Samsung OLED S95D vs Philips OLED809/819

Samsung S95D offers excellent HDR performance, delivering consistent effects across all scenes exceeding values of 1500 nits, except for the fifth, where brightness drops to 800 nits. Despite this, the television maintains a high level of picture quality. A significant advantage of QD-OLED technology is its ability to maintain high brightness even in the smallest elements against a black background, which is rare in LCD and mini LED televisions. As a result, every scene dazzles with strong lighting effects, regardless of the size of the illuminated area. Only in the brightest scenes with large light areas does brightness slightly drop, which is typical even for standard OLEDs produced by LG. Additionally, the quantum dot coating has achieved an unprecedented high coverage of the BT.2020 colour gamut at 88%.

Philips OLED 809 delivers a more than satisfying HDR effect. The television is capable of generating brightness exceeding 900 nits in almost every scene, and sometimes even over 1000. This result allows for a full experience of content with a wide tonal range. The only moment when Philips OLED 809 is unable to generate higher brightness is in a scene from the movie “The Meg,” which features a large amount of bright white across a significant portion of the screen. However, this cannot be regarded as a poor result, as it represents a considerable improvement over its predecessor. Generally speaking, such values for OLED panels produced by LG Display, which do not feature MLA technology, are very, very good. When combined with high coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut, they allow for an exceptional HDR experience. The Philips OLED 809 test showed that this television supports popular HDR formats such as Dolby Vision and HDR10+.

On the Samsung S95D, the mode that best reproduces colours is the Filmmaker mode. We conduct all our tests in this mode. Although initially, the picture in this mode may appear slightly warmer to the viewer, it provides significantly more detail compared to the standard or dynamic mode, which is always oversaturated and artificial. The Filmmaker mode is therefore the most closely aligned with the vision of filmmakers and ideal for watching high-quality content. It is worth noting, however, that the factory settings are not perfect, despite dealing with premium segment equipment. The image may contain certain errors that affect the overall quality of the displayed scenes. An example is drops in red colour in the white balance, both in HD and HDR content. Colour Checker tests showed that the hues lean towards cooler tones. The image is dominated by blue hues, and the entire colour spectrum is distorted. As can be seen in the picture below, the little boy from the film appears in cooler tones, making him look less natural. When it comes to the brightness characteristics for HD content, it is quite accurate, although there are minor errors. The biggest problem arises when displaying 4K HDR content. The EOTF curve, which seems appropriate at first glance in test patterns, shows that the television sometimes "messes" with the image in real film scenes. This causes the picture to be slightly brightened in some scenes and darkened in others.

Samsung S95D offers quite good factory colour reproduction, but it has some shortcomings that may require calibration to fully utilise the potential of this television. The process is recommended to achieve the most natural and immersive image possible.

The best factory mode in which we conducted all our tests was "Filmmaker", which has become rather standard in televisions from this manufacturer. However, let's check what its characteristics were before we began the calibration process. The first aspect we will examine is white balance, as despite appearing unassuming, it determines whether the image will be free from any kind of tint. The graph clearly shows that both in SDR and HDR materials, there was a dominant presence of two colours: red and green, which resulted in a strong yellow tint that was ubiquitous across the entire image. This is perfectly visible on the "ColourChecker" palette, where all hues shifted towards their warmer counterparts. The second thing we will scrutinise is, in our opinion, the two most important graphs regarding image quality assessment: gamma and the EOTF curve. Both aim to maintain adequate brightness and contrast. The first one serves to describe the brightness level in SDR materials, while the second shows the rate of luminance increase. Analyzing the first one, we can observe that it was extremely lowered compared to the reference value marked by the orange line. This situation resulted primarily in a sharp increase in brightness and a significant reduction in contrast, almost reminiscent of that in OLED televisions. The EOTF curve exhibited greater "moderation" and only slightly brightened the entire image to 50% of the maximum brightness.

How much can the picture quality of a television change after calibration? After performing calibration on the Samsung S95D, the white balance was significantly improved, eliminating any major errors, which allowed for a more natural and harmonious colour reproduction. In the case of 4K content, there are only minor imperfections, which do not affect the overall picture quality. Thanks to calibration, viewers can now enjoy more balanced tones, allowing for a better representation of the filmmakers' intentions. The contrast has also improved, and the gamma shows even better results. This means that the differences between the light and dark areas of the image have become more pronounced, translating into better depth and detail in scenes. As a result, shadows gained more detail, and bright areas are no longer overwhelming, providing a more realistic visual experience. However, it should be noted that the EOTF curve is slightly below the expected level, which may affect how the television handles dynamic scenes. Nonetheless, after calibration, the overall picture quality has significantly improved, and viewers can now enjoy a visual experience that is more in line with the filmmakers' intentions. The television handles subtle tonal transitions and contrast better, making it more suitable for watching films and high-definition programmes. Ultimately, the picture after calibration is closely aligned with reference quality, making the visual experience even more satisfying.

Philips, like most leading manufacturers, has been providing advanced tools for calibration processes for years. Here we will find both 2- and 20-point grey scale adjustments, as well as an advanced CMS (Colour Management System). As you can observe, this has brought about extremely beneficial results and profoundly changed the perceived image. Practically every one of the elements mentioned above has undergone a transformation and has been brought back to its natural state. This is particularly evident on the "ColourChecker" palette, where the measured samples are harmoniously in place. It must be said that the white balance has turned out exceptionally well, allowing us to enjoy a clean image free from any tint in both SDR and HDR materials. The biggest issue of OLED809, namely gamma, has been properly modelled and only shows minor errors here and there, which will not affect the overall picture. The EOTF curve, on the other hand, has been rid of that subtle brightening and now presents itself as reference-level.

How does the television handle tonal transitions in lower-quality materials? Generally speaking, the S95D performs exceptionally well. On the screen with the light bulb, there are virtually no transitions between shades of grey, making it one of the best televisions we have tested in this regard.

Regarding digital processing, the entire image — from branches to model figures — has been well rendered, without any jagged edges or heavily visible contours. However, we must draw attention to one issue: the image is slightly cropped. Nevertheless, the television performs excellently, and details in lower-quality materials are still noticeable and well-defined.

Philips OLED 809 did not perform particularly well in the test of tonal transition fluidity. Moving on to the part of the test where we assess the behaviour of the television's algorithms, we will once again check the function responsible for removing posterization. Indeed, such a function exists in the menu and has several available options. As you can see in the picture on the left, although its presence has been confirmed by us, it is not useful. Only at the highest setting does it effectively remove stuttering; however, it blurs the entire image in the process. Therefore, it is completely useless.

It happens more than once or twice that you and we watch lower quality materials. In this case, the quality of the image upscaling algorithms can have a beneficial effect. We must admit that those implemented in OLED 809 work quite efficiently and improve image quality without visible artifacts. You can only notice slight edge fringing; however, it is unlikely to be visible during normal viewing.

The Samsung S95D television, equipped with a refresh rate of 120 Hz (and even 144 Hz in the appropriate PC configuration), offers excellent motion smoothness. Samsung provides a variety of image sharpness settings on a ten-point scale, allowing users to adjust the display according to their preferences - whether the image should be more cinematic/frame-like or more theatrical/smooth. In UFO tests, the OLED matrix shows its advantages, eliminating any blurring. The lightning-fast pixel response means that dynamic movements are reproduced with unparalleled precision.

The maximum refresh rate we can set on the tested television is 144 Hz. This value can be achieved by connecting it to a really powerful PC. In the case of consoles or television, everything remains the same. For those who require high smoothness of motion or dislike the characteristic stuttering of films recorded at 24 fps, the manufacturer has prepared a fairly extensive motion smoothing system. In the dedicated tab, we will find a slider for “Smoothness” that is responsible for eliminating stutter, and “Motion Blur Reduction,” which helps increase the sharpness of dynamic elements. The function works very well and granularly, meaning that each setting has a real impact on the perception of motion. We also mention that it works at a refresh rate of 120 Hz, as it operates on multiples of film or television materials. With such an extensive set of options, every user will find their golden mean. In the picture, we present our choice, which is slight smoothing without the soap opera effect.

Motion is influenced not only by settings on the television but also by the response time of the panel itself. OLED televisions feature the best response time on the market, which in the case of 809 is about 0.1 ms. There are no IPS/ADS or especially VA panels that come close to the results of organic panels.

The Samsung S95D TV is perfectly suited to the needs of gamers, offering four HDMI 2.1 ports that support key features such as Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), and HDR Gaming Interest Group (HGIG). The HDMI 2.1 ports do not provide full bandwidth of 48Gb, but they are still sufficient for achieving appropriate resolution and smoothness. Thanks to these technologies, gamers can enjoy smoother and more responsive gameplay, which significantly impacts comfort and performance during intense gaming sessions. One of the biggest advantages is the Xbox app, which allows for cloud gaming without the need for a console. Through it, gamers can access a wide range of titles directly on the TV, enjoying high image quality and smooth gameplay. Additionally, the S95D offers a Game Bar feature that enables easy management of game settings, including quick adjustments of parameters such as changing the aspect ratio, which can be extremely useful in various games and gaming modes. It is also worth mentioning the support for G-Sync and FreeSync, which is a huge plus for users of Nvidia and AMD graphics cards. Despite the lack of support for Dolby Vision, the TV still offers excellent features that make it an ideal choice for console gaming enthusiasts. Overall, the S95D combines modern technologies with outstanding picture quality, creating a complete package for any gamer.

The Philips OLED 809 television supports all technologies included in the HDMI 2.1 standard, and during our testing, each one activated without any problems. Therefore, we must state that this television is perfectly suited for all gamers, whether they are using a console or a computer. It is worth mentioning that the manufacturer has opted to implement the HGIG mode, which provides a great alternative to Dolby Vision, which unfortunately in the OLED809 is unplayable due to very high input lag.

A nod to gamers is also the inclusion of a dedicated GameBar, which allows for monitoring current gameplay parameters and quick changes to settings. We will also find a function to enable a crosshair, which will be very useful when shooting with a sniper rifle, but from the so-called hip. Additionally, we can also find a shadow enhancement function for better visibility in shadows and a colour filter for gamers with visual impairments.

In summary, the OLED 809 is a very good and versatile device for gamers. Anyone who purchases this television for gaming does not need to worry about anything, as it is simply made for gaming. Especially since features such as VRR, ALLM, G-Sync, FreeSync, or HDR Dolby Vision gameplay will allow for an even greater immersion in their favourite title. Lastly, we will add that the only downside of the television in game mode is the artificial image sharpening, regardless of the settings, and it cannot be 'softened'.