Our Verdict
Decent TV for a range of usages. Picture quality in a dark room is poor for watching movies due to the low native contrast ratio, but handling of motion is good and image remains accurate when viewed at an angle.
- Decently good for playing video games
- Screen uniformity is bad
- Reduced picture quality when viewed from the side
- Can't get very bright
Bad for watching movies in a dark room. Low native contrast ratio so blacks appear gray, and uniformity is quite poor.
Decent for watching TV in a bright room. Image remains accurate when viewed at an angle, and the poor native contrast ratio isn't noticeable with ambient light. Reflections handling is quite good, but the TV can't get very bright to fight glare.
Okay for watching sports. Fast motion is handled well with little blur, and image remains accurate when viewed at an angle. Gray uniformity is quite bad so some dirty screen effect is visible.
Good choice for gaming. Picture quality is poor, but TV feels responsive due to good handling of fast motion and fairly low input lag.
Doesn't support any HDR formats. Poor picture quality and can't produce bright highlights or saturated colors.
Doesn't support HDR gaming. Picture quality is bad and can't benefit from HDR features such as bright highlights or saturated colors.
Decent PC monitor. Supports up to a 1080p resolution with full chroma information for clear text, and the edges of the screen remain accurate even when viewed from up close. Feels responsive due to low input lag and little motion blur.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 40" (KDL40W650D) and for the most part, we expect our review to be valid for the 48" (KDL48W650D) and the 55" (KDL55W650D).
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their Sony W650D doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review.
| Size | Model | UK |
| 40" | KDL-40W650D | KDL-40WD653 |
| 48" | KDL-48W650D | KDL-48WD653 |
| 55" | KDL-55W650D | N/A |
Popular TV Comparisons
For a 1080p TV, the Sony W650D covers the basics but faces strong competition. Some cheaper TVs offer better picture quality and performance which makes the W650D hard to recommend in some cases. See our recommendations for the best cheap TVs and the best TVs.
We buy and test dozens of TVs yearly, taking an objective, data-driven approach to deliver results you can trust. Our testing process is complex, with hundreds of individual tests that take over a week to complete. Most of our tests use specially designed test patterns that mimic real content, but we also use the same sources you have at home to ensure our results match the real-world experience. We use two main tools for our testing: a Colorimetry Research CR-100 colorimeter and a CR-250 spectroradiometer.
Test Results
Older Test Bench: This product has been tested using an older TV test methodology, before a major update. Some of the test results below aren't directly comparable with other TVs. Learn more
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