Sony X93L TV Review | Is This Actually a New TV?

The new Sony X93L TV looks a lot like the 2022 X95K TV, but is the X93L just a rehash of last year's flagship TV or is there more to it than that? Turns out, there's a very good reason to seriously consider the X93L as your next TV.

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Video chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:47 Unboxing
03:28 Setup
04:38 Review
06:22 Price & Competition
08:36 Performance
10:39 Backlight
13:04 Final Thoughts

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Models in Sony X93L Series: 65-inch: (XR65X93L), 75-inch: (XR75X93L), 85-inch (XR85X93L).

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[Caleb_Denison]

Hey everyone, So sorry for the pricing goof! No excuses! The same principle applies. The question of whether to get an X95K on sale won’t matter when they run out (soon). So keep that in mind! Thanks for all the comments! What should I do next?

[rayberry]

I believe that if they can't upgrade tvs year on year then they should not release new models until they have a substantial upgrade to the technology to justify price increases.

[MadViking]

Thank you for the review!

Bought the X95K 65" in Japan at around $2000 US a couple of months back and the blooming control with firmware updates has gotten better, and the new update brought the X93L features such as Eco dashboard and Game bar for the X95K today. In HDR the image can bloom a bit too much for my taste in dark scenes, but other than that, the TV is an absolute beast. I think the next one I will buy is the successor to X95L at 85". Sony is quality, no matter what people say.

Also, it would be lovely if you can share your simple "calibrated" settings (including color!) for each Sony TV review. Especially with Sony TVs the panel quality is so similar, that it would be great to test out them at home to see if the colors improve.

[wesleybecknal]

I don’t expect too much year after year but I do expect an iphone-like supercycle upgrade every 3-4 years in which there’s a definite perceivable difference.

[docjohng]

Yes, with the sales price on the X95K, it's cheaper and probably just as good. What I wish more reviewers would spend some time on is ABL and watching sports like ice hockey and football. From what I can glean, the OLEDs have aggressive ABL which makes watching hockey on them a little disconcerting. That seems to be one of the benefits with sticking with a mini LED set like this Sony.

[Shooter]

If no improvements are available the next year, then they should just offer the same TV model number and decrease the price slightly. For example, Ram launched a new pickup truck several years ago with a new frame, suspension, engines, etc. It was much more expensive. So in order to compete at the bottom of the market, they continued to build and sell the old truck and labeled it “Classic” and sold it at a hefty discount for several model years.

[ge-spot]

To me upgrades depend on the individual tv. If there's genuine improvements to be made then absolutely, these should be incorporated. However, upgrades for the sake of it or meaningless small differences to me are pointless.
I would rather see price points improve and a model continue for more than a year. When a significant and worthwhile improvement comes about then incorporate it. Otherwise why bother. Are manufacturers really telling me that their last year's model is suddenly, genuinely inferior?

[living]

I just bought a 65 X95K a couple months ago for $1599 off Greentoe, I thought about waiting for the reviews but I just relied on an interview with a Sony rep that an X93L is the same TV. It's been an excellent experience, there is some blooming, but it's only obvious with white text on a black background, and only mildly annoying with subtitles, but the upscaling, color and brightness are all great! They also just pushed a software update yesterday that gives the X95K the X93L's software features (game bar, eco dashboard).
My biggest complaints have been (1) the lack of 1440P 120 Hz support (I have an HDMI 2.0 graphics card), (1.5) The lack of VRR support on the HDMI 2.0 ports (2) there's some wonkiness with my soundbar (JBL 5.1 Wireless) which I've had to soft reset once or twice, (3) Google TV's basic mode seems impossible to enable, has the feature just been discontinued?
But overall it's an awesome TV. I highly recommend it if you don't watch lots of subtitled content. I normally have subtitles off so it's a great fit for me. The 75 X95K for $1999 on Greentoe seems like an even better deal, that size just didn't fit in my apartment.

[Telvarous]

I just took the plunge and bought this during Black Friday. $400 off seemed great. So stoked!! 🎉

[darinbourne]

As to your question… I don’t think TVs should have notable or revolutionary updates yearly. The mass majority do not update TVs that often, it is very cumbersome to replace, very expensive to do yearly & and it can’t be that good for the environment to have so many TVs scrapped every year. The last point is an issue with phones so I would have to imagine doing it with TVs would be exponentially worse.

[jbros]

It seems logical that a company can't just come out with quantum leaps year after after. But steady improvement should be expected. Nit Nerd merch definitely.

[michaelwyckoff]

If the year to year improvements to TVS are relevant and make a significant upgrade then yes it's a good thing. We are paying a lot of money for some of these TVS so we should get better performance and features to justify the cost.

[jockhater]

I didn't want to wait for the 2023 models and I wanted the price cuts. So I bought from Best Buy a Certified Pre Owned Excellent Condition Sony XR75X95K for $1, 950 back in February and I absolutely love and am 100% satisfied with it. I didn't need 4 2.1 HDMI ports because I don't game or have a gaming console. I also have young kids and didn't want OLED because of them or to pay the price for one.


Very happy with the X95K and anyone who goes with the X93L will be very satisfied. It is a seriously epic TV.

[mchlhth]

I would agree with all the comments saying that if a company is going to release new product every year, they have to offer some major improvement over an existing model. I always wonder how much money and resources could be saved -- and how much that savings could be passed along to the consumer -- if manufactuers simply didn't release new hardware with minor updates every year.

[daversj]

I’d be curious to see if the off axis blooming shown was the made worse by your energy setting. Try it in medium and low, rather than off where is going for max brightness.

[we]

As usual great video Caleb as usual, this is my favorite YouTube channel for learning about new TVs! Changing the model number without making any changes typical marketing inflation and ripping off the customers!

[chrisbullock]

Still loving our 75inch X95K for the living room. Its brightness and sound is hard to beat if you're looking for a clean, clutter free living room tv. It is HEAVY though!! When we replace it, it'll have to be for another bright but lighter tv. Maybe QD OLED or G3

[Sean-kmht]

To answer the question at the end, don't expect major improvements year after year as much as "value" improvements generationally. That could be in the form of updated features, supporting newer standards, improved performance, better power efficiency, or lower cost for similar performance (such as in this case where the X93L is essentially a slightly cheaper refresh of the X95K). This is easier with new technologies (look at OLED in the 2000s to 2010s compared to today). All that said, the companies don't owe it to consumers, they're in business to make a profit and all businesses can be expected to have little to no increased value if the market conditions do not give them that incentive

[thomasrauzzino]

It would be great to hear your take on this tv vs the Hisense U8K and TCL QM8

[chrisgarciart]

Vrr plus local dimming running this year is great to hear. That’s a big selling point compared to last years model for me.