The Sony INZONE M9 is a 27-inch, 4k gaming monitor with a 144Hz refresh rate. It's part of Sony's INZONE lineup that features other products like the Sony INZONE H9 Wireless and is a higher-end monitor than the Sony INZONE M3. It has typical gaming features like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, VRR support to reduce screen tearing, and full-array local dimming. Sony also advertises it as being 'Perfect for PS5' as it has features with the console that other monitors don't have, like Auto HDR Tone Mapping, and it has design similarities with the PS5, so it gives your setup a uniform look.
The Sony INZONE M9 is decent for PC gaming. Although its 144Hz refresh rate isn't high for competitive PC gaming, it's still fine for casual gamers, and it has VRR support to reduce screen tearing. It also has low input lag for a responsive feel, and motion looks sharp, but there's more blur at lower refresh rates. Even though it has a low native contrast ratio, blacks still look deep with the local dimming feature enabled, but small highlights are muted in HDR.
The Sony INZONE M9 is impressive for console gaming. It has features with the PS5 that other monitors don't have, like Auto HDR Tone Mapping, and it also takes full advantage of the Xbox Series X|S. It has a high 4k resolution for detailed images, and it has a full-array local dimming feature that helps it display deep blacks, but there's blooming around bright objects. In terms of gaming, it has low input lag for a responsive feel, and motion looks sharp at most refresh rates, except there's more blur at lower refresh rates.
The Sony INZONE M9 is great for the office. The large, high-resolution screen makes it easy to multitask, as you can easily work with multiple windows open, resulting in fantastic text clarity. It has good visibility in bright rooms thanks to its high brightness and good reflection handling, so glare isn't an issue. Sadly, it has limited ergonomics, so it's difficult to adjust it to an ideal viewing position, and although it has USB-C power, it's limited to 15W of power delivery. It even has a KVM switch, but it only works after a firmware update.
The Sony INZONE M9 is decent for media creators. The large, high-resolution screen makes it easy to see more of your workflow at once. Unfortunately, it has oversaturated colors before calibration, so you need to calibrate it for the best accuracy, but it displays a wide range of colors once you do. It has an okay local dimming feature that helps improve the contrast ratio, but it has blooming around bright objects, which isn't ideal for editing content in dark rooms. It also has limited ergonomics, which is disappointing for sharing your screen with others.
The Sony INZONE M9 has great brightness. It's bright enough to fight glare and also delivers an impactful HDR experience, but small highlights are muted in HDR.
The Sony INZONE M9 has a good response time. For the most part, motion looks sharp, but there's more inverse ghosting and blur at lower refresh rates.
The Sony INZONE M9 has okay HDR picture quality. Although it has a low native contrast ratio, it has a full-array local dimming feature to improve the picture quality in dark scenes. That said, it has blooming around bright objects, and it doesn't display very bright colors well.
The Sony INZONE M9 has okay SDR picture quality. It displays a wide range of colors, but it has a low contrast ratio, so blacks look gray without its local dimming feature.
The Sony INZONE M9 has decent color accuracy. Since it lacks an sRGB mode and has oversaturated colors before calibration, you need to calibrate it for the best accuracy.
We tested the 27-inch Sony INZONE M9, which is the only size available, and the results are only valid for this monitor. As a part of Sony's INZONE monitor lineup, it sits above the Sony INZONE M3, and you can see the differences between them below.
Model | Size | Panel Type | Resolution | Max Refresh Rate | HDMI 2.1 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
M9 | 27" | IPS | 4k | 144Hz | Yes |
M3 | 27" | IPS | 1080p | 240Hz | No |
Our unit was manufactured in June 2022, and you can see the label for our unit here.
The Sony INZONE M9 is a 4k, 27-inch gaming monitor that's mainly designed for use with gaming consoles, specifically the PS5. It has features with the PS5 that other monitors don't have, like Auto HDR Tone Mapping, and its design even shares similarities with the console. Although there are other 4k gaming monitors that work well with consoles, this one is really meant to complement the PlayStation. If that isn't as important for you, you can go for other monitors with better motion handling or picture quality, like the Acer Nitro XV275K P3biipruzx.
Check out our recommendations for the best 4k 144Hz monitors, the best monitors for PS5/PS5 Pro, and the best 4k gaming monitors.
The LG 27GP950-B and the Sony INZONE M9 are both 4k, 27-inch gaming monitors. The LG has much better accuracy out of the box, and colors aren't oversaturated, so it's a better choice for anyone looking for an accurate image. The LG also has better ergonomics, so it's easier to place it in an ideal viewing position. The LG also has slightly faster response times, especially if you're gaming at lower refresh rates, including 120Hz or 60Hz gaming from a console.
The Acer Nitro XV275K P3biipruzx and the Sony INZONE M9 are both 4k gaming monitors, with a few differences. The Acer has Mini LED backlighting with a better local dimming feature than the Sony, meaning it's better for HDR or any other use in dark rooms. The Acer also has much better ergonomics, making it easier to place in an ideal position. Lastly, the Acer has a slightly higher refresh rate and better motion handling, but the Sony is better for gaming at low refresh rates because it has lower input lag.
The Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 S32BG85 is much better than the Sony INZONE M9. The Samsung has a much more versatile stand, so it's easier to place it in an ideal viewing position without having to buy a separate VESA mount. The Samsung model also has much better contrast and a better Mini LED local dimming feature, delivering brighter highlights in HDR and less blooming around bright objects.
The Sony INZONE M9 and the Gigabyte M27U are both 27-inch, 4k gaming monitors. However, there are a few differences between them, as the Sony has a better local dimming feature and gets brighter in HDR for an improved HDR experience. The Sony also has features made for the PS5, like Auto HDR Tone Mapping. On the other hand, the Gigabyte has an overclock feature to reach a higher 160Hz refresh rate, and it has some extra productivity features like a KVM switch.
The Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 S32BG75 is better than the Sony INZONE M9. The Samsung has a much more versatile stand, so it's easier to place it in an ideal viewing position or turn the screen to share it with someone else. The Samsung also has much better contrast, delivering deeper blacks in a dark room and less blooming around bright objects thanks to its Mini LED backlight.
The Sony INZONE M9 and the Samsung Odyssey G7/G70B S32BG70 are both good gaming monitors with many of the same features. The Samsung monitor delivers better motion handling, especially with lower-frame-rate games, but the Sony has lower input lag with 60 fps sources. The Samsung also has much better ergonomics, making it easier to adjust to an ideal viewing position. On the other hand, the Sony looks better in HDR thanks to its higher peak brightness, but both monitors have low contrast.
Although the Sony INZONE M3 and the Sony INZONE M9 are part of the same lineup, they're very different monitors. The M9 is designed with console gaming in mind because it has a 4k resolution with HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, allowing you to take full advantage of the PS5 and Xbox Series X. On the other hand, the M3 is better for PC gamers because it has a higher 240Hz refresh rate, and with a 1080p resolution, it's easier for your graphics card to reach its max refresh rate.
The Cooler Master Tempest GP27U is better overall than the Sony INZONE M9. Although they each have full-array local dimming features, the Cooler Master uses Mini LED backlights to produce deeper blacks with less blooming, and it also gets much brighter in HDR for brighter highlights. The Cooler Master also has better motion handling and better ergonomics that make it easier to adjust.
The Sony INZONE M9 is better for gaming than the ASUS ROG Strix XG27UQR. The Sony supports HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, which lets it take full advantage of gaming consoles or HDMI 2.1 graphics cards, and the ASUS doesn't support this. The picture quality on the Sony is also better thanks to its superior local dimming and HDR brightness, meaning that highlights stand out more. The Sony also has better motion handling, especially at lower refresh rates.
The Sony INZONE M9 Monitor has a unique design and a gamer aesthetic. The front of the monitor has a simple design, and the back shares many similar design elements with the PS5 and the other Sony INZONE products, like the Sony INZONE H7 Wireless. The stand has three legs that support the monitor like a tripod.
The ergonomics are disappointing. It's hard to adjust the screen for others, and even its height adjustment is limited. The back of the monitor is pretty plain, with an RGB light strip near the top of the display and a hook on the back of the stand for basic cable management.
The height adjustment is at an angle, so the total thickness varies depending on the height of the display. At the lowest point, the total thickness is about 9.7" (24.7 cm), and at the highest setting, it's about 8.3" (21.1 cm), so the distance between the user and the screen varies as you adjust the height.
The local dimming feature is just okay. It has 96 zones in an 8x12 array. The zones are still a bit too large to allow for precise dimming in dark scenes, and the algorithm tends to turn on more zones on than needed. There's some noticeable blooming around bright objects, but very little black crush because of this. It isn't very good for subtitles, though, as it tends to light up large areas of the screen. It also keeps up with fast-moving content well, so you don't see a trailing bright edge behind fast-moving, bright objects.
It's an okay implementation of local dimming, but it's limited by the relatively small number of zones, and because it tends to turn on more zones than necessary, the impact is limited. You can see two real scene videos of the local dimming feature in action and from an angle.
If you want a 4k monitor with similar features and a better local dimming feature, look into the Cooler Master Tempest GP27U.
This monitor has great brightness in SDR. It's bright enough to overcome glare in a bright room, and there's no variation in brightness between content. That said, if you want something even brighter, look into the INNOCN 27M2V.
These results are from after calibration in the 'Game 1' Picture Mode with Brightness set to max and Local Dimming set to 'High.'
The HDR brightness is great. It gets bright enough for an impactful HDR experience, and while large highlights pop, small highlights are dimmed. The PQ EOTF follows the target curve well for the most part, but with a slow roll-off at the peak brightness, it doesn't let highlights get the brightest they can.
These results are from the 'Game 1' Picture Mode with HDR enabled, Local Dimming set to 'High,' and Brightness set to max. The picture modes available depend on the source, as 'Game 1' is the only mode available with a PC, and 'Cinema' is the only mode with a Blu-ray player.
The horizontal viewing angle is just alright. Although it has an IPS panel, the image washes out from wide angles, but it's still fine if you want to use it for a co-op gaming session with your friend sitting right next to you.
The vertical viewing angle is decent, but the image washes out if you're looking at it from above or below.
This monitor has passable black uniformity. With local dimming disabled, the entire screen is cloudy, and there are a few bright spots throughout the screen where the backlight isn't quite even. With local dimming enabled on 'High,' there's noticeable blooming around bright objects, but the uniformity is better besides that.
The Sony M9 has okay accuracy before calibration. It doesn't have an sRGB mode, so colors are way too oversaturated, and there are some inaccuracies in most colors. However, the white balance is excellent, and the color temperature is close to the 6500K target with the Color Temperature setting 'Warm.' Even gamma follows that target sRGB curve well, but dark scenes are too dark.
The accuracy after calibration is fantastic. The main advantage of calibrating it is that colors aren't oversaturated anymore, and other inaccuracies are hard to see.
The SDR color gamut is fantastic. It displays all of the sRGB color space used by most desktop and web content. It has good coverage of the wider Adobe RGB color space, but it can't display the full range of greens in that color space, so it isn't ideal for publishing.
The HDR color gamut is great. It has fantastic coverage of the DCI-P3 color space used by the vast majority of current HDR content. Its coverage of the wider Rec. 2020 color space is limited, though, but there aren't many tone mapping issues with either color space.
The Sony INZONE M9 has good reflection handling as the coating significantly reduces the intensity of bright lights. Thanks to its high peak brightness, you won't have any issues using it in a well-lit room.
Oddly, the max refresh rate over HDMI is limited to 120Hz, even if the HDMI ports have enough bandwidth for a 144Hz signal. Even forcing a 144Hz refresh rate doesn't work, so the only way to get the max refresh rate is over DisplayPort.
NVIDIA | VRR Min | VRR Max |
DisplayPort | <20Hz | 144Hz |
HDMI | <20Hz | 144Hz |
AMD | VRR Min | VRR Max |
DisplayPort | <20Hz | 144Hz |
HDMI | N/A | N/A |
On top of supporting FreeSync VRR and G-SYNC compatibility, it also supports HDMI Forum VRR.
Refresh Rate | CAD Heatmap | RT Chart | Pursuit Photo |
143 | Heatmap | Chart | Photo |
120 | Heatmap | Chart | Photo |
100 | Heatmap | Chart | Photo |
80 | Heatmap | Chart | Photo |
60 | Heatmap | Chart | Photo |
The motion handling is good across the VRR range. Although there isn't much motion blur, the 'Fast' overdrive setting has inverse ghosting as the refresh rate rate drops. The 'Standard' overdrive is better if you want more consistency across the VRR range, but it has more blur.
The refresh rate compliance is good. Although its response time isn't fast enough to make full color transitions at its max refresh rate, it's better at lower refresh rates.
Unfortunately, this monitor doesn't have an optional backlight strobing feature, which is commonly known as black frame insertion.
There isn't any noticeable VRR flicker with changing frame rates, which is fantastic for gaming. However, you need to update the firmware to M009 and newer to make sure you aren't experiencing any issues. On previous firmware, there were some VRR flicker issues, particularly with the PS5. After playing certain games for a few minutes, the monitor sometimes started flickering severely, even if you closed the game and changed sources. This issue occurred frequently with Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales on the PS5. However, this doesn't happen after updating the firmware.
The Sony INZONE M9 has very low input lag, ensuring a responsive gaming or desktop experience at any refresh rate.
The Sony M9 Monitor is fully compatible with everything the PS5 supports. It also supports a few features specific to the PS5, including Auto HDR Tone Mapping, which optimizes your HDR experience to match the capabilities of your display.
It supports USB-C and power delivery, but it doesn't deliver enough power to charge a laptop while you're using it.
This monitor has a few extra features, including:
It also has a KVM switch that makes it easy to switch between two sources and use the same keyboard and mouse connected to the monitor. However, you need to update the firmware to get it work.