As budget-friendly TVs recover with each passing year, deciding which one to shop for isn’t getting any easier. The Sony X800H (available at Amazon for $898.00) is one among many mid-range TVs vying for the hearts and minds of parents who don’t need to spend an arm and a leg on their next purchase, and although it’s may be a great TV in many respects, it faces some stiff competition in its price range. In other words, there’s some important information to think about before investing within the Sony X800H. Get details in Sony X800H 55 Inch TV 4K Ultra HD Review.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Gets very, very bright
- Accurate color
- Dependable viewing angles
Cons
- Shallow black levels
- High asking price
Sony X800H 55 Inch TV 4K Ultra HD Review
Forgive the pun, but the Sony X800H may be a land of contrasts. We love how bright it gets (particularly during HDR content), but its brightness is undercut by the TV’s relatively shallow black levels. Its color production is astounding for a mid-range TV, but its not as colorful as a number of its rivals. All told, the X800H performs admirably and won’t break the bank, but there are better-performing TVs during this price range. If you’ve your heart assail a Sony brand TV, however, the X800H will probably be an honest fit.
(Note: thanks to COVID-19 complications, this review leans heavily on test leads to lieu of hands-on time with the TV.)
The Sony X800H is out there in six screen sizes starting from a modest 43-inch version all the high to a big 85-inch model. We’ve tested the 65-inch version. Here’s how their prices stack up:
Although different sizes of TVs during a series tend to perform very similarly to to at least one another, it’s worth noting that the 43- and 49-inch versions of the Sony X800H are edge-lit panels. The 55-, 65-, 75- and 85-inch models, on the opposite hand, feature direct LED backlights, which within the majority of cases bring better contrast.
Specs – Sony X800H 55 Inch TV 4K Ultra HD
Here’s a rundown of what you’re getting with the Sony X800H, no matter which size you choose:
Resolution: 4K (3,840 x 2,160)
HDR support: HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision
Native refresh rate: 60 Hz
Smart platform: Yes (Android)
Color: DCI-P3/10-bit color space
Processor: X1 4K HDR
The X800H comes with a built-in, Android-based smart platform. When it involves apps, all of the standard suspects are accounted for, and there is plenty more to download from a powerful library. Android isn’t as user-friendly as a platform like Roku, however, so you would possibly still want to think about investing during a streaming device to support the X800H’s built-in features.
Sony X800H Android Smart PlatformCredit: Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar
Like all of Sony’s 2020 TVs, the X800H features a strong , Android-based smart platform that gives an in depth library of apps. In terms of user friendliness, however, it isn’t our favourite smart platform experience.
Performance Data
Before testing each TV, we confirm the panel is on and receiving endless signal for a minimum of 24 hours, allowing the pixels many time to warm up. The Sony X800H received the quality warm-up time before any readings were taken.
Sony X800H 55 Inch TV 4K Ultra HD Review
For SDR tests, we used the Sony’s “Custom” picture setting. For HDR tests, we also used Sony’s “Custom” picture setting. We’ve chosen these settings due to their accuracy, but results may vary across picture modes.
We use a typical ANSI checkerboard pattern for many of our basic contrast tests—including those reported below—but we also use white and black windows starting from 2% to 90% to check how well the contrast holds up while displaying varying degrees of brightness.
I’ll expand on our test results throughout the review, except for now, here are some key takeaways:
Connectivity
The Sony X800H features a reasonably run-of-the-mill collection of inputs, with the sole stand-out feature being the inclusion of a USB 3.0 port. Here’s what you will find on the rear of the X800H’s panel:
• 4x HDMI 2.0 (1x ARC) ports
• 1x USB 2.0 port
• 1x USB 3.0 port
• Composite input
• LAN ethernet port, RF input, optical audio output
• 3.5mm headphone jack
What We Like
Fantastic brightness
Sony X800H Peak BrightnessCredit: Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar
The X800H gets considerably bright, particularly during HDR content.
The X800H comes on the brink of producing the type of bright highlights that we’ve measured in similarly priced, mid-range quantum dot TVs as lately , because of its powerful backlight and Sony’s Triluminous display technology.
Our lab tests indicate that, in HDR, the X800H hovers round the 450- to 550-nit range. With an SDR signal, you’ll expect a bright image also , though the image obviously won’t pop quite the maximum amount . There are brighter TVs within the X800H’s price range (last year’s TCL 6-Series may be a good example), but the Sony X800H is plenty impressive, all things considered.
Great color production
Another area of performance where the Sony X800H performs better than most mid-range TVs is within the category of color production. The TV’s out-of-the-box settings are tightly calibrated—our lab tests found that it covers 100% of the quality Rec.709 color gamut, so most cable programming, streaming content, and Blu-rays will feature accurate, wonderfully rendered color.
Sony X800H Color ProductionCredit: Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar
The Sony X800H features sensational, tightly calibrated color.
HDR is understandably a special story, but thankfully, not an unfortunate one; we found that the X800H covers around 91% of the wide P3 color gamut. you’ll probably notice a difference between the TV’s SDR color production and therefore the color produced during HDR content, but the X800H’s colors aren’t quite as vibrant in HDR as what we have seen from a number of the affordable quantum dot TVs we’ve tested recently.
Dependable viewing angles
The overwhelming majority of LED TVs on retail shelves today feature panels that use vertical alignment (VA) technology, which grants them improved contrast—among other benefits—at the expense of wider viewing angles. TV panels that use in-plane switching (IPS) technology are less common, and while their contrast can’t really compete with VA panels, they have a tendency to supply a wider, more-forgiving viewing cone with more reliable color. In other words, VA panels typically produce deeper black levels than their IPS counterparts, but IPS panels are often viewed from wider off-angles without the image quality taking successful .
This is an incredibly simplified explanation and there are more ins and outs to those panel types, except for our purposes, here’s what you would like to know: The Sony X800H features an IPS panel, so it’s better equipped to accommodate off-angle viewing. If you’re planning on showing off an enormous TV for normal group viewings, it’d be worth keeping this in mind.
What we do not Like
Shallow black levels and no local dimming
Sony X800H Peak BrightnessCredit: Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar
The X800H gets considerably bright, particularly during HDR content.
While the X800H’s brightness is its highest quality , its black levels are an altogether different story. Being an IPS-paneled TV, the X800H trades its stable color and hearty viewing angles for shallow black levels. For the viewer, this suggests less picture detail, particularly during darker content.
We found a mean black level of around 0.1 nits in SDR and 0.35 in HDR—higher than most mid-range TVs we’ve tested lately . additionally , while about two of sizes within the series feature an immediate LED backlight (including our 65-inch model), none of them feature local dimming software, which might ostensibly help the TV throttle its brightness counting on what was happening on screen.
It’s a shame, too, because the X800H gets surprisingly bright, so it’s an otherwise good selection for people with bright rooms. the general contrast, though, is undercut by the TV’s shallow black level production.
Overall design is sturdy but not sleek
Sony X800H Design StandCredit: Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar
The X800H’s design elements will look familiar to anyone who’s seen a replacement TV within the previous couple of years. If you propose on buying one among the larger models within the X800H series, make certain you’ve got a surface which will accommodate its wide-set feet.
A TV’s design is hardly the foremost important thing to think about when buying one, but we tend to spend longer brooding about TV design than most folks—if only because we see numerous of them per annum . That said, while the Sony X800H is certainly sturdy and utilitarian, there’s nary a stimulating flourish or texture. One check out the X800H and you’re bound to think, “yep, that’s a TV, all right.”
The panel is supported by two angular feet that stretch all the thanks to the sides of the panel, which are some things to stay in mind if you discover yourself considering one among the larger sizes within the series. If you are not planning on mounting the X800H on your wall, you will need a wide-enough surface to accommodate it’s wide-set stands.
Should You Buy It?
Yes, but as long as you would like a Sony TV and do not mind paying a premium
Sony X800H Smart Platform 2Credit: Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar
The Sony X800H may be a dependable, well-rounded TV with great color and bright highlights. Unfortunately, it’s tough to ignore its stiff competition—there’s a couple of recent TVs that provide better performance for a lower cost.
The Sony X800H isn’t a nasty TV, and most people are going to be satisfied with it, goodbye as they understand its limitations. it is a bright TV with excellent color and extra-wide viewing angles, but its shallow black levels make its HDR support rather unimpressive.
The X800H’s biggest problem isn’t its performance, but its price tag—it just doesn’t offer enough within the way of performance and features to justify an selling price of $800 for 55 inches of screen land (or $1,000 for 65 inches). The recently released Samsung TU8000 doesn’t get as bright because the X800H and features less impressive color, but its 65-inch model is priced at $700—a whole $300 but the X800H.
Furthermore, both the 2019 Vizio M Series Quantum and therefore the 2019 TCL 6-Series—two mid-range quantum dot TVs from last year—get brighter and more colorful than the Sony X800H. Both of those TVs are cheaper than the X800H, too.
The bottom line? It’s much easier to understand the Sony X800H if you pretend that its competition doesn’t exist, but I find it hard to try to to so.
Sony X800H 55 Inch TV 4K Ultra HD Review
Sony Bravia x80H 4K x1 55inch
I’m happy I exchanged the Hisense TV I bought online to this Sony TV. The colors of the picture is not that much behind with the OLED tv that I really wanted (if ur not that picky/detailed)It’s easy to use and navigate compared to Hisense. The operating system is much faster. Thank you to Matt James of Magnolia for ur patience & explaining the technical side of buying tv. I really suggest that when buying tv, u really need to see it first. Thank u for the girl who helped me in the TV dept and the customer service guy who made this exchange easy & fast. Sorry i forgot ur names. (Sorry if my pics doesn’t justify my review!
By Lvngroomat Best Buy
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