Sony A95L vs Samsung QN900F

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

[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.