The Samsung QN85B has a mini LED backlight, which offers better bright room performance and comes with an anti-glare screen, making it a good fit for well-lit environments. In contrast, the Sony X90L provides deeper blacks and better contrast because of its VA panel, making it a better choice for watching movies in darker rooms. Both TVs have similar gaming capabilities and support 4K at 120Hz for a smooth experience. If you value the latest features and voice control integration, the Sony has these options while the Samsung does not. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Samsung QN85B (LCD)
Excellent for bright room
Very good for use as monitor
Good viewing angle
Very good reflections
Advantages of the Sony X90L (LCD)
Excellent for news, talk, & other TV
Best in class for upscaling
Best in class motion processing
Key differences
Cartoons & Animation
8.0/10
8.6/10
7.2/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
7.7/10
7.5/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
8.8/10
9.3/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.4/10
7.9/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
8.0/10
7.2/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
6.6/10
The Sony X90L (LCD) and Samsung QN85B (LCD) are both very good for cartoons & animation, though the Sony X90L (LCD) is somewhat better.
The Samsung QN85B is known for having good colors out of the box and a satisfactory color gamut, which enhances the vivid and varied hues essential for cartoons and animation. Additionally, the Sony X90L provides good performance in the color gamut, ensuring a wide range of colors are displayed correctly, and notably excels in color quality straight out of the box, which means you can enjoy animated content with minimal need for calibration.
News, Talk, & Other TV
8.5/10
9.0/10
9.3/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.4/10
8.0/10
UPSCALING
10.0/10
The Sony X90L (LCD) is excellent for news, talk, & other TV, while the Samsung QN85B (LCD) is very good.
The Samsung QN85B excels in upscaling and has excellent SDR brightness, making it an optimal choice for viewing news and talk shows in bright rooms. On the other hand, the Sony X90L offers better color accuracy out of the box and has slightly more effective local dimming, ensuring better contrast which enhances the viewing experience in various lighting conditions.
Bright Room
9.2/10
8.6/10
7.5/10
VIEWING ANGLE
5.5/10
9.3/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.4/10
8.9/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.3/10
8.9/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
5.9/10
The Samsung QN85B (LCD) is excellent for bright room, while the Sony X90L (LCD) is very good.
The Samsung QN85B excels in both SDR and HDR brightness, and reflects less light, making it a preferred choice for well-lit rooms. The Sony X90L also offers excellent brightness levels but is not as effective at handling reflections, which could be a disadvantage in brightly lit environments.
The Sony X90L (LCD) and Samsung QN85B (LCD) both have good picture quality.
Movies & TV
7.3/10
7.6/10
5.64/10
CONTRAST
7.125/10
5.7/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
6.0/10
8.0/10
UPSCALING
10.0/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
Yes
HDR10+ SUPPORT
No
No
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
Yes
The Sony X90L (LCD) and Samsung QN85B (LCD) are both good for movies & TV.
The Samsung QN85B is well-suited for movies and cinematic TV because of its high local dimming performance which enhances contrast, particularly in darker scenes, although it has slightly lower black uniformity which is less ideal for dark room viewing. On the other hand, the Sony X90L offers better contrast and black uniformity, making it a strong contender for viewing in dark environments; however, its narrower viewing angles and poor reflections control could reduce the viewing experience in well-lit rooms or when watching from an angle.
Sports
7.1/10
7.2/10
8.0/10
MOTION PROCESSING
10.0/10
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
10.0/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
7.0/10
8.0/10
UPSCALING
10.0/10
9.3/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.4/10
Yes
HLG SUPPORT
Yes
The Sony X90L (LCD) and Samsung QN85B (LCD) are both good for sports.
The Samsung QN85B boasts very good motion processing and excellent reflection handling, with a wide viewing angle that makes it ideal for watching sports with friends. On the other hand, the Sony X90L excels in motion processing with an exceptional response time, although it has a narrower viewing angle and poorer performance against reflections, which could be noticeable in well-lit rooms.
Gaming
8.2/10
8.1/10
8.0/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
8.0/10
10.0/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
7.0/10
8.0/10
MOTION PROCESSING
10.0/10
70.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
73.0/100
9.0/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.6/10
The Samsung QN85B (LCD) and Sony X90L (LCD) are both very good for gaming.
The Samsung QN85B excels in gaming due to its best-in-class input lag and very good response time, which means it will have smooth and responsive gameplay. In contrast, the Sony X90L, while still providing a very good gaming experience with its very good response time and input lag, might not be as swift as the Samsung in fast-paced games but will still deliver a smooth performance overall.
Cost
$877
$898
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Samsung QN85B (LCD) has a price of $877 and the Sony X90L (LCD) costs $898.
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How the Samsung QN85B (LCD) and the Sony X90L (LCD) compare to other TVs
"Particularly key to this is the fact that black levels are unusually good, on a level we haven’t seen from any IPS TV before. Build quality is impressive too, with a gleaming silver metallic frame and stand, and enough heft to suggest plenty of quality innards. High dynamic range content jumps off the screen with enough luminosity and intensity to really sell what makes HDR special."
Get a great deal on the Samsung QN85B (LCD) or the Sony X90L (LCD)
About Samsung
Samsung, a South Korean electronics manufacturer, holds the title of being the largest global TV vendor in terms of units sold. They offer a diverse lineup of TV products that cater to various budget ranges. A notable achievement in recent years is the development of Quantum Dots, a technology that enhances color reproduction, resulting in richer and more vibrant hues. Samsung TVs are well-regarded for their high manufacturing quality and user-friendly software, making them an excellent choice for consumers seeking an intuitive viewing experience.
About Sony
Sony stands as a highly experienced and widely trusted TV manufacturer, earning a reputation that surpasses all others. A Japanese company, Sony has been making TVs for far longs than it has been making Playstation game consoles. Sony's high-end TVs are often regarded as the ultimate choice for videophiles, representing the epitome of quality, albeit at a premium price point. Renowned for their advanced and precise motion handling, as well as their cutting-edge local dimming algorithms, Sony consistently delivers unparalleled performance in these areas. They include Google TV software with all their TV sets, which grants access to the largest selection of apps available and they also include Bravia Core which is a movie streaming platform specifically for Sony TVs that offers higher picture quality by using more bandwidth.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec TVs team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest TV information and makes it digestible for you.
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About the TV team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and TVs Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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TVs Expert
Jaime is a Colombia-based TV expert. He is an electronics engineer with 8 years of experience in the telecom sector and has been making TV recommendations for 12 years.