Sony X85K Review (KD-43X85K, KD-50X85K, KD-55X85K, KD-65X85K, KD-75X85K, KD-85X85K) (2024)

Curved No

The Sony X85K Series has a simplistic design that's not very premium, but it doesn't look cheap either. The bezels have a textured plastic finish, while the back is matte plastic.

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The brightness of this TV has varied considerably since the start of our long-term test. It's unclear why, and there's no apparent pattern to the brightness changes. It's not always decreasing, either, so this isn't a sign of the backlight failing.

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Wall Mount VESA 300x300

The Sony X85K has a plastic back with a checkerboard pattern typical of Sony TVs. The inputs are side-facing and set into the TV, so they're difficult to reach with the TV wall-mounted. It has basic cable management with hooks on the feet to guide the cables to the inputs.

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Borders 0.39" (1.0 cm)

The bezels are slightly larger than on other mid-range and premium TVs, but they aren't distracting.

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Max Thickness 2.80" (7.1 cm)

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The Sony X85K has good build quality. It's well put together with stable feet and good-quality plastic. There's a bit of flex on the back panel, but it isn't something to be concerned about. However, there's one issue with our unit as there are a couple of spots near the center of the screen. We couldn't clean them off, and they seem to be dirt or smudges that are caught between the panel and some layers beneath it. It's more of a quality control issue, and we don't expect it to be a widespread problem, but let us know if you experience the same thing.

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Contrast

Native Contrast

The Sony X85K has a great native contrast ratio, so blacks are deep and uniform in dark scenes. It lacks a local dimming feature, though, so bright highlights increase the brightness of the entire screen, including dark areas, so blacks look more washed out.

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This TV doesn't have a local dimming feature, so there's no blooming around bright objects or subtitles in dark scenes.

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Local Dimming

Backlight

Dimming Zones Count Of Tested TV

This TV doesn't have a local dimming feature, so it can't adjust the backlight of individual zones to brighten up highlights without impacting the rest of the image. But this means that there's no distracting flicker or brightness changes as bright highlights move between zones.

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Switching to Game Mode makes no noticeable difference in dark scene performance, as shadows still look washed out.

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Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²)

Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²)

Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²)

Peak 2% Window

Peak 10% Window

Peak 25% Window

Peak 50% Window

Peak 100% Window

Sustained 2% Window

Sustained 10% Window

Sustained 25% Window

Sustained 50% Window

Sustained 100% Window

Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)

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Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²)

Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²)

Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²)

Peak 2% Window

Peak 10% Window

Peak 25% Window

Peak 50% Window

Peak 100% Window

Sustained 2% Window

Sustained 10% Window

Sustained 25% Window

Sustained 50% Window

Sustained 100% Window

Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)

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600 Nit Tracking Delta

1000 Nit Tracking Delta

4000 Nit Tracking Delta

The EOTF follows the target curve incredibly well, meaning that most content is displayed at the correct brightness level in HDR. Shadow details are raised, as the lack of a local dimming feature prevents the TV from displaying near black perfectly. Midtones are slightly brighter, but it's not a noticeable difference, and there's a fine roll-off near the TV's peak brightness, ensuring that fine details in bright scenes are preserved.

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Real Scene Peak Brightness

Peak 2% Window

Peak 10% Window

Peak 25% Window

Peak 50% Window

Peak 100% Window

Sustained 2% Window

Sustained 10% Window

Sustained 25% Window

Sustained 50% Window

Sustained 100% Window

Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)

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Wide Color Gamut

DCI P3 xy

DCI P3 uv

Rec 2020 xy

Rec 2020 uv

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1,000 cd/m² DCI P3 Coverage ITP

10,000 cd/m² Rec 2020 Coverage ITP

White Luminance

Red Luminance

Green Luminance

Blue Luminance

Cyan Luminance

Magenta Luminance

Yellow Luminance

The Sony X85K TV has good color volume. It displays some colors nearly as bright as pure white, but it's limited by its incomplete color gamut.

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White Balance dE

Color dE

Gamma

Color Temperature

Picture Mode

Color Temp Setting

Gamma Setting

With just a few changes out-of-the-box, this TV's accuracy is fantastic in SDR. There are minimal inaccuracies to most colors and the white balance, and the color temperature is nearly spot-on with the 6500K target. Gamma follows the 2.2 target for moderately-lit rooms well, but some brighter scenes are slightly too dark.

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White Balance dE

Color dE

Gamma

Color Temperature

White Balance Calibration

Color Calibration

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50% Std. Dev.

50% DSE

5% Std. Dev.

5% DSE

The gray uniformity of this TV is good. The screen is mostly uniform, and there aren't any distracting areas. There's an issue with our unit with dirty spots towards the center, which are likely smudges or dust caught in the panel. It's different from the dirty screen effect some TVs experience, which is due to the panel's performance and not quality control issues like this one.

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Std. Dev.

Native Std. Dev.

This TV has impressive black uniformity. Blacks look deep and incredibly uniform, even without a local dimming feature.

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Color Washout

Color Shift

Brightness Loss

Black Level Raise

Gamma Shift

This TV has a disappointing viewing angle. The image looks washed out as you move off-center, so it isn't ideal for a wide seating arrangement or if you like to move around with the TV on.

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Screen Finish

Total Reflections

Indirect Reflections

Calculated Direct Reflections

The Sony X85K has good reflection handling. Combined with its high peak brightness, it performs well in most well-lit rooms.

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100% Black to 50% Gray

50% Gray to 100% White

100% Black to 50% Red

50% Red to 100% Red

100% Black to 50% Green

50% Green to 100% Green

100% Black to 50% Blue

50% Blue to 100% Blue

The gradient handling on this TV is just okay. Its picture processing isn't as powerful as higher-end Sony TVs, and there's noticeable banding in darker shades.

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Smoothing

Detail Preservation

Unfortunately, this TV has very limited processing capabilities when displaying low-quality content. It doesn't smooth out macro-blocking or pixelization well, but on the flip side, fine details are preserved well.

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This TV has good upscaling and sharpness processing overall. Fine details in upscaled content are preserved well, and fine lines are straight and detailed without oversharpening. These results are with Sharpness set to '60', and Reality Creation set to '20'.

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Subpixel Layout

Type LED

Sub-Type

This TV uses a BGR subpixel layout. It doesn't affect picture quality but can cause blurry text in some applications when using it as a PC monitor. You can read more about it here.

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80% Response Time

100% Response Time

The Sony X85K has a great response time. Motion looks smooth in most scenes, but as it has overshoot with dark transitions, there's some inverse ghosting.

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Flicker-Free

PWM Dimming Frequency

The backlight is completely flicker-free with any picture mode and any brightness level, which helps reduce eye strain.

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Optional BFI

Min Flicker For 60 fps

60Hz For 60 fps

120Hz For 120 fps

Min Flicker for 60 fps in Game Mode

The Sony X85K has an optional backlight strobing feature, commonly known as black frame insertion. It only flickers at 120Hz, which creates duplication with 60 fps content.

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Motion Interpolation (30 fps)

Motion Interpolation (60 fps)

This TV has a motion interpolation feature to bring lower-frame-rate content up to 120 fps. Like with most TVs, it works well with slower scenes, but it struggles to keep up in fast-paced content, causing artifacts.

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Frame Hold Time @ 24 fps

Frame Hold Time @ 60 fps

Due to the quick response time, there's some stutter with lower-frame-rate content as each frame is held on longer.

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Judder-Free 24p

Judder-Free 24p via 60p

Judder-Free 24p via 60i

Judder-Free 24p via Native Apps

This TV removes 24p judder from any source, which helps with the appearance of motion in movies.

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Native Refresh Rate

Variable Refresh Rate

HDMI Forum VRR

FreeSync

G-SYNC Compatible

4k VRR Maximum

4k VRR Minimum

1080p VRR Maximum

1080p VRR Minimum

1440p VRR Maximum

1440p VRR Minimum

VRR + Local Dimming No Local Dimming

This TV supports variable refresh rate technology to reduce screen tearing. It supports HDMI Forum VRR and G-SYNC but not FreeSync, which is disappointing if you have a PC with an older AMD graphics card.

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1080p @ 60Hz

1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode

1080p @ 120Hz

1080p @ 144Hz

1440p @ 60Hz

1440p @ 120Hz

1440p @ 144Hz

4k @ 60Hz

4k @ 60Hz + 10-Bit HDR

4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4

4k @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode

4k @ 60Hz With Interpolation

4k @ 120Hz

4k @ 144Hz

8k @ 60Hz

The Sony X85K has low input lag for a responsive gaming experience, as long as you're using the 'Game' Picture Mode.

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Resolution 4k

480p @ 59.94Hz (Widescreen)

720p @ 59.94Hz

1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4

1080p @ 120Hz

1080p @ 144Hz

1440p @ 60Hz

1440p @ 120Hz

1440p @ 144Hz

4k @ 60Hz

4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4

4k @ 120Hz

4k @ 120Hz @ 4:4:4

4k @ 144Hz

8k @ 30Hz or 24Hz

8k @ 60Hz

This TV supports most resolutions up to 4k @ 120Hz, as long as you're using HDMI ports 3 and 4 because they support HDMI 2.1 bandwidth. It also displays proper chroma 4:4:4 with 1080p and 4k signals, which is important when using the TV as a PC monitor for clear text, but only at 60Hz. Text isn't clear with 4k @ 120Hz signals from a PC, as it can't display chroma 4:4:4 properly in that mode. If you'd like something comparable but with 1440p resolution and chroma 4:4:4 at 4k @ 120Hz support, check out the Samsung Q70C QLED.

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Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)

4k @ 120Hz

1440p @ 120Hz

1080p @ 120Hz

HDR

VRR

This TV supports 4k gaming up to 120 fps on the PS5 with HDMI ports 3 and 4.

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Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)

4k @ 120Hz

1440p @ 120Hz

1080p @ 120Hz

HDR

VRR

This TV supports 4k gaming up to 120 fps on the Xbox Series S|X with HDMI ports 3 and 4. Like most TVs released in 2022 and 2023, Dolby Vision is only supported at 4k @ 60Hz.

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HDR10

HDR10+

Dolby Vision

HLG

HDMI 2.0 Full Bandwidth

HDMI 2.1 Class Bandwidth

CEC Yes

HDCP 2.2 Yes (HDMI 1,2,3,4)

ATSC Tuner

USB 3.0

Variable Analog Audio Out No

Wi-Fi Support Yes (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz)

As HDMI ports 3 and 4 support full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1, you'll be limited to HDMI 2.0 bandwidth with HDMI ports 1 and 2. However, because one of the HDMI 2.1 ports also serves as an eARC port, you can't use HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on multiple devices if you have your receiver plugged into the eARC port. Also, the TV's tuner supports ATSC 3.0, allowing you to stream over-the-air 4k channels.

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HDMI 4

USB 2

Digital Optical Audio Out 1

Analog Audio Out 3.5mm 0

Analog Audio Out RCA 0

Component In 0

Composite In 1 (adapter required, not incl.)

Tuner (Cable/Ant) 1

Ethernet 1

DisplayPort 0

IR In 1

The Sony X85K doesn't have an Analog Audio Output, so you can't connect your headphones or basic speakers that use an analog connection. Unlike the Sony X90K/X90CK, it doesn't have the S-Center speaker input.

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ARC/eARC Port

eARC: Dolby Atmos Over Dolby Digital Plus

eARC: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1

eARC: LPCM 7.1 Over Dolby MAT

eARC: Dolby TrueHD 7.1

eARC: DTS:X Over DTS-HD MA

eARC: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1

eARC: LPCM Channels (Bitstream)

ARC: Dolby Digital 5.1

ARC: DTS 5.1

Optical: Dolby Digital 5.1

Optical: DTS 5.1

The eARC support allows you to pass high-quality audio to a compatible receiver with a single HDMI cable, and it supports both common audio formats.

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Low-Frequency Extension

Std. Dev. @ 70

Std. Dev. @ 80

Std. Dev. @ Max

Max

Dynamic Range Compression

This TV has a decent frequency response. It has a very well-balanced sound profile at moderate listening levels, but there are more compression artifacts at the max volume. Like with most TVs, it doesn't produce much bass.

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Weighted THD @ 80

Weighted THD @ Max

IMD @ 80

IMD @ Max

The Sony X85K's distortion handling is mediocre. Although it isn't too noticeable at moderate listening levels, it gets much worse at the max volume.

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Smart OS Google TV

Version 10

Ease of Use

Smoothness

Time Taken to Select YouTube

Time Taken to Change Backlight

Advanced Options

The Sony X85K comes with the same version of Google TV as the Sony X85J. It's user-friendly, and navigating the menu feels smooth without any noticeable bugs.

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Ads

Opt-out

Suggested Content in Home

Opt-out of Suggested Content

Like with most modern TVs, there are ads and suggested content on the home screen and in the Google Play Store. You can opt out of personalized ads, which means you'll get non-targeted ads instead.

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App Selection

App Smoothness

Cast Capable

USB Drive Playback

USB Drive HDR Playback

HDR in Netflix

HDR in YouTube

The Google Play Store has tons of apps available to download. It has Google Chromecast built-in, meaning you can cast content from your phone. You can also connect the Bravia webcam for video calls.

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Size

Voice Control

CEC Menu Control

Other Smart Features

Remote App Android TV

The Sony X85K's remote is slightly different from past Sony remotes. It doesn't have a numpad and instead has a '123' button that brings up a virtual numpad. The built-in mic gives you access to Google Assistant, and you can ask it to change inputs, search for content, and open apps. You need to ensure you have Bluetooth enabled on the TV for the voice assistant to work.

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There's a single button underneath the center of the TV to turn it on/off, change channels, adjust the volume, or switch inputs.

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Power Consumption 61 W

Power Consumption (Max) 155 W

Firmware PKG6.5770.0680NAA

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