With the X95K, Sony is aiming quite high, and we are not just talking about the price. With a mini LED backlight, this LCD TV should be able to compete with Sony’s own OLED models. But is that a realistic expectation?
Sony XR-65X95K
Brand: Sony
Fashion model: XR-55A95K
Price: 3,700 euros
What: Ultra HD Full Array LED LCD TV with Local Dimming (36×12 segments)
Screen size: 65 in (164 cm), flat
Connections:
4x HDMI (2x 48 Gbps, 2x 18 Gbps, ARC/eARC, ALLM, 4K120, VRR), 1x composite video, 1x stereo minijack, 1x optical digital out, 2x USB, 3x antenna, Bluetooth
Dimensions:1,225 x 753 x 265mm
Extras:HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, WiFi (802.11ac) built-in, Google TV (10), Chromecast, Airplay 2, USB/DLNA media player, DVB-T2/C/S2, CI+ slot, Cognitive processor XR
Dimensions:1,443 x 907 x 343 mm (incl. foot)
Weight:33.0 kg (incl. feet)
Average usage: SDR 113 (F) / HDR 156 watts (G)
8 Score 80 
- Pros
- High peak brightness and very wide color gamut
- Excellent image processing
- Relatively wide viewing angle
- Excellent audio performance, Dolby Atmos
- HDMI 2.1 connections with many gaming features
- New, convenient and simpler remote control
- Negatives
- Local dimming halos visible in HDR
- Only two HDMI 2.1 connections
- Dolby Vision and 4K120 cannot be combined via HDMI
- Price
It seems as if Sony opted for explicitly tough designs this year. In addition to the A95K, which was also surprisingly heavy for an OLED TV, the X95K equipped with mini LED now also appears to be a fairly heavyweight. Mini LEDs are therefore no guarantee for a slim TV. The device itself is six centimeters thick, and it stands on two sturdy feet that require a lot of space both in front of and behind the device.
But we have to give Sony one thing, the design is beautiful. The titanium-coloured accents, the playfully finished back, the fine frame, we like to see it. For the feet, you have three options for mounting them, wide, narrow and wide, where you put the screen a little higher above the furniture. The latter option is there to give sound bars a place.
Connections
If you didn’t already get four HDMI 2.1 connections on the A95K, then you should not expect them on the X95K either. So twice HDMI 2.0 and twice HDMI 2.1 (with ALLM, VRR and ARC/eARC). The input lag is 19.6 ms (4K60) and 11.0 ms (2K120), tempting enough to attract gamers. But for Xbox Series X gamers, there can be a hurdle. After all, the HDMI 2.1 connection cannot support both Dolby Vision and 4K120-VRR at the same time, you have to choose one of the two via the settings.
The rest of the connections deliver no surprises. Two USBs, a composite video and stereo minijack input, an optical digital audio output, bluetooth for the remote and/or headphones, ethernet and wifi. There is a double TV tuner and one CI-plus slot, you can watch TV at the same time record another channel if you connect a USB hard drive.
Backlight Master Drive: Enough To Cope With OLED?
The screen of the X95K is a VA panel with X-Wide Angle and X-Anti reflection film. We expect good contrast and a limited viewing angle from a VA panel, but Sony has clearly changed the properties due to that special film.
For example, we measure an ANSI contrast of approximately 1,500:1, well below the typical 3,000:1 or more that you can expect from VA. The viewing angle is indeed better, although it remains important not to sit too far from the center, then you will lose some contrast and color. Reflections are well tempered, but have a distinctive colored smeared effect.
Then it is up to the mini LED-based backlighting with local dimming to improve the contrast performance. The X95K uses 36×12 (432) zones. With that, it can boost the ANSI contrast to 4,000:1, and even higher on other patterns. In SDR, this produces excellent results. The dimming algorithm follows quickly, and zones almost always remain invisible. But that’s different in HDR.
That’s where the X95K pumps out a lot of light, and that moderate self-contrast inevitably ensures that bright objects have a halo against a dark background, or in some cases the zone boundaries are slightly visible.
This problem does not arise with bright content, but in dark images you really should not pay attention or it invariably catches the eye. For a TV that evokes memories of the famous 2016 ZD9 with the name Backlight Master Drive, that is a bit disappointing. And especially for a device that has to compete with OLED.
Speaking of peak brightness, the X95K delivers a generous 1,435 nits on a 10% window in HDR, and even 685 nits on a full white field. The color range is also very good at 93% P3. Combined with the good tone mapping, HDR images are therefore very good. The colors sparkle and bright scenes give a very powerful impression.
The screen shows many shadow nuances, but hides a bit of white detail, although this will rarely be noticed. The ‘User’ image mode is the choice in both SDR and HDR that provides the best calibration and most natural images.
Beautiful image from any source
Whether you’re streaming some older content or downloading it from a DVD, watching live TV, or watching the latest Ultra HD Dolby Vision content, the Sony Cognitive Processor XR puts it all on screen. It scores well for deinterlacing, noise reduction and upscaling. You also give older sources with ‘Reality Creation’ some extra detail and depth without disturbing false contours.
Annoying color bands in soft color transitions are a difficult task for many other TVs, but the Sony does a great job of eliminating them, even in our most difficult test scenes. The smart light sensor adjusts the brightness, but also the tone curve. With the latter, he makes black nuances more visible when there is a lot of ambient light. The motion sharpness of the panel is quite good. In fast-moving scenes you lose a minimum of detail, or fast-moving objects have a thin blurred edge.
Within MotionFlow you can activate a Black Frame Insertion to bring out extra detail, although that sometimes causes a small double border, instead of a faint border. With motion interpolation, unfortunately, the processor sometimes seems unable to follow. In fast pan images there are therefore quite a lot of image errors visible or the image still shakes.
Good audio performance
The Acoustic Multi-Audio solution has two woofers and two midrange speakers at the bottom. The two tweeters were moved to a higher position, at the top of the screen. They ensure that the sound seems to come out of the screen, even though the speakers are mainly located at the bottom. In any case, the 6x 10 Watts of power are sufficient for powerful sound.
We can make our film fragments nice and loud, there is quite a bit of bass and indeed, the dialogues seem to come pretty well from the center. The sound is pleasant and you rarely hear distortion. With music, this can be a bit more noticeable if you really ask for a lot of volume.
The Dolby Atmos support also provides a nice surround experience, albeit without a real height effect. You can also have the sound adjusted for the room acoustics with a short test procedure.
Google TV with some extras
The smart TV part is provided by Google TV. This gives you the richest range of apps and Google Cast. Sony also offers you Airplay 2 and its own streaming service with movies from Sony Pictures, Bravia Core. Unlike the A95K, the Bravia Cam is not included as standard. But given its limited utility, we see little reason to buy it as that option.
Sony has been using the same chipset for several years now, a MediaTek MT5895 with quad-core ARM Cortex-A73 CPU, 3GB RAM and Mali-G52 GPU. This ensures a smoothly working interface, you can navigate quickly and without hesitation through the menus and the Google TV offer.
The remote control is the same as that of the A95K. The new and especially simplified layout, with fewer keys, is more suitable for use now that we stream more and more. Don’t panic if you don’t find them again. Via Find My Remote in the Google Home app you let the remote control light up and make sound.
Conclusion
For those looking for a TV that still delivers a sparkling image in a well-lit living room, this X95K is an excellent choice. Sports enthusiasts benefit most from its high brightness, wide color gamut, and good motion sharpness, and it also has a lot to offer gamers.
For film fans, the moderate contrast is not ideal, because you can see halos in HDR if the background of the image is dark. Excellent image processing, a good audio configuration, and Google TV in any case make for a very fully featured TV. It’s just a shame that the price is so high, we find it difficult to justify.
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