Our Verdict
Very good TV for a mixed usage. The X930E performs well with almost any use-case thanks to its excellent picture quality. Excellent for HDR, but its image quickly degrades at an angle.
- Exceptionally bright, which is great for HDR
- Deep and uniform blacks
- Very good motion handling
- Image degrades rapidly at an angle
Great TV for movies. Very deep and uniform blacks and the good local dimming gives the X930E a very good picture with a lot of depth.
Great for TV shows. The TV gets exceptionally bright and can reduce reflections a fair bit. Its Android TV smart platform is also quite good and provides all of the services most people need.
Very good TV to watch sports. Motion is excellent, and the uniform reproduction of colors helps create sports fields without blotches. Unfortunately, picture quality deteriorates quickly at an angle.
Excellent TV to play video games on. Low input lag in 4k, so modern video games feel quick and responsive. Motion blur is also low, so no issues with long trails following objects appear.
Excellent HDR TV. The X930E gets extraordinarily bright, even during real movie scenes. Its contrast is also very good, and the TV can display a wider color gamut.
Terrific HDR gaming TV. The X930E doesn't have any additional input lag in HDR, and its HDR capabilities are great. The wide color gamut makes HDR games look very saturated and pretty.
Very good PC monitor. The X930E has low input lag and motion blur, so the mouse cursor feels responsive. Text can be displayed without any issues, but its picture quality can degrade at the edges and corners if sitting close to the TV.
Changelog
- Updated Jun 12, 2018: A note for Xbox One X and Xbox One S owners: 1080p @ 120 Hz from the Xbox is only supported on this TV when the Xbox's connection type is changed from Auto-detect (Recommended) to HDMI, but unfortunately in this mode 4k and HDR aren't supported.
- Updated Mar 12, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
- Updated Jan 23, 2018: High-end Sony TVs have now been updated with Dolby Vision through a firmware update (PKG6.2818.0075NAA). The input section has been updated.
- 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.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 55" (XBR55X930E). For the most part, we expect our review to be valid for the 65"(XBR65X930E) as well.
Note that the 65" model doesn't have an external power brick, which may make it easier to wall mount.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their Sony XBR-55X930E 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 |
| 55" | XBR55X930E | XBR-55X930E | KD-55XE9305 |
| 65" | XBR65X930E | XBR-65X930E | KD-65XE9305 |
Popular TV Comparisons
The Sony X930E is one of the best LED TVs we've reviewed, but it faces some tough competition in its category. See our recommendations for the best 4k TVs and the best TVs.
The Sony X930E is a bit better than the Sony X940E. The X940E has a more advanced full array local dimming feature and better black uniformity, so it performs better in a dark room. The X940E has a better black frame insertion feature to help clear up motion, but the X930E has a much better response time, so motion is smoother overall and has much less blur trail. The X930E is brighter with SDR and HDR content.
The Sony X900F and the Sony X930E have very similar performance. The Sony X900F has a marginally better response time that you might notice if you're a hardcore video gamer. On the other hand, the Sony X930E has better contrast that produces deeper blacks in dark environments and is great if you watch HDR content. Also, the Sony X930E has somewhat better SDR peak brightness that you will appreciate if you watch TV shows in a brighter room.
If you are a movie fan, then go with the LG C7 OLED, whereas if you use your TV as a PC monitor or watch the news with static banners for prolonged periods of time, go with the Sony X930E. The LG C7 has perfect blacks that are great for movies and HDR content in dark rooms. The LG C7 also has a slightly better response time and somewhat better input lag, so you can enjoy playing video games. Finally, the LG C7 has better viewing angles for those sitting on the side and better gray uniformity for those sports fans. The Sony X930E is a better choice if you worry too much about the permanent burn-in.
The Sony X930E is slightly better than the Sony X900E. The Sony X930E has marginally better input lag when sent a 4k @ 60Hz + HDR input signal and can also decode a Dolby vision signal, and this is great if you play HDR games. The Sony X930E has slightly better SDR peak brightness which makes it suitable for watching TV shows in a brighter room and also has better local dimming which improves picture quality when you watch a movie. On the other hand, the Sony X900E has a slightly better response time that will please gamers.
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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