Sony Bravia 8 MK2 vs SAMSUNG OLED S95F (QD-OLED)

Thanks to the new QD-OLED panel, the Sony Bravia 8 II can achieve astronomically high brightness levels of around 2000 nits, translating to nearly reference quality in films and series recorded in HDR format. In test materials such as Life of Pi and Sicario 2, the effect is simply stunning – details in bright parts of the image remain perfectly visible, while night scenes captivate with depth and contrast. However, it's not perfect. Compared to the fiercest competitors, the Bravia 8 II shows a noticeable drop in brightness during full-screen, very bright scenes. When comparing peak luminance to 100% white brightness in HDR mode, the Bravia 8 II is even two or three times dimmer than the LG G5 or Samsung S95F models. This was particularly evident in a scene from the movie The Meg – the screen became noticeably darker than in competing televisions. Despite this drawback, the results of the Bravia 8 II still place it among the very top of the market. It deserves praise for its absolutely top-notch color gamut coverage – DCI-P3 at nearly 100%, and BT.2020 close to 90%. These parameters allow for fully extracting the potential of HDR content and providing a cinematic experience in the comfort of your home.

The new generation of QD-OLED panels in the Samsung S95F shows its full potential, and the brightness results are absolutely stunning. In test film scenes, such as "Life of Pi" or "Sicario 2," where smaller light elements appear – stars, the moon, or headlights – the TV was able to achieve over 2000 nits of brightness. This is a result that surpasses even most top Mini-LED models.

The secret lies in the technology itself – instead of a limited number of dimming zones like in Mini-LED TVs, we have millions of glowing pixels here, allowing the TV to fully showcase its power without technological compromises. Of course, since it is still an organic panel, in full-screen scenes flooded with white – like in the final sequence of the film The Meg – the brightness drops to around 1400 nits. Nevertheless, the result remains excellent and definitely exceeds what any OLEDs, both QD-OLED and WOLED, have offered so far. The color reproduction also deserves special attention. Thanks to QD-OLED technology, the TV achieves almost 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 color palette and about 80% in BT.2020. These values make the HDR image not only dazzling with brightness but also captivating with a richness of colors.

Right out of the box, the Bravia 8 II performs really well. In the best IMAX® Enhanced mode, the television can reproduce colors in a pleasing and natural way, although “good” here does not mean “best in class.” The white balance definitely needs adjustment – skin tones tend to lean into slightly pink/cool hues, both in SDR and HDR materials. We also noticed that the EOTF curve characteristics show a tendency to brighten the darkest parts of the image. This is probably due to the manufacturer's desire to highlight as many details as possible, even in deep shadows. Is this a good approach? It's hard to say definitively, but we know one thing – it's not an ideal solution.

The best picture mode right out of the box is undoubtedly Filmmaker Mode – a mode that Samsung has been using for several years, designed to faithfully represent the creators' intentions. In SDR content, its implementation is not bad, although some imperfections can be noticed. The picture is slightly dimmed, and the screen has a slight pinkish tint resulting from the predominance of red and blue in the white balance. Color errors remained at a level of 3–4 ΔE units – and for the uninitiated: a value above 3 is the threshold where the average human eye begins to notice differences.

However, much larger problems arise in HDR content. Here, the white balance was not such a significant issue – a slight excess of blue did not cause major problems. The issue became managing brightness. In practice, the TV "overexposed" the image too much, causing details in the blacks to completely disappear. The final effect was far from what was expected, and the color errors in this mode became really large. It's hard to say why such a design decision was made, but it was clear that the factory HDR settings did not allow this TV to showcase its full potential.

After calibration, the excessive cooling of the image caused by the strong boost of blue color was eliminated. Reds became deeper, and skin tones took on a natural, healthy appearance. Actors who previously seemed "cold" now appear much livelier and more convincing on screen. However, one thing has not changed – the analysis of the EOTF curve still shows that the Bravia 8 II tends to lighten the darkest parts of the image. It's hard to say whether this is a deliberate choice by the manufacturer or a result of the panel design and software. In practice, this means that scenes the creators wanted to leave in deep darkness can reveal more details than intended. Nevertheless, the viewing experience after calibration is clearly better – warm, natural colors and realistic skin tones make watching on the Bravia 8 II simply more pleasant to the eye.

After calibrating, it was possible to make subtle adjustments in white balance and significantly improve the image characteristics. In SDR content, the quality has become practically reference-level—most color errors have fallen below a ΔE value of 1, which is the level at which the human eye can no longer detect differences. This is a result that places the S95F among the absolute top televisions available on the market.

In HDR materials, calibration also brought significant improvement. The tendency of the television to overexpose the image was successfully controlled, as confirmed by the analysis of the EOTF curve. A slight tendency to brighten the entire scene or occasional loss of details in the blacks can still be observed; however, it does not significantly impact the overall perception. After calibration, the S95F showcases its full potential and can be described as one of the best televisions on the market!

Upscaling and digital image processing are a true showcase of the capabilities of Bravia 8 II. Sony has long been regarded as a master in this field, and here it only confirms its reputation. The proprietary XR processor can extract nearly maximum quality from lower resolution materials—whether it's television or an old DVD movie, the image looks sharper, with more details and better depth. Sure, if we feed it exceptionally low-quality material (like our archival photo with the Model), it won't work miracles, but in everyday viewing, it's hard to find anything to complain about.

The soft gradation feature also performs excellently. In the "Medium" setting, it effectively smooths tonal transitions, eliminating banding on colored and gray gradients, while simultaneously preserving film grain and fine image details. It is this balance between delicacy and effectiveness that keeps Sony TVs among the best on the market in this category.

The Samsung S95F offers a noise reduction feature that smooths tonal transitions. It works very effectively, but in practice, it can be too aggressive. Materials of lower quality – such as older recordings or videos from YouTube – become soft and plastic when this feature is turned on, resembling an image digitally smoothed in a graphics program. Unfortunately, this also causes the natural film grain, which often adds authenticity to the image, to disappear. Fortunately, the TV does not lose too many fine details, such as in skin textures or elements of the surroundings. Therefore, this feature is best used with caution – depending on preferences, one can achieve a smooth image, but less natural, or one that is more faithful to the original. In our opinion, the most universal choice is the “Standard” setting.

The image scaling performs significantly better. The TV handles lower resolution materials well – even 576p content looks quite decent, although a slight blockiness can be noticed. Overall, the effect is very good, although it is somewhat inferior to what Sony Bravia 8 (II) or LG G5 can achieve. It's also worth mentioning a small imperfection of the S95F – in older materials, overscan may occur, causing a slight cropping of the left edge of the image.

Motion smoothness is practically a closed topic in the case of Bravia 8 II. The OLED with 120 Hz refresh rate naturally provides a very clean, clear image in dynamic scenes, so there is little to complain about. However, particular praise is due to one of the best motion smoothing systems on the market. They allow for precise adjustment of film smoothness according to one's preferences – from gentle smoothing to an almost "theatrical" effect – without the risk of artificial jumps, tearing of the image, or annoying artifacts. This is one of those features that will be appreciated both during movie screenings and while watching sports.

The Samsung S95F demonstrates phenomenal motion fluidity. The panel itself operates at a native 4K resolution with a refresh rate of up to 165 Hz, and combined with QD-OLED organic technology, it delivers incredible results. Sports and games look amazing – the image is fast, dynamic, and very natural. Additionally, the built-in motion smoother and motion blur reduction system allow you to adjust the character of the image to your preferences. You can opt for a more "frame" effect with visible film structure or a smooth, theatrical performance. Every viewer will find a setting that suits them.

Sony really learned its lesson from previous years and in the Bravia 8 II prepared a package of features for gamers that is difficult to describe as anything other than "almost perfect." We have everything expected in equipment of this class – VRR, ALLM, Dolby Vision Gaming mode, HGiG, and even a convenient Game Bar that allows you to quickly preview parameters and change settings without leaving the game. Additionally, it's worth noting how smoothly and flawlessly these features work – no delays, no strange stutters. You simply turn on the game and everything looks as it should. Unfortunately, there are a few "buts." The manufacturer still gives us only two full-bandwidth HDMI ports, so if someone has a console, a PC, and another device like a Soundbar connected via eARC, it starts a game of cable swapping. It's also surprising that there is no support for 1440p resolution at 120 Hz – particularly important for Xbox gamers. Overall, however – this is one of those TVs that can comfortably be placed in the center of a gaming lounge, allowing you to enjoy gameplay without significant compromises.

The same advantages of low motion blur and excellent motion fluidity characteristic of OLED panels are just the beginning, as the Samsung S95F was designed with gamers in mind. The manufacturer has equipped it with four HDMI 2.1 ports – although limited to a bandwidth of 40 Gb/s, in practice, this has no impact on compatibility with consoles or PCs. We get a complete set of gaming features: variable refresh rate (VRR), automatic game mode (ALLM), as well as a very well-implemented HGiG standard, which allows HDR titles to appear as their creators intended. The whole thing is complemented by the Game Bar – a clear settings hub where we can preview and change all key picture parameters with one movement. The proprietary motion smoother Game Motion Plus also deserves praise, as it can smooth out animation, which is particularly useful in productions running at 60 frames, where stability is not always exemplary. Although support for Dolby Vision in games is lacking, it is hard to consider this a serious drawback – Samsung compensates for it with other solutions. This is one of the best, if not the best, gaming TVs available today on the market.