Sony Bravia 7 (XR70) vs Samsung S85F (WOLED)

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.

For the majority of the time, let's say in 90% of film scenes, viewers will see virtually no difference between the versions of the S85F. When small, but very bright light points appear on the screen – a lantern in a dark alley, an explosion, the sun breaking through the clouds – this WOLED panel (similar to the smaller S85F) performs exceptionally well. Our measurements indicated a peak brightness of around 750 nits. We can state with full confidence: this is a great result that guarantees fantastic HDR effects. The problem arises in a very specific, uncomfortable situation for any OLED. We're talking about the moment when the entire screen must light up at full power brightly. Examples include a scene with a white background, a skiing scene, or our test sequences (5) from the film The Meg. And here, unfortunately, the results diverge significantly to the detriment of the variant with the WOLED panel. Our measurement equipment was able to register a maximum brightness of around 250 to 300 nits in such conditions. To be clear: the same model with a QD-OLED panel in the same test is nearly twice as bright. The second matter: colours. And here, we also have to be honest – QD-OLED has a structural advantage. Why? It's simple. QD-OLED generates colours from three components (red, green, and blue) and does not require an additional white subpixel. The WOLED panel we are testing here uses that white subpixel mainly to boost overall brightness. The effect is that QD-OLED is able to show a slightly wider colour palette and the colours are somewhat "purer". But to be clear: it's not that the colours on this WOLED panel are bad! On the contrary, they are really very good. The coverage of the DCI-P3 film palette at 97% and 71% for the broader BT.2020 palette is still high-end. We just need to honestly admit that this few percentage points of advantage in colour coverage lies with QD-OLED technology and may be noticeable in very specific moments.

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.

When it comes to factory colour reproduction, our test sample in SDR mode suffered from a slight deficit of red and yellow colours. This resulted in a faint yellowish tint visible in shades of white. However, this is not the biggest problem with the S85F. As with the variant with a QD-OLED panel, the main issue with this model is the way it presents HDR content. When we look at the EOTF curve chart, it is easy to see that the television has quite significant problems with strong image clipping. Such behaviour causes the final image in many scenes to become very unnatural.

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 conducting calibration in Filmmaker mode, we managed to eliminate most of the unwanted effects. In SDR content, the television performs excellently, with its colour reproduction errors not exceeding a value of 2, which is an outstanding result. HDR content looks slightly worse, though still very good. Although we were able to eliminate the significant unnaturalness of the image caused by the excessively high EOTF curve, the most discerning observers may notice that it is not perfectly aligned. It runs slightly below the reference curve, which would suggest that the S85F has minor difficulties in showcasing all the details in the image. We must emphasise here that it is very unlikely that the average viewer will notice any shortcomings in the image. The final effect after calibration is evaluated as exemplary.

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.

The processing of tonal transitions (gradients) in the S85F is at a high level. The television effectively handles posterisation (the "banding" effect of colours), even with heavily compressed content, e.g., from streaming services. However, using this feature requires a certain compromise. We noticed that the noise reduction algorithm is quite aggressive – even at the lowest setting, it can eliminate natural film grain, which for many viewers is part of the film's aesthetics. The "Standard" setting seems to be a happy medium, not causing a noticeable loss of important details, which is why we can recommend it. However, we advise against using the "High" level, which, in addition to noise, also removes desirable details such as texture or structure of objects on the screen.

The upscaling process of lower resolution content works very well in the S85F. The image is sharpened and clear. The only minor imperfection we managed to observe is occasional, subtle aliasing on the edges. The television still exhibits characteristics typical of this manufacturer, namely active "overscan" (slight image enlargement). It is worth keeping this in mind, especially when watching older content, as it may result in minimal clipping of the original frame.

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.

S85F is a model with impressive speed. The use of a 120 Hz OLED panel ensures that dynamic scenes, both in games and during sports broadcasts, meet expectations: smoothly, sharply, and without loss of clarity. A key role here is played by the instant response time of the pixels, which is a natural advantage of OLED technology. Frame transitions are instantaneous, and the image remains clear even during the fastest camera movements. Moving objects, such as a ball on the pitch or a car in a chase scene, are clear and devoid of the characteristic motion blur associated with LCD panels (the so-called "ghosting").

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.

The 85F has practically everything on board to become the dream screen for gaming. It features four full-fledged HDMI 2.1 ports with a bandwidth of 48 Gb/s, support for VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) and ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode). Additionally, there's a super-detailed Game Bar, which clearly shows all the key parameters. However, the real gem is the Game Motion Plus feature. This motion smoother dedicated to games makes the animation more visually pleasing, while only slightly increasing input lag. This is a rare and well-functioning combination for which Samsung deserves great applause.

Now comes the moment where we must do a bit of complaining. The lack of Dolby Vision in Samsung TVs has become standard, so there's no point in hoping (unless something changes in the future). Unfortunately, it is much harder to explain the disappearance of support for HGiG after one of the software updates. HGiG (HDR Gaming Interest Group) is a key mode that allows for accurate reproduction of brightness in HDR games, according to the creators' intent. Without it, HDR calibration on the console becomes less precise, which can lead to an image that is too dark in the shadows or overly washed out in bright areas. Perhaps Samsung will fix this in the next update – we have high hopes for that. Because if HGiG returns, the S85F will become an almost perfect television for gamers.