Sony X90L vs Samsung OLED S85F (QD-OLED)

HDR on the Sony X90L television looks promising. The luminance chart showed that the TV has a solid power reserve, reaching a maximum of 1000 nits in synthetic tests. But how does it perform in real scenarios? In scenes such as the first one from Life of Pi or the final sequence from The Meg, the TV can deliver this power on HDR content, achieving around 800 nits. Unfortunately, displaying small light elements on a black background, as in the scene from Sicario 2, poses greater challenges for the X90L – here the results reach about 600 nits. Despite this, when looking at competitive models with mini-LED technology, the effect looks very good and can shine enough to impress us. The color gamut coverage is also noteworthy, with a result of 96% for DCI-P3 and 76% for BT.2020, indicating good color reproduction in HDR content.

As an OLED, the Samsung S85F can really shine – literally. Under favorable conditions, it can generate brightness exceeding 750 nits. This is hugely significant because most movies are created with displays around 1000 nits in mind. In practice, this means that in scenes with moderately large bright elements, the image can look simply fantastic. However, it's not always so rosy. When there is a massive amount of light on the screen – whether it's a vast bright background or an entire screen filled with white – the S85F must tone it down. The brightness can drop by even four times in such scenes. This limitation is known to basically every OLED in this price range, so we don't consider it a particular failing. However, something that deserves praise is what sets this model apart from the competition – color gamut coverage. Thanks to the QD-OLED panel, our colorimeter showed values exceeding 100% DCI-P3 coverage and as high as 86% for the ultra-wide BT.2020 palette. Such results are hard to find even in televisions that cost several times more.

The best mode in Sony televisions is the IMAX Enhanced mode. Although IMAX is mainly associated with the cinematic experience, here the color reproduction right out of the box is average. In the case of lower quality materials, such as HD – regular TV or YouTube – it is worth paying attention to the white balance. It is characterized by a deficit in red and an excessive dominance of blue, which gives the image a pinkish hue. The brightness characteristic, or gamma, for HD content is quite decent, but a slight boost may cause the image to become washed out and appear as if it is behind a light fog.

In 4K HDR content, the situation looks a bit different. The white balance shows a significant boost in blue, which makes the image appear unnaturally sharp and gives it an artificial feel. Such an exaggeration in color reproduction may not appeal to everyone, especially if one prefers more realistic shades. Additionally, the EOTF curve in Sony X90L looks quite decent at first glance. However, at the end of the graph, there are certain fluctuations that suggest the television is trying to maintain the appropriate brightness to avoid overexposing larger elements.

Samsung, as befits a manufacturer with ambitions, equipped the S85F with a mode called Filmmaker. Its task is simple: to make the colors on the newly purchased television as true to what the director wanted us to see as possible. Sounds great… but, as often happens, a great-sounding theory doesn’t always translate into perfect practice.

In the tested unit, it quickly became apparent that the image – due to an excess of blue and red – looked as if someone had overdone the saturation a bit. As a result, quite significant color errors appeared, particularly in 4K content. To make matters worse, there was a brightness issue – the S85F could brighten most scenes more than it should, taking away their intended mood.

Fortunately, Samsung televisions, including the S85F, offer an impressive number of settings for advanced calibrators. This means we could check what this panel is truly capable of when it gets into the right hands.

Sony offers many tools to improve image quality, including two additional image modes that we decided to use during testing and apply calibration to them. This solution significantly facilitates the calibration work and is very effective, provided that the right tools are available. In the case of HD content, the white balance has been almost perfectly aligned – only one shade of gray exceeds the error value of "1", which is an excellent result. The same can be said about the brightness characteristic (gamma), which looks nearly perfect, with microscopic deviations of around 0.01.

In the case of 4K HDR content, the situation is not as ideal. Although the white balance has been significantly improved, it has not been possible to completely eliminate the dominance of blue color. Nonetheless, errors in the Colour Checker test only occasionally exceed the value of "2", which means that image distortions are practically unnoticeable. As for the EOTF curve, it is worth activating the filter in the upper right corner "EOTF in Movies" – the graph looks correct, but the television encounters difficulties illuminating very small elements, which results from the limited number of backlight zones. Despite these minor flaws, it is thanks to the calibration carried out that the IMAX Enhanced mode in the Sony X90L makes watching movies resemble a true cinema experience.

Thanks to the vast number of settings in the menu, we managed to bring the S85F almost to perfection. White balance in SDR content? Literally perfect – deviations do not exceed a value of "1". Thus, it can be confidently said that in materials with not very high dynamics, we have an image close to reference.

In HDR content, minor issues did arise, but they are of little significance in practice – most errors fall below the threshold of perception, which is a value of "3". We also managed to tame the S85F regarding brightness management – the EOTF curve, even in films, adheres to an almost perfect line. This is one of those cases where after calibration, you can comfortably forget about the settings and simply enjoy movies and series at the highest level.

The Sony X90L TV features a tone transition smoothing function known as Smooth Gradation, which is incredibly effective. Even at the "low" setting, the effects are satisfactory, but at the "medium" setting, it works like a dream – we recommend using this option for the best results. The image scaling on the Sony X90L is simply excellent. The image is not overly sharpened, which gives a natural effect and makes everything look cohesive. It is evident that the engineers really put effort into this aspect, creating a solution that impresses and works well in everyday use. Because of this, even when watching content like regular television or YouTube, where the image is not inherently stunning, one can enjoy a smooth, cohesive, and visually pleasing experience.

The tone transition smoothing feature in the S85F works really well – it can completely eliminate the problem of visible bands in very poor quality materials, even from YouTube. Unfortunately, even the lowest level of this option comes with compromises. Noise reduction is aggressive enough that it can smooth out film grain, which many of us consider an element of the cinematic atmosphere. At the "Standard" level, we did not notice that this feature removed anything significant from the image, so we can recommend this setting. On the other hand, the "High" level is a different story – it can smooth not only noise but also fine, desirable details such as the texture of objects.

When it comes to image scaling, the S85F performs very well. The material looks sharp, and the only minor imperfection is slightly visible contour jaggedness. And there’s the ongoing issue with Samsung televisions – overscan. This can cause some scenes to have their frames slightly trimmed, which is worth keeping in mind when watching very old content.

Sony X90L with a 120 Hz panel is a great choice for both gamers and movie enthusiasts. The TV is equipped with the Motion Flow smoothness feature, which allows you to adjust motion smoothness using two sliders: "smoothness" and "clarity." The "smoothness" slider controls the level of motion fluidity, which helps reduce image stuttering, while "clarity" is used to reduce blurring and improve motion sharpness, which is especially useful in dynamic scenes.

S85F is a hellishly fast television – and this is not just an empty catchphrase for effect. Thanks to the 120 Hz OLED panel, dynamic scenes, whether in games or while watching a live match, look exactly as they should – smoothly, sharply, and without the feeling that something is "escaping" from the frame. The lightning-fast pixel response time, typical of OLEDs, plays a crucial role here. Transitions between frames are practically instantaneous, and the image remains clear even during the fastest camera movements. A ball flying across half the field? A car racing in a chase scene? Everything here is clear and free of the characteristic "trail" found in LCDs.

This is exactly what we expect from a good OLED – zero compromises in motion fluidity. The S85F gives the feeling that regardless of the pace of the action, we can focus on what is happening on the screen, rather than on the imperfections of the image.

Sony X90L is a television that performs well in terms of compatibility with consoles and features for gamers. Its 120 Hz panel and two HDMI 2.1 ports with a bandwidth of 48 Gb/s allow for smooth play in high resolution and at a high frame rate. Gamers can also take advantage of the ALLM feature, which automatically switches the TV to low latency mode, and VRR, which provides smooth gameplay without screen tearing. Game Bar is an additional advantage – an intuitive tool that allows for quick access to the most important settings and gaming features, making it easier to control gameplay.

Unfortunately, in terms of HDR in games, the Sony X90L has its limitations. There is no support for HGiG, a standard that many gamers consider essential for precise HDR reproduction in games. Although the TV supports Dolby Vision, which theoretically could improve image quality in games, the practical application of this feature is problematic. Dolby Vision in game mode is associated with very high input lag, making gameplay less comfortable and precise movements more difficult. Additionally, it is not possible to enable Dolby Vision along with VRR. This means that despite numerous advantages, gamers seeking perfect HDR in games may feel a sense of disappointment.

The S85F has practically everything it needs to become the dream screen for gaming. Four fully-fledged HDMI 2.1 ports with a bandwidth of 48 Gb/s, support for VRR, ALLM, a super-detailed Game Bar that clearly shows all parameters – and on top of that, a gem in the form of Game Motion Plus. This is a motion interpolator that makes animation in games more enjoyable, with only a slight increase in input lag. This is a rare combination, and Samsung deserves a big plus for it.

Now comes the moment where we have to complain a bit. The lack of Dolby Vision in Samsung TVs is already standard, so there's no point in hoping (unless something changes in a few years) – but the disappearance of HGiG after the software update is something that’s hard to explain. HGiG (which stands for HDR Gaming Interest Group) is a mode that allows for precise reproduction of brightness in HDR games, according to the creators' intention. Without it, HDR calibration on the console becomes less precise, so we might end up with an image that's too dark in the shadows or overly bright.

Perhaps Samsung will fix this in the next update – and we have high hopes for that. Because if HGiG returns, the S85F will become almost the perfect TV for gamers.