If you find yourself often watching TV in a brightly lit room and are keen on the best picture quality for movies and gaming, the Samsung QN90B with its superior brightness may be worth the additional cost. However, if you're looking for a more budget-friendly option that still performs well for a variety of content, including sports and general TV watching, and are willing to sacrifice some peak brightness and picture quality, then the Sony X90L could be a more cost-effective choice. Both sets support gaming features, but the Samsung may offer slight advantages in this regard. Keep in mind that the Sony may have some additional user-friendly features like varied stand configurations that could influence your decision based on your setup requirements. 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 QN90B (LCD)
Best in class for bright room
Very good for movies & TV
Very good for use as monitor
Good viewing angle
Excellent reflections
Advantages of the Sony X90L (LCD)
Best in class for upscaling
Best in class motion processing
Key differences
Bright Room
9.7/10
8.6/10
7.4/10
VIEWING ANGLE
5.5/10
9.4/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.4/10
9.3/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.3/10
9.0/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
5.9/10
The Samsung QN90B (LCD) is best in class for bright room, while the Sony X90L (LCD) is very good.
The Samsung QN90B offers excellent SDR and HDR brightness and deals with reflections excellently, making it the ideal choice for bright rooms. On the other hand, the Sony X90L also provides excellent SDR brightness and very good HDR brightness, but it has a poorer reflection handling capability, which may reduce viewing quality in well-lit conditions. Both TVs offer good color gamut and very good to best color volume, ensuring rich and vibrant image quality.
Cost
$1,600
$998
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Samsung QN90B (LCD) has a price of $1,600 and the Sony X90L (LCD) costs $998.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Samsung QN90B (LCD) to have very good picture quality, while the Sony X90L (LCD) has good picture quality.
Movies & TV
8.1/10
7.6/10
7.00/10
CONTRAST
7.125/10
7.0/10
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
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Samsung QN90B (LCD) to be very good for movies & TV, while the Sony X90L (LCD) is good.
The Samsung QN90B is very good for watching movies and cinematic TV due to its higher local dimming and black uniformity scores, which contribute to better contrast and deeper blacks essential for movie watching, but it has narrower viewing angles which could be limiting if you're not sitting directly in front of the TV. Meanwhile, the Sony X90L also performs well with slightly better colors out of the box and similarly excellent color volume, but its lower score in local dimming and poorer viewing angle may affect the viewing experience when watching content with dark scenes or if you have a wide seating arrangement.
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
9.4/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.4/10
Yes
HLG SUPPORT
Yes
The Sony X90L (LCD) and Samsung QN90B (LCD) are both good for sports.
The Samsung QN90B offers excellent reflection handling and very good response time, which is beneficial for watching sports in bright rooms and for smooth motion. The Sony X90L, while having good reflection handling, excels with its motion processing capabilities, providing very good response time that ensures fast-moving sports action is crisp and clear. Both TVs have their strengths for sports viewing, but if you often watch in a bright room, you might prefer the Samsung for its better reflections handling, whereas if motion clarity is your top priority, the Sony might be the better choice.
Gaming
8.3/10
8.1/10
8.3/10
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
9.3/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.6/10
The Samsung QN90B (LCD) and Sony X90L (LCD) are both very good for gaming.
The Samsung QN90B provides an excellent gaming experience with its very good response time and the best input lag performance, which ensures minimal delay between your actions and what's displayed on the screen. On the other hand, the Sony X90L also offers very good response time for gaming, but its input lag performance is not as strong as the Samsung's, potentially leading to slightly longer delays in registering input, which could be a consideration for competitive gaming.
Cartoons & Animation
8.8/10
8.6/10
7.8/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
7.7/10
8.2/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
8.8/10
9.4/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.4/10
9.5/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
8.0/10
6.6/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
6.6/10
The Samsung QN90B (LCD) and Sony X90L (LCD) are both very good for cartoons & animation.
The Samsung QN90B stands out for its excellent color performance right out of the box and has a very good color gamut, making it ideal for vibrant and consistent colors in cartoons and animation. On the other hand, the Sony X90L also offers very good immediate color accuracy and a strong color gamut, ensuring that animated content is displayed with rich and true-to-life hues, but it does not excel quite as much as the Samsung in these areas.
News, Talk, & Other TV
9.0/10
9.0/10
9.4/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.4/10
8.0/10
UPSCALING
10.0/10
The Sony X90L (LCD) and Samsung QN90B (LCD) are both excellent for news, talk, & other TV.
The Samsung QN90B excels in upscaling and shines with bright, vivid SDR content, making it very suitable for daytime viewing of news and talk shows. Sony X90L, on the other hand, is also excellent at handling lower resolution content with its great upscaling, ensuring that everyday TV programs look clear, and it delivers exceptional SDR brightness that keeps images bright and clear, but it may struggle with reflections more than the Samsung QN90B.
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How the Samsung QN90B (LCD) and the Sony X90L (LCD) compare to other TVs
"The QN90B delivers one of the brightest pictures we’ve ever seen, showcasing HDR content better than just about every LCD/LED TV on the market. If all you’re planning on doing is watching cable TV, broadcast channels, and a fair share of streaming shows or movies, the QN90B is sure to impress. All four of the QN90B’s HDMI 2.1 ports support 4K gaming at 120fps a centerpiece feature of the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5."
Get a great deal on the Samsung QN90B (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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