If you're looking for superior picture quality and performance for various content like movies, sports, and gaming, the Sony X90L is the better option with better motion handling and a brighter display that suits bright rooms well. However, it comes at a significantly higher price. On the other hand, the TCL S450G is more affordable, but it lacks the advanced features and picture quality of the Sony. It has a lower brightness, which may not be optimal for very bright rooms, and a lower motion handling capability, making it less ideal for action-packed content and gaming. Both TVs offer smart features and voice commands, but the Sony has a higher refresh rate and supports more advanced sound formats, enhancing the overall viewing and listening experience. 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 X90L (LCD)
Very good for bright room
Good for dark room
Very good for gaming
Good for movies & TV
Good for sports
Excellent for news, talk, & other TV
Very good for cartoons & animation
Good for use as monitor
Best in class for upscaling
Best in class motion processing
Advantages of the TCL S450G (LCD)
The TCL S450G (LCD) has no clear advantages over the Sony X90L (LCD).
Key differences
Picture Quality
7.8/10
5.9/10
7.125/10
CONTRAST
5.64/10
8.8/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
6.2/10
LED FALD
PANEL TYPE
LED
VA
PANEL SUB-TYPE
VA
The Sony X90L (LCD) has good picture quality, while the TCL S450G (LCD) has poor picture quality.
Movies & TV
7.6/10
5.6/10
7.125/10
CONTRAST
5.64/10
6.0/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
6.1/10
10.0/10
UPSCALING
6.0/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
No
HDR10+ SUPPORT
No
Yes
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
Yes
The Sony X90L (LCD) is good for movies & TV, while the TCL S450G (LCD) is poor.
The Sony X90L provides superior contrast, effective local dimming, and better black uniformity, which significantly enhances the depth and detail in darker movie scenes, whereas the TCL S450G struggles in these aspects, leading to a less immersive cinematic experience. While both TVs have their limitations in terms of colors, color volume, and viewing angles, the Sony's performance in these somewhat important areas is still ahead of the TCL, contributing to a more vivid and consistent picture.
Sports
7.2/10
6.1/10
10.0/10
MOTION PROCESSING
4.6/10
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
7.0/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
10.0/10
10.0/10
UPSCALING
6.0/10
9.4/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.5/10
Yes
HLG SUPPORT
Yes
The Sony X90L (LCD) is good for sports, while the TCL S450G (LCD) is only fair.
The Sony X90L outperforms the TCL S450G in watching sports mainly due to its superior motion processing and better handling of reflections, which are crucial for fast-paced action and bright environments. However, the TCL S450G offers a wider viewing angle, which might be beneficial in a room where viewers are spread out, but it falls short in response time and motion processing by comparison.
Gaming
8.1/10
5.6/10
8.0/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
5.7/10
7.0/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
10.0/10
10.0/10
MOTION PROCESSING
4.6/10
73.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
18.0/100
8.6/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.7/10
The Sony X90L (LCD) is very good for gaming, while the TCL S450G (LCD) is poor.
The Sony X90L offers excellent gaming performance with a very fast response time and low input lag that can enhance fast-paced gaming experiences, whereas the TCL S450G has significantly slower response time and higher input lag, making it less suitable for gaming where quick reflexes are crucial. Additionally, the Sony X90L supports a higher refresh rate, which makes motion look smoother, something the TCL S450G lacks, affecting gameplay fluidity.
Cartoons & Animation
8.6/10
5.8/10
7.7/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
5.9/10
8.8/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
6.2/10
9.4/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.5/10
8.0/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
6.2/10
6.6/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
6.6/10
The Sony X90L (LCD) is very good for cartoons & animation, while the TCL S450G (LCD) is poor.
The Sony X90L delivers very good colors out of the box and has a good color gamut, which ensures that cartoons and animations look vibrant and true to life, whereas the TCL S450G offers fair colors out of the box with a poor color gamut, making such content appear less vivid and less accurately portrayed.
News, Talk, & Other TV
9.0/10
5.6/10
9.4/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.5/10
10.0/10
UPSCALING
6.0/10
The Sony X90L (LCD) is excellent for news, talk, & other TV, while the TCL S450G (LCD) is poor.
The Sony X90L is excellent for watching news and TV programs due to its high-quality upscaling, which makes lower-resolution content look better, and its excellent SDR brightness that ensures a bright and clear picture. In contrast, the TCL S450G is considered poor for the same content because its upscaling quality is not as refined and its SDR brightness is notably lower, which may result in a dimmer picture.
Bright Room
8.6/10
5.7/10
5.5/10
VIEWING ANGLE
5.0/10
9.4/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.5/10
8.3/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.5/10
5.9/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
6.6/10
The Sony X90L (LCD) is very good for bright room, while the TCL S450G (LCD) is poor.
The Sony X90L is well-suited for bright rooms thanks to its excellent SDR and HDR brightness and despite handling reflections poorly. In contrast, the TCL S450G struggles in bright environments due to its poor SDR brightness and only fair reflection handling.
Cost
$998
$368
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Sony X90L (LCD) has a price of $998 and the TCL S450G (LCD) costs $368.
"TCL, though, has built much of its success on affordable sets, and the 2023 TCL S Class S4 with Google TV is a testament to just how good of a TV you can get for an affordable price tag"
Get a great deal on the Sony X90L (LCD) or the TCL S450G (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.
About TCL
TCL, the highly recognizable TV brand from China, has firmly established itself as the second-largest manufacturer in terms of sales volume. Renowned for striking an impressive balance between affordability, picture quality, and design, TCL TVs deliver a compelling overall package. While they have traditionally excelled in the low-end and midrange TV segments, TCL has recently made remarkable strides in the realm of high-end televisions, introducing impressive models that rival top competitors. Most TCL TVs use Roku software which is very user friendly and easy to use, but they have a few other models that use Google TV which has the largest app selection, but is not as user friendly as Roku.
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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