Sony 49XH9505/55XH9505 or Samsung alternatives?

faidtoblack

Established Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2018
Messages
422
Reaction score
131
Points
116
Age
41
Location
uk
I recently posted asking about older 50” and smaller set recommendations. Initially my budget was going to be around £500 but I have decided to up it to whatever is necessary and instead purchase one of this years sets. I really still want to purchase a 50” or smaller tv although I fully appreciate that the value gets much better at 55” and above. The main issue is that I am going to be moving around a fair bit and I ideally want a tv that will easily fit in my car inside its original the box although I may just accept it and go for a larger set. HDR is important and I am aware that my best option is probably going to be the Sony XH9505; I am discounting the OLED’s at 48” for various reasons.

I am wondering whether the Sony 49XH9505 is going to be much of a downgrade compared to the 55” variant? I am assuming the number of zones will differ considerably and I am wondering what the impact of this will be on the viewing experience (the price difference between the two is not huge and I can afford the larger size). My usage is going to be movies and shows through the inbuilt apps (I will probably Chromecast apple tv subscription and now tv occasionally). I appreciate that the 55" will be 'better' (more zones and more immersive) but I am just wondering whether the 49" really is a very good tv or just the best option at 49"? I also wonder whether I am missing any other sets at that size. There is the Samsung 49Q85T but I have no idea how that would compare with the Sony?

The other option is to just accept it and go for a 55” and that will obviously open up my options quite a bit. Again I will probably avoid an OLED for a number of reasons that I won’t bore you with. I guess the best option is likely still going to be the Sony at 55”? I have noticed though that Samsung have recently added a number of 2019 and 2018 sets at 55” on their site (not all of them are showing as in stock) but I can get 15% - 20% off on the Samsung website so I am considering buying from them if there are some good deals post-Christmas. With this in mind I am wondering how the 2019 55Q80R, 2019 55Q85R, 2019 55Q90R and 2018 55Q9F compare to the Sony? Is there a sweet spot among these sets where they measure up to the Sony and then surpass it in terms of my usage? (Movies through Netflix and amazon mainly). Then there is this years 55Q90T and if that drops to around 1k I would consider it (although I am not sure how it measures up to the Sony XH9505).

Thanks very much for the input
 
The 49" Sony is fine as long as you intend to view the TV only directly in front. The only change compared to the larger sizes is the omission of the wide viewing angle filter. That's why its listed in my guide and the 49" Samsung models are not (they have 60hz panels at sizes smaller than 55").

In terms of Samsung, the Q90T is closest to the Sony XH9505, in 2019 that would be the Q85R, with the Q80R (Q85T) quite a bit worse and the Q70R (Q80T) even worse again and the Q90R bettering all. You'd want to pick Samsung models up at 55" if you can, since they don't come with a 120hz panel at 49".

The Samsung outlet is of questionable worth even with the discount. We have had a few people intrigued by the discount, but beware that they only offer a 1 year standard warranty and don't bundle the extra 4-5 years other manufacturers do on top. Not that there's a big chance you'll need a warranty with such low failure rates, but its worth mentioning.

As you'll probably see, Samsung models are on the expensive side for some reason. They should sell their 49" models for a lot less than they currently are since they don't carry the same spec as the larger models. The price of the Q90T should also be in line with the Sony XH9505, not more expensive.

The 2018 Q9FN may well be a better TV with local dimming and HDR performance, nothing wrong going for it if you are getting a good deal. Its probably on par with the 2019 Q90R which wasn't replaced in their 2020 lineup.

Samsung 2020 models have 1x HDMI 2.1 port, but isn't really of use unless you plan to a HDMI 2.1 feature in the future like eARC or HDMI VRR.
All the other models, including the Sony XH9505 use HDMI 2.0 only, all despite this the Sony does support eARC.

Samsung have better smart TV and back HDR10+ which Amazon mainly use. Sony have better motion and back Dolby Vision HDR which is what Netflix use.

Both will work fine either either unsupported HDMI format using HDR10 as a basic layer, so its important to focus first on the best TV for HDR you can buy, rather than its format support.
 
Thank you very much for that information. Can anyone explain to me what the main differences are between the 55XH9505, 55XH9096 and the 55XH9005?
 
The XH9005 is a lower tier model, more basic local dimming, lacklustre HDR capability due to only 750nits peak brightness. Its a TV that is suited to someone with a limited budget who wants to dabble into HDR known again, but not suited to someone looking for the best HDR picture quality, or problems with the picture being too dark due to its limited peak brightness.

The XH9096 is a variation of the same TV. Check Sony's website for the XH90 range to see the differences. Trailing model numbers in TV names usually amount to small differences such as aesthetics rather than picture quality.
 
Thank you very much for your help. Looks like I will go for the 49XH9505 or the 55XH9505.
 
Last edited:
I just got the 55” about a month ago, very happy with it. It was discounted to €990 which I now understand was a bargain, bit it also shows that you might be able to find it at a similar price.
 
I just got the 55” about a month ago, very happy with it. It was discounted to €990 which I now understand was a bargain, bit it also shows that you might be able to find it at a similar price.
How is the blooming around subtitles and in the top and bottom black bars when watching movies? I know it won't be perfect but I had a 49XF9005 a couple of years ago and it was a bit of an issue with that TV.
 
I would not be the best judge for that, I do notice it but I not so it bothers me. My wife commented on it, especially when viewing from say 45 degree off center.
 
I would not be the best judge for that, I do notice it but I not so it bothers me. My wife commented on it, especially when viewing from say 45 degree off center.
Thanks for that feedback. I appreciate it will be there and it is the only real drawback I can see with the XH9505 to be honest. I know the Samsung's suppress the blooming pretty well but I much preferer the impact of the HDR on the Sony so Samsung is not an option. The only real alternative for me to the Sony is one of the OLEDS but then you have other compromises. Both options have their positives but none are perfect.
 
So, I have not had a TV with HDR before. But this has really impressed me, so much in fact that I am rethinking future purchases to make peak brightness a priority. Dolby Vision on this makes rewatching movies a treat for the eyes.
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom