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To try to better understand how long a TV should last, we're running 100 TVs through an accelerated longevity test for the next two years. We've just posted our 1-year video update with our latest findings on temporary image retention, burn-in, and more!

Sony Z9F TV Review

Tested using Methodology v1.5
Reviewed Sep 26, 2018 at 08:52 am
Latest change: Retest Jul 07, 2020 at 03:09 pm
Sony Z9F Picture
8.1
Mixed Usage
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
8.1
Movies
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
8.4
TV Shows
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
8.2
Sports
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
7.8
Video Games
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
8.1
HDR Movies
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
7.7
HDR Gaming
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
8.1
PC Monitor
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench

The Sony Z9F is a great TV for almost any type of use. It can get extremely bright and it handles reflections very well, so it can be placed in almost any bright room. The native contrast ratio is a bit disappointing for a VA panel, but the local dimming feature further deepens any blacks, and the black uniformity is good too, so it still performs well in a dark room. The picture quality is good with outstanding out-of-box color accuracy, but unfortunately, the viewing angles are just okay and the image will lose accuracy when viewed from the side. Gamers will enjoy the amazing response time and incredibly low input lag. Additionally, the Android TV Play Store offers a ton of apps so you can enjoy the content you want.

Our Verdict

8.1 Mixed Usage

The Sony Z9F is a great TV for most uses. It's especially well-suited for playing video games, and it's a good choice for use as a PC monitor. Movies look great, but dark room performance isn't as great due to the contrast ratio. The TV is extremely bright, making it a good choice for use in a bright room, as it can easily overcome glare.

Pros
  • Extraordinarily bright in SDR and HDR.
  • Excellent low input lag.
  • Great local dimming feature.
Cons
  • Disappointing contrast ratio.
8.1 Movies

The Sony Z9F is great for watching movies in a dark room. Unfortunately, the native contrast ratio isn't great, but the great local dimming feature somewhat compensates for this. Unfortunately, there's a lot of blooming that's especially noticeable around subtitles. The TV has an excellent fast response time, great for action films, and can also remove judder from any 24p source.

8.4 TV Shows

The Z9F is a great TV for watching TV shows during the day. It's extremely bright, great for overcoming glare in a bright room, and it has excellent reflection handling. The viewing angles aren't as wide as most IPS or OLED TVs, but still good if you like to move around while watching TV. The motion interpolation feature is great if you enjoy the soap opera effect.

8.2 Sports

The Z9F is great for sports fans. It has good gray uniformity; there's some dirty screen effect but it isn't too noticeable. It has an excellent fast response time, with very little motion blur. The TV is extremely bright, and although the viewing angles aren't perfect it still looks good when you're watching the big game with a group of friends.

7.8 Video Games

The Sony Z9F is an excellent TV for playing video games. It has an excellent fast response time, and excellent low input lag. Unfortunately, it doesn't support VRR or auto low latency mode. Playing games late at night isn't perfect, as the contrast ratio is low and blacks appear gray in a dark room.

8.1 HDR Movies

Great TV for watching movies in HDR. The TV has a great wide color gamut and is extremely bright, able to deliver a picture closer to what the content creator intended. Unfortunately, the contrast ratio isn't very good and blacks can appear gray in a dark room. Watching with subtitles on can also be extremely distracting as there's a lot of blooming around the subtitles.

7.7 HDR Gaming

Excellent TV for gaming in HDR. It has excellent low input lag and an extremely fast response time, so motion is fluid and responds quickly to every button press. It has a wide color gamut, and HDR content is extremely bright, making highlights pop. Unfortunately, late-night gaming in a dark room isn't perfect, as blacks tend to appear gray.

8.1 PC Monitor

Excellent TV for use as a PC monitor. It has an extremely fast response time and excellent low input lag, so it feels responsive. It supports all of the common resolutions without any issues, and chroma 4:4:4 / RGB is displayed perfectly, as long as either the 'Game' or 'Graphics' Picture Mode is used.

  • 8.1 Mixed Usage
  • 8.1 Movies
  • 8.4 TV Shows
  • 8.2 Sports
  • 7.8 Video Games
  • 8.1 HDR Movies
  • 7.7 HDR Gaming
  • 8.1 PC Monitor
  1. Updated Jul 07, 2020: The operating system has been updated to Android 9.0.
  2. Updated May 21, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
  3. Updated Feb 21, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
  4. Updated Feb 28, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
  5. Updated Sep 26, 2018: Review published.
  6. Updated Sep 24, 2018: Our testers have started testing this product.
  7. Updated Sep 24, 2018: Early access published.
  8. Updated Sep 22, 2018: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
  9. Updated Sep 12, 2018: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Differences Between Sizes And Variants

We tested the 65" Sony MASTER Series Z9F (XBR65Z9F), and for the most part, we expect our review to be valid for the 75" model (XBR75Z9F) as well.

The European variant of the TV is also known as the ZF9, and we expect it to offer the same performance.

If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their Sony Z9F doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we'll update the review. Note that some tests such as the gray uniformity may vary between individual units.

Size US Model Alternative Name EU Model
65" XBR65Z9F XBR-65Z9F KD-65ZF9
75" XBR75Z9F XBR-75Z9F KD-75ZF9

The 65" Z9F we tested was manufactured in Aug. 2018.

Compared To Other TVs

Comparison picture

Top left: Samsung Q9FN (QN65Q9FN). Bottom left: Vizio P Series Quantum (PQ65-F1). Middle: Sony Z9F (XBR65Z9F). Top right: Sony Z9D (XBR65Z9D). Bottom right: Sony A8F (XBR55A8F). 

The Sony Z9F is a great TV, with decent picture quality and some welcome improvements. It faces some tough competition in the high-end market, though, and there are some TVs out there that outperform it for less. See our recommendations for the best TVs on the market.

Sony Z9D
65" 75" 100"

The Sony Z9F is better than the Sony Z9D, unless you watch movies in the dark from directly in front. The Z9F is much brighter in SDR, and a bit brighter in HDR. The 2018 Z9F has much better motion handling, with significantly faster response time and less input lag, great for gaming. The Z9F also has faster smart features, running a newer version of the Android TV operating system. The Z9D is a bit better in a dark room, as it has a better contrast ratio and better local dimming feature, but the image degrades rapidly when viewed at an angle.

Samsung Q900/Q900R 8k QLED
55" 65" 75" 82"

The Sony Z9F and the Samsung Q900R both have very similar performance and both support a viewing angle enhancing technology. The Sony Z9F has better reflection handling and better gray uniformity, which is great for watching sports in a room with many light sources. The Samsung Q900R has a higher 8k resolution and wider viewing angles. Also, the Q900R has a much better black frame insertion feature and supports FreeSync to ensure tear-free gaming with the use of compatible hardware.

Sony X900F
49" 55" 65" 75" 85"

The Sony Z9F is slightly better than the Sony X900F. The Sony Z9F has wider viewing angles as it incorporates Sony's 'X-Wide-Angle' technology at the expense of lower contrast ratio. The Sony Z9F can compensate slightly for the lower contrast ratio through the better implementation of local dimming support. In most other aspects, the two TVs are very similar.

Sony X950G
55" 65" 75" 85"

The Sony Z9F is slightly better than the Sony X950G. The Sony Z9F has better local dimming, which is great for movies and wider viewing angles thanks to the 'X-Wide Angle' technology; something which the X950G offers only at the larger models. On the other hand, the smaller models of the Sony X950G have higher contrast ratio, due to the lack of the 'X-Wide Angle' panel.

Sony A9G OLED
55" 65" 77"

The two TVs have different panels, each with its advantages and disadvantages. The Sony A9G is an OLED TV that displays perfect blacks in a dark room, has excellent wide viewing angles, and it is a better choice for watching movies or HDR movies in a dark room. On the other hand, the Sony Z9F can get brighter in SDR so it can easily fight glare. Also, the Z9F has a much higher HDR peak brightness and can display HDR highlights much brighter. The Z9F doesn't have the burn-in risk that the Sony A9G has.

Vizio P Series Quantum 2018
65"

The Vizio P Series Quantum is a bit better than the Sony Master Series Z9F for most people. The P Series Quantum performs better in a dark room, as it has better native contrast and better black uniformity. The Quantum also has a much wider color gamut and better color volume. The Sony Z9F has much better gradient handling, and more advanced smart features, including access to the excellent Google Play Store.

Sony A8F OLED
55" 65"

The Sony A8F is better than the Sony Z9F, unless you consume a lot of static content and are concerned by the possibility of permanent burn-in inherent in OLED panels. The A8F has perfect dark-room performance, thanks to the perfect blacks provided by the OLED panel. The A8F also has better motion handling, with a near instantaneous response time, and much wider viewing angles. The Z9F does not have the risk of burn-in, and is much brighter, better suited for use in a bright room.

Samsung Q9FN/Q9/Q9F QLED 2018
65" 75"

The Samsung QLED Q9FN is slightly better than the Sony Z9F overall. The Samsung Q9FN is much better in a dark room, thanks to the much better native contrast ratio and black uniformity. The Q9FN produces a wider color gamut, with better color volume. The Q9FN is better overall for gaming, as it supports FreeSync VRR and auto low latency mode. The Sony Z9F is brighter overall, but some small highlights can appear brighter in some scenes in HDR on the Q9FN.

LG E8 OLED
55" 65"

The LG E8 is better than the Sony Z9F for most people, unless the possibility of burn-in is a concern or you have a bright room. The LG E8 has perfect blacks which boost the picture quality in a dark room. The E8 has better viewing angles and thus is a better choice if you have a room with a wide seating arrangement. The E8 has a faster response time so it leaves a smaller blur trail in fast-moving content like sports. The Sony Z9F, on the other hand, can get brighter and is a better choice if you have a room with lots of ambient light. Also, the Z9F supports 1440p @ 60Hz, which is great if you play video games.

Samsung Q90/Q90R QLED
65" 75" 82"

The Samsung Q90R is a bit better than the Sony Z9F. The Q90R can deliver a slightly better dark room performance thanks to the higher contrast ratio and better black uniformity. Also, the Samsung Q90R has lower input lag and supports FreeSync, which are great if you enjoy video games.

LG C9 OLED
55" 65" 77"

The Sony Z9F and LG C9 use different panel technologies, each with their advantages and disadvantages. The Z9F uses a VA panel and is much brighter than the C9, and the brightness doesn't change as much with different content (ABL). The C9 looks much better in a dark room, as the OLED panel delivers near-perfect black uniformity and an infinite contrast ratio. The C9 has a nearly instantaneous response time, but this results in more noticeable stutter when watching movies. The C9 also has a chance of permanent burn-in when exposed to static content, but the Z9F is immune to burn-in.

Samsung Q80/Q80R QLED
55" 65" 75" 82"

The Samsung Q80/Q80R QLED is a slightly better TV than the Sony Z9F. The Q80 has better blacks, better black uniformity, slightly better motion handling, and an easier-to-use smart interface. On the other hand, the Sony is brighter, has better gray uniformity, and has a much better color gradient performance.

+ Show more

Video

Test Results

Design
8.5
Design
Style
Curved No

The Sony Z9F has a great design, with a few minor flaws. The overall design is somewhat simplistic, but it should look great in most rooms. It has a good stand that supports the TV well but is quite large. Thankfully, the feet can be reversed so they take less space. Like the Z9D, there are covers on the back that hide the connections. These look good when the TV is placed on a stand, but they can be hard to remove if you need to access the connections when wall-mounted. The TV is well-built, but some of the panels on the back are loose and could cause some vibrations.

Design
Stand

The stand is made of metal and is well-built. It supports the TV well, but there's some wobble. The legs are very similar to the Sony X900F but somewhat bulkier. Like the X900F, they can be reversed. Like many 2018 Sony TVs, the back of the legs can be used to guide cables.

Footprint of the 65" TV stand: 12.3" x 47".

Footprint of the 65" TV stand, with legs reversed: 12.3" x 36".

Design
Back
Wall Mount VESA 300x300

All of the inputs are on the back of the XBR65Z9F, either facing downwards or towards the side. Like the Z9D, there are plastic panels that cover all the inputs, giving it a clean look. However, some of those panels feel loose. Most people will be happy with the fantastic cable management through the feet.

Design
Borders
Borders 0.47" (1.2 cm)

The borders are thin, with a square design similar to the Z9D. The front half of the borders have a new textured finish similar to Sony cameras. The back half is metal and has a nice finish.

Design
Thickness
Max Thickness 2.80" (7.1 cm)

The Sony XBR65Z9F is slightly thinner than the Z9D, and it has a more uniform thickness that looks great when wall-mounted.

8.5
Design
Build Quality

Most of the Z9F is made of plastic, but there are some metal parts, including most of the stand and some of the bezel. It's solid and seems well-built, but some of the panels on the back are loose so they may vibrate with the volume up high.

Picture Quality
7.2
Picture Quality
Contrast
Native Contrast
1,730 : 1
Contrast with local dimming
3,379 : 1

The Sony Z9F has an unexpectedly low contrast ratio. The native contrast ratio is extremely low for a VA panel but better than any IPS TV. With Local dimming set to 'High', and X-tended Dynamic Range set to 'High', the contrast ratio is more acceptable. Again, it's better than an IPS, but worse than any other VA panel.

We believe that the low contrast ratio is caused by the new X-Wide Angle optical panel. You can see more about this in the pixels section of the review.

8.0
Picture Quality
Local Dimming
Local Dimming
Yes
Backlight
Full-Array

The Sony Z9F has a good full array local dimming feature. In our side-by-side tests, it performed worse than the Z9D, with more noticeable blooming around bright objects. Zone changes are noticeable with bright objects in dark scenes, but it isn't as distracting as the Vizio P Series Quantum. Fans of subtitled movies will be disappointed, however, as there's significant blooming around subtitles, especially in HDR.

For our side-by-side comparison, Auto Local Dimming was set to 'High', and X-tended Dynamic Range was set to 'Medium'. We took some comparison shots to demonstrate the local dimming of the Z9F. In these shots, the Z9F is in the top left, Z9D top right, the Vizio P Series Quantum bottom left, and the Q9FN bottom right. In the first image, you can see that the local dimming is worse on the Z9F, resulting in brighter letterbox bars, and you can also see that the contrast is worse. In the second image, you can see that there's less dark crush on the Z9F than on the Q9FN.

9.1
Picture Quality
SDR Peak Brightness
SDR Real Scene Peak Brightness
808 cd/m²
SDR Peak 2% Window
1,519 cd/m²
SDR Peak 10% Window
1,672 cd/m²
SDR Peak 25% Window
1,225 cd/m²
SDR Peak 50% Window
837 cd/m²
SDR Peak 100% Window
690 cd/m²
SDR Sustained 2% Window
1,492 cd/m²
SDR Sustained 10% Window
1,545 cd/m²
SDR Sustained 25% Window
1,216 cd/m²
SDR Sustained 50% Window
833 cd/m²
SDR Sustained 100% Window
685 cd/m²
SDR ABL
0.046

The Sony X9F has amazing peak brightness. It gets really bright when there are small highlights on the screen and loses some of its brightness as bigger areas are covered, but it's still one of the brightest TVs we've tested so far. This is a great TV if you're planning on putting it in a bright room.

Update 02/27/2018: Retested the brightness using a PC as the source, so we can automate testing. Also corrected an error in the real scene brightness; the previous value of 1498 cd/m² was a mistake. All test scores have been updated.

9.2
Picture Quality
HDR Peak Brightness
HDR Real Scene Peak Brightness
1,640 cd/m²
HDR Peak 2% Window
1,354 cd/m²
HDR Peak 10% Window
1,671 cd/m²
HDR Peak 25% Window
1,236 cd/m²
HDR Peak 50% Window
838 cd/m²
HDR Peak 100% Window
663 cd/m²
HDR Sustained 2% Window
1,335 cd/m²
HDR Sustained 10% Window
1,636 cd/m²
HDR Sustained 25% Window
1,231 cd/m²
HDR Sustained 50% Window
830 cd/m²
HDR Sustained 100% Window
656 cd/m²
HDR ABL
0.048

Excellent HDR brightness, similar to the X930E, Z9D, and Vizio P Series Quantum. Large, bright scenes are brighter on the PQ65, Z9D, and X930E, but the Z9F is brighter in our real scenes test.

If you find HDR content too dim, you can adjust the Contrast and Gamma to your liking. If it's still too dim, increase the Contrast Enhancer setting to your liking.

7.8
Picture Quality
Gray Uniformity
50% Std. Dev.
3.097%
50% DSE
0.176%
5% Std. Dev.
0.515%
5% DSE
0.074%

Good gray uniformity. There's some visible darkening around the corners of the screen. The dirty screen effect is minimal, but some sports fans might notice it during a game, where it's the most visible.

6.6
Picture Quality
Viewing Angle
Color Washout
38°
Color Shift
49°
Brightness Loss
48°
Black Level Raise
35°
Gamma Shift
16°

The viewing angles are just okay, but it's better than most VA panel TVs. This could be caused by Sony adding the 'X-Wide Angle' layer to improve viewing angles. Regardless, you'll still notice the image loses accuracy when viewed from the side. If you have a wide room, look into IPS panel TVs, which have good viewing angles, such as the Sony X800G.

Update 02/27/2019: Retested viewing angle with our new test; the score is now much better and matches our subjective impression. Our conclusion remains the same: the Z9F has a better viewing angle than most VA TVs, but not as good as most IPS TVs.

7.6
Picture Quality
Black Uniformity
Native Std. Dev.
0.935%
Std. Dev. w/ L.D.
1.266%

Good black uniformity. With local dimming disabled, there's some clouding across the entire screen. With local dimming enabled, most of the screen is pure black, but there's clouding around the test cross.

8.9
Picture Quality
Reflections
Screen Finish
Glossy
Total Reflections
2.3%
Indirect Reflections
0.6%
Calculated Direct Reflections
1.7%

Excellent reflection handling, but slightly worse than the Z9D. There should be no issues using the Z9F in a very bright room. Interestingly, reflections are smeared horizontally on this screen more than any other TV we've tested. This may be a result of the new optical layer, which you can see in the pixels photo here. Even bright lights which are far off the side of the TV can be seen smeared horizontally when the TV is off.

8.8
Picture Quality
Pre Calibration
White Balance dE
1.80
Color dE
1.68
Gamma
2.27
Color Temperature
6,537 K
Picture Mode
Custom
Color Temp Setting
Expert 1
Gamma Setting
0

Amazing pre-calibration color accuracy. Most colors appear as they should, and although the gamma curve follows the target well, some scenes might appear darker than they should. The color temperature was only slightly off the target off 6500K. If you don't plan on getting your TV calibrated, colors will still be accurate.

Update 02/27/2019: Retested with the 'Gamma' setting set to '0', rather than '2' as it is by default, so the TV better tracks the 2.2 target gamma; as a result, the score has increased significantly. The White Balance dE and the Color dE are quite low, so only enthusiasts will notice those inaccuracies. Also, the color temperature is almost spot on the 6500K target. All test scores and pictures have been updated.

9.7
Picture Quality
Post Calibration
White Balance dE
0.16
Color dE
0.65
Gamma
2.20
Color Temperature
6,497 K
White Balance Calibration
10 point
Color Calibration
Yes
Auto-Calibration Function
Yes

Outstanding accuracy after calibration. White balance and color dE are nearly perfect, and any remaining imperfections are completely imperceptible. Gamma is perfectly flat at 2.2, and the color temperature is almost spot on our target of 6500 K. Like pretty much every Sony TV, the most accurate Picture Mode is 'Custom', but most of them are similar.

You can see our recommended settings here.

8.0
Picture Quality
480p Input

Older, 480p digital content looks good, with no obvious upscaling artifacts or oversharpening.

8.0
Picture Quality
720p Input

720p content looks good and is displayed without any obvious issues.

9.0
Picture Quality
1080p Input

1080p content from Blu-rays or older game consoles looks great, almost as good as native 4k content.

10
Picture Quality
4k Input

Native 4k content looks great and is displayed perfectly.

0
Picture Quality
8k Input

This is a 4k TV that doesn't support any 8k inputs.

Picture Quality
Pixels
Type LED
Sub-Type
VA

Focusing in front of the pixels, we can see the X-Wide Angle layer as shown here. This isn't noticeable under normal circumstances. This may explain the strange performance of the TV which is somewhere in-between VA and IPS type panels. We can see what appears to be the effect of this layer in the contrast, viewing angle, and reflections.

8.2
Picture Quality
Color Gamut
Wide Color Gamut
Yes
DCI P3 xy
90.50%
DCI P3 uv
94.81%
Rec 2020 xy
66.86%
Rec 2020 uv
73.86%

Very good, wide color gamut, similar to the Q6FN. The EOTF follows the input stimulus perfectly, but rolls off suddenly at the TV's peak brightness, which may cause some clipping in bright scenes. The PC and Game EOTFs also follow the curve perfectly, which is great.

If you find HDR content too dim, setting the Contrast and Gamma to their maximum values, and setting Contrast enhancer to 'High' will boost the brightness across all scenes, as shown here.

The picture modes behave differently to the previous 2018 and 2017 Sony TVs that we have reviewed. All picture modes hard clip at the peak brightness of the Z9F, whereas some of the picture modes on older models would roll off more smoother.

You can see our recommended settings for HDR here.

7.6
Picture Quality
Color Volume
Normalized DCI P3 Coverage ITP
85.4%
10,000 cd/m² DCI P3 Coverage ITP
53.6%
Normalized Rec 2020 Coverage ITP
66.0%
10,000 cd/m² Rec 2020 Coverage ITP
40.9%

Good color volume. P3 coverage is excellent; the Z9F can produce deep, dark colors well, but it can't fill out the entire gamut well. Like many LCD TVs, it can't produce very bright blues.

9.2
Picture Quality
Gradient
Color Depth
10 Bit
Red (Std. Dev.)
0.072
Green (Std. Dev.)
0.086
Blue (Std. Dev.)
0.061
Gray (Std. Dev.)
0.077

Outstanding gradient performance; the best we've ever seen on a 4k TV.

If you see any banding, the clarity tab has a few options that can help. Note that these options will result in a loss of some fine details.

10
Picture Quality
Temporary Image Retention
IR after 0 min recovery
0.00%
IR after 2 min recovery
0.00%
IR after 4 min recovery
0.00%
IR after 6 min recovery
0.00%
IR after 8 min recovery
0.00%
IR after 10 min recovery
0.00%

There's no temporary image retention on the Sony Z9F.

10
Picture Quality
Permanent Burn-In Risk
Permanent Burn-In Risk
No

We don't expect VA panels to experience permanent image retention, as the VA panel in our long-term test appears immune.

Motion
8.5
Motion
Response Time
80% Response Time
4.2 ms
100% Response Time
8.9 ms

The Sony Z9F has an excellent, fast response time. There's very little variation between transitions, which is great and results in clear motion without much blur. Only the 0-20% transition takes longer to transition. There's no significant overshoot in most transitions.

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

The Sony Z9F uses PWM to dim the backlight, but at a very high frequency that shouldn't be noticeable to most people. This is similar to the Z9D.

6.0
Motion
Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
Optional BFI
Yes
Min Flicker for 60 fps
120 Hz
60 Hz for 60 fps
No
120 Hz for 120 fps
Yes
Min Flicker for 60 fps in Game Mode
120 Hz

The Sony Z9F can reduce the flicker frequency of the backlight as low as 120Hz to help reduce motion blur. This is done by setting Motionflow to 'custom', and adjusting the Clearness slider to your liking.

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

The Sony Z9F can interpolate lower frame rate content up to 120 fps. This will create the 'Soap Opera Effect' to make motion look smother, which might please some people, while others might not enjoy it as much. In scenes with heavy motion, there may be more visible artifacts, and if there's too much motion the TV will sometimes stop interpolating.

6.5
Motion
Stutter
Frame Hold Time @ 24 fps
32.8 ms
Frame Hold Time @ 60 fps
7.8 ms

There's noticeable stutter on the Sony Z9F, like during slow panning shots in 24p content, which may bother some people.

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

With a 120Hz refresh rate, the Sony Z9F automatically removes judder from 24p content, even when embedded in a 60p signal. To remove judder from those 60p sources, such as a cable box, set Motionflow to 'Custom', with Smoothness set to 'Min' and CineMotion to 'Auto'.

0
Motion
Variable Refresh Rate
Native Refresh Rate
120 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
No
HDMI Forum VRR
No
FreeSync
No
G-SYNC Compatible
No
4k VRR Maximum
N/A
4k VRR Minimum
No VRR support
1080p VRR Maximum
N/A
1080p VRR Minimum
No VRR support
1440p VRR Maximum
N/A
1440p VRR Minimum
No VRR support
VRR Supported Connectors
No VRR support

The Sony Z9F has an excellent 120Hz refresh rate but doesn't support any variable refresh rate technologies like FreeSync.

Inputs
7.9
Inputs
Input Lag
1080p @ 60 Hz
21.2 ms
1080p @ 60 Hz Outside Game Mode
104.5 ms
1440p @ 60 Hz
20.1 ms
4k @ 60 Hz
21.1 ms
4k @ 60 Hz + 10 bit HDR
21.1 ms
4k @ 60 Hz @ 4:4:4
21.1 ms
4k @ 60 Hz Outside Game Mode
87.9 ms
4k @ 60 Hz With Interpolation
83.0 ms
8k @ 60 Hz
N/A
1080p @ 120 Hz
12.4 ms
1440p @ 120 Hz
12.4 ms
4k @ 120 Hz
N/A
1080p with Variable Refresh Rate
N/A
1440p with VRR
N/A
4k with VRR
N/A
8k with VRR
N/A
Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)
No

The Sony Z9F has the lowest input lag of any of the high-end Sony TVs. The only Sonys that have similar low input lag are the X690E and X720E. Especially with 1080p signals, this is better than the X900F. Input lag outside of game mode is about average, but the 4k input lag is excellent.

9.6
Inputs
Supported Resolutions
Resolution 4k
1080p @ 60 Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
1080p @ 120 Hz
Yes (native support)
1440p @ 60 Hz
Yes (forced resolution required)
1440p @ 120 Hz
Yes (forced resolution required)
4k @ 60 Hz
Yes
4k @ 60 Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
4k @ 120 Hz
No
8k @ 30 Hz or 24 Hz
No
8k @ 60 Hz
No

All common resolutions and refresh rates are supported, except for 4k at 120Hz. Chroma 4:4:4 is supported in the 'Game' and 'Graphics' picture modes. Also, all four HDMI inputs support HDMI 2.0.

Update 09/27/2018: 1080p @ 120Hz was erroneously listed as required a forced resolution. It's supported natively.

Inputs
Input Photos
Inputs
Total Inputs
HDMI 4
USB 3
Digital Optical Audio Out 1
Analog Audio Out 3.5mm 1
Analog Audio Out RCA 0
Component In 0
Composite In 1
Tuner (Cable/Ant) 1
Ethernet 1
DisplayPort 0
IR In 1
SD/SDHC 0
Inputs
Inputs Specifications
HDR10
Yes
HDR10+
No
Dolby Vision
Yes
HLG
Yes
3D
No
HDMI 2.0 Full Bandwidth
Yes (HDMI 1,2,3,4)
HDMI 2.1
No
CEC Yes
HDCP 2.2 Yes (HDMI 1,2,3,4)
USB 3.0
Yes (1)
Variable Analog Audio Out Yes
Wi-Fi Support Yes (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz)

The Sony Z9F supports Dolby Vision, but due to the way it was implemented, external devices must be updated to support it. In our test, we were able to get it to work on an Apple TV 4k, but not on a Chromecast 4k. New for Sony on the Z9F is HDMI 2.0 full bandwidth on all four HDMI ports. Unlike the Z9D, the Z9F doesn't support 3D.

Inputs
Audio Passthrough
ARC
Yes (HDMI 3)
eARC support
Yes
Dolby Atmos via TrueHD via eARC
Yes
DTS:X via DTS-HD MA via eARC
Yes
5.1 Dolby Digital via ARC
Yes
5.1 DTS via ARC
Yes
5.1 Dolby Digital via Optical
Yes
5.1 DTS via Optical
Yes

Update 01/07/2020: DTS passthrough is working over a standard ARC connection as well as optical. It was discovered that system sounds must be disabled for it to work.

Update 02/27/2019: eARC has now been tested, and is properly supported.

Bravia Sync control must be enabled for ARC to work. We also had to set Dolby Digital Plus output to 'Dolby Digital' (and not 'Dolby Digital Plus') to make Dolby Digital work consistently with our old receiver:
Settings > Sound > Sound adjustments > Advanced settings > Common > Dolby Digital Plus output > 'Dolby Digital'.

Sound Quality
6.5
Sound Quality
Frequency Response
Low-Frequency Extension
113.14 Hz
Std. Dev. @ 70
3.66 dB
Std. Dev. @ 80
4.15 dB
Std. Dev. @ Max
5.67 dB
Max
88.8 dB SPL
Dynamic Range Compression
3.04 dB

The frequency response is average. The LFE (low-frequency extension) of 113Hz indicates a bass that produces no thump, rumble, or punch, which is important for bass-heavy film scores and video game sound effects. However, the bump around 200Hz compensates for this lack a little and makes the sound a bit fuller. The response above 200Hz is decent, which is important for producing clear and understandable dialogue, but there's a lack above 6KHz. Also, the Z9F gets decently loud, without producing too much compression and pumping artifacts.

5.2
Sound Quality
Distortion
Weighted THD @ 80
2.068
Weighted THD @ Max
31.758
IMD @ 80
3.57%
IMD @ Max
14.50%

The distortion performance is sub-par. The overall amount of THD produced at 80dB SPL is within decent limits, except for the 7kHz area. Also, like most other Sony TVs, there's a big jump in THD under maximum load. However, this won't be very noticeable in real-life situations.

Smart Features
7.5
Smart Features
Interface
Smart OS Android TV
Version 9.0
Ease of Use
Average
Smoothness
Average
Time Taken to Select YouTube
3 s
Time Taken to Change Backlight
5 s
Advanced Options
Many

Update 07/07/2020: The operating system has been updated to Android 9.0. There are some minor changes to the user interface, and support has been added for Apple AirPlay and Dolby Atmos via the TV's speakers.

The Android 8.0 interface is well organized and easy to use and is a significant improvement over previous Sony TVs. Many of the options that used to be at the bottom of the page have been moved to the top. It still isn't as easy to use as LG or Samsung's interface.

Despite the Android Oreo update, the settings menus haven't changed. Some settings can be difficult to find.

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

Like most Sony TVs, there are no ads, but there's suggested content in the home menu. Unlike most other TV brands, these can be completely disabled by removing all the 'Channels' from the home menu.

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
No

Similar to previous Sony TVs, the Play Store has an excellent selection of apps. The included native apps are fast and easy to use.

8.0
Smart Features
Remote
Size
Medium
Voice Control
Search, Some Other Features
CEC Menu Control
Yes
Other Smart Features
No
Remote App Android TV

The Z9F has the same, somewhat dated remote found on the other high-end Sony TVs like the X900F, although not as good as the A8F. There's a built-in mic and direct access to Google Assistant. Many of the controls require direct line-of-sight to the TV.

Smart Features
TV Controls

Similar three-button control scheme found on other Sony TVs. It isn't very effective or powerful but works to turn the TV on or change the channel, input or volume in a pinch.

Smart Features
In The Box

  • IR Blaster
  • Instruction manual
  • Batteries
  • VESA spacers
  • Remote
  • Setup Guide
Not Shown:
  • Power cable

Smart Features
Misc
Power Consumption 80 W
Power Consumption (Max) 235 W
Firmware PKG6.0058.0026NAA