If you frequently watch movies and series in darker environments, the Sony X90K is a better choice due to its superior dark room performance. On the other hand, the Samsung QN85B has a brighter display which is more suitable if you will watch TV in a well-lit room. The Samsung also offers a slightly better gaming experience, so if gaming is important to you, that might be the way to go. However, the Sony X90K tends to be more expensive but offers better overall picture quality and is known to have a more reliable quality control. Both TVs support major HDR formats, but only the Samsung supports HDR10+. Neither TV has great built-in speakers, so consider investing in a sound system for either model. 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 X90K (LCD)
Best in class for upscaling
Best in class motion processing
Key differences
Bright Room
9.2/10
8.0/10
7.5/10
VIEWING ANGLE
5.4/10
9.3/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.7/10
8.9/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.3/10
8.9/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
6.3/10
The Samsung QN85B (LCD) is excellent for bright room, while the Sony X90K (LCD) is very good.
The Samsung QN85B excels in a bright room due to its excellent SDR brightness and very good reflections handling, ensuring clear visibility even in well-lit environments. In contrast, the Sony X90K, while offering very good SDR brightness, only has fair performance in reflections handling, meaning it might struggle slightly more with direct light sources.
Cost
$1,199
$998
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
The Samsung QN85B (LCD) has a price of $1,199 and the Sony X90K (LCD) costs $998.
The Sony X90K (LCD) and Samsung QN85B (LCD) both have good picture quality.
Movies & TV
7.3/10
7.5/10
5.64/10
CONTRAST
7.38/10
5.7/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
6.1/10
7.5/10
UPSCALING
10.0/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
Yes
HDR10+ SUPPORT
No
No
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
Yes
The Sony X90K (LCD) and Samsung QN85B (LCD) are both good for movies & TV.
The Samsung QN85B is praised for movies and cinematic TV thanks to its excellent local dimming and very good contrast, which enhance deep blacks and overall picture quality, although its black uniformity is a bit weaker. On the other hand, the Sony X90K delivers a very good movie-watching experience with its superior contrast and better black uniformity, ensuring more consistent deep blacks, but has a lower local dimming performance which might affect the precision of illuminating specific areas during dark scenes. Both TVs offer good colors out of the box and color volume, although the Samsung has a slight edge in viewing angles, which could be significant for wide seating arrangements.
Sports
7.1/10
7.1/10
8.0/10
MOTION PROCESSING
10.0/10
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
10.0/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
7.0/10
7.5/10
UPSCALING
10.0/10
9.3/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.7/10
Yes
HLG SUPPORT
Yes
The Sony X90K (LCD) and Samsung QN85B (LCD) are both good for sports.
The Samsung QN85B is well-suited for sports due to its quick response time and wide viewing angles, ensuring clear images even during fast movements and from different seating positions; however, its reflection handling is somewhat less effective than some other TVs. In contrast, the Sony X90K excels with its superior motion processing which reduces blur during fast action, and excellent response time, but it has narrower viewing angles, making it less ideal for large groups spread out across a room.
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
76.0/100
9.0/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.6/10
The Samsung QN85B (LCD) and Sony X90K (LCD) are both very good for gaming.
The Samsung QN85B boasts excellent response time and the best input lag, which means gamers will experience smooth transitions and almost no delay between their inputs and on-screen action. In contrast, the Sony X90K also offers very good gaming performance with a very good response time and input lag, along with exceptional motion processing capabilities, allowing for smooth gameplay across various genres.
Cartoons & Animation
8.0/10
8.0/10
7.2/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
7.7/10
7.5/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
7.8/10
9.3/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.7/10
7.9/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
7.0/10
7.2/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
6.6/10
The Sony X90K (LCD) and Samsung QN85B (LCD) are both very good for cartoons & animation.
The Samsung QN85B and Sony X90K both have good colors out of the box and a good color gamut, making them suitable for watching cartoons and animation where vivid and accurate colors are crucial. While other factors are also decent, such as color volume and gray uniformity, it's the TVs' out-of-the-box color accuracy and wide color gamuts that particularly enhance the animation viewing experience.
News, Talk, & Other TV
8.2/10
8.7/10
9.3/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.7/10
7.5/10
UPSCALING
10.0/10
The Sony X90K (LCD) and Samsung QN85B (LCD) are both very good for news, talk, & other TV.
The Samsung QN85B excels in upscaling lower-resolution content like regular cable TV, making it ideal for news and talk shows, and it has excellent SDR brightness for clear images even in well-lit rooms. The Sony X90K also provides good performance for watching standard television programs, with very good upscaling and SDR brightness, along with respectable color accuracy straight out of the box, local dimming, and color gamut that contribute to a vivid picture.
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How the Samsung QN85B (LCD) and the Sony X90K (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."
"As Sony’s next-to-flagship LCD TV, the X90K series delivers impressive performance for the price. The XR90K had fairly accurate out-of-box color. The TV’s multi-position stand lets you either set the screen flush with any stand its mounted on or elevate it to clear space for a soundbar. With the latter option, you get around 3 inches of clearance enough to accommodate most soundbars. The X90K’s excellent suite of gaming features ranks it up there with the best 120 Hz 4K TVs."
Get a great deal on the Samsung QN85B (LCD) or the Sony X90K (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.
By the numbers
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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.
Jason Lew
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.
Jaime Roldán
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.