Compare: Sony Bravia 7 (XR70) vs Sony X85L

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.

Sony X85L is a model from 2023 that will be continued in the offering for 2024 by the Japanese manufacturer. Its greatest advantage is the Google TV system. It currently provides the largest access to applications, so we need not worry that one of our favourite applications will be missing. The intuitive interface and voice control feature using Google Assistant make daily use of the television comfortable and modern. As for picture quality, Sony X85L performs well. Thanks to local dimming (albeit with a very average number of zones), black levels look quite decent. Additionally, its fairly high brightness allows for comfortable television viewing during the day, even in well-lit rooms. Furthermore, the television offers a programme recording function with built-in tuners, which is a great convenience for those wanting to control what and when they watch. In terms of motion smoothness, X85L does not disappoint either. The 120 Hz panel and Motionflow system ensure smooth display of dynamic scenes, satisfying both movie enthusiasts and sports fans. The television is also equipped with a range of features for gamers, including VRR, Game Bar and G-Sync support, making it an attractive choice for gaming enthusiasts. Of course, the television is not without its faults. The lack of HGiG support and high input lag in Dolby Vision mode can be disappointing for more demanding gamers. Additionally, the compromise between font readability and image smoothness when connected to a PC may not appeal to everyone. Nevertheless, Sony X85L is a decent piece of equipment that is particularly worth attention if it can be purchased on promotion.

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.

The Sony X85L television is equipped with a VA panel, which in itself offers quite good contrast. Additionally, this model features local dimming technology – in the 55-inch version, it encompasses 24 zones. Although this number is not impressive, it naturally increases with the size of the television. The contrast in the X85L is good, though not the best, especially in comparison to other televisions also equipped with advanced local dimming technology. Results at a level of 8000:1 are satisfactory, but appear average in the context of competition. In some cases, such as the third scene from the film Arrival, the contrast is promising and performs fairly well. This is thanks to the very good dimming algorithm that Sony has employed in its televisions for years. Unfortunately, due to the limited number of local dimming zones, the television struggles with noticeable blooming, which can be observed, for example, in scenes with the helicopter from the film Sicario 2.

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.

The Sony X85L television offers solid HDR performance with a brightness level of 750 nits, which is sufficient to enjoy vivid effects. In scenes of moderate difficulty, such as the first, third, or fifth test scenes, a brightness of around 600 nits allows one to fully experience the HDR effect. Unfortunately, in more demanding segments, like the scene from the film Sicario 2, the television reveals its limitations. Drops in brightness to 250 nits cause the HDR effect to lose its impressive quality, resembling rather ordinary SDR. Nevertheless, it is worth highlighting the very good coverage of the DCI-P3 colour palette at 95%, which definitely deserves praise and positively impacts the overall image quality.

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.

The television Sony X85L was tested in IMAX Enhanced mode, which, although associated with world-class cinema, does not guarantee an image that aligns with the director's intention. The main problem is the white balance – there is a noticeable strong dominance of blue colour and significant shortcomings in red. As a result, the picture becomes unnaturally cool and looks artificial. Errors in colour reproduction were confirmed by the Colour Checker test, which showed considerable discrepancies – the colours were "scattered" like shots from a rifle, and only a few samples hit the target values. This clearly demonstrates that the accuracy of colour reproduction leaves much to be desired.

The brightness of the image is one of the positive features of the television. The gamma for HD content is at an acceptable level, although there are minor errors, but generally it is quite good. However, the characteristic of brightness for 4K materials remains a problem, controlled by the EOTF curve. It is evident here that very small, bright elements of the image are too dim, which is the result of the limited number of backlighting zones due to the design of the television.

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.

Thanks to the application of calibration tools offered by Sony X85L, the image quality has been significantly improved. After calibration, the white balance for HD content is much more stable, making colours appear more natural and enhancing the authenticity of the image. Although it is not perfect, these changes allow viewers to enjoy a more realistic colour reproduction, eliminating the previous cool tone. The gamma, which was already decent, has been adjusted to an even better version. As a result, tonal transitions and brightness are more consistent, positively affecting the depth and detail of the image.

As for 4K content, despite efforts, the white balance still struggles with a lack of red, which can lead to overly warm colours in some scenes. Synthetic tests showed that the EOTF curve in HDR is quite stable, with a slight enhancement in mid-bright scenes. However, in actual film material, the television can still be too bright with fine, light details, which is a result of the limitations of large local dimming technology.

Nevertheless, calibration has brought significant benefits, particularly in terms of colour accuracy, improving the overall image quality and providing a more natural and cohesive directorial vision.

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 fluidity of tonal transitions in Sony X85L is at a good level – the gradation of colours is smooth, even in more demanding areas, which makes the perception of scenes positive and natural. The biggest issues arise around shadows, where subtle colour joins may be visible. Despite this, the television performs well enough that most viewers should not notice these minor imperfections.

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.

In terms of smoothing tonal transitions, the Sony X85L television does not offer any dedicated enhancement options, which is a certain drawback. On the other hand, the image scaling performs quite well – the television adds a bit of artificial sharpness, which may make details such as tree branches more pronounced, although sometimes with noticeable jagged edges. This type of effect may appeal to some viewers who prefer a more detailed image.

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.

Sony X85L, equipped with a 120 Hz panel, will meet the expectations of a wide range of users – from sports and gaming fans to movie enthusiasts. Movie buffs will certainly appreciate the presence of one of the best motion smoothing systems, known as Motionflow. This system offers adjustment through sliders for smoothness and clarity – smoothness is responsible for motion fluidity, eliminating judder, while clarity improves the sharpness of fast scenes, reducing blur.

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.

Sony X85L offers a quite solid set of features for gamers, making it an attractive choice for gaming enthusiasts. First and foremost, the television has a 120 Hz panel, which translates to smooth and dynamic image display, ideal for both fast-paced action games and more demanding sports titles. It is equipped with two HDMI 2.1 ports with full bandwidth of 48 Gb/s, allowing for the full utilisation of next-generation consoles. Additionally, Sony X85L supports VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) technology, which helps reduce stuttering and artifacts during gameplay, providing a smooth experience. The television also supports G-Sync, which is particularly beneficial for gamers using NVIDIA graphics cards, allowing for the synchronisation of the screen refresh rate with GPU performance, eliminating screen tearing. It is worth mentioning the Game Bar feature, which facilitates quick access to the most important gaming-related settings, such as VRR, brightness levels, and display modes, which is convenient and useful during gameplay.

However, there are certain limitations. The television does not support HGiG, which may be a downside for some gamers, as HGiG optimises HDR effect rendering in games, providing a more authentic visual experience. Additionally, while the Dolby Vision mode is available, it is not practical for gaming due to the very high input lag.

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.

Generally speaking, the input lag on the Sony X85L is very good, which is crucial for smooth gameplay and quick reactions in games. In standard modes, especially when using HDMI 2.1 and playing at a resolution of 4K at 120 Hz, the input lag is minimal.

Unfortunately, the Dolby Vision mode is an exception to this rule. In this case, the input lag reaches as much as 95 ms. Such a high level of delay makes the Dolby Vision mode virtually unplayable, as the responses to commands are noticeably delayed.

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.

The collaboration of the television Sony X85L with a PC is a bit of a balance between image quality and user comfort. If we want to use the television for work, where clear fonts matter, we need to set the refresh rate to 60 Hz. In this mode, the text looks good and doesn't strain the eyes, which is crucial if we intend to spend a longer time in front of the screen.

On the other hand, if the television is to be used for gaming, where we can take full advantage of its capabilities at 120 Hz, we must bear in mind that the readability of fonts noticeably decreases. The image becomes less sharp, and the text harder to read, which can be frustrating. In short – Sony X85L will perform well for occasional connections to a computer, but if we need it on a daily basis for work and gaming, this compromise may not appeal to everyone.

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.

The viewing angles on the Sony X85L, as is often the case with VA panels, are not the best. The picture looks great when viewed directly, but as soon as you move to the side, you notice that the colours lose intensity and the contrast significantly weakens. This can be an issue if the television is meant for viewing in larger groups, where viewers are seated at different angles. For those who usually watch solo or from one central spot, this won’t be a major downside, but when watching from the side, the picture quality unfortunately declines.

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 performance of the television Sony X85L during the day is quite decent. Its satin screen coating handles light reflection moderately well, meaning that in bright rooms there can be some glare, but it is not bothersome enough to significantly interfere. The brightness in SDR mode at 570 nits is sufficient for comfortable TV viewing during the day, even with natural light coming in through the windows. This ensures that colours remain vivid and the picture is clearly visible, making the television suitable for everyday use.

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.

Sony X85L runs on the Google TV system, which is a substantial advantage for many users. The television offers wide access to applications, and using streaming platforms is smooth and user-friendly. The interface is intuitive and easy to master, allowing quick switching between applications and searching for favourite content. Google TV allows for personalisation of the home screen, enabling each user to tailor it to their preferences. The Google Assistant further enriches the experience by offering voice control and quick changes to settings or searching for films without the need for a remote.

In terms of user features, Sony X85L offers many useful options. The television has the capability to record programmes, which is a significant convenience for those wanting to watch their favourite content at any time. AirPlay support allows for seamless content streaming from Apple devices, which iPhone and iPad owners will appreciate. Additionally, thanks to the built-in Bluetooth, various devices such as headphones or keyboards can be connected. However, one of the shortcomings is the PiP (picture-in-picture) function, which may disappoint users who prefer multitasking on screen.

The design of the Sony X85L television, while perhaps not among the thinnest, is solid and elegant. The metal stand with adjustable feet is one of its stronger points, allowing the height and width of the television to be adapted to various furniture and spaces. This practical solution enhances the interior and adds a modern character to it.

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.

Sony X85L easily handles playback of most popular file formats from USB, which is a big plus for those who often access external content. However, it should be mentioned that there is a small downside – the built-in player does not allow for changing the font colour in subtitles, which may be troublesome for some. Fortunately, thanks to the extensive Google TV system, users have a wide range of options. Alternative media players can be easily installed, offering more personalisation options.

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.

The sound in Sony X85L is good – it is clear across the entire range, allowing enjoyment of both dialogues and music. The bass, though light, is noticeable and adds some depth to the overall sound. However, it should be emphasised that this is a subjective assessment – some may find such a sound profile satisfying, while others might need additional audio equipment to fully experience stronger tones and a more spacious sound.

Sony Bravia 7 (XR70) vs Sony X85L

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