Sony Bravia 9 (XR90) vs Philips OLED950

The brightness performance of the Sony Bravia 9 is exceptional. Each scene reaches over 1500 nits, and the television can shine even brighter during movie playback. This level of brightness provides an extraordinary viewing experience, allowing for immersive interaction with high-quality video content. Thanks to its extensive coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut, the image is vibrant, and when combined with such high luminance, it almost feels alive. With its impressive peak brightness, viewers can fully appreciate the colour range, even in the most challenging scenes involving dynamic lighting changes. The Bravia 9 also supports Dolby Vision and HDR10 formats, further elevating the viewing experience.

OLED950 is a phenomenal TV for consuming HDR content, which is primarily due to the use of innovative Tandem OLED technology. With this technology, the screen is capable of generating astronomical brightness values, reaching over 2000 nits in movie scenes (on test screens). This is an outstanding result, placing the OLED950 model among the very top displays available on the market. However, it should be noted that there is a specific characteristic of this solution – at moments when full-screen bursts of light appear on the screen, the brightness can drop by as much as half. Nevertheless, it is worth emphasizing that values above 1000 nits on a full screen are still an outstanding result. This allows for HDR images to be displayed exactly as filmmakers would wish, maintaining the dynamics and impact of light scenes.

The use of Tandem OLED technology has also brought measurable benefits in terms of color reproduction, improving elements where traditional WOLED panels have had difficulties compared to QD-OLED competitors. In the case of the OLED950, the color gamut coverage is broader than in classic WOLED panels, reaching nearly 100% of the DCI-P3 space and a solid 82% of the demanding BT.2020 palette. Although these results still do not match the high achievements of QD-OLED panels, the difference diminishes during real-world usage. We cannot deny that in the vast majority of films, colors look simply fantastic on this model – they are saturated, vibrant, and full of depth.

The "IMAX Enhanced" factory mode has remained the best option in Sony televisions for years, and it was used throughout the entire testing process. While it aligns closely with the reference compared to other predefined settings, improvements could be made for a better viewing experience.

In SDR materials, the gamma shows a noticeable boost, which leads to over-contrasting the image. Additionally, the beginning of the graph deviates significantly from the reference, resulting in merged details in the darker areas, creating an unpleasant uniform blotch. The EOTF curve in HDR content, on the other hand, appears mostly correct, with only minor deviations from the reference.

However, the most prominent issues affect the white balance. There is a persistent green colour dominance, leading to problems with grey tones and overall colour misalignment. This imbalance in the white balance gives the image an unwanted greenish tinge, negatively impacting the overall visual quality.

We tested the OLED950 model in Movie mode. Although it is theoretically the best and most faithful preset on this television, in practice, it proved to be not without flaws. Interestingly, in the unit we tested, the biggest challenge wasn't the white balance itself – although it did have a slight tendency to give the image a pinkish tint. The main problem lay in the way the television managed brightness, both in everyday SDR content and in demanding HDR scenes. Analysis of the gamma chart and EOTF curve leads to one key conclusion: the television excessively highlights brightness in the lower registers. This results in the image appearing less contrasty than the panel technology would allow. Details in dark areas that should remain perfectly black (characteristic of "OLED black") are simply unnecessarily highlighted and brightened. Fortunately, these errors can be corrected using the appropriate tools, so – as always – we proceeded with professional calibration.

The colour reproduction after the calibration process on the Sony Bravia 9 is nothing short of excellent. Regardless of the signal, whether SDR or HDR, the image comes remarkably close to the director's intended vision. Nearly every flaw in the image has been meticulously modelled and corrected to a high degree.

This impressive result can be attributed to the advanced tools available for calibration, which Sony has been offering in its televisions for years. Notable tools include the 2- and 20-point grayscale calibration and a very comprehensive CMS (Colour Management System). These features allow for precise adjustments, ensuring that the colours and overall image quality are as accurate and faithful to the source material as possible.

As can be seen, the OLED950 transforms into an absolutely phenomenal display after a professional calibration process, which without a shadow of a doubt can be placed in the same category as the best televisions currently available in the world. This equipment only needed a professional touch to show its full potential and eliminate factory shortcomings. The minimal errors in reproduction in Color Checker tests and the fidelity of the color palette speak for themselves. We are dealing with an almost perfect device here. A true window to the world, offering top-notch image quality.

When analysing the quality of tonal transitions and image scaling, especially for lower-quality materials, the improvement after activating the function for tonal transitions is clear. By default, the quality is quite average, but once the function is turned on, even at the lowest setting, the results are among the best we've seen. This feature can be enabled without worrying about negative side effects, such as film grain blur.

Sony's "XR" processor, which the brand has been touting for several years, lives up to its reputation for image scaling. The image quality is incredibly sharp while maintaining a very natural look. This reinforces that Sony's processing technology is one of the best available, particularly when handling lower-resolution content.

Upscaling

In terms of image scaling, the proprietary P5 processor performs just as well as in most models from this manufacturer. Lower resolution content takes on a very soft and plastic character. Such a presentation will certainly appeal to many. However, if you prefer sharper contours, you can gently enhance them with the appropriate slider in the TV menu. In this aspect, it's really hard to pick on anything. The image simply looks very good and additionally there is no problem with the phenomenon of overscan.

Smoothing and Distortion Reduction

The tonal transition smoothing feature fares a bit worse. In the settings, we find an option called “Distortion Reduction.” This allows for three levels of processor intervention adjustment. Unfortunately, the Minimum setting works poorly and the smoothing effects are negligible. The Medium level gives a decent result, but it also starts to smooth out the skin details of actors. On the other hand, the Maximum setting works too aggressively. It removes definitely too many details from the face and background elements or can even take away the film grain. To achieve the optimal effect, it's worth playing around with these settings at home and adjusting them to your preferences. It might seem that the Medium option represents the best compromise here.

The maximum refresh rate of the Sony Bravia 9 is 120 Hz, the minimum for those primarily watching sports or other high-motion content. This refresh rate ensures the image remains sharp and smooth, even during fast-paced scenes. For more demanding users, Sony has implemented an advanced motion smoothing system, divided into three distinct segments: Smoothness (Film), Smoothness (Camera), and Clarity. These settings can be adjusted to various degrees, allowing users to fine-tune the picture to their preferences. For example, a setting with slight smoothing can be used to avoid the "soap opera effect," delivering a more natural and cinematic viewing experience. This level of customisation ensures that viewers can find their ideal balance between smoothness and clarity.

The motion representation in the OLED950 model is virtually perfect. This is typical for screens of this type (OLED 120Hz+), as the matrix shows no blurring at all. Thanks to this, we can enjoy flawless sharpness in practically any conditions. A big part of this is not only due to the specifics of organic technology. Equally important work is done by the smoothing systems implemented by the manufacturer.

The Sony Bravia 9 television is equipped with four HDMI ports, but what is puzzling for a device of this class is that only two of them operate in the 2.1 standard. Despite this, it should not detract from the fact that nearly all features work excellently, providing a positive experience when using them. Games running in HDR10 or Dolby Vision benefit from low input lag, ensuring a comfortable gaming session. The solid implementation of the HGIG mode is a noteworthy feature, as, after proper calibration, it closely aligns with Dolby Vision.

Sony introduced the GameBar feature to its televisions last year, a standard for many manufacturers. This feature allows for quick adjustment of settings without exiting the game. Its implementation has been seamless, offering conveniences such as a crosshair grid, black level adjustment, and reducing the screen to gaming monitor proportions.

The Sony Bravia 9 will find its fans, particularly among PlayStation enthusiasts. It is a natural pairing since the console and the television share identical capabilities. However, more broadly speaking, despite the minor issues with Dolby Vision in games, the Bravia 9 remains a very good television for gaming overall.

OLED950 is almost the perfect TV for gamers. This is not only due to the unique atmosphere that the Ambilight system creates during gameplay. The most important aspect here is the solid hardware support. We find literally everything that one should expect from a modern gaming screen today. The manufacturer has implemented two HDMI 2.1 ports with full bandwidth of 48 Gb/s. This gives us access to gaming in 4K resolution at 120 frames per second. Of course, support for VRR technology and the ALLM automatic game mode is also included. The device handles any HDR signal effortlessly, whether we are using Dolby Vision or the HGiG standard.

Access to all settings is available from one place thanks to the special Game Bar overlay. Although this interface may not be the most graphically attractive on the market, it fully serves its purpose. It displays all the most important signal parameters and offers useful additions. Gamers can take advantage of the mini-map zoom function or add a permanent crosshair on the screen, which can be seen as a small aid in online competition. Adjusting the contrast range also proves useful. It allows for brightening shadows and achieving better visibility of enemies hidden in the dark corners of the map.