Philips PUS8079 vs Samsung The Frame 2025 (LS03F)

The Philips PUS8079 has a maximum brightness of just 202 nits in content with a wide tonal range, which is very low and makes it unsuitable for streaming movies and series in the highest quality. Additionally, using HDR with dynamic metadata doesn’t improve the situation, as the only HDR format available on this model is HDR10+, which is rare and has limited content support. The TV also uses WLED backlighting, which is not optimal and results in only 80% coverage of the DCI-P3 wide colour gamut. This limits the intensity of colours in HDR content.

The Frame LS03F is a television that can surprise with its brightness. The maximum luminance reaches around 650 nits, which already looks solid on paper. But as we know, lab tests are one thing, and real movie scenes tell a completely different story. When watching HDR content in natural conditions, The Frame 2025 maintains very good results. In most film scenes, peak brightness remained at levels of 550–650 nits. This is enough to feel the difference between standard image quality and that of HDR – bright highlights, reflections on water, and moonlight appear clear and impressive.

It’s also worth noting that the LS03F is a QLED television, which translates to solid color saturation. The coverage of the DCI-P3 color space reaches about 92%, allowing for vibrant, intense colors in HDR content. It may not be at the level of top premium models, but for a lifestyle screen, the result truly deserves recognition.

The best factory mode for colour reproduction and fidelity to the director's vision on the Philips PUS8079 was the "Film" mode. However, this setting displayed significant discrepancies between the filmmaker's intent and the actual output. In both SDR and HDR materials (with HDR being less affected), the white balance was off, showing a blue tint similar to store displays, rather than pure whites. When it came to SDR materials, gamma was notably lowered, cutting into the already limited contrast and brightening the overall image. The EOTF curve in HDR content also showed a significant drop below the reference line, making HDR materials appear even darker. The colour accuracy in both SDR and HDR modes was poor, with high deltaE values indicating that the colours were far from their intended representation.

When it comes to image quality right out of the box, even in Filmmaker mode, which is supposed to be the closest to reference, there were issues. In both HD and 4K HDR content, we noticed noticeable deviations in white balance. The image was heavily skewed towards red and blue, giving the screen a characteristic rosy tint. This effect was most visible in bright scenes – for example, in shots with a lot of white, where neutral light should naturally dominate. In such moments, the screen clearly leaned towards pink tones, which can also be seen in the attached comparison photo. As for brightness characteristics – it wasn't as bad as one might expect given such color inaccuracies. Analysis of the gamma curve and EOTF showed a slight brightening of the image compared to the reference, but not enough to drastically affect the perception of the material.

Fortunately, Philips incorporates advanced image correction tools across its televisions. SDR content benefited the most from these adjustments, with significant improvements in deltaE errors, white balance, and gamma. While the image still isn’t perfect, it is much more watchable, making it easier on the eyes during movie or series viewing. HDR content, however, was more challenging due to the television’s low luminance. While the EOTF curve and white balance improved, the corrections weren’t as effective as with SDR materials. It’s important to note that each unit may have different errors, some larger and some smaller, but the adjustments made were a step in the right direction.

After calibration, the movie mode gained a completely new quality. The issue of pink tint, which had previously been clearly visible, especially in bright scenes, was effectively eliminated. Colors began to look much more natural, and the white balance no longer dominated the rest of the image. It was no longer the same exaggerated “box picture” – everything gained coherence and a cinematic character. Additionally, the tendency of the television to slightly brighten scenes, previously visible in the EOTF curve analysis, was partially corrected. Of course, this was within the limits of what the design allows without local dimming – it’s hard to speak of perfect brightness management here. Nevertheless, the final effect was definitely closer to what one would expect from a mode called Filmmaker.

Let us revisit the topic of tonal transitions, this time in the context of overall image quality enhancement. As shown in the photo on the left, the gradation improvement feature delivers excellent results. It provides multiple settings, each offering noticeable benefits without softening the film grain effect. Once again, it must be emphasised that this feature is the standout advantage of the tested television.

On the other hand, the television’s performance in image scaling leaves much to be desired. Fine details often appear heavily jagged, with a noticeable white halo around figures. Additionally, the significant artificial sharpening detracts from the overall image quality.

The LS03F is equipped with the NQ4 processor, which is responsible for improving image quality—especially in lower-quality materials. In practice, it works surprisingly well, particularly with older content and recordings with lower resolution. Activating the "noise reduction" feature yields noticeable effects. The television effectively smooths tonal transitions and removes digital noise that can appear in darker areas of the image. Compared to previous generations, there is a clear improvement—previously, this feature often smoothed everything too much, including details that it shouldn't have removed. In this year's model, the smoothing still occurs, but it is done in a much more acceptable manner. Textures of materials, skin, or fabric details are no longer so heavily muted as before—the image retains more naturalness. However, this does not change the fact that film grain is still removed by the television, which may not be to everyone's liking. On the other hand, it is no longer as aggressive an intervention as in previous models. It is also worth mentioning that the LS03F may struggle with very weak signals—such as recordings from VHS tapes or video in low resolution. In such cases, we noticed slight clipping of the image at the edges—so-called overscan. This can lead to situations where a small part of the image (e.g., subtitles at the bottom edge) gets cut off.

This paragraph will be notably brief due to the absence of even basic motion-smoothing functionality, which is unsurprising given the device's budget-oriented nature. The VA panel used here is not known for exceptional sharpness and is instead associated with high contrast and slower response times, as confirmed by the matrix analysis results. Photos captured during fast motion reveal typical motion blur for this type of panel. While not ideal, the television could be conditionally suitable for watching sports, though viewers should expect less-than-optimal motion clarity. Additionally, films may exhibit noticeable stuttering due to the lack of any motion-smoothing features, even basic ones.

A novelty in The Frame for 2025 is the panel with a refresh rate of 144 Hz. Yes – in a television primarily associated with displaying artwork, you can now not only watch Van Gogh but also comfortably play on a console or follow dynamic sports action. This is a definite step towards greater versatility. In the case of Samsung films, as usual in models with a 120 Hz panel and above, it allows you to adjust motion smoothness according to your own preferences. You can set a more cinematic representation while maintaining frame rate or opt for full motion smoothing. The range of options is wide, allowing you to tailor the effect to your taste – whether the viewing experience is meant to resemble classic cinema or a presentation on a modern theater panel.

*this part of the test refers to the model LS03FAU in sizes 55 and 65 inches, which is equipped with a 144Hz panel; the 43 and 50-inch sizes have 60Hz panels, and therefore perform much worse in terms of motion smoothness.

The Philips PUS8079 provides only basic gaming features, including ALLM, VRR, and a Game Bar. The key highlight is the inclusion of dynamic frequency adjustment, which ensures a smooth image with minimal screen tearing—an impressive offering for this price range.

A notable benefit for gamers is the presence of the Game Bar, allowing adjustments to be made "on the fly" without needing to exit the game. Importantly, this feature retains options found in higher-end models, such as shadow enhancement for improved visibility in darker areas and a colour filter designed to assist gamers with visual impairments.

As we mentioned earlier – although The Frame likely displays images and works of art most of the time, Samsung has recognized that a Van Gogh enthusiast can just as easily be an avid gamer. And it must be admitted that The Frame 2025 has almost everything it needs to become a fully-fledged gaming television.

On board, we find support for ALLM (automatic game mode) and variable refresh rate (VRR) thanks to the implementation of one HDMI 2.1 port. The television handles lower resolutions at higher refresh rates without any issues and features an expanded Game Bar – already known from other Samsung models – which allows for quick previewing and changing of the most important gaming-related settings. For this, it earns additional points from us. The proprietary motion smoother Auto Motion Plus Game also deserves special mention, which – and it's worth emphasizing – works without increasing input lag. Samsung remains the only manufacturer that has managed to implement this feature in a practically noticeable way in terms of delays. The result? Much better fluidity in games, especially those that struggle to maintain stable 60 frames. This solution can realistically improve the gaming experience in more demanding titles – especially on consoles that don’t always manage full fluidity, especially in AAA games.

As for the downsides – the lack of Dolby Vision is already considered standard in Samsung televisions, so there's nothing to particularly complain about here. However, the problem is something entirely different. In the latest version of the Tizen system, the HGiG option has disappeared. Literally – it's not there. This is a significant setback when configuring a console for proper HDR content display in games. It’s hard to understand why such a decision was made, but one thing is certain – this should be fixed as soon as possible. We are talking about a brand that has set standards for gaming on televisions for years. If HGiG comes back – and we hope that it will – The Frame LS03F can confidently aspire to be a true gaming television. Not just as a decoration on the wall, but as equipment that really provides joy in gaming.