Sony Bravia X90L Full Array TV: An In-Depth Review
In today's much-awaited review, we're diving into the exceptional Sony X90L TV. As per popular demand, we'll take an in-depth look at this television, exploring its features, specifications, and real-world performance. This review aims to determine whether the Sony X90L TV is a worthy upgrade from its predecessor, the X90K, and help you make an informed decision. So, let's get started!
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| Sony Bravia X90L Full Array TV |
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Unboxing and Design: A Premium Marvel
In addition to the TV, the package includes a power cord, metallic tabletop stands, a remote, batteries, wall-mounting screws, an instruction manual, and a warranty card.
The aluminium dark silver frame and slim-wedge metallic legs give the TV a modern and boxy appearance. As an added touch, the legs are adjustable, allowing you to tailor the TV's height to your preference. Moreover, they can be positioned in various configurations, accommodating different table widths and even soundbars. The TV's ports are conveniently placed for easy access.
Features and Specifications: A Deeper Dive
The Sony X90L TV is available in sizes 55, 65, and 75 inches, providing options to suit your budget and space requirements. It offers an impressive array of connectivity options, including 4 HDMI ports with support for the latest specifications, 2 USB ports, Ethernet, Digital Optical Audio Out, and more. Built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Chromecast functionality add to the TV's versatility. Under the hood, the TV is powered by Sony's Cognitive Processor XR, which integrates advanced technologies to future-proof your viewing experience. The TV features a 100 Hz 10-bit panel with Full Array Local Dimming, supporting various HDR formats like HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision. This results in stunning visuals, vibrant colours, and deep contrasts.
Real Performance Sony X90L: Exceptional Visuals and Audio
Despite being a VA panel, the TV has above-average grey uniformity and excellent black uniformity. The dirty screen effect on the TV is minimal. The contrast ratio of the TV is excellent, and it delivers deep blacks. The HDR peak brightness of the TV is 1057 Nits, and the SDR peak brightness is 683 Nits. This TV is brighter than last year's Sony X90J and X90K models. In terms of dimming zones, the TV has 8 horizontal and 8 vertical dimming zones, resulting in a total of 64 dimming zones.
This is an improvement over last year's X90K model, with more dimming zones and smaller zones for better accuracy in night scenes. One of the best things about this TV is that it has minimal blooming. Scenes like bursting firecrackers, star-lit skies, or the nightlife of a bustling city are beautifully displayed. The glowing lights in night scenes and the Jet Black sky ambience remain intact. The high-intensity illumination on a black background looks stunning. If any TV can come closest to OLED-like picture quality, it's this TV, as its full array backlights' switch on and off mechanism is highly precise.
Talking about colours, the out-of-the-box picture settings of this TV are excellent. Even so, you can customize the settings according to your preference. This TV offers Quantum Dot TVs' level of P3 colour gamut coverage or even more. In simpler terms, the colours on this TV appear as vibrant as or even more vibrant than QLED TVs, and they remain accurate. The colour accuracy of the TV is quite impressive. The TV doesn't overpower the details in black scenes. It provides excellent picture clarity, capable of delivering cinematically accurate performance. This mid-range TV offers a genuine Dolby Vision experience. In the budget category, no matter how much companies boast about Dolby Vision and HDR, you won't truly experience it in any of those TVs. Dolby Vision and HDR are successful only on TVs with a brightness of 900 Nits or above. Their purpose is to allow you to see scenes exactly as filmmakers intended.
Budget TVs compromise the actual beauty of scenes because the elements in the scene aren't presented as they were shot. For instance, if a scene depicts clouds covering the sun during the day while casting rays of sunlight on the edges and patches of sunshine in some places, an ordinary Dolby Vision/HDR TV might transform that daytime scene into an evening one. However, a true Dolby Vision TV will show you that it's still daytime but with overcast skies. This TV excels in displaying shadow details and beautifully rendering both very bright and very dark scenes. True Dolby Vision and HDR TVs are about more than just specifications; they beautifully display scenes set in darkness. Even in a dark room, you can see every object as if looking at it with your own eyes. Objects and people have a distinct glow, making nighttime scenes even more attractive. Unlike budget TVs, you don't need to repeatedly adjust settings to view dark scenes well. This TV presents dark scenes as beautifully as bright scenes. Even a slightly bright budget TV might reveal details in dark scenes, but not with the same precision and beauty as this TV.
I find Sony's X90 series quite appealing, offering premium picture quality at a reasonable price. After this, the next TV category to consider is OLED TVs. However, good OLED TVs are highly-priced, and some people are also sceptical about burn-in issues with them. For those individuals, this model is not only the best option but also a safer bet.
The TV's settings provide options to fine-tune nearly everything, along with auto modes. It also offers multiple options for motion settings. By adjusting the smoothness level between 1 and 2, and minimizing or turning off clarity to avoid the "Soap Opera" effect, you can control motion without compromising the TV's appearance.
The Sony X90L TV also performs well with HDR10+. Additionally, it upscales picture quality for 24fps content through a set-top box, which isn't common in budget TVs. Even SD channels display with good clarity on this TV. So, if you connect a set-top box to this TV, you'll get satisfying picture quality.This TV is also an excellent option for watching sports along with other content. It offers a bright and colorful performance with a clean field view.
The TV's video processing is remarkable, as it effectively utilizes its hardware. The backlight of the TV is uniform and consistent, something that's not always found even in Samsung's flagship mini LED QLED models. In those TVs, as the light-to-dark ratio shifts, the brightening and darkening of the backlight become evident. Moreover, in mini LED TVs, light is more noticeable at the edges than at the center, creating a slightly concave appearance to images.
Despite being a VA panel, the TV has a good viewing angle. Pictures remain decent even when viewed from extreme angles. At extremely wide angles, there might be a slight reduction in colours, but the blacks might fade a bit, and the backlight's operation might become noticeable.
The TV performs well in bright rooms too, making it suitable for wide seating arrangements in highly illuminated spaces. While it can handle some reflections, it lacks an anti-reflective coating, so it can't be placed directly opposite strong light sources.
The XR cognitive processor of the TV optimizes each scene in auto mode, which can sometimes be noticeable when playing high-quality videos. If you prefer, you can manually adjust settings to avoid this processing.
The TV features a light sensor that adjusts the TV's brightness according to the room's lighting conditions in auto mode. This adjustment is precise and fast, usually going unnoticed.
Regarding audio, the TV's dialogue mode provides clear and good audio quality. The audio is loud and sounds high-definition. The TV can convert stereo sound into 3D virtual surround, but this effect might not be highly effective. Compared to average TVs, this TV offers more pronounced bass. However, you won't experience a Dolby Atmos effect from the TV's speakers. The TV has acoustic centre sync, which, when connected to a compatible Sony Dolby Atmos soundbar, syncs the audio with the TV's speakers for an enhanced audio experience.
Smart Features: Android TV and Beyond
The Sony X90L TV runs on Android TV with the Google TV UI, providing a smooth and user-friendly interface. With access to over 10,000 apps and games, including streaming services and content platforms, your entertainment options are virtually limitless. The TV also supports Apple AirPlay, Apple AirKit, and Chromecast, allowing seamless content sharing from various devices.
The voice command feature, powered by Google Assistant and compatible with Alexa, provides convenient control and navigation. Additionally, the TV's Bravia Core Technology offers access to high-quality movies, and the Living Decor App transforms the TV into a personalized piece of art.
Gaming Performance Sony X90L : A Gamer's Delight
For gamers, the Sony X90L TV proves to be a worthy companion, especially for PS5 users. The TV automatically switches to the game mode when connected to the PS5, offering VRR and ALLM support. With variable refresh rates and low input lag, gaming on this TV is smooth, responsive, and visually impressive. The TV's graphics and HDR performance create an immersive gaming experience.
Conclusion: A Premium Choice
In conclusion, the Sony X90L TV presents a compelling proposition for those seeking premium performance without breaking the bank. Its outstanding picture quality, advanced features, and gaming capabilities make it an attractive choice for both entertainment enthusiasts and gamers. The TV's impressive audio, smart features, and elegant design further solidify its position as a standout option in its category. If you're in search of a TV that balances affordability and high-end performance, the Sony X90L TV is a solid contender. With its exceptional visuals, immersive audio, and cutting-edge features, it offers an all-encompassing entertainment experience that's hard to beat.
Thank you for joining us on this in-depth review of the Sony X90L TV. We hope this analysis has provided you with valuable insights into this television's capabilities. Stay tuned for more tech reviews and updates from Techiebeez! Until next time, take care and stay safe.
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