Sony XR-50X90S: 50-inch BRAVIA XR Full Array LED 4K UHD HDR Smart TV Sony - Review 🏆

The Sony XR-50X90S is a 2022 model 50-inch 4K LED TV that offers premium picture quality and smart functionality. Part of Sony's high-end BRAVIA XR range, this TV utilizes Sony's cognitive processor XR to deliver intense contrast with pure blacks, high peak brightness, and natural colors. With full array local dimming and XR Contrast Booster technology, the XR-50X90S produces incredible high dynamic range (HDR) images. The clean, minimalist design features slim bezels and an aluminum frame to match modern décor. As a Google TV, it provides seamless access to content across apps and services using voice commands. With HDMI 2.1 ports, it also supports advanced gaming features like 4K 120fps, VRR, and ALLM. Overall, the XR-50X90S brings Sony's renowned picture processing to an impressively bright and vivid 4K LED display.

Design

The Sony XR-50X90S has an attractive, minimalist design with thin bezels and an elegant stand. The TV has a slim profile, measuring just 2.09 inches thick, with bezels that are barely noticeable around the display.

The stand has a unique “flared legs” design that provides stability while taking up minimal space. The stand feet are positioned at the far edges of the TV rather than directly underneath. This gives the illusion that the TV is floating above the stand with barely any bezel visible underneath.

The rear of the TV also has a minimalist appearance, with all ports and inputs positioned on one side for easy cable management. The back panel has a textured finish that resists fingerprints and smudges.

Overall, the physical design of the XR-50X90S is modern and streamlined, allowing the beautiful display to take center stage without distracting bezels or stand. The thin profile and stable stand complement any room décor while taking up minimal space.

In addition to the XR-50X90S, another remarkable model is the Sony KD-85X80L: 85-inch 4K HDR LED BRAVIA TV. This impressive 85-inch TV boasts 4K HDR capabilities, delivering stunning picture quality and vibrant colors. With its slim profile and minimal bezel design, it fits seamlessly into any living space while providing an immersive viewing experience. The KD-85X80L combines advanced technology with elegant aesthetics, making it a perfect choice for those seeking both style and performance.

Display Quality

The Sony XR-50X90S has an impressive display that delivers an immersive viewing experience. It features a 50-inch screen size with 4K Ultra HD resolution (3840 x 2160 pixels). The large screen size combined with the 4K resolution provides outstanding clarity and detail.

The TV utilizes a VA (vertical alignment) LED LCD panel. VA panels offer deep black levels for excellent contrast, though viewing angles are more limited compared to IPS panels. The full array local dimming backlight helps boost contrast by dimming LED zones to achieve true blacks. This results in richer, more accurate dark scenes.

With support for high dynamic range (HDR), the XR-50X90S can display a wider range of brightness levels. This brings out details in the brightest and darkest parts of the image. It supports HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision formats. Overall, the display quality enables the TV to deliver stunning 4K images with excellent contrast and color.

Picture Quality

The Sony XR-50X90S delivers excellent picture quality thanks to its powerful XR processor. It handles upscaling lower resolution content very well, resulting in crisp and clear images even when watching standard definition TV channels or DVDs.

The TV has high contrast ratio and gets very bright, so you get deep blacks and vivid colors. Dark scenes have plenty of visible shadow detail. The local dimming works quite well to boost contrast in certain areas of the screen.

For high dynamic range (HDR) content, the XR-50X90S can get extremely bright. It supports HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision formats and does a great job displaying the expanded color gamut and brightness levels of HDR video. Colors look very vibrant and lifelike.

The 50-inch TV panel has good wide viewing angles so the picture retains accuracy even when viewed from the side. Overall motion handling is also solid with fast response time and effective motion interpolation to reduce blur in fast action scenes.

Sound Quality

The Sony XR-50X90S has impressive sound quality thanks to its Acoustic Multi-Audio technology. It comes equipped with two 10W speakers that provide clear and immersive audio.

The speakers use XR Surround technology to create a surround sound experience from the two speakers alone. This produces an audio field that feels wider and more spacious, filling the room with sound. Even without a separate sound system, you'll feel like you're right in the action during movies and shows.

For even better audio, the TV supports Dolby Atmos. This advanced surround sound format creates a 3D soundscape by adding height channels. With content mastered in Atmos, you'll hear sound effects and audio objects move all around you in a sphere of sound.

Sony also includes its own 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology. This analyzes the room acoustics and fine-tunes the audio specifically for your space. No matter where you're sitting, it will sound balanced and natural.

To further boost sound, there are audio enhancement features like ClearAudio+ and auto volume leveling. Dialogue comes through crisp and clear, while sound effects pack an impactful punch. Whether you're blasting action movies or watching quiet dramas, the XR-50X90S delivers an excellent listening experience.

Smart TV Features

The Sony XR-50X90S runs Google's Android TV platform, now rebranded as Google TV. It provides access to a wide range of streaming apps and services.

Some of the key apps available include Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV, YouTube, Spotify, and many more. There's plenty of content to enjoy.

For voice control, the TV has Google Assistant built-in. You can use the voice remote or pair with Google Nest or Amazon Alexa devices to operate the TV hands-free. Ask Google to launch apps, search for content, control playback, and more.

Overall, the Google TV operating system provides a smooth smart TV experience. The interface is intuitive and makes finding content across different apps quick and easy. Voice control works well for hands-free operation.

Connectivity

The Sony XR-50X90S offers excellent connectivity options. It has 4 HDMI ports, with HDMI 2.1 support on ports 3 and 4. This allows for 4K 120Hz gaming as well as Variable Refresh Rate (VRR). There are also 2 USB ports, with USB 3 support for fast data transfers.

For wired connectivity, there is an Ethernet port that can provide faster and more stable internet compared to WiFi. For wireless connectivity, the TV has built-in WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 4.2 support. The WiFi is dual band, supporting both 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks.

Overall, the connectivity options on the XR-50X90S are great. With 4 HDMI 2.1 ports, USB 3.0 support, Ethernet, WiFi 5, and Bluetooth 4.2, you have everything you need to connect media devices, gaming consoles, soundbars, and more. The HDMI 2.1 ports future proof the TV for new devices and gaming features.

Gaming Performance

The Sony XR-50X90S delivers an excellent gaming experience thanks to its impressive specs and features. Input lag, which is the time it takes for a TV to process and display an image from a gaming console, is very low at around 8ms in game mode. This super responsive performance means you'll see fast on-screen motion with minimal delay.

Variable refresh rate (VRR) and auto low latency mode (ALLM) are also supported. VRR matches the TV's refresh rate to the frame rate output of compatible gaming consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X. This eliminates screen tearing and stuttering for smoother gameplay. ALLM automatically switches the TV into low latency game mode when a console is connected.

With these gaming features enabled, fast-paced action games are extremely responsive. Motion looks fluid without blurring or ghosting effects. The XR processor also upscales lower resolution games to 4K nicely. HDR gaming is stunning with heightened contrast and expanded color for realistic, immersive visuals.

Overall, the Sony X90S is an excellent 4K gaming TV that provides incredibly low input lag and supports key gaming features like VRR and ALLM. It delivers an optimized, lag-free experience for competitive and casual gamers alike.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Beautiful and slim design that looks great in any living room
• Large 50-inch 4K display with full array local dimming provides excellent contrast and deep blacks
• Impressive upscaling of HD content to 4K
• Bright, vivid colors and great HDR performance
• Google TV platform is fast and intuitive with access to plenty of apps
• Works well with voice assistants like Google Assistant and Alexa
• Low input lag is great for gaming
• Excellent sound quality from stereo speakers

Cons

• No Dolby Vision HDR support
• Only 2 HDMI 2.1 ports
• Lacks some more advanced gaming features like VRR
• Mediocre viewing angles compared to OLED TVs
• No satellite or cable tuner built-in

Conclusion

The Sony XR-50X90S is an excellent mid-range 4K LED TV that offers a compelling package for the price. With its full array local dimming, the X90S delivers impressive contrast and black levels for an LED TV. The picture quality is very good overall, with vibrant colors, good motion handling, and solid upscaling of HD content.

The Google TV interface is smooth and intuitive, providing easy access to apps and streaming services. Gaming connectivity is also solid, though not as robust as higher-end gaming TVs. The design is fairly basic but should fit well in most living rooms.

For audio, the X90S includes decent speakers that get reasonably loud. But as with most flat TVs, an external sound system is recommended for an immersive experience.

At around £949 for the 50-inch model, the XR-50X90S provides strong performance and features for the price. It's a very good option for buyers wanting a premium 4K LED TV without spending a fortune. Unless 3D, next-gen gaming features, or Dolby Vision are must-haves, the X90S makes an excellent choice for mixed usage with movies, TV, sports, and gaming.