Sony X75WL vs Panasonic Z95A

The luminosity chart for the X75WL Sony television showed a maximum value of 350 nits, which is unfortunately not an impressive result. The television does not surprise with its brightness, and all the HDR scenes we tested lacked depth and the appropriate light effect that should accompany HDR content. Additionally, the poor coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut makes it difficult for the television to reproduce rich colours, which significantly affects the overall viewing experience of HDR content. The lack of adequate brightness and weak colour coverage mean that HDR effects are very limited in this model.

Panasonic Z95A showcases class when it comes to HDR performance. In luminance tests, it achieves a level of 1800 nits, which has a real impact on movie watching. Scenes from Life of Pi or Gemini Man look fantastic – the television effortlessly renders details and intensity of bright spots, impressing with its power. In more demanding moments, like the final scene from The Meg, one can see how bright light floods the screen. In such moments, brightness drops, which is typical for organic matrices. Nevertheless, a result around 1000 nits can still be considered excellent, still providing very good image quality. Additionally, the television offers excellent coverage of wide colour palettes – as much as 98.6% for DCI-P3 and 74.5% for BT.2020. Thanks to this, colours are not only vivid but also deeply saturated, allowing for a full appreciation of the richness of details, especially in HDR scenes. Such coverage makes the hues look more realistic, and the HDR effect gains in intensity and accuracy. All this impressive HDR effect is thanks to MLA technology, which enables achieving such high luminance and excellent image detail. Because of this, the Panasonic Z95A offers HDR at a level that truly makes a difference.

Colour reproduction tests for the model Sony X75WL are carried out in movie mode, which offers the best image settings, but it also has its flaws. The biggest problem with the X75WL Sony is the white balance – for both HD and 4K HDR content – which is characterised by a dominance of blue. As a result, the entire image feels too cold. The colour checker confirms these errors, showing that the colours lean towards cooler tones. In terms of brightness characteristics, the contrast gamma is at a fairly decent level, however, the same cannot be said for the EOTF curve. There are significant issues with maintaining appropriate brightness – the image is either overly bright or too dim, which impacts the visual perception of content.

The best picture mode on the Panasonic Z95A is undoubtedly the Filmmaker mode. It offers quite a good image reproduction, but it is not free from certain issues that require improvement. Firstly, the white balance, for both 4K and HD content, tends to have a dominance of red and blue hues. This causes a slight pinkish tint to the image, particularly noticeable in bright, white scenes. Such deviations can be seen in the comparative photo below, which illustrates this issue well. The Colour Checker test also confirms these discrepancies, showing slight shifts in the dots towards the mentioned shades.

In terms of gamma brightness characteristics, it performs very well, with only minor problems when brightening small details. A greater challenge is posed by the EOTF curve, which is responsible for controlling brightness in 4K HDR content. Here, there is a slight boost in brightness above the reference value, which sometimes makes the image too bright, especially in more demanding scenes. Although the Filmmaker mode is definitely the best choice on the Z95A, these aspects require refinement to fully utilise the television's potential.

X75WL Sony is one of those cases where image calibration may not be highly spectacular, but it offers a very good improvement in the perception of colours. The white balance, for both HD and 4K materials, has been significantly improved – there is no longer a strong dominance of cooler shades. The gamma curve also appears more stable, which translates into better image quality. However, the biggest issue remains the EOTF curve, which is responsible for brightness in 4K materials. Due to the technological limitations of the television (IPS panel and lack of local dimming technology), it is hard to speak of a significant improvement, as we cannot extract more from this model. Despite these limitations, the tonal quality of the image has been significantly enhanced.

After calibration, Panasonic Z95A shows its full potential, offering an almost perfect picture. The television provides immense adjustment capabilities, which we have fully utilised. The white balance after calibration is positively perfect, and errors in SDR content at the level of 0.5 place it in an absolutely reference standard. The same is true for 4K HDR content – the screen tint has been completely eliminated, and the white balance is now exemplary.

The colour palette and Colour Checker test confirm the excellence of the calibration. Errors below 2 are a result that will satisfy both professional calibrators and enthusiasts of cinematic picture quality. Significant changes have also occurred in the brightness characteristic – the EOTF curve has been flattened, eliminating previous issues with excessive brightness. And a small gamma error has been reduced.

Before calibration, the picture was decent, but now it's an entirely different league. It's a real feast for the eyes, the quality of which is hard to compare to anything else. Panasonic Z95A, after fine-tuning the settings, becomes a true master of colour reproduction.

In the case of low-quality tonal transitions, the television Sony X75WL performs poorly. The lack of any feature to improve tonal transitions results in noticeable imperfections in colour gradation. However, one can credit the quite good digital processing – the image is displayed without overscan, and overall it looks relatively good thanks to the added slight sharpness, which some users may appreciate.

In the case of lower quality materials, the function "Gradation Smoothing" is responsible for smoothing tonal transitions. The best results are achieved with an intermediate setting – although they are not spectacular, the function works correctly and does not introduce unwanted effects into the image. It can be rated as average, but sufficient to improve the quality of tonal transitions.

As for digital processing, or upscaling, the image looks surprisingly good. It is vivid and pleasant to the eye, which makes lower quality content, such as standard television or YouTube, look quite decent. However, minor issues can be noted, such as "jagged" edges, for example, branches in the background. Nevertheless, this does not significantly affect the overall viewing experience, and the television handles these materials in an acceptable manner.

The X75WL Sony television is equipped with a 60 Hz panel, making it more suitable for watching films than for dynamic gaming. This model features a motion smoothing function called Motionflow, which allows the user to adjust the picture on a 10-point scale. Smoothness is responsible for adding intermediate frames, thereby increasing the fluidity of motion, while the image becomes more theatrical, minimising the cutting effect. Clarity reduces motion blur, which is particularly useful in fast scenes such as sports or dynamic actions in films. With this feature, users can adjust the fluidity and sharpness of motion to their own preferences.

Panasonic Z95A, thanks to its 144 Hz panel, offers excellent image fluidity. For films, there is an "Intelligent Frame Creation" feature that enhances fluidity and reduces motion blur. The user has two sliders at their disposal: "Motion Blur Reduction" – responsible for clearer and sharper details in rapidly moving scenes. "Film Smoothness" – adds fluidity by creating additional frames between the originals, making motion appear smoother and more natural with a "soap opera" effect.

Thanks to this, viewers can adjust the settings to their own preferences. Films and less dynamic material look smooth and natural, which should satisfy most users.

X75WL is not the best television for gamers. It only has the ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) feature and a basic Game Bar, which are not enough to satisfy more demanding users. In this price range, one could expect support for features like VRR or 120 Hz refresh rates - although in FULLHD, which are already standard - unfortunately, they are lacking here. This is a major downside for Sony, as the competition offers much more for gamers in a similar budget.

Panasonic Z95A this year shows that the manufacturer has made a huge leap forward in terms of support for gamers. The television offers virtually everything one could expect from a device in this bracket. Support for ALLM (automatic low latency mode) and VRR (variable refresh rate) ensures smoothness and eliminates tearing in dynamic games. The 144 Hz panel allows for incredible fluidity, and additional support for resolutions other than 4K provides greater flexibility, which is a significant advantage for gamers using various configurations.

A unique and quite specific feature is the "Game Bar." Its ball-shaped interface stands out from the competition and allows for quick adjustments of key settings such as VRR, brightness level, or picture mode, without having to interrupt gameplay.

However, in this class of device, there is a minor disappointment – the Panasonic Z95A offers only two HDMI 2.1 ports, instead of four. This is definitely too few for a premium television, especially at a time when many people own more than one device requiring full HDMI 2.1 support, such as a next-gen console or an advanced computer. In this category, it's hard to accept this limitation, especially given the high aspirations of this model. Nevertheless, the television is an excellent choice for gamers, offering versatility and functionality at the highest level.