Samsung U8000F (IPS) vs Philips MLED920 / MLED910

Better does not mean good – and that perfectly summarizes the capabilities of the U8092F when it comes to displaying bright movie scenes in HDR mode. The brightness of the panel is just under 250 nits, which is definitely too little to enjoy any lighting effects. An interesting situation was noted during the measurement of the fourth scene from the movie Sicario 2 – the television clearly dimmed the entire screen in an attempt to achieve better black levels (which are still weak). One could even suggest that the device uses some form of "global dimming," but unfortunately, the results are still very poor. To make matters worse, the television does not support a wide color gamut – the coverage of the DCI-P3 space is about 80%, so there’s no hope for truly vibrant colors. HDR images here look rather like lightly brightened SDR, and that's the form we would suggest sticking to when it comes to this television.

In our measurements, the Philips MLED920 achieved even around 900 nits in static tests, which is a really solid result for a mid-range TV. In practice, this translates to a lot of satisfaction during viewing sessions – in scenes rich in bright light, such as the first, third, or fifth test screens, the screen was able to generate about 700 nits, which is enough to feel the true "HDR effect." However, it cannot be denied that the limited number of backlighting zones and the compromises of mini-LED dimming algorithms in more demanding scenes reveal their nature. In sequences with small light sources – such as the moon or a scene from the movie Sicario 2 – the television clearly prioritizes maintaining deeper blacks at the expense of the brightness of those small elements. For most viewers, this is still a reasonable compromise, as the dark background tends to look much better, though one must be aware that the details themselves may not impress with intensity. There is also some disappointment regarding colors. Although the applied PFS filter (the equivalent of quantum dots known from QLEDs) does its job and colors appear quite vivid, the coverage of the DCI-P3 color space reaches "only" 90%. In everyday viewing, this will be sufficient, but in extremely colorful productions – such as the latest Disney animations – one can notice that some tones are not as vibrant as they could be in other constructions.

The Samsung U8000F was tested in the best possible picture mode built into the TV, which is Filmmaker Mode. This mode should – at least in theory – offer a cinematic, reference-quality image without unnecessary enhancements. For SDR content (mainly HD/SD), the TV performed surprisingly well straight out of the box. White balance errors hovered around a value of 3, which is roughly at the threshold of perception. The only complaint could be about brightness management – the gamma chart showed a slight tendency to brighten or darken certain areas, but overall it performed quite well for this price segment.

Unfortunately, it looks much worse in HDR mode. Although the white balance wasn't terrible, the TV had significant color errors – particularly noticeable on the Color Checker chart, where almost every sample landed outside the target point. The HDR image simply looks unnatural, and colors can be shifted, dull, or too cool. This largely stems from the fact that the U8000F does not support a wide color gamut (DCI-P3). The TV is physically incapable of displaying accurate colors in HDR standard – and this unfortunately shows in every more demanding material.

Like every Philips television we tested, we primarily evaluated the MLED920 in Filmmaker mode – this is supposed to be the "most honest" mode, designed for films and to faithfully convey the creators' intentions. Indeed, in terms of colorimetry, it performs the best among all the modes available on the television, but it is not without its flaws. The first thing that stands out is the white balance. The image has a slight tendency to take on purple-pink tones, which gives it a somewhat unnatural character. However, an even bigger problem turned out to be what we mentioned earlier – image clipping. Just look at the gamma or EOTF graphs to see that the line deviates significantly beyond the norm, falling below the value of 1.8. In practice, this means "clipping" the brightest whites, where the image becomes almost milky. Fortunately, most of these issues can be corrected – the MLED920 responds to calibration, and with a few adjustments, the image quality can be significantly improved.

Although the U8000F offered quite a decent picture in SDR right out of the box, we were able to adjust it a little more. We managed to eliminate a slightly purplish tint and calibrate the gamma to a more reasonable level. However, the television still tends to overemphasize the smallest and brightest parts of the image – the gamma chart shows a characteristic "dip" that is difficult to completely correct.

Unfortunately, the situation looks worse in HDR. It's hard to talk about any significant improvement here – the television is simply not designed for HDR content. We tried to adjust the picture in the advanced settings, but despite everything, the color errors remained quite large – a delta E above 7 indicates noticeable deviations. It's a bit of a shame, but that's the charm of a budget design. In SDR, the U8000F performs just fine, while HDR is simply not its league.

After calibration, we managed to largely tame the white balance – to the extent that the average viewer will not be able to detect color inaccuracies. The characteristic pink-purple glow that previously disturbed the naturalness of the picture has also disappeared. The color palette has been organized, and the colors appear more consistent and neutral. The gamma in SDR content after calibration looks really good – there's no sign of the earlier “bleeding” effect in bright scenes. The picture has become more contrasted and devoid of the milkiness that previously spoiled the perception significantly. In the case of HDR content, the improvement is also noticeable, although it is still evident that the television is “doing its own thing.” The EOTF curve cannot be fully shaped, as Philips simply does not provide tools in its settings that allow for precise control over this parameter. In many films, the television simply still showcases the image “in its own way.” Despite these limitations, calibration has brought quite a lot of good – it has managed to minimize most of the color inaccuracies and significantly improve the overall balance of the picture. However, it must be remembered that certain barriers arise from the very hardware construction and they simply cannot be overcome.

When it comes to how the Samsung U8000F handles lower-quality materials, we have to admit that Samsung has made progress compared to its predecessor from last year – the DU7192 model, which theoretically occupies the same place in the lineup.

This year's model is equipped with a function to improve the fluidity of tonal transitions, which has been implemented much better than last year. Yes, the television still uses quite strong algorithms that can distort details or remove film grain, but even so – it can be confidently said that it works effectively.

However, not everything went perfectly. The U8000F has noticeable issues with slight frame cutting when watching very old content in very low resolution. If someone plans to play their old VHS tape, they should be prepared for the image to appear slightly “cut off.”

The manufacturer equipped this model with several features that improve signal quality, and although we usually approach such "enhancers" with skepticism, they turn out to be really helpful here. The key option is called "distortion reduction" – it works best at a medium level because, on one hand, it effectively smooths out unwanted banding and color transitions, while on the other, it doesn't excessively cut details, which keeps the image looking natural.

The situation is a bit worse with upscaling. Lower quality materials – such as test videos with models – appeared soft and lacking in sharpness. Yes, this can be somewhat corrected with the sharpness slider in the menu, but the effect still remains far from what competitors in a similar price range offer. Philips therefore still needs to work on this aspect because, in light of the successful improvement of tonal transitions, the upscaling simply performs poorly.

The Samsung U8000F is equipped with a 60 Hz panel, so right from the start, it’s clear that we shouldn’t expect any miracles. This is simply the standard in this class – sufficient for everyday viewing, but without any fireworks.

The TV offers one motion smoothing slider – a feature called "Motion Blur Reduction", which allows us to adjust the smoothness of the image in movies. Higher settings provide a more "theatrical" and smoothed effect, while lower settings help retain the original character of the film with a slight 24p effect. Interestingly, there is a feature called "Clear Motion LED", which is a BFI mode – that inserts black frames between the frames of the picture to improve motion clarity. However, in practice, the screen flickers significantly when activated, and it should be regarded more as an experiment than something that realistically enhances gaming comfort.

The Philips MLED920 features a 144 Hz panel, which immediately suggests that we shouldn’t complain about motion smoothness. And indeed – the motion blur is relatively low here for a VA panel, and although one might occasionally notice slight issues on darker backgrounds, they are not something that most people would notice during regular viewing.

A major plus is the presence of a motion smoother called "Motion Style." It allows you to adjust the smoothness to your own preferences – if someone prefers a more “theatrical,” almost television-like image, they can increase the sliders, and if they want to preserve the natural “jitter” of a cinematic frame, they just need to set lower values. This way, everyone can find the perfect balance.

Samsung U8000F offers a basic set of features for gamers, which nonetheless may be sufficient for less demanding users. We have an automatic game mode here – when a game is launched on the console, the TV automatically switches to low latency mode, which significantly improves response time. We also find the VRR feature, or variable refresh rate, which operates within a range of 48 to 60 Hz. This means that both Xbox and PS5 will not produce the "tearing" effect, as long as we stay within this range.

And unfortunately, that's about it for the advantages. Add-ons like Game Bar or higher refresh rates are reserved for the higher models of Samsung from the 2025 line. In theory, the TV also supports the HGiG feature, which should adjust HDR images to the intentions of game developers. Unfortunately – even though this feature appears in promotional brochures and store materials – its configuration on the Xbox console turned out to be... impossible in practice.

For gamers, the Philips MLED920 is truly a complete tool. The manufacturer has taken care of everything that today is considered standard in televisions designed for consoles and PCs. It features ALLM, so the console automatically switches the screen to game mode, it has VRR and 144 Hz refresh rate, which guarantees smooth gameplay even in fast titles. All key HDR formats are supported – including HGiG and Dolby Vision Gaming for Xbox – which means that regardless of what you are playing and on which console, the TV will be able to extract maximum potential from the image. In everyday gaming, the Game Bar also proves to be useful – a relatively simple implementation by Philips, but a functional panel where you can quickly check image parameters, turn on VRR, or adjust details without leaving the game. It may not be as advanced as the competition's offerings, but it performs its job flawlessly. And lastly, something that distinguishes Philips from its competitors – Ambilight. The three-sided LED backlighting can make a huge impression in games, especially in the evening. It also provides a way to slightly "expand" the screen and feel greater immersion. And since colorful LEDs have recently become almost a mandatory element of a gamer’s room, the MLED920 fits into this trend perfectly.