Philips OLED909 review: an excellent TV for a real sound and light show at home

Image quality

Looking closely at the subpixel structure, we notice a classic horizontal arrangement of LG Display’s W-Oled models with alternating white, red, green and blue.

To optimize image quality, we normally recommend activating Filmmaker mode in the TV settings. Here, it’s a little more complicated… We don’t know why, but Philips has decided to restrict Filmmaker mode, which is much less bright than it should be in HDR, but we’ll see that a little later. For SDR content, you can keep Filmmaker. The TV also offers specific modes for sports, video games, as well as an AI mode that analyzes the content to choose the most suitable settings. An ambient light sensor can also be activated to allow the TV to automatically adjust the brightness, or even the white balance, depending on the lighting conditions in the room. If you watch TV at different times of the day, it may be wise to keep this intelligent brightness management.

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1 – Average Delta E SDR measured at 2.4 2 – Color temperature curve – average 6384 3 – Gamma curve – average 2.15

In SDR, the average delta E is measured at 2.4, below the threshold value of 3 ensuring good color accuracy. The average color temperature reaches 6390 K, close to the ideal of 6500 K, while the gamma is measured at 2.15, slightly below the standard of 2.4, which results in overexposed grays, especially on the light gray/white side. Thanks to Oled technology, the contrasts are always infinite, offering extremely deep blacks. The viewing angles are also excellent with a loss of brightness limited to 15% at an angle of 45 °. This is a very good result, but on this aspect, the QD-Oled does even better.

HDR

The 909 supports all major HDR formats including HDR10, HLG, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. With a 10,000cd/m² signal, the EOTF curve does not perfectly follow the reference curve and the TV’s brightness is slightly higher than what should be displayed.

Very strangely, the Filmmaker mode seems to limit the brightness of the TV. We measured a peak of 1200 cd/m², while the Oled Meta 2.0 panel normally reaches 1600 cd/m², as on the LG G4 and Panasonic Z95A. To find the full capabilities of the TV, you have to choose the Home Cinema profile which climbs to a much higher value, around 1550 cd/m². The problem is that this gain in brightness is only possible because the white balance cools down, the colors therefore becoming completely fanciful. Even by modifying certain settings, we were not able to find a correct delta E. This will not bother everyone, but purists who do not want a distorted film will be disappointed. In Filmmaker mode, the average delta E is 2.7, so perfectly within the range, but in Home Cinema, it explodes to reach 12.3.

It’s hard to understand why the engineers at TP Vision (Philips) failed to produce a quality Filmmaker mode, especially since we didn’t have any problems with previous generations. In any case, we’ll have to choose between bright HDR or color accuracy, which seems absurd on a €3,000 TV… Let’s hope an update will correct the problem in the future.

The coverage of color spaces is also very good, as always with Oled panels: 95% of DCI-P3 widely used in cinema and around 70% of Rec.2020, slightly behind, but ultimately quite little used.

Finally, the management of the fluidity of movements via the P5 processor remains very efficient with several levels of adjustment available. Be careful, by activating the Filmmaker mode, this function remains activated, which is quite strange. We advise you to deactivate it to avoid the “soap opera” effect in films. On the other hand, for sporting events, it can be useful for better tracking of the ball in the middle of a match (football, tennis, golf, etc.).

Clouding and blooming

Thanks to Oled technology and its self-emissive pixels, this model avoids the problems of blooming and of cloudingcommon defects on entry-level LCD TVs and, to a lesser extent, Mini-Led. In our tests, we noted a variation in white uniformity of only 6%, a difference imperceptible to the naked eye.

Reflectance

The panels supplied by LG Display have benefited since 2023 from the excellent Vanta Black filter, which has an average reflectance of 18%. However, Samsung remains the leader in this field with its S95D model, equipped with a high-performance anti-reflective filter that claims an impressive reflectance of only 8%.

Video games

The Philips OLED909 has a display lag of 12.6 ms, which is not the fastest performance on the market, but it is still perfect for gamers and guarantees a smooth experience, without noticeable latency, between the actions on the controller and their execution on the screen. In addition, Oled technology and its almost zero afterglow time eliminate any phenomenon of ghosting (trails behind moving objects). Although it will not interest everyone, the game bar is one of the worst on the market.

On the other hand, as is often the case, the Game mode suffers from a perfectible calibration. In SDR, the delta E reaches 5.6, revealing significant color differences and roughly the same in HDR (5.5). To improve the display, it is recommended to go to the Image > Colors menu and opt for a warm white balance, then deactivate the color enhancement and the Perfect Natural Reality function in the Contrast menu. After adjustments, the delta E drops to 2.8 in HDR and 3.5 in SDR, values ​​that are much more acceptable.

Connectivity-wise, like the 2023 model, the 65OLED909 has two 4K-compatible HDMI 2.1 inputs, but they now go up to 144Hz. It’s a shame that there aren’t four HDMI 2.1 ports, like some competitors, and those with multiple consoles will potentially be annoyed. These inputs support ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) technologies to recognize a connected console and VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), thus avoiding image tearing (tearing) and micro-stuttering. Additionally, this model is compatible with FreeSync Premium for Xbox One and Series consoles, as well as Nvidia’s G-Sync for PC gamers. The TV also supports Dolby Vision since 2023.

Ergonomics

Philips is abandoning the rotating central foot, which is a bit of a shame. The overall dimensions are quite similar to before (144 x 88 x 29 cm) with a total depth of 29 cm including the foot. As every year, a sound bar is housed on the lower part of the TV.

The connectivity is pretty standard. There are four HDMI ports (two in version 2.0 and two in 2.1, including one eArc), an Ethernet port, an optical digital audio output, three USB ports (including one 3.0), as well as DVB-T/T2/T2-HD, DVB-S/S2 and DVB-C tuners. Connectors for a rake antenna and satellite are also present. The TV integrates 802.11ac wifi and Bluetooth 5.2, practical for connecting headphones or a speaker.

The Ambilight system is obviously making a comeback with its LEDs positioned on the four sides of the TV, compared to three on the OLED908 of 2023. As a reminder, Ambilight projects colored lights on the wall depending on the image displayed. The feeling of immersion is thus reinforced, whether for videos or games. This lighting is really convincing, especially in certain blockbuster films, but remember that it is no longer compatible with products in the Philips Hue range. It is possible to adjust the different lighting zones via the remote control or to deactivate everything if you prefer to avoid distractions.

The TV runs on Google TV 12 and offers a perfectly smooth experience. All the popular apps are present, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Spotify, Disney+, etc. The interface is quite clear, but some settings are sometimes confusing and would benefit from being explained. It is not mandatory to sign in to a Google account to enjoy the TV, but it does allow you to unlock content recommendations.

The remote, which has evolved in 2023, takes up the same design as last year, and it’s for the better. Its elegant design includes shortcuts for the main streaming apps, while its backlit keys are pleasant to use. Equipped with a microphone compatible with Google and Alexa voice assistants, it is also rechargeable via USB-C, thus eliminating possible battery-related issues. Be careful, you have to be perfectly in front of the TV to be able to use it, which is sometimes quite annoying, let’s admit it.