XIAOMI A PRO 2025 vs SAMSUNG S90F (WOLED)

In the HDR category, the television Xiaomi A Pro is, to put it plainly, lacking. Under ideal conditions, it offers brightness at around 250 nits. This is a poor result; however, in this price range, many competing models offer similar or lower values. Such brightness is too low to fully realise the potential of HDR content. In practice, this means that the image does not gain the appropriate depth and intensity expected from high-quality HDR. These values are more characteristic of standard dynamic range (SDR), which means that the true HDR effect remains beyond the reach of this model, and scenes that should stand out with spectacular brightness and contrast seem flat and lacklustre. However, for its price, the television offers good coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut at 92%, thanks to the use of quantum dot technology (specifically PFS LED). This results in vibrant and saturated colours, which will appeal particularly to gamers and film enthusiasts who appreciate richer shades and better colour reproduction compared to traditional televisions without this technology.

Does the S90F handle not only black, but also bright parts of the image? Definitely yes. Tales of OLEDs as “dark screens” can slowly be regarded as a myth. The Samsung S90F, like the LG C5 based on a very similar panel, achieves brightness exceeding 1000 nits. This is a value entirely sufficient to enjoy impressive and dynamic HDR imagery – both in films and series. Most of the scenes we tested look superb, with well-defined highlights and high contrast. Of course, OLED technology still has its limitations – in very bright, full-screen sequences, such as the test pattern from the film The Meg (picture 5), the television may noticeably dim the image. However, it should be emphasized that such scenes are rare. It can be considered that the HDR effect is good enough that even mid-range OLED models like the S90F can provide a cinematic experience in the home living room.

The Xiaomi A Pro 2025 television has been tested in movie mode, which offers the best colour reproduction straight out of the box. However, it is worth noting that it is not free from flaws. Analysing the white balance, it can be observed that the values for green are in the negative. This phenomenon leads to some distortions in the shades of white, and with pure white, the graph shows clear deviations. The over-contrasted image results in inappropriate tonal transitions in red, negatively affecting the quality of colour display. Generally, in the image below, it can be seen that the overall scenery before calibration acquires pink hues. Additionally, when analysing gamma contrast, the graph is significantly below the 2.4 value, suggesting that the television overly emphasises dark tones, and the brighter areas of the image may be less vivid. Furthermore, the EOTF curve shows a strong peak at the beginning, which can lead to a loss of detail in bright scenes and an unpleasant feeling of over-drawing. These aspects indicate a need for further calibration to achieve a more balanced colour reproduction and improve the overall image quality. Users who expect precise colour reproduction may be forced to take measures to adjust the television settings to achieve more realistic and natural visual results. In the xiaomi tv a pro 2025, the factory colour settings in Xiaomi are average and may require calibration. After proper colour adjustment, the image gains a natural and vibrant colour palette, much closer to cinematic standards. It is worth adding that the issue of inaccurate colour reproduction is typical for many televisions in this class, meaning it is not a flaw unique to the Xiaomi A Pro 2025 TV. For those who value perfect colour reproduction, professional calibration will prove to be a key element that enhances the overall image quality.

The Samsung S90F, like most modern televisions, offers many picture modes, but – in line with our testing tradition – we assessed it in the best one, which is the Filmmaker mode. This way, the image looks significantly more natural than in the default, often oversaturated settings. It was neither overly saturated nor artificially muted – just closer to what should be seen. Of course, "more correct" does not mean "ideal". Unfortunately, our S90F unit had considerable issues with white balance, especially in the blue range, resulting in a slightly yellowish filter being applied to most scenes. Someone might say it looks more "cinematic" – because it is warmer – but let's not kid ourselves, George Lucas did not film Star Wars in sepia 😉 (you will find the comparison with the scene as always below).

Additionally, in HDR materials, there was a noticeable issue with brightness management. The EOTF curve showed a clear "spike" in brightness – the television brightened the image more than it should have, which made some effects look overly intense and diverged from the reference. Fortunately, some of these problems can be eliminated through professional calibration – you will read about its effects later in the review.

Now it's time to check how the Xiaomi A Pro 2025 television has performed after calibration. The biggest beneficiary of this process is the white balance. After the calibration was conducted, all previous errors were corrected in both HD and 4K content, and most errors no longer fall significantly outside the value of "2". This means a much more balanced and natural colour representation, which certainly affects the viewing comfort. In terms of gamma, the drop was significantly reduced, resulting in a more consistent tonal representation across various scenes. Nevertheless, the EOTF curve has not been significantly improved due to a lack of effective control over dynamic tone mapping. This limitation means that there are still some issues with detail reproduction in bright scenes, which may affect the perception of certain materials. However, despite these minor shortcomings, the overall shape of the image is definitely better after calibration. The television has gained in quality, and the improved white balance along with reduced gamma issues allows users to enjoy a more realistic and pleasant visual experience. Further adjustment of settings may enhance image quality even more, but even now the television demonstrates its capabilities, meeting the expectations of many users.

After calibration, we managed to eliminate practically all the previously mentioned errors. Older films in SDR quality finally look as they should – without the sepia effect or artificial aging of the image. The atmosphere of the classics returns to its rightful place (you’re welcome, Star Wars fans), and the colours no longer resemble an Instagram filter.

One of the key changes was also the improvement of brightness characteristics in HDR content. We managed to control the EOTF curve in almost a reference manner. Yes, the most demanding users may spot minimal deviations in brightness, but honestly – most viewers won’t even notice that. And it's no wonder, because the vast majority of errors are below a ΔE value of 3, which is below the threshold of visibility. After calibration, the S90F (WOLED) truly becomes an excellent display – one that provides nearly perfect picture quality.

How does the Xiaomi A Pro 2025 television cope with tonal transitions, especially with lower-quality materials? Thanks to advanced digital processing, the colour contour removal function works surprisingly well. We recommend setting this option to "Medium" – the television significantly improves the fluidity of tonal transitions while avoiding excessive smoothing of other image elements, such as film grain.

In the case of the tested image featuring a model and numerous branches in the background, the Xiaomi A Pro 2025 showcased its capabilities in terms of digital processing. Adding artificial sharpness to this scene made the details of the model more pronounced, and her hair appeared more detailed. However, delicate contours appeared around the branches in the background, which were a result of digital interference. Although this enhances the overall impression of detail, excessive sharpness can make some elements of the image seem unnaturally emphasised.

Digital Image Processing in the S90F:

Fortunately, Samsung, as in most of its models, effectively manages the unwanted posterisation effect in the S90F. The feature responsible for this aspect is noise reduction, which does a decent job of smoothing tonal transitions and eliminating unnatural colour connections – of course, within its limitations. Unfortunately, it operates rather aggressively, so using it comes with compromises. In addition to improving gradation, it can also remove film grain or gently soften facial features. In this case, the choice is yours – do you prefer a more "clean" image, or do you want to preserve the original texture of the material?

Image Scaling in the S90F:

In this year's model, Samsung implemented its own AI processor – NQ4 Gen3, which does quite well with upscaling. In our test scenes, the television effectively "pulled up" lower quality towards artificial 4K – the image was more pleasant to view, and the differences in sharpness between native and scaled content were minimal. Unfortunately, behind all this AI marketing facade lies a certain shortcoming. The S90F struggles with overscan. If you reach for truly archival materials – e.g. a VHS tape of your parents' wedding – you must expect that the lower part of the image may be cut off. The image adaptation function to resolution simply does not work here as it should.

Xiaomi A Pro 2025 offers a motion smoothing feature called "Motion Smoothing," which primarily works in films. It can be adjusted to prefer either a more cinematic, film-like effect with visible frames, or a smoother, theatre-like image. This function should satisfy those who intend to watch mainly films on it. However, gamers and sports fans may feel disappointed. The 60 Hz refresh rate panel, typical in this price range, does not impress. Our "Ufo" test revealed some motion blur. Those expecting better sharpness of moving objects may be slightly let down.

The S90F really handles motion excellently – after all, it’s an OLED with a 144 Hz panel, so sports and games look absolutely stunning on it. The image is fluid, clear, and there’s no room for any ghosting or blurring that sometimes plagues cheaper LCDs.

The television is also equipped with motion smoothness settings, allowing you to customise everything to your preference. We have motion blur reduction and judder reduction – you can set it so that the image is super smooth (even to that soap opera effect), or more cinematic, with the classic 24-frame 'choppiness'. The choice is yours; Samsung doesn’t impose anything.

Xiaomi A Pro 2025 offers several features useful for gamers, including Game Bar, which is different from the typical "dashboards" with interfaces found in other manufacturers' products. Thanks to this, users can quickly access game-related settings, which is convenient during intense sessions. The TV also supports Automatic Low Latency Mode (ALLM), meaning it automatically switches to a mode optimised for gaming, reducing signal latency. Unfortunately, it lacks support for HDMI 2.1, limiting its capabilities for connecting the latest gaming consoles that may require higher bandwidth. Additionally, the TV does not support features such as VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) or G-Sync, which are increasingly desired by gamers, as they allow for smoother visuals and eliminate tearing. For these reasons, although Xiaomi A Pro 2025 has some features for gamers, in this price range, better options can be found that offer more advanced solutions dedicated to gamers.

When it comes to gaming features – the S90F has absolutely nothing to fault. Aside from the lack of Dolby Vision, which is already the norm for Samsung. The television operates at 144 Hz, has four HDMI 2.1 ports, so you can easily connect more than one console or PC. Onboard, we also find the Game Bar – a practical tool that allows you to quickly glance at picture settings, VRR status, ALLM mode, and other useful options. Game Motion Plus also deserves a mention – Samsung's proprietary motion enhancer that is the only one truly functioning sensibly in games. The image appears smoother, but without any artificial effects or slowdowns.

It is also worth mentioning the HGiG feature, which – much to our slight surprise – works correctly. We're mentioning this because Samsung clearly broke something in one of the last updates, and in some models, the option responsible for HGiG simply... disappears from the menu. Setting it up becomes practically impossible. Fortunately, our S90F unit did not have this issue, but the situation is dynamic, so it's worth keeping this in mind and regularly checking for updates and information from the manufacturer.