The Sony X85J is a mid-range 4k TV in Sony's 2021 lineup. It's a replacement for the Sony X85H that was never released in North America; the closest model we've tested was the Sony X850G. It's a good TV, with excellent dark room performance thanks to its fantastic contrast ratio and excellent black uniformity. It's well-suited for bright rooms as it has great peak brightness and decent reflection handling, so glare isn't much of an issue unless you have a lot of natural light. It runs the updated Google TV interface, similar to the Android TV interface found on previous Sony TVs, but it's a bit more intuitive to use. It has the same great selection of streaming apps, so you're sure to find your favorite streaming service. Gamers will appreciate the low input lag, HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, and variable refresh rate (VRR) support after a firmware update. Sadly it doesn't have a local dimming feature to improve the contrast in dark scenes.
Our Verdict
The Sony X85J is a good TV for most uses. The outstanding contrast and excellent black uniformity are great for watching movies in the dark, but it lacks a local dimming feature, which is a bit disappointing. It's a good TV for watching sports or TV shows during the day, and its low input lag and fast response time make it a good choice for playing games.
- Outstanding contrast.
- Great response time.
- Huge selection of smart apps.
- Upscales low resolution content well.
- Image degrades at an angle.
- Direct reflections can be distracting.
The Sony X85J is a great TV for watching movies in a completely dark room, but it lacks a local dimming feature. It has outstanding contrast and excellent black uniformity, so dark scenes look great in a dark room, but, unfortunately, there's no local dimming feature. Older, low-resolution movies upscale well, and this TV can remove judder from any source. Unfortunately, there is some stutter when watching movies, especially in slow, panning shots.
- Outstanding contrast.
- Can remove 24p judder from any source.
- Upscales low resolution content well.
- Excellent black uniformity.
- Stutters in panning shots.
- No local dimming.
The Sony X85J is a very good TV for watching TV shows. There's a large selection of apps, so you don't have to worry about an external box for your streaming service of choice, and it upscales older content well, with no noticeable issues. It has great peak brightness, but direct reflections can still be distracting in a bright room. Unfortunately, the image degrades when viewed at an angle, so it's not a great choice if you like to move around.
- Huge selection of smart apps.
- Upscales low resolution content well.
- Great SDR peak brightness.
- Image degrades at an angle.
- Direct reflections can be distracting.
The Sony X85J is a good TV for watching sports. It has a great response time, resulting in little blur behind fast-moving objects. It also has a large selection of apps, including many sports streaming apps, and if you're watching on cable, it upscales lower resolution content well. This TV has great peak brightness, but direct reflections can still be distracting. Unfortunately, the image degrades when viewed at an angle, which isn't ideal for watching the big game with lots of friends.
- Great response time.
- Huge selection of smart apps.
- Upscales low resolution content well.
- Great SDR peak brightness.
- Image degrades at an angle.
- Direct reflections can be distracting.
The Sony X85J is a good TV for playing video games, and it's expected to get even better with a future update. It has low input lag, a great response time, and great peak brightness in SDR, and it's future-proof, with two HDMI 2.1 ports, and although it displays 4k @ 120Hz signals properly for playing games, text looks blurry with it. It also has VRR support to reduce screen tearing after a firmware update, but it doesn't support FreeSync.
- Outstanding contrast.
- Low input lag.
- Great response time.
- Great SDR peak brightness.
- VRR support after a firmware update.
- No local dimming.
- Direct reflections can be distracting.
- 4k @ 120Hz @ 4:4:4 isn't displayed properly.
Although it lacks a local dimming feature, the Sony X85J is great for watching movies in HDR. It has fantastic contrast and excellent black uniformity, resulting in deep, uniform blacks in a dark room. It also has decent peak brightness in HDR, so small highlights stand out a bit, but they're not as bright as the director intended. Finally, it has a great HDR color gamut, meaning it can display a wide range of colors with the latest HDR content.
- Outstanding contrast.
- Can remove 24p judder from any source.
- Excellent black uniformity.
- Stutters in panning shots.
- No local dimming.
- Some scenes are overbrightened.
The Sony X85J is good for gaming in HDR. It has outstanding contrast and excellent black uniformity, so blacks look black in a dark room. It delivers a great gaming experience, with low input lag and a great response time, for a responsive gaming experience with little blur. Also, it has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on two ports for 4k @ 120Hz games, and it supports VRR, but it doesn't have FreeSync support.
- Outstanding contrast.
- Low input lag.
- Great response time.
- VRR support after a firmware update.
- No local dimming.
- Some scenes are overbrightened.
- 4k @ 120Hz @ 4:4:4 isn't displayed properly.
The Sony X85J is a great TV for use as a PC monitor. It has low input lag, so the cursor feels responsive and lag-free, and the fast response time results in relatively clear motion. It has great peak brightness in SDR, so glare isn't an issue in most rooms. It can display chroma 4:4:4 properly, which is important for clear text, but it doesn't display text properly with 4k @ 120Hz signals. Unfortunately, the image degrades at an angle, which can be an issue if you're too close.
- Low input lag.
- Great response time.
- Great SDR peak brightness.
- Image degrades at an angle.
- Direct reflections can be distracting.
- BGR subpixel layout can cause issues with text.
- 4k @ 120Hz @ 4:4:4 isn't displayed properly.
Changelog
- Updated Sep 26, 2025: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
- Updated Jul 08, 2025: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
- Updated Apr 17, 2025: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
- Updated Feb 11, 2025: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 55 inch Sony X85J TV (XB55X85J), and it's also available in a 43 inch, 50 inch, 65 inch, 75 inch, and 85 inch size. We expect our results to be valid for the other sizes as well, but we've seen some reports that the 43 inch model has an IPS-type panel in some regions, so we expect those variants to have worse contrast but better viewing angles. As Sony doesn't provide any panel information, if you have any information on the panel types for the other sizes, let us know in the discussions below.
The Sony X85J is also available as the X89J in some regions. We expect our results to be valid for it as well; the only difference is that the X89J has an adjustable stand.
| Size | Model Number | Alternate Model |
|---|---|---|
| 43" | KD-43X85J | KD-43X89J |
| 50" | KD-50X85J | KD-50X89J |
| 55" | KD-55X85J | KD-55X89J |
| 65" | KD-65X85J | KD-65X89J |
| 75" | KD-75X85J | KD-75X89J |
| 85" | KD-85X85J | KD-85X89J |
If you come across a different type of panel or your Sony X85J doesn't correspond to our review, let us know, and we'll update the review. Note that some tests, like the gray uniformity, may vary between individual units.
Our unit was manufactured in April 2021; you can see the label here.
Popular TV Comparisons
The Sony X85 is a good mid-range 4k TV and Sony's cheapest TV with HDMI 2.1. There are better options available from other brands at a lower price point, though, so this isn't the best choice for everyone. It has more gaming features like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and VRR support, meaning if you want those gaming features without a premium price point, it's a good choice.
For more options, check out our recommendations for the best TVs, the best 4k gaming TVs, and the best movie TVs.
The Sony X85K is the newer version of the Sony X85J, and the differences between them are minor. Picture quality is nearly the same between each, and they use the same processor, so they have many of the same features. The X85K improves on some of its gaming features as it has a wider 1080p VRR range, but other than that, the differences between them are minor.
The Sony X90J and the Sony X85J are very similar overall. The X90J has a full array local dimming feature that can improve contrast and reduce blooming in dark scenes, but the X85J has better native contrast and a flicker-free backlight. The X90J is brighter in HDR and HDR content displays at the correct brightness. If you care about calibrating your display for the most accurate image possible, one important difference here is that the X85J doesn't have a color management system.
The Samsung Q70A and the Sony X85J are nearly identical. The Sony that we tested has better gray uniformity, but this can vary between units. The Samsung is a bit better for gaming, as it has lower input lag for a more responsive gaming experience, and it has FreeSync support. However, the Sony is G-SYNC compatible, which is good if you have an NVIDIA graphics card.
The Sony X950H is much better than the Sony X85J. The X950H has a good full-array local dimming feature, and it's much brighter than the X85J. The X950H also has much better reflection handling and slightly better viewing angles. On the other hand, although the X85J lacks a local dimming feature, it has better contrast. The X85J is also a bit more future-proof, as it has two HDMI 2.1 ports.
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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