[Chris Kelly]

According to Rtings, the X85J from 2021 has better brightness, contrast, and color volume, and is more expensive at Sony's online store than the X85K current 2022 model. Is this Sony's way to encourage more people to get the X90K model or something? Or is it possible Rtings's testing techniques changed and there's no difference between these two TVs?

 

[ababcock]

According to Rtings, the X85J from 2021 has better brightness, contrast, and color volume, and is more expensive at Sony's online store than the X85K current 2022 model. Is this Sony's way to encourage more people to get the X90K model or something? Or is it possible Rtings's testing techniques changed and there's no difference between these two TVs?

These TVs have both been retested with the latest methodology, so there's no difference there. As for differences in test results, they're extremely minor and probably simple panel variance. Overall, I'd say these are pretty much the same TV.

 

[Chris Kelly]

These TVs have both been retested with the latest methodology, so there's no difference there. As for differences in test results, they're extremely minor and probably simple panel variance. Overall, I'd say these are pretty much the same TV.

The X85J from 2021 excels in a few areas. But in the event they go out of stock by the time I'm ready to upgrade, at least the differences are minor, and still would yield the best results within my 27.5" height limitation. These TVs seem to be the brightest TVs with minimal automatic brightness limiting from 2% screen area coverage to 100% screen area coverage measuring 27.4" in height. While their black levels won't be as black as OLED or local dimming, I think of the slight glow as the equivalent of slight hiss on a high quality analog audio studio recording you can only hear if you listen for it or turn the volume way up. Being that I'm into Horror and SciFi movies on Blu-ray and DVD, brows the web and work in Windows a lot, and am not a gamer, the most important things to me are color reproduction, HDR and Dolby Vision support for 4K UHD Blu-ray discs, great static contrast, and minimal automatic brightness limiting from 2% screen area coverage to 100% screen area coverage.

 

[Chris Kelly]

I never ment to offend anyone from Rtings or any other review sites who is visiting here at AVS. I just found it strange that the 2021 model exceled over the 2022 model in certain areas and I thought someone might have firsthand experience with one or both models to confirm or disprove the differences.

 

[Lkr]

I don’t think you offended anyone, they’re essentially the same tv. differences are minor and can be panel lottery related

 

[ababcock]

I never ment to offend anyone from Rtings or any other review sites who is visiting here at AVS. I just found it strange that the 2021 model exceled over the 2022 model in certain areas and I thought someone might have firsthand experience with one or both models to confirm or disprove the differences.

No offense taken at all!

 

[Chris Kelly]

If the minor differences ARE panel lottery related, then I guess it would make more sense just to go with the 2022 model. But if more builds of the 2021 model are better than builds of the 2022 model, then it would make more sense to pick up a 2021 model before they're discontinued and wind up going permanently out-of-stock.

 

[Ladyfingers]

I returned a faulty (very blotchy blacks) 85" X85J and was given an X85K (pretty uniform panel) and a major (minor?) difference I noticed was that I could adjust brightness in Dolby Vision.

This was a big deal for me because these basic LCD sets are limited as far as blacks go and so having permanently maxed brightness made Dolby Vision unwatchable to me. I don't really know that much about what to look for when it comes to HDR, but I can say with zero hesitation that enabling Dolby Vision for Top Gun: Maverick was easily the best looking video I've ever seen in my home, and a decided leap over the old model.

Dune: Part One also looked incredible. On the X85J without Dolby Vision the gradations at the lower mid colours were a little bandy/posterised to my eye, but they were perfectly smooth and natural on the X85K.

 

[LelandC]

Any other comments on the X85K? I'm looking at the 75" as an option should it go on clearance for a great deal. This TV checks a lot of boxes for me. I'm not 100% sold on mini led as I've read most suffer from bad blooming (especially off center). I don't believe the X85K suffers from blooming as it doesn't have mini led (correct me if I'm wrong).

Does anyone else own the X85? If so how is it? I know it's a VA panel but when I view it in store the viewing angles look pretty decent to me. I need decent viewing angles for my setup and current use a 5ish year old LG IPS panel (65").

 

[Ladyfingers]

Any other comments on the X85K? I'm looking at the 75" as an option should it go on clearance for a great deal. This TV checks a lot of boxes for me. I'm not 100% sold on mini led as I've read most suffer from bad blooming (especially off center). I don't believe the X85K suffers from blooming as it doesn't have mini led (correct me if I'm wrong).

Does anyone else own the X85? If so how is it? I know it's a VA panel but when I view it in store the viewing angles look pretty decent to me. I need decent viewing angles for my setup and current use a 5ish year old LG IPS panel (65").

The X85K was my best option to get an 85" set (and once you're used to it you wonder why anyone would get anything smaller) after the place selling the equivalent Samsung confirmed all their panels had blotchy blacks. I had the X85J for a few months before I asked for a replacement due to similar panel issues and actually got an X85K with a completely uniform panel as a replacement. Got it off Sony's Australian eBay account, so I can recommend their service.

In a dark room, the black levels aren't great compared to a set with local dimming or OLED, obviously, but with the brightness at 0/Min it's a lot better than a projection screen at a good cinema. If there was a way to dial down the backlight a notch or two more, it'd be pretty amazing, as even at brightness 0 the highlights are still crazy in a dark room. I was beginning to think HDR was overhyped but with this much brightness on tap it really is something to see. I think in terms of PQ, it's about as good as you're going to get for conventional non-local-dimming LCD.

Featurewise, I can't imagine anything better for the money. VRR, eARC, Dolby Vision, everything you could want from a modern TV. With Gamer Mode enabled, there's no trailing or smearing and lag isn't perceptible. It's great for actual games.

Only minor drawback is a bit of noise when changing sources through eARC, but there are always claims this will be fixed with an update. Same problem on X85J was a little reduced - but not eliminated - with an update. Also, with a set this size, the VA viewing angle limitations are easily apparent, but obviously not a problem when you're in the right spot.

Bear in mind my last TV was a 46" Z4500 from 2008, which I was always happy with it for what it was and kept for 14 years, and this is a massive overall upgrade even though that was an IPS panel. Keep your expectations in check with the black levels (they're still good for this type of set) and you should be very happy with this much TV for the price.

Edited to add: Viewing angles are a bit of an issue, but not in my setup. I once watched it from the Other Sofa (about 30° off-axis) when I had guests and it was still very watchable but obviously a little compromised. I recommend a wall-mount that allows vertical tilt to point the screen directly at you.

 

[LelandC]

The X85K was my best option to get an 85" set (and once you're used to it you wonder why anyone would get anything smaller) after the place selling the equivalent Samsung confirmed all their panels had blotchy blacks. I had the X85J for a few months before I asked for a replacement due to similar panel issues and actually got an X85K with a completely uniform panel as a replacement. Got it off Sony's Australian eBay account, so I can recommend their service.

In a dark room, the black levels aren't great compared to a set with local dimming or OLED, obviously, but with the brightness at 0/Min it's a lot better than a projection screen at a good cinema. If there was a way to dial down the backlight a notch or two more, it'd be pretty amazing, as even at brightness 0 the highlights are still crazy in a dark room. I was beginning to think HDR was overhyped but with this much brightness on tap it really is something to see. I think in terms of PQ, it's about as good as you're going to get for conventional non-local-dimming LCD.

Featurewise, I can't imagine anything better for the money. VRR, eARC, Dolby Vision, everything you could want from a modern TV. With Gamer Mode enabled, there's no trailing or smearing and lag isn't perceptible. It's great for actual games.

Only minor drawback is a bit of noise when changing sources through eARC, but there are always claims this will be fixed with an update. Same problem on X85J was a little reduced - but not eliminated - with an update. Also, with a set this size, the VA viewing angle limitations are easily apparent, but obviously not a problem when you're in the right spot.

Bear in mind my last TV was a 46" Z4500 from 2008, which I was always happy with it for what it was and kept for 14 years, and this is a massive overall upgrade even though that was an IPS panel. Keep your expectations in check with the black levels (they're still good for this type of set) and you should be very happy with this much TV for the price.

Edited to add: Viewing angles are a bit of an issue, but not in my setup. I once watched it from the Other Sofa (about 30° off-axis) when I had guests and it was still very watchable but obviously a little compromised. I recommend a wall-mount that allows vertical tilt to point the screen directly at you.

Just wondering if you or any other X85K owner can comment on whether the X85K puts out anymore heat than other LED's I need to put it a corner due to my setup and that's where my thermostat happens to be also. I've had all my other tv's in that same corner with no discernable effect on said thermostat. The reason I ask is I notice the energy start sticker (here in the US) is higher than some other LED's so it must use a little more energy (not a big deal) unless it puts out a lot more heat.

 

[Ladyfingers]

Just wondering if you or any other X85K owner can comment on whether the X85K puts out anymore heat than other LED's I need to put it a corner due to my setup and that's where my thermostat happens to be also. I've had all my other tv's in that same corner with no discernable effect on said thermostat. The reason I ask is I notice the energy start sticker (here in the US) is higher than some other LED's so it must use a little more energy (not a big deal) unless it puts out a lot more heat.

I haven't noticed any heat, and my TV is mounted quite closely to the wall. I can only assume the energy use is high because its backlight is not dynamic, so it'll use the same power regardless of image brightness. I can only guess that the bigger the set, the more power too.

 

[hamshi]

It's unlikely that Sony is intentionally trying to push people towards the X90K model by making the X85J more expensive than the X85K. Pricing strategies are typically based on market demand, production costs, and other economic factors, and not on trying to steer customers towards a higher-priced product.
It's also possible that Rtings' testing methodology has changed or that there are other factors at play that affect their assessment of the two TVs. However, it's worth noting that the X85J is generally considered a higher-end model than the X85K, so it's not surprising that it has better performance specs and a higher price point. Ultimately, the best way to determine which TV is right for you is to compare the features, performance, and price of both models and decide which one meets your specific needs and budget.