XIAOMI S Mini 2026 (85"-98") 144Hz vs Samsung S85H

The larger versions of the Xiaomi S Mini 2026 offer very similar HDR capabilities. Peak brightness reaches around 1000 nits, which for a TV in this price bracket is a very solid result. This is most apparent in bright scenes, where large, strongly lit parts of the picture can look truly impressive. The TV has enough brightness headroom that HDR does not amount to merely a slightly brighter image. Very small points of light appearing on an almost completely black background fare worse. In such cases the local dimming system significantly limits their brightness so as not to illuminate neighbouring parts of the picture and to preserve deep blacks. As a result, small highlights or single lamps do not have the same intensity as in much more expensive models. This, however, is typical behaviour for Mini LED TVs and hard to treat as something unique to Xiaomi.

HDR colours

The issue of colours is similarly close. Although the manufacturer uses the term QLED, the expansion of the colour gamut here is achieved by a PFS phosphor. In our measurements the TV covered around 94% of the DCI-P3 colour space and about 74% of the much more demanding BT.2020. In practice this delivers well-saturated colours in most HDR material and it is hard to point to any obvious shortcomings. Limitations appear mainly with the most saturated shades of green, which the TV is no longer able to reproduce in full.

Interestingly, the new WOLED SE panel has brought a slight improvement in brightness to the S85 series. In the same movie scenes last year's model stayed closer to around 700 nits, while the S85H can reach roughly 800 nits. This isn't a change that completely transforms HDR perception, but that extra brightness is noticeable, especially with pinpoint highlights, specular reflections and stronger special effects. Around 800 nits is already a very good result for an entry-level OLED and in most films it's enough for HDR to have the proper impact. Bright elements can stand out clearly against perfect black, and it's still that contrast that does most of the work. You do need to bear in mind a typical limitation of organic panel technology. When a very bright scene covers a large part of the screen, brightness can drop by almost half. That's the effect of the panel's protection mechanisms, which limit its power with large bright areas.

Colours

The S85H can deliver very pleasing, saturated colours and in most HDR films it looks really good in that respect. We measured around 95% DCI-P3 coverage, so the palette most commonly used in movies is reproduced to a very high degree. Skin tones, greens and stronger reds still have the right intensity, and in normal viewing it's hard to fault them. Only when you look wider at BT.2020 do the limitations of the new OLED SE panel become apparent. Coverage was about 70%, a little less than previous-generation WOLEDs and noticeably less than QD-OLED panels. In films this is not a big loss, because most productions rarely use such highly saturated colours. You're more likely to notice it in games, where creators often opt for more intense colours.

In the larger versions of the Xiaomi S Mini 2026 Film mode performs best, although the factory settings here are not without faults. In SDR the white balance was noticeably warm due to an excess of red. In HDR it was the opposite: there was too much blue and not enough red, which made the image cooler. Moreover, both the gamma response in SDR and the EOTF curve in HDR were slightly above the reference values. In practice this produced a slightly brighter image, particularly in the mid-tones. It was not a major fault, but with more demanding material you could notice that the image was not reproduced entirely as the creators intended.

For colour evaluation we naturally chose Filmmaker mode, and in SDR our S85H sample was very well set up from the factory. The largest deviation is in the white balance, where, as brightness rises, there is a slight lack of blue. In practice this means whites and greys have a subtly warmer tint than they should. However, this is not a major fault and during normal viewing it is unlikely to be very noticeable. Gamma also stays close to the reference value, so the image is neither overly bright nor unnecessarily dim. The S85H’s SDR picture quality is therefore very good straight out of the box. A few more imperfections appear in HDR. Here the white balance drifts more with increasing brightness, blue starts to dominate and the red component is clearly lacking. This also translates into larger errors for some colours. They do not yet amount to shifts that completely change the character of the image, but in direct comparison with a reference the difference is easier to spot. Overall, Filmmaker mode is a very good starting point before professional calibration.

After calibration we mainly managed to even out the white balance, so colours look much more natural in both SDR and HDR. We also improved the gamma response, so the SDR picture is no longer unnecessarily brightened and holds closer to the reference values. The only major issue remaining is in HDR. Xiaomi still manages brightness a little too aggressively and renders some scenes brighter than it should. It looks better on larger sizes than on the 55–75 inch models, but the EOTF curve still runs slightly above the reference. In practice HDR is therefore slightly brightened, even though colour reproduction after calibration is already very good.

Calibration yields very good results on the S85H. First and foremost, it was possible to set the white balance almost perfectly, which removes the slightly too warm character of the image that was previously visible in SDR. Colour reproduction itself also improves markedly, with most errors falling to a very low level and in everyday viewing it is hard to speak of any noticeable inaccuracies. You can also make significant improvements in HDR, although some issues remain due to the TV's inherent characteristics. The S85H does not always hold the brightness curve perfectly; the darkest parts are slightly lifted, and as you approach the panel's limits small deviations are visible in the brightest areas. Added to this is the limited coverage of the wider BT.2020 gamut, which of course cannot be overcome by any calibration. Despite this, the end result is very good and, after calibration, the S85H can produce a really well-tuned, natural image.

The larger Xiaomi S Mini 2026 variants also use the MT5896 processor and perform similarly in terms of digital image processing. Upscaling is not one of this model's strengths. Low-resolution content is upscaled to 4K in a fairly basic way, and there is not as effective retrieval of fine detail as in more refined televisions. The 85 and 98 inch versions do include a feature intended to reduce posterisation, but its effectiveness is very limited. After switching it on it is hard to notice any real improvement, so the TV still does little to address visible banding between colours.

Samsung has fitted the S85H with the same proprietary AI NQ4 Gen2 processor used in last year’s S85F and, in terms of digital image processing, it performs quite well. Upscaling is one of the model’s stronger points. Lower-resolution material is well sharpened, edges look natural, and the picture does not feel overly artificial. One caveat is a typical Samsung trait: at very low resolutions you cannot completely disable overscan, so the TV may slightly crop the left edge of the image. The "noise reduction" function also works very well, smoothing weaker tonal transitions. The processor can effectively remove posterisation and other imperfections visible in lower-quality material. However, you need to be careful with the strength of this function, because Samsung can be quite aggressive here. When it is activated, small image details, such as the texture of skin or clothing, can start to disappear along with the unwanted artefacts.

The biggest difference between the various sizes of the Xiaomi S Mini 2026 concerns the panel's refresh rate. The 55 to 75-inch variants use a 60 Hz panel, which in practice results in noticeably less smooth motion than the larger versions. This is most apparent when watching sport, fast-paced scenes or gaming, where the picture is not as smooth and sharp in motion.

The S85H uses an OLED panel, so it performs excellently for motion blur. Pixels respond virtually instantly, so moving objects do not leave the characteristic trailing seen on some LCD TVs. This is especially noticeable in sport and fast-paced games, where the picture remains very clean even during rapid motion. The panel itself runs at 120 Hz. That is more than sufficient for films, TV series, sport and console gaming. It is a pity Samsung did not include a higher refresh rate aimed at PC gamers, as more and more TVs now offer 144 or even 165 Hz at 4K. However, that does not affect motion handling in films or sport.

You also have a classic motion-smoothing feature with two settings, blur reduction and judder reduction. So you can decide whether films should retain their cinematic 24 frames per second or whether you prefer to smooth them a little. The S85H gives plenty of freedom here, and the interpolation works well and, with sensible settings, does not generate too many artefacts.

Unfortunately, the smaller versions of the Xiaomi S Mini 2026 have a significant limitation for gamers: a 60 Hz panel. In 4K we are therefore limited to 60 fps and cannot fully take advantage of the PS5 or Xbox Series X. It is possible to run 120 Hz, but only after dropping the resolution to 1080p or 1440p. Apart from that, it’s all fairly sensible. The TV supports ALLM and automatically switches to game mode when it detects a console. There is also a Game Bar that lets you quickly check the most important gaming settings. Our biggest reservation concerns HGiG. The HDR calibration screens on the PS5 and Xbox do not match the TV’s actual capabilities. If you set HDR exactly according to them, some of the brightest elements may simply be blown out.

The Samsung S85H is very well prepared for gaming, essentially regardless of whether you connect a console or a PC. The manufacturer hasn't skimped on ports and all four HDMI ports support full HDMI 2.1. That means you can use 4K at 120 Hz, VRR and ALLM without worrying which input your console is plugged into. With multiple devices that matters a lot, because you don't have to choose between a console, a PC or a soundbar connected via eARC. The feature set itself is very comprehensive. The S85H supports VRR, FreeSync and automatic game mode switching, and Samsung also offers its extensive Game Bar where you can quickly check key signal parameters and change settings without leaving the game. The only notable omission is Dolby Vision, which will matter mainly to Xbox owners. This, incidentally, is typical of Samsung TVs. Game Motion Plus performs very well, and it's one of the features that have set Samsung TVs apart for years. It smooths motion in games running at 30 or 60 fps, but does so without as much increase in input lag as a conventional motion interpolator. In practice, with slower-paced games, racing titles or action games this can really improve the perceived motion, especially if you're sensitive to low frame rates.