Sony Bravia 3 50' (VA) vs Samsung S90H (WOLED)

Interestingly, the 50-inch version of the Bravia 3 performs slightly better in terms of brightness than its larger variants. In measurements, it achieved around 370 nits, which still does not compete with top-tier televisions, but is sufficient to suggest a semblance of HDR effect. For some users, this level will be acceptable, while others will view it as typical for SDR content, where striking highlights or strong contrasts are not expected. It must be clearly stated that the Bravia 3 is not a television for those looking to extract the maximum quality from the most challenging film materials.

This does not mean, however, that everything performs averagely. Sony has equipped this model with an additional PFS filter, which works similarly to solutions used in QLED televisions. As a result, the coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut has increased to over 91 percent. In everyday use, this means more vivid, saturated colours and also a more pleasing image texture. Even though it lacks strong lighting effects, films and series can look significantly more appealing than with its predecessor, the X75WL.

Samsung S90H in the WOLED variant is still an exceptionally bright TV for its price bracket, although compared with the QD-OLED version it is slightly dimmer. The difference is not as significant as in last year’s F series, where the gap could reach as much as 500 nits. Here the parameters of both panels are very similar, and differences in peak brightness are only in the order of 100–150 nits. In small-area measurements the S90H on the WOLED panel easily reaches levels close to 1500 nits. Such a reserve of power allows HDR dynamics to be reproduced phenomenally; all highlights, light reflections and explosions have the necessary punch, exactly as the creators intended in the editing studio. As with most OLED displays, when a very bright scene fills the whole screen protection systems activate and brightness naturally falls to around 700 nits. It is worth emphasising that this is still an excellent result on the market. Often noticeably better than many Mini LED screens in the same segment.

Colour gamut coverage

The biggest difference between the two S90H variants lies in colour reproduction and saturation. This results directly from the different construction of the WOLED panel, which uses an additional white subpixel. As a consequence, colours at very high brightness do not reach the same intense saturation, and the volume of the wide gamut is somewhat more limited than in QD-OLED. That does not change the fact that in everyday use these differences will be hard for most viewers to spot. The DCI-P3 space we measured reaches nearly 99% on the WOLED panel, which means that in the vast majority of real film scenes both variants will present an almost identical picture. The true distance only reveals itself in rarer, exceptionally demanding productions that use the ultra-wide BT.2020 gamut. Due to the specifics of the WOLED panel’s construction, coverage of that standard is about 15% lower compared with the S90HAT with a QD-OLED panel, so the brightest, heavily lit colours in HDR may appear slightly less vivid.

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

In Filmmaker mode, which we strongly recommend switching on straight out of the box, the S90H offers very good factory colour tuning. Colours are natural and faithful to the creators' intent, without the irritating oversaturation found in more aggressive presets. However, as is often the case without full calibration, no two units are identical. In our test the white balance was slightly lacking in blue, causing the image to lean a little towards warmer, yellowish tones. This was most noticeable in bright scenes, such as the snowy sequences from Star Wars. Additionally, the gamma curve was slightly low at 2.2, which produced a minor lift in shadow detail. In HDR mode the tuning was somewhat better, showing only a slight undersaturation in the red region.

Calibration allowed us to extract significantly more from the ChooseTV 3 than we could have expected at first. Firstly, it was possible to address the lack 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 practically disappeared. The shades of white became more natural, and the brightness management in gamma stabilised to a nearly perfect level, not exceeding the threshold of human eye perception. Therefore, it can confidently be said that in SDR content, after a few adjustments in settings, the ChooseTV 3 performs really brilliantly. Much worse, although still definitely better than before calibration, are the HDR contents. The white balance was brought into order, but the limitations of the IPS panel are insurmountable. The lack of local dimming means that even the smallest elements can be overexposed, which is immediately noticeable. Colour-wise, the effect is also improved, although far from ideal – 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 ChooseTV 3 is not a television designed to impress with HDR quality. Nonetheless, it is pleasing to note that in SDR content, after calibration, the image can look truly excellent, and in this category, the television positively surprised us.

After a full calibration it’s fair to say the S90H in WOLED guise looks almost perfect. In SDR mode colour inaccuracies drop to ultra-low levels and Delta E values very rarely exceed 2. That’s a phenomenal result, so if you care about perfectly faithful colour reproduction it’s definitely worth considering calibration. The calibrated HDR mode also performs very well, with the white balance stabilised and earlier deviations eliminated. After professional fine-tuning it’s really hard to find anything to criticise, because the TV delivers an image with almost reference-level naturalness and three-dimensionality. The slightly lower score in this category compared with the QD-OLED variant is solely due to the aforementioned limitation in saturation in extremely bright scenes; the tuning options and colour fidelity themselves are at the highest level.

Bravia 3 brings something more than just a shared name to the Sony television family. It stands out primarily for its ability to enhance the quality of inferior materials thanks to the processor used. Of course, we won't find the advanced XR chip known from more expensive models here, but nevertheless, it's worth noting that the image at lower resolutions looked surprisingly good. The upscaling worked effectively, and most parts of the screen were free from the typical excessive edge tearing characteristic of budget constructions. The feature enhancing the smoothness of tonal transitions is also noteworthy. In the high setting, it performs really well, effectively masking gradation imperfections without significant loss of detail. 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.

In terms of posterisation reduction itself, Samsung has kept the solutions known from last year’s models. The dedicated gradient-smoothing function performs quite well and can effectively mask unwanted tonal banding, which is useful on a WOLED panel that is slightly more prone to banding. However, you should be aware of its aggressive behaviour. This mechanism, alongside the artefacts themselves, can clean up fine film grain and gently soften detail. Ultimately it is a matter of compromise, but if you want an absolutely faithful reproduction, it is safer to leave this option off.

Similarly, in the area of scaling it is difficult to call this a breakthrough. The S90H uses the same NQ4 Gen3 processor as its predecessor, so the upscaling quality was almost identical. The chip sharpens lower-resolution material very well, extracting a satisfying level of detail. Samsung still has not dealt with the longstanding overscan issue, though. With some older recordings or archive footage the edges of the image can be slightly cropped. It’s a minor flaw, but it’s a pity the manufacturer still hasn’t eliminated it.

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. This refers to the proprietary motion smoother, Motion Flow, which offers users a considerable amount of adjustment options. With it, one can make the image smoother, even theatrical, or stick to a more cinematic style with the characteristic judder that many associate with a filmic atmosphere. These functions work with content shot at lower frame rates, such as films and series recorded at 24 or 30 frames per second, which is the kind of material we encounter daily. It is precisely at this point that the motion smoother turns out to be one of the most important features in everyday use of the television, and here the Bravia 3 performs quite well.

In terms of motion handling, the S90H is simply excellent. This year's panel offers a boosted refresh rate of up to 165 Hz, though in practice the benefit will mainly be for gamers connecting a high-end PC. For films, series or sports broadcasts such a high refresh rate makes no difference and the picture looks exactly the same as at the standard 120 Hz. Regardless of the source, however, the OLED panel's lightning-fast response time does its job, so motion is clean and the ghosting or smearing familiar from LCD screens simply does not occur here.

Bravia 3 is not a device for e-sports enthusiasts or fans of late-night marathons with a controller in hand. The lack of 120 Hz refresh rate and HDMI 2.1 ports puts an end to that discussion before it can even begin. This is a television for casual gamers who, after work, will fire up FIFA or racing games, not for someone who measures every frame in a spreadsheet. Nevertheless, Sony has included a few nice extras so that it isn't all so bare. ALLM works as it should, automatically switching the television to game mode (low latency). There's even a simple Game Bar, which is clear and straightforward. However, the biggest curiosity here is the PlayStation Portal app. Thanks to it, you can launch games from the PS5 wirelessly and see them immediately on the television screen. It sounds great, but it only takes a few minutes to feel significant delays. In our opinion, it is more of a showcase of capabilities than something you can use on a daily basis. If someone really wants to play, it is better to connect the console with an HDMI cable and forget about wireless issues.

Players should feel at home with the S90H, because Samsung has left few reasons to complain in that respect. The TV has four HDMI 2.1 ports, each of which supports VRR, ALLM and high refresh rates. There’s also the Game Bar, a handy menu that lets you quickly check key parameters and change settings without leaving the game. Importantly, Samsung has also improved HGiG mode. In last year’s models it could cause problems when used with a console, but on the S90H it now works as it should. What really stands out against the competition is the Game Motion Plus feature. It’s a special motion smoothing mode for games that works best with titles running at 30 or 60 fps. Motion becomes noticeably smoother, while latency remains at a reasonable level. In our measurements it was under 50 ms, so gaming is still comfortable. That’s important, because on many TVs enabling a similar smoothing feature causes such a large increase in input lag that controls become noticeably sluggish. Samsung has managed to find a good compromise here. There’s still no Dolby Vision Gaming, but in practice Game Motion Plus may prove to be a much more useful feature.