Sony X85J (LCD)
Sony X85J (LCD)
Last updated -- hours ago | Report incorrect information
PICTURE QUALITY: Good—7.3/10
MOVIES & TV: Fair—6.5/10
GAMING: Good—7.6/10
SPORTS: Good—7.2/10
CARTOONS & ANIMATION: Very Good—8.6/10
NEWS & TALK: Very Good—8.2/10
BRIGHT ROOM: Good—7.3/10
The Sony X85J is an upper midrange LCD TV with strengths in diverse content handling and a good choice for varied viewing situations—performing well with sports, gaming, and general TV viewing. However, it has only fair performance in dark rooms due to its lack of local dimming, which affects its ability to display deep blacks. It excels with motion handling and upscaling, making it suitable for watching high-action content or older, lower-resolution shows. Although the sound quality is adequate, it may not match the immersive experience some viewers expect, especially for movie watching. With its VA panel, it offers good contrast but struggles with wide viewing angles, and reflected light may be more noticeable in very bright rooms. It supports standard HDR formats, but not HDR10+ and it has four HDMI ports, making it versatile for connecting devices and using as a monitor. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Evaluation
Pros
- Good overall picture quality
- Good for gaming
- Performs well in bright rooms
- Wide color gamut, rich colors
- Supports major HDR formats
Cons
- Mediocre dark room performance
- Narrow viewing angle
- Poor reflection handling
- No HDR10+ support
Ratings by Category
Cartoons & Animaton:4.6
The Sony X85J excels in displaying cartoons and animations due to its 'Excellent' performance in colors out of the box, which means it shows vibrant and accurate colors without the need for calibration. Additionally, it has 'Good' color gamut and volume, indicating a wide range of colors and the ability to display them across different brightness levels, enhancing the visual experience for animated content.
News, Talk & Reality TV:4.5
PerfectRec’s news, talk, & other TV score prioritizes upscaling, brightness, contrast, out of the box color accuracy, and screen uniformity. This is because almost all news and talk shows are created in Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) with lower resolutions, such as 720P and 1080P. The purpose of this prioritization is to ensure that lower resolution content looks good on a 4K display and to help you identify which TV will perform best when watching live TV via Cable, Satellite, or Antenna.
Gaming:4.3
PerfectRec’s gaming score measures a TV's performance when it comes to playing video games. It is based on several factors that can significantly impact the quality of the gaming experience, including screen response time, input lag, and refresh rate. Screen response time is a critical factor that determines how quickly the TV can transition from one color to the next, while input lag measures the delay between the gaming console output and the TV display. Refresh rate refers to the number of times per second that the TV displays a new frame, which can impact the smoothness of the gaming experience. The gaming score also takes into account two other features: local dimming in gaming mode, which can enhance contrast and picture quality, and black frame insertion, which can reduce screen brightness and create a smoother gaming experience.
Sports:4.1
The Sony X85J is well-suited for watching sports due to its excellent motion processing capabilities that keep fast action smooth, which is crucial during sports games. However, it has poor reflection handling, meaning it might struggle in bright rooms, so it's best to use it in an environment with controlled lighting.
Bright Room:4.1
The Sony X85J is considered good for bright rooms primarily because it has very good SDR brightness, which means it can produce bright images that stand out even in well-lit environments. However, its capability to handle reflections is poor, which might affect viewing quality if there are direct light sources facing the screen.
Overall Picture:4.1
The Sony X85J LCD TV provides an excellent viewing experience primarily due to its strong contrast ratio and well-handled black uniformity, which contribute to deep blacks and a more immersive picture, especially in dark scenes. Additionally, the colors right out of the box are impressive, offering a rich color gamut and good color volume, ensuring vibrant and accurate visuals without the need for immediate calibration.
Movies & TV shows:3.6
The Sony X85J offers great contrast and excellent colors out of the box, suitable for watching movies and cinematic TV. However, its lack of local dimming and the limited viewing angles may reduce the depth of blacks and the consistency of colors when watching from an angle, which can be limiting for wide-seating arrangements or if you like moving around the room while viewing.
Full Specs
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
| Price | $750 | ||
Brand | Sony | ||
Release Date | April 1, 2021 | ||
Full name | KD-43X85J | ||
Screen Size | 43" | ||
Screen Resolution | 4K | ||
TV FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Operating System | Android TV | ||
Sound Quality Score  | 7.5/10 | ||
NextGen Ready | Yes | ||
HDMI Ports | 4 | ||
Coax Ports | 1 | ||
DISPLAY QUALITY SCORES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Picture Quality Score | 7.3/10 | ||
Bright Room Score | 7.4/10 | ||
Gaming Score | 7.6/10 | ||
Movies & TV Score | 6.6/10 | ||
Sports Score | 7.3/10 | ||
PHYSICAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Dimensions w/o Stand (H x W x D) | 22.2" x 38" x 2.7" | ||
Dimensions with Stand (H x W) | 24.7" x 38" | ||
Weight without Stand | 22.5 lbs | ||
VESA Mount | 200 x 200 | ||
DISPLAY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Color Depth | 10 bit | ||
Black Frame Insertion | Yes | ||
Auto Low Latency Mode | Yes | ||
Contrast | 7.9/10 | ||
Local Dimming | 2.5/10 | ||
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Speaker Setup | 2.0 | ||
Speaker Power | 20 W | ||
Dolby Atmos | Yes | ||
DTS:X | Up to DTS Digital Surround, Bypass only | ||
Comparison charts
Give feedback
We're constantly perfecting our model
TV guides you may be interested in
Compare Sony X85J (LCD) to similarly priced alternatives
FAQs
Why trust us
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
385
TVs evaluated
33,110
TVs stats compiled
21
Proprietary TVs ratings developed
120,030
Recommendations made
18,005
Consumer hours saved
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
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
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.
Featured in
