Sony BRAVIA 9 vs TCL QM9K

Which TV Is Better?

Products

Sony BRAVIA 9
TCL QM9K

Tested using Methodology v2.1

Updated Nov 17, 2025 10:18 PM

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Tested using Methodology v2.0.1

Updated Oct 21, 2025 08:16 PM

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  1. Recommended in 7 articles:
  2. Sony
  3. QLED
  4. Mini LED
  5. 4

Our Verdict

Sony BRAVIA 9

TCL QM9K

The TCL QM9K and the Sony BRAVIA 9 trade blows in a few different ways, and the best one really depends on what matters to you. The TCL gets brighter and can deliver more vibrant colors, but HDR content that actually takes advantage of that is rare. The BRAVIA 9 has much better processing and is far more accurate, so if you care about creative intent, it's the far better choice.

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Variants

  • K-65XR90 (65")
  • K-75XR90 (75")
  • K-85XR90 (85")
  • 65QM9K (65")
  • 75QM9K (75")
  • 85QM9K (85")
  • 98QM9K (98")

Check Price

98"
 
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Main Differences for
Mixed Usage

Threshold 

0.10

Mixed Usage 

8.4
8.3

HDR Brightness 
 

8.8
9.3

Full Comparison

Brightness

HDR Brightness 
 

8.8
9.3

HDR Hallway Photo  

HDR Cityscape Photo  

HDR Landscape Photo  

Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²) 
 

802 cd/m²
1,114 cd/m²

Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²) 
 

628 cd/m²
687 cd/m²

Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²) 
 

289 cd/m²
414 cd/m²

Peak 2% Window 
 

2,597 cd/m²
5,658 cd/m²

Peak 10% Window 
 

2,873 cd/m²
5,060 cd/m²

Peak 25% Window 
 

2,231 cd/m²
2,738 cd/m²

Peak 50% Window 
 

1,274 cd/m²
1,516 cd/m²

Peak 100% Window 
 

752 cd/m²
823 cd/m²

Sustained 2% Window 
 

2,218 cd/m²
3,025 cd/m²

Sustained 10% Window 
 

2,009 cd/m²
2,601 cd/m²

Sustained 25% Window 
 

1,732 cd/m²
1,970 cd/m²

Sustained 50% Window 
 

1,270 cd/m²
1,123 cd/m²

Sustained 100% Window 
 

750 cd/m²
770 cd/m²

Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL) 
 

0.054
0.070
Show Text 

HDR Brightness In Game Mode 
 

8.6
9.3

HDR Hallway Photo  

HDR Cityscape Photo  

HDR Landscape Photo  

Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²) 
 

732 cd/m²
1,088 cd/m²

Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²) 
 

574 cd/m²
750 cd/m²

Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²) 
 

270 cd/m²
418 cd/m²

Peak 2% Window 
 

2,726 cd/m²
5,635 cd/m²

Peak 10% Window 
 

2,919 cd/m²
5,050 cd/m²

Peak 25% Window 
 

2,236 cd/m²
2,775 cd/m²

Peak 50% Window 
 

1,273 cd/m²
1,530 cd/m²

Peak 100% Window 
 

749 cd/m²
823 cd/m²

Sustained 2% Window 
 

2,152 cd/m²
2,996 cd/m²

Sustained 10% Window 
 

1,885 cd/m²
2,575 cd/m²

Sustained 25% Window 
 

1,620 cd/m²
2,227 cd/m²

Sustained 50% Window 
 

1,268 cd/m²
1,293 cd/m²

Sustained 100% Window 
 

748 cd/m²
768 cd/m²

Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL) 
 

0.051
0.067
Show Text 

SDR Brightness 
 

9.3
9.4

Real Scene Peak Brightness 
 

1,005 cd/m²
919 cd/m²

Peak 2% Window 
 

2,607 cd/m²
5,703 cd/m²

Peak 10% Window 
 

2,517 cd/m²
4,850 cd/m²

Peak 25% Window 
 

2,117 cd/m²
2,610 cd/m²

Peak 50% Window 
 

1,236 cd/m²
1,440 cd/m²

Peak 100% Window 
 

776 cd/m²
787 cd/m²

Sustained 2% Window 
 

2,389 cd/m²
3,336 cd/m²

Sustained 10% Window 
 

1,760 cd/m²
2,788 cd/m²

Sustained 25% Window 
 

1,798 cd/m²
2,247 cd/m²

Sustained 50% Window 
 

1,232 cd/m²
1,330 cd/m²

Sustained 100% Window 
 

775 cd/m²
753 cd/m²

Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL) 
 

0.053
0.072
Show Text 
Black Level

Contrast 
 

8.9
9.3

Contrast Picture  

Contrast 
 

292,950 : 1
271,267 : 1

Native Contrast 
 

2,792 : 1
6,623 : 1
Show Text 

Lighting Zone Precision 
 

9.0
8.5

Lighting Zone Precision Picture  

Show Text 

Lighting Zone Transitions 
 

9.0
8.5

Preferred LD Video, Moving Object  

Local Dimming 
 

Yes
Yes

Backlight 
 

Full-Array
Full-Array

Dimming Zone Count Of The Tested TV 
 

1,512
2,880
Show Text 

Contrast And Dark Details In Game Mode 
 

9.0
9.0

Lighting Zone Precision Photo In Game Mode  

Preferred LD Video, Moving Object In Game Mode  

Game Transitions With VRR And Preferred LD  

Show Text 

Black Uniformity 
 

8.1
8.5

Black Uniformity Picture With Preferred Local Dimming  

Std. Dev. 
 

0.270%
0.202%

Native Black Uniformity Picture  

Native Std. Dev. 
 

1.223%
0.807%
Show Text 
Color

SDR Color Volume 
 

7.5
8.1

DCI-P3 Gamut Rings  

CIELAB DCI-P3 Coverage 
 

88.38%
93.03%

BT.2020 Gamut Rings  

CIELAB BT.2020 Coverage 
 

67.11%
70.45%
Show Text 

HDR Color Volume 
 

9.0
9.0

P3 Color Volume ITP Picture  

1,000 cd/m² DCI P3 Coverage ITP 
 

87.8%
82.6%

2020 Color Volume ITP Picture  

10,000 cd/m² BT.2020 Coverage ITP 
 

54.4%
54.6%

White Luminance 
 

2,698 cd/m²
2,846 cd/m²

Red Luminance 
 

551 cd/m²
611 cd/m²

Green Luminance 
 

1,130 cd/m²
2,136 cd/m²

Blue Luminance 
 

155 cd/m²
226 cd/m²

Cyan Luminance 
 

1,519 cd/m²
2,343 cd/m²

Magenta Luminance 
 

698 cd/m²
669 cd/m²

Yellow Luminance 
 

2,427 cd/m²
2,443 cd/m²
Show Text 

SDR Pre-Calibration Color Accuracy 
 

8.8
7.8

Pre White Balance Picture  

Pre Gamma Curve Picture  

Pre Color Picture  

White Balance dE 2000 
 

2.34
2.84

Color dE 2000 
 

1.29
1.59

Gamma 
 

2.14
2.19

Color Temperature 
 

6,492 K
6,021 K

Picture Mode 
 

Professional
Movie

Color Temp Setting 
 

Expert 1
warm 5

Gamma Setting 
 

0
2.2
Show Text 

SDR Post-Calibration Color Accuracy 
 

9.6
9.8

Post White Balance Picture  

Post Gamma Curve Picture  

Post Color Picture  

White Balance dE 2000 
 

0.21
0.23

Color dE 2000 
 

1.18
0.52

Gamma 
 

2.20
2.20

Color Temperature 
 

6,502 K
6,514 K

White Balance Calibration 
 

10 point
20 point

Color Calibration 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

HDR Pre-Calibration Color Accuracy 
 

9.1
6.6

HDR Pre White Balance Picture  

HDR Pre Color Picture  

White Balance dE ITP 
 

5.35
14.37

Color dE ITP 
 

4.4
10.3

Color Temperature 
 

6,604 K
7,084 K

Picture Mode 
 

Professional
Movie
Show Text 

HDR Post-Calibration Color Accuracy 
 

9.3
7.7

HDR Post White Balance Picture  

HDR Post Color Picture  

White Balance dE ITP 
 

4.96
8.70

Color dE ITP 
 

4.20
10.50

Color Temperature 
 

6,462 K
6,355 K
Show Text 
Processing

PQ EOTF Tracking 
 

8.8
5.0

PQ EOTF Graph  

See details
See details

600 Nit Tracking Delta 
 

0.0032
0.0174

1000 Nit Tracking Delta 
 

0.0033
0.0175

4000 Nit Tracking Delta 
 

0.0032
0.0169
Show Text 

Low-Quality Content Smoothing 
 

8.4
8.4

Low-Quality Content Smoothing Picture  

Smoothing 
 

8.5
9.0

Detail Preservation 
 

8.0
7.0
Show Text 

Upscaling: Sharpness Processing 
 

9.0
7.5

Sharpness Picture - 480p  

Show Text 

HDR Native Gradient 
 

8.3
8.0

HDR Gradient Picture  

100% Black To 50% Gray  

8.0
6.0

50% Gray To 100% White  

10
6.0

100% Black To 50% Red  

8.0
10

50% Red To 100% Red  

10
10

100% Black To 50% Green  

8.0
8.0

50% Green To 100% Green  

8.0
8.0

100% Black To 50% Blue  

8.0
8.0

50% Blue To 100% Blue  

6.0
8.0
Show Text 
Game Mode Responsiveness

Input Lag 
 

7.4
8.3

1080p @ 60Hz 
 

17.9 ms
15.1 ms

1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode 
 

250.6 ms
114.8 ms

1080p @ 120Hz 
 

9.5 ms
6.3 ms

1080p @ Max Refresh Rate 
 

9.5 ms
3.8 ms

4k @ 60Hz 
 

18.0 ms
15.0 ms

4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4 
 

18.0 ms
14.6 ms

4k @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode 
 

250.2 ms
124.9 ms

4k @ 60Hz With Interpolation 
 

226.2 ms
25.2 ms

4k @ 120Hz 
 

9.8 ms
6.4 ms

4k @ Max Refresh Rate 
 

9.8 ms
6.0 ms

8k @ 60Hz 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Supported Resolutions 
 

9.1
9.5

Resolution  

4k
4k

480p @ 59.94Hz (Widescreen) 
 

Yes
Yes

720p @ 59.94Hz 
 

Yes
Yes

1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4 
 

Yes
Yes

1080p @ 120Hz 
 

Yes
Yes

1080p Maximum Refresh Rate 
 

120 Hz
288 Hz

4k @ 60Hz 
 

Yes
Yes

4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4 
 

Yes
Yes

4k @ 120Hz 
 

Yes
Yes

4k @ 120Hz @ 4:4:4 
 

Yes
Yes

4k Maximum Refresh Rate 
 

120 Hz
144 Hz

8k @ 30Hz Or 24Hz 
 

No
No

8k @ 60Hz 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Variable Refresh Rate 
 

7.5
8.8

Native Refresh Rate 
 

120Hz
144Hz

Variable Refresh Rate 
 

Yes
Yes

HDMI Forum VRR 
 

Yes
Yes

FreeSync 
 

No
Yes

G-SYNC Compatible 
 

Yes
Yes

4k VRR Maximum 
 

120 Hz
144 Hz

4k VRR Minimum 
 

< 20 Hz
< 20 Hz

1080p VRR Maximum 
 

120 Hz
288 Hz

1080p VRR Minimum 
 

< 20 Hz
< 20 Hz

VRR + Local Dimming  

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

CAD In Game Mode @ Max Refresh Rate 
 

5.3
6.7

Pursuit Photo Max Refresh  

CAD Heatmap Max Refresh 
 

Transition At Max Refresh 
 

transition-game-max-0-31
0 to 31
transition-game-max-0-31
0 to 31

Avg. CAD 
 

348
229

Best 10% CAD 
 

152
117

Worst 10% CAD 
 

550
366
Show Text 

CAD In Game Mode @ 120Hz 
 

5.3
6.7

Pursuit Photo 120Hz  

CAD Heatmap 120Hz  

Transition At 120Hz 
 

transition-game-120-0-31
0 to 31
transition-game-120-0-31
0 to 31

Avg. CAD 
 

348
226

Best 10% CAD 
 

152
114

Worst 10% CAD 
 

550
349
Show Text 

CAD In Game Mode @ 60Hz 
 

5.2
6.5

Pursuit Photo 60Hz  

CAD Heatmap 60Hz 
 

Transition 60Hz 
 

transition-game-60-0-31
0 to 31
transition-game-60-0-31
0 to 31

Avg. CAD 
 

358
248

Best 10% CAD 
 

133
108

Worst 10% CAD 
 

601
412
Show Text 

PS5 Compatibility 
 

PS5 Screenshot  

Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) 
 

Yes
Yes

4k @ 120Hz 
 

Yes
Yes

1440p @ 120Hz 
 

No
Yes

1080p @ 120Hz 
 

Yes
Yes

HDR 
 

Yes
Yes

VRR 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Xbox Series X|S Compatibility 
 

Xbox Series X Screenshot  

Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) 
 

Yes
Yes

4k @ 120Hz 
 

Yes
Yes

1440p @ 120Hz 
 

No
Yes

1080p @ 120Hz 
 

Yes
Yes

HDR 
 

Yes
Yes

VRR 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 
Motion Handling

Response Time Stutter 
 

6.4
6.7

Frame Hold Time @ 24 fps 
 

35.3 ms
34.3 ms

Frame Hold Time @ 60 fps 
 

10.3 ms
9.3 ms
Show Text 

Micro Judder 
 

6.0

24p Clip  

25p Clip  

Micro Judder-Free 24p 
 

Yes

Micro Judder-Free 25p 
 

Yes

Micro Judder-Free 24p via 60p 
 

No

Micro Judder-Free 25p via 60p 
 

No

Micro Judder-Free 24p via Native Apps 
 

Yes

Micro Judder-Free 25p via Native Apps 
 

Yes
Show Text 

Judder 
 

9.4
10

Judder Video Picture  

Judder 24p 
 

10

Judder 25p 
 

10

Judder 24p via 60p 
 

10

Judder 25p via 60p 
 

8.0

Judder 24p via 60i 
 

10

Judder 24p via Native Apps 
 

10

Judder 25p via Native Apps 
 

8.0

Judder-Free 24p 
 

Yes

Judder-Free 24p via 60p 
 

Yes

Judder-Free 24p via 60i 
 

Yes

Judder-Free 24p via Native Apps 
 

Yes
Show Text 

Response Time 
 

8.5
7.8

Pursuit Photo 60Hz  

Response Time Heatmap 60Hz 
 

Transition At 60Hz 
 

transition-60-0-31
0 to 31
transition-60-0-31
0 to 31

First Response Time 
 

6.4 ms
7.4 ms

Total Response Time 
 

7.6 ms
10.1 ms

Worst 10% Response Time 
 

15.1 ms
22.6 ms
Show Text 

Flicker 
 

Backlight chart 
 

Flicker-Free 
 

No
No

PWM Dimming Frequency 
 

720 Hz
15,600 Hz
Show Text 

Black Frame Insertion (BFI) 
 

BFI Picture  

BFI Frequency Picture  

Optional BFI 
 

Yes
Yes

Min Flicker For 60 fps 
 

60 Hz
60 Hz

60Hz For 60 fps 
 

Yes
Yes

120Hz For 120 fps 
 

Yes
Yes

Min Flicker For 60 fps In Game Mode 
 

60 Hz
60 Hz
Show Text 

Motion Interpolation 
 

Motion Interpolation (30 fps) Picture  

Motion Interpolation (30 fps) 
 

Yes
Yes

Motion Interpolation (60 fps) Picture  

Motion Interpolation (60 fps) 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 
Reflections

Direct Reflections 
 

6.7
6.3

Ring Light Picture  

Direct Reflections Graph  

See details
See details

Peak Direct Reflection Intensity 
 

38.6%
46.8%

Screen Finish 
 

Glossy
Glossy
Show Text 

Ambient Black Level Raise 
 

6.9
8.7

Black Level Raise Picture  

Bright Room Black Level Raise Graph  

See details
See details

Black Luminance @ 0 lx 
 

0.00 cd/m²
0.00 cd/m²

Black Luminance @ 1000 lx 
 

1.67 cd/m²
0.58 cd/m²
Show Text 

Total Reflected Light 
 

7.6
7.8

Bright Room Off Picture  

Ring Picture Total Reflection  

Total Reflected Light Intensity 
 

15,761% ⋅ pixel
13,485% ⋅ pixel

Diffraction Artifacts 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Ambient Color Saturation 
 

7.7
8.6

Bright Room Color Volume Graph  

See details
See details

Low-Luminance Colors @ 1000 lx 
 

63.83%
71.53%

Mid-Luminance Colors @ 1000 lx 
 

68.54%
74.09%

High-Luminance Colors @ 1000 lx 
 

62.59%
68.25%
Show Text 
Panel

Viewing Angle 
 

6.8
6.5

Viewing Angle Video  

Chroma Graph  

Color Washout 
 

32°
23°

Hue Graph  

Color Shift 
 

45°
39°

Lightness Graph  

Brightness Loss 
 

46°
28°

Black Level Raise 
 

33°
23°

Gamma Shift 
 

17°
25°
Show Text 

Gray Uniformity 
 

6.0
7.2

50% Uniformity Picture  

50% Std. Dev. 
 

3.729%
2.503%

50% DSE 
 

0.209%
0.184%

5% Uniformity Picture  

5% Std. Dev. 
 

0.606%
0.178%

5% DSE 
 

0.114%
0.079%
Show Text 

Panel Technology 
 

Spectral Power Distribution  

Pixels Picture  

Type  

LED
LED

Sub-Type 
 

VA
VA

Subpixel Layout 
 

BGR
RGB
Show Text 
Inputs

Input Specifications  

Side Inputs Picture  

Rear Inputs Picture  

HDMI  

4 (2x HDMI 2.0, 2x HDMI 2.1)
4 (2x HDMI 2.0, 2x HDMI 2.1)

HDMI 2.1 Rated Speed 
 

48 Gbps
48 Gbps

ATSC Tuner 
 

3.0 (NEXTGEN TV)
3.0 (NEXTGEN TV)

USB Ports  

2
2

USB 3.0 
 

Yes (1)
Yes (1)

Audio Out 3.5mm  

0
0

Wi-Fi  

Yes (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz)
Yes (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz)

Ethernet Speed  

100 Mbps
100 Mbps

Composite In  

0
0

Digital Optical Audio Out  

1
1
Show Text 

Audio Passthrough 
 

ARC/eARC Port 
 

eARC
eARC

eARC: Dolby Atmos Over Dolby Digital Plus 
 

Yes
Yes

eARC: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 
 

Yes
Yes

eARC: LPCM 7.1 Over Dolby MAT 
 

Yes
Yes

eARC: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 
 

Yes
Yes

eARC: DTS:X Over DTS-HD MA 
 

Yes
Yes

eARC: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 
 

Yes
Yes

eARC: LPCM Channels (Bitstream) 
 

7.1
7.1

ARC: Dolby Digital 5.1 
 

Yes
Yes

ARC: DTS 5.1 
 

Yes
Yes

Optical: Dolby Digital 5.1 
 

Yes
Yes

Optical: DTS 5.1 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

HDR Format Support  

HDR10 
 

Yes
Yes

HDR10+ 
 

No
Yes

Dolby Vision 
 

Yes
Yes

HLG 
 

Yes
Yes
Design

Style  

Design Picture  

Curved  

No
No
Show Text 

Stand  

Stand Picture  

Show Text 

Back  

Back Picture  

Wall Mount  

VESA 300x300
VESA 300x300
Show Text 

Borders  

Borders Picture  

Borders  

0.28" (0.7 cm)
0.12" (0.3 cm)

Thickness  

Thickness Picture  

Max Thickness  

1.85" (4.7 cm)
2.01" (5.1 cm)
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

9.0
8.5

Build quality picture  

Show Text 
Smart Features

Interface 
 

Smart TV Picture  

Smart OS  

Google TV
Google TV

Version  

12
14
Show Text 

Ad-Free 
 

0.0
0.0

Ads Picture  

Ads 
 

Yes
Yes

Opt-out 
 

No
No

Suggested Content in Home 
 

Yes
Yes

Opt-out of Suggested Content 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Remote  

Remote Picture  

Voice Control  

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

TV Controls  

Controls Picture  

Mute Switch 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Show Text 

Misc  

Power Consumption  

75 W
69 W

Power Consumption (Max)  

278 W
253 W

Firmware  

112.627.030.1NAA
V8-0013T03-LF1V018.001713
Sound Quality

Frequency Response 
 

7.9
6.7

Frequency Response  

See details
See details

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

84.76 Hz
95.14 Hz

Std. Dev. @ 70 
 

1.91 dB
2.89 dB

Std. Dev. @ 80 
 

1.81 dB
2.62 dB

Std. Dev. @ Max 
 

3.55 dB
4.55 dB

Max 
 

93.1 dB SPL
84.4 dB SPL

Dynamic Range Compression 
 

3.52 dB
3.25 dB

Digital Room Correction  

Yes
No
Show Text 

Check Price

98"
 

Sony BRAVIA 9

TCL QM9K

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  1. Comparison

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