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Sony X95K TV Review

Tested using Methodology v1.11
Reviewed Jun 28, 2022 at 10:48 am
Latest change: Retest Nov 20, 2024 at 07:20 am
Sony X95K Picture
8.4
Mixed Usage
Value for price beaten by
: LG G4 OLED
8.2
TV Shows
Value for price beaten by
: LG G3 OLED
8.3
Sports
Value for price beaten by
: Panasonic Z95A OLED
8.7
Video Games
Value for price beaten by
: LG G3 OLED
8.3
HDR Movies
Value for price beaten by
: Sony A95L OLED
8.7
HDR Gaming
Value for price beaten by
: Samsung S90C OLED
8.6
PC Monitor
Value for price beaten by
: LG G4 OLED
This TV was replaced by the Sony X95L

The Sony X95K is Sony's first 4k Mini LED TV. It replaces the Sony X95J, and instead of having a traditional backlight, the Mini LED technology introduces many smaller backlights that have greater control over the local dimming feature and allow the TV to get brighter. It's Sony's flagship 4k LED TV in their 2022 lineup, so it has a bunch of features like hands-free voice control, the S-Center speaker input, support for ATSC 3.0, and it has their high-end Cognitive Processor XR, so you get the features associated with it like XR Sound and XR Picture. For gamers, it has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and variable refresh rate (VRR) support. Like past Sony TVs, it has Google TV as its smart platform, which is user-friendly and has a ton of apps available to download. It's been replaced in 2023 by the Sony X93L, which offers nearly identical performance at a slightly lower launch price.

Our Verdict

8.4 Mixed Usage

The Sony X95K is great for most uses. It looks great both in dark rooms for watching movies or bright rooms for watching sports or TV shows as it displays deep blacks with a great local dimming feature, and it gets bright enough to fight a ton of glare, and there's very little blooming around bright objects. HDR content also looks impressive as it makes highlights pop and displays a wide range of colors. Lastly, it's excellent for gaming thanks to its HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, variable refresh rate (VRR) support, and great motion handling for a smooth gaming experience.

Pros
  • Local dimming helps it display deep blacks.
  • Bright enough to fight glare.
  • Excellent reflection handling.
Cons
  • Image looks washed out from really wide angles.
8.2 TV Shows

The Sony X95K is great for watching TV shows in well-lit rooms. Visibility isn't an issue because it easily gets bright enough to fight glare, and it has excellent reflection handling. It's also a decent choice if you have a wide seating area because it has an okay viewing angle that makes the image look consistent as you move off-center, but colors looked washed out from wide angles. It doesn't have trouble upscaling content if you watch shows from a cable box, and if you stream your shows, the Google TV platform is user friendly.

Pros
  • No upscaling issues.
  • Bright enough to fight glare.
  • Excellent reflection handling.
Cons
  • Image looks washed out from really wide angles.
8.3 Sports

The Sony X95K is great for watching sports. It performs very well in bright rooms as it has excellent reflection handling, and it gets bright enough to fight glare from strong light sources. If you want to watch the game with a few friends, it has an okay viewing angle, but it still isn't ideal for very wide seating areas. Also, fast-moving players and balls look smooth thanks to the quick response time. It has good gray uniformity with minimal dirty screen in the center, but the edges are a bit darker, which is noticeable with sports with large playing surfaces.

Pros
  • Bright enough to fight glare.
  • Excellent reflection handling.
  • Great motion handling.
Cons
  • Image looks washed out from really wide angles.
  • Some distracting uniformity issues.
8.7 Video Games

The Sony X95K is excellent for gaming. It's ideal to use with the Xbox Series X and PS5 as you can take full advantage of the consoles thanks to the HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and variable refresh rate support, but it doesn't support FreeSync if you also want to use it for PC gaming with AMD graphics cards. Motion looks smooth thanks to the quick response time, and it has low input lag. It also looks great in dark rooms as it has a great local dimming feature.

Pros
  • Local dimming helps it display deep blacks.
  • Great motion handling.
  • HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and VRR support.
  • Low input lag.
Cons
8.3 HDR Movies

The Sony X95K is impressive for watching HDR movies. It has a great local dimming feature that helps it display deep blacks, and there's very little blooming around bright objects. It also has incredible HDR peak brightness, enough to make highlights pop, and it displays a wide range of colors in HDR as they look vivid. It removes 24p judder from movies, which helps with the appearance of motion.

Pros
  • Local dimming helps it display deep blacks.
  • Removes 24p judder.
  • Displays a wide range of colors.
  • Makes highlights pop.
Cons
8.7 HDR Gaming

The Sony X95K is excellent for HDR gaming. It has a few gaming features to enhance your gaming experience, like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and VRR support to reduce screen tearing, and gaming feels responsive thanks to its quick response time and low input lag. It supports 4k gaming in Dolby Vision, but only up to 60 fps. HDR content looks great as it makes highlights pop, and it displays deep blacks and vivid colors, and there's very little blooming around bright objects.

Pros
  • Local dimming helps it display deep blacks.
  • HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and VRR support.
  • Makes highlights pop.
Cons
8.6 PC Monitor

The Sony X95K is impressive to use as a PC monitor. It displays proper chroma 4:4:4 to help make text look clear, and your desktop movements and actions feel responsive, thanks to the low input lag. It also has excellent reflection handling and fantastic peak brightness if you want to use it in a well-lit room. It has an okay viewing angle that makes the image remain fairly consistent at the sides if you sit close, but the edges will look washed out if you get a larger size.

Pros
  • Bright enough to fight glare.
  • Excellent reflection handling.
  • Low input lag.
Cons
  • Image looks washed out from really wide angles.
  • 8.4 Mixed Usage
  • 8.2 TV Shows
  • 8.3 Sports
  • 8.7 Video Games
  • 8.3 HDR Movies
  • 8.7 HDR Gaming
  • 8.6 PC Monitor
  1. Updated Nov 20, 2024: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
  2. Updated Sep 11, 2024: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
  3. Updated Jul 17, 2024: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
  4. Updated May 02, 2024: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
  5. Updated Feb 13, 2024: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
  6. Updated Dec 05, 2023: Verified the TV's 1440p resolution support with firmware PKG6.7480.0952NAA; the TV doesn't support 1440p anymore, as it upscales to 4k instead. We changed the 1440p results in the Variable Refresh Rate and Input Lag tests to 'N/A', and the Supported Resolutions 1440p @ 60Hz result from 'Yes (forced resolution required)' to 'No'.
  7. Updated Dec 05, 2023: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
  8. Updated Oct 12, 2023: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
  9. Updated Sep 08, 2023: We reevaluated the TV's blooming performance relative to other, more recent TVs on the market. We updated the Blooming score and text for consistency.
  10. Updated Aug 09, 2023: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
  11. Updated Jul 26, 2023: We bought and tested the Sony X93L, and added relevant comparisons below.
  12. Updated Jun 07, 2023: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
  13. Updated Apr 28, 2023: We've updated the text to match the latest changes to our test methodology.
  14. Updated Apr 28, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 1.11. With this update, we've added a new Upscaling: Sharpness Processing test and revamped our Blooming test so the scores and picture better match the real world experience. With this change, it was necessary to remove the Black Crush test. Finally, we've updated our usage scores to better align our scores with user expectations.
  15. Updated Apr 03, 2023: We rechecked for 4k @ 120Hz 4:4:4 support with the latest firmware update, and confirmed that chroma 4:4:4 is still displayed properly in 'Game' mode.
  16. Updated Apr 03, 2023: We uploaded the brightness measurements and uniformity photos after running the TV for four months in our Accelerated Longevity Test.
  17. Updated Feb 16, 2023: We uploaded the brightness measurements and uniformity photos after running the TV for two months in our Accelerated Longevity Test.
  18. Updated Feb 16, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 1.10. With this update we've revamped our Gradient testing, added a new test for Low Quality Content Smoothing, and expanded our Audio Passthrough testing.
  19. Updated Dec 12, 2022: Updated to Test Bench 1.9, modifying our Contrast testing and splitting our local dimming testing into multiple sections covering Blooming, Black Crush, and Lighting Zone Transitions. You can see our full changelog here.
  20. Updated Nov 17, 2022: We uploaded the initial brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
  21. Updated Sep 23, 2022: We bought and tested the Hisense U8H. We've added a few relevant comparisons to this review.
  22. Updated Sep 15, 2022: Updated our comparisons with the Sony X95J to better reflect the real-world performance of these TVs.
  23. Updated Sep 02, 2022: Updated the text in the Color Volume section for accuracy.
  24. Updated Sep 02, 2022: Updated to Test Bench 1.8, adding a new box for PQ EOTF tracking and updating our Color Volume and Color Gamut tests to better reflect real world usage. You can see our full changelog here.
  25. Updated Aug 24, 2022: Updated to Test Bench 1.7 with an updated HDR Brightness test that better reflects real world usage. We've also split the console compatibility boxes into separate PS5 Compatibility and Xbox Series X|S Compatibility tests. You can see our full changelog here.
  26. Updated Jul 21, 2022: We corrected a mistake in the measurements for the stand height.
  27. Updated Jun 30, 2022: Sony rolled out a new firmware for this TV, v6.5929, which enables local dimming in VRR mode. There's some flickering when navigating menus, but it works well overall.
  28. Updated Jun 28, 2022: Review published.
  29. Updated Jun 22, 2022: Early access published.
  30. Updated Jun 09, 2022: Our testers have started testing this product.
  31. Updated Jun 07, 2022: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
  32. Updated May 15, 2022: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Differences Between Sizes And Variants

We tested the 65-inch Sony X95K, and the results are valid for the 75-inch and 85-inch models. Unlike the Sony X90K/X90CK, it isn't available at warehouse retailers under a different name, and the model code shouldn't vary between regions. The three sizes all have the same features, with the only difference being dimming zones and the VESA mount size on the back.

Size Model Number Dimming Zones
65" XR-65X95K 432
75" XR-75X95K 600
85" XR-85X95K 768

If you come across a different type of panel or your Sony X95 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.

Compared To Other TVs

The Sony X95K is a great TV that performs well for what it is, a premium TV with great picture quality in bright and dark rooms. It gets brighter than the Sony X95J thanks to its Mini LED backlighting, but its local dimming feature isn't as good. Although it's great overall, you can get better options in the same price range. It's even outperformed by some cheaper mid-range TVs, like the Hisense U8/U8H.

See our recommendations for the best TVs for watching movies, the best smart TVs, and the best 65-inch TVs.

Sony X90L/X90CL
55" 65" 75" 85" 98"

The Sony X95K is better than the Sony X90L/X90CL. The X95K has significantly better reflection handling, so it's a better choice for a bright living room as there's less glare from bright lights or windows. The biggest difference is the X95K's Mini LED backlight, which delivers much deeper blacks, significantly less blooming around bright objects, and significantly improved zone transitions with no flickering as bright objects move across the screen.

Sony X95L
65" 75" 85"

The Sony X95L is better than its predecessor, the Sony X95K. The X95L features a much improved local dimming feature, resulting in deeper blacks, much better black uniformity, and less blooming around bright highlights. The X95L also has better reflection handling, but it's not a significant improvement.

Sony X93L/X93CL
65" 75" 85"

The Sony X93L and the Sony X95K are extremely similar overall, but the newer X93L is slightly better. Sony has tweaked the local dimming algorithms, so there's less blooming around bright highlights in dark scenes on the X93L.

Sony X95J
65" 75" 85"

The Sony X95K is the newer model of the Sony X95J, and it's a noticeable improvement. The X95K uses a new Mini LED backlight, delivering much brighter highlights and finer control of the local dimming zones. The X95K also has significantly better colors and can display a much wider color gamut with HDR content.

Sony A80K/A80CK OLED
55" 65" 77"

The Sony A80K/A80CK OLED and the Sony X95K are different types of TVs due to their different panel types. If you often watch content in a dark room, the A80K is the better choice as its OLED panel delivers deeper blacks. However, if you want to use it in a well-lit room, the LED panel of the X95K gets much brighter, so it fights glare better.

Sony X90K/X90CK
55" 65" 75" 85"

The Sony X95K is a higher-end version of the Sony X90K/X90CK, 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.

Samsung QN90B QLED
43" 50" 55" 65" 75" 85"

The Samsung QN90B QLED and the Sony X95K are both Mini LED TVs, but the Samsung is just a bit better overall. The Samsung is better to use in dark rooms as it has less blooming around bright objects, and even in bright rooms, it gets brighter. If you're a gamer, it's better to go for the Samsung as it has lower input lag and supports FreeSync, which the Sony doesn't.

Sony X90J
50" 55" 65" 75"

The Sony X95K is a higher-end and newer model than the Sony X90J, so it's a bit better overall, but it's not a significant improvement. If you care about peak brightness, the X95K is the better choice as it gets brighter and has much better reflection handling if you want to use it in a well-lit room. However, if you watch content in a dark room, the X90J has a better native contrast ratio, so it displays deeper blacks.

Samsung QN95B QLED
55" 65" 75" 85"

The Samsung QN95B QLED is a bit better than the Sony X95K. The QN95B has better contrast and better black uniformity, resulting in deeper blacks in dark scenes, with less blooming around bright objects. The Samsung is also a bit better for gaming, as it supports FreeSync variable refresh rate technology, ensuring a nearly tear-free gaming experience from more supported sources.

Sony A95K OLED
55" 65"

The Sony A95K OLED is a lot better than the Sony X95K. The A95K delivers a much better dark room experience, with perfect inky blacks and no blooming whatsoever around bright highlights. The A95K also delivers a much more impactful HDR experience thanks to its wider color gamut and significantly better color volume, so bright colors are more vibrant and realistic. It also has a much wider viewing angle, so if you're using it in a big room, you can move around and still enjoy a consistent image from the sides. The X95K is significantly brighter, so if you primarily use your TV in a very bright room, the X95K will do a better job at fighting off intense glare.

Samsung QN90A QLED
43" 50" 55" 65" 75" 85" 98"

The Samsung QN90A QLED and the Sony X95K are both high-end Mini LED TVs. Although they have many of the same features, the Samsung is a bit more polished overall with less blooming, higher peak brightness, and lower input lag for gaming. If you want a better all-around option, the Samsung TV is the better choice. However, the Sony TV supports Dolby Vision, so this is the better choice if you often stream content in Dolby Vision.

Sony X950H
49" 55" 65" 75" 85"

The Sony X95K is a newer version of the Sony X950H with a few more features. The X95K has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and VRR support, making it a better gaming TV as the X950H doesn't support those. In terms of picture quality, the X95K gets brighter and has a better local dimming feature, so it's better in bright and dark rooms, but if you care about color accuracy, the X950H is the better choice.

Sony X900H
55" 65" 75" 85"

The Sony X95K is a better TV than the Sony X900H. If you have a well-lit room the X95K is the better choice as it gets much brighter and has better reflection handling, but in dark rooms, the X900H displays deeper blacks. However, the X95K gets much brighter to make highlights pop if you watch HDR content.

Sony A80J OLED
55" 65" 77"

The Sony A80J OLED and the Sony X95K are different types of TVs due to their different panel types. If you often watch content in a dark room, the A80J is the better choice as its OLED panel delivers deeper blacks. However, if you want to use it in a well-lit room, the LED panel of the X95K gets much brighter, so it fights glare better.

Sony X85J
43" 50" 55" 65" 75" 85"

The Sony X95K is a higher-end TV than the Sony X85J. If you want premium picture quality, the X95K is the better choice because it gets brighter to make highlights pop and has a local dimming feature to improve the picture quality in dark scenes, which the X85J doesn't have. Even if you watch TV in bright rooms, the X95K has better reflection handling and can fight glare better than the X85J.

Samsung QN85B QLED
55" 65" 75" 85"

The Sony X95K is better than the Samsung QN85B QLED, but they're different TVs. The Sony is a bit better if you watch content in dark rooms because it displays deeper blacks with less blooming, and if you watch HDR content, it gets brighter too. However, if you have a wide seating arrangement, the Samsung has a wider viewing angle, so the image remains consistent when viewed from the sides. The Samsung is also the better choice if you're a gamer because it has lower input lag and supports FreeSync.

+ Show more

Test Results

perceptual testing image
Design
Design
Style
Curved No

The Sony X95K has a premium design with a unique checkerboard pattern on the back. It has an adjustable stand and panel covers for cable management to keep your setup clean, so you don't have too many cables dangling around.

Design
Accelerated Longevity Test
Uniformity Pictures
Design
Stand

The Sony X95K has straight metal feet that hold the TV very well. You can adjust them in three different positions: a narrow position if you have a small table, a low position if you want minimal space between the screen and the table, and a high position to accommodate soundbars. You need to unscrew the feet when you want to change positions. You can see the dimensions of the 65-inch TV below (W x D x H) to the bottom of the screen:

Design
Back
Wall Mount VESA 300x300

The back has a similar checkerboard design as past Sony TVs, but the squares are smaller. It's entirely plastic and it has covers to help with cable management. It also has a zip tie and clips to help route your cables to the inputs. Using the plastic covers to hide the cables is only beneficial if you have the TV on a table because they're hard to remove if you have it mounted on a fixed bracket. If that's the case, it's better to leave them off, and the side-facing inputs are easy to access, but the down-facing ones aren't.

Design
Borders
Borders 0.31" (0.8 cm)
Design
Thickness
Max Thickness 2.40" (6.1 cm)
8.5
Design
Build Quality

The Sony X95K has excellent build quality. The borders and feet are metal, while everything else is plastic and feels solid, but there's a bit of flex on the back panel. The TV is very stable on the stand, and even though it wobbles a bit more with the stand in the higher position, it's still good. The biggest issue is that the cable management covers fall off at times and are hard to put in, which is why the TV doesn't feel as well-built as other premium TVs.

Picture Quality
8.7
Picture Quality
Contrast
Contrast
101,000 : 1
Native Contrast
2,065 : 1

The Sony X95K has excellent contrast, resulting in deep blacks and bright highlights in dark scenes. The native contrast with local dimming disabled is lower than usual for this type of TV, but that's due to the X-Wide Viewing Angle feature. As long as you leave local dimming enabled, dark scenes look excellent overall.

7.5
Picture Quality
Blooming

The Sony X95K has good blooming performance. Bright lights bleed out into surrounding darker areas due to the size of the dimming zones and the TV's algorithms. The TV turns on more zones than it needs to, creating some blooming but reducing the harshness of bright lights.

7.0
Picture Quality
Lighting Zone Transitions
Local Dimming
Yes
Backlight
Full-Array
Dimming Zones Count Of Tested TV
432

The lighting zones have a decent response time to changing scenes. There's almost no trailing halo behind fast-moving objects, and it's quick enough to turn on zones that the leading edge of bright objects isn't dark. There's also no noticeable flicker as zones turn on and off.

8.5
Picture Quality
Contrast And Dark Details In Game Mode

The Sony X95K's local dimming feature looks the same in Game Mode as outside of it.

8.5
Picture Quality
HDR Brightness
Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²)
673 cd/m²
Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²)
409 cd/m²
Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²)
218 cd/m²
Peak 2% Window
1,232 cd/m²
Peak 10% Window
1,423 cd/m²
Peak 25% Window
1,455 cd/m²
Peak 50% Window
940 cd/m²
Peak 100% Window
707 cd/m²
Sustained 2% Window
1,196 cd/m²
Sustained 10% Window
1,361 cd/m²
Sustained 25% Window
1,407 cd/m²
Sustained 50% Window
933 cd/m²
Sustained 100% Window
689 cd/m²
Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
0.038

The Sony X95K has incredible HDR peak brightness. It really makes highlights pop for a satisfying HDR experience. Although it gets almost as bright as the Hisense U8/U8H with most test slides, it's not as bright with real content.

These measurements are in 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 on 'Gradation Preferred'. Setting Auto Local Dimming to 'Medium' results in a slightly dimmer image, but it isn't enough to be noticeable.

If you find the image too dim, use the same settings but adjust Contrast to its max, Gamma to its max, HDR Tone Mapping to 'Brightness Preferred', and Advanced Contrast Enhancer to 'High'. This results in a noticeably brighter image, as you can see in this EOTF, but it doesn't change the peak luminosity.

8.5
Picture Quality
HDR Brightness In Game Mode
Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²)
705 cd/m²
Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²)
412 cd/m²
Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²)
223 cd/m²
Peak 2% Window
1,202 cd/m²
Peak 10% Window
1,429 cd/m²
Peak 25% Window
1,176 cd/m²
Peak 50% Window
868 cd/m²
Peak 100% Window
696 cd/m²
Sustained 2% Window
1,168 cd/m²
Sustained 10% Window
1,379 cd/m²
Sustained 25% Window
1,155 cd/m²
Sustained 50% Window
861 cd/m²
Sustained 100% Window
691 cd/m²
Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
0.036

The Sony X95K has fantastic HDR brightness in Game Mode. It's very similar to outside of Game Mode, and there visually isn't much of a difference. It was tested with the same settings as outside of Game Mode, but with the Picture Mode set to 'Game'.

8.9
Picture Quality
PQ EOTF Tracking
600 Nit Tracking Delta
0.0073
1000 Nit Tracking Delta
0.0073
4000 Nit Tracking Delta
0.0087

The EOTF tracks the target PQ curve perfectly, which means that it displays scenes at their correct brightness. There's a smooth roll-off for content mastered below 4000 nits, so you don't lose details in bright scenes with most content.

9.0
Picture Quality
SDR Brightness
Real Scene Peak Brightness
782 cd/m²
Peak 2% Window
1,165 cd/m²
Peak 10% Window
1,223 cd/m²
Peak 25% Window
1,217 cd/m²
Peak 50% Window
881 cd/m²
Peak 100% Window
639 cd/m²
Sustained 2% Window
1,133 cd/m²
Sustained 10% Window
1,186 cd/m²
Sustained 25% Window
1,188 cd/m²
Sustained 50% Window
873 cd/m²
Sustained 100% Window
633 cd/m²
Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
0.036

The Sony X95K has fantastic SDR peak brightness. It easily gets bright enough to fight glare from bright light sources, and even though larger areas are dimmer, it's still very bright.

These results are from the 'Custom' Picture Mode with the Brightness at its max, Contrast at its default of '90', Color Temperature set to 'Expert 1', and Peak Luminance on 'High'. If you want the brightest image possible, set Auto Local Dimming to 'High' because it gets about 40 nits brighter than 'Medium'.

If you don't care about image accuracy and want the brightest image possible, use the 'Vivid' Picture Mode with the Brightness, Contrast, and Gamma each at their max, and Advanced Contrast Enhancer, Auto Local Dimming, and Peak Luminance all on 'High'. This results in a peak brightness of 1,312 cd/m² in the 25% window.

8.4
Picture Quality
Color Gamut
Wide Color Gamut
Yes
DCI P3 xy
93.56%
DCI P3 uv
95.94%
Rec 2020 xy
70.75%
Rec 2020 uv
76.02%

The Sony X95K has an impressive HDR color gamut and is much better than the Sony X95J. It has incredible coverage of the commonly-used DCI-P3 color space, and it's somewhat future-proof as it has decent coverage of the Rec. 2020 color space as more content will start to use it. Tone mapping is good between both color spaces, meaning colors look accurate in HDR, but some cyans and blues are off in Rec. 2020.

8.5
Picture Quality
Color Volume
1,000 cd/m² DCI P3 Coverage ITP
86.9%
10,000 cd/m² Rec 2020 Coverage ITP
41.2%
White Luminance
1,136 cd/m²
Red Luminance
207 cd/m²
Green Luminance
673 cd/m²
Blue Luminance
69 cd/m²
Cyan Luminance
770 cd/m²
Magenta Luminance
282 cd/m²
Yellow Luminance
1,024 cd/m²

The Sony X95K has excellent color volume. It displays most bright colors well, but it still struggles with some brighter blues and reds. It also displays some darker colors well due to its high contrast.

7.4
Picture Quality
Pre Calibration
White Balance dE
3.64
Color dE
2.12
Gamma
2.22
Color Temperature
7,158 K
Picture Mode
Custom
Color Temp Setting
Expert 1
Gamma Setting
0

The Sony X95K has decent out-of-the-box accuracy in SDR. Colors are accurate, and gamma almost follows the 2.2 target for moderately-lit rooms perfectly. However, the color temperature is on the cold side, giving the image a blue tint, and the white balance is off.

9.5
Picture Quality
Post Calibration
White Balance dE
0.29
Color dE
1.03
Gamma
2.19
Color Temperature
6,519 K
White Balance Calibration
10 point
Color Calibration
Yes

The Sony X95K has fantastic accuracy after calibration to the D65 white point. Any remaining inaccuracies can't be spotted by the naked eye. It's easy to calibrate the white balance, but some colors like blue are still difficult to fix.

You can see the settings for our calibration here.

7.8
Picture Quality
Gray Uniformity
50% Std. Dev.
3.188%
50% DSE
0.158%
5% Std. Dev.
0.470%
5% DSE
0.104%

The Sony X95K has okay gray uniformity. The edges of the screen are noticeably darker, which is distracting if you want to use it as a PC monitor. There's also a bit of dirty screen effect in the center, but it isn't enough to be too distracting while watching sports.

7.3
Picture Quality
Black Uniformity
Std. Dev.
1.109%
Native Std. Dev.
1.146%

The Sony X95K has decent black uniformity. Without the local dimming feature, the screen looks blue. The local dimming helps further deepen any blacks, but it also causes blooming around bright objects.

6.6
Picture Quality
Viewing Angle
Color Washout
39°
Color Shift
38°
Brightness Loss
46°
Black Level Raise
39°
Gamma Shift
19°

The Sony X95K has an okay viewing angle thanks to Sony's 'X-Wide Angle' technology. It's fine for watching TV shows or sports with a few people around, but the image starts to lose consistency from really wide angles.

8.6
Picture Quality
Reflections
Screen Finish
Semi-gloss
Total Reflections
2.8%
Indirect Reflections
1.1%
Calculated Direct Reflections
1.8%

The Sony X95K has excellent reflection handling. There aren't too many distracting reflections coming from the screen, but the light scattering across causes a rainbow-like effect. It's noticeable in darker scenes but gets bright enough to fight glare with brighter scenes.

8.3
Picture Quality
HDR Native Gradient
100% Black to 50% Gray
8.0
50% Gray to 100% White
10
100% Black to 50% Red
8.0
50% Red to 100% Red
6.0
100% Black to 50% Green
8.0
50% Green to 100% Green
8.0
100% Black to 50% Blue
10
50% Blue to 100% Blue
8.0

The Sony X95K has great gradient handling. There's some noticeable banding in bright reds, but everything else looks great.

8.4
Picture Quality
Low-Quality Content Smoothing
Smoothing
8.5
Detail Preservation
8.0

This TV does a great job smoothing out low-quality content. Macro-blocking and pixelization issues are smoothed out well, and there's very little loss of fine details.

9.0
Picture Quality
Upscaling: Sharpness Processing

The Sony X95K does a fantastic job upscaling low-resolution and low-bitrate content, like DVDs or cable TV channels. The image is crisp, with no over-sharpening, and fine details are easy to make out.

The optimal settings for a sharp image with the least amount of over-sharpening are as follows:

  • Sharpness: 60
  • Reality Creation Auto

Picture Quality
Pixels
Subpixel Layout
BGR
Type LED
Sub-Type
VA

The Sony X95K 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.

Motion
8.4
Motion
Response Time
80% Response Time
4.0 ms
100% Response Time
9.9 ms

The Sony X95K has an impressive responsive time. There's minimal blur trail behind fast-moving objects, but because it has a slow response time with dark transitions, there's a bit of black smearing.

9.5
Motion
Flicker-Free
Flicker-Free
No
PWM Dimming Frequency
720 Hz

The Sony X95K uses pulse width modulation to dim its backlight. It always flickers at 720Hz in all picture modes, which is high enough that it isn't noticeable or distracting.

Motion
Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
Optional BFI
Yes
Min Flicker For 60 fps
120 Hz
60Hz For 60 fps
No
120Hz For 120 fps
Yes
Min Flicker for 60 fps in Game Mode
120 Hz

The Sony X95K has an optional backlight strobing feature, commonly known as black frame insertion. It only flickers at 120Hz, which causes image duplication with 60 fps content. The BFI score is based on the flicker frequency and not the actual performance. Also, you can't enable BFI at the same time as VRR.

Motion
Motion Interpolation
Motion Interpolation (30 fps)
Yes
Motion Interpolation (60 fps)
Yes

The Sony X95K can interpolate lower-frame-rate content up to 120 fps. Like most TVs, it works well with slower scenes, but there are noticeable artifacts with fast-moving scenes. Even though the images above have a red tint with the motion interpolation feature enabled, it isn't noticeable with real content.

6.6
Motion
Stutter
Frame Hold Time @ 24 fps
32.8 ms
Frame Hold Time @ 60 fps
7.8 ms

The Sony X95K has some stutter because of the quick response time as each frame is held on longer, but the motion interpolation feature can help reduce that.

10
Motion
24p Judder
Judder-Free 24p
Yes
Judder-Free 24p via 60p
Yes
Judder-Free 24p via 60i
Yes
Judder-Free 24p via Native Apps
Yes

The Sony X95K removes 24p judder from any source, which helps with the appearance of motion in movies.

9.4
Motion
Variable Refresh Rate
Native Refresh Rate
120 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
Yes
HDMI Forum VRR
Yes
FreeSync
No
G-SYNC Compatible
Yes
4k VRR Maximum
120 Hz
4k VRR Minimum
< 20 Hz
1080p VRR Maximum
120 Hz
1080p VRR Minimum
< 20 Hz
1440p VRR Maximum
N/A
1440p VRR Minimum
N/A
VRR + Local Dimming Yes

The Sony X95K 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 set the 1440p VRR range to N/A.

Inputs
9.2
Inputs
Input Lag
1080p @ 60Hz
18.0 ms
1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
161.1 ms
1080p @ 120Hz
9.4 ms
1080p @ 144Hz
N/A
1440p @ 60Hz
N/A
1440p @ 120Hz
N/A
1440p @ 144Hz
N/A
4k @ 60Hz
17.9 ms
4k @ 60Hz + 10-Bit HDR
17.9 ms
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
17.9 ms
4k @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
144.1 ms
4k @ 60Hz With Interpolation
136.6 ms
4k @ 120Hz
10.0 ms
4k @ 144Hz
N/A
8k @ 60Hz
N/A

The Sony X95K has low input lag in Game Mode for a responsive feel. You can enable the motion interpolation feature in Game Mode, but it also increases the input lag too much for gaming.

8.6
Inputs
Supported Resolutions
Resolution 4k
480p @ 59.94Hz (Widescreen)
Yes
720p @ 59.94Hz
Yes
1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
1080p @ 120Hz
Yes
1080p @ 144Hz
No
1440p @ 60Hz
No
1440p @ 120Hz
No
1440p @ 144Hz
No
4k @ 60Hz
Yes
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
4k @ 120Hz
Yes
4k @ 120Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
4k @ 144Hz
No
8k @ 30Hz or 24Hz
No
8k @ 60Hz
No

The Sony X95K supports most common signals up to 4k @ 120Hz with HDMI ports 3 and 4. It displays proper chroma 4:4:4 with 1080p and 4k signals, which helps with text clarity when using it as a PC monitor. HDMI ports 1 and 2 are limited to HDMI 2.0 bandwidth, so they're limited in the signals they support, and if you want to take full advantage of the TV's HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, use ports 3 and 4.

Inputs
PS5 Compatibility
Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)
Yes
4k @ 120Hz
Yes
1440p @ 120Hz
No
1080p @ 120Hz
Yes
HDR
Yes
VRR
Yes

The Sony X95K works well with the PS5 and Xbox Series X. You need to use HDMI ports 3 and 4 for HDMI 2.1 bandwidth if you want to take full advantage of the consoles. It only supports Dolby Vision up to 4k @ 60Hz on the Xbox Series X. It has an Auto Low Latency Mode that switches the TV into Game Mode automatically for low input lag, and you don't need to change any settings for it to work with the PS5. It also supports Auto HDR Tone Mapping with the PS5 that optimizes the HDR picture settings.

Inputs
Xbox Series X|S Compatibility
Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)
Yes
4k @ 120Hz
Yes
1440p @ 120Hz
No
1080p @ 120Hz
Yes
HDR
Yes
VRR
Yes
Inputs
Inputs Specifications
HDR10
Yes
HDR10+
No
Dolby Vision
Yes
HLG
Yes
HDMI 2.0 Full Bandwidth
Yes (HDMI 1,2,3,4)
HDMI 2.1 Class Bandwidth
Yes (HDMI 3,4)
CEC Yes
HDCP 2.2 Yes (HDMI 1,2,3,4)
ATSC Tuner
3.0 (NEXTGEN TV)
USB 3.0
Yes (1)
Variable Analog Audio Out No
Wi-Fi Support Yes (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz)

HDMI ports 3 and 4 support the full 48 Gbps bandwidth of HDMI 2.1, while HDMI 1 and 2 are limited to HDMI 2.0 bandwidth. 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 use HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on multiple devices at the same time unless the receiver also supports it. Also, the tuner supports ATSC 3.0, allowing you to stream over-the-air 4k channels.

Inputs
Input Photos
Inputs
Total Inputs
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

Unlike the Sony X95J, the Sony X95K doesn't have an analog audio output, so you can't connect headphones.

Inputs
Audio Passthrough
ARC/eARC Port
eARC
eARC: Dolby Atmos Over Dolby Digital Plus
Yes
eARC: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
Yes
eARC: LPCM 7.1 Over Dolby MAT
Yes
eARC: Dolby TrueHD 7.1
Yes
eARC: DTS:X Over DTS-HD MA
Yes
eARC: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
Yes
eARC: LPCM Channels (Bitstream)
7.1
ARC: Dolby Digital 5.1
Yes
ARC: DTS 5.1
Yes
Optical: Dolby Digital 5.1
Yes
Optical: DTS 5.1
Yes

The Sony X95K supports eARC, allowing you to pass high-quality, uncompressed audio to a compatible receiver through an HDMI cable. You can also connect a compatible Sony soundbar to the S-Center speaker input and use the TV's speakers as a center channel.

Sound Quality
7.6
Sound Quality
Frequency Response
Low-Frequency Extension
84.76 Hz
Std. Dev. @ 70
1.81 dB
Std. Dev. @ 80
1.58 dB
Std. Dev. @ Max
3.97 dB
Max
89.0 dB SPL
Dynamic Range Compression
3.92 dB

The Sony X95K has a good frequency response. It has a well-balanced sound profile that makes dialogue sound clear, but like most TVs, it doesn't produce much bass.

7.7
Sound Quality
Distortion
Weighted THD @ 80
0.049
Weighted THD @ Max
0.214
IMD @ 80
0.49%
IMD @ Max
4.36%

The Sony X95K has good distortion handling. There aren't too many distortion artifacts at moderate listening levels, and even if there's more at the max volume, it isn't too bad.

Smart Features
8.0
Smart Features
Interface
Smart OS Google TV
Version 10
Ease of Use
Average
Smoothness
Very Smooth
Time Taken to Select YouTube
2 s
Time Taken to Change Backlight
2 s
Advanced Options
Many

The Sony X95K has the same Google TV smart platform as past Sony models. It's user-friendly, and navigating through the interface feels smooth.

0
Smart Features
Ad-Free
Ads
Yes
Opt-out
No
Suggested Content in Home
Yes
Opt-out of Suggested Content
No

Unfortunately, like most TVs, there are ads throughout the interface. You can opt-out of personalized ads, but that means you'll get non-targeted ads instead.

9.0
Smart Features
Apps and Features
App Selection
Great
App Smoothness
Very Smooth
Cast Capable
Yes
USB Drive Playback
Yes
USB Drive HDR Playback
Yes
HDR in Netflix
Yes
HDR in YouTube
Yes

The Google Play Store has tons of apps available to download, 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.

8.5
Smart Features
Remote
Size
Small
Voice Control
Many Features
CEC Menu Control
Yes
Other Smart Features
No
Remote App Android TV

The redesigned Sony remote is small as it doesn't have a numpad, but you can bring up a virtual numpad on the screen with the '123' button. There are mics in the remote and built into the TV, and they allow you to ask it to search for content, change settings, and open apps.

Smart Features
TV Controls

There's a single button on the back left side to turn it On/Off, change channels, adjust the volume, or switch inputs. There's also a switch to turn off the mic on the TV if you're concerned about privacy. However, these controls are set into the TV and hard to access with it wall-mounted, especially if you have the wall-mounted, and the plastic covers block access to the buttons.

Smart Features
In The Box

  • Remote
  • 2x AAA Batteries
  • Manuals and user guides

Smart Features
Misc
Power Consumption 80 W
Power Consumption (Max) 206 W
Firmware PKG6.5770.0680NAA