Sony X90L Review: Is It The Best TV For You?

03 May, 2025

Can a television truly transport you to another world, immersing you in visuals so captivating they redefine your viewing experience? The Sony X90L, with its full array LED screen and Cognitive Processor XR, aims to do just that, promising breathtakingly beautiful pictures with realistic depth.

The allure of a new television often lies in its ability to enhance the senses. The Sony X90L/X90CL positions itself as a significant upgrade over its predecessors, the X90K/X90CK models. The improvements are tangible, particularly in the realm of High Dynamic Range (HDR) performance. The X90L boasts increased brightness, ensuring specular highlights stand out with greater clarity and impact. Moreover, the local dimming feature has been refined, resulting in reduced blooming around bright areas, deeper blacks, and smoother zone transitions. The difference is not just incremental; the X90L distinguishes itself by being far superior to the Sony Bravia 3, offering a more immersive viewing experience.

Feature	Sony X90L	Reference
Display Technology	Full Array LED	Sony Official Website
Processor	Cognitive Processor XR
Brightness (HDR)	Significantly Brighter
Local Dimming	Improved, with Deeper Blacks and Reduced Blooming
HDMI 2.1	Yes, for Gaming
Compared to Predecessor	Noticeable Improvement over X90K/X90CK
Compared to Other Models	Outperforms Bravia 3; Comparisons with LG and Samsung models are included.
Warranty	Costco provides an extended warranty (5 years).
Price Protection	Costco offers price protection for 90 days.

The X90L's enhanced local dimming feature is a key element in its improved contrast performance. Blacks are rendered deeper, maintaining their intensity even when bright highlights are present on the screen. This results in a more impactful HDR experience, with the X90L being the brighter television overall, even in brightly lit rooms, minimizing glare and maximizing visual impact.

The advantages of the X90L extend to gaming, thanks to its HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, providing a smoother, more responsive gaming experience. The choice between the X90L and X90CL models often depends on specific requirements, as their performance metrics are essentially identical, with the most notable distinction being the inclusion of a backlit remote on the X90CL.

The benefits of choosing an X90L extend beyond picture quality. Purchasing from retailers like Costco comes with added advantages, including extended warranties and price protection policies. For instance, Costco provides what is effectively a five-year warranty and a price protection guarantee for up to 90 days, if the price drops, which require the submission of an online form.

However, the television landscape is competitive. For those considering alternatives, the LG B4 OLED presents a strong challenge. While the Sony excels in brightness, particularly in Standard Dynamic Range (SDR), and offers better reflection handling, the LG B4 boasts perfect blacks, thanks to its OLED panel. Despite the Sony's slightly brighter picture and edge in brighter rooms, the LGs OLED panel provides the best contrast.

The process of selecting a television often involves extensive research. Comparing price, performance, and features is crucial. The 65 and 75-inch X93L models use the same panel as the X95K, but the 85-inch models, with superior native contrast and more dimming zones, offer significant advantages. Retailers like Costco offer appealing deals, for example, a Samsung 55" Q80C at a reduced price and extended warranties.

When assessing different models, the underlying operating system's processor also matters. The performance of a televisions operating system significantly influences user experience. For example, a Samsung "The Frame" model can be snappy and responsive, while others, such as a lower-end Samsung from Walmart, may lag. The Hisense U7K and Sony X90L/X90CL are similar, but the Hisense has a slight edge overall. The Sony provides brighter HDR and SDR performance, whereas the Hisense offers superior reflection handling.

Choosing the right television can be a personal journey. Many users express satisfaction with the X90L, especially those upgrading from previous models like the Sony X950H. However, other options, such as OLEDs, like the LG C2 and Sony A80K, offer amazing contrast, but may not provide the same smoothness in motion handling or be suited for all viewers, some find their eyes more sensitive to OLED displays.

The Sony Bravia 7 QLED is another competitor. The Bravia 7 offers better contrast with an improved local dimming system. Its brightness, especially in HDR, delivers more impactful highlights. The X90L has a wider viewing angle, though both TVs could be better in this aspect. The LG C3 OLED provides inky blacks due to its nearly infinite contrast ratio and perfect black uniformity, which makes it superior for viewing with friends due to its wide viewing angle and also excellent for gaming. On the other hand, the Sony X90L/X90CL and Samsung QN85D are comparable, with the Samsung excelling in contrast, black uniformity, and dark room content.

Comparing other models, such as the LG QNED85, The Sony X90L/X90CL is slightly superior due to its increased brightness. The LG has a wider viewing angle, which makes it better for group viewing. Furthermore, in most ways, the Sony X90L/X90CL outperforms the Samsung Q80C QLED. The Sony offers superior contrast and black uniformity, which results in deeper blacks with less blooming. It also offers a broader color gamut and better color volume, which makes HDR content more impactful. But the Samsung has a wider viewing angle.

When it comes to the Samsung QN85C and the Sony X90L/X90CL, the former has a wider viewing angle, making it better suited for viewing with friends. It is also slightly better for gamers due to its lower input lag and full HDMI 2.1 bandwidth. However, the Sony has a faster response time, which translates to less blur during quick motion.

For those who prioritize inky blacks, the LG B3 OLED excels due to its nearly infinite contrast ratio and perfect black uniformity. The LG is also a better option for group viewing due to its wide viewing angle. The Sony X90L is also an excellent option for gaming.

The Sony 75-inch X90L is often regarded as an excellent television for most people. Its color and lighting, enhanced by the XR Clear Processor, are significantly better. Side-by-side comparisons in stores like Costco highlight its superiority over other LED TVs. The X90L local dimming feature enhances contrast, maintaining deep blacks even when highlights are on the screen. This also increases the brightness for a more impactful HDR experience. The X90L also has more HDMI 2.1 bandwidth than some competitors, which is beneficial for gaming.

In comparison, the Samsung QN90D/QN90DD QLED has deeper contrast and is brighter in most HDR content. However, in game mode, the Sony maintains its brightness better. If accuracy is essential, the Sony model has a significant edge and has the better image processing. The TCL is a punchier TV with better black levels and peak brightness. However, the Sony is more accurate in SDR and HDR and has better image processing. The TCL is slightly better for gaming.

Comparing the Samsung QN90C/QN90CD QLED with the Sony X90L/X90CL, the Samsung has better reflection handling and SDR brightness, which suits bright rooms. It also gets brighter in HDR and has lower input lag for gamers. Again, the Sony Bravia 7 QLED emerges as a strong contender, with improved contrast, local dimming, and HDR brightness, but the X90L does have a wider viewing angle.

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