Sony X900F vs X950G: Review and Comparison

Looking for a perfect TV for your home theater but could not figure out which could be better? Or confuse between Sony X900F vs X950G? Sony usually offers impressive picture quality with many advanced features. That’s why, this is obvious because there are a ton of different models from different manufacturers in the marketplace.

Sony X950G is an upgraded version of X900F which was released in 2019. However, you will find several similarities between these two at a first glance which will confuse you to figure out the differences. If you don’t scrutinize or is a general viewer, the performance between Sony X900F vs X950G may seem similar.

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Sony XBR65X900F 65-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED…

Sony X950G 55 Inch TV: 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV…

How I differentiated the products: Sony X900F vs X950G

Feature

Sony X900F

Manufacturing year

Screen size

49” not available

Picture processor

X1 Extreme

X1 Ultimate

Speaker

Bass-reflex

Acoustic Multi-Audio

Performance

Faster

Brightness

Better

X-Wide angle

Only for 75” and 85”

HDMI AUDIO RETURN CHANNEL (ARC)

Yes (ARC)

Yes (eARC)

Dolby Atmos

Smart TV Platform

Android TV 7. 0 Nougat

Android TV 8.0 Oreo

Input lag (1080p @ 60 Hz)

40.9 ms

19.7 ms

Native contrast

5089: 1

4421: 1

Apple Airplay 2 & Homekit

Netflix Calibrated mode

Image

Price

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Amazon

Feature

Sony X900F

Manufacturing year

Screen size

Picture processor

X1 Extreme

Speaker

Bass-reflex

Performance

Brightness

X-Wide angle

HDMI AUDIO RETURN CHANNEL (ARC)

Yes (ARC)

Dolby Atmos

Smart TV Platform

Android TV 7.0 Nougat

Input lag (1080p @ 60 Hz)

40.9 ms

Native contrast

5089: 1

Apple Airplay 2 & Homekit

Netflix Calibrated mode

Image

Price

Buy on Amazon

Feature

Manufacturing year

Screen size

49” not available

Picture processor

X1 Ultimate

Speaker

Acoustic Multi-Audio

Performance

Faster

Brightness

Better

X-Wide angle

Only for 75” and 85”

HDMI AUDIO RETURN CHANNEL (ARC)

Yes (eARC)

Dolby Atmos

Smart TV Platform

Android TV 8. 0 Oreo

Input lag (1080p @ 60 Hz)

19.7 ms

Native contrast

4421: 1

Apple Airplay 2 & Homekit

Netflix Calibrated mode

Image

Price

Buy on Amazon

Powerful processor

If we look closely, we see there are some crucial differences that make the overall performance better for the Sony X950G. to begin with, the X1 Ultimate process is twice as faster as the X1 Extreme and has better performance. The processor has Object-Based Super Resolution which can detect objects in a picture and emphasize them making the details and clarity better.

Winner: Sony X950G

Brightness

Although it is said that the brightness may not be visible to the naked eye, it is true that that the brightness of X950G is more than the X900F. So, it is definitely logical to go for a better X950G. The brightness depends from scene to scene. You can use in them is bright rooms without facing any problem.

Winner: Sony X950G

Broader viewing angle

The X-Wide angle came from the Master Series Sony Z9F. this makes the wide-angle broader so if you have multiple people watching the TV sitting in different directions you must choose the 75” or 85” models of X950G. The X900Fdoesnt have a wide-angle but they have a little better contrast ratio compared to the X950G which loses the contrast due to the Wide-angle.

Winner: Sony X950G

Better audio system

Both TV has a sound power output of 20W but the Sony X950G has Acoustic Multi-Audio whereas the X900F has bass-reflex speakers. The bass-reflex produces crystal clear sound with deep bass which is ideal for watching movies or music. Also, comparing the Sony X900F vs X950G we see that the X900F doesn’t support Dolby Atmos but the X950G does.

In the Acoustic Multi-Audio speaker, there are two tweeters placed at the back of the TV. The four front-facing speakers and vibrating Frame tweeter allow sound and action to match. It also has two subwoofers that deliver immersive and punchier bass. Overall, the sound will be more detailed, realistic and it will come directly from the center of the screen.

Winner: Sony X950G

Compatibility

X900F vs X950G compatibility differs in some cases. X950G supports Apply AirPlay 2 and Homekit. While for some users, it doesn’t make any difference, others will simply choose X950G over X900F because of this feature.

Winner: Tie

Sony XBR65X900F 65-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED…

Sony X950G 55 Inch TV: 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV…

Ease of installation

The installation of both Sony X900F vs X950G is simple and straightforward. They come with a clean cable solution. You can run cables through the pedestal feet of the TV and they also are mounted on walls. The Sony X900F comes with VESA wall mounting standards.

Winner: Tie

Picture quality

The X950G is known as the new flagship 4K LCD TV. Comparing Sony X900F vs X950G picture quality, it is seen that the TVs deliver high-quality image without much difference between the models. They both have 4K HDR resolution and with full-array LED it can produce true colors of each object. The screen has a good contrast ratio.  Although the contrast between TVs differs, the difference is not very noticeable.

The images are crystal clear and the colors are vivid and pronounced. Dual Database Processing has two purposes, one is to reduce noise and another is to upscale it. This makes the image clearer with details and depth.  The Triluminous display has a backlight and works with a ‘wider color gamut’ to ensure the color looks more natural and true-to-life.

Winner: Tie

Technologies

These models use the X technology which is a proprietary of Sony and includes X-tended Dynamic Range Pro (6x) and X-motion clarity.  the first one deals with color contrast by ensuring you see the clear details between the white and raw black color. And the second one reduces motion blur allowing fast-moving objects to display with clarity.

They also have IMAX Enhanced technology which focuses on color contrast so that users can have an immersive experience. Between Sony X900F vs X950G, the X950G has Netflix calibrated mode.  This is to ensure that users view the same content created in the studio by filmmakers or directors. It will deliver close to the original cinematic vision.

Winner: Sony X950G

Performance

The main intention of creating the Sony Master series was to ensure you see the original movie clip just as the director intended you to see. to achieve that, Sony X950G uses a powerful X1 Ultimate processor that produces content by converting and upscaling regardless of low- or high-quality source. It also balances ‘color saturation’, contrasts, and upgrades the overall picture quality, which is kind of similar with Sony x950h.

The X1 Ultimate processor has Object-Base Super Resolution which the X900F processor doesn’t have. It captures each object in a scene and their resolution and color are adjusted for a detailed picture. The X900F has an X1 Extreme processor assures that you won’t regret buying this TV.

It is more powerful than the 4K X1 processor. It creates images with better contrast avoiding any deterioration of picture quality. Moreover, it can convert all source to near 4K HDR quality. The image you see will look more realistic and cinematic.

Winner: Sony X950G

Connections

Sony X900F has 4 HDMI 2.0b ports. The 4 inputs will be compatible with 4K HDR content and HDCP 2.2. Among them you can use the HDMI 2 and 3 for 4K (60Hz) and 1 and 4 for 4L (30/24Hz).

So, you can connect a ‘high-bandwidth” device like 4K UHD Blu-ray, gaming console, or HTPC/gaming PC. The Sony X950G has 4 HDMI 2.0b inputs that support 4K HDR (60Hz) and HDCP 2.3. both these TV also has 3 USB ports and Ethernet jack.

Winner: Sony X950G

Smart features

Both these TV works with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. The TVs comes with remotes but they are not very sleek and has many buttons. While X950G has a thinner and metal build remote control with soft buttons, the X900F has a heavier remote but it has easy-to-press buttons as well.

While the Sony X900F uses Andriod TV 7.0 Nougat Smarty TV platform, X950G uses the next version which is Andriod TV 8.0 Oreo. There are notable differences in their functions like Picture-in-Picture mode, Project Treble, and etc. consumers will experience a better user interface, easier navigation, and overall performance.

As mentioned above the X900F uses Android 7 for Smart TV features. It gives you access to different content that you can stream from online. The Android 8 in Sony X950G is said to be a better version with an easy-to-use user interface that makes overall performance better. These TVs support HEVC/H.265 and VP9 codecs which is needed for streaming 4K and 4K HDR content.

Winner: Sony X950G

Flexibility in use

The overall ease of use is better in X950G due to its better processor that makes it faster. The eARC is another feature that reduces the hassle of connection. Both Sony X900F and X950G has built-in Chromecast.

It also has Miracast which helps you in screen mirroring. This means you can view your mobile screen on your TV. Sony paid attention to minute details like they have a button dedicated to Netflix on the remote for convenience.

Winner: Sony X950G

Sony X900F vs X950G: Gaming, Movies or Sports:

Gaming

Usually, different TV comes with different gaming features. Some TV comes with FreeSyngc and VRR compatibility. Along with gaming features, screen resolution, motion-clarity, input lag, and response time plays a huge role to play games smoothly.

Comparing Sony X900F vs X950G for gaming, the X950G has lower input lag and good response time which makes it ideal for gaming. The X900F also has low input lag but in terms of 1080p input lag, the X950G wins significantly.

You can play games from the Google Play store or can connect a maximum of 4 wireless gamepads if you want to play with friends.

Winner: X950G for gaming.

Movies

For movies, we sometimes prefer dark rooms so here the TV should be able to represent the dark scenes accurately. Both TVs has decent motion clarity that minimizes blur and they can produce picture without judder and stutter. The audio is good but many users may want to upgrade it with a soundbar.

You can watch movies from Netflix, Amazon, Vudu, Hulu, HBO Go, HBO Now, Showtime, etc.

Winner: Tie for movies.

Sports

If you want to watch sports in daylight or bright rooms with friends and family, you should choose the X950G. although the X900F has an anti-reflecting coating that helps it to deal with reflections, it has a very poor wide angle.

X950G can also be used in bright rooms and the 75” or 85” model has the X-wide angle feature. You can watch sports from ESPN, NFL, Fox Sports, etc.

Winner: X950G for sports.

Product Differentiators

Most users directly choose the Sony X950G over X900F because of its compatibility with Apple AirPlay 2 and Homekit. Also, it has a more powerful processor and supports Dolby Atmos content. The X900F can be used for watching movies or sports but doesn’t have eARC or better input lag. The navigation may also be slower.

The cost of X950G is more than X900F. So, you can buy the cheaper X900F and with the extra money, you can buy a streaming service like Steam Link or Nvidia Shield.

This will help you not to deal with slow Smart TV apps and interface. On the other hand, you can choose the X950G because it supports Homekit and Apple AirPlay 2. The Smart TV features are decent to use, it has better brightness and overall performance. Also, if you want a TV for gaming purposes then we recommend the X950G.

Sony X900F vs X950G: Which one should you choose?

Sony TV is the most popular brand among consumers. The build quality and innovative technology is the main reason for its popularity. If you are wondering, Sony X900F vs X950G which one should you go with, then we have an answer.

X950G is a the undisputed winner because it has a snappier UI, the faster response of voice assistants and other additional features like Netflix calibrated mode. It also has more brightness and higher screen sizes have a wide-angle view. Although we recommend going with X950G, if you simply want a TV screen then you can also buy the X900F and go with a media streaming device.

Author’s Pick: Sony X950G

Both these TV have a great performance to price ratio. It uses several proprietary technologies to make picture quality better. They also emphasize audio quality as well as response time and input lag.

If you want a wide-angle view then you can choose one from 75” or 85” X950 models. Whether you go for X900F or X950G, you will be satisfied with their performance.

FAQs

This part is going to answer some of your questions that might arise while walking in the pavement of these type of TVs.

Does Sony X950G have parental control?

Yes, the Sony X950G comes with a ‘parental control’ feature for kids. You can select a particular channel or block certain channels. There are three options: Child, Youth, and Young Adult. Once you have selected your options you can protect the setting with a 4-digit password.

How does the Sony X900F save power?

this TV uses different methods to save power like the Light Sensor Technology or Advance Contrast Enhancer. It has a power-saving mode which saves power by increasing or decreasing backlight brightness.

The Idle TV Standby will switch off your TV 1, 2, or 4 hours later if within this time you don’t press the remote. Also, the Auto Shut Off will turn off the TV when it will not identify any input signal for 15 minutes.

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Sony X950G vs Z9F Review (XBR65X950G vs XBR65Z9F, XBR75X950G vs XBR75Z9F) – 4K UHD HDR TV Comparison

The Sony X950G is a mid-range model of Sony’s 2019 4K HDR TV lineup while the Sony Z9F is the top model of Sony’s 2018 4K HDR LED TV Lineup. Although each belongs to a different class of technology where features of the X950G adopted a lot from the technology of the Z9F such as the picture engine with 4K HDR X1 Ultimate, X-Wide Angle, and other features. In stores, the X950G comes in several screen size options including 55 inch (XBR55X950G), 65 inch (XBR65X950G), 75 inch (XBR75X950G) and 85 inch (XBR85X950G) while the Z9F comes in just two screen sizes only being the 65 inch (XBR65Z9F) and the 75 inch (XBR75Z9F). Within the same screen size (the XBR65X950G vs XBR65Z9F, the XBR75X950G vs XBR75Z9F), the X950G is higher priced than the Z9F.

Although the Sony X950G has X-Wide Angle, this is just for the 75 inch and the 85 inch model, while the 55 inch and 65 inch doesn’t have X-Wide Angle. This technology has an impact on the contrast and viewing angle produced.  This means, a TV with X Wide Angle will have better side viewing angle coverage but its contrast ratio is a bit reduced. And this comparison refers to 65 inch model where X950G doesn’t has X-wide Angle while Z9F has this technology. And for the 75 inch, the comparison may have different result particularly in contrast ratio and viewing angle coverage.

Specs and Features	Sony X950G	Sony Z9F
Screen sizes available	55 Inch (XBR55X950G), 65 inch (XBR65X950G), 75 inch (XBR75X950G), 85 inch (XBR85X950G)	65 Inch (XBR65Z9F), 75 Inch (XBR75Z9F)
Panel Technology	VA Panel	VA panel
Resolution	4K (2160 x 3840)	4K (2160 x 3840)
Backlight Technology	Direct LED	Direct LED
Local Dimming	Full Array Local Dimming	Full Array Local Dimming
X Wide Angle	Yes (75 Inch and 85 Inch), No (55 Inch and 65 Inch)	Yes
Picture Processor	X1 Ultimate	X1 Extreme
HDR Support	Dolby Vision, HLG, HDR10	Dolby Vision, HLG, HDR10
Clarity Enhancement	4K X Reality Pro, Dual Database Processing, Object Based Super Resolution	4K X Reality Pro, Dual Database Processing
Contrast Enhancement	Dynamic Contrast Enhancer, Object Based HDR Remaster, X-tended Dynamic Range Pro 6X	Dynamic Contrast Enhancer, Object Based HDR Remaster, X-tended Dynamic Range Pro 12X
Color Enhancement	Live Color Technology, Precision Color Mapping, Super Bit Mapping HDR, TriLuminos Display	Live Color Technology, Precision Color Mapping, Super Bit Mapping HDR, TriLuminos Display
Native Refresh Rate	120 Hz	120 Hz
Motion Enhancement	X Motion Clarity, Auto Mode	X Motion Clarity
Smart TV Platform	Android TV 8. 0 Oreo	Android TV 8.0 Oreo
Remote	Sony’s Voice Remote Control 2019	Sony’s Voice Remote Control 2018
HDMI Ports	4	4
USB Ports	3	3
Audio Channel	2 Ch	2 Ch
Audio Power Output	10 watt + 10 watt	10 watt + 10 watt
Speaker Type	Acoustic Multi Audio	Bass Reflex
Price	See today’s price	See today’s price

Features and Technology of Sony Z9F and X950G

As we see in the comparison table above, there is almost no difference in technologies and features between the Sony X950G and the Z9F. They both are equally powered by the new 4K HDR processor X1 Ultimate.   According to Sony’s claim, the X1 Ultimate can deliver more fine details picture than the X1 Extreme or standard X1 engine. Compared to X1 Extreme, there is an additional brought by X1 Ultimate that is Object Based Super Resolution technology. This might be a differentiator between X1 Ultimate and X1 Extreme.

On their panel, Sony Z9F and Z950G both use VA panel with direct LED backlight and Full Array Local Dimming. Additionally, both of them also bring the new technology called “X-Wide Angle” that designed for delivering wider viewing angle coverage than conventional VA panel. But as we have mentioned above, special for “X-Wide Angle” technology, this is just as true to the 75 inch and 85 inch models of X950G while its smaller screen models don’t have this technology. Still about picture technology, they both are also powered the same technologies like TriLuminos Display, 4X-X Reality Pro Engine, Dual Database processing, Super Bit Mapping 4K HDR, Object Based HDR Remaster, X-tended Dynamic Range Pro, and others. Meanwhile, coming with HDR technology, they both also support the same HDR format including HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision. This shows that the difference in technologies and features offered by X950G and Z9F is almost the same.

For handling motion blur when they are playing fast moving images like sports of fast movies, they both are also powered by X-Motion Clarity that based on native 120 Hz refresh rate panel.  For connecting with other devices, Sony X950G and X900F also provide 4 HDMI ports and 3 USB ports. Additionally, for offering attractive smart TV experience, they both are also featuring the same smart TV platform that is Android TV 8.0 Oreo.  And for delivering sound, X900F and X950G both are also equipped with 2.0 Ch speaker systems.

The Difference between Sony X950G and X900F

The Level of X-Tended Dynamic Range Pro

Although Sony X900F and X950G both have a technology called X-Tended Dynamic Range Pro but their level is different. X-tended Dynamic Range Pro of X950G is 6X while Z9F is 12X. This has to do with the number dimming zones of their Full Array Local Dimming. Although they both already have full array local dimming technology, can be ascertained, the number of dimming zones of the local dimming is different. And certainly, Z9F has a lot of more dimming zones than X950G. This certainly makes the local dimming of Z9F can perform much better than X950G. Not just in improving brightness level, but also in reducing blooming and making the color more vibrant. In this is one of the major factors why Sony Z9F is priced much more expensive than X950G.

X-Wide Angle

The other major difference between Sony X950G and Z9F is X-Wide Angle. But keep in mind, this is just for their 65 inch model while for 75 inch model, they both already have X-Wide angle. For this case, X950G (XBR65X950G) is not equipped with X-Wide Angle technology while Z9F (XBR65Z9F) already has this technology. The impact, Z9F has better side viewing angle coverage than X950G. But on the other hand, X-wide angle makes black level produced by Z9F is not as deep as X950G. But even so, black level produced by Z9F is still better than a TV with IPS panel.

Remote Control

Sony X950G comes with 2019 model of Sony Voice Remote while Sony Z9F comes with 2018 model of Sony Voice Remote. Functionally, they are almost similar. But even so, they have a difference in a design. Like we found on other 2018 model of Sony TV, the remote of Z9F is large and has black tint.  Meanwhile, the remote of X950G comes with new design. It is still large but thinner than the remote of Z9F. Additionally, it is also made from plastic and has metallic tint.

Speaker Type

As we see on comparison table above, Sony Z9F is equipped with 2 Ch speaker system with bass reflex speaker type.  Meanwhile, Sony X850G comes also comes with 2 Ch speaker system, but with Acoustic Multi Audio speaker type. Basically, X950G also use bass reflex speaker type but there is two additional sound-positioning tweeters in the rear of the TV that expected can deliver clearer sound quality particularly in high frequency.

>> Please click here to see today’s price for the Sony Z9F <<

>> Please click here to see today’s price for the Sony X950G <<

Sony X950G vs Z9F Performance

Contrast and Black Level

The native contrast ratio of Sony X950G may be not as strong as X900F, but its native contrast ratio is still fairly good that make it can produce deep black. This certainly also makes its performance in a dark room is also excellent. With around 0.022 nits of black level that can be reached, this certainly makes black of images displayed on its screen looks really black. With HDR images, its black level is also quite dark to reveal details images in a dark scene, makes dark scene of HRD images looks excellent like the intended. But a bit unfortunate, although it already comes with Full Array Local Dimming, its local dimming cannot improve its contrast significantly. This means, with local dimming enabled, its contrast only improves slightly. But even so, in a general, performance of X950G especially XBR65X950G in producing black can be said excellent.

On the other hand, although Sony Z9F also uses VA panel but its native contrast ratio is far from expectation. With local dimming disable, its native contrast ratio is less than 2000:1 that certainly it is too low for VA TVs. The low native contrast ratio produced by Z9F is more caused by X-Wide Viewing Angle optical panel. Fortunately, it combination of its excellent local dimming and X-tended Dynamic Range Pro behind it is very effective to boost its contrast ratio. Although with local dimming technology enabled, its contrast ratio still under performs, but its performance in a dark room is still acceptable. In general, its performance in producing black is still better than IPS TV but worse than any other VA TV.

Meanwhile, although black produced by Z9F is not as deep as X950G, but its local dimming can perform better. This will be noticeable when they are showing small highlights in dark scene. The result, unwanted adjacent light around bright scene or called “blooming” will be reduced better on the screen of Z9F than X950G.

Winner: Sony X950G

Brightness level

Sony Z9F and X950G both have excellent peak brightness. With SDR content, Sony X950G can reach more than 700 nits of peak brightness. It can even show highlights in dark screen brighter than 1000 nits.  On the other hand, performance of Sony Z9F is even better. With SDR content, it can reach more than 800 nits of peak brightness. When showing highlights in a dark scene, it can even show them at around 1500 nits. With brightness level produced by them, this certainly makes their performance in a bright room is really excellent. And combined to their good reflection handling, they both don’t have any problem in overcoming the glare when used in bright room. This means, when used in a bright room, their picture will look remain good without bothered by the glare.

Meanwhile, with HDR content, they both can even show brighter peak brightness. Sony X950G can reach about 1100 nits while peak brightness of Sony Z9F is even exceptional, that is around 1600 nits. Additionally, they both can also show highlights of HDR content brighter than 1000 nits. This certainly makes them able to show highlights of HDR images at 1000-4000 of brightness range nits like the movies creator’s intended. As we have known, to show HDR images excellently like the intended, particularly bright scene or highlights, a HDR TV must have at least 1000 nits of peak brightness.  But just like other TVs with local dimming, their peak brightness varies depending on the scene. With other words, their peak brightness depending on the how large the bright parts of the scene. The larger bright parts, its peak brightness is dimmer. This means, when they are showing a scene with larger bright parts, their peak brightness will drop. Even when they show the whole window is bright, their peak brightness drop to around 700 nits. But even so, what reached by them is excellent and there are no many TV that can beat them in brightness level particularly for Sony Z9F. And in general, Sony Z9F is superior to X950G in peak brightness.

Winner: Sony Z9F

Color Reproduction

Although both of them are powered by the same technologies like TriLuminos Display, Live Color Technology, Precision Color Mapping and others, but in producing color, Sony Z9F can perform better than X950G. In DCI P3 color space, Sony Z9F can cover around 95 % while Sony X950G is able to cover around 93%.This means, Sony Z9F can show some certain color more saturated than X950G that certainly makes some certain colors of HDR images looks more accurate on the screen of Z9F than X950G. Nevertheless, although not as wide as Z9F, color gamut of X950G still meets the minimum recommendation to show HDR images fully like the intended. In the rec.2020 as the color coverage of Dolby Vision, Sony Z9F also can cover wider color coverage than X950G. Z9F can cover more than 73% while X950G is a bit less than 70%. Like in DCI P3, although not as wide as Z9F, color gamut of X950G is still acceptable for Dolby Vision Content.

Additionally, in addition wide color gamut, Sony Z9F also has better color volume than X950G. The superiority of Z9F in color volume is more caused by its superiority in producing color gamut and its better performance in producing saturated color. Nevertheless, in general, they both can produce dark colors as good as bright colors. But even so, since they cannot cover 100% of DCI P3, this makes them cannot fill out the entire gamut well. Overall, their color gamut and color volume may be not as good as Samsung Q9FN or Q7FM, but at least, their color gamut is wide enough to show HDR images colorful.

Additionally, Sony Z9F also can produce a bit smoother color gradient than Sony X950G. Nevertheless, although it is not as good asZ9F, color gradient of X950G is also among the best ever. Although there may be still some little imperfection visible in some certain colors like dark green or others, but it can be corrected by setting low or off the “Smooth Gradation” on the “Clarity”, even though this will makes the picture lose some fine details.

Winner: Sony Z9F

Side Viewing Angle

Sony X950G and Z9F both may use VA Panel, but Z9F has better side viewing angle coverage than X950G, particularly for their 65 inch model. This is caused Z9F has equipped with “X-Wide Viewing Angle” optical panel while X950G is not. But keep mind, this only applies to 65 inch model and not for 75 inch due their 75 inch models both have X-Wide Viewing Angle.  Although not as good as IPS TVs, but at least, the picture displayed on the screen of Z9F looks more consistent than on the screen of X950G. If on the screen of X950G, color start to be washed out at around 25 degrees off center and front, on the screen of Z9F, the color will start to be washed out at more than 35 degrees. As well as their black level, if on the screen of X950G, black level will be degraded started at around 15 degrees off center and front, Z9F can maintain black level produced at up to around 35 degrees off center and front.

Winner: Sony Z9F

Motion Handling

Sony Z9F and X950G both have excellent pixel response time and their pixel response time is almost similar. Their pixel response time may be not as good as OLED TVs, but between LED TVs, they are among the best. The result, when they are showing a content with a lot of fast moving scene like sports, fast games or fast movies, the picture produced looks smooth and clear with virtually no motion blur visible. Following fast moving objects, there may be still small blur trail, but most people may be not notice this much. Meanwhile, the blur that may be visible on their screen is more caused by persistence than pixel response time. But even so, for reducing blur that caused by persistence, particularly when they are playing 60 fps content like video games or games, they both have an optional black frame insertion mode that will flicker their screen at 120 Hz instead 720 Hz as their default dimming frequency. By enabling this mode, this will reduce persistence blur but on the other hand, this will make backlight flicker is more noticeable. But evens so, since the lowest possible frequency of their flickering pattern is 120 Hz, its performance in reducing persistence blur that caused by 60 fps content is not as good as a TV that has 60 Hz of lowest possible frequency.

You need to know, by default, to dim their backlight, X950G and Z9F both use PWM system with 720 Hz of dimming frequency. Since its dimming frequency is very high, when you disable their BFI mode, this will make backlight flicker is almost invisible.

Meanwhile, their performance in playing 24p movies is just as good. No matter the frame rate of the content, whether it is native 24p videos like Blu-Ray or DVD’s movies, 24p movies from native streaming apps like Netflix, Amazon Videos, and others, 24p videos via 60i signal like movies from satellite box, or even via 60p signal like movies from streaming devices, they both can show them smoothly and clearly with judder-free. Nevertheless, to eliminate the judder, you should set “Motion Flow” to “Custom”, “CineMotion” to “Auto” and “Smoothness” to “Min”.

Winner: Draw

Inputs/Outputs

Sony X950G and Z9F are equipped with 4 HDMI ports as their major connectivity. All of their HDMI ports already support HDCP 2. 3, HDMI 2.0 Full Bandwidth, and CEC. Additionally, one of their ports also already supports Audio Return Channel. But even so, there is none of them that already support HDMI 2.1 full bandwidth for HFR. Additionally, they both are also equipped with 3 USB ports where two of them are USB 2.0 and 1 port is USB 3.0. IN addition to HDMI and USB, they both are equipped with 1 RF In (Antenna In), 1 Composite In (AV in via RCA), 1 Digital Audio Out (optical), 1 Analog Audio Out (Mini jack 3.5mm) and IR In for their IR blaster. As their wireless connectivity, X950G and Z9F both are equipped with built-in Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac.

In addition to be equipped with the same inputs/outputs, Sony X950G and Z9F both have excellent input lags in game and PC mode and their input lags are also almost similar. In both 4K and 1080p resolution, their input lags are about 20 ms that means it is very good for any games. This means, no matter you are playing 1080p or 4K games, fast paced or casual games, you will play them responsively without laggy. Combined to their good picture quality and excellent motion handling, this certainly makes them as the good TV for playing games.

Winner: Draw

Smart TV Platform

Although Sony Z9F is a 2018 model but it is already featuring Android 8.0 as its smart TV platform. This means, Sony X950G and Z9F are featuring the same smart TV platform that is Android 8.0 Oreo.  The user interface of Android 8.0 has been updated from Android 7.0 so it is more user friendly, allow you to find content faster and easier.  If on Android 7.0, many of the options that used are placed at the bottom of the page, in Android 8.0, they are moved at the top of the page. That’s interesting, there is new customizable quick menu that allows you to well organize menus according to your own preference. Nevertheless, although its interface has been updated so faster and easier than the previous version, but its interface is still not as easy as the interface of Tizen OS by Samsung or WebOS by LG. Meanwhile, Android 8.0 still comes with a lot of attractive and complete apps as its preinstalled apps. There are VoD Service like YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Videos, and others, web Browser, Games, and many more. The most attractive is its apps store called Google Play Store. As we know, Google Play Store is supported by tons of developers that makes it provides tons of apps, content, games, and others. And we have known, what provided by Google Play Store is the more complete than apps from other manufacturers like LG apps store or Samsung Apps Store. Not only that, Android 8.0 also already supports Google Voice Assistant and some smart home assistant like Google Home or Amazon Alexa.

As we have mentioned above, although the remote of Sony X950G and Z9F has difference in design, but functionally, they are almost similar. They both have a lot of buttons. In addition standard buttons like “number buttons”, Power On buttons” “Direction buttons”, “Volume buttons”, “Some Common buttons, and others, they both also have two dedicated buttons for Netflix and Google Play Store. Additionally, they also have direct access buttons for Google Voice Assistant.  Since Android TV has been integrated with Google Voice Assistant, the voice navigation of Sony TVs including X950G and Z9F is excellent. And to supports its voice navigation, both of these remote is equipped with built-in microphone and Bluetooth for connecting with the TV.

Winner: Draw

>> Please click here to see today’s price for the Sony Z9F <<

>> Please click here to see today’s price for the Sony X950G <<

Summary

Performance	Sony X950G	Sony Z9F
Picture Quality	(4.1/5)	(4.2/5)
HDR	(4.2/5)	(4.3/5)
Motion Handling	(4.3/5)	(4.3/5)
Inputs	(4. 6/5)	(4.6/5)
Sound Quality	(3/5)	(3.1/5)
Smart TV	(4.1/5)	(4.1/5)

Conclusion

As we have discussed a lot above, Sony X950G particularly XBR65X950G offers better contrast ratio that makes it can produce deeper black level than Z9F. But even so, although  X950G has better contrast ratio, but its local dimming performance is not as good as Z9F. This will be noticeable when showing highlight in dark scene where blooming will be more noticeable on the screen of X950G than Z9F. On the other hand, Sony Z9F is superior in brightness level and color reproduction. This certainly makes Z9F can provide better HDR experience than X950G. Overall, picture quality produced by Z9F is still better than X950G, particularly when showing HDR images. But even so, this doesn’t mean performance of X950G is weak. All aspects of picture quality produced by X950G still meet the minimum recommendation to show HDR images fully like the intended, whether it is native contrast ratio, color reproduction, or brightness level. Meanwhile, in term of motion handling, input lags, and other features, their performance is as just good. Although Z9F is better than X950G, but in general, they both are good TVs for mixed usage, whether for watching movies, sports, TV shows, HDR contents, or playing games.

So, which is better choice between them? If performance and picture quality becomes your main consideration, of course, Sony Z9F is better than X950G. But keep in mind, Z9F is priced much more expensive than X950G, even nearly doubled. Now, the decision comes back to you according to your need and budget. If you have an extra budget, Z9F certainly is a better choice. But even so, if you feel Z9F is too expensive for you, Sony X950G is also a good choice for you. Although its picture quality is not as good as Z9F, but it has much cheaper price and its performance and picture quality also can be said excellent, even for HDR experience.

>> Please click here to see today’s price for the Sony Z9F <<

>> Please click here to see today’s price for the Sony X950G <<

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