Sony XBR65X900F 4K HDR Ultra HD TV Review

X900F 120Hz Smart LED TV

Last year’s 900E was a very popular and excellent performing 4K TV. So with the recent release of its replacement, the 900F, I was eager to review this new model.

The 900F is a part of Sony’s premium XBR lineup and is available in several screen sizes that include 49, 55, 65, 75 and 85 inches respectively.

Design/Features

The XBR65X900F is an attractive TV and features a very thin bezel that surrounds the screen which gives the display an almost borderless appearance; the screen itself contains a semi-gloss finish. The panel depth on the 900F is also thin for an LED with full-array backlighting and measures approximately 2-3/4” at its thickest point.

The overall build quality of the XBR65X900F appeared to be quite decent.  The stand design on 900F has a much smaller footprint when compared to last year’s model, yet it is still well designed and gives the TV very good stability.

Features of the 900F include:

• Sony’s latest 4K HDR Processor X1 Extreme delivers powerful real-time image processing for ultra-detailed pictures. Made to enhance the latest generation of 4K HDR pictures, the 4K HDR Processor X1 Extreme brings reality to every scene.
• Sony’s 4K X-Reality PRO which upscales and processes images to appear closer to true 4K quality for remarkable clarity. Images are sharpened and refined in real time, revealing extra detail in picture images.
• X-tended Dynamic Range PRO 6x: With up to six times the contrast of conventional LED TVs, this 4K HDR TV’s X-tended Dynamic Range PRO ensures dark scenes are darker and bright scenes are brighter.
• Full-array LED backlighting with local dimming for increased contrast and black levels.
• X-Motion Clarity: Sony’s X-Motion Clarity technology keeps fast action smooth and clear. Moving images are precisely controlled to minimize blur. Even during high-speed scenes, pictures stay true with no loss in brightness.
• The 900F processes High Dynamic Range in the HDR10 and HLG formats for extended picture contrast and brightness when viewing HDR content. Furthermore, Dolby Vision HDR will be available with an upcoming firmware update which will allow the processing of HDR content in this format.
• TRILUMINOS Display technology for a wider color range
• A 10-bit panel displays more colors with finer steps of gradation for greater color reproduction with HDR sources.
• Android TV with Chromecast built-in lets you cast your favorite entertainment apps and video content from your Android or iOS device, or laptop.
• Google Assistant built-in: Use Google Assistant to find your favorite entertainment. Control your Sony TV and other connected devices using your voice.
• Remote features a built-in mic for voice recognition control of certain TV functions
• Netflix Recommended TV – This certification makes it easier for consumers to know which manufacturers HDTVs work best with its streaming video service.
• 802.11ac dual-band Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct capability
• Bluetooth wireless audio streaming to a compatible speaker or set of headphones

Connectivity

• 4 HDMI 2.0a inputs (HDCP 2.2 compliant)
• 1 Composite video input
• 3 USB inputs
• 1 Ethernet input
• 1 RF input for antenna/cable/satellite
• 1 Digital optical audio output
• 1 Analog audio output 3.5 mm

Performance

Following in the footsteps of last year’s 900E, the XBR65X900F provided excellent picture quality with all image sources I viewed including 4K, HDR and 1080p content.

As expected, HDR content provided the best image quality from the 900F. Images were visually brilliant, delivering exceptional peak highlights with plenty of detail and clarity. Colors were very vivid containing a solid and natural richness that was not present in these levels with non-HDR content.

Just as with the 900E, all 4K content I viewed on the 900F delivered outstanding picture quality. Picture attributes such as image depth and transparency, detail, and clarity were all presented with excellent quality, all of which attributed to a very three-dimensional image presentation that made for a very satisfying viewing experience.

Overall, the XBR65X900F did a very good job with the color presentation. Colors were nicely rendered with accurate tones and shading, in addition to being quite vibrant while maintaining a very natural appearance; Sony’s TRILUMINOS Display technology definitely played a part in the 900F’s great color rendering. Furthermore, this TV has a wide color gamut capability for greater color volume, which is very important for HDR content.

The native contrast ratio on the 900F is excellent thanks in part to its full-array LED backlighting with local dimming. This technology allowed this display to deliver outstanding black levels which were readily apparent in content with dark and significantly black images. I was impressed. In addition, shadow detail was also very good when viewing physical objects in scenes with low light levels.

Black screen uniformity was great on this TV. I did not see any light bleed along any of the screen’s edges, nor could I detect any clouding or flash-lighting effects. While I’m on the subject of uniformity, I will point out that I did notice some very slight dark shading in all four corners of the TV screen. This could only be seen during brightly lit picture images. I have found this to be a fairly common issue on LED TVs and would not be a deal-breaker for me.

Sony’s X-Motion Clarity aided in doing a good job at keeping motion blur and related artifacts at bay; these results were very obvious while viewing footage of a basketball game which provided plenty of fast action as the players ran up and down the court.

Side angle viewing: Color saturation and contrast loss is an expected shortcoming for most LED TVs that use VA panels when viewing the screen at wide angles. The 900F was no exception and exhibited this common behavior starting at around 15 degrees off-axis.

The sound quality from the TV’s speakers was what I expected from a thin flat panel design – the sound quality was thin and lean sounding with very little bass impact. On the other hand, the sound output delivered a sense of spaciousness that made listening a bit more enjoyable. The sound was also clear which made dialogue easy to understand.

Gaming input lag – According to my sources, input lag varies on this display. With 1080p content, the input lag is approximately 40 ms which is good. With 4K content, the input lag drops to around 24 ms which is great; therefore, the 900F will be a good TV for video gaming.

Picture Settings:

I chose the ‘Custom’ picture mode when setting up the 900F for evaluation.

Brightness: 30 – defaults to ‘Max’ with HDR signal

Contrast: 90

Gamma: 0

Black level: 50

Black adjustment: Off – use at your own discretion

Adv. contrast enhancer: Off – use at your own discretion

Auto local dimming: Med

X-tended Dynamic Range: Med

Color: 50

Hue: 0

Color temperature: Expert 1

Live Color: Off

Sharpness: 50

Motionflow: Off – use at your own discretion or as needed

Cinemotion: Off – use at your own discretion or as need

Conclusion

Sony’s XBR 900F is poised to follow in its predecessor’s recent past and become a top seller and very popular model with consumers.

I wasn’t able to do a direct comparison with the 900E; however, going off of info I’ve gathered on both TVs, I would say they are very close in overall performance with the edge in favor of the 900F.

With that said, the XBR65X900F is an excellent 4K HDR Ultra HD TV with top-notch performance in its class. I highly recommend this TV for anyone looking for a large screen solid performing LED TV with great features at a reasonable price.

You may also like this review of Sony’s XBR65X950G.

Updated on 6/29/2019.