Samsung QN900F vs Blaupunkt UGC5500S

QN900F is really a bright TV – it can generate nearly 2000 nits, which is a value that remains unattainable for most models available on the market. But the mere ability to achieve such brightness is not everything – it also matters whether the TV can use it well. And this is not always perfect. Our tests on movie scenes showed that in scenes such as those from Life of Pi or The Meg, the QN900F can truly shine – literally and figuratively. In such moments, its greatest advantage, which is brightness, makes a huge impression. However, in more challenging scenes, the issues begin – similar to assessing contrast. When smaller, bright elements appear on the screen, the TV often struggles with the decision: whether to highlight them at the expense of black levels, or perhaps maintain deep black but tone down the brightness. The result of this is situations where, for example, in the movie Sicario 2, the brightness dropped to just 200 nits, making details barely visible. The dimming algorithms could definitely be better for a TV of this class.

Here, we won't beat around the bush either – if you're looking for a TV strictly for cinematic HDR experiences, you've come to the wrong address. The Blaupunkt UGC5500S unfortunately is not a machine designed for such challenges. This is primarily due to its very low brightness, which we measured during our tests. A result of around 250 nits on film screens speaks for itself. It's simply too little to even talk about any real HDR effect. To be honest, everything displayed here in this format can best be considered a slightly "boosted" SDR mode. We expected this because practically every device in this price range fails in this regard, but we feel obligated to warn you. Manufacturers love to boast about HDR compatibility stickers on the boxes, but in reality, this format simply doesn't exist here – it lacks the "fuel" of brightness.

The situation is made all the more difficult for Blaupunkt because we have a panel with a very basic DCI-P3 color gamut coverage of just around 80%. You won't find any advanced coatings that enhance these capabilities (like quantum dots), making scenes that are supposed to burst with richly saturated colors appear simply desaturated on this screen. Therefore, we have a concrete piece of advice for you: do not push the HDR mode on this model. If you have the option in the streaming app settings – just turn it off. Sticking with the classic SDR mode will ensure that the TV won't try to "enhance" something that it can't handle hardware-wise.

Testing the QN900F in Filmmaker mode, one quickly noticed the characteristic features of the image despite the fact that this mode is designed to reflect the director's vision. The white balance was not perfect – the television had noticeable deficiencies in blue color. This made the entire scene take on a warmer tone, as if someone had applied a subtle filter in shades of yellow and orange. In movies where bright shots dominate – for example, scenes in the snow or in strong daylight – this created a slight warming effect, which does not always convey the director's intent. The second noticeable element was brightness management. The QN900F sometimes managed to brighten the image more than necessary. It looked as if the exposure had been slightly "pulled up," causing the scene to lose its naturalness. Shadows were sometimes too shallow, and contrast was slightly weakened. These are not disqualifying errors, but for a television in this price range, it is evident that Filmmaker mode has not been perfected one hundred percent. This is particularly evident when comparing its image to what was visible after screen calibration.

We also took a close look at how Blaupunkt handles colors in movie mode, and here the situation is, to put it briefly, twofold. We must clearly separate what we see in the standard SDR format from what happens when HDR is turned on, as these are two completely different worlds. Let’s start with the better side of the coin. If you plan to watch classic television, YouTube, or older movies on this TV, you can count on really well-tuned colors. In our test sample, the white balance in movie mode was exceptionally accurate, which honestly surprised us. Of course, to not make it too rosy, we noticed some flaws. Looking at the gamma charts, we observed that the processor struggles with properly dimming the image in its brightest parts. Additionally, there is quite strong, at times too aggressive, red saturation, which resulted in noticeable errors in reproducing certain shades. Nevertheless, in general terms, the image in SDR is simply solid and watchable without a grimace on your face. Unfortunately, the magic fades when we re-enter the world of HDR. Here, Blaupunkt behaves as if we suddenly switched it to store mode, and in its worst form. The excess blue in the white balance is so overwhelming that it literally clashes with the eyes, ruining any realism of the scene. Furthermore, the TV interprets brightness very loosely, which, when analyzing the EOTF curve, clearly showed that for most of the time the colors appear simply washed out and lacking depth. This is, by the way, perfectly visible in the color errors that become evident in this mode. Once again, we are left with the same conclusion: Blaupunkt in SDR mode looks significantly better and more natural than in HDR, which feels forced and not properly refined.

After calibration, we were able to eliminate the errors in white balance and adjust them to a level that can be considered acceptable. It's not perfect, but definitely better than the factory settings. Most color errors are now within the deltaE 2–3 range, so in practice they shouldn't be noticeable during everyday viewing. The biggest improvement is seen in how the television manages brightness in SDR content. Shadows and details are no longer flattened, giving the image depth and naturalness. When it comes to 4K HDR materials, colors themselves are no longer an issue, but some imperfections of the Mini-LED technology can still be observed. The QN900F tends to dim the smallest bright elements too much, causing them to sometimes disappear from view. However, it should be added that this is a much better solution than boosting the entire screen, which would spoil the contrast. It's more of a characteristic of this technology than a typical flaw, but it's worth keeping in mind. The effects of calibration are really very good.

It may sound like a joke – pulling out professional measurement equipment for a television costing around a thousand zlotys / 250 dollars – but we wouldn't be ourselves if we didn't check it out. The question is: does such cheap equipment give us any room for calibration? To your surprise, the answer is yes, and absolutely so. In the Blaupunkt UGC5500S menu, we found surprisingly many options that allowed us to really work on the picture. These are not just empty sliders; they are concrete tools that enabled us to make use of our measurement sensors and software. In SDR mode, the effects were noticeable to the naked eye. We successfully eliminated the issue we mentioned earlier – that excessive, almost artificial saturation of reds. We also fixed the problem of incorrect dimming of the brightest parts of the image. After calibration, the standard format picture became much more balanced and simply correct. As for HDR, the situation was again more complicated. Although we managed to "tame" that aggressive blue tint in the white balance, it was evident that we were fighting a bit in vain. Even after changing the settings, the television still tried to intervene in the image in its own way, as if the electronics knew better than we did how the scene should look. Additionally, there's a hardware barrier that no slider can overcome – colors in HDR still remain unsaturated. This simply results from the quality of the panel itself; it physically cannot produce the most vibrant colors. To summarize this point: if any of you ask whether it’s possible to calibrate a television for "a thousand," we respond with full conviction: it is possible.

If we would like to eliminate non-fluid tonal transitions that can be annoying, for example while watching YouTube, we can use a feature called noise reduction. It works really effectively – it removes the issues with color blending when we set it to Standard level. However, as with most Samsung televisions, this comes with compromises. Although we did not notice that this feature significantly affects the structure of objects in the image, it unfortunately reacts rather aggressively to film grain. Most people will appreciate this effect – the noise is simply removed – but if someone is looking for an image as close as possible to reference settings, then we definitely recommend turning off this option.

As for scaling, which means handling very low-quality content, the QN900F performs really well. On the test screen with the model, the image looked clear, with only slight aliasing that should not bother most viewers. However, it is worth mentioning one issue – the television has problems with so-called overscan, which can cause older content to be slightly cropped. This can manifest itself, for example, with subtitles disappearing from the bottom of the screen.

If you expect that the processor in this model will magically "fix" the poor quality signal from cable TV or old films from YouTube, we must disappoint you. The capabilities of this television end with absolutely basic upscaling, which is simply stretching the image to a higher resolution. It does this correctly in that the image is not blurry, but there is no talk of any intelligent sharpening or adding details. Worse still, Blaupunkt is completely devoid of any functions that reduce unwanted tonal transitions. If the material being viewed has so-called banding (ugly "steps" instead of a smooth transition of colors, e.g., in the sky), this television will display them in all their glory. Additionally, the television tends to slightly crop the edges of the image. Instead of displaying 100% of what the source sends, Blaupunkt slightly enlarges the frame, causing us to lose details located at the very edges of the screen. In summary: in the category of digital "enhancement" of the image, Blaupunkt simply performs poorly. We receive a raw, unprocessed signal with all its flaws.

There really isn't anything to complain about here – the QN900F looks very good when it comes to motion. Thanks to the 165 Hz panel in 4K, one can confidently say that this TV is suitable for both watching sports and gaming. The motion smoothness feature plays a key role here. It works remarkably well – not only during sports broadcasts, where it can eliminate blurring and image jitter, but also in games, where the animation becomes clearer and smoother. And of course, if someone likes to experiment with movies – they also have that option. At lower settings, there's a slight graininess and filmic character, while at higher settings, it reaches soap opera effect territory. So everyone can adjust the picture to their preferences, and the TV has the power to handle it.

When it comes to motion fluidity, Blaupunkt has nothing to defend itself with. A 60 Hz panel at this price is standard, so none of us expected a perfectly sharp image during fast action scenes or while watching a game. However, the biggest drawback of this model is that you won't find any digital smoothers in the menu. The manufacturer did not give us any room to maneuver – there's no way to smooth anything out or adjust the image to our preferences. The image is always "raw" and we receive it exactly as the source transmits it. For fans of cinematic "motion jump," this might be fine, but everyone else just has to get used to the absence of any motion support.

[UPDATE] We have updated our 2025 Samsung TV reviews following the release of firmware version 1131, which officially restores the essential HGiG (HDR Gaming Interest Group) support.

It is really nice here. The QN900F offers a full set of features that we would expect from a top-tier gaming television – we have VRR, ALLM, Game Bar, and also cloud gaming applications. However, the biggest highlight is the proprietary motion smoothing, which also works in games and – importantly – does not add noticeable delays. This is something we won't find in its other competitors. Unfortunately, there is also something concerning. This year, Samsung has apparently messed something up with its televisions. During the test of the QN900F before its update, it had the HGIG feature, which allowed for perfect adjustment of HDR settings for the console. However, according to our procedures, we always update the equipment to the latest version – to give the manufacturer a chance to fix any shortcomings. And here… it turned out the opposite. After the update, the HGIG feature disappeared from the menu, making the proper configuration of the console for HDR practically impossible. It was supposed to be complete – 165Hz, four HDMI 2.1 ports, a full gaming package… but unfortunately, it turned out to be a little blunder. Such a shame.

When it comes to gaming on the Blaupunkt, we didn’t expect miracles and indeed – the list of features is not very long. However, there are two interesting points worth mentioning, as they may be significant for some of you at this price. The first advantage is that the TV quite efficiently detects the connected console. Thanks to the ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) feature, the device automatically knows when you start gaming and switches to low latency mode. This is convenient because you don’t have to fiddle with the settings every time to prevent input lag from ruining the fun. The second point is a real curiosity that surprised us. Even though it’s a 60 Hz panel, the Blaupunkt can display images at 120 Hz at Full HD resolution. Sure, we lose 4K details then, but for those playing more dynamic, online shooters where fluidity is more important than resolution, it’s a really nice and unexpected addition in such an inexpensive piece of equipment. Besides these two points, however, you won’t find anything else here. There are no advanced systems for improving fluidity for gamers or extensive gaming menu bars. It’s a simple screen for occasional gaming.