The Sony X90K is an upper mid-range 4k LED TV. It replaces the Sony X90J and sits behind the Sony X95K, which uses Mini LED backlighting, something this TV doesn't have. It uses Sony's Cognitive Processor XR as its processor, and it comes with the Google TV smart platform, which has a user-friendly interface with a ton of apps you can download, and you can use the Google Assistant voice assistant to search for content and easily open your favorite apps. It's available in a wide range of sizes, from 55 to 85 inches, so you can get the one that suits your needs. It has a few extra features like full-array local dimming, and for gamers, it has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and variable refresh rate (VRR) support to reduce screen tearing.
The Sony X90K is great for most uses. It's great for watching SDR or HDR movies because it displays deep blacks, makes colors look vivid, and has a good local dimming feature, but there's some blooming around bright objects. It's also good for watching shows or sports in bright rooms with a couple of lights around, but it's not as good if you place it opposite a bright window. It has a narrow viewing angle that makes the image looks washed out from the sides. Lastly, it's great for gaming because it has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth for high-frame-rate gaming, variable refresh rate support, a quick response time, and low input lag for a responsive gaming experience.
The Sony X90K is great for watching movies in dark rooms. It displays deep blacks thanks to its high native contrast ratio. It has a good full-array local dimming feature that further improves the picture quality in dark scenes, but it also causes blooming around bright objects. Fortunately, it doesn't have any trouble upscaling lower-resolution content, and it removes 24p judder from any source, which helps with the appearance of motion in movies.
The Sony X90K is good for watching TV shows in a bright room. It has excellent peak brightness, so it gets bright enough to fight glare, but its reflection handling is just decent, and it's best to avoid placing it opposite really bright windows. It upscales lower-resolution content like from cable boxes without issue, and the Google TV smart platform makes it easy to stream your favorite content. Sadly, it isn't a good choice for watching content with the entire family because it has a narrow viewing angle, and the image looks washed out from the sides.
The Sony X90K is good for watching sports. Fast-moving balls and players look smooth thanks to the quick response time. It also performs well in rooms with a few lights around because it has excellent peak brightness to fight some glare, but it struggles if you place it opposite a really bright window. Unfortunately, it isn't a good choice for wide seating areas because it has a narrow viewing angle, meaning the image looks washed out from the sides.
The Sony X90K is impressive for gaming. It has a few gaming features like variable refresh rate support and HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, and it works without any problems with the PS5 and Xbox Series X. However, it doesn't support FreeSync, which is disappointing if you're a PC gamer. Luckily, gaming feels responsive thanks to the low input lag and quick response time. It also looks good in dark rooms due to the high native contrast.
The Sony X90K is great for watching HDR movies. It displays deep blacks in dark rooms, and the local dimming feature is good overall to improve the contrast, but it also causes blooming around bright objects. It displays a wide range of colors in HDR, and gets bright enough to make them look vivid and stand out. It also displays native 4k content perfectly, and it removes 24p judder from any source, which helps with the appearance of motion in movies.
The Sony X90K is impressive for HDR gaming. Gaming feels smooth and responsive thanks to its low input lag, quick response time, and VRR support for a near tear-free gaming experience. It also supports HDMI 2.1 bandwidth for high-frame-rate gaming, but it's limited to 4k @ 60Hz in Dolby Vision. In terms of HDR, colors look vivid and pop thanks to the high peak brightness, and it displays deep blacks in dark rooms. It has a good local dimming feature.
The Sony X90K is great to use as a PC monitor. Your mouse movements and keyboard inputs feel responsive because it has low input lag and quick response time, making fast-moving objects look smooth. You won't have many issues using it in a well-lit room because it gets bright enough to fight glare, but the reflection handling is just decent. It also displays proper chroma 4:4:4, which helps with text clarity, but some programs don't support the BGR subpixel layout, making text look worse. Sadly, it has a narrow viewing angle, and the image looks washed out at the edges if you sit too close.
We tested the 65-inch Sony X90K, and it's also available in 55-inch, 75-inch, and 85-inch models. The results are valid for the other sizes, but the speakers perform differently on the 55 and 65-inch models than on the larger sizes. There's also an X90CK variant available in 55 and 65 inches at Costco, and it comes with a two-year warranty and two-year subscription to the Bravia Core Streaming service. In Europe, there are the X90K, X93K, and X94K, and although the results are valid for all three variants, the X93K and X94K are closer to the North American X90K because they have a mic built-in. However, the European X90K performs the same; it's just missing the built-in mic.
Finally, there's a smaller variant of this TV known as the Sony X90S and X94S. Both variants are only available in a 50" size and offer very similar performance to the larger sizes. There are a few differences between the X90S and X94S. The X94S comes with a more premium remote, the TV itself has a built-in microphone for hands-free voice control, and it has more picture processing options.
Size | Model Number | Costco Model | Speakers |
---|---|---|---|
50" | XR-50X90S | - | X-Balanced Speaker |
55" | XR-55X90K | XR55X90CK | Standard |
65" | XR-65X90K | XR65X90CK | Standard |
75" | XR-75X90K | - | X-Balanced Speaker |
85" | XR-85X90K | - | X-Balanced Speaker |
If you come across a different type of panel or your Sony X90K doesn't correspond to our review, let us know, and we'll update the review. Some tests, like the gray uniformity, may vary between individual units.
Our unit was manufactured in April 2022; you can see the label here.
The Sony X90K is a great overall TV with a few gaming features and great overall picture quality. However, it's a bit of a downgrade compared to its predecessor, the Sony X90J, because it has more blooming, but it also has better gaming performance. In a TV market with fantastic high-end TV and budget models that provide good value, the X90K sits in between and doesn't provide much extra against other TVs like the LG QNED85 or the Hisense U8H.
Also see our recommendations for the best 4k TVs, the best smart TVs, and the best HDR TVs.
The Hisense U8H is much better than the Sony X90K. The Hisense has much better reflection handling, and it gets significantly brighter, so it's a better choice for a bright viewing environment as it can better overcome glare. The Hisense delivers a more impactful HDR experience, as it gets significantly brighter in HDR and can display a wider color gamut.
The Sony X90K is a higher-end TV than the Sony X85K and is better overall. The X90K has a local dimming feature, which the X85K doesn't have, resulting in better overall picture quality because it displays deeper blacks and gets brighter, so highlights pop more in HDR. The X90K also uses a different processor with a few more features, like the S-Center speaker input, so if you want the best features and performance, the X90K is the better choice.
The Sony X90K is the successor to the Sony X90J, and it's not worth the upgrade if you already have the X90J or if you're deciding between the two TVs. The main difference is that the X90J has a better local dimming feature, resulting in less blooming around bright objects, meaning the overall picture quality is better on the X90J. However, if you're a gamer, the X90K is the better choice and has a wider 1080p VRR range.
The Sony X90K is a higher-end TV than the Sony X80K with better performance. The X90K gets brighter and has deeper blacks, meaning the overall picture quality is better, and it's better for both dark and bright rooms. Also, if you're a gamer, the X90K is a superior choice as it has a higher refresh rate and more features. However, if you have a wide seating area, the X80K has a wider viewing angle that makes the image remain consistent from the sides.
The Sony X95K is a higher-end version of the Sony X90K, so it has better overall performance. If you need something for bright rooms with wide seating areas, the X95K has better reflection handling and a wider viewing angle. Even if the X90K has a higher native contrast ratio, the local dimming feature is better on the X95K, so it's also the better choice for viewing content in dark rooms as there's less blooming.
The LG QNED85 is better than the Sony X90K overall. The LG has a better local dimming feature, so there's much less blooming around bright objects in a dark scene, even though the Sony has better native contrast. The LG also has a wider viewing angle, so it's a better choice for a wide seating arrangement.
The Sony A80K OLED and the Sony X90K are different types of TVs, each with strengths and weaknesses. The A80K is better for dark-room viewing as it delivers deeper blacks, and it's also the better choice for wide seating arrangements because it offers a wider viewing angle. If you prefer something for bright-room viewing, the X90K gets much brighter to counteract glare.
The Samsung QN90B QLED is better overall than the Sony X90K. The Samsung gets brighter and has a better local dimming feature, so it displays deeper blacks with real content, meaning it's a better choice for well-lit and dark rooms. If you're also a gamer, the Samsung TV has a few more features like FreeSync VRR support. Lastly, the Samsung is better to use in a wide seating area because it has a wider viewing angle that makes the image remain consistent from the sides.
The Sony X90K and the Samsung QN85B are both great TVs that are good for different scenarios. If you have a bright room with a wide seating area, the Samsung has a wider viewing angle and gets brighter, so visibility won't be an issue even in bright environments. However, if you tend to watch content in a dark room, the Sony delivers deeper blacks with less blooming.
The Samsung QN90A QLED is better overall than the Sony X90K. The Samsung delivers better picture quality than the Sony, with deeper blacks, less blooming, higher peak brightness, and a wider viewing angle. It also has FreeSync VRR support if you're a PC gamer. However, if you tend to watch Dolby Vision content from streaming services, the Sony TV supports it, which the Samsung doesn't.
The Sony X95J is higher-end than the Sony X90K, meaning it provides better picture quality. If you want the best picture quality, especially for a wide seating arrangement, the X95J is the better choice because it has a wider viewing angle and better local dimming. However, if you want to spend a bit less, the X90K is also a great choice for dark room viewing because it has a better native contrast ratio, so blacks look deeper.
The Sony X90K is better than the LG QNED80. The Sony is much better for watching movies in HDR or SDR because it displays deeper blacks and its local dimming feature is significantly better. It also gets brighter in HDR, allowing colors to look vivid and highlights to stand out. While the Sony is better overall for gaming due to its faster response time, the LG has lower input lag for a more responsive feel.
The Sony X90K is a newer version of the Sony X900H, and the TVs are similar overall. The X90K gets much brighter, so it's better to use in a well-lit room, and it makes highlights pop more in HDR, so it's the better choice if you care about brightness. However, if dark room performance is important to you, the X900H looks better because it displays deeper blacks with better uniformity.
The Sony X90K is a higher-end TV than the Sony X85J, so it has a few more features and better performance. If you tend to watch movies in dark rooms, the X90K is the better choice because it has a local dimming feature and has higher HDR peak brightness. However, if you're going to use it in a well-lit room or for gaming, both TVs are similar, so it would be better to get whichever you can find for cheaper.
The Sony X950H and the Sony X90K are both great TVs. The X950H is a higher-end TV that delivers better picture quality as it gets slightly brighter and has better reflection handling, so visibility isn't an issue in a bright room, and it performs better in dark rooms as it delivers deeper blacks in real content. If you're a gamer, the X90K is a better choice, as it supports HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and VRR.
The Hisense U8G and the Sony X90K are great TVs with a few differences. The Hisense gets brighter and has a better local dimming feature, meaning its overall picture quality and bright and dark room performance are better. The Hisense also displays more colors, and smaller highlights pop more if you watch HDR content. They have the same gaming features, but the Sony doesn't have the same motion issues as the Hisense, if that's an issue for you.
The Sony X90K has metal feet as the stand, and there are two positions you can put it in. The short position makes the TV sit very close to the table, but you can also raise the feet to place a soundbar in front without blocking the screen. The stand supports the screen well with minimal wobble, even in the raised position.
Footprint of the 65-inch TV: 46.3" x 13".
The North American variant has these two stand configurations, but you can also adjust the stand to a narrow position on the Sony X90K, X93K, and X94K models in Europe.
The back of the Sony X90K features textured plastic with some aluminum in the center. The inputs are set into the TV, so they're a bit hard to reach with the TV wall-mounted. Sadly, it doesn't feature any cable management.
The Sony X90K has good build quality. It's well-put-together and there aren't any obvious issues with it. The bezels are uniformly attached to the screen and the feet hold the TV well. There's some flex on the back panel near the inputs, which isn't much of an issue, and the rest of the back panel doesn't flex as much.
The panel has two dark spots that you can see in the Gray Uniformity photo, which is likely caused by pressure during assembly.
The Sony X90K has excellent SDR peak brightness. It easily gets bright enough to fight glare, even with large areas of bright colors, like on a webpage or sports.
These results are from the 'Custom' Picture Mode after calibration with the Brightness at its max, Contrast on its default of '90', Color Temperature set to 'Expert 1', and Auto Local Dimming and Peak Luminance on 'High'.
If you don't care much about image accuracy and want the brightest image possible, use the 'Vivid' Picture Mode with Color Temperature set to 'Expert 2', the Brightness, Contrast, and Gamma at their max, and the Advanced Contrast Enhancer, Auto Local Dimming, and Peak Luminance on 'High'. This results in a peak brightness of 1,060 cd/m² with a 10% window, which is a bit brighter than the regular settings, but also results in a less accurate image.
The Sony X90K has impressive HDR peak brightness. Small highlights really pop for a satisfying HDR experience, and even large areas are still bright. The EOTF follows the target curve well until the sharp roll-off at the peak brightness, causing a loss of fine details in bright scenes.
These results are from the 'Custom' HDR Picture Mode with the Brightness at its max, Contrast at '90', Color Temperature set to 'Expert 2', Auto Local Dimming and Peak Luminance on 'High', and HDR Tone Mapping set to 'Gradation Preferred'.
If you find the image too dim, set the Brightness, Gamma, and Contrast to their max with the Advanced Contrast Enhancer set to 'High' and HDR Tone Mapping set to Brightness Preferred. This results in a noticeably brighter image, as you can see in this EOTF, but it doesn't change the peak luminosity.
You can also see the EOTF with other Picture Modes below:
The 'Cinema' and 'IMAX Enhanced' modes appear brighter than 'Custom', but the peak luminosity isn't much different, and they're less accurate. As for the 'Brightness Preferred' setting, it helps make the screen brighter, but there's a sharper roll-off at the peak brightness.
The HDR Brightness in Game Mode is great, and it's about the same as in the 'Custom' Picture Mode. Visually there isn't much difference between the modes. The results are the same as the regular HDR Brightness test but in the 'Game' Picture Mode.
The Sony X90K has a great color gamut. It has fantastic coverage of the DCI-P3 color space used in most HDR content, but although it has decent coverage of the wider Rec. 2020 color space, it's not exactly future-proof as more content will start to use that color space. Tone mapping is good with both color spaces. However, it struggles with some saturated greens in the Rec. 2020 color space.
The Sony X90K has great color volume. It displays most bright colors well, but some colors like red and blue aren't as bright. It also displays dark colors well, but it's limited by its incomplete color gamut.
The Sony X90K has decent out-of-the-box accuracy. Most colors are accurate enough that you won't see any issues, but the color temperature is a bit cold, giving the image a blue tint. Also, the white balance is off, particularly with shades closer to pure white. Luckily, gamma follows the 2.2 target well, so scenes appear at their correct brightness.
The Sony X90K has incredible accuracy after calibration. There are virtually no noticeable inaccuracies with the white balance, gamma, and color temperature. It still struggles displaying saturated blues, but that's typical of LCD panels.
You can see our recommended settings here.
The Sony X90K has okay gray uniformity. There's a bit of vignetting in the corners, and the center has dirty screen effect that could get distracting during sports. There are two visible spots that you can see in the 50% gray photo, but they're not visible with gray slides above 70% and below 30%. They're not noticeable with most real content, but they're still visible with some content that has large areas of uniform color. However, this issue is likely caused by pressure during assembly, and it's unlikely that every unit has it.
The Sony X90K has decent reflection handling. It's fine if you have some lights around, and it gets bright enough to fight some glare, but avoid using it opposite a bright window because the reflections are distracting.
The Sony X90K 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.
The Sony X90K has an optional backlight strobing feature, commonly known as black frame insertion. It's meant to flicker at 120Hz, which causes image duplication, but it has a strange pattern to match the standard 720Hz flicker of the backlight. It doesn't flicker at 60 fps for 60Hz content, which also causes image duplications. Like many displays, the BFI feature doesn't work at the same time as the VRR support.
The Sony X90K can interpolate lower-frame-rate content up to 120 fps. It works well with slow scenes, but like most TVs, it struggles to keep up in busier scenes. It doesn't stop interpolating with busy scenes, meaning there are artifacts throughout the screen.
Due to the relatively quick response time of the Sony X90K, some lower-frame-rate content stutters because each frame is held on longer. Enabling the motion interpolation feature can help with this.
The Sony X90K removes 24p judder from any source, which helps with the appearance of motion, particularly with movies.
The Sony X90K supports variable refresh rate technology to reduce screen tearing. HDMI Forum VRR and G-SYNC compatibility work over the entire refresh rate range, and it supports Low Framerate Compensation to continue working with low frame rates. VRR works with 1440p @ 60Hz signals, but the TV is upscaling 1440p to 4k, so it's not a real 1440p signal, which is why we left the 1440p VRR range as Unknown.
The Sony X90K has low input lag in Game Mode for a responsive feel. You can enable the motion interpolation in Game Mode, but it also increases the input lag too much for gaming.
The Sony X90K supports most common signals up to 4k @ 120Hz. Unlike some older Sony TVs, this TV doesn't have any resolution halving issues with 4k @ 120Hz signals, so it displays it perfectly. It displays proper chroma 4:4:4 with 1080p and 4k signals up to 120Hz, which is important for clear text when using it as a PC monitor, but it doesn't with 1440p @ 60Hz signals. Sadly, it doesn't display any 1440p @ 120Hz signal as the screen turns off.
The Sony X90K supports common signals from the PS5 and Xbox Series X without many problems. It has an Auto Low Latency Mode that automatically switches the TV into Game Mode when you launch a game from a compatible device. On the Xbox, Dolby Vision is limited to 4k @ 60Hz so you either get that or 4k @ 120Hz without Dolby Vision, depending on the HDMI Signal Format you choose.
The Sony X90K supports full bandwidth HDMI 2.1 of 48 Gbps, as you can see here. However, because HDMI 3 is an HDMI 2.1 and eARC port, you lose an HDMI 2.1 slot if you connect a receiver, so you can't connect multiple HDMI 2.1 devices unless the receiver supports it. The TV also supports ATSC 3.0, allowing you to stream over-the-air 4k channels.
The Sony X90K doesn't have an Analog Audio Output, so you can't connect your headphones or basic speakers that use an analog connection. However, you can connect your sound system to the TV with the port label S-Center Speaker In and use the TV's speaker as a center speaker.
The Sony X90K supports eARC, allowing you to pass high-quality, uncompressed audio to a compatible receiver through an HDMI cable.
The Sony X90K has a decent frequency response. It gets loud with a well-balanced sound profile, which is important for listening to dialogue. However, it doesn't produce much bass, so get a soundbar or a dedicated surround sound setup for the best sound possible. The 75 and 85 inch models have different speakers, so they perform a bit differently.
The Google Play Store has tons of apps available, and they run very smoothly. It has Google Chromecast built-in, meaning you can cast content from your phone. You can also connect the Bravia webcam for video calls.
The Sony X90K comes with the redesigned Sony remote for 2022 that doesn't have a numpad. Instead, the '123' button brings up a virtual numpad on the screen. It has shortcut buttons to popular streaming services and has a built-in mic for voice control, and you can ask it to change inputs, change certain settings, and search for content. The TV also has a mic built-in for hands-free voice control.