Compare Philips The One (PUS8959 / PUS8919 / PUS8909 / PUS8949 vs Panasonic Z95A

Philips PUS8959, also known by other designations under the PUS89 abbreviation (depending on the sales network), is a model from the popular series The One. Its biggest distinguishing feature is the Ambilight system, which still makes a great impression. The three-sided backlighting adapts to the picture on the screen, making movies, series, or games literally extend beyond the edges of the TV. The One is also a good option for gamers. The 120 Hz panel and low input lag ensure that games run smoothly, and the motion on the screen is clear. On the console, we tested several dynamic titles, and the TV handled them without any problems – no stutters or delays. Additionally, HGiG support allows for better reproduction of HDR effects in games. This is a great solution if we care about the image matching what the creators intended. The picture quality is at a good level, especially during the day. With a brightness of 550 nits, The One performs well even in well-lit rooms, and Dolby Vision in HDR films delivers vivid colors and sharp details. However, the ADS panel has its limitations – the blacks in dark scenes resemble a gray shade more, which can be noticeable when watching in a dimly lit room. When we watched movies with the lights off, the lack of depth in the blacks was somewhat evident. The Titan OS operating system is something that still needs refinement. It is fast, but the limited number of applications, such as the lack of Spotify or TVN Player, can be frustrating for those used to more advanced platforms like GoogleTV. When daily using Netflix or YouTube, it works flawlessly, but if we expect more advanced features, the system may not meet expectations. Overall, Philips The One is a good choice in its price category. The Ambilight system impresses and significantly enhances the viewing experience, especially in the evening. It is also a solid option for gamers, thanks to smooth image and low input lag. Although the blacks are not perfect and the operating system needs refinement, the TV performs well in everyday use. For fans of unique solutions like Ambilight, this is a proposition that definitely deserves attention.

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.

The television Philips PUS8959 is based on an ADS panel, which offers slightly different parameters compared to the popular VA panels. In the tested scenes, the contrast was around 2000:1, making the black level far from ideal. ADS panels are known for their weaker contrast compared to VA panels, which in practice means that instead of deep black, we see more navy or gray shades. However, the ADS panel is still better than the standard IPS panel, which cannot achieve such a level of contrast. Additionally, the Philips PUS8959 is not equipped with local dimming technology that could improve these parameters. The lack of this feature amplifies the effect of shallow black, particularly noticeable in dark scenes, like those in the movie "Sicario 2." Instead of intense black, the screen generates a silvery glow, which can be bothersome, especially when watching in darker conditions. All of this makes the visual experience lose depth, and details in dark scenes are not as well visible as one might expect from higher-class screens. Despite the lack of local dimming, the television is equipped with something called Global Dimming. The television is capable of completely dimming the panel to achieve higher contrast, but at the expense of details that may blend together, for example, lights in the test scene from the movie Oblivion. It is worth adding that the model we received for testing has quite large spots resulting from uneven backlighting, although this is not an exception, and one should take into account that we might also receive such a unit when purchasing.

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.

The luminance chart for Philips PUS8959 shows that the television can achieve around 550 nits of brightness, which can be considered a satisfactory level. This brightness allows the effects of HDR to be felt, particularly standing out in more demanding scenes. In the tested patterns, the television performed quite well, even in challenging sequences like those from "Sicario 2". Due to the lack of local dimming, the television does not dim small bright elements, and they shine with the full "power" of the television but at the cost of the silverish blacks we mentioned in the paragraph about blacks. It is also worth praising Philips PUS8959 for its good coverage of the DCI-P3 color palette, which amounts to around 94.5%. This makes the colors vivid and close to the creators' intentions, further enhancing the quality of HDR effects and the viewing experience of high dynamic range content.

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.

The Philips PUS8959 television was tested in the best, theoretically most precise picture mode – Filmmaker. Although the name suggests cinematic quality, it unfortunately falls far short of the ideal. The biggest issue in this mode is white balance, both in HD and 4K content. It is characterized by a significant dominance of the red color and dips in the green level, resulting in an unnatural color reproduction. For example, white elements of the image have a distinctly pinkish hue, and the green is less intense, causing the overall image to lose its naturalness and color balance. The ColorChecker test confirms these errors – it is clearly visible how the color samples "deviate" from the correct values, which can be best observed on the sample squares that should accurately reproduce colors. The lack of accuracy in this regard affects the realism and fidelity of the image, which is particularly undesirable in Filmmaker mode.

Regarding brightness characteristics, the gamma chart resembles a real roller coaster – with small elements displayed on the screen, the brightness is excessive, causing details to become overly highlighted. Meanwhile, at higher gamma values, the image loses contrast and becomes too dark, making the overall appearance look less dynamic. Similar issues can be noticed in the EOTF characteristics – the television is unable to correctly reproduce the brightness level, negatively affecting the overall image quality.

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.

After calibration, the Philips PUS8959 television shows a significant improvement in color reproduction, especially in HD content. The white balance is exceptionally even, and the Delta E error values are below 1, which can be considered an outstanding result. Additionally, the gamma, which is responsible for brightness in lower-quality materials, performs very well, maintaining a stable level at 2.4, leading to an appropriate balance between bright and dark areas of the image.

Regarding 4K HDR materials, a significant improvement is also noticeable. The white balance, although not as perfect as in HD content, no longer shows issues with excessive red exposure, making the image appear more natural and harmonious. Unfortunately, in the EOTF characteristics, it is difficult to speak of any significant improvement, due to the design limitations of the television that prevent significant enhancement in this aspect.

Nevertheless, the overall performance is much better after calibration, making the Philips PUS8959 one of those televisions where it is truly worth spending time on precise calibration to achieve satisfactory image quality.

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.

The gradation on the Philips PUS8959 television looks very good, offering smooth tonal transitions in most scenes. Occasionally, minor issues can be noticed, especially during transitions between certain colors, where subtle unevenness is apparent. However, these imperfections are subtle enough that they do not significantly impact the overall viewing experience and can be considered completely acceptable. In everyday use, the television provides sufficiently good gradation quality to satisfy even more demanding users, maintaining the naturalness of the image and avoiding glaring tonal distortions.

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.

When it comes to smoothing tonal transitions, the "Distortion Reduction" function at the minimal setting performs quite well, effectively smoothing tonal transitions without excessive influence on other elements of the image. In tests, I did not notice that the reduction negatively affected the image structure, such as film grain or object details – everything remains in place, which is a big plus for users who appreciate the natural look of film materials.

On the other hand, regarding digital processing, the image looks quite good, although it is characterized by very softened contours, giving it an almost "misty" quality. This effect can evoke mixed feelings – some users may enjoy the fluidity and delicacy of this type of presentation, while others may find it too gentle, losing detail. It is a matter of individual preferences, but it must be admitted that the Philips PUS8959 provides quite subtle yet effective tools for improving tonal transitions without excessive interference in the natural character of the image.

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.

Philips TV PUS8959 is equipped with a 120 Hz panel, which should satisfy more demanding users, especially those who love watching dynamic sports broadcasts or playing games. Such a high refresh rate allows for a significantly smoother image, being a key aspect during dynamic scenes and fast actions.

For those who prefer watching movies, the TV offers an additional motion smoother that allows adjusting the frame rate of the film according to personal preferences. The Philips PUS8959 has a 10-step adjustment for the functions called "Smoothness" and "Motion Blur Reduction." The "Smoothness" function is responsible for increasing the number of frames through interpolation, making motion on the screen smoother, resembling the effect of so-called "soap opera." Meanwhile, "Motion Blur Reduction" focuses on minimizing blurring and improving motion sharpness, which is particularly noticeable in dynamic sequences, such as action scenes or fast sports shots.

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.

Philips PUS8959 is a television that will certainly satisfy gaming enthusiasts. It supports most modern technologies useful during gameplay, such as HGiG, allowing for better HDR effect reproduction in games. As a result, the image is closer to what the game developers intended to achieve.

The television also supports 120 Hz image display, ensuring smoothness and dynamism, which is particularly important during action games and sports broadcasts. The Game Bar feature provides quick access to game settings, making it easier to adjust the image according to user preferences without interrupting gameplay.

Unfortunately, the Dolby Vision mode does not offer low input lag, which may be noticeable during dynamic scenes. Nevertheless, thanks to the HGiG feature and high refresh rate, the Philips PUS8959 remains an attractive choice for gamers, offering good image quality and appropriate smoothness during gameplay.

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.

Philips PUS8959 TV offers impressive results in terms of input lag, making it an excellent choice for gamers. For 120 Hz content, the lag is less than 6 ms, which is an absolutely outstanding result and allows for immediate reactions in games, especially in fast-paced titles. For 60 Hz content, the input lag is 15 ms, which is also a remarkable result and provides comfortable gameplay in most cases.

Unfortunately, the Dolby Vision mode does not perform as well, as the input lag increases to 31 ms. While this result may be acceptable for less dynamic content, it may prove insufficient for demanding gamers, affecting precision and reaction speed. Nevertheless, in standard modes, Philips PUS8959 still offers outstanding performance, making it a competitive choice in the gaming TV market.

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!

Philips PUS8959 performs excellently as a monitor for use with a PC. With support for chroma 4:4:4, it provides full color clarity, which is crucial for working with text – fonts are sharp and legible, regardless of the background they are on. This makes using office applications, browsing the internet, and graphic editing comfortable and precise.

Additionally, the low input lag offered by the television guarantees smooth and responsive operation, which is important for both everyday tasks and more dynamic applications, such as gaming or multimedia editing. Philips PUS8959 is an excellent choice for users seeking a television that will also serve as a PC monitor, providing high image quality and user convenience.

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.

Philips PUS8959, equipped with an ADS panel, offers quite good viewing angles, definitely better than those found in VA panels. The image retains its quality even when viewed from a greater angle – colors are vivid, and contrast does not deteriorate as much as in televisions with VA panels. As a result, when watching television from different spots in the room, one can still enjoy well-saturated colors and overall image quality, making Philips PUS8959 a perfect choice for larger spaces and for watching together with family or friends.

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.

Philips PUS8959 has a satin coating on the screen that effectively reduces light reflections, which is advantageous when using the television in bright daylight conditions. However, such a coating causes blacks to take on shades of gray during the day, losing their depth and intensity, which affects the perception of the image in darker scenes.

A brightness level of 562 cd/m² allows for comfortable television viewing during the day, even in well-lit rooms. The image is bright enough to stand out against daylight, and the reduction of reflections ensures decent visibility of content, making Philips PUS8959 a good choice for rooms where lighting levels cannot always be controlled.

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.

Philips PUS8959 is equipped with a three-sided Ambilight system – the flagship patent of this brand, which has delighted a dedicated group of fans for years. Ambilight relies on dynamic backlighting of the wall behind the TV, matching the content displayed on the screen, which significantly enhances the viewing experience, especially in dimly lit rooms. This effect is unique and adds a certain kind of "magic" to watching, causing many users to choose Philips specifically for this feature.

As for the operating system, Philips PUS8959 uses Titan OS – a system that is still in its early stages of development. Here, you can see growing pains, especially since Philips has moved away from Android in most of its models. Titan OS has a limited number of available apps. This is frustrating for those accustomed to a broader ecosystem like GoogleTV. Additionally, the TV does not have AirPlay functionality, which limits its compatibility with Apple devices and may be a drawback for users looking for a flexible way to stream content.

The user features of Philips PUS8959 are a mix of pros and cons. The remote control included with the TV is quite annoying – it requires direct aiming at the screen, which can be inconvenient. On the other hand, the voice function works without the need to aim, but it only supports English. On the plus side, the remote is backlit, making it easier to use in the dark. The TV does not have PiP (Picture-in-Picture) functionality or the ability to record programs, which is a significant drawback. However, the TV is equipped with Bluetooth, allowing connection to headphones or a keyboard, which can be useful – especially due to the limited number of available apps, which may encourage the use of the built-in web browser.

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.

Although the Titan OS system on the Philips PUS8959 TV is still in its infancy, it deserves praise for supporting Polish subtitles embedded in movies, which is a significant convenience for users dealing with external files. If we want to play a movie from a connected USB device, the TV will do so without major issues, providing comfortable viewing without the need for additional subtitle configuration.

When it comes to photos, the TV should have no significant difficulties in playing them. It supports most popular formats, although it lacks support for less common standards such as HEIC used in Apple devices. This means that some photos, especially from newer Apple devices, may require prior conversion to a more standard format in order to be played on the Philips screen.

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 sound of the Philips PUS8959 unfortunately leaves a lot to be desired. Although the low frequencies can be heard in the playback, the bass is very weak, which results in an overall unsatisfactory sound quality. The TV plays average, especially when compared to more advanced audio systems available on the market.

Despite the average quality of the speakers, the TV supports all the essential audio codecs, which may please users using external home theater systems. Thanks to compatibility with various audio formats, the Philips PUS8959 can offer good audio experiences when connected to appropriate external speakers or a receiver, providing a fuller, more cinematic sound.

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.

Philips The One (PUS8959 / PUS8919 / PUS8909 / PUS8949 vs Panasonic Z95A

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