- 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
Panasonic W85 Review
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Panel type: LCD VA Refresh rate: 144Hz Brand: PANASONIC Resolution: 3840x2160 System: Amazon FireTV Model year: 2025
Panasonic has been associated with premium televisions for years – those that mainly appeal to demanding movie enthusiasts and are not usually seen on every other showroom shelf. But the W85B is supposed to be a bit different. It is Panasonic's cheapest television with a refresh rate of 120 Hz (or even 144Hz) and perhaps the first model in a long time that is meant to show that the brand can prepare something more "down to earth," aimed at the regular user. After all, not everyone needs a flagship OLED for several thousand złoty – sometimes a solid screen for everyday movies, sports, and gaming is enough. How did Panasonic handle such a task? Is the W85B truly evidence that the Japanese can come down from their pedestal and create a television that meets ordinary needs while still maintaining their quality? Let’s find out!
PANASONIC W85B - Our verdict
6.1
Overall rating
The Panasonic W85B is a TV that aims to prove that the Japanese brand can produce not only top-tier devices but also something more "for the people." And it really does look decent on paper: a VA panel with solid contrast, high refresh rates of 120/144 Hz, two full HDMI 2.1 ports, and low input lag. It sounds like a great setup for a gamer or someone just looking for an affordable TV with good fundamentals. However, the reality is a bit more complicated. The W85B performs well mainly with SDR content, especially after calibration, and will serve well for typical everyday use. But when we start expecting more from it—for example, counting on strong HDR performance or greater immersion in games with that mode activated—the TV quickly shows its limitations. Its brightness is low and the lack of local dimming becomes quite noticeable during evening viewing. Therefore, we view the W85B more as a "daily" TV—ideal for someone who watches terrestrial television, YouTube, or SDR streaming, and wants to connect a console or PC for 120/144 Hz (but without HDR). In that role, it performs very well. Is it a TV for everyone? Definitely not. But if we accept its limitations and approach it with reasonable expectations, the W85B can provide a lot of enjoyment for a relatively sensible price.
Advantages
VA matrix with high native contrast
High refresh rate 120/144 Hz
Two HDMI 2.1 ports supporting ALLM, VRR, and Dolby Vision in games
Very low input lag
Quite good color gamut coverage thanks to the QLED filter
Support for multiple HDR formats including Dolby Vision and HDR10+
Sturdy central base
Great compatibility with PC – full 4:4:4 chroma, readable fonts
Disadvantages
Low brightness (below 270 nits) – no real HDR
HDR mode in games is poorly developed, with incorrect HGiG implementation
Weak media file player
The FireTV system in Europe is poorly developed: there are micro stutters and awkward translations, and many apps are missing
Average sound quality, lacking depth
Motion smoothing doesn't want to work
Movies and series in UHD quality5.5
Classic TV, YouTube5.8
Sports broadcasts (TV and apps)5.8
Gaming on console7.7
TV as a computer monitor8.6
Watching in bright light4.2
Utility functions6.8
Apps7.6
Sound quality5.8
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PANASONIC W85B - Competing TVs in this price range
PANASONIC W85B - TV appearance
HDMI inputs: 1 x HDMI 2.0, 2 x HDMI 2.1 (48Gbps) 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: Average
Stand type: Central
Bezel colour: Graphite
Stand: Fixed
Flat design: No
Accessories: Stand
Looking at the Panasonic W85B from the front, it's really hard to have major complaints. This is a mid-range model, yet it looks quite elegant – the bezels are slim, kept in a dark graphite color, and the distinctive thickening at the bottom doesn't spoil the whole. In the living room, it simply looks tidy, and at first glance, no one would say it's a budget design. However, when you take a look at the back, it's immediately clear what kind of equipment we are dealing with. The shape is quite massive, and the casing made of a mixture of plastic and metal doesn't give off a "premium" impression. Moreover, the television is relatively thick, so it can't be mounted flush against the wall like other thin designs. On the plus side, the central stand is good. It's single, solid, and gives a sense of stability. This way, the television stands firmly, and placing it on a narrower table is not an issue. And that's probably what it was all about – that the W85B should not be a work of art to be viewed from the side, but rather a television for everyday use that primarily needs to be functional.
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PANASONIC W85B - Contrast and black detail
5.3/10
Local dimming function: No
Result
4,300:1
Result
4,250:1
Result
4,200:1
Result
4,400:1
Result
3,150:1
Visibility of details in the lights:
The W85B is Panasonic's entry-level LCD, so one shouldn't expect miracles in this category, but... the VA panel really does a great job here. Its biggest advantage is simply better contrast than in popular IPS panels – blacks often look gray there, while here you can actually see deeper tones. In the scenes we tested, the contrast held around 4000:1, which translates to roughly four times better performance than in IPS panels. Of course, there's no local dimming, so in difficult conditions, when it gets really dark in the room, black can resemble navy more than absolute pitch black. This is the difference you can see compared to OLEDs or Mini-LEDs. But in everyday viewing – a series, a match, a movie in the evening in the living room – this contrast is more than sufficient. The image has the right depth, and the W85B doesn't give the feeling of a "washed-out" television.
PANASONIC W85B - HDR effect quality
4.2/10
Supported formats: HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision Color gamut coverage: DCI P3: 95.6%, Bt.2020: 75.0%
Luminance measurements in HDR:
Result
228 nit
Result
249 nit
Result
283 nit
Result
282 nit
Result
297 nit
Unfortunately, we don't have good news here. The Panasonic W85B is rather dim – its peak brightness does not exceed 300 nits, so it's hard to talk about any true HDR effect. In practice, this means that scenes which on other screens can "shine" and make an impression, here look simply like regular SDR with a slight boost in colors. Our measurements and film tests confirmed this – regardless of the content, the W85B won't extract anything more from HDR. So if someone is looking for a TV specifically for HDR, it's better to look towards other models. As a consolation, the fact remains that in terms of colors, the W85B performs quite well. It's a QLED TV, so its color gamut coverage is wide, and most films and series look natural, without a distinct "washed out" effect. The colors are saturated, so during regular viewing, there is no sense that something is quite wrong.
Scene from the movie “Pan” (about 2800 nits)
Scene from the movie “Billy Lynn” (about 1100 nits)
Since we already know that the Panasonic W85B is not one of the brightest televisions, one could hope that "Japanese engineering" would extract something more from such a panel. Unfortunately, we do not have good news here. The W85B completely struggles with content prepared for the best image quality. The picture is excessively dimmed in practically every scenario – whether it's a very demanding sequence from the film Pan or somewhat simpler scenes from Billy Lynn. This is simply not a television for watching movies in HDR. It lacks dynamics, it lacks the "wow" factor, and even the colors – although thanks to QLED technology they are quite decent – cannot save this experience. It's rather a screen for everyday SDR content, rather than for screenings where cinematic quality and strong impact matter.
HDR luminance chart:
HDR luminance
Fortunately, the situation is not as hopeless as it might seem based solely on the brightness measurements. When we play most movies in HDR, the W85B really lacks its abilities to flexibly adapt the image to different content. Static HDR10 performs very poorly here – the image is simply over-saturated overall, resulting in a lack of detail and dynamics. But... dynamic metadata-based formats come to the rescue. The TV supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10+, and it is these formats that save the W85B from distress. Our test images show this best – suddenly more details are visible, the scene gains depth, and contrast becomes more convincing. And here lies a paradox – if the W85B were limited to HDR10, it would be hard to recommend it at all for movie viewing. However, since most streaming platforms offer movies in Dolby Vision, this is the format in which to best view content on this TV. This way, one can avoid disappointment and get as much as possible from this model.
Static HDR10
Dynamic: Dolby Vision
Factory color reproduction
4.2/10
While testing the Panasonic W85B, we of course started with the Filmmaker mode, as it is the gold standard today for watching content "as the director intended." The problem is that this TV is quite far from those intentions. The biggest issue turned out to be an excess of red – in both SDR and HDR. The picture often looked overly warm, and in some scenes, it appeared almost "blazing." Additionally, there’s the issue of brightness management. When we looked at the gamma and EOTF charts, it was clear as day that in most scenes, the TV brightens the image more than it should. The effect was easy to predict. Details can get lost, leading to flattening and clipping across the entire screen. Of course, we know how to improve this, but it must be said honestly that it requires quite a bit of work in calibration. Out of the box, the W85B does not provide a reference-level picture – it is rather a TV that will always interpret colors and brightness a bit "its own way" without professional adjustments. Unfortunately, this is to the detriment of the viewer.
Color reproduction after calibration
6.9/10
Fortunately, calibration made a significant difference for the Panasonic W85B, especially in SDR content. Here, the improvement was really noticeable – we managed to balance the white and reasonably tame the TV's tendency to excessively brighten the entire image. The picture became more coherent, and the colors gained a naturalness that was lacking in the factory settings. Admittedly, the results from the Color Checker are not perfect, as the W85B has visible issues with green saturation, but overall, we assess the post-calibration effect in SDR very positively. The situation with HDR is a bit different. Here, we were also able to limit the tendency to warm up the entire scene, so the image turned out much better than in the factory settings. However, the same problem we mentioned earlier is still evident – the TV interprets the image too "in its own way" and brightens the entire frame. The lack of local dimming only exacerbates this effect. In summary, briefly in SDR content, the W85B performs really well after calibration and is perfectly suitable for everyday viewing. However, in HDR, even after adjustments, it is still hard to unequivocally recommend it for serious viewing sessions.
PANASONIC W85B - Smoothness of tonal transitions
9.1/10
Here we can confidently praise the Panasonic W85B. The television handles color blending and tonal transitions really remarkably. Gradients look smooth, without visible bands or artificial outlines. As a result, the image gains a natural quality, and sequences with a lot of subtle shades – like the sky or blurred backgrounds – look exceptionally good for this class of equipment.
Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions
6/10
Smooth transition function
Image without overscan on the SD signal
With native SDR content, the Panasonic W85B performs very well – tonal transitions are smooth and natural, without artificial bands or clear contours. However, the situation looks worse with lower resolution materials. This is where the television has the biggest problem with "beautifying" the image. The lack of any option in the menu that would allow for improving gradation means that with older films or materials from YouTube, one can sometimes notice slight issues with color blending.
Fortunately, upscaling, or increasing the quality of lower resolution content, performs much better. This is definitely a strong point of this model – the image is scaled cleanly and in detail, and the television handles this better than one might expect from such an affordable device. This is thanks to the HCX processor, which Panasonic has been developing for years, and it shows that even in the lower series, it can do a good job.
PANASONIC W85B - Blur and motion smoothness
6.5/10
Maximum refresh rate of the panel: 144Hz
Film motion smoothing option: No
Blur reduction option: No
BFI function 60Hz: No
BFI function 120Hz: No
Brightness drop with BFI: 77%
At first glance, everything looks good – the Panasonic W85B has a 120 Hz panel and even a 144 Hz mode, so it seems that it should handle smooth motion well. The problem begins when we look into the settings. The options for improving fluidity are supposedly present in the menu, but in practice… they change nothing. No matter what we choose, the image looks the same. On top of that, there's a lack of BFI, which is the black frame insertion mode that helps sharpen motion in many TVs. And suddenly, it turns out that despite having a strong panel, the W85B doesn't give us any real tools to adjust that motion to our needs. It only works well when the source itself operates at a higher frequency – for example, games at 120 Hz. But when it comes to movies or sports, we just have to take what the TV shows us, because there's nothing more we can do about it.
Blur (native resolution, maximum refresh rate):
Smużenie (4K@144Hz):
PANASONIC W85B - Console compatibility and gaming features
8.5/10
- ALLM:
Yes
- VRR:
Yes
- VRR range:
48 - 144Hz
- Dolby Vision Game Mode:
Yes
- Correct implementation of HGIG:
No
- 1080p@120Hz:
Yes
- 1440p@120Hz:
Yes
- 4K@120Hz:
Yes
- Game bar:
Yes
On paper, the Panasonic W85B looks really solid. Here we have two full HDMI 2.1 ports, support for ALLM, variable refresh rate, Dolby Vision in games, and of course, a high refresh rate for the panel itself. Additionally, there’s the characteristic Panasonic game bar that allows you to check key parameters with one click and quickly change them if necessary. Sounds great, but the problem arises when we activate HDR. Here, the W85B significantly falters because it lacks proper HGiG implementation – the TV manages brightness poorly, and instead of faithful image rendering, we get scenes that are too bright, sometimes even blown out. The solution? The simplest – turn off HDR in the console settings and leave everything in SDR. And here it gets really interesting, because in this scenario, the W85B shows its better side. Low input lag, high smoothness thanks to 120 Hz – all of this makes gaming look phenomenal. Yes, HDR can be sacrificed, but if responsiveness and smooth gameplay are priorities, the W85B provides a lot of fun.
PANASONIC W85B - Input lag
9.8/10
There is really nothing to be afraid of here. The Panasonic W85B reacts instantly to our movements, and the values measured in tests can easily compete with gaming monitors. With a 120 Hz signal, the input lag is around 8–10 ms, and at 60 Hz it hovers around 17–20 ms. In practice, this means one thing – no delays, no frustration! You press the button, and the action happens right away on the screen.
| SDR | HDR | Dolby Vision |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p60: 17 ms | 2160p60: 17 ms | 2160p60 DV: 17 ms |
| 1080p120: 8 ms | 2160p120: 8 ms | 2160p120 DV: 10 ms |
| 2160p60: 17 ms | ||
| 2160p120: 8 ms |
PANASONIC W85B - Compatibility with PC
8.6/10
Chroma 444 (maximum resolution and refresh rate): Yes
Font clarity: Very Good
Readability of dark text and shapes: Good
Input lag in PC mode (4K, maximum refresh rate): 8ms
Matrix subpixel arrangement: BGR
Max refresh rate: 144Hz
G-Sync: Yes
The Panasonic W85B performs surprisingly well as a computer monitor. It's practically perfect for office work – the fonts are sharp and very readable thanks to full chroma 4:4:4 support, so it's easy to type, browse the web, or work on spreadsheets. But the real "fun" starts with gaming. The TV easily handles refresh rates up to 144 Hz for PC, and it also supports popular image synchronization technologies like NVIDIA G-Sync and AMD FreeSync. Because of this, we don't have to worry about screen tearing or micro-stutters – the gameplay is smooth and simply looks great.
PANASONIC W85B - Viewing angles
3.2/10
Brightness drop at an angle of 45 degrees: 77%
Here you can see the biggest price we pay for the high quality of the VA matrix contrast. The W85B, like most TVs with this type of panel, does not perform well when viewing from a greater angle. Colors lose intensity and the image begins to fade as soon as we move away from the screen's axis. This is not a flaw of Panasonic itself, but rather a feature of VA technology – great contrast in exchange for weaker viewing angles. So if you plan to watch movies with a larger group and often sit "to the side," keep this in mind.
PANASONIC W85B - TV efficiency during daytime
4.2/10
Matrix coating: Satin
Reflection suppression: Good
Black levels during daytime: Good
The Panasonic W85B has a satin finish panel that handles glare reduction and color retention quite well, even in bright light coming from windows or lamps. There is no "mirror" effect here, so watching television in a typical living room during the day is comfortable. However, the problem arises when we encounter really bright rooms – the TV does not have high brightness, so it won't cut through very strong sunlight. It's simply a screen that performs best in controlled conditions.
Matrix brightness
Average luminance SDR
Panasonic W85: 263 cd/m2
PANASONIC W85B - TV features
6.8/10
System: Amazon FireTV
System performance: Average
- HDMI inputs: 1 x HDMI 2.0, 2 x HDMI 2.1 48Gbps
- 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
Classic features:
- Recording to USB (terrestrial TV): Yes
- 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: Yes
Smart features:
- AirPlay: Yes
- Screen mirroring (Windows Miracast): Yes
- Voice search: Yes
- Voice search in native language: No
- Ability to connect a keyboard and mouse: Yes
SmartTV: FireTV
The W85B runs on the Fire TV system and it must be admitted – this is a significant step forward compared to Panasonic's previous proprietary solutions. Here we have support for AirPlay, screen mirroring, and even voice control through Alexa. It sounds modern and in practice it actually offers quite a few possibilities. The problem is that in Europe, Fire TV still looks a bit like a "guest with luggage." It works decently, but there are occasional micro-stutters, the interface doesn’t always respond as smoothly as we would like, and you may encounter awkward translations in the menu. It’s not yet on the level of the major players like Google TV or even Tizen, but it is still an improvement over what Panasonic had before. However, the worst part of it all is that the Fire TV app library is quite modest and that is its biggest drawback.
Classic TV Features
In terms of classic television functionalities, it's quite good – we have a classic remote control with a full numeric keypad, a clear EPG guide, and the ability to record programs from the built-in tuner to an external USB drive (e.g., a flash drive). A downside is the lack of options to schedule recordings in advance – you can record "here and now," but you can't set recordings for later.
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: No
- 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: No
- Audio description: Yes
PANASONIC W85B - Apps
7.6/10
PANASONIC W85B - Playing files from USB
3.1/10
| 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 |
The biggest problem with the built-in player on Fire TV is the lack of support for external subtitle files. If you have your own movie library and use text files, you simply won't be able to display them on this TV. The player itself handles basic video formats, but if someone wanted to fully utilize files from USB, they would likely end up installing an additional app from the store (e.g., VLC).
PANASONIC W85B - Sound
5.8/10
87dB
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
Here, the Panasonic W85B unfortunately has nothing to brag about. The speakers sound flat and rather "plastic," so cinematic experiences are definitely not to be had here. There is no depth, no clear bass – just basic sound that merely "exists." It's a shame because we thought the external subwoofer used here would actually make a difference. Unfortunately, we were mistaken. The only advantage is that the television can play really loudly. This might appeal to older users who often need higher volume to comfortably watch programs or news. For everyday TV viewing, it’s enough, but if someone is thinking about movies and gaming – an additional soundbar or audio system is essentially a must.
Acoustic Measurements
87dBC (Max)
75dBC
PANASONIC W85B - Details about the matrix
Software version during testing: Fire OS 8.1.4.6 (RS8146/3057
Image processor: MT5896
Panel uniformity and thermal imaging:
Backlight Type: QLED
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