Samsung Q8F vs SONY BRAVIA 3

In terms of brightness, the Samsung Q8F performs surprisingly well for a television without local dimming. In measurements, it reaches up to 500 nits, which in practice means that most movie and series scenes look pleasing, and it cannot be accused of lacking the 'HDR effect'. In films such as Life of Pi or The Meg, the screen was able to burst with brightness and deliver a light effect at a satisfying level. It struggles more in difficult moments — during dark scenes with individual bright points. The global dimming used causes the television to dim the image to maintain deep blacks, but at the expense of detail brightness. This is clearly visible in the scene from Sicario 2, where the helicopter lights dropped to around 200 nits. This is a conscious design decision that gives the impression of deeper blacks, but somewhat takes away the brightness from individual elements, and one must simply keep this in mind. In terms of colour reproduction, the Q8F uses quantum dot technology, which widens the colour gamut. A coverage of the DCI-P3 palette at 91% can be considered a decent result, although it is not a record-breaking figure compared to other QLEDs.

Bravia 3 does not hide the fact that it belongs to the group of televisions that are rather modest in terms of brightness. Our measurements showed around 370 nits, which is a value teetering on the edge of where one can still speak of any HDR effect. For some, this is an acceptable level, while for others it is rather typical for SDR content, where spectacular highlights or vivid contrasts are not expected. The impression is that this is not a television for those focused on the highest image quality in demanding cinematic content. However, this does not mean that we cannot find any advantages here. Compared to its predecessor, the X75WL, Bravia 3 has gained an additional PFS filter, which works similarly to solutions known from QLED technology. Thanks to this, the DCI-P3 colour palette has been significantly widened and reaches over 91 percent, which in practice results in more saturated colours and a more pleasing image texture. As a result, even everyday content looks somewhat livelier, and films and series can surprise with vibrant visuals, despite limitations in brightness itself.

We decided to check out the Filmmaker mode, as it provided us with the best image straight out of the box. However, this does not mean it was perfect. The white balance had too much blue and red, resulting in the white taking on a slight mauve-pink hue. Such an imbalance affected the visibility of practically all colours, as can be seen in the comparison photo below. The brightness characteristics in SDR content were quite well adjusted, though in HDR material we noticed that the television did not always manage its global dimming effectively — at times the screen was too dim, while at other moments it could suddenly brighten. Fortunately, issues related to colours can be effectively corrected with calibration tools, so we decided to get to work.

Sony Bravia 3 was primarily tested in film mode, which immediately proved to be the best choice among the factory settings. It is not a perfect picture, but compared to the eco mode that the television offers right out of the box, the difference is clear and positive. In film mode, one can notice a certain problem: the image appears too warm, which results from a lack of blue colour in the white balance. Despite this, in SDR content, the final effect can still be considered quite decent and satisfactory for everyday viewing. Much more serious errors occur in HDR materials. The Color Checker analysis showed considerable deviations, and poor brightness management, combined with limited colour gamut coverage, further exposes the shortcomings of the image in this mode. All of this makes HDR on the Bravia 3 appear unconvincing and can spoil the impression left by the quite decent SDR content setting. Fortunately, this is not an insurmountable situation. Various errors can be somewhat mitigated, and some can even be fully corrected through professional calibration. Therefore, we decided to check how the television would perform after such adjustments.

After calibration, we managed to correct the white balance to near perfection. Older SDR content looks fantastic — most errors fall within a value range of 2, which is well below the threshold of perceivability for the human eye. In HDR, we also brought the white balance to an acceptable level, but another issue arises here. So why are there still relatively large errors in colour reproduction? This mainly stems from the limited colour palette and the way the television manages brightness. The global dimming technique used does not give the user control in the settings, so when analysing the EOTF curve in HDR films, it is apparent that the Q8F can modify luminance independently. This can be regarded as a certain limitation, but despite this, the picture after calibration is still much more pleasant to view than in the factory version.

The calibration allowed us to extract significantly more from the Bravia 3 than we could have expected at the beginning. Firstly, it managed to compensate for the deficiency of blue, which had previously caused a noticeable warming of the image. After a slight adjustment to the white balance, most of the errors in the Color Checker measurements for SDR content virtually disappeared. The white tones became more natural, and the brightness management in gamma stabilised to an almost ideal level, not exceeding the threshold of human perception. Thus, it can be confidently stated that in SDR content, after a few adjustments to the settings, the Bravia 3 performs remarkably well. Significantly worse, although still definitely better than before calibration, are HDR contents. The white balance was brought into order, however, the limitations of the IPS panel are insurmountable. The lack of local dimming means that even the smallest elements can be overexposed, which immediately stands out. Colour-wise, the effect is also improved, though far from perfect – many errors still exceed the threshold of four or even five delta E units, meaning they remain visible to the human eye. It was already clear earlier that the Bravia 3 is not a television designed to impress with HDR quality. Nevertheless, it is gratifying that in SDR content, after calibration, the image can look truly excellent, and in this category, the television pleasantly surprised us.

Let’s check how the Q8F performs with older content, which often has poor quality. Let's start with the positives: the upscaling, or raising the image to a higher resolution, works really well. The television handles both traditional television and YouTube material quite competently, without giving the impression that we are dealing with something completely unattractive. It performs less well with very low resolutions, such as 576p — the image can be cropped, and unfortunately, the overscan issue cannot be turned off. Moreover, the digital processing itself appears less effective. The noise reduction feature, instead of eliminating unwanted disturbances, smooths out almost everything: film grain (which is desirable for many viewers) disappears along with the texture of the image, and the faces of the actors start to resemble characters from cheap Turkish soap operas. Therefore, it’s hard to consider this option useful — it’s best to leave it completely turned off. Perhaps Samsung will refine the operation of this function in future updates, but for now, it’s difficult to view it as anything other than an unnecessary addition.

Bravia 3 brings something more to the Sony TV family than just a shared name. It stands out primarily for its ability to enhance the quality of weaker materials thanks to the processor used. Of course, we won’t find the advanced XR chip known from more expensive models here, but even so, it must be admitted that the image in lower resolutions looked surprisingly good. The scaling worked effectively, and most parts of the screen were free from the typical excessive edge tearing found in budget constructions.

Attention should also be paid to the function that improves the smoothness of tonal transitions. In the high setting, it works really well, effectively masking gradation imperfections without significant detail loss. It does happen, however, that the algorithm overly smooths elements that should remain sharp – for example, faces – but overall, the effect is beneficial. The best results were achieved precisely at the highest setting, and this option could be recommended to those watching lower quality content.

Due to the applied 60 Hz matrix, it is difficult to call the Q8F a television designed for gaming or watching sports. The panel is not particularly fast, which makes motion blur noticeably visible. If you were hoping for spectacular, even 'stadium-like' experiences during broadcasts, you may feel slightly disappointed. Fortunately, in the case of films and series, Samsung has not abandoned the motion blur reduction feature. This is nothing but a motion smoother that allows you to improve the fluidity of productions recorded at 24 or 30 frames per second. This way, you can decide for yourself whether you prefer a smoother, 'television' image or to maintain a cinematic character. It all depends on the viewer's preferences, and the ability to adjust this parameter is undoubtedly a plus.

The fluidity of motion has never been a strong point of televisions equipped with 60 Hz panels, and the Bravia 3 is no exception. Nevertheless, Sony has added something that may appeal to those more sensitive to the way images are displayed. We are talking about the proprietary motion smoother, Motion Flow, which offers users a considerable range of adjustment options. Thanks to it, one can make the image smoother, even theatrical, or stick to a more cinematic style with the characteristic judder that many simply associate with the filmic atmosphere. These functions work with content at lower frame rates, such as films and series recorded at 24 or 30 frames per second, which are the materials we encounter on a daily basis. It is here that the motion smoother proves to be one of the most important features in everyday use of the television, and this is where the Bravia 3 performs quite well.

It is not entirely clear what Samsung has meddled with this year regarding its televisions, but the Q8F is not free from all the confusion surrounding updates and shortcomings. While its older cousin, the Q67D, could still be recommended to casual gamers with a clear conscience, it is difficult to find a reason to do so here. Apart from the automatic game mode and the attractively designed Game Bar, we receive practically nothing that could attract gaming enthusiasts. The lack of proper HGiG implementation is a significant issue, especially since after the 1126 update, the feature simply disappeared. The situation regarding VRR is even worse. Although it is listed in the manufacturer's brochures and appears in the Game Bar, we were unable to activate it. The Xbox Series X console did not allow activation at all, and the option remained greyed out and inactive. It is hard to praise such a television even to casual gamers, which is a pity, as Samsung had a strong bargaining chip in the gaming segment for years.

Bravia 3 is not equipment for e-sports enthusiasts or fans of night marathons with a controller in hand. The lack of 120 Hz refresh rate and HDMI 2.1 ports closes the topic before it even has a chance to develop. This is a television for casual gamers who will play FIFA or racing games after work, not for someone who measures every frame in a spreadsheet. Nevertheless, Sony has added a few nice extras to ensure it’s not too sparse. ALLM works as it should, automatically switching the television to game mode (low latency). There’s even a simple Game Bar, which is clear. However, the biggest novelty here is the PlayStation Portal app. Thanks to it, you can launch PS5 games wirelessly and view them immediately on the television screen. It sounds great, but just a few minutes is enough to feel significant lag. In our opinion, it’s more of a showcase of capabilities than something that can be used every day. If someone really wants to play, it’s better to connect the console via HDMI cable and forget about wireless issues.