I’m often asked about the more affordable TVs on the market and how they compare to the big brands. The simple fact is all TVs can do the same thing, it’s just a sliding scale of how well they do it.
This Sony X95 TV is a perfect example of that. The 55-inch version will set you back $1995. At 65 inches it’s $2795, 75 Inches it’s $3995 and you can go all the way to 85 inches for $5995 which is actually a bloody epic deal for such a TV.
Having just reviewed a $799 version of an Android TV, I am perfectly positioned to tell you why you should, and why you shouldn’t buy this Sony TV.
Firstly, let me tell you – this TV is faultless. Price would be your only stumbling block, this is not the most expensive 55 inch TV, far from it – but it’s above the mid-range so you need to know you’re getting value for the money – and you are.
A cheaper Android TV will do the same things, but it will do it slower, the apps will launch slower, there will be glitches. No doubt for many that’s inconsequential, but if you want to flawless experience you pay the extra money and you get it.
I noticed immediately how snappy the menu performance was. The Android TV offers icons for apps and on this TV there are video previews of apps and what they offer.
You’ll need to spend a bit of time setting it up, add your Google account, download your favourite streaming and TV apps, and then – arrange them in the order you like them – making things easy to access.
I like the menu system and input switching – It’s got Sony’s flavour, rather than running just what Google offers with Android.
All that matters not if the picture is rubbish. And it’s not. This brings me back to how cheap TVs differ from the bigger brands.
Honestly, watching raw 4K content here is better, but not triple the price better than the cheapest 4K TV you can find.
What matters is how the TV adapts to a dynamic picture, bright areas and dark areas – and this Sony features a full-array local dimming backlight which helps immensely.
Secondly, how does the TV cope with non 4K content? There are exactly enough pixels on screen for 4K – so if the source has less pixels, how are those spread across the additional spots on the screen.
Sony does this with the Picture Processor they call the X1. It upscales the input to match the output and you get a great result on all content types.
It looked amazing. The rich colours and deep blacks make this a stunning thing to watch.
Sound is good, with solidly positioned tweeters and what Sony call “Multi-Audio”
I took the chance to pair it with a HT-X8500 Sony Soundbar, and my lord that did something special and it reminds me always that you REALLY should consider a soundbar for any TV.
Having used 65 inch TVs so much lately, my only complaint about this TV is that it is only 55 inches. But again, it’s available in much bigger sizes.
You won’t regret choosing a Sony TV – in particular this series of TVs from Sony are great quality, full of great features and as Android TVs give you huge flexibility on what to watch and how you’re going to watch them.
Web: Sony
