Are you in search of a smart TV with lots of features at a lower price? If yes, then this Sony X80J review is meant for you.
Itechguides' Take on Sony X80J
Summary
The Sony X80J is a 4K resolution smart television with amazing features such as a high contrast ratio with local dimming. It also has excellent motion handling ability, and it comes with Google TV with advanced UI and smooth performance. However, it has a mediocre viewing angle and inadequate bass, and its OS has a lot of ads.
Overall
Pros
- Smooth Google TV
- Great choice for gamers
- Bluetooth
- Adequate ports selection
Cons
- Poor viewing angles
- Inadequate bass
- Disturbing ads
In this article, I will be discussing all the important stuff about the Sony X80J. By so doing, I will discuss its design features, display/picture quality features, sound features, ports/connectivity features, and smart features.
Moreover, I will discuss the pros and cons of this TV. I will also give it a rating between one and ten at the end of each section of the review based on its performance.
Therefore, to get all the details I have highlighted above, I recommend you read this review to the end.
My Initial Thoughts
Sony, in its bid to remain consistent in producing quality television sets, has released several TV models in 2021. One of these TV is the Sony X80J which I will be reviewing in this article.
The Sony X80J is an entry-level 4K resolution smart TV which happens to be Sony’s most affordable TV in that category for 2021. To be precise, at the time I wrote this review (April 2022), it had a starting price of $598.00 on Amazon.
At that price, the Sony X80J delivers quality and colorful pictures as well as other exciting features for your home entertainment. However, since most times, price affects performance, let us see to what extent that happens on the Sony X80J.
Sony X80J Design, Dimension, and Weight Review
The design construct of the Sony X80J is similar to that of the Sony X800H. From my point of view, I think Sony did not put much effort into the aesthetics of the Sony X80J.
Generally, the design layout looks basic – of course, that is what one would normally get from an entry-level TV. To begin with, its bezels are quite chunky and are made of plastic.
The bezels feel lightweight, and they have a rough texture. On the bottom bezel, there is a “Sony” inscription which serves as Sony’s Trademark.
Furthermore, the Sony X80J comes with a pair of plastic feet that supports it when it is placed on desks. These feet are wide apart and give the TV some support.
Regardless of that, the TV might still wobble a bit if it is nudged.
Due to how wide apart the feet are, you will require a wide entertainment table to place the TV if you have no plans of wall-mounting it.
Meanwhile, on this TV, there is a cable management system, but it is more or less basic. The cable management system contains two clips to fasten the cables to the feet.
Moving on to the back view of the Sony X80J, it is quite plain and made of plastic. On the backplate, you will find a panel that holds the ports.
The port panel is placed on the right side of the TV’s back where it faces outwards. At the back of the TV, there is also a 300 x 300 VESA mount which is useful for mounting the TV on the wall.
Meanwhile, the Sony X80J is quite thick compared to other high-end models of Sony TVs. Hence, it will bulge out when it is mounted on the wall.
Precisely, the Sony X80J is 70 mm thick. It also has an overall dimension of 1126 x 70 x 653 mm (W x D x H).
Having talked about its size, let us also talk about its weight. Regarding that, the Sony X80J weighs 12300 g.
Comparatively, it weighs less than some of its competitors. For instance, the Samsung UN50RU7100FXZA and LG 50UH5530 weigh 13607.8 g and 13199.5 g, respectively.
In conclusion, nothing looks particularly striking about the Sony X80J’s design. However, that is not too far from my expectation, considering its price.
Nevertheless, it has a cable management system, although it is basic. The Sony X80J is also quite lightweight.
Therefore, I will be rating it seven out of ten in this section of the review.
Sony X80J Display Features and Picture Quality Review
The Sony X80J boasts a 50-inch display with a 4K UHD (3840 x 2160 pixels) resolution. As a result of its high resolution, this display should deliver colorful and crisp images.
In addition to its 4K resolution, the Sony X80J’s display comes with LED direct backlighting.
This implies that the LCD has light-emitting diodes all around its back. Therefore, the display will produce even brightness and sharp colors.
Let us also talk about the contrast ratio of the display, which helps it to produce deep blacks when needed. In that regard, the Sony X80J has a poor contrast ratio of 1,116: 1.
Therefore, dark scenes produced by the display will be gray and not deep black. To worsen the situation, the Sony X80J also does not support local dimming, which could have substituted for its poor contrast ratio.
If you are wondering what local dimming means, it is a display technology that improves the black portions of a display. As a result of that, the Sony X80J’s display won’t be suitable for watching movies with dark scenes in a dark room.
Proceeding to display brightness, the Sony X80J still failed to impress me. It measures a peak brightness of 404 nits which does not make highlights pop but is manageable for watching SDR (standard dynamic range) content.
However, the brightness of this display is unimpressive when watching HDR (High dynamic range) content.
Thankfully, the Sony X80J’s display is not entirely disappointing; it actually got some things right. One of its good sides is that it supports some HDR (High Dynamic Range) formats which include Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG.
To make it clear, HDR is a display format that improves display brightness and colors to deliver realistic picture quality. Furthermore, thanks to the HDR formats mentioned above, the picture quality of HDR content, like Netflix movies, will be improved.
In addition to that, the Sony X80J also has wide viewing angles thanks to its IPS panel. If you are wondering what viewing angle means, it determines if you will be able to view the TV from whatever position you are in a room.
If a TV has wide viewing angles, it means that you do not have to sit directly opposite it to get a clear view. Thankfully, that is the case with the Sony X80J.
Impressively, that is not all that the Sony X80J did right; it also features some display technologies that improve picture quality. These technologies include the 4K HDR Processor X1 and Motionflow XR 240.
The 4K HDR Processor X1 uses a series of algorithms to improve image details, thereby delivering clearer, lifelike, and colorful 4K resolution pictures.
Secondly, the Motionflow XR 240 increases the rate at which images refresh on the display. Therefore, it helps to create a smooth transition in fast-moving content such as games and sports.
Another factor that determines how displays handle fast-moving content is response time. For clarity, response time is the time taken for a display to transition from one color to another.
Therefore, a fast response time will reduce blurs in fast-moving content. That said, the Sony X80J has an impressive response time of 12.5 milliseconds.
Thus, the TV will be suitable for watching motion content like sports and action movies.
In addition to that, the Sony X80J recorded an impressively low input lag of 11.6 milliseconds. For a better understanding, input lag is the time taken for an input signal from gamepads or other external devices to be displayed on the display.
Thankfully, a low input lag is a good factor for considering if a TV is good for gaming. Needless to say that the Sony X80J is a decent choice for gamers.
In conclusion, the Sony X80J offers good viewing angles and motion handling. However, it has a poor contrast ratio and lacks adequate display brightness.
Therefore, I will rate the Sony X80J an eight in this section of the review.
Sony X80J Sound Features Review
We are all aware that Sony has a remarkable reputation when it comes to sound production. Thankfully, that applies to the Sony X80J.
Handling the sound production of this TV is a pair of 10-watt bass reflex speakers. In case you don’t know, bass-reflex speakers are those that have a hole with a tube connecting the sound from the speaker out the TV.
These types of speakers produce efficient audio quality even at low volumes. Thankfully, that is the case with the Sony X80J.
Furthermore, the Sony X80J can get reasonably loud even at an average volume which is enough to fill a large sitting area.
The only unfortunate thing about the sound produced by the speakers is that it has inadequate bass. However, considering the price of the Sony X80J, you should not be surprised by that.
Therefore, due to the insufficient amount of bass, there won’t be a punch or rumble in the sounds produced by the speakers. As a result of that, you will not get thumps from movies with heavy bass.
To lighten the mood of bass lovers, the Sony X80J’s bass limitation ends with the TV’s in-built speakers. Therefore, you can purchase a soundbar or a subwoofer to get your desired bass.
On the bright side, the lack of enough bass is advantageous in another sense. This is because it allows the speakers to produce clear dialogues in TV shows, movies, etc.
Due to the clarity of dialogue, you will be able to make out the different sounds from the different characters in these TV programs.
In addition to that, the Sony X80J also supports some sound enhancement technologies, which include Dolby Atmos and DTS Surround sound.
Firstly, Dolby Atmos gives the speakers additional support to deliver an immersive sound. In other words, it produces a room-filling sound for a large room.
Meanwhile, the DTS Surround sound helps the TV deliver a multichannel virtual surround sound. With the support of these sound technologies, the Sony X80J should deliver a cinematic theater-like sound.
At this point, let us proceed to the sound distortion performance of this TV’s sound system. To do that, we will look at its result in a total harmonic distortion (THD) test.
This test measures the amount of deviation of produced sound from the original sound. For metric purposes, a THD value below 1% is ideal, meaning there will be no noticeable sound distortion.
That said, the Sony X80J measured 2.65% THD at 80% volume, which means that the distortion is only slightly noticeable. Still, the overall audio quality will be maintained.
However, at maximum volume, the distortion rose significantly to 11.51% THD which implies that there is a noticeable sound distortion.
As you can see from the above result, sound distortion increases with increased volume. Therefore, to reduce the amount of sound distortion produced, you can listen to sounds at medium volume.
Thankfully, the sound produced by the Sony X80J speakers is loud enough, even at 40-45% volume.
In conclusion, the overall audio quality of the Sony X80J is quite impressive, although it lacks adequate bass. In light of that, the TV deserves a rating of eight out of ten in this section of the review.
Sony X80J Ports and Connectivity Features Review
The Sony X80J features a good number of ports, all located behind the TV. The ports are arranged vertically on a panel that faces sideways, which makes them easy to access when you wall-mount the TV.
Starting from the top, the TV features two USB ports, one digital optical out, a 3.5 headphone jack, and composite input.
In addition to that, the Sony X80J comes with four HDMI ports. The third HDMI supports eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel).
Therefore, with the eARC HDMI, you can connect your soundbar to the TV using a single HDMI cable. Basically, the eARC port allows simplicity in connectivity to and from the TV with a single HDMI cord.
Meanwhile, there are still more ports on the Sony X80J. There is also an Ethernet port, RS-232C/IR IN port, and an RF port.
For wireless connectivity, the Sony X80J comes with an in-built (802.11a/b/g /n/ac) WiFi and Bluetooth version 4.2.
It is incomplete to talk about the inputs and connectivities of a TV without talking about its remote. Therefore, let us get into that.
The Sony X80J comes with a standard remote control which is quite long and has curvy edges. The remote control is plastic built and has a black color and nice texture.
Furthermore, the remote contains numerous buttons which, include four dedicated buttons. These buttons grant quick access to YouTube, Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video.
In addition to that, the remote has circular navigation buttons at the center and a voice input button. Also, there are channels and volume controls, as well as playback buttons at the bottom of the remote.
Lastly, you will see a “Sony” inscription at the bottom edge of the remote for Trademark recognition.
More importantly, the Sony X80J remote features an in-built mic for inputting voice commands. Therefore, you can do voice searches by voice commands.
Overall, the Sony X80J is rich in port options as well as wireless connectivity. Its remote control is very functional and efficient, and it has an inbuilt mic for voice interaction.
To this end, I will be rating the Sony X80J a nine in this section of the review.
Sony X80J Smart Features Review
Just like other recent Sony televisions, the Sony X80J comes with a Google TV. Google TV is basically the same as Android TV because they both run on Android OS.
Specifically, Sony TV models released in 2021 are integrated with version 10.0 of the Android TV operating system.
Moreover, Google TV is a brilliant and improved update compared to previous Android TVs. However, Google TV has a different user interface (UI) and extra features with added functionalities than Android TVs.
That said, the Sony X80J Google TV features a user-friendly UI. Additionally, the operating system’s performance is extremely smooth and easy to navigate.
What makes Google TV more fascinating is its mode of operation which was designed to suit the user’s needs. Speaking of which, during the installation process, the users can make a custom selection for their preferred streaming service to set up the Home screen.
Another thing you will get on Google TV is the abundance of apps available on the Google Play Store. In addition to the ton of apps available on the Play store, the Sony X80J interface also features pre-installed apps.
To mention a few of the pre-installed apps, there is Netflix, Google TV, YouTube, Disney+, Amazon Prime, Sling, and Spotify.
Furthermore, the Sony X80J comes with an in-built Chromecast. Chromecast lets you watch movies, play games, and view content from your mobile devices by mirroring your device’s display to the TV.
In addition to that, the Sony X80J supports Apple AirPlay. Therefore, you can stream music and videos from your Apple device to the TV.
Furthermore, you can interact with the Android TV virtual assistant by voice command. Thankfully, you are not limited to the Android TV virtual assistant only; it is compatible with Amazon Alexa.
These virtual assistants allow you to also do voice searches for your favorite content.
In summary, the Sony X80J has a brilliant and impressive Google TV OS. The only flaw associated with the OS is that quite a number of ads pop up on the interface.
Considering all I have said, I will be rating the Sony X80J TV a nine out of ten in this section of the review.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sony, in its bid to remain consistent in the production of quality television sets, released some TVs in 2021 one of which is the Sony X80J.
Yes, the Sony X80J comes with an in-built Chromecast, which lets you watch movies, play games, and view content from your mobile devices by mirroring your device’s screen to the TV.
Yes, the Sony X80J supports some sound enhancement technologies one of which is Dolby Atmos. Dolby Atmos gives the speakers additional support to deliver an immersive and room-filling sound.
Yes. The Sony X80J has Bluetooth version 4.2.
The Sony X80J comes with four HDMI ports. The third HDMI port supports eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel).
Therefore, with the eARC HDMI, you can connect your soundbar to the TV using an HDMI cable. Basically, the eARC port allows simplicity in connectivity to and from the TV with a single HDMI cord.
My Final Thoughts
Judging by its price, it may seem as though the Sony X80J will feature nothing particularly interesting. However, having completed its review, I can say that it performed beyond my expectation.
At a price of $548 (April 2022), the Sony X80J offers a crisp and colorful display, high contrast ratio, and impressive motion-handling performance. Furthermore, its sound performance is decent, and it has a brilliant and user-friendly operating system.
However, the Sony X80J features some flaws as well. These flaws include poor viewing angles and inadequate bass in the sounds produced by its speakers.
Nevertheless, if you are looking to buy a decently feature-packed smart TV that is not too pricy, I suggest you consider the Sony X80J.
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