Home Theater 101: Why You Shouldn't buy the 2022 Sony X80K, X81K, X82K, X85K, X86K, or X89K
Why You Shouldn't buy the 2022 Sony X80K, X81K, X82K, X85K, X86K, or X89K | Date Updated: June 2022 | Written by: u/Bill_Money | Edited & Maintained by: u/htmod
X81K/X82K & X86K/X89K are European variants of the X80K & X85K respectively.
- X80K/X81K/X82K
A NOTE on Panel Variants
Rtings: "In Europe, it's also called the X81K, depending on the size of the model."
| TV Model | Panel Type | Warehouse Version |
|---|---|---|
| KD-43X80K | ADS (IPS) | n/a |
| KD-50X80K | VA | n/a |
| KD-55X80K | ADS (IPS) | KD-55X80CK |
| KD-65X80K | ADS (IPS) | KD-65X80CK |
| KD-75X80K | ADS (IPS) | KD-75X80CK |
Bottom Line (Rtings): "The Sony X80K is an entry-level TV in Sony's 2022 lineup. It replaces the Sony X80J and sits below the Sony X85K. Compared to the higher-end models, it's pretty bare in terms of features as it lacks any variable refresh rate (VRR) support and HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, and it's limited to a 60Hz panel. Still, it comes with the same Google TV interface that has a ton of apps you can download, and it's compatible with Sony's proprietary TV webcam, so you can use it to make video calls or for hands-free gestures. It also comes with Sony's redesigned remote, which still has a built-in mic for voice control, letting you use various voice commands."
"The Sony X80K is okay overall. It's a good TV for watching sports or TV shows in wide seating areas because it has a wide viewing angle and the image looks the same from the sides. It also has decent reflection handling and SDR peak brightness, so it's fine for rooms with a few lights around. However, it isn't good for watching movies or gaming in dark rooms because it has a low contrast ratio and lacks a local dimming feature. Its HDR performance is also sub-par as it has low HDR peak brightness."
"The Sony X80K is sub-par for watching movies in dark rooms. It has a low contrast ratio and doesn't have a local dimming feature, so blacks look gray in the dark. Also, it has disappointing black uniformity as there's distracting backlight bleed. It doesn't have any trouble upscaling content from DVDs and Blu-rays, but it only removes judder from 24p sources and not from native apps or streaming devices that don't have a Match Frame Rate feature."
"The Sony X80K is sub-par for watching HDR movies. Although it supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision and displays a wide color gamut, HDR content doesn't look good. It has a low contrast ratio, meaning blacks look gray in the dark, and it doesn't have a local dimming feature to improve the contrast. Also, it has low HDR peak brightness, meaning that highlights don't pop the way they should."
"The Sony X80K has a low native contrast ratio, so blacks look gray in the dark, and it isn't a good choice for watching movies. Sadly, there's no local dimming feature to improve it either."
"The HDR peak brightness is sub-par. Although it gets a bit brighter than in SDR, it isn't enough to make highlights pop and deliver a satisfying HDR experience. It's alright at following the target EOTF, but some brighter scenes are too dark. Also, there's a sharp roll-off at the peak brightness, causing a loss of fine details with bright highlights."
"The black uniformity is disappointing. The bottom right side of the screen looks patchy as there's noticeable backlight bleed, and the rest of the screen is blue due to the low contrast. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a local dimming feature to improve it."
"The Sony X80K only removes judder from native 24p content, like from a Blu-ray player. Unlike the LG UQ9000, other sources like streaming or cable boxes that don't have a Match Frame Rate feature aren't completely judder-free, so motion in movies doesn't look as smooth."
"The Sony X80K doesn't support HDR10+, so if you want to watch HDR content with this format, you'll be limited to HDR10 instead. Some websites advertise that it has HDMI 2.1 inputs, but it's still limited to HDMI 2.0 bandwidth, and even if it supports eARC on HDMI 3 and Dolby Vision on HDMI 3 and 4, those don't require HDMI 2.1 bandwidth."
"The color volume isn't bad, as colors get as bright as pure white. However, it's limited by the incomplete color gamut, and it doesn't display dark colors well due to the low contrast ratio."
OUR TAKE (/r/htbuyingguides):
TLDR: IPS, No Local Dimming, Poor Contrast, Not bright enough, Poor Black Uniformity, Motion Blur/Judder issues. NO THANKS!
The TCL S546 & Vizio MQ7-J are a better choice as would stepping up into the TCL R646.
- X85K/X86K/X89K
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Posted Jun 12, 2022, 11:03 PM UTC · locked