Hi, I'm Daniel from RTINGS.com.
Today we're testing the Sony X950G.
It is a 2019 model, and is one of the highest
end LCDs in Sony’s lineup, behind the Zee
series.
We bought the fifty-five inch model to test,
and we expect this review to be valid for
the larger sixty-five inch model.
We chose this size as we expect it to be representative
of the most popular variations of the X950.
We expect the larger seventy-five and eighty-five
inch models to perform differently with better
viewing angles, but worse contrast ratio due
to Sony’s ‘X-Wide Viewing Angle’ implementation,
which we’ll talk about later in this review.
The equivalent model in Europe are the XG95
variations, such as the XG9505 in the UK which
we also expect to perform similarly.
So, we’re going to start by looking at the
design of the TV, and then we'll talk about
the picture quality and our testing results.
We'll look at the motion handling and input
lag, and then compare to these competing models
which are currently available.
The design of the X950G is very familiar to
anyone who has seen the 2018 Sony TVs, like
the X900F.
The TV appears fairly minimalistic, and only
the thin metallic legs protrude out the front.
Compared to last year’s models, these look
almost the same but are a bit thinner.
They support the TV well and feel sturdy,
although do require quite a large footprint
– they extend forty inches wide on the fifty
five inch model, and can’t be reversed inward
to decrease the footprint.
The borders of the TV are thin and look good,
and the TV is quite thin when viewed at an
angle so sits close to the wall when VESA
mounted.
Moving around to the rear of the TV we can
see the controls on the left hand side.
The three buttons provide basic functions
like power on and off, and changing inputs
and volume.
The rear of the TV also looks very similar
to 2018 Sony models.
The inputs directed out the side can be easily
accessed if the TV is placed close to a wall,
and those directed down the back can be routed
through the rear of the stand for cable management.
Unlike the X900F, all four HDMI ports support
HDMI 2.0 full bandwidth which is useful for
those who have multiple high bandwidth devices
like new consoles or a PC.
Looking at a thermal image of our TV, we can
see that the temperature is relatively uniform.
This is typical of full-array local dimming
TVs as the LEDs are distributed directly behind
the screen.
So now we’ll go on to the picture quality.
We will be comparing to currently available
models; however the competition will change
throughout the year as new models are released.
For updated comparisons with new models as
we buy and test them, see the links below
to the review page on our website.
Now, for those who watch TV in a dark room
or a home theater environment a high contrast
ratio is important to produce deep and detailed
dark scenes.
The X950G has a VA-type panel and the fifty-five
inch model we tested can produce deep blacks
in a dark room which is great.
The seventy-five and eighty-five inch models
have what Sony calls 'X-Wide Viewing Angle'
though, and in our previous review of the
Z9F with this same technology we found a lower
native contrast ratio.
We expect these larger sizes to be in the
same ballpark as the Z9F, with a native contrast
at around two-thousand to one.
Local dimming can be used to increase the
effective contrast ratio of scenes by dimming
the backlight in darker areas.
With the local dimming setting activated,
the contrast ratio does increase slightly
however the zones are not dense enough to
raise the contrast significantly on our checkerboard
pattern.
Looking at the local dimming of the TV, we
find that it looks very similar to the X900F
which is decent and it appears to have a very
similar zone layout and algorithm.
You may notice the different local dimming
zones when a bright object crosses from one
zone to another, but this isn't as distracting
as on the Vizio P Quantum.
When watching movies with sub-titles, if you
notice distracting blooming then you should
decrease or even disable the local dimming
setting.
Now, if you regularly watch at an angle or
have a wide seating area then good viewing
angles are important to get the best image
from any seating position.
The fifty-five inch X950G we tested has disappointing
viewing angles, which is typical of TVs with
VA-type panels and we expect a similar result
of the sixty-five inch.
This isn't a problem for those who watch from
directly in-front though.
Note that the seventy-five and eighty-five
inch models have the ‘X-Wide Angle' technology.
We expect these larger sizes to behave similarly
to the Z9F we tested with the same feature,
and for the viewing angles to be better than
most VA TVs and appropriate for wide seating.
This does affect the contrast ratio though,
as previously noted.
If you’ve got a bright room, then good reflection
handling is important to reduce the amount
of distracting glare.
The model we bought has excellent performance,
with a semi-gloss finish that diffuses reflections
across the screen and reduces their intensity.
This is an area though that the larger seventy
five and eighty five inch sizes may be different,
and should perform similarly to the Z9F.
The X wide viewing angle layer can cause reflections
to be scattered horizontally across the whole
screen.
This isn’t a big problem though, and it
should still be fine for a bright room.
Now, another important aspect for those in
a bright room is the ability to overcome glare
due to the TVs peak brightness.
The X950G performs excellently in SDR, so
the whole screen can get very bright.
If you have lots of direct reflections, then
just turn up the ‘Brightness’ slider to
increase the backlight.
If you watch HDR content, then the TV can
also produce very bright highlights which
is great for an image that pops.
On our real scene test pattern it can produce
one of the brightest highlights we’ve tested
which is great.
If you plan to watch HDR content, then a wide
color gamut is important to produce vivid,
saturated highlights.
The X950G is very good, and covers most of
the DCI P3 color space.
It isn’t as good as the Samsung QLEDs or
the Z9F but can still make highlights pop.
If you plan to watch SDR content though and
care about an accurate image, then the X950G
is one of the most accurate TVs we’ve tested.
In the ‘Custom’ picture mode with the
gamma slider adjusted, it is remarkably close
to the 6500 kelvin color temperature and 2.2
gamma that most content is mastered at.
If you watch a lot of movies or play games
and want the least amount of color banding
then the X950G is a great choice.
It has excellent gradient performance, and
includes a ‘Smooth Gradation’ option that
works very well to reduce banding which is
present in the source material.
Now, if you watch a lot of sports or play
video games then a uniform screen is important.
This is because non-uniformity causes distracting
areas called the dirty screen effect which
is especially noticeable in panning shots
across a uniform color like when watching
hockey.
The X950G is decent, but the edges of the
screen are darker causing a vignetting effect
which can be distracting.
Also, there are some uniformity issues near
the center of the screen but for many people
this is unlikely to be a big issue and this
also varies between units so yours might be
different.
So on to the motion handling.
The X950G has a very fast response time, so
there is only a small blur trail behind fast
moving objects, which is visible as a faint
smear behind the left hand side of our moving
logo photo.
This is great for watching sports or playing
fast paced games.
If you care about the smallest amount of blur
though, then you’ll want to flicker the
backlight to clear up fast paced motion.
The black frame insertion feature on Sony
TVs can be controlled in the ‘MotionFLow’
menu with the ‘Clearness’ slider.
Setting it to maximum introduces the most
flicker for the clearest image, however the
one-hundred and twenty hertz frequency does
produce duplications with most content that
is at sixty hertz.
Now, if you are playing fast paced games then
low input lag is important to minimize the
delay between an event in-game and when you
see it on the screen.
The X950G offers great performance in the
‘Game’ or ‘Graphics’ picture modes,
and unlike the X900F it doesn’t vary much
between resolutions so should be a good choice
for PC or console gamers.
Another improvement over the X900F is the
new processor in this Sony model.
It feels much faster, and results in a fluid
experience when browsing the menus or opening
apps.
The remote has also been upgraded, and while
it keeps many of the same buttons as previous
sony remotes, it does feel a bit more premium
and more intuitive to use.
There is also a button for direct access to
google assistant which works well.
One change in sound performance from the X900F
is the addition of a pair of speakers at the
top of the TV to help with sound positioning.
Unfortunately we don’t measure this and
can’t comment on its performance, but we
did find that it doesn’t help the frequency
response or distortion.
Overall, the dialog is clear but the TV lacks
bass and may not be loud enough for a very
noisy environment.
If this is a problem, external speakers or
a soundbar may be the way to go.
So overall, the X950G is an impressive TV
with great picture quality.
The larger sizes do offer different performance
due to the x-wide viewing angle technology
though, so check out our review which is linked
below if you have any questions.
Compared to the X900F, the 950G offers a few
improvements but for most people the differences
aren’t likely to be big.
The 950G has slightly lower input lag, and
can get brighter for HDR.
It also offers a newer, faster processor which
makes the smart features feel more fluid.
Now, the Z9F has many similarities to the
larger seventy-five and eighty-five inch sizes
of the X950G as they have the X-Wide viewing
angle feature.
These TVs may be a better pick for a room
with some lights and wide seating.
The Q8FN is also an interesting TV with better
reflection handling than the Sony which may
be useful for those in bright rooms.
It also has some neat gaming features like
the ability to apply motion interpolation
while keeping a low input lag and it supports
FreeSync variable refresh rates from a PC
or new XBox.
The best choice between these two depends
on what you care about, so go with the one
that suits your usage and budget.
The 2018 Vizio P Quantum is also an interesting
TV, with better local dimming that may be
a better choice for those in a dark room.
It also offers a wider color gamut for HDR
and can produce clearer motion with 60Hz flicker
to match the content.
On the other hand, the X950G has better smart
features with a more traditional smart platform.
The 950G can also display smoother gradients,
and has better color accuracy.
So that's it!
What do you think of Sony’s first 2019 TV?
Let us know in the comments below.
You can check out all of the measurements
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Thank you for watching and see you next time.
