipped with a panel that has a native refresh rate of 120 Hz. This is the essential minimum for watching all kinds of sports and is recommended for comfortable gaming in favourite titles on consoles or PCs. The manufacturer has prepared an effective system for improving the sharpness of moving images for those who do not like the characteristic stuttering of footage recorded at 24 fps or require a high level of motion fluidity, for example, when watching football matches. In the dedicated tab, we find the "Fluidity" slider, which helps eliminate stuttering, and "Motion Blur Reduction," which aids in increasing the sharpness of dynamic elements. This function works very well and granularly, meaning each setting has a real impact on the perception of motion. With such a set, every user will find their sweet spot. In the picture, we present our choice, which is a slight fluidity enhancement without the soap opera effect.

A matter directly related to motion is the pixel response time of the panel itself. The best in this regard are, of course, OLED panels, followed by IPS and ADS-based units, and finally, VA. Despite the overall good quality of the systems responsible for smoothing the image, the use of a VA panel carries consequences in the form of a black halo behind fast-moving objects. While this will not occur frequently in the tested television, it will be visible here and there.

The S90F really handles motion excellently – after all, it’s an OLED with a 144 Hz panel, so sports and games look absolutely stunning on it. The image is fluid, clear, and there’s no room for any ghosting or blurring that sometimes plagues cheaper LCDs.

The television is also equipped with motion smoothness settings, allowing you to customise everything to your preference. We have motion blur reduction and judder reduction – you can set it so that the image is super smooth (even to that soap opera effect), or more cinematic, with the classic 24-frame 'choppiness'. The choice is yours; Samsung doesn’t impose anything.

Philips PML9009, equipped with HDMI 2.1 ports at full bandwidth, supports all features dedicated to gamers. The most basic ones, such as VRR and ALLM, are a given, but G-Sync, FreeSync, and gaming in HDR Dolby Vision with low input lag are not. These features activate without any issues and during the tests conducted, they did not present any problems. Such preparation of the television is certainly a strong point and one can say that it is a unit dedicated to gamers. For more advanced users, we also mention that the PML9009 is equipped with an HGIG mode, which will be particularly felt by gamers, as there are still relatively few games supporting Dolby Vision. This mode primarily allows for the adjustment of HDR effects to the capabilities of the television on a special board, in order to avoid dimming or burning out the image.

The television additionally features a special menu - GameBar. This allows for editing the unit's settings "on the fly", without the need to exit the game. We will also find features such as enabling a crosshair or adjusting black levels for better visibility of opponents in shadows.

In a brief summary of this paragraph, the Philips PML9009 is a unit that will certainly capture the attention of gamers. Thanks to its versatility, it will allow playing any title in the highest quality without compromises. Especially since features such as VRR, ALLM, G-Sync, FreeSync, or gameplay in HDR Dolby Vision will enhance the immersion in the favourite title.

When it comes to gaming features – the S90F has absolutely nothing to fault. Aside from the lack of Dolby Vision, which is already the norm for Samsung. The television operates at 144 Hz, has four HDMI 2.1 ports, so you can easily connect more than one console or PC. Onboard, we also find the Game Bar – a practical tool that allows you to quickly glance at picture settings, VRR status, ALLM mode, and other useful options. Game Motion Plus also deserves a mention – Samsung's proprietary motion enhancer that is the only one truly functioning sensibly in games. The image appears smoother, but without any artificial effects or slowdowns.

It is also worth mentioning the HGiG feature, which – much to our slight surprise – works correctly. We're mentioning this because Samsung clearly broke something in one of the last updates, and in some models, the option responsible for HGiG simply... disappears from the menu. Setting it up becomes practically impossible. Fortunately, our S90F unit did not have this issue, but the situation is dynamic, so it's worth keeping this in mind and regularly checking for updates and information from the manufacturer.