Compare Philips OLED809/819 vs Xiaomi S Mini 2025

The Philips OLED 809 is a versatile television that caters to a wide audience. Its standout feature is the multicoloured Ambilight backlighting, which enhances immersion and engagement, particularly when watching films. As expected from an OLED TV, key aspects such as contrast, black levels, and colour reproduction are excellent, providing impressive visual quality.

However, the television has some drawbacks, such as the quality of tonal transitions and the inconsistent operation of the dynamic tone mapping function, which can occasionally distract more sensitive viewers. Despite these shortcomings, the Philips OLED 809 excels in two key areas: gaming performance and motion smoothing. Gaming performance is particularly noteworthy, with each implemented feature functioning seamlessly to create a highly immersive experience.

Motion smoothness is also impressive, with two effective sliders allowing users to customise the motion settings. The inclusion of the Google TV system further enhances the user experience, offering smooth and lag-free operation during tests. Overall, the Philips OLED 809 strikes a solid balance between its strengths and minor imperfections.

Xiaomi, well known as a giant in the smartphone market, has decided to compete for the attention of high-end technology enthusiasts by presenting a MiniLED backlit television. Model S MiniLED 2025 looks really impressive on paper. A huge number of dimming zones ensures excellent contrast, and the brightness, reaching impressive values, can impress in both high-quality HDR materials and older SDR. The TV performs excellently where motion smoothness is key. The 120 Hz panel and low input lag make it a good choice not only for sports fans but also for gamers. Support for features like ALLM or GameBar further enhances the gaming experience. Google TV on this television works as it should – fast, smoothly, without unnecessary stutters, which we couldn't say about the model A Pro 2025. Additionally, with such a vast application library, it will satisfy even the most demanding users. However, not everything looks as good in practice. Despite solid hardware specifications, the TV has its issues. The biggest problem lies in the algorithms managing the dimming zones, which can be quite annoying when watching movies in the evening. The operation of individual zones is too visible in dynamic scenes, which can effectively draw our attention away from the image. Problems also arise in more demanding HDR scenes. Small, bright elements often lose brightness, which spoils the effect that should be provided by the highest quality image. The system is also not free from shortcomings – image enhancement features in lower quality materials work unevenly, and some options in Google TV are poorly translated or even untranslated. Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 has enormous potential, but in its current form, it seems underutilized. It is clear that Xiaomi wanted to create something really good, but several significant shortcomings make the final effect mixed. A device with high aspirations that needs better software to truly shine. It is an ideal television for brighter rooms, where high screen brightness plays a key role, and the issues with local dimming become less noticeable. It will also work perfectly as a screen for gamers and for those who value versatility and functionality in the Google TV system.

The Philips OLED 809, true to its name, uses an OLED panel sourced from LG Displays, a common choice among major brands like Sony and Panasonic. This advanced panel technology enables the television to achieve outstanding results in contrast and black-level tests. The image produced is three-dimensional and entirely free of the blooming effect often seen in TVs with local dimming, where bright text on dark backgrounds can appear hazy.

This exceptional performance is due to the panel's structure, crafted from conductive organic polymers and controlled by electrical impulses. Unlike LCD TVs with layered filters, OLED technology allows individual pixels to turn off completely, creating true black levels with a value of 0. This direct control ensures the precise separation of bright and dark elements in the image.

In tests, the Philips OLED 809 showcased its ability to render contrasts with exceptional precision, such as isolating bright elements like headlights against dark backgrounds. This capability is one of the TV's strongest advantages, elevating its performance in scenarios where contrast and black levels are critical.

Xiaomi S MiniLED is one of the most affordably priced televisions featuring MiniLED technology available on the market. The model we tested in a 55-inch size is equipped with as many as 308 local dimming zones, which is impressive for such a price. Additionally, it uses a VA panel, which naturally offers significantly better contrast than IPS panels. On static test screens, the television performed excellently, achieving an impressive contrast ratio of 182,000:1 in the film Oblivion. The black levels were deep, and details in both bright and dark parts of the image were clearly separated. However, in more demanding scenes, where the image is dynamic, the situation begins to complicate.

Where lies the problem? The main cause is the local dimming algorithms. Although their effects are promising on static images, during film playback – that is, in the television's natural working conditions – they operate too aggressively. In dynamic scenes, such as those from the tested film, one can observe how individual dimming zones "work and flicker," which detracts from the viewer's sense of image coherence. This effect is particularly noticeable in motion, when bright objects move against a dark screen. As a result, although Xiaomi S MiniLED offers a remarkable contrast on paper, in practice the effect is less satisfying. The aggressive operation of the algorithms diminishes the reception of dynamic scenes, making the television average in this category. It is a good example of how MiniLED technology requires not only good specifications but also proper optimization.

The Philips OLED 809 delivers a highly satisfactory HDR effect. The television can reach luminance levels exceeding 900 nits in most scenes, and in some cases, even surpassing 1000 nits. This brightness ensures a rich and immersive experience for HDR content with a wide tonal range. The only exception occurs in a scene from the movie The Meg, where a large amount of bright white occupies most of the screen, preventing the TV from reaching higher brightness levels. However, this is not a significant issue, as the performance is still a considerable improvement over its predecessor.

Overall, these brightness levels, especially for an OLED panel not equipped with MLA technology, impress. Coupled with excellent coverage of the DCI-P3 colour spectrum, the Philips OLED 809 offers a truly spectacular HDR viewing experience.

Since the Xiaomi S MiniLED boasts an impressive number of 308 dimming zones, it was time to see how it performs in HDR tests. Starting with luminance, or the ability to display bright scenes, the television achieved nearly 1000 nits of brightness – a result that can be considered outstanding in this class. However, do these numbers translate into real experiences in movie scenes? In the case of less demanding shots, like those from the film The Meg, the television indeed showed excellent results, reaching up to 900 nits. Such values are impressive and can truly convey the strength of HDR effects.

Unfortunately, similar to the contrast situation, there were issues. When smaller, brighter elements appear on the screen – as in challenging scenes from Sicario 2 – the aggressive operation of the dimming zones spoils the whole effect. Brightness during these moments drops to just 100 nits. This is definitely too little to capture the full magic of HDR. Instead of a dynamic and detailed image, the viewer gets a muted, almost flat impression, which diminishes the enjoyment of the viewing experience.

In summary, if we are looking for a television with high brightness for watching movies during the day, the Xiaomi S MiniLED will easily fulfill that task. However, its inability to precisely manage dimming zones means that watching movies in the evening, especially in demanding HDR scenes, can be more frustrating than satisfying.

The best factory mode in which we performed all our tests was "Filmmaker," which is quite standard in televisions from this manufacturer. However, let’s first examine its characteristics before the calibration process. The first aspect we will focus on is white balance, as it is critical to ensuring the image remains free from any colour cast. The chart clearly shows that in both SDR and HDR materials, two colours dominated significantly: red and green, resulting in a strong yellow tint that affected the entire image. This was particularly noticeable on the "ColourChecker" palette, where all colours shifted towards their warmer counterparts.

The second aspect we will assess is what we consider to be the two most important charts for evaluating picture quality: gamma and the Electro-Optical Transfer Function (EOTF) curve. Both aim to maintain appropriate brightness and contrast. The first chart, which describes the brightness levels in SDR materials, shows that the brightness was significantly lower than the reference value marked by the orange line. This resulted in a sharp increase in brightness and a notable decrease in contrast, which was inconsistent with typical OLED television behaviour. The EOTF curve, on the other hand, showed greater "moderation," subtly brightening the overall image only up to 50% of the maximum brightness.

Xiaomi, like many manufacturers, offers a wide range of picture modes. On the S MiniLED, we can find both IMAX Enhanced and Filmmaker. We conducted our tests in Filmmaker mode, which theoretically is supposed to reference the original image, but the reality turned out to be somewhat different.

Let's start with the test of SDR materials. Here, the television had quite a few problems, especially with white balance. The clearly visible dominance of red made the image appear too warm, and all colors gained a reddish tint. This was particularly noticeable in a comparative scene from the Star Wars movie. The brightness characteristics (gamma) also left much to be desired – instead of a smooth transition, we had a real "rollercoaster," with a visible excessive brightening of the screen.

In 4K materials, the situation looked much better. The white balance, while still not perfect, was much more balanced, with a slight dominance of red and blue, but without excessive influence on the overall perception. The EOTF curve (responsible for brightness in HDR) showed some brightening in the brightest parts of the image, which was noticeable, for example, in the test scene from the Pan movie that we described above. These brightening effects can disrupt image precision, but in 4K, the overall effect was much more acceptable than in SDR.

Although the Xiaomi S MiniLED can positively surprise in 4K materials, its factory settings in SDR require significant adjustments, especially in terms of white balance and brightness. It is definitely a television that would benefit from calibration.

Philips, like most leading manufacturers, has been providing advanced calibration tools for years. The inclusion of 2- and 20-point grayscale adjustments, along with an advanced CMS (Color Management System), has yielded extremely beneficial results and fundamentally improved the perceived image. Nearly every element previously mentioned has undergone a transformation and has been restored to its natural state. This is particularly noticeable in the "ColourChecker" palette, where the measured colour samples align harmoniously. Notably, the white balance has been excellently calibrated, ensuring a pure image free from unwanted tint in both SDR and HDR content. The previously problematic gamma has been well addressed, with only minor errors that do not impact the overall performance. Similarly, the EOTF curve has been refined, removing the subtle brightening effect, and now offers a truly reference-quality presentation.

Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is a television that gains a whole new life after calibration. The results are truly remarkable and show how much potential this model has.

In SDR mode, the white balance is nearly perfectly aligned. The errors are minimal enough that in many cases they can be considered negligible. This is confirmed by the Colour Checker palette results, where the errors did not exceed 2 ΔE – a result that is indeed quite rare. Gamma also looks very good, although at the beginning of the graph, there are slight brightenings in the darkest elements. However, this is a minor exception that does not significantly affect the image perception.

In 4K HDR materials, calibration also brought visible improvements, especially in white balance. The image looks natural and consistent. However, the brightness characteristic remains a problem. EOTF analysis in film materials shows that the television tends to over-brighten or darken the smallest elements on the screen. This is a result of limitations in the dimming algorithms that we previously discussed concerning HDR and contrast testing. Unfortunately, this is a technical feature of this model that cannot be completely eliminated.

Despite this minor flaw, calibration allowed extracting the maximum capabilities from this television. The image now looks phenomenal, and its quality impresses with every type of material. Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 demonstrates that with the right settings, it can compete with more expensive models.

Equally important as colour accuracy, black levels, and contrast in the context of image quality is its purity. This includes the quality of tonal transitions. Many viewers will be familiar with the "stepping" effect of colours on older displays—a frustrating issue that can significantly disrupt immersion in films or series. Unfortunately, the Philips OLED 809 suffers from such a problem, and while it might be tempting to overlook, it warrants examination.

In almost every tested scene, a lack of fluidity between colours was evident. While this is somewhat acceptable in certain films, such as Kingsman, it becomes far more distracting in others, particularly in The Green Knight. In this film, the thick fog was rendered as horizontal stripes and indistinct geometric shapes rather than a smooth gradient.

Though some televisions handle tonal transitions with excellence, the Philips OLED 809 does not belong in that category. Tests revealed visible stepping effects in colours, especially in demanding scenes, which detract from the viewing experience. Even options designed to mitigate posterisation failed to deliver adequate improvements, making this a significant drawback of the model.

The fluidity of tonal transitions in Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is very good. Even in the theoretically most challenging scene with red water, the television performs excellently – we did not notice any significant issues. Minor imperfections appear in scenes such as Kingsman or The Martian, where subtle color transitions can be seen. Nevertheless, Xiaomi stands out in this category, offering one of the best qualities of tonal transitions in its price range. This is definitely a strong point of this television.

Philips OLED 809 struggled significantly in the smooth tonal transitions test. Focusing on the TV's algorithms, particularly the feature responsible for removing posterisation, the results were disappointing. This function, which offers several adjustable settings, proved ineffective in practice. The highest setting, while it does mitigate inconsistencies, it simultaneously blurs the entire image, rendering it virtually useless.

When dealing with lower-quality content, the performance of image upscaling algorithms becomes crucial. In this regard, the algorithms implemented in the OLED 809 perform admirably. They enhance image quality effectively, with minimal visible artefacts. Although slight edge fraying can occasionally be observed, it is unlikely to be noticeable during typical viewing sessions.

When it comes to color transitions in lower quality materials like YouTube or television, the Xiaomi S MiniLED is equipped with the "Color Contour Removal" feature. In the "low" setting, it works quite well, but its effectiveness can be uneven. Sometimes it seems like the TV struggles with smoothing, which creates a certain dissonance. On the plus side, we did not notice any visible side effects, although given the instability of this feature, one might suspect that unexpected issues could arise in some situations.

Image scaling also performs average. There is slight aliasing, especially on thin elements like branches, and subtitles can appear a bit jagged. While it may not be very bothersome, a more discerning eye will certainly catch these shortcomings. Overall, most users should be satisfied with the scaling and smoothing quality, but the TV may not satisfy those who expect perfection in every frame.

The maximum refresh rate achievable on the Philips OLED 809 is 144 Hz, a feature that can be fully utilised when connected to a high-performance PC. However, when connected to consoles or used for standard television viewing, the refresh rate remains at typical values. For users seeking enhanced motion fluidity or wishing to eliminate the characteristic choppiness of films shot at 24 fps, Philips provides a sophisticated motion-smoothing system.

In the settings menu, there is a "Smoothness" slider designed to reduce choppiness, along with a "Motion Blur Reduction" option to enhance the sharpness of fast-moving elements. These features perform impressively and allow for granular adjustments, ensuring that each setting has a tangible impact on motion perception. Notably, the system operates effectively at a refresh rate of 120 Hz, taking advantage of multiples of video frame rates. With this comprehensive range of options, users can easily fine-tune the settings to suit their preferences. For example, slight smoothing without inducing the soap opera effect offers a balanced viewing experience.

Motion clarity on the OLED 809 is further bolstered by the exceptional response time of the OLED panel, measured at approximately 0.1 ms. This surpasses the performance of IPS/ADS or VA panels, making OLED technology unrivalled in this area.

Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is equipped with a display that refreshes at 4K@120Hz (1080p@240Hz), providing sufficient smoothness for both watching dynamic sports broadcasts and playing the latest games. This level of refresh rate makes the image look smooth, even in the most intense scenes. Additionally, the TV offers a "Motion Smoothing" feature that allows users to adjust the way images are displayed in movies. We can choose a more frame-like effect, typical of cinematic experiences, or a smoother one reminiscent of the so-called "theatrical effect." This way, every user can tailor the settings to their preferences and enjoy smooth images in their favorite content.

The Philips OLED 809 fully supports all technologies included in the HDMI 2.1 standard, and during testing, each activated without issue. This makes the TV an excellent choice for gamers, whether on console or PC. Notably, it features HGIG mode as a strong alternative to Dolby Vision, which is less ideal for gaming on this model due to its high input lag.

The TV also includes a dedicated GameBar for monitoring gameplay parameters and adjusting settings quickly. Features like a crosshair overlay for sniper shots, shadow enhancement for better visibility, and a colour filter for gamers with visual impairments further enhance its gaming appeal.

In summary, the OLED 809 is a fantastic choice for gaming, equipped with VRR, ALLM, G-Sync, FreeSync, and HDR Dolby Vision gaming for a deeply immersive experience. The only drawback is the artificial sharpness in game mode, which cannot be fully softened, regardless of settings.

Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is a television that has a lot to offer gamers. With two HDMI ports with 48 Gbps bandwidth, we can easily connect modern consoles or PCs, utilizing their full potential. Additionally, the ALLM feature automatically switches the television to low latency mode – something we will appreciate during dynamic games without annoying lags. No matter what we connect, it works smoothly, and the television handles various resolutions well. There is also GameBar, which may not look as impressive as the "bars" from the competition, but makes up for it with practicality. It's a simple settings panel that allows us to quickly change the most important options or check statistics – an ideal solution when time is of the essence.

However, we have to admit that operating the television itself – or rather finding the gaming features – was quite a challenge for us. We approached the Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 test several times to find all the necessary options. The hidden menu allowed us to discover the "GameBoost" feature, which enables switching the television to 240 Hz mode, activating VRR at 120Hz, and turning on the image in HGIG mode.

In summary, the Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is a television that definitely deserves praise in the gaming hardware category. Its rich set of features – 240 Hz mode, VRR, HGIG, and "GameBoost" – provides exceptional gaming experiences. Unfortunately, the intuitiveness of the menu itself leaves much to be desired and may pose a certain challenge for the average user.

The input lag measurements on the Philips OLED 809 are impressively low across all signals and resolutions. Gamers will undoubtedly value the manufacturer’s efforts, as a game running at 4K120Hz with HDR achieves a latency of just 5 ms—virtually imperceptible, even in online gaming. Additionally, the game mode with Dolby Vision deserves praise, delivering a comparable response time of 13 ms. In this regard, the Philips OLED 809 earns top marks.

Input lag in Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is one of its biggest advantages. 8 ms for 120 Hz content and 17 ms for 60 Hz is an outstanding result that will satisfy even the most demanding gamers. Moreover, the Dolby Vision mode in games deserves praise. Unlike many competing models, Xiaomi maintains low input lag even in this mode, making it an excellent choice for fans of high-quality HDR gaming experiences.

As in gaming, the Philips OLED 809 delivers excellent performance, but its capabilities falter with everyday text work. Despite its impressively low latency, the issue lies in its lack of chroma 4:4:4 support, leading to noticeable font blurriness regardless of the refresh rate. While this is not a problem during gaming, it can significantly affect text work by making fonts less readable and more straining to the eyes.

Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is a good choice if we need a television for working with a computer. Fonts are very clear thanks to 4:4:4 chroma support, making it perfect for office work or browsing documents. It also performs excellently in gaming – high refresh rate, G-SYNC, and low input lag ensure smooth gameplay, which will satisfy most gamers.

An advantage of OLED panels is their excellent performance at sharp viewing angles, with no noticeable drop in contrast or color saturation. However, a characteristic feature of panels produced by LG Display, which are not used in top models, is the appearance of a teal or cyan tint when viewed from a wide angle.

In terms of viewing angles, Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 does not impress. This is a typical problem for VA panels, which, without additional coatings to widen viewing angles, do not perform well. The image begins to lose quality when watching the TV from the side – colors fade, and contrast clearly decreases. However, the advantage of VA panels is significantly better contrast compared to IPS panels, which, on the other hand, win in terms of wider viewing angles. This is a classic compromise where one has to choose between deeper blacks and a more versatile image seen from different places in the room.

For many years, the efficiency of OLED TVs during the day has been a topic of debate, with many still believing these screens aren't suitable for daylight use. While that may have been true for older models, current technology has advanced significantly. Today, there are no major objections to recommending an OLED TV for daytime use. Despite the glossy panel, which might seem like a drawback, the real-world results speak for themselves. One aspect to consider is contrast which remains higher during daytime use, unlike QD-OLED panels or OLEDs with MLA technology. This is due to the absence of excited quantum dots and micro-lenses.

Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is equipped with a satin coating on the panel, which averages out well in reducing reflections. On the screen surface, one can notice light reflections, which can be somewhat distracting in brightly lit rooms. However, the key element that saves this television in daytime use is its brightness. With a value of 841 cd/m², the screen performs well even in very sunlit interiors. This is more than sufficient for comfortably watching television, movies, or sports events. Importantly, the television also handles more demanding materials, such as winter sports, where the dominating white can pose quite a challenge for other televisions. Here, Xiaomi definitely delivers.

Before we dive into the software that controls the TV, it’s important to highlight one of the standout features of Philips OLED 809 is the multicoloured Ambilight. This unique system, positioned on the back of the device, adjusts its colours according to what's happening on the screen, enhancing immersion and overall viewing experience.

The Philips OLED 809 runs on the Google TV system, which is a significant advantage over some of the manufacturer's other models that use the proprietary TitanOS, a more closed system with fewer available apps. With Google TV, users can install virtually any application, from the store or via APK files directly from online repositories.

Additionally, Google TV offers convenient control options, such as easy integration with keyboards and touchpads for smoother typing and navigation. Voice commands can also be issued using the remote, with quick and accurate interpretation by the system.

In summary, Google TV is one of the most popular systems available today. Powered by a robust CPU, it operates smoothly and stably, without freezes or stutters. For those who want to make the most of their TV’s capabilities, Google TV offers the openness and versatility needed to enhance the overall experience.

Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is a television that stands out thanks to the Google TV system. It offers access to the most popular streaming services, music applications, and various useful features that significantly enhance everyday use of the TV. For those who like personalization, the system also provides plenty of configuration options.

The built-in voice assistant works smoothly – we can not only control the TV with it but also ask about the weather forecast or set a reminder for the next day. Unfortunately, we noticed during testing that some functions have trouble translating into Polish, which can be frustrating, especially for those less proficient in navigating the settings. Despite this, the overall impression is very good, and minor shortcomings can be addressed in updates.

The device handles connectivity well. Wireless connections with Windows computers or Apple devices are smooth, and thanks to Bluetooth, we can easily connect headphones, keyboards, or other accessories. The remote is simple and comfortable – it works from any position, so aiming at the screen is not necessary. However, there are certain shortcomings. If someone often uses traditional television, they may miss the recording feature from tuners or the PiP (picture-in-picture) option. This slightly limits capabilities, but for those focused on streaming and modern features, it shouldn't be a significant problem.

Xiaomi compensates for these shortcomings with an excellent operating system. Google TV is one of the most advanced and intuitive systems available on the market, which makes the TV really perform well in everyday use.

The default media player on the Philips OLED 809 is of a high standard but has shortcomings. It excels in playing a wide variety of video files, with the exception of two less commonly used formats. A key advantage is the inclusion of options to confirm playback for various subtitle formats. The TV handles images of any resolution effortlessly, making it a great choice for browsing family albums or studio photos. In terms of supported photo and audio formats, the performance is satisfactory, with only a few outdated or rare formats being unsupported. However, this isn't a significant issue, as users can easily download an app from the store to handle those formats.

The basic file player in Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 fulfills its task for simple video materials. However, a noticeable drawback is the lack of support for Polish diacritics, which can be problematic for people using subtitles.

Fortunately, the presence of the Google TV system provides an easy way around this limitation. It allows you to install alternative file playback applications that handle Polish characters and offer much more advanced options. As a result, the limitations of the built-in player are not as burdensome as one might think.

At the outset, it's important to note that sound quality is always subjective. In our opinion, the audio system in the Philips OLED 809 is of high quality. The bass is well-defined without overpowering the mid and high tones. From another perspective, considering the price range of this TV, most users will likely have an additional audio system. In this context, the television will not disappoint, as it supports nearly all major standards, including Dolby Atmos and, notably, DTS-HD Master Audio.

Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 sounds really pleasant and even offers a slight bass, reminiscent of the audio known from the lower model, the A Pro 2025. The sound is well balanced, making movie watching or music listening comfortable, even without additional audio equipment. Interestingly, the TV seamlessly supports audio formats such as Dolby Atmos and the less common DTS:X. This allows you to connect a home theater system or soundbar and enjoy spatial sound without any difficulties. A nice addition is also the presence of a standard speaker jack.

Philips OLED809/819 vs Xiaomi S Mini 2025

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