Over the past few weeks, I’ve compared TVs side-by-side, everything from flagship OLEDs to an entry-level OLED and a mid-range mini-LED TV. But one other, more ambitious test I conducted might be the most revealing of all.
TechRadar rarely gets to conduct a simultaneous test of flagship OLED TVs from every major brand, but recently we found ourselves with the Samsung S95F, LG G5, Sony Bravia 8 II and Panasonic Z95B, four of the best TVs of 2025, under one roof, which made the prospect of a side-by-side evaluation irresistible.
However, our group test was a little different than the standard expert evaluation as we recruited several colleagues to help us determine which was the best OLED TV. Crucially, this was a blind test, with each TV’s logo covered up. To identify the different models, they were referred to solely by a number: 1 (Samsung S95F), 2 ( LG G5), 3 (Sony Bravia 8 II) and 4 (Panasonic Z95B). In all photos, these numbers correspond with the placement of the TVs from left to right.
For this article, however, I will refer to the TVs by their model numbers.
Before we get into the results, these were the testing criteria and conditions. The TVs were judged purely on picture quality, looking at five areas: black levels/contrast, color, fast-paced action movies, motion (sports), and upscaling. Our testers were asked to pick their favorite for each category, and this would earn the TV a point.
For settings, all the TVs were set to the Cinema/Movie picture preset for all sections except sports, where we switched to the Standard mode. Also, other than switching off brightness optimization or ambient light settings (which automatically adjust brightness based on the room lighting conditions), the picture presets were left in their out-of-the-box settings.
Now on with the results!
Black levels/dark movie viewing
For the first test, we asked our panel to pick their favorite OLED TV for dark movie scenes, focusing on contrast, black levels and shadow detail.
The clip we chose for this was the opening crime scene from The Batman, a movie with a low mastered brightness (400 nits compared to the industry standard 1,000 nits) that can reveal issues such as black crush or raised black levels. It’s also a high-contrast scene, with plenty of light from lamps and torches balanced against dark surroundings.
This test was conducted under regular ambient room lighting conditions, with a lamp off to one side to simulate a living room. Afterwards, we turned on the overhead lights in our testing room, focusing on any screen glare caused by the bright overhead lighting.
The winner of this test was the Samsung S95F, which, with its Glare Free screen, maintained strong contrast in both lighting situations, displaying high peak brightness, deep blacks, and refined shadows. Overall, it earned nine votes out of twelve.
Some comments from our testers: “I prefer the Samsung, it did best in both conditions.” Also, “Samsung had a lot more detail when it brightened up.”
The Panasonic Z95B also did well in this test, earning two votes out of twelve. Some of our testers stated that it “was the best to watch” and it “has the best balance and it’s the most accurate”.
The LG G5 earned a single vote, but multiple commenters noted that it was “too bright for the scene.”
The Sony Bravia 8 II struggled the most in this test, earning no votes. Comments included, “The Sony is way too dim,” and “The Sony is so dark you lose detail.” However, one panelist did say they “liked the contrast of the Sony when Gordon shone his torch,” indicating that it got the balance right. Despite this last comment, the Sony Bravia 8 II earned no votes.
Winner: Samsung S95F
|
TV |
Number of votes (out of 12) |
|
Samsung S95F |
9 |
|
LG G5 |
1 |
|
Sony Bravia 8 II |
0 |
|
Panasonic Z95B |
2 |
Color
For our next test, we asked our panel to judge color reproduction based on accuracy, vibrancy, and which TV they just generally preferred.
The scene we chose for this test was from The Wild Robot. This beautifully animated movie has colors that are both eye-popping and natural-looking, making for a perfect testing scene. We chose one scene from early in the movie, where ‘Roz’ (the robot) interacts with a tree covered in butterflies that shows dazzling yellow, red and orange hues.
This was a closely fought contest between the Samsung S95F and the LG G5. One thing that was very interesting was that our panel actually struggled to tell the two TVs apart. With all TVs set to Cinema mode, our panel said the two “have a similar color profile and color range”. As a result, it was a back-and-forth, with some commenting that the Samsung “has the best colors with the most pop,” and the LG “has a glow.” It ultimately came down to the S95F earning six votes to the G5’s five.
The Sony Bravia 8 II and Panasonic Z95B struggled in this test. Commenters said, “Both Panasonic and Sony look super dull,” and “Sony doesn’t have the eye-popping color you want”. The Z95B did earn one vote in this test, while the Bravia 8 II earned none.
Winner: Samsung S95F
|
TV |
Number of votes (out of 12) |
|
Samsung S95F |
6 |
|
LG G5 |
5 |
|
Sony Bravia 8 II |
0 |
|
Panasonic Z95B |
1 |
Action
The next test involved a fast-paced action movie, with lots of onscreen motion. We gave guidance to our panel to check which TV had the smoothest motion, but ultimately, we just wanted to see which one they preferred to watch.
For this test, we chose the dogfighting training mission from Top Gun: Maverick. This scene has a lot of quick panning shots and weaving jets, and is an excellent test for motion handling.
Once again, the Samsung S95F came out on top. Our panel commented, “The Samsung has the most fluid movement” and is “the right side of smooth,” meaning it avoided the dreaded soap opera effect. Someone also felt it “gave the most cinematic experience.” In this test, the S95F earned seven out of twelve votes.
The Panasonic Z95B also received many compliments, including ones that cited it as the “most fluid with motion” and “ the nicest on the eye.” The Z95B ended up receiving three votes, while the LG G5, which went fairly under the radar in this test, received two votes.
This was once again a tough test for the Sony Bravia 8 II, although one viewer did feel that the Sony “had the best motion.” For us as test facilitators, we ended up surprised that Sony didn’t do better, as Sony’s TVs traditionally have some of the best motion processing on the market. The Bravia 8 II received no votes.
Winner: Samsung S95F
|
TV |
Number of votes (out of 12) |
|
Samsung S95F |
7 |
|
LG G5 |
2 |
|
Sony Bravia 8 II |
0 |
|
Panasonic Z95B |
3 |
Upscaling
To test which TV had the best upscaling, we used a DVD of The Amazing Spider-Man played through a Panasonic DP-UB820 4K Blu-ray player with its upscaling turned off.
In a truly dominant performance, the LG G5 earned a clean sweep of 12 votes. It easily had the brightest picture, with the best upscaling of textures, color and contrast. Our panel noted that “details such as hair are more refined” and that the ”LG is good at sharpening the background as well as faces and other textures.”
Why did the other TVs not fare as well? This was the first time that the Samsung S95F’s picture had been cited as “too dark,” and there’s a reason for this. In SDR Cinema mode (the picture mode used for this test), the S95F’s default brightness is set to 18 out of 50, which makes the picture appear a lot darker than it otherwise would be.
The Panasonic Z95B arguably received the comment of the day when someone said it looks like “deep-fried memes,” referring to the oversharpening of the image. Sony, on the other hand, received positive feedback as someone called it the “most natural looking.” Even so, it couldn’t de-throne the LG G5 on this test.
Winner: LG G5
|
TV |
Number of votes (out of 12) |
|
Samsung S95F |
0 |
|
LG G5 |
12 |
|
Sony Bravia 8 II |
0 |
|
Panasonic Z95B |
0 |
Sports
Our final test involved sports viewing, with panelists looking at which TV displayed sports most accurately, for both with motion and color. For this test, all the TVs were set to their Standard picture mode (as some didn’t have a Sports mode), with the default motion settings active. For the test, we used a stream of the MLS All-Star soccer game via Prime Video.
This was the most evenly fought contest out of all the tests. Some complimented the LG G5, saying its “motion looked the best – it has the fluidity you want when watching sports,” and that it “looks the most crisp.” There was also criticism of the G5, with commenters saying it “was too oversaturated” and it had “too cool a color temperature.” Still, the G5 received four votes.
The G5 was actually a joint four-vote winner with the Panasonic Z95B, which received compliments such as, “It has the best color contrast,” and “it has the best pitch color.” However, other comments said it was “too dark.”
The S95F and Bravia 8 II scored two points each. The S95F was said to “look the most natural” and also that it “looks the clearest,” although there were some “obvious motion artifacts” such as the ghosting of a ball. One panelist said of the S95F, they “wished it were brighter”. The Sony Bravia 8 II was said to be “too juddery” and “not as fluid,” but was also called “the most natural” by one person.
Tie: LG G5 and Panasonic Z95B
|
TV |
Number of votes (out of 12) |
|
Samsung S95F |
2 |
|
LG G5 |
4 |
|
Sony Bravia 8 II |
2 |
|
Panasonic Z95B |
4 |
Final results
Our test ended up being a draw between the Samsung S95F and LG G5, with both receiving a total of 24 points each. Now, the G5 is helped by its clean sweep in the upscaling test, which earned it 12 points, but by the numbers, it’s still a tie!
Without the upscaling test result, the Samsung S95F had the most consistent victories across each category, with three wins out of five, while the G5 earned two wins and the Z95B earned one.
Unfortunately for Sony, the Bravia 8 II didn’t do well in our bank of tests, and the main reason for this was its comparative lack of brightness. It’s worth noting that the Bravia 8 II’s brightness can be improved by changing Dynamic Tone Mapping in the settings to ‘Brightness Preferred,’ but this comes at the expense of picture accuracy.
Considering the Bravia 8 II uses a QD-OLED panel, we expected it to be brighter. But as these tests were done with out-of-the-box settings, the Bravia 8 II struggled against its rivals.
None of this is to say that the Sony Bravia 8 II or Panasonic Z95B are unworthy TVs (the Bravia 8 II scored an excellent 4.5 out of 5 stars in our review). But ultimately, in our casual test with these TVs in their default settings, the Samsung and LG were the victors in the eyes of our panel.
Tie: Samsung S95F and LG G5
|
TV |
Dark movie |
Color |
Action |
Upscaling |
Sports |
Total |
|
Samsung S95F |
9 |
6 |
7 |
0 |
2 |
24 |
|
LG G5 |
1 |
5 |
2 |
12 |
4 |
24 |
|
Sony Bravia 8 II |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
|
Panasonic Z95B |
2 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
4 |
10 |
