- Matching (Score)
- Our verdict
- Competing TVs
- TV appearance
- Where to buy
- Contrast and black detail
- HDR effect quality
- Factory color reproduction
- Color reproduction after calibration
- Smoothness of tonal transitions
- Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions
- Blur and motion smoothness
- Console compatibility and gaming features
- Input lag
- Compatibility with PC
- Viewing angles
- TV efficiency during daytime
- TV features
- Apps
- Playing files from USB
- Sound
- Details about the matrix
Haier K85F Review
K85F / K85FUX
Available screen sizes:
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Panel type: LCD VA Refresh rate: 60Hz Brand: HAIER Resolution: 3840x2160 System: Google TV Model year: 2025
Haier, a brand so far mainly associated with household appliances, boldly enters the television market, which can undoubtedly be considered a leap into deep water. However, before we look at its most ambitious designs, we will take a closer look at the K85F model – a more accessible offering. This is a fundamentally simple LCD television, whose driving force is not "technological extravagance," but rather the tried and true software of Google TV. Let's see if this bold debut in a completely new category can be considered a success.
HAIER K85F - Our verdict
5.4
Overall rating
The debut of the Haier brand in the European TV market with the K85F model gives the impression of being rushed, and after thorough testing, it feels almost unfinished. Analyzing this product, we come to a fundamental conclusion: its biggest problem is not the quality of the panel used. Given its price segment, this is simply average, with the typical advantages of VA technology in the form of high contrast and equally typical disadvantages such as poor viewing angles. What actually disqualifies this model as a home entertainment center is the glaring lack of engineering and, above all, software refinement. The list of shortcomings is long and starts from the first contact with the device. Careless assembly, which could have been avoided at the quality control stage, a poorly optimized and poorly translated Google TV system, and annoying issues with such basic functions as pairing the remote—these all contribute to the picture of a product that seems to have been released to market without due diligence. The catastrophic picture quality in HDR mode, resulting not only from low brightness but also from a complete lack of intelligent adaptation to the signal, only adds to this disappointing image. However, it turns out that this model has its second, surprising face. It is enough to look at it not through the prism of a home TV, but rather as a large and cheap display for special tasks. Then its shortcomings take a backseat, and unexpected advantages come to the forefront: an exceptionally well-functioning media player with USB, outstanding font readability from a PC, and access to a huge database of applications. In such a role—as a screen in a conference room, hotel lobby, or simple advertising player—the Haier K85F performs surprisingly well. For the typical user seeking a reliable and simply well-functioning TV for the living room in 2025, however, the Haier K85F is a proposition that is extremely difficult to recommend with a clear conscience. It is a product full of contradictions that fails in its primary function intended by the manufacturer on too many fronts.
Advantages
Low input lag, great for gaming
Surprisingly good file player via USB
High contrast and decent blacks (VA panel)
Good text readability in PC monitor mode
Presence of gaming features: ALLM and VRR
Access to many applications thanks to GoogleTV
Disadvantages
Catastrophic picture quality in HDR mode
Poor quality of workmanship and fit of materials
Slow, glitchy, and poorly translated Google TV system
Very poor sound quality from built-in speakers
Problematic remote (and no batteries included)
Poor viewing angles
Low brightness and weak anti-reflective coating
Low color gamut coverage
Movies and series in UHD quality5.2
Classic TV, YouTube5.2
Sports broadcasts (TV and apps)4.6
Gaming on console6.4
TV as a computer monitor6.0
Watching in bright light4.1
Utility functions5.5
Apps9.6
Sound quality4.8
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HAIER K85F - Competing TVs in this price range
HAIER K85F - TV appearance
HDMI inputs: 4 x HDMI 2.0, 0 x HDMI 2.1 Other inputs: RCA (Chinch) Outputs: Toslink (Optical audio), eARC (HDMI), ARC (HDMI), Mini-Jack (Headphones) Network Interfaces: Wi-Fi 2.4GHz, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Ethernet (LAN) 100Mbps
Build quality: BuildQuality-Budget
Stand type: Legs
Bezel colour: Black
Stand: Fixed
Flat design: No
Accessories: Stand
The first thing that catches the eye after taking the television out of the box is its appearance. If you feel like you've seen it somewhere before, you're right – Haier's designers were clearly inspired by the popular Xiaomi models from the A Pro series. At first glance, it seems modern and minimalist. Unfortunately, the charm fades as soon as you pick up the device. You can immediately feel that the plastics used are cheap, and the individual elements of the casing do not always fit perfectly together. However, the real issue, highlighting production carelessness, turns out to be the assembly of the legs. The manufacturer has prepared two sets of holes in the casing, which in theory should give us a choice of their spacing. So much for the theory. In practice, we only find a thread in one pair. Moreover, the word "thread" is quite an exaggeration here. It's simply a plastic socket into which the screws have to be forced in, praying that nothing breaks. Finally, there's the frame around the screen. It is indeed quite thin, but its finish is so careless that one might think: "it looks like it was forged by a blacksmith." And it's hard to disagree with that thought.
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HAIER K85F - Contrast and black detail
5.6/10
Local dimming function: No
Result
3,550:1
Result
5,200:1
Result
5,350:1
Result
5,400:1
Result
3,500:1
Visibility of details in the lights:
Well, let's get to the meat of the matter, which is how the Haier K85F handles black levels and contrast. The key information is that the television uses a VA panel, which is crucial for picture quality in dark scenes. Thanks to this, the contrast is really solid – our measurements showed values around 5000:1, which is much better than those of popular IPS panels.
However, it's important to remember that we are talking about budget equipment. So, we should not expect any advanced technologies, such as local dimming. The backlighting works across the entire screen at all times. How did it look during viewing? We took the movie “Oblivion” with its cosmic landscapes for a test, and we also checked classic black bars in other productions. The effect was quite decent. The blacks had a good depth, but they weren't perfectly inky – a slight, bluish glow could be seen, revealing that the backlighting of the panel was still active.
HAIER K85F - HDR effect quality
3.4/10
Supported formats: HDR10 Color gamut coverage: DCI P3: 81.8%, Bt.2020: 61.4%
Luminance measurements in HDR:
Result
217 nit
Result
212 nit
Result
278 nit
Result
250 nit
Result
273 nit
Now let's move on to one of the hottest topics in the world of televisions, which is the quality of HDR effect. In the case of the Haier K85F model, we must unfortunately make it clear: if you are looking for equipment to watch content in a wide dynamic range, you should steer clear of this model. The main issue is its very low peak brightness, which during our tests barely reached 250 nits. To give you a better idea of what this means – such a value is okay for watching standard SDR materials, but it is absolutely insufficient to show any real benefits of HDR. The image simply lacks the "power" to generate bright, striking bursts. All our measurements and tests on specialist patterns only confirmed this. As if that weren't enough, the television also struggles with color reproduction. In this budget model, we won't find any technologies that expand the color palette, such as quantum dot layers (known in marketing as "QLED"). As a result, the coverage of the DCI-P3 color space, which is crucial for HDR materials, is only about 80%. In practice, this means that the image will not only be dark but also devoid of vibrant, saturated colors that the director wanted to show us.
Scene from the movie “Pan” (about 2800 nits)
Scene from the movie “Billy Lynn” (about 1100 nits)
Well, low brightness alone is not the end of the world. We have tested TVs that on paper didn't look impressive, yet still managed to intelligently process HDR signals. Thanks to advanced algorithms, they could "trick" the system to display images full of depth and detail in bright areas, even on a relatively dark screen, preserving the director's intent. This is called tone mapping, or image adaptation. Unfortunately, we don’t have good news for you in this regard. The Haier K85F seems to be completely devoid of this ability. We have the impression that the TV does not respond at all to so-called HDR metadata, which are the instructions contained in the signal telling it how to display a given scene. The effect is disastrous and easy to predict: most HDR content is simply excessively blown out. Bright elements of the image, such as the sky, lights, or explosions, merge into one big white blob, devoid of any details. To put it bluntly, the picture looks terrible. Therefore, in the case of this TV, our advice is simple and firm: we do not recommend using HDR materials at all. You will achieve better results by watching standard SDR content.
HDR luminance chart:
HDR luminance
The next nail in the coffin, as far as HDR quality is concerned, is the lack of support for any format with dynamic metadata. What does this mean in practice? The standard HDR10, which this television supports, sends a single, fixed set of brightness information to the screen for the entire movie. In contrast, formats such as Dolby Vision or HDR10+ provide these instructions scene by scene, and even frame by frame. Typically, this acts as a kind of "rescue" for lower-end televisions. Even if the television itself cannot intelligently map tones and adjust the image, the material recorded in a dynamic standard effectively guides it by the hand, suggesting how it should display bright and dark areas of the image at any given moment. Unfortunately, we will not find such assistance in the Haier K85F. The manufacturer did not equip it with either Dolby Vision or HDR10+. This means we are relegated solely to its own very poor image processing capabilities. This ultimately confirms our earlier thesis: this television and HDR technology simply do not go hand in hand.
Static HDR10
Factory color reproduction
3.8/10
Well, how does the television perform with colors straight from the factory, without any intervention from our side? The Haier K85F offers a full range of picture modes, such as Dynamic or Eco, but for anyone who wants to watch movies according to the creators' intentions, only one really matters: Film mode. This is the mode we focused our tests on, and unfortunately, its name has little to do with reality. The picture in the factory settings is far from what we could call cinematic fidelity and requires many adjustments. Let's start with the white balance, which has a clear lack of red color. In practice, this means that the whole picture has a cool, bluish tint. The situation is even worse when it comes to brightness management, specifically gamma curves (for SDR) and EOTF (for HDR). Their graph resembles a real rollercoaster, which has a disastrous effect on the viewing experience. This results in unnatural dimming of SDR content, causing details in the shadows to get lost, and in the case of HDR – excessive brightness, which further exacerbates the issue of highlights. This combination, meaning too cool white combined with chaotic brightness and excessive blue color saturation, causes enormous errors in color reproduction. Our measurements on a specialized ColorChecker chart showed errors (Delta E) regularly reaching and exceeding values of 8-9. In simpler terms: errors above the threshold of 3 are easily noticeable to the naked eye, so such a result means that the colors on the screen are simply heavily distorted.
Color reproduction after calibration
6.2/10
Well, is there anything we can do about this image? Can professional calibration save the situation? The answer is: both yes and no. It must be clearly stated that there are certain things we cannot overcome. The limitations of the construction itself, namely a poor panel and its narrow color coverage, mean that you can forget about achieving meaningful HDR – we won’t sugarcoat it for you. The biggest beneficiary of our adjustments is undoubtedly the SDR mode, and it is precisely for watching such content, after calibration, that this television begins to make sense. We managed to tame the white balance in our own way. Although the TV only offers basic 2-point adjustment (instead of precise 20-point), it’s not perfect, but we successfully eliminated that unpleasant, cold "chill" in the image. Above all, however, we recorded a significant improvement in brightness management. The gamma curve, which previously resembled a rollercoaster, looks like an almost perfectly straight line after calibration. This is a sign that the TV can finally display images without artificially dimming or brightening them. The conclusion is simple: even in the case of such a cheap television, professional adjustment of the settings can achieve a lot and draw out its maximum potential.
HAIER K85F - Smoothness of tonal transitions
7.6/10
It's time to address an issue that many may overlook, but to the trained (and not only) eye, it can be quite irritating. We're talking about the smoothness of tonal transitions, or how smoothly the screen displays transitions between very similar shades of one color – for example, on a clear blue sky. We must admit that in this category, the Haier K85F, considering its price, performs quite decently. In bright scenes, such as the aforementioned sky or expansive landscapes in the movie "The Martian," there are no harsh, contrasting bands visible. Indeed, if we look closely, we can spot minimal imperfections, but generally, the effect is more than satisfactory. However, the situation changes when darker scenes are on the screen, such as gloomy corridors in games or nighttime landscapes. Here, banding, or the posterization effect, becomes much more noticeable. Transitions in shadows and shades of gray are no longer as smooth and can irritate the more sensitive eye. This is not a level that would completely disqualify the television, but it is evident that this is an area where costs were cut.
Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions
4/10
Smooth transition function
Image without overscan on the SD signal
Let's move on to digital processing and image scaling, that is, how the Haier K85F handles lower resolution signals, for example, from standard television. Right from the start, we encounter an extremely annoying and completely incomprehensible issue – the overscan feature is enabled by default. This means that the television artificially enlarges the image, cropping its edges, and this occurs on every source, even 1080p. To see the full frame, you have to dig into the screen settings every time and manually switch the format to "stretch to 16:9." It's a detail, but incredibly frustrating. The scaling of content to 4K resolution can be described in one word: acceptable. And that's basically it. The image processor does not strip the image of details, nor does it generate jagged edges or other artifacts. It simply does its job, without any fireworks. It's fine, but nothing more. The biggest and most noticeable shortcoming in the digital processing section is the absence of a banding smoothing function. This is an algorithm that could significantly reduce the annoying banding effect we mentioned earlier. Unfortunately, the manufacturer did not implement such a solution, condemning us to watch the imperfections of the panel and low-quality materials in all their glory.
HAIER K85F - Blur and motion smoothness
4.5/10
Maximum refresh rate of the panel: 60Hz
Film motion smoothing option: Yes
Blur reduction option: No
The panel in the K85F model operates at a native refresh rate of 60 Hz, which already sets certain expectations for smoothness of the image right from the start. However, we must admit that we were very positively surprised when we found not one, but two separate sliders for motion control in the settings menu: one labeled "Blur Reduction" and the other "De-Judder." Such generosity in this price segment is an absolute rarity, as usually manufacturers offer at most one common option. Unfortunately, our enthusiasm quickly dwindled as fast as it appeared. It soon became clear why Haier was so "generous" – the slider responsible for blur reduction is simply a dummy. Moving it does not produce any visible effect on the screen; thus, only one of the two options actually works.
Blur (native resolution, maximum refresh rate):
And how does fluidity look in practice? Due to the 60Hz panel, the overall sharpness of objects in motion is at an average level, typical for this class of equipment. To make matters worse, the VA panel used here has its pitfalls, and the most significant of these is noticeable ghosting, which becomes particularly bothersome in darker scenes when bright elements move against a dark background. The image can leave visible afterimages behind.
HAIER K85F - Console compatibility and gaming features
4/10
- ALLM:
Yes
- VRR:
Yes
- VRR range:
48 - 60Hz
- Dolby Vision Game Mode:
No
- Correct implementation of HGIG:
No
- 1080p@120Hz:
No
- 1440p@120Hz:
No
- 4K@120Hz:
No
- Game bar:
No
Let's move on to the features for gamers, although we must point out right away that this is more of a proposal for "casual" players. The manufacturer boasts in the specifications about the presence of HDMI 2.1 ports, which looks impressive on paper, but in reality, it is largely a marketing gimmick. What good is a modern port when the heart of the television is a panel with a refresh rate of 60 Hz? It physically cannot display a signal at 120 frames per second, even at lower resolutions, which takes away HDMI 2.1's most important advantage. That's a shame. (That’s why we mark it as HDMI 2.0 ports in our tests). Another oddity is the television's response to attempts to calibrate HDR from the console. Changes in brightness settings cause very unnatural behavior of the image, which might suggest an incorrect implementation of the HGiG standard. To be honest, however, you shouldn't worry too much about this, because as we have mentioned multiple times, we simply do not recommend using any HDR content on this screen. However, to make it not so bitter, the Haier K85F also has two significant and unexpected advantages. The first is the presence of ALLM, or Auto Low Latency Mode, which switches the television to low latency mode as soon as it detects a connected console. The second, even bigger surprise is support for VRR, or Variable Refresh Rate. Although it works in a very modest range of 48-60 Hz, its very presence is commendable. Thanks to this, the image in games can stutter less, which truly improves the gaming experience.
HAIER K85F - Input lag
10/10
However, we have to give credit to Haier – there is one parameter where this television absolutely shines and embarrasses many more expensive models. We are talking about input lag, or signal delay. Our measurements showed a remarkably low result of only 13 ms. This is a huge advantage that makes controlling games instantaneous and extremely responsive. In this regard, the K85F performs excellently.
| SDR | HDR | Dolby Vision |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p60: 13 ms | 2160p60: 13 ms | 2160p60 DV: 13 ms |
| 2160p60: 13 ms |
HAIER K85F - Compatibility with PC
6/10
Chroma 444 (maximum resolution and refresh rate): Yes
Font clarity: Very Good
Readability of dark text and shapes: Very Good
Input lag in PC mode (4K, maximum refresh rate): 13ms
Matrix subpixel arrangement: BGR
Max refresh rate: 60Hz
G-Sync: No
And what if we try to use this Haier as a computer monitor? Here, what was a big surprise for us, the TV performs exceptionally well. For office work – it’s perfect. All thanks to the fact that it properly supports the so-called chroma sampling 4:4:4. To put it simply: every single letter on the screen is sharp, without annoying colored halos or blurriness. Sure, let’s be straightforward – this is not equipment for PC gamers. 60 Hz is too low for them. But if you just need a big screen for text work, browsing the internet, coding, or displaying presentations, then the K85F will perform excellently in this role. It’s one of its strongest and, to be honest, most unexpected applications.
HAIER K85F - Viewing angles
2.8/10
Brightness drop at an angle of 45 degrees: 67%
At almost the very end of the evaluation of the panel itself, we left the viewing angles, which unfortunately are one of its biggest weaknesses. However, we must honestly admit that this is no surprise – it is simply a natural and widely known characteristic of VA-type panels. In the unit we tested, interestingly, the brightness of the image did not drop drastically when we moved away from the center of the screen. The real problem, however, is the colors, which instantly begin to fade. A slight change in position on the sofa is enough for the hues to lose their saturation and become washed out. In this regard, the Haier K85F presents a very average level, typical for this technology.
HAIER K85F - TV efficiency during daytime
4.1/10
Matrix coating: Satin
Reflection suppression: Average
Black levels during daytime: Good
And how does the television perform in confrontation with daylight, for example in a heavily sunlit living room? Unfortunately, we don't have good news here. As we've established, this is a television with relatively low brightness, which becomes a serious drawback in the face of sunlight. The situation is further worsened by the applied screen coating. Instead of effectively suppressing reflections, its satin structure tends to unfavorably scatter them. In practice, this means that the reflection of a window or lamp turns into a large, blurred, milky halo, which degrades contrast and effectively hinders viewing. The conclusion is therefore clear: if the television is to be placed in a bright room, the K85F model will not be a good choice.
Matrix brightness
Average luminance SDR
Haier K85F: 276 cd/m2
HAIER K85F - TV features
5.5/10
System: Google TV
System performance: Poor
- HDMI inputs: 4 x HDMI 2.0, 0 x HDMI 2.1
- Other inputs: RCA (Chinch)
- Outputs: Toslink (Optical audio), eARC (HDMI), ARC (HDMI), Mini-Jack (Headphones)
- Network Interfaces: Wi-Fi 2.4GHz, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Ethernet (LAN) 100Mbps
- TV reception: DVB-T, DVB-T2, DVB-S, DVB-S2, DVB-C
Classic features:
- Recording to USB (terrestrial TV): No
- Recording programming: No
- Picture in Picture (PiP): No
- RF remote control (no need to aim at the screen): RF
- Backlit remote control: No
- Teletext: Yes
- Audio only mode: Yes
- Bluetooth headphones support: Yes
- Simultaneous Bluetooth headphones & TV audio: No
Smart features:
- AirPlay: No
- Screen mirroring (Windows Miracast): Yes
- Voice search: Yes
- Voice search in native language: Yes
- Ability to connect a keyboard and mouse: Yes
GoogleTV on Haier K85F
The heart of the television is the Google TV system, which in theory should be its huge advantage. Access to thousands of applications and a wealth of features are promises we are familiar with. Unfortunately, in Haier's execution, this is one of the worst implementations of this software we have encountered. The system operates painfully slowly, and the interface notoriously freezes. However, the real nightmare is the incorrect and often downright comical translations of some menu options, making it at times difficult to figure out what is being referred to. To make matters worse, during our tests, we were unable to launch the AirPlay function, which simply did not work.
Classic features on Haier K85F
Let's move on to the classic features and ports, because this story is even more interesting. A plus is certainly the rich set of ports, including four HDMI inputs and a rarely found mini-jack headphone output. Unfortunately, the television does not offer either USB recording or PiP mode. However, the real ordeal begins with the remote. Our first attempts to pair it via Bluetooth to activate radio frequency (RF) control and voice functions ended in total failure. After several dozen attempts, we were sure it was simply a manufacturing defect. And here's the surprise: after a long struggle, we discovered that the remote can be paired, but it needs to be done from the native Google TV settings, completely bypassing Haier's non-functioning system overlay. This is a perfect example of how terrible software can ruin basic functionality. Oh, and one more thing. In the box... there weren’t even any batteries for the remote.
Sound connection options
HDMI audio:
Other audio outputs:
- Toslink: Yes
- Stereo (Mini-Jack): Yes
Wireless audio:
- Bluetooth: Yes
Obsługiwane formaty audio:
- Dolby Digital Plus 7.1: Yes
- Dolby True HD 7.1: Yes
- Dolby Atmos in Dolby Digital Plus (JOC): Yes
- Dolby Atmos in Dolby True HD: No
- DTS:X in DTS-HD MA: No
- DTS-HD Master Audio: No
Ułatwienia dla seniorów
- Numeric keyboard on TV: Yes
- Font size adjustment: Yes
- Audio description: Yes
HAIER K85F - Apps
9.6/10
HAIER K85F - Playing files from USB
9.4/10
| Maximum photo resolution: | Supported photo formats: |
|---|---|
| 4 Mpix | JPEG |
| 6 Mpix | HEIC |
| 8 Mpix | PNG |
| 10 Mpix | GIF |
| 12 Mpix | WebP |
| 16 Mpix | TIFF |
| 20 Mpix | BMP |
| 24 Mpix | SVG |
| 28 Mpix | |
| 32 Mpix |
After all our complaints about the unfinished software, the moment came when we experienced absolute shock. It turns out that within this error-prone and slow system, there is a function that works almost perfectly and puts industry veterans to shame. We are talking about the built-in media player for USB drives. It is a true multimedia powerhouse that played virtually every video format we threw at it without the slightest hesitation – from the most popular to the completely niche. Haier, a newcomer to the TV market, has achieved something that many manufacturers with decades of experience have struggled with for years. Who knows, perhaps it was intended to be a reliable player for conference rooms? Regardless of its origin, the result is outstanding!
HAIER K85F - Sound
4.8/10
83dB
Maximum volume
Supported codecs
(TV speakers)
Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
Dolby True HD 7.1
Dolby Atmos in Dolby Digital Plus (JOC)
Dolby Atmos in Dolby True HD
DTS:X in DTS-HD MA
DTS-HD Master Audio
Unfortunately, the review regarding the sound will be very short. The biggest advantage of the built-in speakers of the K85F is actually that they are simply there and produce sound. Aside from that, the sound is completely flat, lacking any bass tones and just anemic. Yes, the TV box features a Dolby Atmos logo, but in light of the physical capabilities of these drivers, it is a function that exists only on paper. Therefore, the verdict can only be one: when planning to purchase this TV, one should immediately add a soundbar to the budget.
Acoustic Measurements
83dBC (Max)
75dBC
HAIER K85F - Details about the matrix
Software version during testing: UKN2.241219.053
Image processor: mt5896
Panel uniformity and thermal imaging:
Backlight Type: White LED
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Journalist, reviewer, and columnist for the "ChooseTV" portal
