A 55-inch TV that pairs perfectly with the PlayStation 5. It’s also good on its own. Is it really worth the money they ask for?

Given the fact that there are now many 55-inch TVs on the market with 4K and HDR support, but with the price half as much, it is immediately clear that we are talking about a premium.

The marketers of those very brands (Chinese and not only), which make TVs cheaper, are desperately trying to prove that there is no point in overpaying. After all, the set of technologies is essentially the same.

Having the opportunity to compare with a number of inexpensive TVs of a similar diagonal, I come to the conclusion that this is not entirely true.

Below I will try to summarize my main impressions of the Sony XH90 TV. And explain why it is still worth spending on a more expensive TV. If the budget allows, of course.

• Contents

  Picture Quality.

This will probably sound trite. And for PR specialists of some Chinese companies it will cause hysteria. But I will nevertheless say it.

In the premium televisions the picture is noticeably better.

And why do we buy expensive TV sets with big screens? Well, for the picture to be pleasing to the eye.

The Sony XH90 panel has a sweep frequency of 100 Hz, compared with the typical 50-60 Hz. There is a really effective HDR technology, and the direct matrix backlighting uses quantum dot technology (Sony calls it TRILUMINOS).

As a result, a couple of TVs with price tags twice cheaper, which I used in parallel with Sony XH90 give a noticeably more faded and inarticulate picture.

Especially the difference was significant when I took turns connecting to two TVs (inexpensive and our protagonist Sony XH90) a brand new PlayStation 5 console.

In games, especially the newest (which came out specifically for PS5 – for example, Demon’s Souls), the difference in image quality, detail is just striking.

And, of course, the smoothness of motion also greatly affects the feeling of the gameplay.

Do you know where this manifested itself most?

Me and my son are playing the old Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (it was released on PS4), it has a lot of dark scenes that you have to go through dynamically.

On inexpensive TVs it’s just fun, but on the Sony XH90 it’s like you’re really immersed in the action. And some situations in the game on the Sony TV was much easier and more interesting to pass. Just because you can better navigate in the dark space and in general – more easily “feel” your hero.

• Sound

Sony XH90 has two speakers with a total power of 20 watts. If you go to read the specifications of the TV, you will find a mention of “bass”. This is the rare case when a manufacturer of anything is modest.

In fact, the Sony XH90 has almost the best sound that I have heard in TVs in recent times.

Not only is it voluminous and quite loud, but it is also very well crafted. In the same games, even slight rustles can be heard clearly, not just background noise. And it is extremely important for games, sometimes it is the only way to distinguish that zombies or some other evil thing are approaching you.

•  Functionality.

A big human thanks to Sony for the fact that its TVs run on “naked” Android.

Actually, TV manufacturers don’t know how to write proper software. Most often, the desire of people to buy set-top boxes, which broadcast content from the Internet, is due to the fact that the TV is just a “screen” and there is nothing to watch even with Wi-Fi and all sorts of Smart features.

Users have become picky these days. Come home in the evening and turn on a new episode of your favorite TV series, that’s all that is required.

And proprietary software severely limits this possibility. You need to buy a subscription to a streaming service, or even a few, but there may simply not be what you’re watching.

Android makes it easy to solve this problem. And thanks to Sony that their TVs, unlike some other “premium brands”, do just that.

Sony XH90 – one reason not to buy

• Price.

Its smallest 55-inch size retails for $999. I don’t see any critical flaws with the Sony XH90. In fact, I like this TV for its neutral but pleasant design, functionality, image and sound quality.

But I can’t help saying that spending that kind of money on a TV is primarily worth it for those who play games. And who regularly watches movies in the highest quality.

If 90% of the time you watch videos from YouTube or TV series in pirate translations, which have maximum available picture quality 480p, then you may not appreciate this TV. And it will turn out that you overpay for image reasons.

Verdict
9 / 10
The Sony XH90 is one of the best TVs for its money. You will especially appreciate it if you have a gaming console.