Sony is making lots of fantastic LED and OLED panels for the TV collections such as Sony X85J Vs X950H. These two are LED panels and look amazing, especially in brightness and contrast. There are so many good options in the market to consider and if you want an affordable but high-quality TV, let’s see what they can offer here.
In this comparison, we are going to talk about:
- Which TV to Buy
- What are Sony X85J and X950H
- How is the Appearance of Sony X85J and X950H
- How is the Image Quality of Sony X85J and X950H
- How are the Sony X85J and X950H for Gaming
- How is the Experience with Sony X85J and X950H
- Sony X85J Vs X950H
Buying a New TV
We all love watching TV, and this is probably the basic home entertainment that we can enjoy at home. However, there are plenty to choose from when upgrading to a larger TV or a better option. We are all about Smart TV nowadays, so what TV brand should you buy this year? It highly depends on what you want to have. Technology moves forward, and there is always a price to pay for better options yet, it doesn’t mean the alternatives are bad choices.
If you are in the market for the best TVs, 8K has been emerging lately. With its QN900A model, Samsung offers this ultra-high resolution to your living room. Image quality-wise is at the top of the game; moreover, the standard-setting comes in HDR already. The color and brightness are exceptional, with the fantastic sound quality too. But, thinking about 8K unless you will keep this TV for quite a long time in the future, 8K content is currently not common.
It is one of the examples of high-end options, and on the other side of the spectrum, we have alternatives like TCL. This brand is a good alternative if you want to reduce spending this year by using a budget model. This brand has QLED as well, the same as Samsung’s. The 6-Series, for example, is a promising option with its good image quality and excellent color reproduction. However, it is not a recommended model if you are often gaming on them, moreover with new consoles like PS5 or Xbox Series X.
| Sony X85J | Sony X950H | |
|---|---|---|
  |   |
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| Product Dimensions | 57.25 x 13.38 x 32.88 inches | 57.13 x 14 x 35.75 inches |
| Shipping Weight | 48.6 pounds | 52.3 pounds |
| Shop now at Amazon | Check price | Check price |
About Sony X85J and X950H
The TVs above are examples of how technology can be so diverse when applied to our everyday appliances. There are more than plenty of promising TVs to consider, and as a buyer, it can get very confusing. One of the most convenient tips we can offer is to consider the brand you want to have. Most of us have a particular preference about the company, so this often leads us to buy from brands we are already familiar with or have used their products before.
Sony is among the names we often see when considering a new TV. They have LED and OLED displays in the collection, with a clear difference in price point and OLED being the more expensive choice—their OLED Sony A90J Vs A80J, for example, are both for movie nights and overall watching experience along with some gaming. But, they are also a bit tough on the pocket, even for the relatively small size. If you want to upscale and keep the budget low, Sony X85J and X950H are the options.
These are crowd options when you need to balance image quality and budget. These two use LED panels to be very bright in color and suitable for varying watching situations. The reason to buy Sony X85J or X950H is image quality. Many may not expect much from the color and contrast of an LED panel, but these TVs are impressive. The X950H is currently more expensive than X85J so it may sound like a better option but, it is not the case here.
In real life, the image quality based on the X1 processor from these TVs is very similar, and surprisingly, the more affordable X85J is even better. However, it lacks one technology, which makes some buyers turn their attention. But, considering everything, the X85J is a better choice both from the budget perspective and the image quality. The Sony X85J and X950H are also suitable for gaming, even though none come with VRR.
Sony X85J and X950H Design
Aesthetic is always part of buying something, including for TV. Chances are we will be displaying it in an obvious place, so it is vital to have something we are proud of. As for the appearance, Sony X85J and X950H flat displays are good-looking. They are mostly made of plastic which is excellent for the weight and have a thin 0.3-inch bezel framing the panel. The matte black is great to make the panel look almost borderless when it is off.
The Sony X85J and X950H are very similar in design, and even the stand is also the same. We prefer a separate TV stand because they can balance the TV on both sides. This allows the TV to wobble when you press the corner. The back panel design is similar, but X85J has this square pattern while X950H is smooth. It also seems that X950H is also slightly thinner than X85J. Build quality-wise, X950H is a bit more rigid despite being similarly made of plastic.
Sony X85J and X950H Image Quality
When buying a new TV, you must wonder how good the image quality is. We usually see the contrast and brightness on a TV to compare whether they are better than what we have at home. X85J is astonishingly better on this side because it has very high contrast for an LED panel. This level is usually achieved by OLED display or LED with local dimming function. The X85J is none of the two, and it is an LED VA panel with stunning color reproduction and brightness.
On the other hand, X950H is not bad at all, but it is less than the contrast level of X85J. However, we had expected it to be at the same place as X85J since they use the same panel. The contrast is slightly improved with the local dimming feature enabled. It is also a full-array local dimming feature which is working pretty well. It tends to dim around bright objects rather than blooming, yet it can still maintain small highlights and details.
Sony X85J and X950H for Gaming
Next is for the gaming side. Many of us gaming on the TV with consoles like PlayStation or Xbox, and modern TVs should have no issue connecting to these high-end consoles. What to consider is the technology to improve the gaming experience, such as VRR. Variable Refresh Rate is often implemented on gaming monitors, but it is also massively adopted by TV. This is a technology to match the monitor’s refresh rate to the frame rate of the signal as it is constantly changing.
Do I need VRR? Yes, if you are into fast pace games because the goal of VRR is to reduce screen tearing which often happens on older monitors. Apparently, the Sony X85J and X950H don’t have this feature out of the box. Sony said it would come with a firmware upgrade for X85J, so people don’t have to worry about gaming on their console. Performance-wise the lag is already very low for both TVs at 19.3 ms for X950H and 15.6 ms for X85J.
The supported inputs for Sony X85J and X950H are also very similar. Both TVs are native in 1080p 120Hz, but only X85J is native in 4K 120Hz. Outside these resolutions, they can play 1080p 60Hz, 1440p 60Hz with a forced application, 4K 60Hz, and 4K 60Hz at 4:4:4. What to note is that while X85J can display 4K at 120Hz, the result is not watchable. Its vertical size is cut in half, and the text is not shown correctly.
Sony X85J and X950H Experience
Lastly, the TVs are fun for the overall experience with Sony X85J and X950H and can be a perfect upgrade to your older TVs at home. As an LED panel, we have to mention that the viewing angle of these TVs is not the best as the color will start to look off when you move away from the center of the display. This will make the people sitting a bit further from the center not enjoy the same experience as those sitting closer to the center.
Some of them may not come at the best preset when you get a new TV. You can recalibrate these TVs to achieve better color accuracy, but out of the box X85J does look better even though they are similarly accurate after calibration. From the OS, we have nothing to complain about. They are easy to navigate and visually the same as most Smart TVs.
Sony X85J Vs X950H
Both Sony X85J and X950H are good options if you want to buy an LED TV. The main differences between these TVs are contrast and the gaming side. The contrast is much better on X85J despite using the same VA panel, and X950H is featured with local dimming. This local dimming is useful in gaming mode as well. But, X85J comes with VRR in the firmware upgrade to improve its gaming experience. It is also very low in lag, even though the difference is not stellar on both TVs.
Conclusion
The decision is all yours, but we recommend X85J for this comparison. This TV is worth buying, especially the larger sizes, because it is currently more affordable. The contrast and brightness are excellent, and it is also suitable for movies or gaming.