Sony Bravia 7 (XR70) vs IFFALCON U85X

Since we know that the television handles contrast well, let's check how it performs in terms of HDR effects. The luminance graph shows the very high capabilities of this model – 1500 nits is a truly impressive result. The HDR effects are particularly striking in scenes where most of the screen is covered in light, such as in scenes 1, 3, and 5 of the test. Minor shortcomings, typical of this technology, are still visible with very small light effects, as in the scene from the film "Sicario 2," where brightness drops to 500 nits. Although these are not stunning results, they can be considered decent. Additionally, it is worth praising the television for its high coverage of a wide colour gamut – DCI-P3 at 96%, which allows for vibrant, saturated colours.

iFFALCON U85 handles HDR in a rather twofold manner – on one hand, it can surprise with solid peak brightness of around 650 nits, which places it well above average in this price segment. This is especially evident in bright, full-screen scenes. Examples from films such as Life of Pi or the final test sequences from The Meg prove that the television can maintain the power and essence of HDR effect when the entire panel needs to "ignite," delivering truly satisfying experiences. However, problems arise in high-contrast scenes, where smaller, bright details appear on the screen; the dimming algorithms prioritize black depth to such an extent that they can stifle the brightness of small light points to just 100 nits, which drastically reduces image dynamics and deprives us of the true "bite" we expect from HDR standards. On a brighter note, however, the colours remain impressive, as the use of the PFS phosphor filter (marketed as QLED by the manufacturer) showcases them very well, achieving nearly 94% coverage of the DCI-P3 colour palette, allowing for a vibrant and rich image in most content.

The IMAX Enhanced mode on the Sony BRAVIA 7 television is undoubtedly the best mode available on this model, although it is not without its flaws, as its name might suggest. The biggest issue is the white balance – both in HD and 4K HDR content, there is a clear dominance of red, which causes the image to take on pink hues. This is particularly noticeable on the tested snow pattern, where the pinkish tint becomes very apparent. Errors in the Colour Checker test also confirm these deviations – although they are not catastrophic, there is a tendency to drift towards warmer colours. As for brightness performance, the gamma remains at a decent level with a slight peak but without major issues. However, the biggest challenge comes from 4K materials. It is clear that the EOTF curve is significantly above the reference graph, which causes the image to become overly brightened.

We tested the factory colours on the iFFALCON U85X model in 'Film' mode, which is definitely the most reliable among all available settings, although it is still far from perfect. The main issue that stands out in both SDR and HDR content is the incorrect white balance – an excess of blue and red components gives the image a slight purple tint, which disrupts the naturalness of the film scenes. An even greater challenge is the way the television manages its brightness. Analyzing the gamma chart for the SDR signal, we noticed significant instability: instead of adhering to the standard value of 2.4, the device oscillates around 2.2, only to suddenly make an unnatural jump towards 3.0. In practice, this leads to confusing effects – large, bright areas on the screen appear too dark, while smaller elements are unnecessarily brightened. A similar characteristic can be found in the EOTF curve, which makes the image unpredictable and loses its cinematic authenticity.

Sony BRAVIA XR70 offers a wide range of tools that allow for adjusting the picture to individual preferences, enabling us to make significant adjustments to the settings. The white balance has been free from the problem of red colour dominance – snow no longer takes on pink shades, which was previously noticeable. Although one can detect slight deviations in the final part of the white balance graph, concerning a drop in blue colour, they are acceptable and difficult to notice in everyday use. The Colour Checker test confirms that errors in colour reproduction are no longer as pronounced and rarely exceed a value of 2, which is a very good result. As for brightness, gamma, while not requiring much improvement, was slightly adjusted. The most significant change was noted in the EOTF curve – the television no longer has issues with excessively brightening the entire image in 4K material. However, upon closer analysis and the inclusion of EOTF characteristics in film material, some limitations of the television become apparent due to the previously discussed dimming algorithm. Some small elements may be slightly more brightened, but these errors are so minor that most users will not notice them. Overall, the calibration results are very, very positive.

After professional calibration of the movie mode, we must admit that the result is more than satisfactory – the iFFALCON U85X undergoes a true transformation. Colour errors in SDR content have dropped to a level below 2, which makes them virtually imperceptible to the human eye. We have managed to set the white balance almost perfectly, and brightness management (gamma) has become nearly exemplary. As a result, with standard quality materials, the television simply looks perfect and it is difficult to fault it.

In the case of HDR signal, the situation has also significantly improved, although here the nature of the device becomes a bit more evident. Colour errors have been reduced to around 3, which is an outstanding result in this price range. However, it is worth taking a look at the EOTF graph (available on the right side of the screen in the filters: 4K HDR, gamma / EOTF) to notice what is not immediately visible regarding the brightness management by the U85. Although the reference line looks decent, in real film scenes, the television still interprets the signal “in its own way” due to very aggressive local dimming algorithms. Does this disqualify this model for watching HDR content? Absolutely not. It's simply a typical affliction of almost every Mini-LED, which must reconcile high brightness with the attempt to maintain deep blacks. One simply needs to be aware of these technical limitations, which are unavoidable in this segment.

Since we know that the television performs very well with high-quality materials, it is worth checking how it fares with lower-quality content. Here, the television shows its potential, and the applied graphics processor works really brilliantly. On the test screen with the light bulb, there are no issues with colour transitions, and the smooth gradation feature works very well – we recommend setting it to "Medium".

As for digital processing, or so-called upscaling, the television sharpens the image quite noticeably, which leads to slight aliasing, for example, on the branches in the background, but it does not remove desirable details. Nevertheless, the overall appearance is really appealing and may be to the taste of most users. However, if we prefer a softer, more plastic image, this effect can be reduced in the settings by adjusting the sharpening level according to personal preferences.

When it comes to upscaling the image to 4K resolution, the iFFALCON U85X performs well. The device efficiently enhances low-quality signals, making even older materials look clean and clear on the 4K panel. At extremely low resolutions, such as 480p, one can notice slightly jagged edges (especially on fine lines), but let's be honest – this is a scenario that you will encounter only when watching very old recordings, so in everyday use, it is not a real problem.

Much worse is the digital processing aimed at smoothing tonal transitions. Although in the menu we find the “Gradual Smoothing” function, its effectiveness is at least questionable. In practice, it does not effectively eliminate banding (colour banding), and worse, it can cause more harm than good. This filter can be too aggressive in areas where it shouldn’t, artificially smoothing details that should not be altered, such as the natural texture of the face or fine details of skin texture. Instead of improving quality, this function can give the image an unnatural, “plastic” appearance, so it is best to use it with great caution or, preferably, leave it switched off.

The Sony BRAVIA 7 television with a 120 Hz display will satisfy most users in terms of motion smoothness. Additionally, Sony offers the Motion Flow feature, which allows for the selection of three different picture settings, tailoring them to individual preferences: Smoothness – Film: This setting enhances motion smoothness, giving the image a more cinematic or theatrical quality. Smoothness – Camera: This setting provides even greater smoothness, useful when watching dynamic scenes such as sports broadcasts. Clarity: This setting focuses on minimising noise and motion artifacts, resulting in a more stable and clear image.

In contrast to budget constructions, which in dynamic sports scenes can resemble a slideshow, the iFFALCON U85X is a heavyweight contender equipped with a panel that has a native refresh rate of 144Hz. However, it is worth noting that in the world of films, series, or sports, we will primarily operate at 120Hz due to the specifics of how image enhancement systems function. Such a fast panel is excellent news for gamers and sports fans as it opens the door to advanced motion settings that simply do not exist in cheaper 60Hz models.

We manage everything from the menu “Motion Clarity”, where instead of using pre-set, often overly aggressive modes, we definitely recommend our own configuration based on two sliders. The most important of these, motion blur reduction, is responsible for fluidity in films – here, it’s best to aim for a value of around 4, which will maintain a natural, cinematic character of motion without falling into the artificial “soap opera effect.” Meanwhile, the first slider, motion blur reduction, is the key to success in sports broadcasts. In this case, it’s worth going all out and setting it to maximum, ensuring that the image during fast actions on the field remains sharp, while troublesome trailing is eliminated.

Sony Bravia 7 has significantly improved its capabilities for working with consoles compared to earlier models. The television supports variable refresh rate (VRR), which eliminates the tearing effect, and is compatible with graphics cards, ensuring smooth display. The auto low latency mode (ALLM) effectively reduces input lag, which is crucial in dynamic games. Dolby Vision with low latency additionally provides impressive HDR effects that look great during gameplay.

Sony Bravia 7 also offers a Game Bar feature, which allows quick access to settings and monitoring parameters while gaming. An interesting option is the ability to enable a virtual on-screen crosshair, which can provide a slight advantage in shooter games. Nevertheless, compared to the Bravia 9 model, the HGIG feature in the Bravia 7 does not perform as well, which may be noticeable for more demanding gamers – especially as the HGIG mode is becoming increasingly popular among players as the preferred method for reproducing HDR effects.

A drawback is the lack of support for 1440p@120 Hz resolution, which could make gaming easier for users with less powerful graphics cards. Furthermore, the Sony Bravia 7 is equipped with two HDMI 2.1 ports, one of which is often used to connect an audio system via eARC, limiting the available connections for new generation consoles.

iFFALCON U85X is an outstanding piece of equipment for gamers that has just about everything one can expect from a modern screen for consoles or PCs. We find here two full-fledged HDMI 2.1 ports with full bandwidth of 48 Gbps, which opens the door to key technologies such as VRR and ALLM, ensuring smooth gameplay without tearing the image and with minimal latency. The television handles high refresh rates in various resolutions without any problems, and a real curiosity is the mode that allows for achieving up to 240Hz when dropping down to Full HD quality. The whole thing is managed by the Game Bar (which is a faithful copy from TCL), allowing for instant switching of picture modes, customising the interface appearance, or even adding a virtual crosshair in the middle of the screen.