Compare: Sony Bravia 7 (XR70) vs LG QNED91T6A

Testing the Sony Bravia 7 quickly revealed that this television is capable of quite a lot. Although it is the "lowest" model from the Japanese manufacturer in the new 2024 range, it certainly does not feel like a compromise. The picture impressed us with its depth of black and the detail in bright scenes – thanks to the Mini LED technology, which makes a difference. When playing films in Dolby Vision, it was immediately noticeable how much HDR adds life to every scene. The intense colours and excellent dynamics made watching evening screenings a true pleasure for us. Daily use of this television also pleasantly surprised us. The Google TV system worked flawlessly, and the choice of apps was extensive enough that we had no trouble finding everything we wanted to watch. The backlit remote is a small but practical addition – in the evenings, we greatly appreciated not having to fumble around for buttons. Older content that we watched gained quality thanks to the advanced image processing. When we checked the television for gaming, it also left a good impression on us. The 120 Hz refresh rate provided a smooth image, and the low input lag allowed us to enjoy fast and dynamic gameplay. We particularly liked the Game Bar feature – easy access to settings during gameplay is something every gaming enthusiast will appreciate. The television handled even more demanding titles excellently. However, not everything was perfect. Only two HDMI 2.1 ports, one of which is intended for eARC, may be an issue if someone plans to connect several devices simultaneously. Additionally, when we watched the television from an angle, we noticed that the picture quality was not as good as when viewed straight on – the lack of a layer to improve viewing angles was noticeable here. Nevertheless, the Bravia 7 is a television that pleasantly surprised us. It combines excellent picture quality with functionality that works well for both everyday use and during evening screenings or dynamic gameplay. The minor limitations are noticeable, but they do not overshadow the whole, which definitely deserves the attention of a buyer.

LG QNED91T is the only MiniLED backlit television from LG for 2024, attracting attention due to its innovative use of a VA panel. This is a certain departure from the previous standards of the Korean manufacturer in its top LCD televisions, which usually featured an IPS/ADS panel. However, the effect is positive – the panel combined with local dimming offers really good contrast. The blacks are deep and should satisfy most users. LG 65QNED91T6A is truly a bright television, so placing it in somewhat challenging lighting conditions will not pose a challenge for it. In terms of motion fluidity, the QNED91T shows top class. The TruMotion feature works excellently, allowing for adjustment of the image to personal preferences – from classic, cinematic looks to a smoother effect. And the 120Hz panel makes it ideal equipment for sports or gaming. For the latter, LG has prepared something special – four full HDMI 2.1 ports with a bandwidth of 48 Gbps, allowing you to enjoy features like VRR and ALLM (among others). This, combined with low input lag, makes this equipment an excellent choice for gaming on console or PC. Everyday use of QNED91T is pure pleasure, mainly thanks to the WebOS system. The interface is intuitive, there are plenty of applications available, and the included Magic Remote control significantly facilitates navigation through the menu. The operation is quick, and using the television is comfortable thanks to the voice assistant. Unfortunately, the television also has its drawbacks. Despite the advantages of the VA panel in terms of high contrast, the algorithms responsible for local dimming of the miniLED zones do not perform their best. In HDR content, there are situations where the image is either too bright or excessively dark, which is particularly troublesome in scenes requiring precision. Additionally, in practice, the differences between standard HDR10 and Dolby Vision are almost imperceptible. This is a significant disappointment, especially in this class of television. Nevertheless, the LG QNED91T is an interesting choice for those who need a high-brightness television with considerable gaming capabilities and value the convenience of the WebOS system. If image quality in HDR content, such as Netflix, Prime Video, or Max, is a priority, we recommend considering alternative models, for example, OLED B4 from the 2024 line, which can be purchased for a similar price.

The Sony BRAVIA 7 television with a VA panel and MiniLED backlighting technology offers excellent black quality. The tested 65-inch variant is equipped with 512 dimming zones, which allows for very good contrast, particularly in demanding movie scenes. Naturally, larger sizes of the television have more zones, positively impacting contrast and image depth. During testing, in scenes from the film "Oblivion," the BRAVIA 7 performed excellently in capturing dark and light areas, providing decent separation of lights (the light effect did not blur into a large spot) from deep black. However, as is often the case with televisions featuring local dimming, certain difficulties arise with small, bright light elements. In more demanding segments (e.g., scenes 4 and 5), it is noticeable that the television "struggles" to maintain high brightness of these elements, affecting the contrast – bright objects are either too dark (resulting in poor contrast) or a slight halo effect appears around them. In a scene from the film Sicario 2, the action of the zones can be seen, causing the aforementioned effect, but it is slight. Despite these minor imperfections, the overall impression is positive – the local dimming algorithm works really well, ensuring that the image maintains high contrast, and the quality of black and details is satisfying.

QNED91T is a television with MiniLED backlighting, and in the tested size of 65", we noted 160 zones of backlighting. The specimen we tested, with the "1" suffix at the end, was equipped with a VA panel, which offers significantly better contrast than IPS panels, which - note - can be found in the LG QNED90T. Therefore, it is worth being cautious when choosing a version to avoid disappointment in terms of contrast. The model QNED90T is rather difficult to acquire in Poland, but distribution can vary. Returning to our contrast tests, it performed really well in less demanding scenes. For example, in one scene from the film "Oblivion", we observed perfect light separation - it looked impressive. However, not everything is so straightforward. In a scene from "Sicario 2", we noticed that the screen was noticeably darker, significantly deviating from the reference image appearance. The television effectively eliminates the halo effect (i.e., the glow around objects), but this comes at the cost of brightness - and quite a substantial one. Despite these compromises, the contrast of the LG 65QNED91T6A is really solid. Of course, as is the case with MiniLED televisions, one must reckon with certain limitations, but the overall impressions are very positive.

Since we know that the television handles contrast well, let's check how it performs in terms of HDR effects. The luminance graph shows the very high capabilities of this model – 1500 nits is a truly impressive result. The HDR effects are particularly striking in scenes where most of the screen is covered in light, such as in scenes 1, 3, and 5 of the test. Minor shortcomings, typical of this technology, are still visible with very small light effects, as in the scene from the film "Sicario 2," where brightness drops to 500 nits. Although these are not stunning results, they can be considered decent. Additionally, it is worth praising the television for its high coverage of a wide colour gamut – DCI-P3 at 96%, which allows for vibrant, saturated colours.

As befits a MiniLED television, LG QNED91T easily surpasses the magical barrier of 1000 nits on the luminance chart. In scenes where light played a key role, the effect was truly decent. For instance, 1000 nits in the first scene of "Life of Pi" is an impressive value, and the 600 nits achieved in the third and fifth scenes allowed one to feel the true magic of HDR. However, problems arise with very small light elements on the screen, such as the moon, street lamps, or lights. A value around 100 nits - to put it bluntly - is disappointing, as these elements are dark enough to be barely visible. The television deserves praise for covering 96% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut and 75% of BT.2020. LG QNED91T leaves us with very mixed feelings, mainly due to the very aggressive dimming algorithms, which, while effectively eliminating the halo effect, negatively impact the brightness of smaller elements.

The IMAX Enhanced mode on the Sony BRAVIA 7 television is undoubtedly the best mode available on this model, although it is not without its flaws, as its name might suggest. The biggest issue is the white balance – both in HD and 4K HDR content, there is a clear dominance of red, which causes the image to take on pink hues. This is particularly noticeable on the tested snow pattern, where the pinkish tint becomes very apparent. Errors in the Colour Checker test also confirm these deviations – although they are not catastrophic, there is a tendency to drift towards warmer colours. As for brightness performance, the gamma remains at a decent level with a slight peak but without major issues. However, the biggest challenge comes from 4K materials. It is clear that the EOTF curve is significantly above the reference graph, which causes the image to become overly brightened.

All our tests are conducted in the best picture mode on each television. In this case, as usual, it is the Filmmaker mode. The name of the mode suggests ideal colour reproduction; however, there were noticeable deviations from the correct image here. Our unit, in terms of white balance, displayed quite a strong dip in blue hues - both in SDR and 4K HDR content - which resulted in a distinct yellowing of the image, visible in comparison scenes from the film with Tom Cruise. As we mentioned earlier, QNED91T has certain tendencies to brighten the screen. This is confirmed by gamma, which is quite significantly below the reference value of 2.4. Meanwhile, the EOTF curve, responsible for brightness in 4K content, showed some issues with the television's dimming in the darkest areas, which we could observe in the paragraph describing the quality of the HDR effect. Although the Filmmaker mode is quite a good "out-of-the-box" mode, it too requires some adjustments.

Sony BRAVIA XR70 offers a wide range of tools that allow for adjusting the picture to individual preferences, enabling us to make significant adjustments to the settings. The white balance has been free from the problem of red colour dominance – snow no longer takes on pink shades, which was previously noticeable. Although one can detect slight deviations in the final part of the white balance graph, concerning a drop in blue colour, they are acceptable and difficult to notice in everyday use. The Colour Checker test confirms that errors in colour reproduction are no longer as pronounced and rarely exceed a value of 2, which is a very good result. As for brightness, gamma, while not requiring much improvement, was slightly adjusted. The most significant change was noted in the EOTF curve – the television no longer has issues with excessively brightening the entire image in 4K material. However, upon closer analysis and the inclusion of EOTF characteristics in film material, some limitations of the television become apparent due to the previously discussed dimming algorithm. Some small elements may be slightly more brightened, but these errors are so minor that most users will not notice them. Overall, the calibration results are very, very positive.

LG offers advanced calibration tools in its televisions such as 65QNED91T6A, which we utilised. When it comes to white balance, we were able to significantly correct it in SDR content. The picture mode in 4K HDR quality posed greater challenges, which, although still not perfect, looks significantly better than before calibration. Errors on the Color Checker palette and colour gamut are much smaller than in the factory settings. Regarding brightness characteristics, gamma for HD content is practically ideal, with a slight exception at the end of the graph. However, the television had the most trouble with brightness in 4K HDR content. Analyzing the EOTF characteristics in films, we observed that the television manipulates brightness quite heavily, which we could see in previous tests. Brightness is significantly boosted compared to the graph in the static test, and the television lights up certain scenes to the point that some smaller elements lose detail. This is unfortunately caused by the average backlight zone management algorithm in this model. Nevertheless, calibration yields quite good results, especially when it comes to the precise reproduction of colours.

The Sony XR70 television handles gradation excellently. In the test sequence, only a few scenes exhibit slight issues with tonal transitions in dark areas; however, most of these problems disappear when the gentle gradation option is switched on. Generally speaking, the television offers great gradation that will satisfy even the most demanding users.

The gradation on the LG QNED91T looks very good. There are only slight cut-offs in the brightest scenes, but the television handles the black levels very well, ensuring smooth tonal transitions. As a result, the picture is natural and pleasant to the eye, without any visible issues.

Since we know that the television performs very well with high-quality materials, it is worth checking how it fares with lower-quality content. Here, the television shows its potential, and the applied graphics processor works really brilliantly. On the test screen with the light bulb, there are no issues with colour transitions, and the smooth gradation feature works very well – we recommend setting it to "Medium".

As for digital processing, or so-called upscaling, the television sharpens the image quite noticeably, which leads to slight aliasing, for example, on the branches in the background, but it does not remove desirable details. Nevertheless, the overall appearance is really appealing and may be to the taste of most users. However, if we prefer a softer, more plastic image, this effect can be reduced in the settings by adjusting the sharpening level according to personal preferences.

When it comes to tonal transitions in lower quality materials, the television offers a well-known feature from LG televisions - "Smooth Gradation". We can control it in three levels: low, medium, and high. We recommend using the medium option, as it does a good job of removing tonal transitions without causing noticeable problems with the removal of object structure or other artefacts.

As for image scaling (upscaling), LG's Alpha processor performs quite well in this regard. The image appears very plastic, with slight aliasing on some elements, which does not significantly affect the quality. It looks really okay, and the overall effect is very satisfactory.

The Sony BRAVIA 7 television with a 120 Hz display will satisfy most users in terms of motion smoothness. Additionally, Sony offers the Motion Flow feature, which allows for the selection of three different picture settings, tailoring them to individual preferences: Smoothness – Film: This setting enhances motion smoothness, giving the image a more cinematic or theatrical quality. Smoothness – Camera: This setting provides even greater smoothness, useful when watching dynamic scenes such as sports broadcasts. Clarity: This setting focuses on minimising noise and motion artifacts, resulting in a more stable and clear image.

The television has a refresh rate of 120 Hz, which should satisfy most users in terms of motion smoothness. Additionally, QNED91T is equipped with the TruMotion feature, which allows for smoother image display in films. Within this feature, we can adjust the "De-Judder" and "De-Blur" sliders. The "De-Judder" slider is responsible for reducing judder in films, which is particularly useful when playing content with a lower frame rate, while "De-Blur" helps to reduce blur in fast scenes, which is important for sports or dynamic shots.

Sony Bravia 7 has significantly improved its capabilities for working with consoles compared to earlier models. The television supports variable refresh rate (VRR), which eliminates the tearing effect, and is compatible with graphics cards, ensuring smooth display. The auto low latency mode (ALLM) effectively reduces input lag, which is crucial in dynamic games. Dolby Vision with low latency additionally provides impressive HDR effects that look great during gameplay.

Sony Bravia 7 also offers a Game Bar feature, which allows quick access to settings and monitoring parameters while gaming. An interesting option is the ability to enable a virtual on-screen crosshair, which can provide a slight advantage in shooter games. Nevertheless, compared to the Bravia 9 model, the HGIG feature in the Bravia 7 does not perform as well, which may be noticeable for more demanding gamers – especially as the HGIG mode is becoming increasingly popular among players as the preferred method for reproducing HDR effects.

A drawback is the lack of support for 1440p@120 Hz resolution, which could make gaming easier for users with less powerful graphics cards. Furthermore, the Sony Bravia 7 is equipped with two HDMI 2.1 ports, one of which is often used to connect an audio system via eARC, limiting the available connections for new generation consoles.

The LG 65QNED91T6A television is equipped with HDMI 2.1 ports with full bandwidth of 48 Gb/s, providing full support for all the standards needed for gaming on modern consoles. We can count on variable refresh rate (VRR) support and automatic low latency mode (ALLM). This ensures smooth gameplay without delays.

Thanks to support for all popular HDR standards in games, such as HGiG and Dolby Vision, we can fully utilise the potential of the PS5 and XBOX One consoles. The television also handles lower resolutions than 4K without any issues, so even older consoles look good on it. The Game Bar makes it easy to access gaming-related settings, allowing us to quickly and intuitively adjust picture parameters and features for gamers. Additionally, the QNED91T offers the NVIDIA GeForce Now feature, which allows us to play in the cloud without needing a console. However, it should be noted that this solution is quite costly and somewhat falls short of the Xbox Game Pass, which is available only on Samsung televisions.

QNED91T LG is an excellent choice for both less experienced and more advanced gamers looking for a versatile television for gaming.

Sony BRAVIA 7 delivers exceptional results in terms of input lag, particularly with 120 Hz content, where the delay is around 11 ms – this is an excellent result that will satisfy even the most demanding gamers. The Dolby Vision mode also deserves recognition, as it is usually associated with higher input lag, but here it works really well, providing a comfortable gaming experience. However, we deducted 0.3 points for the results above 20 ms for 60 Hz content, although we believe that for most users, this difference is more of a placebo effect.

The input lag on QNED91T is really very low, even in Dolby Vision mode. This means we can rely on a fast response time, which is very important in dynamic games where every millisecond counts. Regardless of whether we are playing in standard mode or HDR, the television offers very good results that will satisfy even the most demanding gamers.

The Sony BRAVIA 7 TV performs well when working with a computer, providing clear and readable fonts. An input lag of 11 ms is also an excellent result that will satisfy users using the TV for gaming and work. However, it should be noted that in the case of grey letters, a slight fading of some pixels can be observed, which somewhat deteriorates the readability of darker fonts, for which we deducted a few points.

When it comes to gaming on a computer, LG QNED91T easily synchronises with NVIDIA graphics cards and supports G-Sync functionality. The very low input lag makes gaming on a personal computer truly enjoyable. The television supports chroma 4:4:4, which provides excellent text readability. Although we noticed slight blurring of fonts around the edges, overall the image looks very good, and readability is at an acceptable level.

The Sony BRAVIA 7 television has poor viewing angles, which is characteristic of VA matrices. The picture quickly loses quality when viewed from a greater angle – colours become washed out and contrast decreases. Considering the price of the device, it is a pity that a coating was not applied to extend the viewing angles, which would certainly improve the watching comfort from different spots in the room.

As we mentioned in the paragraph about contrast, the television is equipped with a VA panel, which generally offers very good contrast compared to IPS panels. Unfortunately, VA panels have their weakness in the form of limited viewing angles, a weakness that is also evident in the case of QNED91T LG. The viewing angles here are not the best, and although the use of an angle-expanding coating could significantly improve the situation, unfortunately, it is not present here. As a result, the picture loses quality when viewed from a larger angle, which can be problematic when there are multiple people watching at the same time.

BRAVIA 7 performs excellently when watching in bright environments. The satin coating effectively reduces reflections while simultaneously minimising the blurring of elements to the sides, resulting in very good visibility during the day. A brightness level of 1000 cd/m² in SDR mode is astonishing and ensures that the image remains sharp even in heavily lit rooms.

The LG 65QNED91T6A television is equipped with a satin panel, which performs moderately with direct reflections of light, such as from lamps or wall lights. In the first test photo with a large lamp, you can see how the reflection "spreads across the screen". However, the QNED91T makes up for this in terms of brightness - the average SDR brightness of 580 cd/m² is sufficient for watching television even in more challenging lighting conditions. As a result, despite the issues with reflections, the television performs well during the day.

Sony Bravia 7 runs on the Google TV system, which offers an intuitive and quick interface, allowing easy access to a multitude of applications. Google Assistant supports the Polish language, making the use of the television even more convenient and personalised. The interface is clear, and access to features and applications is quick and trouble-free. It is worth mentioning the remote control, which is charged via a USB-C port. Additionally, the remote is backlit, which significantly facilitates its use at night.

Sony Bravia 7 offers wide-ranging capabilities that will satisfy most users. The ability to record programmes and easily connect devices via Bluetooth are significant pluses. Unfortunately, it lacks the Picture-in-Picture (PiP) feature, which could prove useful for watching two sources of video simultaneously.

XR70 stands out with its practical and elegant design. The television is equipped with a 4-position stand, allowing it to be adapted to various spaces and settings – this is particularly useful when we seek flexibility in interior arrangement. Additionally, the slim aluminium frame gives the device a modern and stylish appearance. Although it is not as slim as some competitive Korean models, it still looks very attractive and solid.

The most important thing in today's televisions, besides picture quality, is the operating system. The one available in LG models is really very good. Of course, we are talking about the WebOS system, which offers most of the popular applications available in Poland, similar to GoogleTV. What sets this system apart is primarily the excellent remote control with an accelerometer - the Magic Remote, which resembles a magic wand. Controlling with this remote is incredibly convenient. Additionally, the television offers a very good voice assistant that understands Polish perfectly.

In terms of user functions, the television offers practically everything one could desire. Here we find the ability to record programmes from built-in tuners, support for AirPlay to connect an iPhone, and a mirroring function. We can easily connect keyboards, mice, or headphones, although keyboards are not essential thanks to the convenient Magic Remote. Unfortunately, it lacks the PiP (Picture-in-Picture) function, but this is such a specific feature that only those who truly need it will feel its absence. The QNED91T is a television that does not disappoint when it comes to daily enjoyment of its use.

The built-in player handles most popular video and audio formats, allowing you to enjoy a wide range of content without any issues. Although there are slight shortcomings when playing photos, thanks to the Google TV system, you can easily install other applications that effectively solve this problem and expand the multimedia capabilities of the television.

The built-in player in QNED91T should satisfy most users. It easily handles Polish characters and plays films with subtitles from external drives. The player will also cope with most audio and photo formats, except for Apple HEIC files.

Although the Sony Bravia 7 television is equipped with only a 2-channel speaker system (2.0), there are two speakers per channel with a total power of 40 W. As a result, the sound quality is really good, and the bass is noticeable, making watching movies and listening to music more enjoyable.

LG QNED91T is equipped with a set of 4 speakers in a 2.2 configuration with a total power of 40W. The television sounds quite pleasant, and the subtle bass is noticeable. Of course, it is not at the level of an external audio system, such as a soundbar or home cinema, but it is sufficient for everyday use. It is also worth praising the support for audio formats DTS:X and Dolby Atmos, which significantly enhance the quality of sound experiences.

Sony Bravia 7 (XR70) vs LG QNED91T6A

Advantages

Disadvantages

Our verdict

TV appearance

Where to buy

Contrast and black detail

HDR effect quality

Factory color reproduction

Color reproduction after calibration

Smoothness of tonal transitions

Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions

Blur and motion smoothness

Console compatibility and gaming features

Input lag

Compatibility with PC

Viewing angles

TV efficiency during daytime

Details about the matrix

TV features

Playing files from USB

Apps

Sound