Compare: Samsung S85D vs TCL A300W NXTVision

Samsung S85D is Samsung's entry-level OLED model for 2024, but it certainly does not come across as "budget". From the very first contact, the television demonstrated that OLED technology makes a difference. The deep blacks, excellent contrast and great viewing angles make watching favourite films and series pure pleasure, no matter where we are sitting. It is a screen that truly captivates you in the action. The Tizen operating system is another strong point of the Samsung S85D. It is simple, intuitive, and runs smoothly. Switching between apps like Netflix or YouTube takes no time, and the support for AirPlay and Bluetooth provides numerous options for connecting other devices. Not only does the solar remote not require charging, but we also easily used it to control the decoder and soundbar – these small details make daily usage easier. Like any television, the S85D has its minor shortcomings. The lack of recording functionality can be noticeable, especially if we enjoy revisiting favourite shows or films. The absence of support for DTS audio tracks may require purchasing and directly connecting a Blu-ray player to an external audio system. If we want to make full use of this codec, it is worth keeping this in mind. SDR brightness, while sufficient in most cases, may not always meet expectations in brighter rooms. This is a television that shows its best side in the evening – that’s when the OLED black and contrast truly impress. Despite these few drawbacks, the S85D left us with very positive impressions. It is a model that proves that excellent picture quality and superb technological solutions do not have to be paired with a high price. If we are looking for a television that works well for everyday use as well as evening viewings, and at the same time won’t ruin our budget, then the Samsung S85D OLED is an excellent choice. It is a device that gives the feeling that we have invested our money wisely, offering a lot for a reasonable amount.

At first glance, it is clear that the TCL A300 NXTVision aims to be more than just an ordinary television. It offers an image display mode that – unlike its competitors from Korea, Samsung The Frame – is completely free. Additionally, just like its rivals, it comes with freebies. In the packaging, besides the television, we find extra frames mimicking light wood and a flat wall mount, allowing the television to actually resemble a gallery piece. In terms of everyday use, the standout feature is the Google TV system – extensive, quick, and offering access to a vast number of applications. And if we feel like stepping out of the digital museum and jumping straight into the world of gaming, the A300 can surprise us. Two HDMI 2.1 ports, 144 Hz, VRR, ALLM, and very low input lag ensure that even demanding gamers can feel at home here. Well... perhaps except for those who are sensitive to motion blur – as this remains one of the major issues with this model. There are also downsides. Although the image mode is free – and that is worth appreciating – the quality of the available graphics is clearly lacking compared to what Samsung offers in its paid ART Store. The displayed images resemble photos rather than realistic reproductions of artworks. Unfortunately, the A300 – like the rival Hisense S7NQ – performs poorly here and additionally has certain software issues. The brightness of the television itself also leaves much to be desired – it is the darkest television of the entire "frame trio," which translates to average experiences during the day and limited HDR effect. Nevertheless, the TCL A300 NXTVision is quite a reasonable alternative to Samsung The Frame or S7NQ – especially if we are looking for a cheaper solution without additional fees for access to the "gallery" mode and with an operating system that does not limit us in terms of the number of applications. However, it is essential to remember that this is a proposition with a significant amount of compromises. If we want to save a bit and do not expect top-notch picture quality, then the A300 could be a hit in the picture stakes. Otherwise, it is worth taking a look at its competition.

Samsung S85D is a television that truly makes a difference when it comes to picture quality. The black is so deep it's hard to believe, and the contrast ensures that even the most demanding scenes – like those from the film "Oblivion" – look incredibly realistic. Thanks to OLED technology, the dark areas of the screen are perfectly black, without any unnecessary glow or overexposure.

It's worth noting that, similar to some variants of the S90D model, the Samsung S85D uses a WOLED panel supplied by LG. This panel is a key element that contributes to the amazing quality of contrast, which is particularly noticeable in scenes with a high dynamic range of light, making it an ideal choice for fans of films and series with high production quality.

The TCL A300, also known as NXTVision, uses a VA panel, so right from the start, one could expect decent contrast. On our test charts, the television indeed showed typical results for this type of panel – in the best case, the contrast reached around 5000:1, which is not a bad result for this segment.

However, it should be noted that the model is not equipped with any local dimming technology, which unfortunately is noticeable in practice. The black levels, though quite deep at times, often lean towards navy blue or grey – especially in darker scenes. In short: for a television without local dimming, it's not bad, but it cannot be compared to models that already have this feature on board.

Brightness is a key parameter in televisions, and the S85D Samsung model offers levels comparable to other OLEDs from a few years ago. Although it does not impress in this regard, its enormous advantage is the very competitive price. A peak brightness of 600 nits ensures good image quality in HDR conditions, giving users a taste of cinematic experiences in the comfort of their home. However, as with many budget OLED models, the biggest issue is very bright, full-screen scenes – in such moments, like the final scene from the film “The Meg,” the television can lose even half of its brightness, which is noticeable compared to more expensive OLED models. Despite this, the television offers impressive coverage of the DCI-P3 colour palette at 99%, allowing for vibrant and accurate colours to be displayed.

When it comes to brightness, the TCL A300W is definitely the darkest television among all frame-style models, such as Samsung The Frame or Hisense CanvasTV – and unfortunately, this is immediately noticeable. In our measurements, the peak luminance reached a mere 400 nits, and on test film patterns, this value dropped to 350 nits. This is definitely too little to experience the true “magic” of bright HDR effects. As a consolation – the television is equipped with a PFS LED coating (which is something like QLED), providing very good coverage of a wide colour gamut, both DCI-P3 and BT.2020. In addition, it has full support for all popular HDR formats – HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, and Dolby Vision – which somewhat compensates for the lack of brightness and helps improve the overall perception of content in this quality.

The Filmmaker mode on the Samsung S85D does offer quite good factory settings, but it is not free from errors, particularly evident in colour reproduction. The white balance chart for HD and HDR content shows clear issues – both red and blue colours are significantly weakened, leading to a dominance of green. The result is an unnatural yellowish hue that can affect the perception of realistic scenes. The Color Checker test clearly shows that the colour samples deviate from expected values – for HD material, the colours can be overly saturated, with a noticeable shift towards green, which is also evident in the white balance chart. Conversely, for 4K HDR content, the colours appear too dull, lacking depth, making the image less appealing and natural. This effect is particularly noticeable in delicate scenes where colour precision plays a key role, which can be disappointing for discerning viewers who expect faithful reproduction of details and colour intensity.

As for brightness, the gamma chart for HD content looks quite good; however, there is a noticeable jump at the end, exceeding a value of 2.4. While this is not a major issue in most scenes, in more demanding sequences it may affect the clarity of bright details. For 4K content, the EOTF curve, responsible for delivering brightness, turns out to be problematic. The initial part of the chart shows a small jump. This phenomenon can result in excessive boosting of brightness in the brightest areas of the image, leading to loss of detail in very bright scenes.

Although Samsung S85D offers quite decent factory settings, especially in Filmmaker mode, it is worth considering manual adjustment of settings to improve some imperfections, particularly in colour reproduction.

TCL A300 offers several picture modes, but without a doubt, the best is the movie mode. Unfortunately, although it is the best option available, it is not free from errors. In both HD and HDR content, the image has a noticeably too warm hue - it leans slightly towards pink, which is particularly noticeable in scenes with snow. Instead of pure white, we get a pinkish tint that spoils the natural perception of colours.

The management of brightness is also not very good. In the case of older HD material, the image often seems too dark - which is confirmed by the inflated gamma value. Conversely, with HDR content, the effect is the opposite - the image is overly bright, which we observed in scenes from the film Pan. Such a lack of consistency also affects the accuracy of colour reproduction - a test with the ColorChecker showed that many samples clearly deviate from the reference values.

Fortunately, TCL allows for manual adjustment of settings, so we decided to check how the television would perform after our professional calibration. The effects of this adjustment are described below.

After calibration, the Filmmaker mode on the Samsung S85D truly impressed. The white balance, regardless of the type of content, has significantly improved, resulting in more natural colours. The Color Checker test shows that colour reproduction errors are now minimal and rarely exceed acceptable values, which indicates accurate colour rendering. The factory colour reproduction left much to be desired, but the situation has now significantly improved – the colours are natural, precise, and look as if they were rendered exactly according to the creators' intentions. This is a huge step forward compared to previous generations, where colours were often distorted or too intense.

The brightness characteristics also benefited from the calibration – it is now more vivid and precise. The gamma, although fairly good previously, has become even more stable, providing a deeper, more natural image. The EOTF curve has been aligned, allowing details in dark areas to be more visible and the contrast more balanced. With all these improvements, the television delivers an image close to reference quality, greatly enhancing the enjoyment of watching films and HDR content.

After our professional calibration, the TCL A300 has literally received a new lease of life. The image has stopped being too warm, and the colours finally look as they should – which was confirmed by the ColorChecker test, where the colour samples finally started to hit their marks, at least to some reasonable extent. It was also possible to partially correct the brightness management – the image is now more balanced and less "wobbly" between different types of content. Of course, certain limitations cannot be overcome – a slightly noticeable blooming effect is still present, but that is a characteristic of the technology and not something that can be eliminated even after professional settings.

Generally speaking: after calibration, the A300 performs significantly better and gains a completely new quality.

Samsung OLED S85D performs very well with the smoothness of tonal transitions. There are no major issues, and the transitions between different colour levels are smooth and natural. The only minor drawback is slight issues around the reds, where in some scenes, subtle disturbances can be noticed. Nevertheless, the overall effect is very positive – the television handles most materials excellently.

TCL A300 NXTVision is another frame-style television that handles transitions of tones really well. It's hard to find distinct bands or sharp transitions between shades of the same colour – the overall appearance is natural and smooth.

However, it must be admitted that among the three tested models (The Frame and S7NQ), TCL performs the worst in this category. In darker and lighter scenes, slight imperfections can be noticed. Nonetheless, looking at it as a whole, for a television in this price range – it presents itself really solidly. It may not be the best of the bunch, but it maintains a very good level.

Samsung S85D performs excellently in scaling images and smoothing tonal transitions. Like in other Samsung models, the television offers three noise reduction modes: off, standard, and high. Although it effectively improves gradations, it unfortunately also removes film grain, which many viewers desire to give the image a cinematic character. This grain often adds authenticity and a certain rawness to films, which is lost after smoothing. Removing the grain can make the image look too sterile and smooth, which detracts from the charm of the original film material. When it comes to scaling images, the Samsung S85D handles lower resolution content beautifully – the model in the picture and the branches in the background were displayed correctly, with no major issues with edge aliasing. The only noticeable drawback is the presence of overscan, which can sometimes cut off parts of the image, which may not please everyone.

TCL A300 handles tonal transitions in high-quality films very well, but the question arises – how does it perform with weaker material? The television is equipped with a tonal transition smoothing function, but its effectiveness can be described in one word: "random." In one scene it could work and improve the gradation, but when turned off… the effect remains the same. There is a lack of consistency and predictability.

Image scaling is also not one of A300's strong points. On the test chart, the main character actually looked better than on the raw signal, but with thin lines – such as fonts or background details – there was noticeable jaggedness and aliasing. On the positive side, the television does not crop the image and has no problems with overscan, but the overall quality of scaling is rather average.

As befits an OLED television, Samsung S85D offers excellent motion fluidity. Equipped with a 120 Hz panel and fast response time, the television provides very smooth playback of dynamic scenes without visible ghosting. For movie enthusiasts, there is a feature called "Image Clarity Settings," which allows adjusting the fluidity of the image to individual preferences on a 10-point scale. Motion blur reduction enhances the sharpness of rapidly moving objects, while motion smoothing smooths out movement, eliminating the "judder" effect. This way, every user can set the appropriate level of clarity that best suits their taste, from a more cinematic effect to sharper, smoother movements.

The TCL A300 is equipped with a 144 Hz panel, which should immediately satisfy practically everyone – both gamers and sports fans. The motion is smooth and the image is clear even during fast-paced scenes. Additionally, the television offers motion enhancement functionality called "Motion," where we find two sliders on a 10-point scale. These allow you to adjust the effect to your own preferences – from a classic, cinematic look with visible frames to a very smooth (though somewhat unnatural) image reminiscent of soap opera effects. This way, everyone can find a setting that suits them.

Samsung S85D OLED is an excellent choice for gamers, thanks to its many modern features that facilitate and enhance gameplay. The television has four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports, allowing you to connect the latest consoles without worrying about image quality or frame rate limitations. This means support for 4K resolution at 120 Hz, which is ideal for modern titles. Additionally, the Samsung S85D has an ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) feature that automatically activates low latency mode when it detects a gaming device. This means you don’t have to manually switch settings – the television takes care of ensuring a fast response time, which is crucial in games where every second counts.

The VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) feature and G-Sync support are additional elements that make gameplay smoother. VRR adjusts the refresh rate to the number of frames generated by the console or computer, eliminating screen tearing and stuttering. This is particularly useful in dynamic games where the frame rate can fluctuate. Auto Motion Plus Game is a feature that Samsung has introduced with gamers in mind, and it is worth appreciating. With it, the image in games becomes smoother – 30 frames per second look like 45, and 60 Hz gains in fluidity, creating an effect close to 90 Hz. At the same time, there is no significant increase in input lag, which remains below 25 ms, making this feature stand out among others available on the market. Gamers can enjoy a smoother image without worrying about a decline in responsiveness.

Samsung has also ensured something extra – the television has a built-in Xbox Game Pass app, which means you can play in the cloud without needing to own a console. This is a great solution for those who want to enjoy gaming without investing in additional hardware. All you need is internet access, and you have a huge library of games at your fingertips. This makes Samsung S85D a fantastic choice for both casual gamers and those who are more advanced.

TCL A300 is a television designed not only to transport us to a digital art museum but also to a full-fledged gaming world. Here, we find practically everything one could expect from gaming equipment: two full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports, 144 Hz refresh rate, VRR support, and ALLM.

The proper implementation of the HGIG mode also deserves praise – something that competitor Hisense sometimes struggles with. The television easily handles lower resolutions (e.g., Full HD) while maintaining high refresh rates, which older console or PC owners will appreciate.

In addition, there is an attractive and clear GameBar that facilitates quick access to settings for gamers. The A300 is really well-prepared for top-level gaming – it's just a shame that issues with smearing slightly tarnish its overall image as a gaming device.

Samsung S85D achieves excellent results in terms of input lag, regardless of the refresh rate or resolution. This means that the screen responses are almost instantaneous, which is particularly important in fast-paced, dynamic games. Gamers can count on the television's lightning-fast response to controller movements, providing an advantage in competition and greater satisfaction from gameplay. Low input lag is a definite advantage of this model, making the Samsung S85D OLED the perfect choice for gaming enthusiasts.

In terms of input lag, the TCL A300 performs really well. Values below 10 ms at a refresh rate of 120 Hz are something many gamers dream of – such low lag is practically unnoticeable, both during everyday gaming and in more demanding e-sports titles. One might criticise the result of 23 ms in Dolby Vision mode at 60 frames, but it is still a sufficiently low value that it's hard to have serious objections. In this category, the A300 really excels.

Samsung S85D performs very well as a computer monitor. Thanks to the clear visibility of text, regardless of the type of background, using it is convenient and comfortable. The support for 4:4:4 chroma ensures precise rendering of text and graphics, which is important for office work, browsing the internet, or editing documents. Samsung S85D is a versatile television that also easily serves as a monitor for everyday use. We deducted 0.4 points for the WRGB layout, as is the case with any television with such a sub-pixel arrangement.

If we plan to use the TCL A300 as a monitor for a computer, we may be pleasantly surprised. The television performs really well in this role. It is equipped with a 144 Hz panel, supports G-Sync, and, as we have already mentioned, offers very low input lag, so gaming on it with a connected PC is a pure pleasure.

Working with text is also possible, though with some limitations. The TCL A300 has slight issues displaying dark fonts and thin lines – this stems from the subpixel structure, which in everyday use can be somewhat bothersome, although it looks better in photos than in reality.

The television supports chroma 4:4:4, but only up to 120 Hz. Therefore, we have indicated that this feature is available, but with a limitation – if we care about perfectly readable fonts, it is advisable to stick to a refresh rate of 120 Hz. At 144 Hz, the sharpness of the text may suffer slightly.

The viewing angles on the Samsung S85D are excellent, as is fitting for an OLED. The image remains sharp and does not lose quality even when viewed from a wide angle, making the television perfect for larger rooms and watching together with family or friends. The only televisions that offer better viewing angles are those with QD-OLED or MLA OLED panels.

The viewing angles on the TCL A300 NXTVision are – let's be honest – mediocre. The television is equipped with a VA panel, which inherently has rather limited angles and unfortunately this is evident here. The video below speaks for itself – even a slight deviation from the axis results in a noticeable drop in contrast and colour saturation. It's a shame that this is yet another frame-style television that has done absolutely nothing about it. After all, we don't always have the opportunity to sit perfectly straight on – especially if the device is also intended to serve a decorative function in the living room.

Samsung S85D handles reflections quite well thanks to the satin finish of the panel, which effectively dampens them. Unfortunately, the SDR brightness of 310 nits is rather average, meaning that in very bright rooms, the TV's performance may be limited. This is not an impressive result, so this model will definitely perform better during evening viewing, when such brightness will be sufficient. During the day, to achieve better comfort, it may be necessary to draw the blinds or curtains.

The TCL A300 NXTVision is equipped with a matte panel very similar to the one found in one of its Chinese competitors – the Hisense S7NQ model. Such a surface handles reflections fairly well, although it must be said that it performs worse than Samsung's The Frame, which offers a significantly higher level in this regard. As is often the case with matte displays, blacks lose their depth during the day and appear more gray than black – and this is no different here. Unfortunately, the fact that the A300 is the darkest television of the three tested does not help either. As a result, it has a real problem standing out in brightly lit rooms.

Samsung S85D operates on the Tizen operating system, which is intuitive and provides easy access to numerous applications and streaming services. The system offers smooth and quick navigation, significantly enhancing the comfort of using the television. The television is equipped with a solar remote control that allows the operation of other devices, such as set-top boxes or home theatre systems, enabling control of all home equipment with a single device. In terms of connectivity, the Samsung S85D supports AirPlay, facilitating content sharing from Apple devices, and includes a built-in Bluetooth module, allowing for the connection of peripheral devices such as keyboards, headphones, or speakers.

When it comes to everyday use of the television for regular TV, the S85D model offers several useful features but also has certain shortcomings. One of its advantages is the PIP (Picture-in-Picture) function, which allows simultaneous viewing of two content sources – for example, a match in a small window while the rest of the screen displays a favourite series. This is a convenient solution for those who want to stay updated with various programmes. However, the lack of recording capabilities from the built-in tuners is disappointing. This limitation means that favourite programmes or films cannot be saved for later, which may be an issue for those who wish to flexibly adjust their TV viewing to their schedule – however, we believe that the absence of this feature is becoming increasingly less burdensome, as users currently have wide access to various online content, making the need for recording less significant.

The design of the OLED Samsung S85D is distinguished by its characteristic rounded shape at the back, setting it apart from most OLED televisions, which typically have a flat rear. This unconventional design gives it a unique appearance and attracts attention, resulting in a television that looks modern and elegant. The package includes a remote control, a CI+ module, a stand in the form of two legs, and a power cable, allowing for a quick and convenient start to using the television without the need to purchase additional accessories.

The TCL A300 is a television styled to resemble a painting, which can successfully masquerade as a work of art during everyday use, hanging on the wall. It is equipped with a special image display mode, additional frames in a light wood tone, and a flat wall mount that allows the television to be hung like a true picture – flush against the wall.

A significant advantage of the image mode is that it is completely free. We have access to dozens of works from which we can choose the one to be displayed in standby mode – instead of a black screen, the picture we selected remains on the wall. The quality of the graphic reproductions is decent, but it must be admitted that it clearly falls short of that from the Samsung ART Store. Although access to images there is paid, the quality of the scans is significantly better – you can see the texture of the paint, the canvas, and the details. In the TCL A300, it resembles high-quality photographs more than realistic reproductions of artworks. Additionally, the implementation of the image mode in the system leaves much to be desired. For example – if we set the brightness in image mode to 10%, that same value automatically transfers to the normal viewing mode, where we could comfortably set the brightness to 50% or even 100%. This works in the opposite direction too – when we set the brightness to 100% in normal mode, switching to gallery mode displays the images with that same maximum brightness, shining too intensely and losing the entire effect of a “picture on the wall.” These are minor but annoying errors that can ruin the experience of what was intended to be visually subtle and elegant.

Moving on to more classic features – the A300 runs on the Google TV system, which currently offers by far the largest selection of applications (the full list available below). The well-functioning voice assistant with support for the Polish language is also a major plus. As standard – as in most TCL televisions – the USB recording function or picture-in-picture (PiP) mode is missing.

Playing multimedia files on the Samsung S85D will satisfy most users. The television offers wide compatibility with popular video, audio, and image file formats, ensuring smooth playback from both USB drives and the local network. The built-in media player operates efficiently and is user-friendly, although there may be issues with some less common formats.

The built-in player in the TCL A300 works as it should – most popular video and photo files play without any issues. There is a lack of support for the HEIC format from Apple (which is quite common in many televisions), but most users still use AirPlay, so this shouldn't be a major problem. If someone is not satisfied with the default player, the Google TV system offers considerable options – it's easy to install an alternative app that better suits our tastes. Nevertheless, it must be acknowledged that the factory solution is entirely sufficient for everyday use.

Samsung S85D OLED offers quite decent sound, although the built-in speaker set is not particularly impressive (2x10W). The television supports Dolby Atmos technology, which provides spatial sound, however, it does not support the DTS format. The sound is clear and sufficient for everyday use, although for more demanding users, it may be advisable to connect an external audio system to achieve a fuller and more dynamic sound.

When it comes to sound, the TCL A300W – like its competitors – plays quite... flat, after all, we are talking about a super flat television. For everyday watching of news or series, this level is entirely sufficient, but during film screenings, we may clearly miss depth and space. On the plus side, it is worth noting that the television supports both Dolby Atmos and the increasingly rare DTS:X – which offers more options when connecting an external audio system. It is also worth mentioning that the A300 PRO model has been equipped with a dedicated, flat soundbar. And not just any soundbar – it performs better than most of the televisions we have tested.

Samsung S85D vs TCL A300W NXTVision

Advantages

Disadvantages

Our verdict

TV appearance

Where to buy

Contrast and black detail

HDR effect quality

Factory color reproduction

Color reproduction after calibration

Smoothness of tonal transitions

Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions

Blur and motion smoothness

Console compatibility and gaming features

Input lag

Compatibility with PC

Viewing angles

TV efficiency during daytime

Details about the matrix

TV features

Playing files from USB

Apps

Sound