Blaupunkt Cybersound 43-inch 4K TV Review: Good sound and SDR performance, bleak HDR

What the Blaupunkt Cybersound TV has going for it is a good design, good SDR performance and decent sound. However, the lacklustre HDR performance makes it hard to recommend, especially when you have other 43-inch 4K HDR TVs in this price range like the Realme 43-inch 4K TV that come with decent HDR performance, support for Dolby Vision and added features like a far-field mic. While we’ve reviewed the larger screen size option, you can also check out the Hisense A71F and Mi TV 5X in its 43-inch avatar as well. 

 

In the past few months, we have seen some 4K HDR TVs launch with an interesting set of features. We have the Realme 43-inch 4K TV (review) priced at about Rs 31,000 as of writing this review. We also have the Amazon basics TV and while we have reviewed the 55-inch variant of the TV, we think the 43-inch variant could have a similar performance. We also recently reviewed the 55-inch Mi TV 5X which is also available in a 43-inch variant. Needless to say, there are a decent number of options to choose from when considering a 4K HDR 43-inch TV with support for features like Dolby Vision and HDR 10. While budget TVs don't offer the best HDR experience, TVs like the Realme 43-inch 4K TV and Mi TV 5X give an acceptable performance with HDR content. Today we have with us the Blaupunkt Cybersound 4K TV with support for 50W of sound output along with support for HDR 10 only and not Dolby Vision. Is it a worthy contender?

Blaupunkt Cybersound 43-inch 4K HDR TV Specs at a glance

Panel Size: 43-inch (also available in 50 and 55-inch screen size) Panel Type: IPS  Panel Resolution: 3840 x 2160p - 4K Panel Refresh Rate: 60Hz HDR 10 support: Yes Dolby Vision Support: No Weight (with stand): 6.5 kgs HDMI Ports: 3 USB Ports: 2 Bluetooth: Yes, 5.0 Wi-Fi: Yes, Dual-band Ethernet: Yes Speakers: 4 drivers with a total sound output of 50W Built-in storage: 8GB Price: 30,999

Blaupunkt Cybersound 43-inch 4K HDR TV: Display panel and picture quality

Let’s kick things off with the thing that matters the most - the display. The TV supports HDR 10 only and does not support Dolby Vision. While Dolby Vision missing is a bummer, it would still be an acceptable tradeoff if the HDR performance of the TV were good. More on that in a bit. The TV is available in 43, 50 and 55-inch screen sizes and while we were told that the TV has 550 nits of brightness, we don't think that's the case with the 43-inch variant of the TV as the performance tells a different tale. In our Calman analysis, we found the TV has a peak brightness of about 320 nits. Let's dive in and see how the TV performs in our tests.  

Above: ColorChecker Analysis for the movie preset in SDR

Below: ColorChecker Analysis for the Movie preset in HDR

Blaupunkt Cybersound 43-inch 4K HDR TV: HDR performance

We played our standard slew of content on the TV and the HDR content lacked the punch. The warehouse fight sequence in Altered Carbon Season 1, Our Planet, The Grand Tour and Jack Ryan lacked the punch one would expect from an HDR TV. We recently saw the Realme 43-inch TV and that TV, for the same price as the Blaupunkt one, delivers better HDR performance and also supports Dolby Vision. We connected an external device and switched off the HDMI 2.0 settings and played the same content in SDR and found a remarkable difference in the performance.

In a show like Jack Ryan, you can clearly see the difference in clarity, brightness and details in the dark sequences. The same level of difference can be seen in the details in a show like Our Planet. Needless to say, the shows we saw from streaming services that are in HDR had a better performance on this TV when viewed in SDR. 

 

Above: Jack Ryan playing in HDR

Below: Jack Ryan playing in SDR

Blaupunkt Cybersound 43-inch 4K HDR TV: SDR performance

Speaking of the SDR performance, the TV is actually very good. In addition to playing the above HDR content in SDR, we also saw shows like Young Sheldon, Mission Impossible, Spider-Man Homecoming and more. Put simply, the SDR performance of the TV is quite good. You have a bunch of picture presets to choose from such as Vivid, Movie, Standard, etc. and I found the Vivid preset worked the best for most of the content consumed, followed by standard. I felt the Vivid and Standard profile has a cool colour bias to it and shifting the colour temperature to warm fixed this. The rest of the settings can be left as is, but if you are consuming content in a bright room, I suggest you pump the backlight to 100 and keep the dynamic backlighting off. Overall, the TV has good SDR playback producing a rich content consumption experience.   

Blaupunkt Cybersound 43-inch 4K HDR TV: Gaming performance

Moving over to gaming, while the TV has a ‘game mode’ it didn't change the settings of the TV at all. For the best experience, I recommend keeping it on the Standard picture preset, bumping up the backlighting to 100 and switching off all other settings like DNR, MPEG NR, Local Contrast control, etc. Once again, here is recommend switching from HDMI 2.0 to the 1.4 settings to disable HDR to get a better picture experience. In our time with the TV, we played a bunch of games including Ghost of Tsushima, Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order, and Spider-Man Miles Morales and in all the games we found the same experience - switch off HDR and enjoy. 

Blaupunkt Cybersound 43-inch 4K HDR TV: Audio performance

When it comes to audio, the Blaupunkt TV has 4 drivers with 50W of sound output. The TV can get really loud and we left it at about 40 per cent volume for everyday content consumption. Everyday content like watching the news, movies, TV shows, etc. the TV gets the job done quite well. While it lacks a punchy bass for action sequences, the vocals and performance of the mixed audio are fine for content consumption. 

Blaupunkt Cybersound 43-inch 4K HDR TV: UI

Just like most TVs in this space, we get stock Android with the Blaupunkt TV. The UI is simple to navigate and works as you’d expect on an Android TV. We didn't notice any major lags or hiccups apart from the occasional stutter here and there which is good. However, there was one persistent problem. When I used the voice assistant to search for “Falcon and the Winter Soldier” I got a popup that asked me to give permission to “search across all your TV apps” and I was unable to “accept” no matter how hard I tried, which is a bummer. However, using the voice to search for things like weather, opening streaming apps and more worked fine. 

Blaupunkt Cybersound 43-inch 4K HDR TV: Remote control

The remote control that comes with the Blaupunkt TV is identical to the one we saw on the Nokia 43-inch TV (review). The remote control is overall comfortable to use. It does not have a minimalistic design like the one we saw on the Mi TV or Realme TV or even the AmazonBasics TV, but it gets the job done and will appeal to those that prefer a traditional remote control. It is comfortable to hold and easy to use.   

Blaupunkt Cybersound 43-inch 4K HDR TV: Build and design

This is where Blaupunkt TV distinguishes itself from its peers. It has two feet that hold the TV in a slightly elevated position giving you enough space to keep a soundbar or even a gaming console like the PS4 or Xbox One X comfortably below the TV without hampering your viewing experience. The feet have a unique design.

The rest of the TV is what we’ve come to expect from budget TVs. all the ports are conveniently laid out on one side and the TV has slim bezels on three sides with the chin being the thickest bezel. 

Blaupunkt Cybersound 43-inch 4K HDR TV: Bottom Line

What the Blaupunkt Cybersound TV has going for it is a good design, good SDR performance and decent sound. However, the lacklustre HDR performance makes it hard to recommend, especially when you have other 43-inch 4K HDR TVs in this price range like the Realme 43-inch 4K TV that come with decent HDR performance, support for Dolby Vision and added features like a far-field mic. While we’ve reviewed the larger screen size option, you can also check out the Hisense A71F and Mi TV 5X in its 43-inch avatar as well.

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Xiaomi Mi TV 5X Review: The new king of budget TVs

The Mi TV 5X is available in three screen sizes - 43, 50 and 55-inch. We reviewed the 55-inch variant which, as of writing this review, retails for about Rs 48,000. What the TV has going for it is very good picture performance for SDR content and very good colour reproduction for HDR content. It also has ALLM and eARC and is a good TV for gaming as well. The audio output is loud and good enough for everyday TV viewing. PatchWall works extremely well as a smart TV UI. Where the TV falls short is with its peak brightness, which is acceptable for darkroom content consumption. Just don't expect the bright highlights to jump out. We faced some lag in the UI which we believe can be fixed via a software update. Overall, the Mi TV 5X is a good TV. However, at this price point, we also have the 50-inch TCL C715. While it is 5-inches smaller and if you don't mind 50-inches, it could be one to consider. If you are not a gamer and ok with a 50-inch TV with very good picture performance for movies and TV shows, then you can consider the Philips PUT8215. It comes with better picture performance at the cost of screen size for the same price as the Mi TV 5X.

Xiaomi disrupted the TV market in India with the launch of the Mi TV 4 (review) back in 2018 and in the past three years, the company has added a number of TVs to its portfolio, ranging from 32-inch TVs going all the way up to 75-inches. Xiaomi also has QLED TVs as a part of its portfolio (read our Mi QLED TV 75 review here and Mi QLED TV 55 here). Xiaomi TVs aim to offer the best features at an affordable price. Xiaomi also has its own PatchWall UI which, over the years, has evolved to offer a content-first experience to users. Until now Xiaomi has launched TVs under its Mi TV 4 umbrella or Mi QLED TV umbrella. For the first time, the company has jumped from the Mi TV 4 lineup to the Mi TV 5 with the launch of the Mi TV 5X. Is it a worthy upgrade? Let's find out. 

Mi TV 5X specs at a glance

Panel Size: 55-inch (available in 43 and 50-inch screen sizes)  Panel Type: VA and IPS with D-LED backlighting Panel Resolution: 3840 x 2160 - 4K Panel Refresh Rate: 60Hz HDR 10 support: Yes HDR 10+ support: Yes Dolby Vision Support: Yes Weight: 10.35 kgs HDMI Ports: 3 USB Ports: 2 Bluetooth: Yes, 5.0 Wi-Fi: Yes, dual-band Ethernet: Yes Speakers: 40W (30W on 43-inch variant) Built-in storage: 16GB Price: MRP: 47,999

Xiaomi Mi TV 5X: Display Panel and Picture Quality

The Mi TV 5X has D-LED backlighting and does not come with any dimming zones. We recorded a peak brightness of slightly over 300 nits which is low for consuming HDR content. It is a bit higher than what we recorded on the OnePlus U1S (review). However, the OnePlus U1S had better-sustained brightness. Needless to say, this isn't the brightest TV out there but it does have good colour reproduction.

 

Kicking things off with our ColorChecker Calman Analysis, we found some interesting results for the TV. In HDR we saw an average delta error of 12.1 and 13.3 for the Movie and Standard preset respectively. While this is high, remember, that when it comes to HDR, no TV is accurate as a lot of TVs cannot display the full BT2020 colour space. 

Above: ColorChecker in HDR for the Movie preset Below: ColorChecker in HDR for the Standard preset

In the SDR ColorChecker Analysis we saw an average delta error of 8.5 for the Standard preset and 3.5 for the Movie preset. This makes the Movie preset one of the closest to the D65 white point for SDR content consumption which is good. So how does this affect real-world performance?

Above: ColorChecker Analysis in SDR for the Standard preset Below: ColorChecker Analysis in SDR for the Movie preset

Xiaomi Mi TV 5X: 4K and HDR performance

Let's kick things off with the 4K and HDR performance of the TV. The TV supports all HDR formats including HDR 10, 10+ and Dolby Vision. The TV has an ambient sensor to adjust the backlighting based on the light in the room but this will not work for Dolby Vision. Why? Because Dolby Vision has its own version of this tech called Dolby Vision IQ which is available on TVs like the TCL C825. 

Coming to the HDR performance, we saw our standard slew of content from Netflix and Prime Video and were surprised at the performance of the TV. While the brightness of this TV is higher than what we saw on the Realme 43-inch 4K TV (review), it isn’t a whole lot brighter. But the colour reproduction on the TV is good as you can see from our Calman analysis above. So, when we consumed content in a well-lit room, the brightness of the TV didn’t give us the best experience. However, when the lights went down and we were in a dark room with some biased lighting, the content on this TV was quite enjoyable. 

The colours of the wildlife in Our Planet on Netflix just popped and some of the fight sequences in Altered Carbon which lacked the punch in a well-lit room, regained it when the lights went down. Needless to say, this is a TV to enjoy in a room where you can draw the curtains to drown out the natural light. More than the brightness, it's the colours that make this TV enjoyable. 

Even in HDR 10+ shows like Jack Ryan on Prime Video, which has a dark sequence we use to test, there is a loss of detail, but unlike other budget HDR TVs, the scene was still watchable. The green tint issue we’ve faced with HDR 10+ content in the past is also almost gone from a show like the Grand Tour. The Grand Tour Season 1 Episode 1 has this shot of a bunch of cars driving across the desert and only those that know where to look will notice the clipping of the highlights due to the low peak brightness. However, the colours and the preset of the TV work in its favour. 

Overall, for HDR content, while the TV has a low peak brightness, the colours are really good, making consuming content fun on this TV in a dark room. 

Xiaomi Mi TV 5X: SDR playback

As you’ve seen from our Calman analysis, the SDR ColorChecker Analysis has a delta error slightly higher than 3 for the Movie preset. To put things into perspective, the human eye can perceive colour imperfections at delta errors higher than 3. Considering the price and performance of this TV, I’d say the SDR performance is quite good. It can get quite bright and colours pop especially in the movie preset for SDR content. The Standard preset has a cool bias to it, but you can always adjust the colour temperature in the settings to warm if you like. My only recommendation is to switch the ambient light detection off and control the backlighting as you prefer for the best experience. For me, I left it at 100 throughout my time with the TV. 

The SDR playback of the TV was good for both bright and dark sequences. We saw our standard slew of content from Young Sheldon to Mission impossible and the Movie preset worked well. While I missed to colours found on the Sony X80J (review), considering the price of the TV, it gets the job done quite well. Even in Spider-Man: Homecoming on the Standard as well as Movie preset, the reds and blues in Spider-Man’s suit looked right and the Movie preset though having a warmer tone, didn’t change the skin tones to yellow, which is very good. Even in Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, during the desert bike chase sequence, the colours look natural giving you an immersive experience. 

For all content consumption, I switch off motion smoothing as I do not like the soap-opera effect it produces.  

Xiaomi Mi TV 5X: PS5 Gaming performance

The Mi TV 5X boasts HDMI 2.1 features like ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) and eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) but does not support VRR (Variable Refresh Rate). The TV has a 60Hz refresh rate. You can game in 4K at 60Hz with YUV422 HDR and not RGB HDR found on other HDMI 2.1 enabled TVs like the Sony X90J (review) or even the X85J (review) for that matter. So while the TV has some HDMI 2.1 features, it misses out on others that gamers may look for. 

Once again, our results are in line with what we found with our content consumption test. The TV is a good gaming TV, provided you can control the ambient light in the room. We played games like Ghost of Tsushima: Directors Cut, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart (review), Spider-Man Miles Morales (review) and Dirt 5 (review) on the TV and for the most part were quite impressed. 

You may want to switch the colour temperature to neutral, switch ambient backlighting off and also switch off any other form of post-processing like noise reduction, etc to get the best experience. The TV identified the PS5 (review) when plugged in and automatically switched to HDR game mode. While we don't know the exact input lag, we can confirm that it is quite low.

The games looked good on this TV. From the soft sun in Spider-Man producing some beautiful colours to the rainy weather in Ghost of Tsushima and even the sun pouring down on you in Dirt 5, gaming was enjoyable on this TV. 

Xiaomi Mi TV 5X: Audio Performance

The Mi TV 5X has 40W of sound output and can get really loud at high volumes, I found myself leaving the TV on 30 or 40 and the sound was loud enough. 

Tip: If the audio from Hotstar sounds too low, and it's a piece of content with sound in 5.1, go to the audio and subtitles option in the top right corner, and select English instead of English 5.1. It makes the world of a difference. 

Overall the audio output from the TV is good, dialogue is clear even if the bass is lacking. Mixed audio like a background score, explosion and people talking is also discernable. At higher volumes, the quality of audio suffers but I doubt you’ll put this TV on full volume.   

The TV also supports Dolby Atmos and I recommend that you switch this toggle on and forget about it. In Netflix, we noticed that switching this toggle on and off did not have any discernable difference for Atmos content from the TV speakers. 

Xiaomi Mi TV 5X: UI

If you've used a Xiaomi TV in the past, you should feel right at home with the UI. It offers the best of both Android TV and the company’s own PatchWall UI. PatchWall has evolved slightly this time around to give you IMDB ratings of content, although this isn’t present for all pieces of content. There are also IMDB top 100 list, and more lists like HDR 10+ content, Dolby Vision content, content segregated by actors, directors, etc. for you to choose from. There is also a section for Live TV for those interested. 

Above: IMDB rating visible for content Below: No IMDB rating visible for Loki

PatchWall is one of the better TV UIs out there and Xiaomi is expanding on it in the right direction. For those that want traditional Android TV, that's there too. 

The HDMI 2.1 settings are still buried and to access them when connecting a gaming console, I suggest you watch this.  

Just like the Mi QLED TV 75 and the Realme 43-inch 4K TV, the Mi TV 5X comes with far-field mics to let you control the UI. It works just like it did on those two TVs with one small hiccup - the Assistant took a little longer than I liked to do things. It was quicker for me to just open Netflix and navigate to the piece of content I was looking for rather than say “OK Google, Play Stranger things on Netflix”. 

I also noticed some stutter and lag in the UI. First, I brushed this off as internet woes, but when it persisted, I realised that the UI is lagging when consuming content. This isn't as bad as what we experienced on the OnePlus U1S but it happened often enough for me to notice and mention here. Hopefully, it can be fixed via an update. 

Xiaomi Mi TV 5X: Remote control

You get the same remote control we’ve seen with Xiaomi TVs for a very long time now. It's slim, sleek, and minimalistic. It has directional buttons, power, Google Assistant, OTT hotkeys for Netflix and Prime Video and a volume rocker. You still need to double-tap the volume down button to mute the TV and I wish we get a dedicated mute button on the remote with the next refresh.   

Xiaomi Mi TV 5X: Build and design

The Mi TV 5X has taken design cues from the 55-inch QLED TV with a gunmetal finish to the feet and sides of the TV. While the housing is still plastic, the finish looks premium and the feet hold the TV in place nicely. There is a physical toggle for the hands-free Google Assistant below the LED’s or you can go into the settings to toggle the far-field mics on and off. There are LED indicators at the bottom of the TV that turn yellow when you mute the mic and this can be a bit of a distraction, especially for those late-night movie sessions. I wish you could dim or turn the LEDs off like you can for the far-field mics on the Sony X90J. 

The rest of the design is quintessentially Xiaomi, especially with the port placement. For connectivity, you have three HDMI ports with the HDMI 2 port supporting eARC, two USB ports, an ethernet port, an AV port, an optical port and a 3.5mm port. 

Xiaomi MI TV 5X: Bottom Line

The Mi TV 5X is available in three screen sizes - 43, 50 and 55-inch. We reviewed the 55-inch variant which as of writing this review retails for about Rs 48,000. What the TV has going for it is very good picture performance for SDR content and very good colour reproduction for HDR content. It also has ALLM and eARC and is a good TV for gaming as well. The audio output is loud and good enough for everyday TV viewing. PatchWall works extremely well as a smart TV UI. Where the TV falls short is with its peak brightness which is acceptable for darkroom content consumption. Just don't expect the bright highlights to jump out. We faced some lag in the UI which we believe can be fixed via a software update. Overall, the Mi TV 5X is a good TV. However, at this price point, we also have the 50-inch TCL C715. While it is 5-inches smaller and if you don't mind 50-inches, it can be one to consider. If you are not a gamer and ok with a 50-inch TV with very good picture performance for movies and TV shows, then you can consider the Philips PUT8215 (review). It comes with better picture performance at the cost of screen size for the same price as the Mi TV 5X. 

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Sony 85-inch X85J TV Review: Another great option for gamers looking for an HDMI 21 TV

Here’s answering the all-important question, should you buy the X85J? While we have reviewed the 85-inch variant of the TV, it is also available in 55 and 65-inch screen sizes. Your decision should be based on the features you are looking for and whether they are available in your budget. The X85J has a good bright panel for content consumption and even though it does not have local dimming, the darkroom performance of this TV is good with minimal blooming. A little bias light can help eliminate this as well. The viewing angles are good, but the colours start to shift at extreme angles. It has two HDMI 2.1 ports and supports 4K at 120Hz along with RGB HDR for gaming. Sadly, there are only two HDMI 2.1 ports of the four and VRR support will come via an update at the end of the year. If you are in the market for an HDMI 2.1 enabled LED TV that isn’t as expensive as the X90J, then the X85J could definitely be one to consider. 

 

We recently reviewed the Sony X80J (review) which brought with it good panel performance. The X80J however, does not run on Sony’s 2021 XR processor powering the likes of the X90J (review). The X80J also has HDMI 2.0 ports bringing with it YUV 422 HDR instead of RGB HDR found on the X90J which has HDMI 2.1. The Sony X85J does not have dimming zones like the X90J but has two HDMI 2.1. Confused? Well, don't be as we will not only review the Sony X85J here but also help you understand how it stacks up against Sony's X80J and X90J TVs. We will also try and answer questions like, does the X85J bridge the features gap between the X80J and X90J? Who is this TV right for? Read on and find out!

Sony X85J Specs at a glance

Panel Size: 85-inch (also available in 55, and 65-inch as well) Panel Type: VA LED Panel Resolution: 3840 x 2160 - 4K Panel Refresh Rate: 120Hz HDR 10 support: Yes Dolby Vision Support: Yes Weight (with stand): Approx. 44.5kgs HDMI Ports: 4 USB Ports: 2 Bluetooth: Yes Wi-Fi: Yes Ethernet: Yes Speakers: 20W (Bass Reflex Speaker, X-Balanced Speaker) Built-in storage: 16GB Price: MRP: 6,99,900. Best Price: Rs 4,99,990

Sony X85J: Display and picture quality

Let's kick things off with the most important thing about the TV, the black mirror. The 85-inch variant we have with us here has a VA panel and does not come with any dimming zones. The peak brightness of the TV is above 500 nits (close to 550 nits), and we found the TV to have a sustained brightness of about 400 nits. This makes the TV a lot brighter than the X80J but not as bright as the X90J. 

The TV has a 4K resolution with support for popular HDR formats including Dolby Vision, HDR 10 and HLG. Under the hood, the TV has Sony’s 4K HDR X1 Processor, the same found on the X80J.

Sony X85J: 4K and HDR performance

Let’s kick things off with our Calman data and we found that without calibration, the TV has a delta error of about 10. The 2-point grayscale error was relatively low out of the box. 

For real-world testing, we played our standard slew of content on this TV and realized that the panel is actually quite bright for content consumption. Even without local dimming, the contrast on the TV was good to ensure minimal blooming when consuming content in a pitch-dark room. Put simply, the content consumption experience of this TV was better than the X80J in a dark room but fell a tad short when compared to the X90J, putting the performance of this TV smack bang in the middle of the other two Sony TVs. 

In a show like Our Planet which plays in Dolby Vision, we got some great colours and bright highlights when consuming content. Even dark sequence details in a show like Altered Carbon, another one in Dolby Vision, we got very good dark scene performance without loss in details. For both these shows, despite the lighting in the room, we left it on the Dolby Vision Bright preset for the best experience. 

The interesting observation comes in shows like Jack Ryan and The Grand Tour which are in HDR 10. The Standard preset when watching these 2 shows, reproduces very good colours and brightness, albeit, with a slightly cool colour temperature. Switching to the Cinema preset made the content look slightly better with a warm tone, but reduced the brightness. When I switched the auto-brightness of the TV off, the brightness was as good as the Standard preset with good colour reproduction and a slightly warm colour temperature which is more accurate.

With some biased lighting in the room, content consumption was good with almost no blooming in dark sequences. While there was some slight blooming in dark sequences in a pitch-dark room, it was immediately eliminated with some bias lighting. 

Sony X85J: FHD performance

Once again, just like the X80J, the Standard preset of the TV got the job done very well for SDR content consumption. It makes the content look rich, skin tones naturals and colours pop. In a movie like Spider-Man Homecoming, the reds and blues of Spider-Man’s suit look crisp and the web design in it looks well defined. The same for Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation where we have a desert bike chase sequence, the skin tones look natural and while the Cinema preset makes things slightly warner and pleasing to the enthusiast, the mastering of the standard preset works so well, that you would be ok leaving it on the standard for almost all forms of content. 

When we put out a poll asking you what TV preset you use to consume content, most of you said, you leave it on Standard. It looks like Sony is aware of this as their Standard preset looks very good for everyday SDR content consumption.  

Sony X85J: Gaming performance

Thanks to the two HDMI 2.1 ports on the X85J, we get access to 4K at 120Hz. Sadly, like the X90J, we will get VRR as an update on the TV towards the end of 2021. Nonetheless, the fact that we get full RGB HDR on the PS5 is a treat on this TV. Just so you know, because of HDMI 2.0 on the X80J, you get YUV 422 HDR on the PS5 connected to the X80J.

We played our standard slew of games on this TV including Ghost of Tsushima: Directors Cut, Spider-Man: Miles Morales (review), Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart (review) and Dirt 5 (review). Needless to say, the experience of playing these games on the TV was sublime. From the soft yet punchy HDR of swinging towards the sun in Spider-Man to the bright desert race in Dirt 5 and even all the bright particle effects in Ratchet and Clank, this TV is a treat for gamers. 

While your choice between the X85J and X90J depends on your budget and requirement, the X85J is one of the TVs you can consider if the X90J is out of reach for you, especially if gaming features are important.

To put things into perspective, as of writing this review the 55-inch Sony X80J is priced at Rs 94,990 while the 55-inch X85J is priced at Rs 1,19,990 and the 55-inch X90J is priced at Rs 1,49,990. These are all MOPs.

The 65-inch X80J is priced at Rs 1,34,990 and the 65-inch X85J is priced at Rs 1,69,990 while the 65-inch X90J is priced at 1,99,990. Once again these are MOPs. Hopefully, this will help you make a more informed decision of the price to performance.  

Sony X85J: Audio performance

The X85J can produce a nice room-filling sound with good channel separation and clarity at moderate to loud volumes. The TV lacks a little bit of bass but the overall sound output is very good for everyday content consumption and also watching movies and playing games. The vocals are clear and I recommend going into the settings and switching on surround sound to get better channels expiration. The race at the 12-minute mark in Rady Player One is a great example of good channel separation and dynamic range. 

At about 40-50 per cent, the speakers on this TV produce room-filling sound and unless you are looking for an immersive cinematic surround sound experience, can get the job done quite comfortably with the speakers on this TV.  

Sony X85J: UI

The UI here is identical to what we saw on the X80J. You have the all-new Google TV UI with the same fluidity and the same convenience we saw on the X80J. To access the Google Play store, you still need to use Google Assistant. The “For You” tab is still missing from the Google TV UI, but that’s more of a Google TV thing than a Sony thing. 

One thing to remember is that you should go into the settings and select the enhanced format for HDMI 3 and 4 to ensure you get 4K at 120Hz from the two HDMI 2.1 enabled ports. You can do this by going to Settings - Channel & Inputs - External Inputs - HDMI Signal Format. Here, select the enhanced format for the HDMI input. 

Sony X85J: Remote control

The remote control is once again identical to what we got on the X90J and X80J. It has a slim candy bar form factor and textured back. You have OTT hotkeys for Netflix, Prime Video and YouTube along with playback controls. You also get the number pad and a dedicated button to bring up the Google Assistant. Overall, the remote is well built, functional and works well. 

Sony X85J: Build and design

The X85J has a lot in common with the design of the X80J. It has the same two slim feet holding it in place and you get two clips that hook onto the feet for cable management. The back has a slightly textured finish and the TV has slim bezels all around the display. It is quite a well-built TV with the only downside being the slight wobble you get when you place this TV on a table. 

The placement of the ports is pretty standard. They are all on the left side of the TV facing outwards. We have two USB ports, optical audio out, headphones port, AV port, four HDMI ports, ethernet port and a good old antenna. 

Sony X85J: Bottom Line

Here’s answering the all-important question, should you buy the X85J? While we have reviewed the 85-inch variant of the TV, it is also available in 55 and 65-inch screen sizes. Your decision should be based on the features you are looking for and whether they are available in your budget. The X85J has a good bright panel for content consumption and even though it does not have local dimming, the darkroom performance of this TV is good with minimal blooming. A little bias light can help eliminate this as well. The viewing angles are good, but the colours start to shift at extreme angles. It has two HDMI 2.1 ports and supports 4K at 120Hz along with RGB HDR for gaming. Sadly, there are only two HDMI 2.1 ports of the four and VRR support will come via an update at the end of the year. If you are in the market for an HDMI 2.1 enabled LED TV that isn’t as expensive as the X90J, then the X85J can definitely be one to consider. 

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Sony X80J 65-inch 4K HDR TV Review: Good panel performance, but is it worth the asking price

Should you buy the Sony X80J? Well, it all depends on what you are looking for. The panel has very good performance for content consumption in HDR and SDR like movies and TV shows and is also good for gaming. In real work use, the TV performs very well, giving good colour reproductions and an immersive experience. It does not have local dimming which affects its performance in a dark room, but a little bias lighting helps. The audio output is good as well. While we tested the 65-inch variant of this TV, know that it is available in screen sizes from 43-inches up to 75-inches. As of writing this review, the 65-inch variant is priced at Rs 1,34,990. That’s similarly priced to the Sony 55-inch X90J which has better picture performance, local dimming and Sony’s new XR processor. So, you are getting newer technology and better performance at the cost of screen size with the X90J. On the other end of the spectrum, we have the Mi QLED TV 75 which, for a similar price as the 65X80J, gives you QLED backlighting and local dimming along with a larger screen size. While the X80J has better colours than the Mi QLED TV, the Mi TVs local dimming is its strength for darkroom content consumption.

 

Sony’s 2020 flagship TVs may be dominated by the XR processor along with HDMI 2.1 and more bells and whistles. But the brand also has other options for you to consider in their 2021 lineup. Ranging from 43-inch all the way up to 75-inches we have the Sony X80J. It has Sony’s 4K HDR X1 picture processor (not the X1 Extreme powering 2020 flagships), comes with Sony’s Triluminos Pro display and also rocks the all-new Google TV UI. Is it a worthy consideration for the asking price? 

Sony X80J Specs at a glance

Panel Size: 65-inch (also available in 43, 50, 55, and 75-inch as well) Panel Type: IPS LED Panel Resolution: 3840 x 2160 - 4K Panel Refresh Rate: 60Hz HDR 10 support: Yes Dolby Vision Support: Yes Weight (with stand): approx. 21.6kgs HDMI Ports: 4 USB Ports: 2 Bluetooth: Yes Wi-Fi: Yes Ethernet: Yes Speakers: 20W (Bass Reflex Speaker, X-Balanced Speaker) Built-in storage: 16GB Price: MRP: 1,79,990. Best Price: Rs 1,34,990

Sony X80J Display and picture quality

Let's kick things off with the performance of the panel of the TV. It has an IPS panel which means you get wide viewing angles at the cost of deep blacks (more on that in a bit). The viewing angles are good unless you go to the absolute extreme. The TV can hit a peak brightness of a little over 400 nits but it hovers around the 350 nits mark for sustained use. It has a 4K resolution with support for HDR 10 and Dolby Vision. The panel can produce some really good colours thanks to the Triluminos Pro display, but how does it fare against the Sony X90J (review) with the XR processor we reviewed earlier and more importantly, against something like the Mi QLED TV 75 (review), which for a similar price, gives you a larger screen size with QLED backlighting with local dimming?

Sony X80J 4K and HDR performance

Firing up our Calman we can see that without calibration, the TV has an average delta error of 6.4 which is lower than what we’ve seen on some other TV, but higher than what we saw on the Sony X90J. Even with the 2-point grayscale, the error was high out of the box. However, the colour analysis shows an average delta error of 1.8 which is good. So, while the performance for colour accuracy may not be as good as the X90J out of the box, the panel performance is quite good for everyday content consumption. 

When we played our standard slew of HDR content on this TV, it just popped. In Our Planet on Netflix, you can see the stars in the night sky quite clearly and there were no dull or dark moments for HDR content. Even a movie like Ready Player One with the race at the 11-minute mark was a visual treat with its bright highlights.  

Even the slew of cars in the desert in the opening episode of the Grand Tour look rich without the green tint issue we’ve spoken off on so many other TVs. 

While the HDR effect isn’t as pronounced as what we’ve seen on the X90J, it’s better if not at par with some of the other TVs we’ve tested. We would have loved to have the Mi QLED TV next to this one, but alas, we no longer have it in our lab. Overall, the HDR output of the TV is good, giving you an immersive experience. For HDR 10 content, you have the same set of picture presets as SDR like Vivid, Standard, Cinema and more. We recommend the Cinema preset to get the best experience but you can switch to Standard as well. For Dolby Vision content you have Dolby Vision bright and Dolby Vision Dark and we recommend leaving it at Bright if you will consume content in a room with some bias lighting. 

Speaking of biased lighting, yes, since the TV does not have dimming zones, you do get the slight grey effect in dark sequences and it can be quite pronounced in a pitch-dark room. However, even a little bias lighting in the room can help eliminate this.

Sony X80J FHD performance

The SDR performance of this TV is very good. We saw our standard slew of content from Spider-Man: Homecoming to Young Sheldon and even Mission: Impossible and it’s a fun experience. Here, I’d say the Standard preset has the edge over Cinema for content like TV shows. In Young Sheldon, while the Cinema preset gave more accurate colours, the Standard preset had more of the visual punch one would expect for this type of content. For the movies, however, the Cinema preset worked well. While we generally tend to stay away from the Vivid preset, in this TV, the Vivid preset has the ability to make colours pop without making people look like they have jaundice and that is very good. For those of you that like the punchiness of Vivid, this TV may be the one for you. 

Even in Spider-Man Homecoming, we had Spidey's suit look the right shade of blue and red in both the Standard and Cinema preset with skin tones looking right. The preset changes the colour temperature to warm in cinema and makes the colours feel more natural. 

Sony X80J Gaming performance

We played our standard slew of games on this TV including God of War, Spider-Man Miles Morales (review), Dirt 5 (review) and some Last of Us Part 2 (review). The TV has HDMI 2.0 ports only with support for YUV422 for HDR content and has a refresh rate of 60Hz similar to the Mi QLED TV 75 we reviewed earlier. All the games we played on this TV looked really good. From the soft snow in the city in Spider-Man where the HDR pops while you are swinging towards the sun or even in Dirt 5 while racing in the tracks and the blinding sun coming at you. Even in God of War, the colours really pop on this TV. It was a fun gaming experience. 

Once again, it was in a totally dark room that the “grey” in the blacks were visible because of no dimming, but adding a bit of biased light to the room is a quick fix for this. Needless to say, for RGB HDR you will have to upgrade to the X90J in gaming thanks to HDMI 2.1. But those that want a larger size for the price, will be happy with the performance of this TV.  

Sony X80J Audio performance

The X80J can get quite loud to offer room-filling sound. Even at 40-45%, the audio was loud and clear in a large living room. While the speakers lack bass and some background scores in movies missed the punch, the overall sound quality is good. Dialogues are clear during movies, and mixed audio that has a conversation, with explosions in the background and a background score is distinguishable. Even the bangs and thuds in games hit the right notes. While a soundbar will definitely enhance the experience, you can enjoy the audio output from this TV for everyday TV viewing, some movies and gaming. 

Sony X80J UI

The UI here is identical to what we saw on the X90J with the absence of far-field mics. You have the same Google TV UI with the same fluidity and the same convenience of settings when switching picture presets when consuming content. The “For You” section which we’ve seen in the Google TV videos and photos online is not here. While the apps tab is replacing the Play Store for you to search for apps, there is no place for you to quickly go to see if an app needs an update. Just like the X90J, on the X80J I had to use the Google Assistant to navigate to the section where I can check for app updates. 

Once again HDMI ports 3 and 4 support enhanced format to enable 4K HDR gaming and I recommend you go and switch it on as soon as you set up this TV. You can do this by going to Settings - Channel & Inputs - External Inputs - HDMI Signal Format. Here select the enhanced format for the HDMI input. 

Sony X80J Remote control

The remote control is once again identical to what we got on the X90J with the slim candy bar form factor and textured back. You have OTT hotkeys for Netflix, Prime Video and YouTube along with playback controls. Overall, the remote is well built, functional and works well. 

Sony X80J Build and design

The build of the X80J is very similar to what we saw on the X90J. It has 2 tabletop feet that slot into place and the feet are very slim. The 65-inch TV fit on my table where most other 65-inch TVs didn’t, so that’s a very good thing. The TV does wobble a bit when probed, but then again, how often do you tap the TV once it’s set up? The feet also come with external clips you can use for cable management. The back has a simple design. 

The placement of the ports is pretty standard. They are all on the right side of the TV facing outwards. We have two USB ports, optical audio out, headphones port, AV port, four HDMI ports, ethernet port and a good old antenna. 

Sony X80J Bottom Line

Should you buy the Sony X80J? Well, it all depends on what you are looking for. The panel has very good performance for content consumption in HDR and SDR like movies and TV shows and is also good for gaming. In real work use, the TV performs very well giving good colour reproductions and an immersive experience. It does not have local dimming which affects its performance in a dark room, but a little bias lighting helps. The audio output is good too. While we tested the 65-inch variant of this TV, know that it is available in screen sizes from 43-inches up to 75-inches. As of writing this review, the 65-inch variant is priced at Rs 1,34,990. That’s similarly priced to the Sony 55-inch X90J which has better picture performance, local dimming and Sony’s new XR processor. So, you are getting newer technology and better performance at the cost of screen size with the X90J. On the other end of the spectrum, we have the Mi QLED TV 75 which, for a similar price as the 65X80J gives you QLED backlighting and local dimming along with a larger screen size. While the X80J has better colours than the Mi QLED TV, the Mi TVs local dimming is its strength for darkroom content consumption.

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