Our Verdict
Good TV for mixed usage. the X800E provides a decent picture quality that is well retained at an angle, while also having good motion and input lag. Unfortunately though, deficiencies in the blacks are quite apparent when used in a darker setting.
- Can be enjoyed even from the sides
- Gradients are smooth and without stepping
- Great handling of motion.
- Contrast is low, making blacks less deep
- Blacks are blotchy
Sub-par choice for movies. Blacks are not very deep and look gray and spotty in a darker room. Flashlighting in black bars is noticeable and can be quite distracting.
The X800E does well well with TV shows. It gets sufficiently bright for use in the daytime, and the wide viewing angle is useful for wider living rooms. Unfortunately though, it's not the best at dealing with reflections.
Very good TV for watching sports. Motion is handled very well and uniformity of grays and colors is better than average.
Great TV for video games. Fast motion has very little trail and input lag is low with both 1080p and 4k inputs.
Decent HDR performance. Important features such as wide color gamut, 10-bit color, and decently high peak brightness are present, but the overall picture quality of the TV is quite underwhelming.
Good HDR gaming TV. Gaming capabilities are well translated to HDR games, but the low contrast reduces the impact of HDR.
Good TV to use as a PC monitor. Wide viewing angles render it usable from a close range without having the edges of the screen darken. Input lag is decently low, and the necessary resolutions are supported.
Changelog
- Updated Mar 12, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
- Updated Dec 11, 2017: Google Assistant has now been added to Android TV on Sony TVs, and it brings a lot of new features to the voice control. The remote score has been increased to reflect the new fuctionality.
- Updated Nov 10, 2017: Retested input lag with the latest firmware (PKG6.2669.0070NAA); there was no significant change.
- Updated Sep 12, 2017: The Remote App box has been updated, replacing Google's app with Sony's better one.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 43" (XBR43X800E). For the most part, we expect our review to be valid for the 49"(XBR49X800E) and 55" (XBR55X800E)
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their Sony XBR-43X800E doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review. Note that some tests such as the gray uniformity may vary between individual units.
| Size | Model | Alternative Name | UK Model |
| 43" | XBR43X800E | XBR-43X800E | KD-43XE8004 |
| 49" | XBR49X800E | XBR-49X800E | KD-49XE8004 |
| 55" | XBR55X800E | XBR-55X800E | N/A |
Popular TV Comparisons
The X800E is a good LED TV, but it's a bit too expensive for the performance it delivers. See our recommendations for the best 4k TVs and the best TVs.
The Sony X720E is slightly better than the Sony X800E. The Sony X720E has better input lag, and this is great for gaming or for use as a PC monitor. Also, the Sony X720E has slightly better gray uniformity which is great if you watch a lot of sports. The Sony X800E has better smart features and reflections that you will appreciate if you watch TV shows in a brighter room.
The Sony X800G is slightly better than the X800E. These two TVs were not evaluated using the same test bench, so it's difficult to make a direct comparison, but there are a few differences. The newer X800G has better motion handling due to a faster response time, has better black uniformity, and has better reflection handling.
If you have a wide seating arrangement in an average lit room, the Sony X800E is a more suitable choice because of its better viewing angles. On the other hand, the Sony X900E has significantly better local dimming, much better contrast ratio and a bit better black uniformity that make blacks look great and improve picture quality in a dark room when you watch movies or HDR movies. The Sony X900E has slightly better motion handling features like motion interpolation and 24p judder removal that will please movie enthusiasts. Finally, the X900E has better reflection handling and this is good news for those who watch TV shows in brighter rooms.
If wide viewing angles are important to you, then the Sony X800E is a better choice. Apart from this, the Samsung MU8000 is a better choice. The Samsung MU8000 has significantly better contrast and better local dimming and can deliver great blacks that lead to better picture quality in movies. The Samsung MU8000 also has a bit better motion handling capabilities to improve your movie-watching experience further. Finally, the Samsung MU8000 has a bit better input lag and slightly better response time, which is good if you play video games.
We buy and test dozens of TVs yearly, taking an objective, data-driven approach to deliver results you can trust. Our testing process is complex, with hundreds of individual tests that take over a week to complete. Most of our tests use specially designed test patterns that mimic real content, but we also use the same sources you have at home to ensure our results match the real-world experience. We use two main tools for our testing: a Colorimetry Research CR-100 colorimeter and a CR-250 spectroradiometer.
Test Results
Older Test Bench: This product has been tested using an older TV test methodology, before a major update. Some of the test results below aren't directly comparable with other TVs. Learn more
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