Samsung QN990F vs Philips PUS7000

The Samsung QN990F belongs to the bright televisions category, and this is immediately evident in tests. In measurements, it achieved around 1300 nits, which in practice allows for enjoying films as their creators intended. Bright scenes have the right intensity, lights shine, and the experience is truly cinematic. In standard test patterns, sequences number 1, 3, and 5 performed best – there, brightness maintained around 800-1000 nits, and the image looked very natural. In more challenging segments, it could drop to around 600 nits, but even so, the level remained sufficient for details to be clearly visible. However, it should be added that in highly contrasting shots, the halo effect returns – the same one we mentioned regarding black levels. Bright elements can leave a halo on dark backgrounds, and this stands out immediately. Since we are dealing with a QLED, the colour palette is expanded, and the colours appear striking. The problem is that with such a flagship model, we expected better numbers. 91% DCI-P3 coverage and about 67% BT.2020 are results that can be considered solid, but not outstanding. This gives a vibrant and appealing image, yet the competition in this and lower price tiers can showcase even more.

Unfortunately, the PUS7000 is not suitable for watching HDR content. The screen is simply too dark. A brightness level of 200 nits is insufficient to properly display such a format. Even if a HDR signal message appears on the screen, the image will resemble a standard SDR recording. Therefore, it is better to stick with the latter format to avoid errors in displaying bright scenes, as discussed below. The situation is not improved by the fact that this is a classic LCD model without additional layers enhancing colours, such as QLED or PFS. As a result, colours in HDR may appear washed out. Ultimately, this gives a worse effect than in the standard SDR format, which is simply better suited to the capabilities of this panel.

We tested the QN990F in Filmmaker mode, which is the best available right out of the box. Right from the start, we noticed several significant errors. The biggest issue concerned white balance. Due to too little blue, and also improper ratios between red and blue, the image – especially in scenes with a lot of white – appeared too yellow, and at times even orange. On the Color Checker palette, these errors didn't look dramatic as they hovered around a value of 4, but in everyday viewing, especially with strong whites, they were most noticeable. We also observed issues with brightness management – the television struggled to maintain detail in the smallest parts of the image, mainly due to the way it controls the backlighting zones. Fortunately, Samsung offers a lot of room for adjustment when it comes to calibration settings. We know that with the right calibration, much more can be extracted from this screen.

We tested the television in movie mode, which theoretically should provide the best and most natural colours. And indeed, this mode is quite correct; however, after connecting the calibration equipment, its biggest flaw came to light. The PUS7000 has significant shortcomings in displaying red. Poorly tuned white balance and overly low saturation of this colour cause the image to appear too cool. As a result, one may get the impression that the displayed content is simply lacking in vibrant colours. The situation is worsened by the fact that both SDR and HDR content are excessively brightened. This is confirmed by the gamma curve and EOTF graphs, which show that the television displays the image brighter than it should. This causes scenes to lose their depth and may appear somewhat washed out. Fortunately, in the Philips menu, we find quite a few functions to improve these aspects, so we immediately proceeded to calibration to see what could be squeezed out of this screen.

After completing the calibration, we managed to bring the white balance back to order and eliminate the previous shortcomings in the shades of blue. As a result, the image no longer looked as if it had a slightly yellowish filter applied – the whites are purer, and the overall presentation is much more natural. We also managed, to some extent, to tame the brightness characteristics in HDR content. The television now handles detail retention in blacks significantly better and does not lose them to the same degree as before. However, when we look at the EOTF curve and the way the QN990F reproduces brightness in films, it is evident that it still tends to accentuate details in dark areas more strongly. This is a characteristic feature of Mini-LED technology and, more specifically, the way it is managed by the QN990F, which is practically impossible to completely eliminate. Despite this, after calibration, the image appears much more natural, mainly due to the correct exposure of white light. The final effect is definitely more pleasant to perceive and closer to what we expect from a flagship television.

After professional calibration, it is evident that the PUS7000 responds well to image adjustments. In this price range, this is not at all a given. The effects should be evaluated in two scenarios, depending on what content we plan to watch. SDR performs the best. After our adjustments, the picture looks really good. Most colour errors have fallen below level 3, which is the threshold at which distortions usually begin to be visible to the naked eye in measurements. Films, series, sports, and regular television look natural, without unpleasant deviations. If someone mainly watches classic channels or streams in HD quality, the difference after calibration will be noticeable immediately. However, it must be clearly stated that the PUS7000 is still not a television suited for reasonable HDR, and calibration changes very little in this regard. The reason lies in the hardware: the colours remain too unsaturated. The television lacks solutions to expand the colour gamut, such as PFS filters or a quantum dot layer, so the panel simply cannot display the intense colours required by HDR. This is most apparent in reds, which still look pale. This limitation cannot be bypassed with menu settings, as it stems from the design of the backlighting and the panel itself.

The biggest praise for the QN990F should be given for its upscaling. The processor responsible for "lifting" classic television to 8K resolution does quite well. While watching material in 576p signal, we had no illusions that we would suddenly see a miracle in advertising style, where the image magically transforms into crystal-clear 8K. Nevertheless, the end result was surprisingly good; the image looked clean and sharp. It’s just a shame that the television, like most Samsung models, has an overscan issue, slightly cropping the edges of the screen from the left side.

When it comes to image processing, Samsung offers a feature called "noise reduction," which in theory should improve tonal transitions in older materials, where they are usually more visible. Unfortunately, we felt quite disappointed here. The feature performs poorly – it does not handle unwanted stripes and can introduce its own artifacts. On the plus side, the television does not remove film grain when using this feature, but in practice, that is a poor consolation since the noise reduction itself proves to be virtually useless.

The PUS7000 handles digital image processing quite well. The distortion reduction feature deserves praise, as it effectively smooths out unwanted tonal transitions even at low settings. However, it has a drawback: if applied too aggressively, it can introduce undesirable artifacts on the screen. Therefore, it would be a good idea to experiment with this setting to find a happy medium between a smooth image and detail clarity.

The upscaling, or enhancing the quality of lower-resolution materials to 4K, is adequate. The image after processing is very "soft," which is typical for nearly all Philips televisions. The edges are plastic and smooth, making the image look cohesive. If it feels too soft for someone, the sharpness slider in the menu can always be adjusted to achieve a more pronounced effect.

QN990F can comfortably be called one of the fastest televisions in the world. In 4K mode, it is capable of displaying images at a frequency of up to 240 Hz, which until now has been more associated with gaming monitors than with televisions in the living room. However, in everyday viewing, what matters more is how it handles the 8K signal at 120 Hz – and here it performs very well too. Motion remains smooth, and the television manages without a hitch even with the most demanding content. Additionally, there is the motion smoother, i.e. "Picture Clarity". Thanks to it, one can adjust the image to their own preferences – leaving a slightly cinematic judder or switching to maximum fluidity, which works exceptionally well, for example, in sports broadcasts.

In this respect, we actually have no good news. It might seem that the biggest downside is the lack of a 120 Hz panel, but in this price range, that is actually the norm, and it is hard to expect anything more. However, the worst part is that the television does not have any features to improve motion smoothness. There is a lack of any supporting systems, both in films and in sports. We must come to terms with the fact that the image on the PUS7000 is processed "raw". This means that during dynamic scenes or fast camera movements, the motion can appear choppy or unclear. We do not have the option to enable any smoothers that would reduce this effect.

It must be said outright – the QN990F is one of those televisions that practically scream that they were designed with gamers in mind. Samsung has been developing its gaming solutions for years, but here we have a truly comprehensive set. Sure, it lacks Dolby Vision support in games, which is a downside that will always come up in discussions. However, aside from that, the list of features is impressively extensive. To begin with, we have the Game Bar – a handy menu that allows you to quickly check and change gaming-related settings. You can see, for example, the enabled VRR, frame rate, or aspect ratio settings. It’s like a little “dashboard,” making it unnecessary to dig deep into the menu to make adjustments. Speaking of VRR: yes, variable refresh rate is present here and works flawlessly. And there's ALLM, which automatically switches the television to game mode as soon as the console is powered on. These may seem like small details, but together they make using the QN990F simply comfortable and hassle-free.

However, the most impressive aspect is the number of ports. Four wireless HDMI 2.1 ports are already great news, as there is no need to choose whether to connect the console, the amplifier, or perhaps even a PC. There’s ample space for everything here. And if we add another micro HDMI (which we recommend connecting directly to the console), hidden in the casing, we practically have five inputs in full 2.1 standard. Let’s also add support for high refresh rates – 120 Hz at 8K and even 240 Hz at 4K – and we get a television that not only keeps up with the new consoles but also feels ready for consoles that are not yet available.

Although the PUS7000 is not marketed as a gaming television, it does not perform as poorly in this category as one might expect. While it is true that we won’t find support for 120 Hz refresh rates, which is understandable at this price point, the manufacturer has ensured several important features that genuinely enhance the gaming experience on consoles. The most important of these are the VRR and ALLM technologies. VRR is responsible for synchronising the screen with the number of frames generated by the console. This prevents the image from tearing and keeps it consistent even during sudden drops in frame rate while gaming. In contrast, ALLM is a solution that automatically switches the television to the lowest latency mode as soon as it detects a signal from the console. All these parameters are easily accessible thanks to the Game Bar feature. This is a special control panel for gamers that can be summoned on screen at any time. It allows for a quick preview of the current settings and connection status without interrupting gameplay, which is a very convenient solution.