Sony X90J vs TCL 6 Series/R646 2021 QLED

Which TV Is Better?

Products

Sony X90J
TCL 6 Series/R646 2021 QLED

Tested using Methodology v1.11

Updated Aug 28, 2025 03:02 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.11

Updated Sep 24, 2025 06:38 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Our Verdict

Sony X90J

TCL 6 Series/R646 2021 QLED

The TCL 6 Series/R646 2021 QLED and the Sony X90J are both great TVs. They each have a VA panel with a high contrast, and even though the Mini LED local dimming feature on the TCL does a better job at improving the contrast on our checkerboard pattern, the local dimming on the Sony performs better overall. The TCL gets brighter and has much better reflection handling, making it a better choice in well-lit rooms. It also has more gaming features like FreeSync VRR support, but the Sony is G-SYNC compatible. The Sony has better color accuracy, and it does a much better job at upscaling 480p content, so it's better for watching DVDs.

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Variants

  • XR50X90J (50")
  • XR55X90J (55")
  • XR65X90J (65")
  • XR75X90J (75")
  • 55R646 (55")
  • 65R646 (65")
  • 75R646 (75")

Check Price

50"
XR50X90J
Amazon.com
50"
 
55"
XR55X90J
Amazon.com
65"
XR65X90J
Amazon.com
75"
XR75X90J
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Main Differences for
Mixed Usage

Threshold 

0.10

Mixed Usage 

7.9
8.0

Upscaling: Sharpness Processing 
 

7.5
3.0

Reflections 
 

7.1
8.5

Pre Calibration 
 

8.9
7.5

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture  

Curved  

No
No
Show Text 

Accelerated Longevity Test 
 

Uniformity Pictures  

50-gray-28
Month 28
50% Gray
50-gray-30
Month 30
50% Gray

Longevity Graph  

See details
See details
Show Text 

Stand  

Stand Picture  

Show Text 

Back  

Back Picture  

Wall Mount  

VESA 300x300
VESA 300x300
Show Text 

Borders  

Borders Picture  

Borders  

0.39" (1.0 cm)
0.35" (0.9 cm)

Thickness  

Thickness Picture  

Max Thickness  

2.83" (7.2 cm)
3.66" (9.3 cm)
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

7.5
7.5

Build quality picture  

Show Text 
Picture Quality

Contrast 
 

8.8
8.9

Contrast Picture  

Contrast 
 

34,435 : 1
39,900 : 1

Native Contrast 
 

7,407 : 1
7,778 : 1
Show Text 

Blooming 
 

6.0
7.5

Blooming Photo  

Show Text 

Lighting Zone Transitions 
 

5.5
8.0

Preferred LD Video, Moving Object  

Local Dimming 
 

Yes
Yes

Backlight 
 

Full-Array
Full-Array

Dimming Zones Count Of Tested TV 
 

24
128
Show Text 

Contrast And Dark Details In Game Mode 
 

8.0
8.5

Blooming Photo In Game Mode  

Preferred LD Video, Moving Object In Game Mode  

Game Transitions With VRR And Preferred LD  

Show Text 

HDR Brightness 
 

7.0
8.2

HDR Hallway Photo  

HDR Cityscape Photo  

HDR Landscape Photo  

Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²) 
 

356 cd/m²
523 cd/m²

Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²) 
 

267 cd/m²
377 cd/m²

Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²) 
 

206 cd/m²
240 cd/m²

Peak 2% Window 
 

599 cd/m²
660 cd/m²

Peak 10% Window 
 

752 cd/m²
1,051 cd/m²

Peak 25% Window 
 

650 cd/m²
1,085 cd/m²

Peak 50% Window 
 

554 cd/m²
872 cd/m²

Peak 100% Window 
 

559 cd/m²
851 cd/m²

Sustained 2% Window 
 

583 cd/m²
656 cd/m²

Sustained 10% Window 
 

731 cd/m²
1,035 cd/m²

Sustained 25% Window 
 

647 cd/m²
1,069 cd/m²

Sustained 50% Window 
 

553 cd/m²
869 cd/m²

Sustained 100% Window 
 

558 cd/m²
848 cd/m²

Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL) 
 

0.021
0.025
Show Text 

HDR Brightness In Game Mode 
 

7.4
8.2

HDR Hallway Photo  

HDR Cityscape Photo  

HDR Landscape Photo  

Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²) 
 

406 cd/m²
523 cd/m²

Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²) 
 

332 cd/m²
393 cd/m²

Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²) 
 

215 cd/m²
232 cd/m²

Peak 2% Window 
 

596 cd/m²
639 cd/m²

Peak 10% Window 
 

750 cd/m²
1,038 cd/m²

Peak 25% Window 
 

642 cd/m²
1,094 cd/m²

Peak 50% Window 
 

553 cd/m²
886 cd/m²

Peak 100% Window 
 

558 cd/m²
870 cd/m²

Sustained 2% Window 
 

582 cd/m²
637 cd/m²

Sustained 10% Window 
 

731 cd/m²
1,022 cd/m²

Sustained 25% Window 
 

639 cd/m²
1,084 cd/m²

Sustained 50% Window 
 

552 cd/m²
882 cd/m²

Sustained 100% Window 
 

558 cd/m²
868 cd/m²

Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL) 
 

0.022
0.024
Show Text 

PQ EOTF Tracking 
 

9.6
8.0

PQ EOTF Graph  

See details
See details

600 Nit Tracking Delta 
 

0.0024
0.0168

1000 Nit Tracking Delta 
 

0.0024
0.0134

4000 Nit Tracking Delta 
 

0.0025
0.0134
Show Text 

SDR Brightness 
 

8.5
9.0

Real Scene Peak Brightness 
 

519 cd/m²
800 cd/m²

Peak 2% Window 
 

574 cd/m²
690 cd/m²

Peak 10% Window 
 

757 cd/m²
1,027 cd/m²

Peak 25% Window 
 

555 cd/m²
1,053 cd/m²

Peak 50% Window 
 

505 cd/m²
836 cd/m²

Peak 100% Window 
 

540 cd/m²
804 cd/m²

Sustained 2% Window 
 

556 cd/m²
684 cd/m²

Sustained 10% Window 
 

733 cd/m²
1,019 cd/m²

Sustained 25% Window 
 

555 cd/m²
1,038 cd/m²

Sustained 50% Window 
 

503 cd/m²
833 cd/m²

Sustained 100% Window 
 

539 cd/m²
800 cd/m²

Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL) 
 

0.020
0.023
Show Text 

Color Gamut 
 

7.6
8.3

Wide Color Gamut 
 

No
Yes

Color Gamut DCI-P3 Picture  

DCI P3 xy 
 

87.40%
91.53%

DCI P3 uv 
 

89.40%
96.50%

Color Gamut Rec.2020 Picture  

Rec 2020 xy 
 

63.12%
69.61%

Rec 2020 uv 
 

65.84%
74.75%
Show Text 

Color Volume 
 

7.3
7.9

P3 Color Volume ITP Picture  

1,000 cd/m² DCI P3 Coverage ITP 
 

60.9%
75.4%

2020 Color Volume ITP Picture  

10,000 cd/m² Rec 2020 Coverage ITP 
 

27.7%
34.5%

White Luminance 
 

402 cd/m²
668 cd/m²

Red Luminance 
 

86 cd/m²
160 cd/m²

Green Luminance 
 

281 cd/m²
450 cd/m²

Blue Luminance 
 

40 cd/m²
54 cd/m²

Cyan Luminance 
 

313 cd/m²
501 cd/m²

Magenta Luminance 
 

123 cd/m²
207 cd/m²

Yellow Luminance 
 

369 cd/m²
616 cd/m²
Show Text 

Pre Calibration 
 

8.9
7.5

Pre White Balance Picture  

Pre Gamma Curve Picture  

Pre Color Picture  

White Balance dE 
 

1.49
3.67

Color dE 
 

1.21
2.51

Gamma 
 

2.18
2.30

Color Temperature 
 

6,745 K
6,239 K

Picture Mode 
 

Custom
Movie

Color Temp Setting 
 

Expert 1
Warm

Gamma Setting 
 

0
2.2
Show Text 

Post Calibration 
 

9.5
9.4

Post White Balance Picture  

Post Gamma Curve Picture  

Post Color Picture  

White Balance dE 
 

0.35
0.26

Color dE 
 

1.14
1.46

Gamma 
 

2.20
2.20

Color Temperature 
 

6,536 K
6,512 K

White Balance Calibration 
 

10 point
20 point

Color Calibration 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 

Gray Uniformity 
 

7.3
7.8

50% Uniformity Picture  

50% Std. Dev. 
 

4.527%
2.499%

50% DSE 
 

0.176%
0.165%

5% Uniformity Picture  

5% Std. Dev. 
 

1.225%
0.983%

5% DSE 
 

0.103%
0.102%
Show Text 

Black Uniformity 
 

7.2
9.1

Black Uniformity Picture With Preferred Local Dimming  

Std. Dev. 
 

1.366%
0.471%

Native Black Uniformity Picture  

Native Std. Dev. 
 

0.858%
1.143%
Show Text 

Viewing Angle 
 

5.3
5.4

Viewing Angle Video  

Chroma Graph  

Color Washout 
 

27°
25°

Hue Graph  

Color Shift 
 

25°
33°

Lightness Graph  

Brightness Loss 
 

38°
30°

Black Level Raise 
 

14°
13°

Gamma Shift 
 

14°
21°
Show Text 

Reflections 
 

7.1
8.5

Reflections Picture  

Average Room Off Picture  

Bright Room Off Picture  

Screen Finish 
 

Semi-gloss
Semi-gloss

Total Reflections 
 

5.7%
3.1%

Indirect Reflections 
 

0.6%
0.6%

Calculated Direct Reflections 
 

5.1%
2.5%
Show Text 

HDR Native Gradient 
 

7.5
8.5

HDR Gradient Picture  

100% Black to 50% Gray  

6.0
6.0

50% Gray to 100% White  

8.0
10

100% Black to 50% Red  

6.0
8.0

50% Red to 100% Red  

10
10

100% Black to 50% Green  

6.0
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  

8.0
10
Show Text 

Low-Quality Content Smoothing 
 

8.4
8.1

Low-Quality Content Smoothing Picture  

Smoothing 
 

8.5
9.0

Detail Preservation 
 

8.0
6.0
Show Text 

Upscaling: Sharpness Processing 
 

7.5
3.0

Sharpness Picture - 480p  

Show Text 

Pixels 
 

Pixels Picture  

Subpixel Layout 
 

BGR
BGR

Type  

LED
LED

Sub-Type 
 

VA
VA
Show Text 
Motion

Response Time 
 

8.4
8.4

Motion Blur Picture  

Response Time Chart  

80% Response Time 
 

3.9 ms
3.9 ms

100% Response Time 
 

10.7 ms
11.1 ms
Show Text 

Flicker-Free 
 

9.5
9.9

Backlight chart 
 

Flicker-Free 
 

No
No

PWM Dimming Frequency 
 

720 Hz
960 Hz
Show Text 

Black Frame Insertion (BFI) 
 

BFI Picture  

BFI Frequency Picture  

Optional BFI 
 

Yes
Yes

Min Flicker For 60 fps 
 

120 Hz
120 Hz

60Hz For 60 fps 
 

No
No

120Hz For 120 fps 
 

Yes
Yes

Min Flicker for 60 fps in Game Mode 
 

120 Hz
120 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 

Stutter 
 

6.9
7.0

Frame Hold Time @ 24 fps 
 

30.9 ms
30.6 ms

Frame Hold Time @ 60 fps 
 

5.9 ms
5.6 ms
Show Text 

24p Judder 
 

10
10

Judder-Free 24p 
 

Yes
Yes

Judder-Free 24p via 60p 
 

Yes
Yes

Judder-Free 24p via 60i 
 

Yes
Yes

Judder-Free 24p via Native Apps 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Variable Refresh Rate 
 

9.4
7.7

Native Refresh Rate 
 

120 Hz
120 Hz

Variable Refresh Rate 
 

Yes
Yes

HDMI Forum VRR 
 

Yes
Yes

FreeSync 
 

No
Yes

G-SYNC Compatible 
 

Yes
No

4k VRR Maximum 
 

120 Hz
120 Hz

4k VRR Minimum 
 

< 20 Hz
48 Hz

1080p VRR Maximum 
 

120 Hz
120 Hz

1080p VRR Minimum 
 

< 20 Hz
48 Hz

1440p VRR Maximum 
 

120 Hz
120 Hz

1440p VRR Minimum 
 

< 20 Hz
48 Hz

VRR + Local Dimming  

Yes
Yes
Show Text 
Inputs

Input Lag 
 

9.2
9.4

1080p @ 60Hz 
 

18.7 ms
14.2 ms

1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode 
 

161.7 ms
138.8 ms

1080p @ 120Hz 
 

10.0 ms
5.8 ms

1080p @ 144Hz 
 

N/A
N/A

1440p @ 60Hz 
 

18.1 ms
14.2 ms

1440p @ 120Hz 
 

N/A
5.8 ms

1440p @ 144Hz 
 

N/A
N/A

4k @ 60Hz 
 

18.1 ms
14.4 ms

4k @ 60Hz + 10-Bit HDR 
 

18.0 ms
13.9 ms

4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4 
 

18.1 ms
14.2 ms

4k @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode 
 

144.9 ms
138.6 ms

4k @ 60Hz With Interpolation 
 

137.5 ms
131.9 ms

4k @ 120Hz 
 

11.1 ms
5.8 ms

4k @ 144Hz 
 

N/A
N/A

8k @ 60Hz 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Supported Resolutions 
 

9.3
9.3

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 @ 144Hz 
 

No
No

1440p @ 60Hz 
 

Yes (forced resolution required)
Yes (forced resolution required)

1440p @ 120Hz 
 

No
Yes

1440p @ 144Hz 
 

No
No

4k @ 60Hz 
 

Yes
Yes

4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4 
 

Yes
Yes

4k @ 120Hz 
 

Yes
Yes

4k @ 120Hz @ 4:4:4 
 

Yes
No

4k @ 144Hz 
 

No
No

8k @ 30Hz or 24Hz 
 

No
No

8k @ 60Hz 
 

No
No
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 

Inputs Specifications  

HDR10 
 

Yes
Yes

HDR10+ 
 

No
Yes

Dolby Vision 
 

Yes
Yes

HLG 
 

Yes
Yes

HDMI 2.0 Full Bandwidth 
 

Yes (HDMI 1,2,3,4)
Yes (HDMI 1,2,3,4)

HDMI 2.1 Class Bandwidth 
 

Yes (HDMI 3,4)
Yes (HDMI 1,2)

CEC  

Yes
Yes

HDCP 2.2  

Yes (HDMI 1,2,3,4)
Yes (HDMI 1,2,3,4)

ATSC Tuner 
 

3.0 (NEXTGEN TV)
1.0

USB 3.0 
 

Yes (1)
No

Variable Analog Audio Out  

Yes
Yes

Wi-Fi Support  

Yes (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz)
Yes (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz)
Show Text 

Input Photos  

Side Inputs Picture  

Rear Inputs Picture  

Total Inputs  

HDMI  

4
4

USB  

2
2

Digital Optical Audio Out  

1
1

Analog Audio Out 3.5mm  

1
1

Analog Audio Out RCA  

0
0

Component In  

0
0

Composite In  

1 (adapter required, not incl.)
1 (adapter required, not incl.)

Tuner (Cable/Ant)  

1
1

Ethernet  

1
1

DisplayPort  

0
0

IR In  

1
0
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
2.0

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 
Sound Quality

Frequency Response 
 

7.6
7.4

Frequency Response  

See details
See details

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

89.80 Hz
80.00 Hz

Std. Dev. @ 70 
 

2.43 dB
4.97 dB

Std. Dev. @ 80 
 

2.10 dB
4.80 dB

Std. Dev. @ Max 
 

3.13 dB
4.39 dB

Max 
 

90.9 dB SPL
95.1 dB SPL

Dynamic Range Compression 
 

4.59 dB
1.87 dB
Show Text 

Distortion 
 

6.1
8.2

Total Harmonic Distortion 
 

See details
See details

Weighted THD @ 80 
 

0.066
0.032

Weighted THD @ Max 
 

5.547
0.385

IMD @ 80 
 

1.91%
0.45%

IMD @ Max 
 

43.49%
1.23%
Show Text 
Smart Features

Interface 
 

8.0
8.0

Smart TV Picture  

Smart OS  

Google TV
Google TV

Version  

10
11

Ease of Use 
 

Average
Average

Smoothness 
 

Very Smooth
Very Smooth

Time Taken to Select YouTube 
 

2 s
2 s

Time Taken to Change Backlight 
 

2 s
2 s

Advanced Options 
 

Many
Many
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 

Apps and Features 
 

9.0
9.0

Apps Picture  

App Selection 
 

Great
Great

App Smoothness 
 

Very Smooth
Very Smooth

Cast Capable 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Drive Playback 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Drive HDR Playback 
 

Yes
Yes

HDR in Netflix 
 

Yes
Yes

HDR in YouTube 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Remote 
 

8.5
7.0

Remote Picture  

Size 
 

Large
Small

Voice Control 
 

Many Features
Many Features

CEC Menu Control 
 

Yes
Yes

Other Smart Features 
 

No
No

Remote App  

Android TV
Android TV
Show Text 

TV Controls  

Controls Picture  

Show Text 

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Show Text 

Misc  

Power Consumption  

49 W
54 W

Power Consumption (Max)  

148 W
154 W

Firmware  

PKG6.3629.0454NAA
V8-T615T02-LF1V023

Check Price

50"
XR50X90J
Amazon.com
50"
 
55"
XR55X90J
Amazon.com
65"
XR65X90J
Amazon.com
75"
XR75X90J
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Sony X90J

TCL 6 Series/R646 2021 QLED

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