The Sony X800G is the best 4k TV that offers large viewing angles and reasonable peak brightness. With outstanding response time, it has very good motion handling, so quick-moving objects look fantastic, with very little blur behind them.
Unfortunately, this TV doesn’t look as good in a dim space as most IPS TVs, as black screen look grey in a dark viewing setting. It also has greater than normal input lag, which can be disappointing for serious players, but good for casual gamers, or if you intend to use it as a PC monitor.
The Sony X800G
- The image remains accurate at an angle.
- Very good motion handling.
- Blacks look gray in a dark room.
- Higher than average input lag.
Design:
There is a nice build on the Sony X800G. It looks nearly similar to last year’s X720E, but instead of a silver stand, it has a matte black table. The stand holds the television well but wobbles a little, and the legs are about the same width as the television and can not be reversed.
The back of the TV is white, and through the back of the legs there is just limited cable management. The TV has decent build quality, and with our unit, we did not find any problems or areas of concern.
See also: Best TV to use as PC Monitor
The stand protects the television well but does not stop it from wobbling. It’s almost the entire width of a TV, but if you don’t intend on mounting it on the wall, you’ll need a big table. To save space, the feet can’t be reversed.
The 55″ model’s footprint: 39.0″ x 13.2
The back is simple, but it looks excellent. There is just simple cable handling, much like the X750F, via a hollow segment on the back of each foot. In a cut-out on the back, some of the inputs are down-facing, and when wall-mounted, they may be hard to access.
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Good build quality is available for the Sony X800G. A combination of metal and plastic is the exterior panels, and we did not find any problems or areas of concern. Our unit has a slight backward tilt; we don’t know if this is a flaw with our unit, or if it’s deliberate. It’s very slight either way and not visible.
Features:
Like most other Sony TVs, the smart Android TV platform runs on the X800G. While it was released with Android 7.0, an Android Oreo 8.0 update has begun to roll out. The Android interface, which covers most streaming services, is simple to use, fast, and has a vast range of applications.
Feature highlights:
- 4K X-Reality PRO ensures the cleanest, clearest picture for all video sources
- Direct-lit LED backlighting with frame dimming helps to provide better picture contrast and black levels (55″ 65″ 75″ models)
- Edge-lit LED backlighting with frame dimming helps to provide enhanced picture contrast and black levels (43″ 49″ models)
- High Dynamic Range (HDR10, HLG – HDR) for extended picture contrast and brightness when viewing HDR content (no Dolby Vision HDR support)
- TRILUMINOS Display technology for a wider range of color reproduction
- Motionflow XR 240 (60Hz refresh rate)
Connectivity
- 4 HDMI 2.0b inputs (HDCP 2.3 compliant)
- 1 Component/composite video input shared
- 3 USB inputs – one is USB 3.0
- 1 Ethernet input
- 1 RF input for antenna/cable/satellite
- 1 Digital optical audio output
- 1 Analog audio output 3.5 mm
- Dual-band Wi-Fi (802.11ac) provides fast, reliable wireless streaming
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Sound Quality:
On this TV, mediocre frequency response. At about 134Hz, the Low-Frequency Extension is bad, meaning that the bass generates no thump or rumble, and has virtually no punch. The frequency response is very strong and flat above the LFE, which is crucial for the dialog to be clear and intelligible. Without creating so much compression and pumping artifacts, this tv will get very loud, which is awesome.
The distortion performance of this TV is mediocre. At lower volume levels, the total distortion is good, and not very noticeable, but at max volume, the total distortion increases drastically and is much more noticeable.
Smart Features:
The X800G ships with Android 7.0, like the A8G, which is unusual, since older Sony TVs have already been upgraded to Android 8.0.0. The 7.0 gui is well structured, but it’s not seamless, and it takes longer to perform certain simple tasks than on Android 8.0.
Based on the TV’s serial code, the Android 8.0 update began rolling out in batches. We’re going to refresh our analysis until our device gets the update.
The interface is actually ad-free, but we expect there to be ads, as seen on the A9G, until the Android 8.0 update rolls out. At the moment, there is a selection of recommended material, but this can be completely disabled.
Picture Quality:
Movies: For watching movies in a dark room, the X800G is a mediocre TV. The contrast ratio is too poor to create deep blacks, and in a dark room, this is highly obvious, and blacks look grey. This model still lacks a local dimming feature and has a black uniformity which is disappointing. However, it upscales 1080p content well, perfect if any of the films are on Blu-ray, and Judder can be disabled, but only from actual 24p sources.
See also: Best TV for Watching Movies
TV Shows: This is a perfect TV during the day for viewing TV shows. It has wide viewing angles, good handling of light, and good peak brightness, which is perfect if you want to walk about during the day with the TV on. There is a large range of applications on the smart platform, and most subscription platforms are available. This TV even upscales older content with a lower resolution very well, and Blu-ray TV shows look fantastic.
Sports: This is a very good TV, especially as a community, for watching sports during the day. It has big viewing angles, decent peak brightness, and good handling of reflection, perfect for watching a huge game with a group of mates. It has a short reaction time, but behind fast-moving objects (or players) there is limited distortion, and it has good gray uniformity.
See also: Best TV for Watching Sports
Video Games: For playing video games, particularly console games, the X800G is a good TV. It has a fast reaction time, but in your favorite games, there is no blur behind fast-moving objects, and while it has a short input lag in game mode, it is better than other TVs on the market currently. Unfortunately, no innovative gaming technologies, such as a variable refresh rate, are enabled by this TV and it has a refresh rate of 60Hz, which may disappoint several gamers.
See also: Best TV for Video Games
HDR Movies: Unfortunately, in a dark space, the X800G is a mediocre TV for watching HDR movies. The contrast ratio is very poor, because in a dark space, blacks look grey, and to make up for this, it lacks a local dimming feature. However, this isn’t as obvious in a bright room. A wide color range can be shown, which is awesome, but in HDR it can’t get really bright, so bright highlights don’t stand out as well as they can.
HDR Gaming: For HDR gaming, this TV is good, mostly due to the fast response time and relatively low input lag. It has a poor contrast ratio, no local dimming, and misleading black uniformity, unfortunately, so it’s not suitable for gaming in a dark room. It can show a large gamut of colors, which is fine, but has a mediocre amount of color, and in HDR can not get very bright.
See also: Best TV for HDR Gaming
PC Monitor: A fantastic TV for use as a PC monitor is the Sony X800G. It has an impressive response time, but there is no intrusive blur, like the mouse pointer, behind moving objects. When viewed from an angle, the picture stays correct, which is perfect if you are seated next to it, since the sides of the screen appear uniform. With 1080p, 1440p, and 4k content, it can display proper 4:4:4 chroma, and it can use nearest neighbor upscaling while transmitting a 1080p signal that some people prefer. Unfortunately, it has an input lag greater than normal, which may disappoint several people.
Sound Quality and Performance
The sound quality of the Sony X800G is average. It has a mediocre frequency response, with a low-frequency extension of about 134Hz. This means that the bass lacks thump and rumble, and doesn’t have much punch. However, the frequency response above the low-frequency extension is strong and flat, which is essential for clear and intelligible dialog.
The TV can get very loud without producing too much compression and pumping artifacts, which is a plus. However, the distortion performance is mediocre. At lower volume levels, the total distortion is good and not very noticeable, but at maximum volume, the total distortion increases significantly and becomes more noticeable.
Gaming Performance and Input Lag
The Sony X800G has a relatively high input lag compared to other TVs on the market, which can be disappointing for serious gamers. However, for casual gamers or those who want to use the TV as a PC monitor, the input lag is still reasonable.
In game mode, the input lag is around 28ms, which is not as low as some other gaming-oriented TVs, but still reasonable for most gamers. The TV also has a fast response time, which means that there is minimal blur behind fast-moving objects in games.
However, the TV doesn’t have any innovative gaming technologies such as variable refresh rate (VRR) or FreeSync, which can help reduce screen tearing and stuttering in games. Additionally, the TV has a 60Hz refresh rate, which may disappoint some gamers who want a higher refresh rate for smoother gameplay.
FAQ
What is the difference between the Sony X800G and X850G?
The main differences between the Sony X800G and X850G are the type of backlighting and the peak brightness. The X800G has an edge-lit LED backlight, while the X850G has a direct-lit LED backlight with local dimming. This means that the X850G has better contrast and deeper blacks than the X800G. Additionally, the X850G has a higher peak brightness, which makes it more suitable for use in bright rooms.
Does it have Dolby Vision?
No, the Sony X800G does not have Dolby Vision. It supports HDR10 and HLG HDR formats, but not Dolby Vision.
Can display 1080p and 720p content?
Yes, the Sony X800G can display 1080p and 720p content. It has a good upscaling engine that can convert lower-resolution content to 4K. Additionally, it can display proper 4:4:4 chroma when connected to a PC, which is important for text clarity.
Does it have a wide color gamut?
Yes, the Sony X800G has a wide color gamut thanks to its TRILUMINOS Display technology. This allows it to display a wider range of colors than standard TVs, which makes colors appear more vivid and accurate.
Can the Sony X800G be used as a PC monitor?
Yes, the Sony X800G can be used as a PC monitor. It has a fast response time, which means that there is minimal blur behind fast-moving objects such as the mouse cursor. Additionally, it can display proper 4:4:4 chroma at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K resolutions, which is important for text clarity.
Does the Sony X800G have a local dimming feature?
No, the Sony X800G does not have a local dimming feature. This means that it cannot selectively dim certain parts of the screen to create deeper blacks, which can result in a less impressive contrast ratio.
Does it have a variable refresh rate?
No, the Sony X800G does not have a variable refresh rate (VRR). This means that it cannot adjust its refresh rate on the fly to match the frame rate of games, which can result in screen tearing and stuttering.
What is the input lag of the Sony X800G?
In game mode, the input lag of the Sony X800G is around 28ms, which is reasonable for most gamers. However, it is higher than some other gaming-oriented TVs on the market, which can be disappointing for serious gamers.
Does it have a wide viewing angle?
Yes, the Sony X800G has a wide viewing angle thanks to its IPS panel. This means that the picture remains accurate even when viewed from the side, which is important if you plan on watching TV with a group of people.
Is the Sony X800G good for watching sports?
Yes, the Sony X800G is good for watching sports. It has a fast response time, which means that there is minimal blur behind fast-moving objects such as players. Additionally, it has good handling of reflections and good peak brightness, which makes it suitable for use in bright rooms.
Final Thoughts
For certain uses, the Sony X800G is a good TV. It is well-suited for a bright space, with large viewing angles, but in a dark room it does not look as fine. With an exceptional response time, it has very good motion handling but has minimal options for motion processing, and does not eliminate judder from all sources.
It has a reasonably low input lag, which is good for casual gamers, but more serious gamers will be disappointed.
