XIAOMI A PRO 2026 vs Panasonic Z95B

If you are hoping for a cinema-grade HDR effect in the new Xiaomi A Pro 2026, you better cool your expectations quickly. This television is simply too dim to fully showcase the capabilities of contemporary films or series designed for the highest image quality. Our measurements showed brightness in the range of 200–300 nits, which is more akin to SDR content than ambitious HDR productions. In practice, this means that while most films may look fine, they certainly won't evoke that "wow" effect that other televisions are known for. Fortunately, not everything is lost – we must credit the PFS LED filter used here, which is a solution similar to the quantum dot technology found in QLEDs. Thanks to this, the coverage of the DCI-P3 colour palette reaches about 94%, resulting in vibrant, saturated colours in the vast majority of materials.

The quality of HDR on the Panasonic Z95B is among the absolute best. Thanks to the latest generation panel, referred to by the manufacturer as Primary RGB Tandem OLED, the television can achieve over 2000 nits of brightness in cinematic scenes. The effect is impressive and can amaze with the intensity of the light, providing a sense of connection with the screen that goes beyond previous experiences. Similar feelings accompanied us only during tests of the LG G5, Samsung S95F, or Philips OLED910. Of course, there are moments when the device's algorithms decide to limit luminance – this especially concerns full-screen bright sequences, such as the closing credits in the film The Meg. Even then, the Z95B maintains a level of around 1500 nits, which is still an incredibly impressive result. One can thus say that HDR in this model has reached masterful form. A significant step forward is also evident in colour reproduction. The new tandem OLED panel does not yet match the best QD-OLED screens in terms of full gamut coverage, but the gap between these solutions has significantly decreased. When watching films, the differences are subtle enough that under normal conditions they are hard to notice, and the colours remain vivid and saturated.

What we saw in Filmmaker mode took us by surprise – and unfortunately not in a good way. The mode advertised as Hollywood standard resembled more of a shop window display. The white balance was shifted towards blue, leading to significant colour mistakes and burnt-out scenes in SDR content. It was slightly better, though still not perfect, in HDR materials. There were also issues there – the colour saturation and the entire palette consistently drifted towards cooler tones, resulting in an image that had more of an artificial, cold tint instead of a cinematic character. In other words: even in Filmmaker mode, which should showcase this television, we got an effect far from expectations.

The factory colour reproduction of the Filmmaker mode, my dear friends, is truly remarkable in the case of the Panasonic Z95B. I'm referring to our test sample, but the result was so good that it’s hard to believe. The only detail one might nitpick about is a slight lack of blue in the white balance, but apart from that, the television straight out of the box presented an image unlike anything we have ever seen in factory mode. Tests of the colour palette, Color Checker – everything indicated values below Delta 2. That’s a much lower result than the threshold of human eye perception, which means, quite simply, that the viewer has no chance of noticing any serious deviations. It looks as though Panasonic has actually calibrated this model at the factory stage. Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility that we received an exceptionally well-set sample, but the result is still impressive. We are very strict when it comes to evaluating factory calibration, and here our jaws simply dropped.

Although Xiaomi is not a brand associated with top-tier televisions, it must be acknowledged that even in a budget model like the A Pro 2026, the manufacturer left plenty of calibration settings. After a few adjustments, the SDR image gained a completely new look. Colours stopped drifting towards blue tones, whites took on a more natural quality, and most errors dropped to a practically invisible level. As a result, SDR content looked very good, surprisingly so for this price range.

It was somewhat different with HDR materials. Here, it was immediately evident what we had already mentioned – clipping in bright scenes and issues with balance control. Calibration helped only partly, as the limitations of the panel itself played a role. However, it must be emphasized that for SDR, the television had transformed beyond recognition and in a decidedly positive direction.

The colour representation after calibration in the Z95B is a topic that is difficult to elaborate on, as there was simply not much to be done here. A slight adjustment of the white balance was sufficient to eliminate the lack of blue, and at this point, the picture reached an almost reference level. It must be admitted that we haven't had such a small range of work in a while. If any of you are particularly observant, you may notice minimal deviations in the EOTF curve, but this is rather related to the operation of the dynamic tone mapping function we mentioned earlier. In fact, it is not a flaw, but a characteristic of this solution, which deliberately alters the brightness characteristics depending on the scene. In summary, we are extremely impressed. The Panasonic Z95B is a television that looks great straight out of the box, and after calibration, it reaches a level where it is truly difficult for us to find anything to improve.

Upscaling and digital image processing in the Xiaomi A Pro 2026 are not among the strengths of this model. One might expect that since the television was not designed to achieve record brightness levels, the manufacturer would focus on a more robust processor and a set of features that would "enhance" lower-quality images. Unfortunately – and here we are also faced with significant disappointment. On the positive side, we can note reasonably good upscaling, which handles HD materials and boosts them up to 4K in an acceptable manner. However, this is where the list of advantages ends. The television does not offer any features that improve tonal transitions or smooth out digital imperfections, so in most cases, we get a raw image, exactly as we deliver from an external source. On a large screen, such a lack of support makes lower-quality materials simply look bland. An additional problem is the phenomenon of overscan. When watching older materials, it happens that part of the image gets cut off, which only amplifies the impression that Xiaomi still has a lot of ground to make up in this category.

Let’s start with what works well. The upscaling on the Z95B is at a very high level – the picture in lower resolutions is clear and sharp, and the only minor drawbacks are subtle aliasing in certain areas of the image. It’s also important that the television does not crop the material in any way and maintains its proportions, which is not always an obvious fact even in 2025.

The situation with digital processing is less impressive. Features such as “gradation smoothing” or “block noise reduction” practically do not work – the material tested looked identical regardless of the settings. We might as well state that this feature simply does not exist. This is somewhat disappointing, especially since Panasonic heavily promotes its HCX Pro AI II processor, boasting the presence of artificial intelligence to enhance picture quality. Meanwhile, in such a basic area, the television does not provide a real effect and it appears weaker than one might expect from high-end equipment.

The fluidity of motion in the Xiaomi A Pro 2026 is an interesting compromise that arises from the hybrid matrix used here. At its native 4K resolution, the maximum refresh rate is 60 Hz – sufficient for those who mainly watch films and series. It is precisely with them in mind that the manufacturer has added a motion smoother, allowing users to adjust the image to their own preferences – opting for greater fluidity or leaving more "cinematic" frames depending on the settings.

The OLED matrix with a very high refresh rate already provides an extremely sharp image even in dynamic sports scenes, such as football or basketball matches, and the Z95B is no exception. It is also very important that the television is equipped with an proprietary motion smoothing system called “Intelligent Frame Creation”. Among the available sliders, the most important one is the one named “film smoothness”, as it allows you to adjust motion to your own preferences when watching 24-frame materials, i.e. films – from a more “frame-like” appearance to a smooth, almost theatrical effect. It is somewhat disappointing that Panasonic did not choose to overclock the latest OLED matrix to 165 Hz, as Samsung did with the S95F or LG with the G5, because we know that the panel is technically capable of it. On the other hand, this is mainly an advantage for PC gamers, so in everyday viewing, it is not a significant drawback since we are limited to 120Hz.

Exactly – since Xiaomi has included the "Game Boost 120 Hz" feature, one might expect that they would follow up with a solid gaming package. Unfortunately, reality quickly dampens this enthusiasm. Aside from this mode (which, it must be admitted, is a great addition in a budget design), we only have a rather odd player panel. It's hard to call it a full-fledged "game bar" – it’s more of a simple overlay on the TV Menu with limited capabilities. And that would be about it. There’s a lack of ALLM, so the TV won’t automatically switch to game mode. There’s no VRR, so you can forget about smooth frame sync. We also won’t find support for Dolby Vision in games or the HGiG format, which are becoming increasingly standard on consoles. In short: besides the Game Boost 120 Hz, which actually allows for a more enjoyable experience at 1080p or 1440p, the Xiaomi A Pro 2026 offers nothing that could particularly attract gamers.

The Panasonic Z95B is fully equipped for gaming. Two HDMI 2.1 ports with full bandwidth of 48 Gb/s guarantee support for everything you would expect from a modern screen. There is VRR frame synchronization, an automatic ALLM game mode, and full compatibility with HDR formats used in games. The television supports both Dolby Vision for Xbox and the popular HGiG, which has been implemented correctly in this case, so it actually works as it should.

Although the brand is mainly associated with home cinema and equipment for filmmakers, there is also room here for features for gamers. On board, there is a Game Bar (or rather Game Circles) – visually, it looks a bit unusual, but it serves its purpose and allows you to quickly check the most important picture parameters. The only thing that is actually missing for complete happiness is having four HDMI 2.1 ports instead of two. It's a minor detail, but in a television of this class, one could expect a full set.