Compare Panasonic Z95A vs Philips PUS8209

During the Panasonic Z95A tests, we had the impression that we were holding a television that deserves to be called one of the best on the market. When it comes to picture quality, it is outstanding! The OLED with infinite contrast, perfect black, and incredible brightness makes watching movies a pure pleasure. The micro lens array (MLA) technology really made a difference. Thanks to it, the image not only gained brightness, achieving a spectacular 1500 nits in HDR content, but also improved viewing angles - which are already quite good in regular WOLED panels. As a result, every scene looked so realistic that we felt as if we were part of it. We also checked how it performs in different lighting conditions – it impressed us without exception in both dark and bright rooms. We couldn’t complain about the sound either. The built-in soundbar with Dolby Atmos surprised us with its spaciousness and dynamics, which is usually lacking in speakers integrated with televisions. It is truly solid support for cinematic experiences. The Panasonic Z95A does not disappoint gamers either. We tested its gaming features – support for ALLM, VRR, a 144 Hz panel, and gaming in Dolby Vision at 120 Hz is something every avid gamer will appreciate. Additionally, there are practical features like the ability to record to an external drive and the PiP function, which enhance everyday use of the television. Of course, we also noticed some drawbacks. The Fire TV operating system from Amazon, while better than in older models, still has its flaws. The lack of some popular apps, such as Player.pl or TVP VOD, and poorly executed translations in the interface can sometimes be irritating, especially in a TV in this price range. The Panasonic Z95A is a television with a big "P" for premium. It impresses with picture quality, sound, and functionality. However, its high price may deter some, especially when there are devices on the market offering similar capabilities at significantly lower prices. However, if the budget is not an issue, the Z95A is a television that provides cinematic experiences at absolutely the highest level.

Philips PUS8209 is a model that stands out primarily due to its unique Ambilight system. The three-sided backlighting behind the television dynamically adjusts to the image, adding a special atmosphere while watching movies or playing games. This solution, which Philips is known for, makes a difference and can be a great choice for those looking for something more unconventional in their daily usage. In terms of picture quality, the television performs quite well, especially in this price range. The VA panel provides solid contrast and decent blacks, which works particularly well in the evening in dark rooms. Watching movies in such conditions is genuinely pleasant, although the screen brightness (280 nits) leaves a lot to be desired – in bright rooms, the image can look pale, and HDR content does not make a significant impression. As for gaming, the PUS8209 also has a few advantages. Support for VRR, ALLM, and a low input lag of 13 ms make gameplay smooth and responsive. Of course, this is not equipment for advanced gamers, but for those who occasionally pick up a controller, it should be sufficient. The biggest downside is the Titan OS operating system. Many popular apps are missing, and the interface does not always run as smoothly as one would wish. The remote, which requires aiming at the TV, can be irritating, especially in situations where quick response is expected. In summary: the Philips PUS8209 is a television that will serve basic purposes well. Ambilight adds uniqueness and enhances the atmosphere while watching. In daily use or occasional gaming, it holds up, but its limitations – particularly in screen brightness and the operating system – may be problematic for more demanding users. If we are looking for simple equipment with an unusual visual addition, this model is worth considering.

The contrast and black level in the Panasonic Z95A television attract the attention of even the most demanding viewers. The Z95A, as befits an OLED, offers exceptional results in this regard. In every tested scene, the contrast is practically infinite, which translates to excellent picture quality in real-world conditions. During the screening of the film Oblivion, you can see how light sources, such as lamps, fall on the actor, creating an incredibly realistic effect. The Z95A Panasonic reproduces these details in black with impressive precision, making even subtle differences in brightness and lighting clear. This gives the viewer a sense of depth and naturalness in the image, which is hard to find in LED televisions that often offer various kinds of compromises.

Philips PUS8209 positively surprised us in terms of contrast, which is really solid for its price range. Thanks to the use of a VA panel, it achieved a contrast level of 8000:1, which can be considered a very good result in this price category. In tests using scenes from the movie Oblivion, the television performed well, offering visible light separation. Three independent light sources in the test scene were reproduced without major issues. Similarly, in the case of the film Sicario 2, where the black levels, although not perfect, appear decent, allowing for the differentiation of details in darker parts of the image. The lack of local dimming technology is noticeable, however, the manufacturer has implemented a "global dimming" feature. This mechanism allows the television to automatically dim or brighten the entire screen depending on the content, which somewhat improves the perception of contrast. Philips PUS8209 offers solid contrast and decent results in tests. Although it lacks the precision of local dimming, its capabilities at this price are satisfactory and will please most users.

Panasonic Z95A demonstrates class when it comes to HDR performance. In brightness tests, it reaches a level of 1800 nits, which has a real impact on watching movies. Scenes from Life of Pi or Gemini Man look great – the television effortlessly reproduces details and the intensity of bright spots, impressing with its power. In more demanding moments, like the final scene from The Meg, one can see how bright light floods the screen. In such moments, brightness drops, which is typical for organic matrices. Nonetheless, a result around 1000 nits can still be considered excellent, still providing very good picture quality. Additionally, the television offers excellent coverage of wide color gamuts – up to 98.6% for DCI-P3 and 74.5% for BT.2020. This ensures that colors are not only vibrant but also deeply saturated, allowing full appreciation of the richness of details, especially in HDR scenes. Such coverage makes colors appear more realistic, and the HDR effect gains in intensity and accuracy. All this impressive HDR effect is thanks to MLA technology, which enables achieving such high luminance and excellent image detail. Thanks to this, the Panasonic Z95A offers HDR at a level that truly makes a difference.

Unfortunately, this is where the problems begin. A maximum brightness of 280 nits is definitely too low to feel the true HDR effect. In practice, the image resembles standard SDR more, so it's hard to speak of deeper visual experiences. On the plus side, the color gamut coverage is commendable – 91.4% DCI-P3 is a result that will be sufficient for most films. It must also be noted that the image is stable and there are no issues with sudden changes in brightness or colors. Looking at the overall picture, HDR on this TV is more of a formality than an actual added value. If we are looking for true HDR emotions, this model may not meet expectations.

The best picture mode in the Panasonic Z95A is undoubtedly the Filmmaker mode. It is a mode that offers quite good image reproduction, but it is not free from certain errors that need improvement. First of all, the white balance, both for 4K and HD content, tends to show a dominance of red and blue colors. This causes a slight pinkish tint in the image, particularly noticeable in bright, white scenes. Such deviations can be seen in the comparative photo below, which illustrates this problem well. The Colour Checker test also confirms these discrepancies, showing slight shifts of the dots towards the mentioned hues.

In terms of gamma brightness characteristics, it performs very well, with only minor issues when lightening small details. The EOTF curve, which is responsible for controlling brightness in 4K HDR content, poses greater difficulty. Here, a slight boost in brightness above the reference value can be observed, making the image sometimes too bright, especially in more demanding scenes. Although the Filmmaker mode is definitely the best choice in the Z95A, these aspects require refinement to fully exploit the potential of the television.

Philips PUS8209 offers many picture modes, but the best among them, without a doubt, is the Filmmaker mode. Despite its proud name, it has its clear issues. In the case of HD content, the white balance is characterized by a strong dominance of red, causing the image to be significantly warmer than it should be in reality. The brightness characteristic (gamma), although correct in the midtones, has serious problems at the beginning and end of the graph. Drops in the shadows lead to a loss of details in dark areas, and highlights in bright areas make some elements look unnatural.

For high-quality 4K HDR content, the situation reverses. In this case, blue dominates, leading to an effect of artificial image enhancement, reminiscent of unnatural store settings. Such an image looks unappealing and inconsistent with the creators' intentions. An additional problem is the EOTF curve, responsible for brightness in HDR materials. It deviates significantly from the reference chart, making the image appear too dark, robbing the depth and detail of HDR content.

Against this background, the errors in the Color Checker test and deviations in color palette reproduction are exceptionally large, which negatively impacts the overall image quality. The Filmmaker mode, although the best among the available options, requires significant corrections to fully deliver the director's vision.

After calibration, Panasonic Z95A shows its full potential, offering an almost perfect image. The television provides great adjustment capabilities, which we have fully utilized. The white balance after calibration is presented almost perfectly, and errors in SDR content at the level of 0.5 fall within an absolutely reference standard. The same is true for 4K HDR content – any pink tint on the screen has been completely eliminated, and the white balance is now exemplary.

The color palette and Colour Checker test confirm the excellence of the calibration. Errors below 2 is a result that will satisfy both professional calibrators and enthusiasts of cinema-quality images. Significant changes have also occurred in brightness characteristics – the EOTF curve has been leveled, eliminating previous issues with excessive image brightness. And the small error in gamma has been reduced.

Before calibration, the image was acceptable, but now it is a completely different league. It is a true feast for the eyes, the quality of which is hard to compare to anything else. Panasonic Z95A, after fine-tuning the settings, becomes a true master of color reproduction.

After calibration, the white balance for HD and 4K content has improved significantly. Although we did not achieve a perfectly flat characteristic, the effect is definitely better than before. The image on the television no longer appears artificially warm or overly cold, which significantly enhances the naturalness of the displayed content. The brightness characteristic (gamma) has also been adjusted - the biggest issues at the beginning and end of the graph have been mitigated. The EOTF curve, which is responsible for brightness in 4K HDR material, has been stabilized, eliminating problems with excessive dimming of the image. In the color palette test, some imperfections can still be seen due to average coverage of a wide color gamut, which is a limitation of the hardware itself. Nevertheless, the final effect is clearly better than before calibration - the image looks more natural and approaches the expectations for the Filmmaker mode.

The tonal transitions in Panasonic Z95A are not tragic, but in this class of devices, one can expect something more. The television struggles with smooth color blending, both in dark and light shades. In more demanding scenes, minor imperfections are visible, which can affect the visual experience, especially for more discerning users. Although this is not a disqualifying factor, it is an aspect that needs improvement, especially considering the price and aspirations of this model.

Philips PUS8209 presents a decent gradation in bright scenes, where tonal transitions are smooth enough not to be distracting. Unfortunately, in darker scenes, such as red water, the television clearly struggles. Issues with blending shades and a lack of precision in reproducing subtle color differences are very noticeable here.

In the case of lower quality materials, the "Gradient Smoothing" function is responsible for smoothing tonal transitions. The best results are achieved with an intermediate setting – although they are not spectacular, the function works correctly and does not introduce unwanted effects into the image. It can be rated as average, but sufficient to improve the quality of tonal transitions.

As for digital processing, or upscaling, the image looks surprisingly good. It is vibrant and pleasant to the eye, making lower quality content, such as standard television or YouTube, look quite decent. However, minor issues can be noticed, such as "jaggies" on edges, e.g. branches in the background. Nevertheless, this does not significantly impact the overall viewing experience, and the television handles this material in an acceptable manner.

The television offers a "Distortion Reduction" feature that effectively improves the gradation of tonal transitions, especially when set to the minimum level. Unfortunately, it comes at a price – the feature also smooths out details like the texture of materials. On the plus side, the operation of this option does not negatively affect the film grain, which remains intact.

As for image scaling (upscaling), the television generates a plastic, soft image that generally looks pleasant. However, in the background, one can sometimes notice issues with aliasing on some elements, such as branches or fine details, which can lower the quality of the reception. Despite these minor imperfections, the overall experience of scaling is satisfactory.

Panasonic Z95A, with its 144 Hz panel, offers excellent image smoothness. For films, there is the "Intelligent Frame Creation" feature, which enhances fluidity and reduces motion blur. The user has two sliders at their disposal: "Motion Blur Reduction" – responsible for clearer and sharper details in fast-moving scenes. "Film Smoothness" – adds smoothness by creating additional frames between the originals, making the motion look smoother and more natural with a "soap opera" effect.

As a result, viewers can adjust the settings to their own preferences. Films and less dynamic materials appear smooth and natural, which should satisfy most users.

The 60 Hz panel in the Philips PUS8209 is mainly suited for watching movies, but there is also a certain sense of dissatisfaction here. The TV does not offer any motion smoothing feature that would allow adjusting the smoothness of the picture to individual preferences, which may be disappointing for some users.

Panasonic Z95A this year shows that the manufacturer has made a huge leap forward in terms of support for gamers. The television offers practically everything one could expect from a device in this category. Support for ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) and VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) ensures smoothness and no tearing in dynamic games. The 144 Hz panel allows for incredible fluidity, and the additional support for resolutions other than 4K provides greater flexibility, which is a significant plus for gamers using various setups.

Attention should also be paid to the unique and somewhat specific "Game Bar." Its intuitive interface stands out from the competition and allows quick adjustments to key settings such as VRR, brightness level, or picture mode without interrupting gameplay.

However, in this class of device, there is a slight disappointment – the Panasonic Z95A offers only two HDMI 2.1 ports, instead of four. This is definitely insufficient for a premium television, especially at a time when many people have more than one device requiring full HDMI 2.1 support, such as a next-gen console or a high-end computer. In this category, it is hard to accept, especially given the high aspirations of this model. Despite this, the television is an excellent choice for gamers, offering versatility and functionality at the highest level.

The Philips PUS8209 offers basic functions useful for gamers, such as variable refresh rate (VRR), automatic low latency mode (ALLM), and a Game Bar that makes managing settings easier.

Unfortunately, due to the 60 Hz panel, the television will not meet the expectations of more demanding gamers who are counting on higher fluidity and precision of the image. Additionally, this model does not support any HDR mode dedicated to games, such as HGiG or Dolby Vision, which further limits its capabilities in this regard.

Panasonic Z95A impresses with its outstanding level of input lag, making it one of the best choices for gamers in its class. Regardless of the mode, the television achieves results of around 13 ms at 60 Hz and just 5 ms at 120 Hz, ensuring incredibly smooth and responsive gameplay. Moreover, Panasonic allows playing in Dolby Vision mode with minimal delays. Well done!

Input lag in the Philips PUS8209 is one of its strongest points. With a value of around 13 ms, the TV provides a very quick response time, which should satisfy most gamers, both casual and more advanced. Such a result allows for comfortable gameplay even in dynamic games.

Panasonic Z95A works great with computers, offering full support for chroma 4:4:4, which translates into very good font readability. However, one should remember the characteristic way of displaying text typical for WOLED matrices with a white subpixel, which may be noticeable during longer work with documents or browsing web pages. This is something to keep in mind if the TV is to be used as a work monitor.

Another advantage is the support for G-Sync technology, which is a great addition for gamers using NVIDIA graphics cards. Thus, the Z95A ensures smooth gameplay without tearing and delays, making it a versatile device for both work and play.

On paper, collaboration with a PC seems promising, especially with support for chroma 4:4:4, which should ensure good font readability and detail reproduction. In practice, however, the television has significant issues displaying text, especially on dark backgrounds, where the so-called pixelation is clearly visible, negatively affecting work comfort.

Additionally, the lack of support for technologies such as G-Sync means that gameplay smoothness when connected to a PC leaves much to be desired, making this model less attractive for users looking for a television for gaming on a computer.

The viewing angles of the Panasonic Z95A are excellent, thanks to the use of an OLED panel with MLA technology. This ensures that the image remains clear, full of details, and without visible color changes even at large angles. In practice, this means that no matter where we watch the television from, the picture quality remains at the highest level.

In this regard, the Z95A ranks among the very best, competing for the title of leader with televisions based on QD-OLED panels (Samsung and Sony). It's hard to find anything better on the market, making this model an ideal choice for larger rooms or screenings with family and friends, where everyone can enjoy a perfect picture.

The viewing angles on the Philips PUS8209 are weak, which is typical for VA matrices. When viewing at an angle, the brightness of the image decreases significantly, and the colors lose their depth, which can significantly affect viewing comfort, especially in larger groups or in an unusual setup of the television relative to the viewer.

Panasonic Z95A is equipped with a glossy panel that does quite well in minimizing reflections. However, due to the use of micro lens array (MLA) technology, the black in bright surroundings may take on a slightly cherry hue, which is particularly noticeable in well-lit rooms. In terms of brightness, the average SDR value is around 500 cd/m², which easily allows for comfortable viewing of the television in most living rooms. However, it should be noted that in very sunny conditions or under intense artificial lighting, this brightness may prove insufficient to fully eliminate reflections and maintain ideal contrast. Nevertheless, in typical home conditions, Z95A performs very well.

The Philips PUS8209 is equipped with a satin coating on the panel, which only moderately suppresses reflections, which may be insufficient in brightly lit rooms. However, the biggest problem is the low brightness of 280 nits. In practice, this means that watching content during the day, especially in bright sunlight, can be challenging, as the image appears too dark to ensure comfortable use.

Panasonic Z95A introduces a new operating system, which we believe is a very good move compared to last year's MZ2000 model. The system is called Fire TV and was created by Amazon. It is a novelty in the Polish market, distinguished by its fluidity and responsiveness, providing convenient control and fast performance in everyday use.

Despite numerous advantages, the system still has a few shortcomings. We won't find some popular applications on it, such as SkyShowtime, as well as Polish streaming services like Player.pl or TVP VOD. Another drawback is the quality of the interface translation – many functions have been translated in an imprecise manner, giving the impression that the translation was done "on the fly." Some terms are incomprehensible, especially for people who have not previously interacted with other TVs, which may hinder the use of the device.

In terms of user features, the Z95A performs very well. Options such as USB recording, support for the PiP (picture-in-picture) feature, AirPlay, and Miracast can be found here. Thanks to this, the television offers versatility and meets most of the requirements of modern users, although the Fire TV system still requires refinement to fully compete with more established solutions on the market.

Philips PUS8209 uses the Titan OS operating system, which, although easy to use, remains limited in terms of functionality. The number of available applications is small compared to more developed ecosystems such as Google TV, which may disappoint users accustomed to broader capabilities. Additionally, the lack of support for AirPlay limits collaboration with Apple devices, reducing the TV's flexibility in streaming content. The remote, although interesting, requires pointing at the screen, which may not appeal to everyone.

The absence of more advanced features like PiP (Picture-in-Picture) or program recording further limits the device's capabilities in everyday use.

Philips PUS8209 is a television that attracts attention with an interesting solution in the form of a three-sided Ambilight system, which dynamically lights up the wall behind the TV, adjusting its colors and intensity to the content displayed on the screen. This effect creates a sense of greater depth of image and enhances immersion, especially in darkened rooms. Unfortunately, its potential is limited by the Titan OS operating system, which leaves much to be desired. The limited number of applications and lack of support for popular features like AirPlay can be a significant drawback for more demanding users. While Ambilight sets this model apart from the competition, deficiencies in the operating system significantly impact the overall functionality of the television.

As we mentioned earlier, the Fire TV system in the Panasonic Z95A has some issues with supporting the Polish language, which unfortunately is also visible when playing files from USB memory. The built-in media player does not allow for the correct display of Polish characters, such as "ź", "ć" or "ł", which can be inconvenient for users relying on local subtitles for movies. If correct display of Polish characters is important for the user, it may be necessary to use an external application available in the Amazon store or to stream content through other devices.

The built-in media player in the Philips PUS8209 performs well in everyday use. It handles Polish characters in subtitles without any issues and allows for adjustments to the color and size of the font, which significantly improves the comfort of using this feature. More demanding users may notice some shortcomings in the supported file formats, but for most applications in everyday use, this player should be fully sufficient.

The sound in Panasonic Z95A is one of its strong points, mainly due to the built-in soundbar, which provides impressive audio experiences. The support for Dolby Atmos makes the sound spatial and deep, perfectly fitting into the cinematic experience. Both dialogues and sound effects are clear and dynamic, which will satisfy even the most demanding users. Unfortunately, there is a lack of support for the DTS format, which may be disappointing for those using movies or content that require it. Nevertheless, the overall sound quality in Z95A is at a very high level and successfully replaces external audio systems (at a reasonable price) in most home applications.

The sound in the Philips PUS8209 can be described as average, typical for televisions in this price range. The 2x10 W speakers do not offer exceptional quality or depth, but they are sufficient for everyday TV viewing. A positive aspect is the wide range of supported audio codecs, such as Dolby Atmos and DTS, which can significantly enhance audio quality in conjunction with external sound systems like soundbars or home theater setups.

Panasonic Z95A vs Philips PUS8209

Advantages

Disadvantages

Our verdict

TV appearance

Where to buy

Contrast and black detail

HDR effect quality

Factory color reproduction

Color reproduction after calibration

Smoothness of tonal transitions

Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions

Blur and motion smoothness

Console compatibility and gaming features

Input lag

Compatibility with PC

Viewing angles

TV efficiency during daytime

Details about the matrix

TV features

Playing files from USB

Apps

Sound