Sony BRAVIA 5 (XR5) vs Samsung QN80F 100"

Looking at similar results in terms of black levels and contrast, we expected the same stable performance as last year's model when it comes to HDR content. Unfortunately – and this must be said plainly – there has been a regression here that is hard to overlook. The paradox is that the peak brightness of the Bravia 5 can be impressive: in our synthetic tests, the television reached around 1000 nits in HDR. Sounds great, right? The problem is that this power does not always translate effectively to all movie scenes. When small, pinpoint elements appear on the screen, something that was usually refined with surgical precision in the case of Sony clearly falters this time. The algorithms try to maintain deep blacks around small objects, but the side effect is that details can be dimmed to the point of becoming barely visible. A case in point is the movie Sicario 2 – there, in some scenes, small light sources practically vanished as if someone had covered them with dark film.

Of course, not everything looks so dramatic. In simpler, brighter scenes, where the image is filled with a greater amount of light, the Bravia 5 shows that it can shine: literally and figuratively. At that point, the television achieves values in the range of 600–800 nits, which we observed in both synthetic tests and during movie screenings. The impression is truly positive; the brightness adds dynamism, and the colors appear vivid and fresh. However, there remains a certain dissonance. We feel a slight confusion because it is evident that something has gone the wrong way. Technological advancement – more zones, greater backlight power – has not been supported by the refined image management we usually associate with Sony. Fortunately, there are elements that have not been worsened and are instead at a very high level. We are talking about color reproduction. Thanks to the use of the PFS filter, the color gamut coverage is excellent – about 97% of DCI-P3 and 75% of BT.2020. These values allow for a truly wide color reproduction, giving films a natural and cinematic character.

When it comes to HDR in Filmmaker mode, the QN80F can make a great first impression on you. Our lab tests showed that under the best conditions, the TV can achieve brightness exceeding 1200–1300 nits. These are truly remarkable results, which make HDR effects in many films look incredible. The TV is simply bright enough that it doesn’t need to artificially adapt the picture – bright parts of scenes have the right "power" and actually look like a light source. Of course, the lab is one thing, and everyday viewing is another. In practice, during movie scenes, brightness usually oscillates between 700–1100 nits. These are still great values that, in most cases, give a strong sense of realism and make the lights on screen really capable of dazzling you. The problem arises in exceptionally challenging sequences, where, like almost every mini-LED, it reveals its limitations. A good example is Sicario 2: scenes with helicopters in the night sky look much weaker, and the lights lose intensity, dropping to around 370 nits, making it hard to speak of serious admiration. This leads us to the topic of colors. Although we are dealing with a QLED, the coverage of the DCI-P3 color palette is about 90%. This is fairly average for a quantum dot TV. In practice, this means that some colors may appear less saturated than we would expect, especially in demanding HDR productions.

Sony Bravia 5 was of course tested in the best possible mode, which is the Cinema mode. Right out of the box, it offers the most natural colors, definitely better than anything provided by the "eco" or "dynamic" modes, which are more suitable for a store display than a living room. However, the Cinema mode itself does not guarantee that we can always expect cinematic image quality. In SDR content, we had practically no major complaints – the slightly warm white balance made the scenes take on a somewhat golden tone, but it was nothing that was glaringly obvious. However, the problem arose with HDR materials. Here, the color reproduction simply looked poor. The white balance was severely off – with an excess of blue and a noticeable lack of red. At times, it even resembled the store "super vivid image" mode, where everything is overexposed and artificially boosted.

This state of affairs made managing brightness seem too aggressive as well. The EOTF graph clearly showed that the television had issues with overexposing many scenes right out of the box. And while we know what Sony televisions are usually capable of, it was hard to remain indifferent here – which is why we quickly decided to go for calibration.

Samsung QN80F performs best in Filmmaker mode, which is designed to faithfully convey the creators' intentions. And indeed – it is a mode in which the TV showcases its potential. But let’s not deceive ourselves, it is far from perfect. In SDR content, a problem with white balance became apparent. Slight deficiencies in green and a clear excess of red caused the screen to take on a pinkish hue. You don’t even need measuring tools to notice this – in everyday viewing, the slightly shifted color palette could be quite noticeable, and in color checker tests, colors were even "jumping" out of their reference fields. With HDR content, the situation was a bit better, as the white balance was closer to ideal, but another problem emerged – brightness management. The EOTF curve often caused the image to become too bright, which spoiled the perception of contrast, and in dynamic scenes led to a slight "flickering" in the reception. We actually already mentioned this in the sections about black levels and HDR. The good news, however, is that Samsung provides a lot of tools for improvement. The QN80F allows for really detailed calibration, including a 20-point white balance. And since the manufacturer left us so many options, we decided to see how the TV would perform after solid corrections.

After calibration, the situation changed drastically. We managed to tune the white balance so that entire scenes began to look more natural, and the image gained coherence and elegance. In HDR, we finally got rid of that unwanted blooming effect that had previously ruined some shots. Suddenly, it turned out that the Bravia 5 can extract much more from films than the first contact "straight out of the box" suggested. Yes, if we take a look at the graphs and compare them with the reference patterns, we can see that the start of the EOTF curve slightly deviates from the reference line. However, this is not so much a calibration error as a natural limitation of Mini-LED technology, which cannot be bypassed. Sony, instead of clinging to perfect black, prefers to prioritize the visibility of details – and in practice, it’s hard to disagree with that. We prefer to see the texture of the material on the screen rather than a pitch-black blob that obliterates all nuances.

The calibration itself made a significant difference. After about an hour spent on adjustments, we felt that the picture resembled that from the best cinema halls – of course on a home scale, but with the same sense of quality and refinement. And in such moments, we remember why we love Sony televisions: because once we fine-tune them, they can reward us with an image that captivates for long hours.

After calibrating the QN80F, it immediately showed that it is capable of much more. The pink tint that could previously spoil the reception has disappeared, and the white balance finally looks as it should – natural and without excessive deviations. The colors have gained depth, and the image has become more saturated and consistent, making movies simply more enjoyable to watch. It's a bit like removing a light haze from the screen – suddenly everything seems sharper and clearer. Brightness management has also improved. The television no longer gets lost so easily in dynamic changes, and the EOTF graph shows that the curve tracking is much more stable. Of course, there are no miracles – the limited number of zones still means that small, bright elements can be slightly brightened, but that is due to the construction itself, not the settings. After this adjustment, the QN80F feels like a more mature piece of equipment, and watching movies finally provides the satisfaction one expects from a television even in the higher class.

Bravia 5 carries within it the genes of Sony, which remain intact – and thank goodness for that, because we are talking about absolutely remarkable digital image processing. There is a reason that for years it has been believed that it is this brand of television that sets the standard for how a screen should handle lower-quality materials. If someone is still watching classic television, old movies, or YouTube in lower resolution, here they get equipment that can turn such content into a surprisingly pleasant experience. On board, we find several tools worth activating. The first of these is "digital noise reduction." Set to a medium level, it works almost flawlessly – smoothing tonal transitions that usually pose the biggest challenge with low-quality materials, while not introducing any artificial artifacts. Importantly, it also does not remove the filmic character, or the natural grain that is an intentional element in many productions. Another advantage of Bravia 5 is the upscaling capabilities of the XR processor. The image presented after scaling is soft yet sharp and clear. The contours of characters are well-defined, and backgrounds retain their structure without excessive artificial sharpening. It’s hard to find a better television for watching lower-quality content – Bravia 5 only confirms why Sony is regarded as the benchmark in this field.

With lower quality materials, such as YouTube videos or older television recordings, the QN80F can showcase its stronger and weaker points. If strange color transitions or artifacts start appearing on the screen, it's worth using the noise reduction function. The best setting is at the "medium" level – it smooths out the problematic segments without blurring the entire image. However, one compromise must be kept in mind: this function always removes film grain. If someone enjoys its presence in older productions, it's better to leave the reduction turned off because, regardless of the setting, the grain simply disappears.

Resolution scaling, or upscaling, is another strong point of Samsung. The QN80F may not be the best TV on the market, but it performs very well in its price range, which is very important for such a large size as a 100-inch screen. Even low-quality materials can gain a second life – the image becomes sharper, more readable, and overall much more pleasant to view. A weak point remains overscan, or slight trimming of edges in very low resolutions (e.g., 576p), which has been a longstanding issue for Samsung. Fortunately, in everyday viewing of HD and 4K content, this practically doesn’t matter anymore.

Bravia 5 has a 120 Hz panel, which in itself sounds like an invitation to watch sports, fast matches, or spectacular action movies. However, the real magic begins only when MotionFlow comes into play – Sony's proprietary smoothing technology. Thanks to it, we can adjust the character of the image to our own preferences. The “smoothness” slider allows us to transition from a cinematic vibe with a slight “jitter” of the film frame to an almost theatrical fluidity, where every ball in the game glides across the screen like on a string. The higher the value, the smoother and more fluid it is; the lower – the more cinematic and natural. In the options, we also find an additional setting that Sony has called “clearness.” This is nothing more than the BFI function (which stands for black frame insertion), which aims to improve motion clarity. It sounds great in theory, but in practice, you need to use it with great caution. Why? Because all higher settings cause brightness drops of up to half, and in some cases, there can also be contour doubling. Therefore, if we want to use it, we recommend the lowest possible level – “1” out of the available ten. This way, we gain a little better motion clarity without risking a loss of half the image brightness.

The QN80F features a 144 Hz panel, and this is evident in practice – with full refresh, the image is exceptionally smooth, and motion blur remains at an acceptable, barely noticeable level. However, this mode is mainly aimed at PC gamers. The most important reference point in everyday use remains a 120 Hz refresh rate, and here a certain discrepancy arises. During the UFO test, we noticed the blurring of contours of quickly moving objects – it looked as if the television had the BFI (Black Frame Insertion) function permanently enabled, which in practice led to an unpleasant double edge effect. We do not yet know if this is a software issue or a characteristic of this model, but in its current form, it is difficult to praise such behavior.

In the Bravia 5, there is significant progress compared to the X90L model from two years ago. The television offers literally everything that its predecessor had, but this time the issues that could irritate gamers have been fixed. The problems with setting up variable refresh rate (VRR) have disappeared, and there are no longer any issues with configuring HDR content in HGiG mode. In short: we get a device that simply works as it should without any fuss. The Bravia 5 thus has everything one could expect from a modern gaming television – and it could be advertised with the slogan "ready for PS5" without exaggeration. This is a statement we couldn't make about the X90L model. Hats off, Sony!

It's just a shame that in such a relatively high-priced model, a complete set of four HDMI 2.1 ports is missing. In everyday use, this won't be a problem for most people, but if someone has a console, soundbar, and additional equipment connected via HDMI, at some point there will be a need to either choose or juggle cables.

The Samsung QN80F gives the impression of a television designed for gamers. On the list of advantages, it features a 144 Hz panel, four full-fledged HDMI 2.1 ports, full support for VRR and ALLM, and one of the best-designed game bars on the market. Additionally, there is the Game Motion Plus motion smoothing, which works even in games without actually increasing input lag, making the QN80F an absolute phenomenon in this category. In practice, this means you can enjoy smoother visuals without sacrificing responsiveness, which is a dream for many console gamers!

As usual with Samsung, Dolby Vision is missing in games, and this is no longer surprising. What surprised us much more, however, is that in the 2025 models… the HGIG feature has disappeared. It was the feature that allowed consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X to perfectly match HDR tone mapping to the capabilities of the television. In the current firmware of the QN80F, this option simply doesn’t exist – it looks more like a bug than a conscious decision by the manufacturer, but as of the test day, it must be noted that HGIG is unavailable. Because of this one omission, the QN80F goes from being almost the perfect television for gamers to just "almost" perfect. This is quite a pity, as Samsung has created a model that truly raises the bar in gaming hardware.