SAMSUNG OLED S95F (QD-OLED) vs SHARP JP7765E

The new generation of QD-OLED matrices in the Samsung S95F shows its full potential, with brightness results that are truly stunning. In test film scenes like "Life of Pi" or "Sicario 2," where smaller light elements appear – stars, the moon, or headlights – the television managed to achieve over 2000 nits of brightness. This is a result that surpasses even most top-of-the-range Mini-LED models.

The secret lies in the technology itself – instead of a limited number of dimming zones like in Mini-LED televisions, here we have millions of emitting pixels, allowing the television to fully showcase its power without technological compromises. Of course, as this is still an organic panel, in full-screen scenes flooded with white – like in the final sequence of the film The Meg – the brightness drops to around 1400 nits. Nevertheless, the result remains excellent and clearly exceeds what any OLEDs, both QD-OLED and WOLED, have offered so far. The colour reproduction is also particularly noteworthy. Thanks to QD-OLED technology, the television achieves nearly 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 colour space and about 80% in BT.2020. These values make HDR images not only dazzling in brightness but also captivating in the richness of colours.

So how does the brightness of the Sharp JP7 fare in the most demanding titles? Honestly, at first, we were quite surprised. The television is capable of achieving over 1000 nits of brightness, which is an outstanding and rare result for a device costing just under 2000 PLN (for 55 inches). Watching bright, full-screen scenes, one might feel they are dealing with really good equipment. Unfortunately, though, we have to return to the problem we mentioned earlier regarding local dimming management. When small bright areas appear on a dark background (as in the test scenes from the films Life of Pi or Sicario 2), it is evident how poorly the JP7 handles zones. The television dims them almost to the maximum, crushing the entire HDR effect, which in such moments resembles a flat SDR image (less than 200 nits). This instability means that in demanding, contrast-heavy films, the image on the JP7 unfortunately loses its appeal.

As a consolation, it is worth noting that the panel has the potential for good colour display. It features a PFS (phosphor) filter, which allows for a solid 94% coverage of the DCI-P3 palette. The manufacturer calls its product a “QLED,” even though it is primarily based on the aforementioned PFS filter. Given the recent market battles of manufacturers over what may or may not be called QLED, we leave the question of the correctness of this naming to your assessment. However, it remains a fact that the potential for reproducing saturated colours in this panel is simply good.

The best picture mode straight out of the box is undoubtedly Filmmaker Mode – a mode that Samsung has been using for several years, designed to faithfully convey the creators' intent. In SDR content, its implementation is not bad, although some imperfections can be observed. The image is slightly dimmed, and the screen has a subtle pinkish tint due to the dominance of red and blue in the white balance. Colour errors were maintained at a level of 3–4 ΔE units – and for those who are not familiar: a value above 3 is the threshold at which the average human eye starts to notice differences.

However, much greater problems arise in HDR content. Here, the white balance was not such a significant issue – a slight excess of blue did not significantly hinder the viewing experience. The problem became managing brightness. In practice, the television "blasted" the image too much, causing details in the blacks to completely disappear. The final effect was far from expected, and colour errors in this mode became quite pronounced. It's hard to say why such a design decision was made, but it was evident that the factory HDR settings did not allow this television to showcase its full capabilities.

When it comes to out-of-the-box colours, the Sharp JP7 was tested in Film mode, which traditionally offers the most consistent image compared to the yellowed “Eco” mode or the glaring blue of the “Dynamic” mode. Although this is the best choice among the available settings, the results are still far from ideal. The white balance clearly lacked red and blue components, causing many scenes to take on an unnatural greenish tint. Another issue was the gamma – during full-screen scenes, the television provides excessive brightness, which completely diminishes its cinematic character. All of this resulted in colour reproduction errors, especially in shades of grey, which exceeded a value of Delta E 10. For reference: errors above 2-3 are already visible to the human eye, so we are dealing with a significant distortion of reality here.

In HDR mode, the situation is reversed, but not any better. Here, the blue colour dominates the white balance, which gives the image an unnatural, almost “retail” sharpness, reminiscent of aggressive demonstration modes. Furthermore, measurements of the EOTF curve emphasise the retail character of the image. The graph clearly shows that the television generates an image significantly brighter than the standards predict, resulting in an artificially boosted and unrealistic final effect. The Sharp JP7 is evidently trying to appear stronger than it actually is, but it does so at the cost of fidelity to the content.

After calibration, it was possible to make subtle adjustments to the white balance and significantly improve the image characteristics. In SDR content, the quality has become practically reference-level – most colour errors have fallen below a ΔE value of 1, which is the level at which the human eye can no longer discern differences. This is a result that places the S95F among the very best televisions available on the market.

In HDR materials, the calibration also brought about a significant improvement. The television's tendency to blow out highlights has been brought under control, as confirmed by the analysis of the EOTF curve. A slight tendency to brighten the entire scene or occasional loss of detail in blacks can still be observed, but this does not significantly affect the overall perception. After calibration, the S95F reveals its full potential and can be described as one of the best televisions on the market!

We subjected the JP7 to our standard calibration procedure and really... the television gained a new lease of life thanks to it, particularly with SDR content (YouTube, classic television, series, or older films). As a result of our precise adjustment of the white balance and stabilisation of the gamma, colour errors fell to a value of below 3. This is a level at which the human eye has difficulty detecting distortions. In this scenario, the Sharp JP7 delivers an image with truly excellent colour precision, which is a significant advantage in this price class. However, content with HDR turned out to be much more problematic. Here, despite our efforts and interventions in the settings, the television simply would not cooperate. In the JP7 menu, we don't find any option that would allow for real control over brightness management (EOTF). Although a significant portion of the colour errors was reduced, the image still remained unnaturally oversaturated. It's a bit of a shame, as the potential of the mini-LED backlit panel is great, but the software presents a clear barrier here.

The conclusion is simple: when watching less demanding content (SDR) on the JP7, you can expect an image that is more than satisfactory, but in HDR, you must come to terms with a certain degree of "artificiality" that cannot be circumvented even with professional equipment.

The Samsung S95F offers a noise reduction feature that is responsible for smoothing tonal transitions. It works very effectively, but in practice, it can be overly aggressive. Materials of lower quality – e.g., older recordings or videos from YouTube – become soft and plastic when this feature is activated, resembling an image digitally smoothed in a graphic program. Unfortunately, the natural film grain, which often adds authenticity to the image, disappears in the process. Fortunately, the television does not lose too many fine details, such as in skin textures or elements of the surroundings. Therefore, this feature is best used with discretion – depending on preferences, one can achieve a smooth image that is less natural, or one that is truer to the original. In our opinion, the most universal choice is the “Standard” setting.

The image scaling performs significantly better. The television handles materials of lower resolution well – even content at 576p looks quite decent, although a slight blockiness can be noticed. Overall, the effect is very good, although it somewhat falls short of what Sony Bravia 8 (II) or LG G5 can achieve. It is also worth mentioning a minor imperfection of the S95F – in older materials, overscan may occur, causing a slight trimming of the left edge of the image.

In the case of lower quality materials and how the Sharp JP7 handles them, the situation is ambiguous. Let's start with the upscaling itself – here we have no major objections. The process of scaling the image to a higher resolution is correct; the picture remains readable and sharp, without the overscan effect, meaning no cropped edges. Of course, it is not at the level of top models, and at times one can notice slight jaggedness on the contours, but in this price range, the effect is fully acceptable.

However, the actual digital image processing performs significantly worse, which, apart from the upscaling, effectively does not exist. In the JP7 menu, we will not find any option that would effectively smooth out unwanted tonal transitions or reduce noise in the image. As a result, the signal reaches the panel in a very raw form, which, with heavily compressed materials (e.g. from YouTube), leads to visible posterisation. Either it is a flaw in the software or a very strange design decision, because in earlier Sharp models this function was available and, crucially, worked with noticeable effect. Here, we are left to deal with whatever the source provides us, without any digital support from the image processor.

The Samsung S95F shows phenomenal performance in terms of motion fluidity. The panel operates at a native resolution of 4K with a refresh rate of up to 165 Hz, and combined with QD-OLED organic technology, it delivers incredible results. Sports and games look stunning – the image is fast, dynamic, and very natural. Additionally, the built-in motion smoother and motion blur reduction system allow you to tailor the character of the picture to your own preferences. You can opt for a more "frame-like" effect with visible film structure or a smooth, theatrical spectacle. Every viewer will find a setting that suits them.

The motion fluidity on the Sharp JP7 is quite mediocre, and the reason is simple: the television uses a 60Hz panel. This instantly makes it difficult to recommend for watching sports or serious gaming, where higher refresh rates are already the standard. The only real plus is the presence of a smoothness feature, which we can control in films using a slider called De-judder. Lower settings provide a more raw, "cinematic" (framey) image, while higher settings add artificial smoothness. We suggest setting it somewhere in the middle of the scale, that is in the range of 3-5 – this is the best compromise to avoid the soap opera effect while also eliminating the tiring stuttering of the image. Interestingly, in the menu, we also find a "motion blur removal" slider, which usually indicates the presence of a 120Hz panel. However, with the JP7, it does not enhance the image at all and serves rather as a dummy – it is meant to look good in the settings, but technically it has no right to operate on this panel.

The advantages of low motion blur and excellent motion fluidity characteristic of OLED panels are just the beginning, as the Samsung S95F has been designed with gamers in mind. The manufacturer has equipped it with four HDMI 2.1 ports – although limited to a bandwidth of 40 Gb/s, in practice this has no impact on compatibility with consoles or PCs. We get a full suite of gaming features: variable refresh rate (VRR), automatic game mode (ALLM), as well as a very well-implemented HGiG standard, which ensures that HDR titles look exactly as their creators intended. Completing the package is the Game Bar – a clear settings hub where we can preview and change all key image parameters with one motion. The proprietary motion smoother, Game Motion Plus, also deserves commendation, as it can smooth out animations, which is particularly useful in productions running at 60 frames, where stability is not always exemplary. While support for Dolby Vision in games is lacking, it’s hard to view this as a serious drawback – Samsung compensates with other solutions. This is one of the best, if not the best, gaming televisions available on the market today.

As we mentioned earlier, the 60Hz panel is not a feature that will attract gamers to the Sharp JP7. Perhaps for the casual player, whose console still generates most titles at 60 frames per second, there might be something interesting? When it comes to specific additions, we find here:

• ALLM Mode: Automatically switches the television to low latency game mode (input lag).

• Game Menu: Which is hard to call a full-fledged “Game Bar,” as the functionality here is minimal. Aside from enabling ALLM, there’s only a game-specific motion smoother which we recommend avoiding as it introduces very noticeable artifacts and worsens responsiveness.

• Dolby Vision Gaming: For Microsoft consoles.

Unfortunately, the list of shortcomings is significantly longer and more painful than the positives. The biggest disappointment is the lack of support for 120Hz, even when reducing the resolution to Full HD. The presence of 120Hz would allow for performance modes to be activated in many games on PS5 or Xbox Series X. Another shortcoming is VRR, which means that during frame drops, we are exposed to screen tearing. The lack of proper implementation of the HGiG standard is also very problematic. This results in the fact that during HDR calibration in the console menu, it is very easy to "overshoot" the brightness settings. As a result, instead of clear details in the highlights, we end up with an unnaturally over-bright image with cut-off details. Sharp JP7 is a proposition solely for very casual gamers.