If you prioritize overall picture quality, gaming, and sports viewing, the Sony X85J is a better choice, as it performs better in these areas.
On the other hand, the Sony X77L is less expensive and may suffice if you're on a budget. If you don't need top-of-the-line picture quality or the best performance in bright rooms, the Sony X77L could save you money while meeting your needs for casual viewing. 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 Sony X77L (LCD)
Good viewing angle
Advantages of the Sony X85J (LCD)
Good for bright room
Good for gaming
Good for sports
Very good for news, talk, & other TV
Very good for cartoons & animation
Best in class for upscaling
Best in class motion processing
Key differences
Picture Quality
5.6/10
7.3/10
3.58/10
CONTRAST
7.88/10
6.3/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
7.3/10
LED
PANEL TYPE
LED
IPS
PANEL SUB-TYPE
VA
The Sony X85J (LCD) has good picture quality, while the Sony X77L (LCD) has poor picture quality.
Movies & TV
5.2/10
6.5/10
3.58/10
CONTRAST
7.88/10
5.8/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
6.9/10
7.0/10
UPSCALING
10.0/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
No
HDR10+ SUPPORT
No
No
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
Yes
The Sony X85J (LCD) is only fair for movies & TV, while the Sony X77L (LCD) is poor.
The Sony X77L struggles with movies and cinematic TV largely due to its lower contrast and poor performance in local dimming and color volume, which results in less deep blacks and less vibrant colors, despite its good colors out of the box. On the other hand, the Sony X85J, while not outstanding, fares better due to its much higher contrast ratio and better black uniformity, allowing it to display more nuanced dark scenes and a wider range of colors, even though its colors out of the box are not as accurate as the X77L.
Gaming
5.8/10
7.6/10
5.9/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
7.8/10
8.7/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
7.6/10
8.5/10
MOTION PROCESSING
10.0/10
5.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
0.0/100
6.4/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
7.5/10
The Sony X85J (LCD) is good for gaming, while the Sony X77L (LCD) is poor.
The Sony X77L has a poor response time, which is critical for gaming as it may lead to motion blur or ghosting in fast-paced games, despite its very good input lag, which means it's responsive to controller inputs. On the other hand, the Sony X85J not only has a good response time, reducing blur on fast-moving objects, but also boasts a good input lag, providing a smoother and more responsive gaming experience.
Cartoons & Animation
6.0/10
8.6/10
5.9/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
7.3/10
6.3/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
7.3/10
7.2/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.5/10
8.8/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
9.1/10
7.7/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
8.2/10
The Sony X85J (LCD) is very good for cartoons & animation, while the Sony X77L (LCD) is only fair.
The Sony X85J provides a more vibrant and broader color range, making animations look more vivid, thanks to its better color gamut, while the Sony X77L has less accurate colors right out of the box, affecting the vibrancy of cartoons and animation. Although both TVs might struggle with gray uniformity and contrast, the higher SDR brightness of the X85J can also contribute to a better viewing experience for animated content in varied lighting conditions.
News, Talk, & Other TV
6.0/10
8.2/10
7.2/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.5/10
7.0/10
UPSCALING
10.0/10
The Sony X85J (LCD) is very good for news, talk, & other TV, while the Sony X77L (LCD) is only fair.
The Sony X85J provides an excellent upscaling of low-resolution content and very good SDR brightness, making it a better choice for news and regular TV programs in a variety of lighting conditions. On the other hand, the Sony X77L, while still delivering good performance in these areas, does not match the X85J's superior colors right out of the box, color gamut, or SDR brightness, which can affect the overall viewing experience.
Bright Room
6.0/10
7.3/10
7.7/10
VIEWING ANGLE
5.3/10
7.2/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.5/10
6.2/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
7.1/10
6.3/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
5.9/10
The Sony X85J (LCD) is good for bright room, while the Sony X77L (LCD) is only fair.
The Sony X85J is better for bright rooms mainly because it has very good SDR brightness and handles reflections better compared to the Sony X77L which has only good SDR brightness and fair reflection handling. The trade-off is that the X77L has better color gamut and color volume, which means it can display a wider range of colors, but in bright environments, the superior brightness and reflection handling of the X85J provide a clearer picture.
Cost
$688
$1,200
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
The Sony X77L (LCD) has a price of $688 and the Sony X85J (LCD) costs $1,200.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Sony X85J (LCD) to be good for sports, while the Sony X77L (LCD) is only fair.
The Sony X85J shows a better performance in sports watching primarily because it has superior motion processing and faster response time compared to the Sony X77L, which translates into smoother action and less motion blur. While both handle reflections adequately, the X85J's inability to maintain color accuracy at wide viewing angles can be a limitation for larger groups, whereas the X77L, with an IPS screen, offers better viewing angles at the expense of motion handling and swiftness in scene changes.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the Sony X77L (LCD) and the Sony X85J (LCD) compare to other TVs
"For an entry-level model, Sony’s X77L is a decent 4K TV. It’s color reproduction, along with crisp and clean picture images revealed plenty of detail and clarity thanks in part to Sony’s excellent video processing."
Get a great deal on the Sony X77L (LCD) or the Sony X85J (LCD)
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
385
TVs evaluated
33,110
TVs stats compiled
21
Proprietary TVs ratings developed
99,030
Recommendations made
14,855
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.