Sony XR65X90J TV review

In days gone by, plasma TVs had the best contrast, motion handling, and black levels. LED TVs mostly gave a greyish kind of black levels, but times have changed.

Sony produced the Sony Z9D, which was good enough to compete with the OLED technology and it was a light cannon. However it was also very expensive and beyond the reach of the average consumer.

The new 2021 XR X90J is the replacement for the X900H, and offers the latest XR processing, as well as improvements in both picture and sound. 

At a fraction of the price of the Sony OLEDs, can it come close in performance?

So our review today focuses on the latter.

Some info from the official site:

https://www.sony.com.sg/electronics/televisions/x90j-series?cid=Bravia_SG_-_Brand_Models:sem:goog:SG:txt_Brand_Models&pkw=X90J&gclid=Cj0KCQjws-OEBhCkARIsAPhOkIbezNuOenGNeiZjjBcrVZUp-gsD_ywLb_G0zR8Hb-JfUl5ZucLX-NMaAqEwEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds 

Features to note:

- new XR processor, which promises gains in motion contrast and overall picture quality 

- HDMI 2.1 (two ports only)

- acoustic calibration

- pseudo surround sound

- eARC

- 3 USB ports

- google TV interface

- full array local dimming with 24 zones

Let's begin with the looks. Most TVs look pretty much the same, there is a thin bezel, it’s slim enough but thicker than the OLED models. The plastic finish is decent. Inputs are located at the side. The TV looks like the older X900H except for some differences in the back panel.

The stands allow a two way configuration, with a choice of a narrow or broad design, and there is some space below for a soundbar. However those stands still take up more space than the older central stands used in past Sonys but bear in mind, even with the clever two way stands, you can't get more than 8cm clearance, so it may not fit a real centre speaker from your home theatre system. 

There is a light sensor which allows you to adjust the amount of light according to the room brightness but I’ll rather turn it off.

The remote is the standard Sony one which comes with many 2021 models. It’s decently built, but a tad long and there's no backlight. You do get a talk function which is quite handy. Pairing between your TV and the remote should be automatic unless you happen to have two Sonys near one another.. there are quick access buttons to the popular streaming apps, such as Netflix, Youtube and Prime Video, and the buttons feel decent. 

The user interface is a standard Sony one. The new Google TV interface is quite brisk, and If you have been using them or even if you come from another brand, it should be fairly simple to work out. It will take you through a rather thorough setup process, which allows you to set up wifi, google, and get your basic apps going. The interface is responsive and I did not see any pop up ads.

You get Airplay, Bluetooth, and there is a Google interface, which allows voice commands. I found the Sony to be responsive, and picks up my voice quite easily. The nice thing about the Bluetooth is that it will turn on your associated Bluetooth speaker or soundbar automatically too.

If you add a HDMI based device, such as a Blu Ray player or Apple TV, it will turn on the TV and you can control both with the Sony remote. Very neat. 

So how does it look?

I'm not capable of measurements that professional websites like Rtings can do, but here's my personal impression.

Many buyers and readers also are aware that Sony gets their panels from other makers, so you may think that all LED TVs should look the same, so why pay more for a Sony? Furthermore, this panel has a price tag that comes close to that of a basic OLED panel, so why should you get this?

Firstly, not everyone is enamoured with OLEDs, the superb contrast ratio notwithstanding. Some buyers want to use their panels in bright rooms, and will be watching a lot of free to air TV with ticker tape info playing constantly. These situations tend to be problematic for OLEDS and may even cause burn in. 

When you first turn on the TV, the initial setup is simple and when you give this panel a good source, such as a 4k video from the built in Netflix app or a UHD disc, you will know where the money has gone. In 2021, Sony added the XR video processing and this extra sauce that is integral to why one pays for the brand shows that Sony has gotten things right. 

Firstly, the motion handling is good. There is barely any hint of ghosting. 

LEDs tend to have a lower contrast ratio than OLEDs, but this Full Array Local Dimming Panel does perform well, even with darker scenes. It is no match for OLED, but for a LED panel it’s quite good. Near blacks are well handled, but if there are fast moving scenes in near darkness or very black scenes, the OLEDs will perform better. This panel has around 24 dimming zones in the 55” size, so the contrast ratio is less impressive than say the older Z9D. But it also costs a lot less. In stable dark scenes where there is a clear line between light and dark scenes, you’ll be surprised how good it is.

And the key here is the blacks are as you may expect, but the near blacks are impressive... and where it excels is in a bright room, where the HDR scenes do have a certain pop. Whilst peak brightness is bettered by the more expensive panels, you will be quite satisfied in a well-lit room. You can attribute this to the use of a VA panel here.

The panel is also quite good at upscaling and again you have to thank Sony for their magic in their componentry. The images are sharp, even when you use a free to air source. Sitting close to the TV is fine if you’re viewing a high definition source. I’ve been able to sit within 1.5m to the screen and still find it satisfactory. 

I also found that the internal free to air receiver picks up channels very nicely. I live behind a hill, and that stands between me and the local TV stations, but despite using a basic indoor antenna with no booster, I had no trouble getting all the local channels. The screen size does make these free to air channels look significantly worse than other media, but they are as sharp as you can get with the source.

As for the apps, when you feed it a high quality source eg 4k Dolby Vision from either the internal apps or a UHD disc, you will then truly appreciate the picture quality on hand here and you will know where your hard earned money has gone to. The interface responds quickly. 

As for the sound, well it does not have acoustic speakers built into the panel that radiate forward and whilst the sounds is ok for speech and news broadcasts, you’ll still find a need for a decent soundbar. 

I used this track to test the sound:

There are a few negatives.

As the number of dimming zones is limited, you do get hard stops and the light leakage can be obvious in darker scenes where there is both light and dark scenes mixed together, such as a scene of the night skies, or a dimly light forest scene. When you need to make some parts of the scene totally dark between very bright scenes, you’ll noticed that it does not do as well as the top Master Series LEDs or an OLED TV. 

Whilst the mid and treble performed pretty well for a flat screen with no external speakers, the bass is weak, and you’ll still miss that soundbar, unlike the more expensive XR A80J 77” that I just tested.

If you have sources with Dolby Vision, you'll really have a blast. The colours and contrast seen take it to a different level. 

Motion flow was also very good and the images were very sharp, with good light control and the contrast is very impressive.

I also checked for screen uniformity, and you do notice some uniformity issues in the corners but this is when one scrutinises hard with a test source. Under normal use, you will not be able to notice it. 

Sony’s previous 9000H / 900H was a big hit, offering good prices for a large LED panel with very decent performance. The X90J build on this and more. But the key is that Sony has to look over it’ shoulders at what the competition is offering. 

As I mentioned in a recent review, these days, a 75" panel can be had for less than a grand. Sony’s OLED panels cost significantly more so not everyone is keen to spend on a OLED TV, and some also worry about burn in.

But Sony needs to be careful in pricing this panel, as the main competitor to this is the OLED C series from LG. Though that costs more, the street prices are quite close. Samsung also offers their QLED panels at similar prices.

But the X90J offers some very impressive picture quality and the larger sizes panels cost much less than the competition for a FALD panel. 

Now if Sony can give a competitive street price which places it closer to the mass priced LG C1 series, then this panel will represent a significant alternative. 

____________________________________________________________ 

 I have no financial interest or other interests in any of the items / events I write about.