Sony A95L vs LG QNED86A / QNED85A / QNED87A

Sony A95L offers an incredible HDR effect, achieving an impressive brightness level of 1500 nits in scenes such as those from Life of Pi or Sicario 2. These results are truly remarkable – the bright elements in these films practically come to life on the screen, providing the viewer with immersive visual experiences. The only thing to note is minor issues with maintaining brightness in the scene from The Meg, where the entire scene is flooded with light. However, this is a natural effect related to OLED technology. The wide coverage of the BT.2020 color palette at 89% is also a significant advantage, placing A95L Sony among the top TVs in terms of color reproduction. All of this is made possible by the QD-OLED panel from Samsung Displays.

Against the backdrop of contrast and black, the brightness of the QNED86A and the overall HDR effect performs much better. This is a television that can reach around 700 nits in the best conditions, so in terms of brightness alone, there is nothing to be ashamed of. As a result, scenes with strong lights, explosions, flashes, or bright parts of the landscape look clear and can make an impression. Interestingly, even in more challenging moments with small, contrasting elements on the screen, the television handles their backlighting well, and the details are quite visible. The problem resurfaces when there are a lot of dark tones. The lack of effective local dimming causes black to virtually disappear, and instead, we get a gray glow spreading across the entire screen. This kills the sense of depth and makes the image look flat, as if it lacks a cinematic quality. In bright animations or colorful family films, this won't be an issue because colors and bright light dominate there. But in horrors or productions set in darkness, these limitations are very palpable. As a consolation, it’s worth mentioning that the QNED86A is actually a QLED television with a PFS LED filter, which gives it very good coverage of wide color gamuts. Both the DCI-P3 palette and the wider BT.2020 perform really solid here. This ensures that colors in HDR films are saturated, vibrant, and have the right depth – even if the black itself disappoints, the colors can save the viewing experience and make the image look attractive.

The best factory mode in terms of color reproduction in Sony A95L is IMAX Enhanced. This is a mode that, at first glance, seems to be well calibrated; however, upon closer examination, several areas requiring improvement can be noticed. First and foremost, the white balance for both SDR and 4K HDR content is skewed with excessive blue and red color, leading to a subtle pink tint, particularly noticeable on neutral tones. As a result, skin tones are inaccurate, affecting the realism of the displayed image. This is clearly visible in the comparison photo below. Additionally, the Colour Checker test confirms the presence of these errors—color samples often deviate from their reference values, indicating some inaccuracies in the factory color reproduction of A95L Sony. The maximum deltaE error values reach up to 5.8, which is a clear indication that colors are not always reproduced as precisely as they should be.

Regarding brightness characteristics, the gamma for HD/SDR content is generally quite correct, maintaining an appropriate balance between brightness and contrast. Unfortunately, there is a significant jump at the end of the graph, leading to a strong brightening of the image when the screen is fully flooded with white. This can make scenes with very bright backgrounds, such as snowy landscapes or intense daylight, appear overly vivid and lose detail. In the case of HDR content, the EOTF curve, which is responsible for controlling luminance, is slightly boosted compared to the reference values. This, in turn, causes the image to be somewhat brighter than it should be, which may affect the perception of more subtle details in the darker areas of the frame.

We primarily tested the QNED86A in Filmmaker mode, which is designed to provide the most accurate picture. Unfortunately, right out of the box, there were quite a few shortcomings. The most noticeable issue was the poorly adjusted white balance – there was a lack of blue, causing the overall image to lean slightly yellow, and at times, even orange. An even bigger problem turned out to be the way the television manages brightness. Due to its technical limitations – namely, local dimming that only works along the edges of the screen – the QNED86A tends to over-brighten entire scenes. This is where the flattening effect we mentioned earlier comes from. Instead of distinct depth and contrast, we get something akin to "boosted brightness," which can strain the eye over time.

Sony A95L offers excellent tools for professional screen calibration, allowing you to maximize the capabilities of the IMAX Enhanced mode. We used them to bring the image to a level that will satisfy even the most demanding viewers. After calibration, the white balance for both 4K HDR and SDR content looks simply great – almost perfect. The Colour Checker test confirmed that deltaE errors do not exceed a value of "2", which means that color reproduction is extremely accurate, and any deviations are practically imperceptible to the human eye.

Calibration also brought a significant improvement in terms of brightness – gamma is now perfectly balanced, eliminating the previous issue of excessively brightening scenes with very bright backgrounds. As a result, even the most vibrant moments, such as snowy landscapes or intense daytime scenes, appear natural, without the effect of clipping. The EOTF curve, which is responsible for controlling luminance in HDR content, has also been improved – it now reaches a reference level, both in synthetic tests and in practical movie watching.

As a result of the calibration, A95L Sony offers excellent experiences, whether you're watching material from regular television or your favorite movies. Every detail is reproduced exactly as the creators intended – without unnecessary brightening, with perfectly rendered colors and appropriate depth. This shows that this television, after professional tuning, is capable of competing with the best screens on the market, offering an image that truly impresses.

What was saved in the QNED86A6A is undoubtedly the colors. After calibration, the white balance was set with great precision, resulting in deviations on the Colour Checker palette mostly not exceeding the threshold of visibility for the human eye. In other words – the colors finally looked natural, without strange yellow or orange tones that previously ruined the experience. Unfortunately, even the best calibration cannot bypass design limitations. The already mentioned very modest number of local dimming zones and their unfortunate placement made the analysis of the EOTF curve in films still show clear over-brightening of scenes. The image tended to flatten, lacking cinematic depth. Fortunately, this effect is not as noticeable in older productions or SDR content. There, calibration really does its job and allows taming the QNED in such a way that the image can be pleasing. However, the specifics of this design – especially the contrast issues – cannot be entirely overcome.

The tonal transition smoothing function in Sony A95L works really well and is worth noting. We recommend setting it to the "Medium" level because at this value, you achieve an ideal compromise – there are no artifacts, and the image looks extremely natural and pleasant to the eye. This allows for smooth transitions between different shades while maintaining scene detail, which further enhances viewing comfort.

As for upscaling, you can see the full power of the XR processor here. Sony A95L handled our test material featuring a model excellently – the image is exceptionally clear, there are no excessive jagged edges, and the details in the background are perfectly preserved. The XR processor effectively improves low resolution, providing very good results that allow you to enjoy content in almost high quality, even if its source is not ideal.

If someone is worried about possible "steps" when connecting colors, there is a simple way in the QNED86A. Just turn on the feature called Smooth Gradation and set it to medium level. Then the TV really smooths out all those unwanted transitions – especially in older productions – and does it in such a way that the film grain doesn't disappear, nor do strange artifacts appear. In other words, you can use it without worry.

The upscaling itself also turns out quite well. Of course, there are no miracles here – with lower quality sources, you can observe characteristic jaggedness. Fortunately, there is a sharpness slider in the menu, and if someone prefers a more "softer" image, it can be quickly adjusted to their taste.

Sony A95L is a TV that should satisfy both gamers and movie lovers. When it comes to watching movies, this model is equipped with Motionflow technology, which allows precise adjustment of whether we want the image to be more "framey," like in traditional cinema, or exceptionally smooth, like in cinema TVs. The "Smoothness" slider allows you to regulate the level of smoothness – from subtle changes to a more noticeable effect, while the "Clearness" slider is responsible for reducing flicker and artifacts, helping to achieve more natural and clearer motion. Regarding gaming and watching sports, the A95L Sony television offers a refresh rate of 120 Hz, making every dynamic action look incredibly smooth. Gamers will appreciate the lack of blur, while sports fans will see every movement in full sharpness. Overall, the TV performs great – both with fast-paced gaming and emotionally charged movie sequences.

The QNED86A is equipped with a 120 Hz refresh rate panel, so right from the start, it's safe to say that it's suitable for both sports and gaming. And indeed, this is true – the image looks smooth, and motion blur is not very noticeable. IPS panels have always had some issues with this, and you can sometimes notice slight blurring here as well, especially in very dynamic scenes, but it's not something that ruins watching a match or a fast-paced game. For movie and sports fans, LG has added the traditional TruMotion smoother. In the menu, we have two sliders – one for movies (De-Judder), the other for sports (De-Blur). The first adds missing frames and allows you to adjust the character of motion – from raw, cinematic to more fluid, "theatrical." The second enhances sharpness during dynamic actions, so it's worth turning it up a bit if you're watching a lot of sports.

Sony A95L is a television that will truly satisfy gamers, thanks to several key features that set it apart from the competition. First of all, a 120 Hz refresh rate – this is something that anyone who loves fast action games, racing, or dynamic shooters will appreciate. This ensures exceptionally smooth visuals, making gameplay more satisfying without annoying stutters. The A95L Sony also has an ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) feature that automatically activates low latency mode when we start up a console. What does this mean? Above all, faster on-screen responses, which is invaluable in games where every second counts. Additionally, there’s VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), which adjusts the refresh rate to match the frame rate generated by the console. The result? No tearing, and everything looks smooth and consistent – even with fluctuating FPS.

It’s worth mentioning the support for Dolby Vision with low input lag in games – something we don’t often encounter in televisions, yet it’s included here. This makes the visuals in HDR-enabled games incredibly vibrant, with rich colors and excellent contrast. Both the brightest and the darkest details are visible, making everything look just as the game developers intended. And let’s not forget the "Game Bar" – a small but very practical feature. It gives us quick access to all the important gaming settings, such as VRR and latency information. There’s no need to interrupt gameplay to adjust settings – everything is at hand.

However, it is important to remember that the A95L offers only two HDMI 2.1 ports with full bandwidth, one of which is designated for eARC. This may pose a limitation if we plan to connect multiple devices – for example, a next-gen console and a soundbar simultaneously. In such cases, the eARC occupying one of those ports may be somewhat troublesome, blocking the ability to connect a second console.

In terms of gaming, the LG QNED86A6A is a complete tool. It features four HDMI 2.1 ports with full bandwidth of 48 Gb/s, which means that whether you connect a PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, or a powerful PC – everything will work at full 4K 120 Hz with support for all features. This is a big plus, as some competitors still have only two such ports, which can be problematic with a larger number of devices. It also has VRR, or variable refresh rate, which eliminates screen tearing, and ALLM, which automatically activates game mode when the console is turned on. There’s also Dolby Vision Gaming and a proper implementation of the HGiG format, so titles supporting these formats look more vivid and detailed. Added to all of this is the Game Optimizer – a kind of control center for the gamer. From this level, you can view image parameters in real-time, quickly change modes, activate additional features, or adjust image settings to your preferences. The LG QNED86A6A essentially has everything one can expect from a modern gaming television.