LG OLED C4 vs Sony A95L

The HDR performance of the LG OLED C4 is impressive, firmly placing it in the higher tier. Most films exceed 700 nits, delivering a highly realistic image. While none surpass the 1,000-nit mark, the combination of these results with the TV’s infinite contrast and perfect blacks significantly enhances the visual experience. The final scene, with a full-screen flash of sunlight, is slightly less bright than the others but still maintains a solid level of brightness. Another highlight is the excellent DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage, which ensures incredibly vibrant colours. The HDR technology in the LG OLED C4 delivers exceptional colour and detail reproduction. The dynamic tone mapping feature optimises brightness levels, ensuring ideal light reproduction in every scene, even in the most demanding high-dynamic films.

Sony A95L offers an incredible HDR effect, achieving an impressive brightness level of 1500 nits in scenes such as those from Life of Pi or Sicario 2. These results are truly remarkable – the bright elements in these films practically come to life on the screen, providing the viewer with immersive visual experiences. The only thing to note is minor issues with maintaining brightness in the scene from The Meg, where the entire scene is flooded with light. However, this is a natural effect related to OLED technology. The wide coverage of the BT.2020 color palette at 89% is also a significant advantage, placing A95L Sony among the top TVs in terms of color reproduction. All of this is made possible by the QD-OLED panel from Samsung Displays.

The best factory mode on the tested television was "Filmmaker," which served as the basis for all evaluations. In terms of colour reproduction, this mode performed reasonably well; however, certain flaws significantly detracted from the overall viewing experience. The most fundamental issue was the white balance, which exhibited a noticeable dominance of red, skewing the image characteristics. This resulted in a pronounced yellow tint to whites and a general shift of all colours towards warmer tones.

The gamma, an equally crucial—if not more important—aspect, was notably lowered, leading to a marked reduction in contrast. Additionally, the television frequently lost detail at the start of the gamma curve. These issues were most apparent in SDR content.

When examining HDR materials, the same yellowing effect in the white balance was observed, as seen with SDR content. However, the EOTF curve, which replaces the gamma curve for HDR, was near perfect and left little room for criticism.

The best factory mode in terms of color reproduction in Sony A95L is IMAX Enhanced. This is a mode that, at first glance, seems to be well calibrated; however, upon closer examination, several areas requiring improvement can be noticed. First and foremost, the white balance for both SDR and 4K HDR content is skewed with excessive blue and red color, leading to a subtle pink tint, particularly noticeable on neutral tones. As a result, skin tones are inaccurate, affecting the realism of the displayed image. This is clearly visible in the comparison photo below. Additionally, the Colour Checker test confirms the presence of these errors—color samples often deviate from their reference values, indicating some inaccuracies in the factory color reproduction of A95L Sony. The maximum deltaE error values reach up to 5.8, which is a clear indication that colors are not always reproduced as precisely as they should be.

Regarding brightness characteristics, the gamma for HD/SDR content is generally quite correct, maintaining an appropriate balance between brightness and contrast. Unfortunately, there is a significant jump at the end of the graph, leading to a strong brightening of the image when the screen is fully flooded with white. This can make scenes with very bright backgrounds, such as snowy landscapes or intense daylight, appear overly vivid and lose detail. In the case of HDR content, the EOTF curve, which is responsible for controlling luminance, is slightly boosted compared to the reference values. This, in turn, causes the image to be somewhat brighter than it should be, which may affect the perception of more subtle details in the darker areas of the frame.

As mentioned, LG televisions come with advanced tools to facilitate an accurate calibration process. By utilising these tools, we meticulously adjusted the image to align with the director’s original vision. Without overstating, the results were outstanding. Both SDR and HDR content now achieve a level of visual fidelity that reflects how films are intended to be seen.

Examining the colour accuracy on the "ColourChecker" palette reveals impressive results, with almost all colour errors falling below a delta of "1," aside from two minor exceptions. Post-calibration, the LG OLED C4 demonstrated a marked improvement in colour reproduction, particularly in SDR and HDR modes. Testing the TV after calibration highlighted its capacity for delivering exceptionally accurate colours, underlining the high calibre of this model. The LG C41LA offers a stunningly precise colour palette, sure to satisfy even the most discerning viewers.

Sony A95L offers excellent tools for professional screen calibration, allowing you to maximize the capabilities of the IMAX Enhanced mode. We used them to bring the image to a level that will satisfy even the most demanding viewers. After calibration, the white balance for both 4K HDR and SDR content looks simply great – almost perfect. The Colour Checker test confirmed that deltaE errors do not exceed a value of "2", which means that color reproduction is extremely accurate, and any deviations are practically imperceptible to the human eye.

Calibration also brought a significant improvement in terms of brightness – gamma is now perfectly balanced, eliminating the previous issue of excessively brightening scenes with very bright backgrounds. As a result, even the most vibrant moments, such as snowy landscapes or intense daytime scenes, appear natural, without the effect of clipping. The EOTF curve, which is responsible for controlling luminance in HDR content, has also been improved – it now reaches a reference level, both in synthetic tests and in practical movie watching.

As a result of the calibration, A95L Sony offers excellent experiences, whether you're watching material from regular television or your favorite movies. Every detail is reproduced exactly as the creators intended – without unnecessary brightening, with perfectly rendered colors and appropriate depth. This shows that this television, after professional tuning, is capable of competing with the best screens on the market, offering an image that truly impresses.

Let us revisit the function responsible for smooth gradation and consider its role in improving lower-quality materials. The default smoothing of tonal transitions, while decent, can be further enhanced. The feature includes a slider for adjusting its strength, and we recommend selecting the first option. This setting strikes a balance, offering excellent results without compromising important details through unnecessary blurring.

The image scaling on the LG C4 is commendable, though not entirely without flaws. By default, the image appears slightly sharper, though not to an intrusive degree. While jagged edges on elements like trees are occasionally visible, this issue is relatively minor compared to similar offerings from other manufacturers.

The tonal transition smoothing function in Sony A95L works really well and is worth noting. We recommend setting it to the "Medium" level because at this value, you achieve an ideal compromise – there are no artifacts, and the image looks extremely natural and pleasant to the eye. This allows for smooth transitions between different shades while maintaining scene detail, which further enhances viewing comfort.

As for upscaling, you can see the full power of the XR processor here. Sony A95L handled our test material featuring a model excellently – the image is exceptionally clear, there are no excessive jagged edges, and the details in the background are perfectly preserved. The XR processor effectively improves low resolution, providing very good results that allow you to enjoy content in almost high quality, even if its source is not ideal.

The LG G4 supports a maximum refresh rate of 144 Hz, achievable only when connected to a high-performance PC. Otherwise, the television operates at a maximum of 120 Hz, the recommended setting for viewing sports or content with fast-paced motion. For those prioritising smooth image quality, LG has included a versatile motion smoothing feature called "TrueMotion." This function is split into two adjustable sliders: De-Blur, which sharpens moving images, and De-Judder, which reduces jitter. Both sliders offer a range of settings from 0 to 10, enabling users to fine-tune the motion smoothness to their preference.

The LG OLED C4 boasts an impressive average response time of less than 1 millisecond, as confirmed by our measurements. This results in exceptional image clarity, far surpassing LCD televisions, which often have response times of several milliseconds. This clarity is evident in tests like the "UFO Test," where no trailing blur is visible behind moving objects.

Sony A95L is a TV that should satisfy both gamers and movie lovers. When it comes to watching movies, this model is equipped with Motionflow technology, which allows precise adjustment of whether we want the image to be more "framey," like in traditional cinema, or exceptionally smooth, like in cinema TVs. The "Smoothness" slider allows you to regulate the level of smoothness – from subtle changes to a more noticeable effect, while the "Clearness" slider is responsible for reducing flicker and artifacts, helping to achieve more natural and clearer motion. Regarding gaming and watching sports, the A95L Sony television offers a refresh rate of 120 Hz, making every dynamic action look incredibly smooth. Gamers will appreciate the lack of blur, while sports fans will see every movement in full sharpness. Overall, the TV performs great – both with fast-paced gaming and emotionally charged movie sequences.

The LG C4, like nearly all OLED televisions from the manufacturer, excels in its compatibility with consoles and PCs. With the inclusion of four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports supporting 48 Gbps, the TV incorporates a range of features to enhance the gaming experience. Notably, it offers simultaneous support for FreeSync and G-Sync, making it an ideal choice for gamers using AMD or Nvidia graphics cards. For those seeking the best possible gaming quality, the integration of HDR Dolby Vision and HGIG mode is particularly impressive. HDR Dolby Vision operates with remarkably low input lag across all settings, ensuring smooth and responsive gameplay.

A standout feature in LG's televisions is the GameBar, which allows users to adjust settings in real-time without leaving the game. This includes options for customising the image for viewers with visual impairments, a thoughtful addition. Additionally, enabling VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) does not result in a loss of contrast—a benefit of the OLED panel's self-emissive technology, eliminating the need for conventional backlighting. While some slight flickering of grey tones may occur, this is a characteristic of VRR technology across all manufacturers.

In summary: The LG C4, like the brand's other OLED models equipped with high-refresh-rate panels and HDMI 2.1, provides a seamless and immersive gaming experience. For gamers demanding top-tier performance, this TV is an outstanding choice.

Sony A95L is a television that will truly satisfy gamers, thanks to several key features that set it apart from the competition. First of all, a 120 Hz refresh rate – this is something that anyone who loves fast action games, racing, or dynamic shooters will appreciate. This ensures exceptionally smooth visuals, making gameplay more satisfying without annoying stutters. The A95L Sony also has an ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) feature that automatically activates low latency mode when we start up a console. What does this mean? Above all, faster on-screen responses, which is invaluable in games where every second counts. Additionally, there’s VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), which adjusts the refresh rate to match the frame rate generated by the console. The result? No tearing, and everything looks smooth and consistent – even with fluctuating FPS.

It’s worth mentioning the support for Dolby Vision with low input lag in games – something we don’t often encounter in televisions, yet it’s included here. This makes the visuals in HDR-enabled games incredibly vibrant, with rich colors and excellent contrast. Both the brightest and the darkest details are visible, making everything look just as the game developers intended. And let’s not forget the "Game Bar" – a small but very practical feature. It gives us quick access to all the important gaming settings, such as VRR and latency information. There’s no need to interrupt gameplay to adjust settings – everything is at hand.

However, it is important to remember that the A95L offers only two HDMI 2.1 ports with full bandwidth, one of which is designated for eARC. This may pose a limitation if we plan to connect multiple devices – for example, a next-gen console and a soundbar simultaneously. In such cases, the eARC occupying one of those ports may be somewhat troublesome, blocking the ability to connect a second console.