I purchased this TV after several years of owning a Hisense branded 4K TV which eventually stopped powering on altogether. It was a tough choice to decide on which brand to go with for my next few years of usage, but I figured Sony would be a safe bet as this is one of their specialties.
After 3 months of usage, I think it’s safe to say I made the right choice. This TV is a big step up from the previous Hisense model I had, or really any previous TVs I’ve had. I should also note that I’ve also used Sylvania, Hitachi, Magnavox, Vizio, and Insignia HDTVs and none compare to this one. To start, the durable stands simply clicked into the bottom of the TV which was better than other cheap and unstable plastic stands that use screws. For reference, I tried another TV just before getting this one that had cheap stands, and it didn’t even hold the TV up straight no matter what I tried; a no-no for my OCD, so I quickly took that back to Walmart!
The TV does not have RCA ports which isn’t a big deal but would be better if it did (I am nostalgic and have a couple of VCR/DVD player combos that still get used, but one of them has an HDMI output so it’s whatever.) Setup of the TV itself took a little time but it’s understandable when you have to log in and get the basics set up. All of which took maybe half an hour at most.
After the TV was ready to go, I tried it out with my cable box DVR and then my Xbox Series X. I must say that I am very much impressed with the MotionFlow technology as well as the Live Color, digital noise reduction and Reality Creation settings. It does a great job of upscaling just about anything that you watch with it, especially standard definition and 1080p broadcasts. The MotionFlow is so smooth and this was something I really wanted with my new TV. Sometimes I choose to leave the Black adjust & Contrast adjust off though, since it can be a bit much; but they’re still handy features. When using the Xbox Series X or other game console, the Game picture setting must be used to avoid input lag if you’re going to play. There are supposedly more features if you use a PlayStation 5 with it, but I don’t use PlayStation so I can’t speak on that. Also, if you’re not watching or using anything on the TV, you can also set the TV to display a screensaver with your custom images in a folder from your Google account. It has the accurate time and weather info beside it which is useful.
The audio quality of the television is excellent for it to be a flatscreen. Typically HDTVs of modern times have flat sounding, junky speakers, but I was impressed by the sound quality on these. If you don’t currently use a soundbar like myself, the built-in speakers do the trick on any given day. Good bass, treble, vocals, r quite nice for stock speakers. The TV has a Bluetooth capability to output to a stereo system or other external sound device. One slight complaint is that once it is connected and paired, it automatically turns the stereo on once the TV is turned back on again. I have yet to find a way to alter that setting and the only way to avoid it is to unpair the external device entirely. For now I just use the standard built-in speakers. There is also an aux port on the TV but I can’t seem to get it working with a 3.5mm audio jack to output audio without using Bluetooth. Maybe this is for something else?
As for the menu, interface, and apps, it is quick most of the time and rarely has input lag when holding down the volume button. There is a dinging sound when pressing buttons and navigating but this can be turned off, fortunately. There is also a white light from the bottom of the TV which flashes with every button press, which can get slightly annoying at times but it’s acceptable. All apps I’ve used seem to function well and there are plenty of options for entertainment, including music apps like Spotify. You can utilize your voice remote to play songs, look up videos on YouTube, get information, and other uses, but sometimes it can misunderstand your context. When you pull up sound settings, it takes you away from what you are watching, and this happens with a couple of other settings in the menu which is a slight annoyance. I think everything in the menu should be accessible in some way without interrupting what you’re watching. Again, it is a minor inconvenience that does not truly affect the quality of usage, but Sony should update the interface to fix that.
The last few things I will mention is the remote, USB functionality and the solid button on the TV; yes, button. There is one single button below the middle of the TV which can be used to operate basic functions without a remote; the button is held down at points to navigate the menu. The remote could be a little larger in my opinion. Instead of having the 6 specific buttons for apps like Crunchyroll which I never use, they should be 6 customizable streaming “hotlink” buttons that you can set to jump to whichever app you choose. But alas, you get Crunchyroll, Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, YouTube, and YouTube Music. Anything else you will need to pull up the menu of apps to access or use the voice remote. It is also worth noting that apps such as YouTube remain in a suspended state if you leave it and go to another HDMI input. I have yet to discover if this can be altered but I would prefer an option for it to completely close out any app I navigate away from as to use less of the CPU. Lastly, the USB stick option - you can insert up to 2 USB sticks with video or pictures, but a small issue is that if a video on the stick is in the 4:3 aspect ratio it stretches it to 16:9 which you can’t change. Some folks don’t care about stretched aspect ratio for older videos but I think that should also be customizable in a future update.
Only one issue that stands above the rest is the Wi-Fi which will randomly disconnect from time to time. I have yet to determine if this is a fault with the TV’s network card or my internet provider. Sony should look into this potential issue with this model.
There are some other minor features I haven’t mentioned in this review, but I tried to cover as much as possible to give you a clear idea of what you may be potentially getting into with this TV. For a viewer’s basic needs of entertainment and picture quality in 2024, I would definitely recommend this TV and give it an A- rating. It has been worth it and I would also recommend getting a good warranty as with any other electronic such as this. Up to this point, I am satisfied and will likely continue to use Sony for TV needs in the future.
| Brand Name | Sony |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 100.9 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 17.88 x 74.88 x 46.13 inches |
| Country of Origin | Mexico |
| Item model number | KD85X77L |
| Batteries | 2 AAA batteries required. (included) |
| Color Name | Black |
| Special Features | Google TV w/ Google Assistant, Apple Airplay, Motionflow XR 240, 4K Processor X1, 4K X-Reality PRO |
| Speaker Type | Bass Reflex Speaker |
| Item Weight | 100.9 Pounds |
| Standing screen display size | 85 Inches |
