PHILPS PUS9060 vs Sony Bravia 3 50' (VA)

The One is bright enough to enjoy movies recorded in HDR format. The average brightness of this model is about 500 nits, so we can count on a pleasant viewing experience for movies from streaming platforms without any issues. Of course, it could always be better, because when it comes to brightness, there is never too much for this type of content. Unfortunately, a disappointing surprise may be the DCI-P3 color gamut coverage offered by the PUS9060. Although the manufacturer boasts about using a QLED filter here (it’s actually PFS LED), it's hard to talk about any positive effects of its operation. 85% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage is definitely not a level to brag about in 2025 – especially in a television advertised as QLED.

Interestingly, in the 50-inch version, the Bravia 3 performs slightly better in terms of brightness than its larger variants. In measurements, it achieved around 370 nits, which still aren't values that can compete with top-end televisions, but enough to speak of a semblance of HDR effect. For some users, this level will be acceptable, while others will view it as typical for SDR content, where spectacular bursts or strong contrasts are not expected. It must be clearly stated that the Bravia 3 is not a television for those who want to extract maximum quality from the most challenging film materials.

However, this does not mean that everything is mediocre. Sony equipped this model with an additional PFS filter, which works similarly to solutions used in QLED televisions. As a result, the coverage of the DCI-P3 color palette increased to over 91 percent. In everyday use, this means livelier, more saturated colors and a more pleasing image texture. Even if strong lighting effects are lacking, movies and series can look significantly more attractive than in its predecessor, the X75WL.

We tested the PUS9060 in the best factory mode it employs – of course, we’re talking about movie mode. Unfortunately, the best in this case doesn’t mean good. The picture in this mode was distinctly yellowed and leaned towards orange tones. The white balance on this TV was definitely too warm, resulting in an artificial, somewhat "sun-kissed" look for the entire scene. This directly translated to significant color errors, which in the worst cases exceeded a delta E value of 6 – thus, they were visible to the naked eye. The situation was the opposite in HDR mode, where the picture became too blue and too cold in appearance. Additionally, there was a slight increase in brightness – the gamma curve and EOTF suggested that the TV slightly brightens the image, which was also evident in the comparison photo below.

We primarily tested the Sony Bravia 3 in movie mode, which immediately proved to be the best choice among the factory settings. It's not a perfect picture, but compared to eco mode, which the TV suggests right out of the box, the difference is clear and positive. In movie mode, one can notice a certain problem: the picture seems too warm, which results from a lack of blue in the white balance. Despite this, in SDR content, the final effect can still be considered quite decent and satisfactory for everyday viewing. Much more serious errors appear in HDR materials. The Color Checker analysis showed significant deviations, and poor brightness management, combined with limited color gamut coverage, further exposes the shortcomings of the picture in this mode. All this makes HDR on the Bravia 3 look unconvincing and can spoil the impression left by the quite decent SDR content settings. Fortunately, this is not a hopeless situation. All sorts of errors can be somewhat mitigated, and some can even be completely corrected through professional calibration. That’s why we decided to see how the TV would perform after such adjustments.

Thanks to calibration in movie mode, we managed to completely eliminate the yellow-orange hue, which significantly improved the reception of the entire scene. The image has become much more visually pleasant, although it still falls short of reference settings. It may now appear slightly bluish, but it is still a significant improvement compared to the factory settings.

Unfortunately, we could not significantly improve the brightness characteristics, but that is more about the construction of the TV itself – the lack of local dimming limits the possibilities for precise brightness management. The PUS9060 simply cannot dynamically adjust luminance like more advanced models do. Nonetheless, after calibration, the overall reception is much more enjoyable, especially in film materials.

The calibration allowed us to extract significantly more from the Bravia 3 than we could have expected at the beginning. Most importantly, we managed to address the deficiency of blue, which previously caused a noticeable warming of the image. After a slight adjustment in the white balance, most of the errors in the Color Checker measurements for SDR content practically disappeared. The shades of white gained naturalness, and the brightness management in gamma stabilized to a level nearly ideal, not exceeding the threshold of human eye perception. One can therefore confidently say that in SDR content, after a few adjustments in settings, the Bravia 3 performs really impressively. Much worse, though still definitely better than before calibration, is its performance with HDR content. The white balance has been brought under control, but the limitations of the IPS panel are insurmountable. The lack of local dimming means that even the smallest elements can be overexposed, which is immediately noticeable. Color-wise, the effect is also improved, although far from perfect – many errors still exceed four, or even five delta E units, meaning they remain visible to the human eye. It was already clear that the Bravia 3 is not a television designed to impress with HDR quality. Nevertheless, it is gratifying that in SDR content, after calibration, the image can look truly great, and in this category, the television surprised us positively.

In the PUS9060, we find the latest version of the image processor called P5 Perfect Picture, which is designed to improve the picture - especially the imperfect ones. The TV features a distortion reduction function, which smooths out tonal transitions, that is, those "color joins" mentioned earlier. And this function does so very effectively - there is no strong color gradation, but unfortunately, it works aggressively enough that it sometimes dims desired elements, such as material textures or film grain. So this can be considered a compromise. We would not recommend using this function for movies, but for more casual content - such as YouTube or regular television - absolutely.

The P5 processor also improves the quality of lower resolution images, and it does this quite effectively. The test image with the model is very soft - sometimes even too much - but this can be easily adjusted with the sharpness slider to match personal preferences. It is also pleasing that the TV does not cut off edges in SD content - which unfortunately still happens in some TV models.

Bravia 3 brings something more to the Sony TV family than just a common name. It stands out primarily for its ability to enhance the quality of weaker materials thanks to the processor used. Of course, we won't find the advanced XR chip known from more expensive models here, but still, it must be admitted that the image at lower resolutions looked surprisingly good. The upscaling worked effectively, and most parts of the screen were free from the typical excessive edge jaggedness found in budget constructions. The feature that improves the fluidity of tonal transitions is also noteworthy. In the high setting, it works really well, effectively masking gradation imperfections without significant loss of detail. It does happen that the algorithm overly smooths elements that should remain sharp - for example, faces - however, in general, the effect is beneficial. The best results were achieved precisely at the highest setting, and this option could be recommended to people watching lower quality content.

PHILIPS PUS9060 is equipped with a 4K display with a 144 Hz refresh rate, so we can confidently say that it is suitable for both watching sports and playing games. And indeed, it is. But what about movies that are most often recorded at 24 frames? Like most of the TVs we tested with a refresh rate of 120 Hz and higher, the PUS9060 offers two sliders in the motion smoothness options. The “Smoothness” slider allows you to adjust the effect in movies – you can set the image to be smoother, resembling a theatrical effect (higher settings), or more cinematic, with a slight “jump” in frame rate (lower settings). Additionally, there is a function called "Motion Blur Reduction," which reduces blurring – and this is a very useful feature, especially when watching sports.

The fluidity of motion has never been a strong point of televisions equipped with 60 Hz panels, and the Bravia 3 is no exception. Nevertheless, Sony has added something that may appeal to those who are more sensitive to the way images are displayed. We are talking about the proprietary motion smoother, Motion Flow, which gives users a lot of adjustment options. Thanks to it, the image can become smoother, almost theatrical, or you can stick with a more cinematic style characterized by the jaggedness that many people simply associate with the filmic atmosphere. These features work for content with lower frame rates, such as movies and series recorded at 24 or 30 frames per second, which are the materials we encounter every day. This is where the motion smoother proves to be one of the most important features in everyday use of the television, and here the Bravia 3 performs really well.

The PHILIPS PUS9060 is a true gaming monster – it has practically everything you could expect from a modern gaming television. It features VRR, ALLM, and also includes HGiG implementation, which helps set up HDR in games as the developers intended. The TV supports every possible resolution at 120 Hz, including 1080p, 1440p, and full 4K – so regardless of whether you’re playing on Xbox, PS5, or a PC, everything works as it should. There is also a simple Game Bar, which is a special menu for gamers that allows you to quickly check if the ALLM mode is indeed functioning in the lowest latency setting.

And of course – Ambilight TV. Let's be honest – without LEDs on the back, it’s not a true gaming device. 😉 The multicolored backlighting can really enhance the atmosphere, especially in the evening. It may not be to everyone's taste, but younger gamers will be thrilled – because it simply looks impressive.

Bravia 3 is not equipment for e-sports players or fans of late-night marathons with a controller in hand. The lack of 120 Hz refresh rate and HDMI 2.1 ports closes the topic before it even gets a chance to develop. This is a television for a casual gamer who will play FIFA or racing games after work, not for someone who measures every frame in a spreadsheet. Nevertheless, Sony has added a few nice extras to make it feel less bare. ALLM works as it should, automatically switching the television to game mode (low latency). There's even a simple Game Bar that is clear. However, the biggest curiosity here is the PlayStation Portal app. Thanks to it, you can launch games from PS5 wirelessly and see them immediately on the television screen. It sounds great, but it only takes a few minutes to feel significant lag. In our opinion, it's more of a showcase of capabilities than something you can reliably use every day. If someone really wants to play, it's better to connect the console with an HDMI cable and forget about wireless issues.