Sony X93L 4K HDR TV Review

XR75X93L 120Hz Google Smart Mini-LED TV

Intro

The X93L resides in Sony’s premium high-end lineup of LED TVs for 2023. It sits above the X90L and below the X95L which is Sony’s top-tier LED TV for 2023. The X93L is available in 65” ($1,899), 75” ($2,799), and 85” ($3,999) screen sizes. All models are available now.

Sony’s Rebranding

Last year’s X95K has been rebranded this year as the X93L. These two models look identical and have similar specs, and Sony describes them as being very similar in overall performance. This also means the new X95L is a higher-end model than both the X95K and X93L and is actually an all-new Sony TV tier that contains better performance and features, some of which include more local dimming zones and a more powerful backlight.

Design & Features

The X93L is a beautifully designed display that will blend well with your room’s décor. It features slim metal borders (bezel) which don’t detract from the overall viewing experience. The depth of the TV is minimal for a full-array LED display and is approximately 2-1/4” deep.

The X93L display panel is illuminated with a full array of thousands of Mini-LEDs with local dimming capability that provides excellent contrast, deep black levels and impressive peak brightness.

The panel is supported by metal feet that offer three different mounting positions:  “narrow”, “wide” and an elevated “wide-soundbar” position.  The TV’s feet provide very good stability regardless of their mounting position. The overall build quality of the X93L is very good. The rear panel is made of plastic which is solidly constructed and exudes a premium feel to the touch.

Feature highlights:

• Mini LED backlight powered by XR Backlight Master Drive with local dimming for precise brightness control
• Native refresh rate: 120Hz
• XR Motion Clarity blur reduction
• High Dynamic Range (HDR10, Dolby Vision, HLG) extends picture contrast and brightness when viewing HDR content
• X-Wide Angle technology maintains accurate color and contrast when viewing from the sides
• X-Anti Reflection technology ensures a clearer screen with reduced glare and light reflection
• XR TRILUMINOS Pro display technology for a wider, more natural color palette
• Cognitive Processor XR uses powerful real-time processing based on a human perspective for a true-to-life picture
  • XR Contrast Booster 15 balances light output across the screen for improved contrast
  • XR 4K Upscaling intelligently re-creates lost textures and detail in lower-res content
• IMAX Enhanced certification for improved performance with IMAX Enhanced 4K/HDR content
• Netflix Adaptive Calibrated Mode mimics the settings on Netflix’s mastering monitors to ensure an accurate picture
• Chromecast built-in
• NextGen ATSC 3.0 tuner for over-the-air 4K broadcast
• Acoustic Multi-Audio w/ X-Balanced Drivers
• 2.2-channel audio system (60 watts)
• Acoustic Multi-Audio system uses sound-positioning tweeters at the back of the TV so the sound follows the on-screen action
• Acoustic Center Sync synchronizes TV speakers with compatible Sony sound bars for fuller, more immersive sound
• 3D Surround Upscaling uses XR signal processing to upscale even two-channel sources to simulated surround sound
• Game Mode – A dedicated Game Mode lets you enjoy ultra-smooth gaming on this TV with reduced input lag and support for 4K@120Hz, ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), plus VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) G-SYNC support (no FreeSync support)
• Optimized for PlayStation 5: With Auto HDR Tone Mapping, the TV’s HDR settings will be optimized instantly during your PS5 console’s initial setup. The PS5 automatically recognizes the Bravia XR TV and selects the best HDR setting for the TV accordingly. So even in high-contrast scenes, you’ll see the crucial details and colors in the brightest and darkest parts of the screen.
• Voice remote with a built-in microphone

Smart TV features:

• Google TV interface lets you browse live TV, movies, and TV shows from across many streaming services all in one place
• Remote has built-in Google Assistant — control basic TV functions and compatible smart home gear, search TV’s streaming services, set timers, and more
• Compatible with Apple AirPlay 2 for wireless streaming from your Apple device
• Includes access to exclusive content on BRAVIA CORE
• Works with Amazon Alexa devices

Connectivity

• 4 HDMI (two 2.0b & two 2.1) all inputs are HDCP 2.3 compatible
• HDMI 3 and HDMI 4 inputs support 4K/120Hz, Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR)
• eARC support (HDMI input 3)
• 1 Composite video input (3.5mm A/V minijack)
• 1 Digital optical output
• 1 RF input for antenna and cable signals
• 1 Ethernet input
• 2 USB inputs (one 3.0)
• Dual-band Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) provides fast, reliable wireless streaming

Performance

Note: For the most accurate picture quality use the “Custom” picture mode and the “Warm” or “Expert 1” color temperature settings.

I will start this section by saying I was very impressed with the overall picture quality of the X93L. Read on to learn why.

As was with last year’s X95K, the X93L has great peak brightness in both SDR and HDR picture modes. This was due again to the use of mini-LEDs and Sony’s XR Backlight Master Drive. The brightness output of the X93L makes it an excellent choice for well-lit rooms. It also has great reflection handling thanks to Sony’s X-Anti Reflection technology, which allows screen glare to be kept to a minimum.

*SDR peak brightness: 10% window 1,288 nits

*HDR peak brightness: 10% window 1,371 nits

The X93L produced excellent detail and clarity and was at its best with 4K HDR images. These images had great transparency and depth providing a more life-like quality.

As was with the X95K, color reproduction was outstanding on the X93L. In the “Custom” picture mode and “Warm” or “Expert 1” temperature settings the X93L had very good color accuracy. With real content, color rendering delivered a rich and vibrant color palette without appearing oversaturated. In addition to excellent color accuracy straight out of the box, the color presentation appeared very realistic and life-like in nature. Furthermore, the X93L has a great wide color gamut which allows HDR color rendering to truly shine on this display.

With local dimming set to “High”, contrast and black levels were very good on this display. Blacks were very deep and well-saturated and enhanced the image quality while watching scenes with dark content in a dark room. Additionally, black levels didn’t appear crushed which allowed for very good shadow detail and was very apparent while viewing dark movie scenes with low levels of ambient lighting.

Although I wasn’t able to do a direct comparison to the X95K, nevertheless, my research did find that the X93L does have better blooming control with subtitles and around bright areas of the screen or objects in dark scenes when compared to the X95K. I attribute this to Sony improving its backlight algorithm control. That being said, the X93L had very good blooming performance, although there was still some minimal blooming present as referenced in the areas previously mentioned above.

Black screen uniformity was very good on the X93L. The screen was a uniform even shade of black across the entire display’s surface. However, there was some slight blooming around a bright white object in the center of the screen set against a black background.

The unit I used for this review had good gray screen uniformity. The corners of the screen had some slight darkening (vignetting), and there were minimal amounts of DSE (dirty screen effect) across the entire screen which was not an issue when viewing normal content. Gray screen uniformity can vary from screen to screen, even on the same model.

Side angle viewing on the X93L was very good in my opinion, especially for an LED TV. This performance was made possible by Sony’s X-Wide Angle technology. This technology performed as advertised and allowed for very wide viewing angles from the TV screen with minimal amounts of picture quality loss, namely color saturation, and contrast, which is really the main drawback of this technology.

The X93L did a good job with motion handling and prevented motion blur and judder with the sources I used for motion handling evaluation. Sporting events and other fast-action content were produced without any motion artifacts.

The X93L’s sound quality was decent thanks in part to Sony’s Acoustic Multi-Audio technology and Sony’s X-Balanced Drivers. The audio output was spacious with decent imaging and stereo separation. The sound was more enveloping and was optimized for the location of the images on screen thanks to the additional speakers located on either side of the top backside of the panel.

The TV’s frequency response had respectable high and midrange sound output but was lacking in bass extension since flat panel designs cannot support large speakers and the space needed to produce deep bass. Nevertheless, dialogue was clear and discernible, so you won’t have trouble hearing and understanding spoken words in the content you are watching.

Conclusion

Performance-wise, Sony’s X93L checks all the important boxes: Its Mini-LED backlight technology provides great peak brightness in both SDR and HDR picture modes, as well as excellent contrast and black levels which all come together within its excellent Cognitive Processor XR video processing.

The X93L’s color accuracy and vibrancy were top-notch and produced visually stunning picture images straight out of the box. In addition, the detail and clarity produced by this display were pristine, sharp, and well refined which added a realistic quality to the X93L’s overall exceptional picture quality.

And for all the video gamers out there, this TV has you covered with all the latest advanced gaming features to take your gameplay to the next level.

For me personally, the X93l’s only drawback that affects its overall picture quality is some minimal blooming being present depending on the content being watched.

The X93L is well suited for consumers who want a high-end mini-LED TV with all the bells and whistles including an intuitive and easy-to-use smart TV platform via Google TV.

I thoroughly enjoyed reviewing the X93L and consider it a great 4K TV and it comes highly recommended by HDTVs and More.

All image credit Sony

*Source: Rtings.com