IFFALCON U85X vs Dreame Q100

iFFALCON U85 handles HDR in a rather dual manner – on one hand, it can surprise with a solid peak brightness of around 650 nits, which places it well above average in this price segment. This is particularly evident in full-screen, bright scenes. Examples from movies like Life of Pi or the final test sequences from The Meg prove that the TV can maintain the strength and essence of the HDR effect when the entire panel has to "light up," delivering truly satisfying experiences. However, problems begin in high-contrast scenes, where smaller, bright details appear on the screen; the dimming algorithms prioritize deep blacks to such an extent that they can suppress the brightness of small highlights to just 100 nits, drastically reducing the dynamism of the image and depriving us of the true "punch" we expect from HDR standards. However, the question of colors remains a sweetener; thanks to the use of the PFS phosphor filter (marketed as QLED by the manufacturer), they look very good, achieving nearly 94% coverage of the DCI-P3 color palette, allowing for a rich and vibrant image in most content.

Unfortunately, the Dreame Q100 is too basic and, above all, too dim to be said to deliver a true HDR effect. Our measured brightness reaches a maximum of about 300 nits, which is definitely too low for bright parts of the image to truly pop. In fact, that’s a level we more often associate with SDR material than with HDR. It therefore lacks the brightness headroom offered by more expensive TVs that makes highlights, reflections, or the sun look noticeably more impressive.

HDR Colors

Fortunately the Q100 makes up for it a bit elsewhere. The manufacturer calls it a QLED TV, though in practice color gamut expansion is handled by a PFS filter. Our measurements showed roughly 92% coverage of the DCI-P3 color space and about 67% of BT.2020. These aren’t top-tier numbers, but they are still clearly better than basic LCD TVs without an additional gamut-expanding layer. As a result, HDR content can at least offer more saturated and varied colors, even if the peak brightness itself still doesn’t allow us to speak of a fully fledged HDR effect.

We tested the factory colors in the iFFALCON U85X model in “Film” mode, which is definitely the most reliable among all available settings, although it is still far from perfect. The main problem that stands out in both SDR and HDR content is improper white balance - an excess of blue and red components gives the image a slight purple tint, which undermines the naturalness of film scenes. However, an even greater challenge is the way the television manages its brightness. Analyzing the gamma curve for the SDR signal, we noticed significant instability: instead of sticking to the reference value of 2.4, the device oscillates around 2.2, only to suddenly experience an unnatural jump to around 3.0. In practice, this leads to confusing effects - large bright areas on the screen appear too dark, while smaller elements are unnecessarily brightened. A similar feature can be found in the EOTF curve, which makes the image unpredictable and loses its cinematic authenticity.

For testing we chose the "Film" mode and in our opinion it is by far the best of the available presets. There are no heavily boosted, unnatural colors you can see in the Vivid/Dynamic mode. The picture already looks quite reasonable out of the box, though it falls a bit short of perfect. In SDR material the most noticeable issue was a slight warming of the image. The white balance had too much red, so whites leaned toward a warmer tone, and a similar tint was visible in shades of gray. In HDR the situation was a bit different. Here blue had a slight edge, making the image a touch cooler. These are not major faults, though. For such an inexpensive TV, the factory settings on our unit were pretty decent and the "Film" mode delivers a relatively natural image without much fiddling with the settings.

After professional calibration of the movie mode, we must admit that the effect is more than satisfactory – the iFFALCON U85X undergoes a true transformation. Color errors in SDR content dropped to a level below 2, making them practically imperceptible to the human eye. We managed to set the white balance almost perfectly, and brightness management (gamma) became nearly exemplary. As a result, with standard quality materials, the television looks simply perfect, and it's hard to find any faults with it.

In the case of HDR signal, the situation has also improved significantly, although here the nature of the device is a bit more pronounced. Color errors have been reduced to around 3, which is an outstanding result in this price range. However, it is worth taking a look at the EOTF chart (available on the right side of the screen in the filters: 4K HDR, gamma / EOTF) to see what is not immediately visible regarding brightness management by the U85. Although the reference line looks decent, in actual film scenes, the television still interprets the signal "in its own way" due to very aggressive local dimming algorithms. Does this disqualify this model for watching HDR content? Absolutely not. It's simply a typical ailment of almost every Mini-LED that has to reconcile high brightness with an attempt to maintain deep black. One just has to be aware of these technical limitations, which are unavoidable in this segment.

Contrary to appearances, the Dreame Q100 is quite well equipped for image calibration. The menu contains plenty of advanced picture settings that let you adjust its characteristics fairly precisely. In our case most work was needed on the white balance in both SDR and HDR. After calibration, SDR content looked very good. We managed to achieve an almost neutral white balance and natural colors, and the main remaining limitation was the black level itself, caused by the panel design and the lack of local dimming.

In HDR we were also able to improve white balance and color reproduction, but here the TV's electronic limitations become apparent sooner. Even after very precise EOTF curve adjustments, the Q100 doesn't always follow it correctly during real scenes. In some content it can also brighten the image, making certain parts look lighter than they should, and in bright areas some detail can be lost in the process.

When it comes to scaling the image to 4K resolution, the iFFALCON U85X performs solidly. The device efficiently enhances low-quality signals, making even older materials look clean and clear on the 4K matrix. At extremely low resolutions, such as 480p, you can notice slightly jagged edges (especially on thin lines), but let's face it – this is a scenario you'll only encounter when watching very old footage, so it's not a real issue in everyday use.

However, the digital processing aimed at smoothing tonal transitions is significantly worse. Although the menu features a function called “Gradual Smoothing”, its effectiveness is at least debatable. In practice, it does not effectively reduce banding (color stepping), and worse, it can cause more harm than good. This filter can be too aggressive where it shouldn't be, artificially smoothing out details that should not be touched, such as the natural texture of the face or fine details of the skin's texture. Instead of improving quality, this feature can give the image an unnatural, “plastic” look, so it's best to use it with great caution or, better yet: leave it turned off.

The weakest point of the Dreame Q100 is its digital image processing capabilities. The processor used does a rather mediocre job of improving weaker sources, and the menu doesn't include any function that effectively smooths unattractive tonal transitions or reduces visible posterization. Upscaling itself also fails to impress. With low-resolution content the image is fairly soft and lacks strong detail reproduction. Additionally, the Q100 tends to overscan, meaning it slightly crops the edges of the image with very poor sources, such as 480p content. In everyday viewing of HD or 4K content this won't be a major issue, but with older recordings the processor's limitations are already clearly visible.

In contrast to budget constructions, which in dynamic sports scenes may resemble a slideshow, the iFFALCON U85X is a heavyweight contender equipped with a panel featuring a native refresh rate of 144Hz. However, it is worth remembering that in the world of movies, series, or sports, we will mostly operate at 120Hz due to the specifics of image enhancement systems. Such a fast panel is excellent news for gamers and sports fans, as it opens the door to advanced motion settings that simply don't exist in cheaper 60-Hz models.

We manage everything from the "Motion Clarity" menu, where instead of using pre-set, often too aggressive modes, we definitely recommend a custom configuration based on two sliders. The most important of them, reduction of flicker, is responsible for smoothness in films – here, it's best to aim for a value around 4, which will maintain a natural, cinematic character of motion without falling into the artificial "soap opera effect." On the other hand, the first slider, reduction of blur, is the key to success in sports broadcasts. In this case, it's worth going all out and setting it to maximum, ensuring that the image during fast actions on the field remains sharp, and annoying trailing is eliminated.

The VA panel used in the Dreame Q100 has a native 60 Hz refresh rate, so from the outset this isn’t a TV aimed at the most demanding sports fans or gamers. The manufacturer does note the possibility of running at 120 Hz, and that option is indeed available, but it mainly applies to a mode intended for gamers. In everyday use the Q100 should therefore be treated as a standard 60 Hz TV. During fast-paced sports broadcasts or quick gameplay this means less smoothness than models with 120 Hz panels or higher. On the plus side, the panel’s response time is decent. The VA panel doesn’t produce excessive smearing, so motion remains fairly clear and doesn’t leave heavy, blurred trails behind objects. For movies you can also use a simple motion‑smoothing system; the manufacturer has prepared several presets that help reduce the characteristic judder in material shot at 24 frames per second.

iFFALCON U85X is an exceptional device for gamers that has virtually everything you can expect from a modern screen for consoles or PCs. Here we find two fully-fledged HDMI 2.1 ports with full bandwidth of 48 Gbps, which opens the door to key technologies such as VRR and ALLM, ensuring smooth gameplay without tearing and with minimal latency. The TV handles high refresh rates at various resolutions without any problem, and a real curiosity is the mode that allows for up to 240Hz when dropping to Full HD quality. The entire system is managed by the Game Bar (a faithful copy from TCL), which allows for instant switching of picture modes, customization of the interface appearance, or even adding a virtual crosshair in the middle of the screen.

Dreame Q100 is not a strictly gaming device, but it delivers a pretty reasonable package for console use. You get VRR to eliminate screen tearing and ALLM, which automatically switches the TV to a low-latency mode when it detects a console signal. An interesting compromise is support for a 120 Hz mode. The panel won’t reach that refresh rate at 4K, but if you drop to 1080p you can play at 120 frames per second. If a given title prioritizes smoothness over high resolution (and the game itself offers such a mode), it’s worth using. There’s also a handy Game Bar on board that lets you quickly change screen settings, switch the refresh mode, or add a virtual crosshair. The HGiG implementation is admittedly weak, but credit is due for support of Dolby Vision Gaming on the Xbox Series X and S. This isn’t a panel for tech purists, but for casual console gaming, especially with the option to trade 4K for smoother Full HD, it performs flawlessly.