Samsung OLED S95D vs Sony Bravia 7 (XR70)

Samsung S95D offers excellent HDR performance, providing uniform effects across all scenes exceeding 1500 nits, except for the fifth scene, where brightness drops to 800 nits. Despite this, the television maintains a high level of image quality. A significant advantage of QD-OLED technology is its ability to retain high brightness even in the smallest elements on a black background, which is uncommon in LCD and mini LED televisions. This ensures that every scene captivates with strong light effects, regardless of the size of the illuminated surface. Only in the brightest scenes with large light areas does brightness slightly decrease, which is typical even for standard LG-produced OLEDs. Additionally, the quantum dot coating has allowed for unprecedented high coverage of the BT.2020 colour gamut at 88%.

Since we know that the television performs well with contrast, let's check how it fares in terms of HDR effects. The luminance graph shows the very high capabilities of this model – 1500 nits is truly an impressive result. HDR effects are particularly striking in scenes where most of the screen is covered in light, as seen in the 1st, 3rd, and 5th test scenes. Minor shortcomings, typical of this technology, are still noticeable with very small light effects, such as in the scene from the movie "Sicario 2," where brightness drops to 500 nits. Although these are not stunning results, they can be considered decent. Additionally, it is worth praising the television for its high coverage of a wide color gamut – DCI-P3 at 96%, which allows for vibrant, saturated colors.

The Samsung S95D’s Filmmaker mode excels in colour accuracy, making it ideal for true-to-life viewing and closely reflecting the intent of content creators. We rely on this mode for all testing, as it presents significantly more detail than the often oversaturated standard or dynamic modes. Initially, viewers may find the image slightly warmer in Filmmaker mode, but it brings out a more authentic, balanced display. Despite being in the premium segment, the factory settings aren’t perfect. For example, there is a dip in red tones in the white balance for both HD and HDR content, with Colour Checker tests showing a cooler colour bias that shifts the image towards blue, impacting the natural appearance of scenes. In the sample photo, the boy appears in cooler tones, which diminishes realism.

Brightness performance for HD content is generally on point, though minor inconsistencies appear. However, the more noticeable issue arises with 4K HDR content. While the EOTF curve seems accurate in test patterns, real scenes sometimes reveal fluctuations, where some areas are overly brightened or darkened. Although the S95D offers reasonably good out-of-the-box colour reproduction, calibration is recommended to achieve a more precise, natural, and immersive picture, maximising the television’s potential.

The IMAX Enhanced mode on the Sony BRAVIA 7 television is definitely the best mode available on this model, although it is not without its flaws, as its name might suggest. The biggest issue is white balance – both in HD and 4K HDR content, there is a noticeable dominance of red color, which makes the image take on pinkish shades. This is particularly evident on the tested snow screen, where the pinkish hue becomes very noticeable. Errors in the Colour Checker test also confirm these deviations – although they are not catastrophic, there is a tendency to lean towards warmer tones. As for brightness characteristics, gamma remains at a decent level with a slight bump but without major issues. However, the biggest challenge is 4K materials. It is clear that the EOTF curve is significantly above the reference chart, which causes the image to become too bright.

Calibration can significantly elevate a television's image quality, enhancing both accuracy and overall viewing experience. For the Samsung S95D, calibration has notably refined the white balance, removing major colour inaccuracies to produce more natural and balanced tones, which allows for a closer representation of the filmmakers’ vision. The adjustments bring subtle improvements to contrast and gamma, with more pronounced distinctions between light and dark areas, adding depth and revealing finer details in both shadows and highlights. This creates a richer, more lifelike image with enhanced detail, particularly in darker scenes where shadows now hold greater clarity, while bright areas appear well-balanced rather than overly intense.

Despite these improvements, the EOTF curve remains slightly below ideal, which might influence the handling of dynamic scenes. However, the enhanced tonal transitions and boosted contrast post-calibration make the S95D an excellent choice for film and high-definition content, bringing it closer to reference-level quality. This calibration enables the television to deliver a more immersive, accurate visual experience in line with industry standards, ultimately offering a more rewarding viewing experience.

Sony BRAVIA XR70 offers a wide range of tools that allow for customizing the picture to personal preferences, which has enabled us to make significant adjustments to the settings. The white balance has been free of the issue of red hue dominance – snow no longer ends up with pink shades, which was previously noticeable. Although one can detect minor deviations at the end of the white balance chart concerning a drop in blue color, they are acceptable and hard to notice in everyday use. The Colour Checker test confirms that color reproduction errors are no longer as pronounced and rarely exceed a value of 2, which is a very good result. As for brightness, gamma, while not requiring significant improvement, has been slightly adjusted. However, the most notable change has been observed in the EOTF curve – the television no longer has issues with overly brightening the entire image in 4K content. However, upon closer analysis and enabling EOTF characteristics in films, certain limitations of the television arise due to the previously discussed dimming algorithm. Some small elements may be slightly more illuminated, but these errors are so minor that most users will not notice them. Overall, the calibration results are very, very positive.

The Samsung S95D handles tonal transitions in lower-quality materials exceptionally well. In tests featuring a screen with a light bulb, there are virtually unnoticeable transitions between shades of grey, positioning it among the best televisions we have evaluated in this aspect.

Regarding digital processing, the S95D excels in rendering the entire image—whether it's branches or figures—without any jagged edges or overly pronounced contours. However, one point to note is that the image appears slightly trimmed. Despite this minor issue, the television still performs admirably, ensuring that details in lower-quality materials remain noticeable and well-defined. This ability to maintain clarity and depth in various content types further solidifies the S95D's reputation for delivering a high-quality viewing experience.

Since we know that the television performs very well with high-quality materials, it is worth checking how it fares with lower-quality content. Here the television shows its potential, and the applied graphics processor works really well. On the test board with the light bulb, there are no visible issues with color transitions, and the smooth gradation function works very well – we recommend setting it to "Medium".

When it comes to digital processing, or so-called upscaling, the television sharpens the image quite a bit, which leads to slight aliasing, for example on branches in the background, but it does not remove desired details. Nonetheless, the overall appearance is truly attractive and may appeal to most users. However, if we prefer a softer, more plastic image, this effect can be reduced in the settings by adjusting the sharpening level to our personal preferences.

The Samsung S95D TV, featuring a refresh rate of 120 Hz (and even 144 Hz when configured correctly for PC use), guarantees exceptional motion smoothness. Samsung provides a range of image sharpness settings on a ten-point scale, enabling users to customise the display according to their preferences— favouring a more cinematic look or a smoother, theatrical feel.

In UFO tests, the OLED panel demonstrates its strengths by effectively eliminating any blurring. The rapid pixel response ensures that dynamic movements are replicated with remarkable precision, resulting in a fluid viewing experience that enhances fast-paced content, such as action films or competitive gaming. This combination of high refresh rates and superior pixel response makes the S95D an outstanding choice for those seeking crisp, clear motion in their visual media.

The Sony BRAVIA 7 television with a 120 Hz panel will satisfy most users in terms of motion smoothness. Additionally, Sony offers the Motion Flow feature, which allows for the selection of three different picture settings, adjusting them to personal preferences: Smoothness – Film: This setting improves motion smoothness, giving the image a more cinematic or theatrical character. Smoothness – Camera: This setting provides even greater smoothness, useful when watching dynamic scenes such as sports broadcasts. Clarity: This setting focuses on minimizing noise and motion artifacts, resulting in a more stable and clear image.

The Samsung S95D TV is expertly designed to meet the needs of gamers, featuring four HDMI 2.1 ports that support essential functionalities like Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), and HDR Gaming Interest Group (HGIG). While the HDMI 2.1 ports do not offer the full 48Gb bandwidth, they are still adequate for achieving the desired resolution and smooth performance.

These technologies enable players to experience smoother and more responsive gameplay, significantly enhancing comfort and performance during intense gaming sessions. A standout feature is the Xbox app, which facilitates cloud gaming without requiring a console. This allows gamers to access an extensive range of titles directly on the TV, enjoying high image quality and fluid gameplay.

Additionally, the S95D includes a Game Bar feature, making it easy to manage game settings with quick adjustments, such as changing the screen ratio—an extremely useful function for various games and gameplay modes. The support for G-Sync and FreeSync is another advantage, particularly for Nvidia and AMD graphics card users.

Although the S95D lacks support for Dolby Vision, it still provides an impressive array of features, making it an ideal choice for console gaming enthusiasts. Overall, the S95D combines cutting-edge technology with exceptional picture quality, creating a comprehensive package for any gamer seeking an immersive experience.

Sony Bravia 7 has significantly improved its capabilities for cooperation with consoles compared to previous models. The TV supports variable refresh rate (VRR), which eliminates screen tearing, and it is compatible with graphics cards, ensuring smooth display. The auto low latency mode (ALLM) effectively reduces input lag, which is crucial in fast-paced games. Dolby Vision with low latency additionally provides impressive HDR effects that look great during gameplay.

Sony Bravia 7 also offers a Game Bar feature that provides quick access to settings and allows monitoring of parameters during gameplay. An interesting option is the ability to enable a virtual crosshair on the screen, which can give a slight advantage in shooting games. However, compared to the Bravia 9 model, the HGIG feature in the Bravia 7 does not perform as well, which may be noticeable for more demanding gamers – especially since the HGIG mode is becoming more popular in the gaming world as the preferred method for reproducing HDR effects.

A downside is the lack of support for 1440p@120 Hz resolution, which could make gaming easier for users with less powerful graphics cards. Additionally, the Sony Bravia 7 is equipped with two HDMI 2.1 ports, one of which is often used to connect an audio system via eARC, limiting the number of available ports for connecting next-generation consoles.