Sony X90L vs Sharp GR8

HDR on the Sony X90L television looks promising. The luminance chart indicated that the TV has a solid power reserve, achieving a maximum of 1000 nits in synthetic tests. But how does this perform in real-world scenarios? In scenes such as the opening of Life of Pi or the final sequence from The Meg, the TV is capable of delivering that power on HDR content, reaching around 800 nits. Unfortunately, displaying small light elements on a black background, like in the scene from Sicario 2, presents greater challenges for the X90L – here the results reach around 600 nits. Nevertheless, when looking at competitive models with mini-LED technology, the effect looks very good and can shine enough to impress us. The colour gamut coverage is also noteworthy, with a result of 96% for DCI-P3 and 76% for BT.2020, which indicates good colour reproduction in HDR content.

Sharp GR8 in its promotional materials boasts of "very high brightness" at a level of 500 nits. Unfortunately, our tests showed that reality is somewhat different – the average luminance we were able to achieve was around 360 nits. This is rather an average result, especially in the context of the manufacturer's claims. Such brightness does not allow for a full enjoyment of HDR effects. The image is a bit sharper than in standard SDR, but it's hard to talk about true vibrancy and depth of bright elements here. However, the coverage of the DCI-P3 colour palette at 95% deserves praise. This is the result of applying an additional PFS coating, known from QLED technology. As a result, colours are vibrant and have a pleasant, natural tone, which partially compensates for the shortcomings in brightness.

The best mode on Sony televisions is the IMAX Enhanced mode. Although IMAX is mainly associated with the cinema experience, the colour reproduction out of the box is average here. In the case of lower quality materials, such as HD – regular television or YouTube – it's worth paying attention to the white balance. It suffers from a shortfall in red and excessive dominance of blue, which gives the image a pinkish hue. The brightness characteristic, or gamma, for HD content is quite acceptable, but a slight boost can cause the image to appear washed out and look as if it’s behind a light fog.

For 4K HDR content, the situation is somewhat different. The white balance shows a significant boost in blue, which makes the image unnaturally sharp and gives it an artificial feel. Such an exaggeration in colour reproduction may not appeal to everyone, especially if one prefers more realistic tones. Additionally, the EOTF curve in Sony X90L looks quite acceptable at first glance. However, at the end of the graph, there are certain fluctuations that suggest the television is trying to maintain the correct brightness to avoid overexposing larger elements.

At the beginning, it's worth noting that colour reproduction tests are always conducted in the best factory picture mode. In the case of Sharp GR8, this is the “Film” mode. When it comes to white balance, which affects how we perceive colours on the screen, in SDR mode the strong dominance of blue immediately stands out. This results in an unnatural cooling of the image – blue elements take on a purple hue, and skin tones appear to have a pink tint, which we can see in the comparative photo from the film STAR WARS. During the Color Checker test, it was clearly visible how the colour samples deviated from the standard values, confirming significant errors in colour reproduction. The gamma was also not ideal – it caused excessive brightening of the entire image, causing the scene to lose depth and proper tonal transitions.

In the 4K HDR mode, the situation looks much better. The dominance of blue is much less noticeable, although there are minor issues with the blending of red and blue. This makes some shades look slightly unnatural. The EOTF curve, which is responsible for image brightness in 4K HDR content, showed another problem – the TV tends to excessively darken the image across the entire surface of the screen.

To summarise, the “Film” mode in Sharp GR8 would require some adjustments in order to fully utilise the potential of this television. Fortunately, we took care of this and proceeded with calibration.

Sony offers many tools for improving picture quality, including two extra picture modes that we decided to use during testing and apply calibration to. This solution greatly simplifies the calibration process and is very effective, provided you have the right tools. In the case of HD content, white balance was almost perfectly aligned – only one shade of grey exceeds an error value of "1", which is a great result. The same can be said for the brightness characteristic (gamma), which presents almost perfectly, with microscopic deviations of around 0.01.

For 4K HDR content, the situation is not as ideal. Although white balance has been significantly improved, it was not possible to completely eliminate the dominance of blue. Nevertheless, errors in the Colour Checker test only occasionally exceed the value of "2", which means that picture distortions are practically unnoticeable. When it comes to the EOTF curve, it's worth activating the filter in the top right corner "EOTF in Films" – the graph looks correct, but the TV struggles with illuminating very small elements, which is due to the limited number of backlight zones. Despite these minor errors, it's thanks to the calibration that the IMAX Enhanced mode in the Sony X90L makes watching movies feel like a true cinema experience.

Sharp GR8 is one of those televisions that really gains a second life after proper calibration. Both in HD and 4K content, the white balance performs very well, especially considering this model's price segment. The picture becomes significantly closer to what the director intended to show – colours appear natural, and skin tones gain the right depth and warmth. The brightness characteristics also leave a very positive impression. Both the gamma and the EOTF curve demonstrate really solid values. While slight imperfections can be noticed, they are subtle enough that it's difficult to see them during everyday viewing. In summary, calibration allows Sharp GR8 to show its best face, offering a picture that is not only pleasant to the eye but also faithfully conveys the creators' intentions.

The Sony X90L television features a smooth tonal transition function known as Gentle Gradation, which is incredibly effective. Even at the "low" setting, the effects are satisfactory, but at the "medium" setting, it works like a dream – we recommend using this option for the best results. The image scaling on the Sony X90L is simply excellent. The image is not overly sharpened, which gives a natural effect and makes everything look cohesive. It's clear that the engineers have really put effort into this aspect, creating a solution that impresses and performs well in everyday use. This means that even when watching content like regular television or YouTube, where the image is by nature not stunning, you can enjoy a smooth, coherent, and visually pleasing experience.

Sharp GR8 is equipped with a feature called "10-bit colour reproduction," which theoretically should improve the smoothness of tonal transitions. In practice… well, the effect is surprising, but not in a very positive way. Even at the highest settings, it’s hard to notice any impact on the actual tonal transitions. Instead, the feature surprisingly smooths out things it shouldn’t - walls, shirts, or other flat surfaces look almost as if they have been ironed. In the test, we had to note that there is simply no actual impact on tonal transitions.

When it comes to image scaling, Sharp GR8 performs significantly better. The television can give the image a plastic, smooth characteristic, making even lower resolution content look quite good. Of course, with more demanding details, such as thin branches of trees in the background, you can see slight jaggedness, but it’s not something that would significantly affect the viewing comfort.

Sony X90L with a 120 Hz display is an excellent choice for both gamers and film enthusiasts. The television is equipped with the Motion Flow smoothing feature, which allows for adjusting motion smoothness using two sliders: "smoothness" and "clarity". The "smoothness" slider controls the level of motion fluidity, which affects the reduction of image stuttering, while "clarity" is used to reduce blurriness and enhance motion sharpness, which is especially useful in dynamic scenes.

This is where Sharp GR8 has the opportunity to stand out against the competition in its price segment. The television is equipped with a 144 Hz refresh rate panel, which is an impressive result, especially if we plan to use it for dynamic content such as action films, sports broadcasts, or video games. Additionally, the manufacturer has included a motion smoothing feature, commonly known as a 'smoother'. The user has three levels of adjustment available, allowing them to tailor the effect to their personal preferences – from subtle smoothing to a more aggressive intervention in the fluidity of the image. It's a nice addition, particularly for those who mainly watch films and care about smooth, cinematic sequences without annoying judders or stuttering.

Sony X90L is a TV that performs well in terms of compatibility with consoles and features for gamers. Its 120 Hz panel and two HDMI 2.1 ports with a bandwidth of 48 Gb/s allow for smooth playback of high-resolution games at high frame rates. Gamers can also take advantage of the ALLM feature, which automatically switches the TV to low latency mode, and VRR, which ensures smooth gameplay without frame tearing. The Game Bar is an added bonus – an intuitive tool that provides quick access to essential settings and gaming features, making it easier to control the gameplay.

Unfortunately, when it comes to HDR in games, the Sony X90L has its limitations. It lacks support for HGiG, a standard that many gamers consider crucial for accurate HDR representation in games. While the TV supports Dolby Vision, which theoretically could enhance image quality in games, the practical implementation of this feature is problematic. Dolby Vision in game mode comes with very high input lag, making gameplay less comfortable and precise movements more difficult. Additionally, Dolby Vision cannot be enabled alongside VRR. This means that despite numerous advantages, gamers seeking the perfect HDR in games may feel unsatisfied.

If the television has a 144 Hz panel and two full HDMI 2.1 ports, it’s clear it was designed with gamers in mind. The Sharp GR8 offers exactly that – high refresh rates and the right connections to get the most out of modern consoles and PCs. It also features ALLM, which automatically switches the TV to low latency mode, and VRR, ensuring the picture doesn’t stutter even in more demanding moments. In practice, everything works as it should, and it's difficult to find fault. However, it’s not without its shortcomings. There’s a lack of support for HGiG, which better adjusts HDR for games, as well as Game Bar, which makes it easier to quickly adjust settings without leaving the game. Despite these drawbacks, the Sharp GR8 is a really solid option for gamers.