Sony’s strategy of leveraging LCD technology for brightness and OLED for superior contrast is clear with their flagship 4K LCD TV, the XR-65X95J. Known for its radiant light output, this TV promises to be a home entertainment powerhouse. If it doesn't achieve the black levels of OLED, it compensates with unrivaled brightness.

This high-brightness approach has been successful for Sony’s previous premium LCD models and the more recent X90J series. The anticipation for the X95J is high, especially since it features a more advanced LCD panel than the X90J.

However, there’s a slight concern. While the X95J’s backlight supports local dimming for improved contrast, it lacks the Mini LED-driven local dimming found in some competing LCD models...

Price

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At £1799 / $2000 / AU$3799, the XR-65X95J offers great value for a flagship LCD TV. Its price is comparable to LG’s mid-range OLED65C1 OLED TV and Samsung’s high-end QE65QN94A. Both of these competitors deliver exceptional performance in their own rights, so Sony’s model needs to excel to stay competitive.

The XR-65X95J justifies its (current) £600 / $700 / AU$1600 premium over its impressive step-down sibling, the XR-65X90J, with an upgraded backlight system, a sleeker design, a premium backlit remote control, and a much more powerful version of Sony’s Acoustic Multi-Audio technology.

Design

Our latest product features a sleek and modern design that stands out in any setting. Crafted with precision, its aesthetic appeal is matched only by its exceptional functionality. The streamlined form ensures that it looks just as good perched on a desk as it does on a living room shelf.

Key Features

• Elegant curves and a minimalist profile

• Premium materials that feel as good as they look

• Intuitive layout for effortless use

• Available in a variety of colors to suit any preference

Function Meets Style

Not only does this product boast an eye-catching design, but it also delivers when it comes to performance. Whether you're using it for work or play, its top-tier components and user-friendly interface ensure a seamless experience.

Ready to enhance your space with both style and utility? Explore our latest offering and discover how it can elevate your everyday life.

When viewed head-on, the Sony XR-65X95J exudes a sleek and stylish elegance. With its narrow bezel and the opulent yet minimalistic metal feet that can be attached at the very corners, it ensures there’s minimal distraction, keeping the focus on your viewing experience.

Moreover, Sony offers an option to adjust the mounting points of the desktop feet, allowing you to elevate the screen slightly. This is especially handy if you want to accommodate a soundbar, in case the built-in sound system doesn't meet your expectations.

The X95J’s front view is trendily slim, although the rear does protrude more than most TVs. This might be due to the direct LED lighting system it employs, which often delivers superior picture quality. However, it’s something to consider if you plan to mount your TV on the wall.

The XR-65X95J also comes with a high-quality remote control, featuring a sleek metallic finish and elegant button backlighting.

Features

Welcome to our in-depth breakdown of the latest features designed to elevate your experience. Let's dive into what makes them stand out:

Intuitive Design

Our design team has focused on a seamless and user-friendly interface. You’ll find navigation effortless and intuitive, making your overall experience enjoyable and productive.

Enhanced Performance

With our new updates, performance is at an all-time high. Expect faster load times and smoother operations, providing you with the efficiency you need in your daily tasks.

Robust Security

Your safety online is our priority. Enhanced security measures ensure your data remains protected, giving you peace of mind while using our platform.

Seamless Connectivity

Stay connected effortlessly. Our platform ensures that you can sync your data and stay updated across all devices without a hitch.

Customizable Options

We understand that every user is unique. That’s why we offer a range of customizable options to tailor the experience to your personal preferences.

Explore these features and more as we continue to innovate and enhance our platform to serve you better. Stay tuned for upcoming updates!

The X95J features a VA-type LCD panel with a direct LED lighting system and local dimming, enhancing picture quality through zoned light level adjustments. However, with around 60 dimming zones, it doesn't quite match the nearly 800 zones in the Samsung QN94A.

This significant difference in dimming zones is partly due to the X95J not using Mini LED lighting like its Samsung counterpart. The impact of this difference is crucial in our tests.

The XR-65X95J employs Sony’s new Cognitive XR Processor. This system aims to make images appear more lifelike, requiring in-depth real-time analysis of hundreds of thousands of elements in the incoming images. It adjusts sharpness, contrast, color tones, motion clarity, and noise reduction to emphasize the most critical parts of the picture.

Features like XR Colour claim to deliver a wider color gamut and subtler tones. The XR Triluminos Pro aims to enhance color perception, while the XR Contrast Booster 10 builds on the X90J's XR Contrast Booster 5 by improving local dimming for better contrast.

Additional capabilities include XR HDR Remastering for converting SDR sources to HDR and XR 4K Upscaling to transform HD content into 4K more naturally. There's a lot of XR technology working together to elevate your viewing experience.

Sony has made a significant leap forward with the XR-65X95J TV, now equipped with two HDMI ports supporting 4K at 120Hz feeds. This makes it perfect for the PS5, Xbox Series X, and high-end PC graphics cards. However, it's a bit disappointing that the long-awaited firmware update for variable refresh rates is still pending.

In Game mode, the XR-65X95J delivers a 17.4ms input lag. While not as quick as the 9-12ms seen in other mid-range and high-end TVs, it's still speedy enough to keep your gaming experience sharp and responsive.

The X95J covers the essential HDR formats, including HDR10, HLG for live broadcasts, and the premium Dolby Vision. Sadly, support for HDR10+ remains absent, although HDR10+ content is less prevalent.

Google TV powers the XR-65X95J’s smart features, offering a notable improvement over previous Android TV systems, despite being slightly more intensive than other smart TV systems.

Good news for UK viewers: a recent update has finally added the catch-up TV apps for the most popular terrestrial broadcasters, enhancing the TV’s utility for everyday watching.

Sony’s XR-65X95J also earns third-party endorsements, with the Netflix Calibrated mode for optimal picture quality on Netflix shows, and IMAX Enhanced certification for exceptional picture quality using IMAX’s proprietary mastering techniques.

On the audio front, the X95J is equipped with an impressive Acoustic Multi-Audio system, featuring two midrange drivers, two tweeters, and a subwoofer, each driven by 10 watts of power. The tweeters are strategically placed high on the TV’s rear to craft a larger, more precise soundstage, particularly effective for the Dolby Atmos mixes the TV supports.

For those seeking an even richer sound experience, the XR-65X95J can be paired with one of Sony’s soundbars, and includes an Acoustic Calibration system to ensure optimal output from its built-in speaker setup.

Picture

The picture quality of this product is outstanding, offering vibrant colors and deep contrast that enhance your viewing experience. It captures every detail, making your favorite shows and movies look better than ever. Additionally, the rich dynamic range ensures that both dark scenes and bright moments are displayed with remarkable clarity. Enjoy a truly immersive visual treat that elevates your entertainment to the next level.

The X95J's visuals are a mix of awe-inspiring brilliance and some puzzling moments.

Leading the awe is the TV's brightness. HDR scenes explode with luminance and intensity, showcasing the top-tier performance we've come to expect from Sony's high-end LCD TVs. Daylight HDR shots are radiant, artificial lights shine like they have 1000W bulbs, street lights beam against night skies, and the sun dazzles like, well, the sun itself. This TV truly masters bright HDR.

This impressive brightness also enhances the X95J's color performance. It displays a vast range of tones without any washout, even during the brightest HDR scenes.

Sony’s color processing and brightness deliver images filled with subtle tonal details that surpass those of most competitors.

Colors appear clean and free from noise or banding issues, and the richness displayed underscores the power of Sony’s XR processing and expansive color gamut in HDR content.

The HDR Remastering technology is exceptional at converting SDR content to HDR. It works so well that even purists might find it hard to stick to the 'original creator's intent' stance when they see what the X95J can achieve. However, for those who prefer it, there's a Custom mode that maintains SDR content as it was initially intended.

Details are sharp in both native 4K and upscaled HD content, thanks to the previously mentioned color and light precision. This sharpness persists even during fast action scenes, thanks to Sony's outstanding motion processing, which minimizes judder and motion blur without making images look soap opera-like.

There's no doubt you're watching not just any 4K TV, but a superior one.

Like the Sony XR-50X90J, the XR-65X95J’s brightness can be uncompromising. Bright objects in dark scenes are intense, sometimes resulting in surrounding areas flooding with 'accidental' light.

This light blooming around bright objects is noticeable, especially in dark rooms, and it can be distracting when the bright objects move across the screen or extend into the black bars of widescreen content.

In contrast, Samsung's QE65QN94A has minimal blooming issues, even with the most challenging content. This is partly due to its Mini LED backlighting, as well as a slight compromise on peak brightness.

The X95J's prominent blooming makes Samsung's dimming approach appear more effective, as it is less distracting.

Interestingly, the blooming issue seems more pronounced in some X95J picture presets than in the cheaper X90J models. Intuitively, more dimming zones should reduce backlight blooming, but the X95J's increased zones can result in more defined 'blocks' of light. The X90J, with fewer zones, has a more diffused lighting effect.

Blooming is less visible in a bright room, though this is not ideal for home cinema enthusiasts. The simplest solution to reduce blooming is to use the Cinema preset, which looks more natural but less vibrant than the default presets. This goes against Sony’s Cognitive XR processor's intent, resulting in less visually stunning images.

It’s intriguing to observe during head-to-head comparisons that while the X95J is bright, it doesn't quite match the Samsung QN94A for general or peak brightness – a shift from what we saw in the side-by-side comparisons between the Sony XR-50X90J and Samsung QE50QN90A. This means the X95J’s focus on brightness doesn’t give the same dramatic brightness boost at the expense of backlight clouding as seen with the X90J models.

The X90J’s upscaling of sub-4K content isn't as sharp or detailed as that of the Samsung 65QN94A. However, aside from not being as effective at managing any noise in the source, some might find the X95J’s milder upscaling approach more consistent and cinematic.

Another consideration is that if you frequently accommodate a large family around the TV, you might notice limited viewing angles before backlight blooming begins to escalate.

Finally, Sony’s ‘brightness first’ approach with HDR sometimes results in pictures that clip, losing subtle shading details in areas with particularly extreme bright highlights.

Sound

When it comes to sound quality, nothing beats an immersive experience that captures the nuances of every note. Whether you’re streaming your favorite music, enjoying a podcast, or just watching a movie, the clarity and depth of sound make a significant difference. High-quality audio can transform a mundane moment into an extraordinary one.

The XR-65X95J's 50W audio output spans five channels and is remarkably effective. The clarity and detailing are top-notch, with a strikingly open, sensitive, and responsive midrange. This creates a perfect canvas for delivering every nuanced effect, both ambient and direct, that a sound mix might include. Additionally, the effects are placed with impressive positional accuracy.

The speakers are powerful and well-balanced, ensuring that all details remain clear and contextualized, even against dense and raucous soundtrack backdrops. Nothing sounds harsh, compressed, or muddy.

The X95J’s audio boasts dynamic range and raw power, ensuring it rises to any film soundtrack challenge, delivering a compelling sense of escalation as mixes build toward a climax.

There’s enough bass to give action scenes scale and heft, and dialogue remains clean and comprehensible at all times.

The only issue with the 65X95J's sound is that it excels more with the bigger audio moments. When things are subtler, it sounds a bit thin and lightweight, almost as if the X95J needs a good racket to fully wake up.

Verdict

The XR-65X95J showcases remarkable processing power, brilliant brightness, and vibrant colors, delivering stunning picture quality that lives up to its flagship status and Sony's illustrious TV heritage. Alongside these beautifully bold visuals, it features an equally impressive sound system.

However, it's worth noting that the overall experience is occasionally diminished by backlight blooming. Due to this, we find that Sony's more affordable X90J models provide a more consistent viewing experience, offering better value overall.