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Sony KD-55XE8596
Sony KD-55XD9305 review
| Review: March 2016 | ||
Last updated July 2016 Rating: In a nutshell: The Sony KD-55XD9305B is Sony's top 55-inch TV for 2016. Picture quality from this 4K HDR TV is as good as anything we've seen from Sony, thanks to the new Slim Backlight Drive, Triluminos display technology and X1 processor. The TV comes with Android TV, Netflix 4K, and built-in Freeview HD and Youview support. It's an outstanding television in many ways, but our users are reporting a variety of problems. See below for details. |
Introduction
Last year Sony was the last of the big four manufacturers to launch its TV range, but this year it's quick off the mark, and the XD93 is the first model to arrive in the shops. It's not quite Sony's flagship TV for 2016, as that position is taken by the XD94, but as that is only available in a 75" size, it's not one that's likely to be selling in any numbers. The XD9305 is available in a more realistic choice of 55" and 65", and here we're reviewing the 55 inch model.
Design & looks
The Sony XD93 is a good-looking television, with a new look for 2016 that's refreshing and stylish. The screen itself is an incredibly thin 36mm, giving it a razor-like profile, and the bezel surrounding the screen is sleek and narrow too.
New for 2016 is the "silver slate" stand, which is a brushed metal wedge-shaped stand, giving the screen a much more sturdy feel than last year's slightly flimsy feet. The stand also incorporates a lift-off panel for some neat cable management, which is also welcome.
There are discreet and handy control buttons on the back of the screen for power, volume control, and input source selection. An illumination LED below the screen completes the look.
Picture quality
The XD9305 is the first TV to feature Sony's new Slim Backlight Drive, and we were keen to see how well this performs. The answer is very well indeed.
The Slim Backlight Drive is an LED edge-based lighting system that Sony claims is able to reproduce much of the effect of a full array direct backlighting system. That sounds almost too good to be true, but in practice, it really does seem to live up to the hype, delivering truly impressive blacks, with very high brightness levels, and a dynamic range that's close to OLED quality.
The backlighting system is aided by a high quality VA-type panel and Sony's Triluminos technology. It uses Sony's X-tended Dynamic Range PRO system to amplify the dynamic range of each frame. And at its heart is the 4K X1 processor with HDR capability. HDR enables greater peak brightness with a wider colour spectrum and higher dynamic range, revealing levels of shadow detail that are normally hidden. The result is that this UHD display delivers stunning levels of crisp detail, and with virtually no motion blur in evidence either.
There's some loss of colour saturation when viewing the screen from an angle of 45°, but it's not as marked as in many of Samsung's PSA screens. We'd say that it's about as noticeable as in Samsung's Series 8 televisions from last year - in other words, broadly acceptable.
This TV performs at its best with native 4K source of course, but for most of us in the real world, much of what we watch is still HD. The X1 processor does a good job of upscaling HD material, and watching HD input on this TV gives quite acceptable results. We'd avoid watching lower quality SD channels, however, as no amount of processing can create a good result on a screen this big.
3D
Although the 3D format seems to be dying, there's still some demand for watching 3D on a big screen, so it's good to see that Sony is continuing to support the capability, at least on its premium models. The XD93 range includes support for Full HD active 3D.
Audio quality
It's rare to find top quality audio on a modern flatscreen TV. The KD55XD9305 lacks the outsize speakers of the previous X93C model, opting instead for more conventional speakers that are placed out of sight. With Clear Phase stereo speakers incorporating separate subwoofers, there's more power here than in most TVs, and noticeably more bass, but the TV would still benefit from the optional subwoofer that plugs into the TV's headphone socket, or better still a dedicated home cinema kit.
Android TV
Sony made the switch to Android TV in 2015, and spent most of that year desperately releasing updates to fix the multitude of bugs that were present. It seems that some of these are still present. Be prepared for some teething problems, and be aware that you're taking a risk in choosing Android TV.
Having said that, Android TV offers significant advantages over other Smart TV systems. It gives you access to Google Play apps from your TV, and you can download videos, music and other content directly from your TV. YouTube and Netflix are probably the best ways to access 4K content at present, and 4K Blu-Ray will be here very soon.
Android also provides features such as Google Cast, which lets you mirror content such as videos or photos from an Android phone. The TV SideView app lets you use your Android phone or tablet to control the TV.
Catch-up TV is provided courtesy of Youview. A user-friendly 7-day windback with content from BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, 4oD and Demand 5 is displayed alongside future programmes in the Electronic Programme Guide.
Connectivity
Connectivity options are comprehensive. The TV supports Wi-Fi and ethernet connections to your home network, and Wi-Fi Direct is also supported. HDMI support is generous, with 4 connections included, plus 3 USB ports and a very full range of legacy AV connections, including SCART. Freesat with Youview functionality is present, as already noted.
We already mentioned that the headphone jack doubles as a subwoofer output, and there's a digital audio output for connecting to an external speaker system, in addition to HDMI.
The sales package includes a voice-activated remote control.
Conclusion - buyer beware
In many ways the Sony KD-55XD9305 deserves a 5 star rating, but the fly in the ointment remains the Android operating system. Sony doesn't seem to have been able to iron out all the problems that plagued its TV range last year. Some of our users are also reporting problems with screen vignetting - a dark edge to the picture. These problems are unacceptable in such an expensive product, and we've decided to downgrade our rating to reflect that.
Instead, we recommend the Samsung UE55KS8000 or Panasonic TX-58DX802B.
Sony KD-55XD9305 features include:
- 55 inch UHD LED-backlit screen
- 3840 x 2160 resolution
- HDR (High Dynamic Range)
- Triluminos display
- X-tended Dynamic Range PRO
- Slim Backlight Drive / Edgelit LED
- 4K X-Reality PRO processing engine
- Advanced contrast enhancer
- Motionflow XR 1000 Hz
- Active super-resolution 3D
- 24p True Cinema
- Picture modes: Vivid, Standard, Custom, Cinema Pro, Cinema Home, Sports, Animation, Photo-Vivid, Photo-Standard, Photo-Custom, Game, Graphics, HDR Video
- Freeview HD and YouView
- Android 5.0 TV
- Audio: Clear phase speakers, 3D surround, 7.5W x 4 power output
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Ethernet (LAN), screen mirroring, HDMI x 4 (PC input x 1), USB x 3, hybrid headphone/subwoofer output, component in (Y/Pb/Pr), composite in (AV), digital audio out, analogue audio input x 2, PCMCIA, SCART, RF In (Terrestrial / Cable), CI+ slot
- RMF-TX200E voice remote control
- Energy efficiency class: B
- Typical power consumption: 134W - 217W
- Size without stand (WxHxD): 123.9 x 71.7 x 3.6 cm
- Size with stand (WxHxD): 123.9 x 76.9 x 26.1 cm
User questions
Sorry - questions and comments on this page are now closed.
Does the TV support 3D 24p playback?
Asked by Michael
from UK
on 19th Sep 2017
I have heard that, while the TV supports 24p, the 3D is locked to the
higher refresh rate causing the weird smoothing issue. So I am curious
to know does the TV support 3D 24p playback?
Can somebody take a picture and show us how bad the screen vignetting is?
Asked
by dave
from UK
on 12th Nov 2016
There is a new firmware for this TV available as of two days ago..
Asked by dave
from UK
on 9th Nov 2016
...download, install and report if anything improved.
Sony KD-55XD9305 user reviews
Sorry - reviews and comments on this page are now closed.
Average rating from 15 reviews: 
Reviewed by Clive
from Sweden
on 21st Mar 2018
It gets worse my TV died last week on the 13th no power dead!
Rating: 
Reviewed by Clive
from Sweden
on 19th Sep 2017
Mine has made my router stop working it sends and receives crazy
amounts of data via ethernet and WiFi I once see it send 3Gb/s in 1
second mega weird so no I'm not happy.
Rating:
Reviewed by Dave Rogers
from uk
on 13th Aug 2017
The tv is great when it works but i have had nothing but problems with
it
I am now on my 2nd screen both started having problems the
same way.
When you turned it on it would go off then come back
on and go through
The Android Boot process, the screen would go
through this booting
3 or 4 times a day, this seems to be common
fault with this model.
Then last night tried to turn it and it
is dead, same thing happend
with first screen i had , So i would
advice people not to buy this
model.
Rating:
Reviewed by S Howells
from United Kingdom
on 22nd Mar 2017
Mine was purchased on 19 November 2016 but died yesterday- 20 March
2017 just after its 4 month birthday. I am gutted.
Asked for a
refund but was told my John Lewis right to refund ended after 90 days.
Asked for right to refund before 6 months under Sale of Goods Act only
to be told we have to have a Sony engineer examine it and admit it was
inherently faulty. :(
Rating:
Reviewed by Richard Jusrice
from UK
on 18th Feb 2017
Hi Great TV for colours and HDR viewing.
Our problem is that the
HTC790 soundbar and TV are not talking...!!! Firmware has been updated
worked for a week then stopped? System is two weeks old...
Rating: 
Reviewed by G.Bearman
from UK
on 30th Jan 2017
Whilst the HD picture is very good, I wish I had not bought the
XD93,The sound is poor & requires a Soundbar, There is no FREESAT
despite being told by Sony Reps it has it. The set is troublesome and
constantly requires a reboot, as sometimes it will not switch off or
on. The YouView is an annoyance that slows TV down, best not to enable
You View, The inputs are difficult to access being designed it seems
for left handers, like most TVs except Samsung. At the moment I am
trying to discover how to download APPs for catch up Channels 4 &
5 as I will not enable You View again. I made the mistake of paying
£1800. Best to avoid buying a TV when they are first released in
April at rip-off prices.
Rating:
Reviewed by purecain
from uk
on 3rd Jan 2017
I have the model under this without the new back light system. people
may see vignetting on a blank screen as you can see the area of
control with the edges mainly controlled by the edge lit led lighting
system. when a picture is displayed the tv configures both lighting
systems and vignetting will disappear.
for those looking
for a panel to game on, I use mine as a dedicated pc monitor. in game
mode and graphics mode the lag is amazing. I tested my tv and anything
over 50ms is noticeable to the human eye. the response was around 25ms
which is amazing again for a 55inch tv. Samsung must be bribing all
the reviewers because in a side by side comparison with all the top
Samsung models the picture quality was leaps and bounds better on the
sony. I went to buy a Samsung panal for their 20ms response time. the
picture is terrible in comparison. go and see for yourself.
so
as long as you use game mode there is an amazing response time.
I'm a high end hardware expert and for anyone looking for a gaming
panal, this is it!!!!
don't listen to noob reviews from people
who either have a faulty set or have simply configured it wrong. my tv
is the model below this without the centre lighting system. it didn't
make enough of an improvement when actual images were being displayed.
the quality is already very high in hdr 4k.
and remember these
tvs are hdmi 2.0 so 60fps @4k and 100fps@1920x1080.
Rating: 
Reviewed by P Marsden
from UK
on 19th Dec 2016
Had the TV less than 6 months - it simply stopped working. Sony
customer service awful. Waited 8 days for an engineer to come out. He
plugged it in and said no there's nothing (strangely that is what we
had done) and it will have to go into the workshop - it's likely to be
a circuit board which "go" on these TVs. We are now left without a TV
for Xmas period (a repair won't be done in time) and Sony say there's
nothing they can (WILL) do. I have never been so disappointed with a
Company's service.
Rating:
Reply by S Howells
from Uk
on 22nd Mar 2017
Ours stopped working (completely dead and nothing wrong with power
cable as tested by electrician friend) after 4 months and we are
waiting for a Sony engineer to come on the weekend.
We believe
it was inherently faulty but have to prove this.
Can you tell me
whether they repaired yours and if it has been ok since then?
Thank you
Reviewed by David
from UK
on 6th Nov 2016
Bought the Sony 65xd9305 from Currys because it demo'd well instore
compared to the Panasonic 902b and Samsung 8000 screens. However the
tv was delivered with a bent screen. Didn't really notice until I'd
set it all up. Picture quality was really disappointing when viewing
standard def and to some extent HD content. My current 2 year old 55"
Samsung easily runs circles around it. Currys have said that this may
be due to the screen being bent and have agreed to replace it. But I'm
in a quandry whether or not to go with another brand because if the
picture quality in SD/HD is the same on the new set I'd be pretty
cheesed off.
Rating:
Reply by David
from UK
on 25th Nov 2016
Quick follow up to my original post. Second TV turned up and this time
I asked the driver to open the box and check before I accepted
delivery. He took one look and told me it was bent. Seems to be a
theme occurring here. The TV is very thin and is more susceptible than
most to mishandling. The driver assured me the TV had been stored
correctly during transportation and then his mate comes around the
corner with it upended on a sack trolley! I went back to the Currys
store to receive a refund. The sales staff informed me they had
received numerous complaints about KnowKnow, (their delivery company).
The trouble is the drivers/mates can be handling a washing machine one
minute and the next picking up delicate electronic kit which
inevitably gets treated in the same way.
Reviewed by fbartling
from theNetherlands
on 3rd Aug 2016
I,ve had this flatscreen tv now since 29072016,
and it has the
best picture quality I,ve seen
yet.
I did check what the
competition had to offer too,
but in the end the Sony pulled me
over,having a far
more crisp picture quality.
My former
tv was an 8 year old plasma screen that started
to darken,so
this screen was quite a revelation to me
such was it,s
brightness.
Rating:
Reviewed by Gary
from UK
on 7th Jul 2016
I have just bought the 55" model and am seeing vinietting (dark
shadowing) around the sides. Also screen zone dimming is nowhere near
refined as I expect. I watched an episode of House of Cards and found
the dimming and lighting of different parts of the screen very
distracting.
Rating:
Reviewed by mr doney
from united kingdom
on 26th May 2016
Bought this model kd65xd9305bu in the united kingdom from a sony shop
that think every one that buys a tv knows nothing so they can blind
you with total rubbish to get rid of you. this tv cost £2800 it
replace there first curved tv that was a diamond in every respect but
did not have HDR for the new blu-ray format the colours looked wrong
and very dark picture hence reason to change, the new 2016 curved set
did not have the picture quality from the 2014 model looked very cheap
for a high price. This new set has a stunning picture on hd roof arial
and sat and ultra hd with HDR from new Panasonic ultra hd blu ray
player as sony don't have one for sale yet. the sound is very clear
for a very thin set but sony sub needed to bolster bass etc.
now
for the BAD bits, new firmware update applied to record tv whilst away
from set or on other channel, what a total mess this update is, the
recordings just stop at will can be 30 seconds or 10 minuets into a
program or if your lucky it may go near to the end of that program
anywhere from 5 to 10 minuets short, the picture has loads a very huge
bursts of digital blocking in recording that's not in the live program
when it blocks it stutters, and may carry on a bit and then freeze
also the lip sync is out and sub standard, is this down to google if
so what are sony doing putting this in there sets its madness, as for
youview don't bother clicking on the app once in its a nightmare
trying to come back out you have to go back into system navigate
through that and disable it after watching a very substandard itv
picture it looks like old vhs video / no hd / no recording £2800
to watch itv catch up in vhs quality then it makes it difficult to
exit and go back to digital roof arial or sat dish if you want to go
back to youview you will have to register again etc as it wants to
lock you into it what total rubbish so its a total waste of time, on
the 65inch curved set from 2014 it was a 99 percent perfect set for me
with perfect recordings. now for google apps installing them is fine
but waiting for them to fully load and just try to come back out of
them, lock ups by the bucket load you may even need to turn tv off and
on again to get response from tv, now for using from a sat dish tuner
you touch the guide button to be presented with a sort of tv guide
that is all but blank no listings for any channel but if you click on
say bbc one you then get sent to the channel with no idea whats on
there but if you now press the guide button in the channel list there
is listings for only whats on now and next then totally blank as are
all other channels. this tv may have a fantastic picture for blu-ray
etc but for £2800 this set is a disaster on a large scale, how
is it not any reviews pull this up or are they just interested in the
picture quality and sound with there testing equipment but fail to do
a full review to stop those like me wasting all but £3000 on a
banger of a set, as for help from sony shop by staff that talk down to
the customer giving lame answers just to get you moved on never never
again, now waiting on sony themselves to get back to me, lady was very
nice person from another country so that was difficult for both of us
I could tell she was reading answer,s from a computer screen. she was
doing her best but did not know what digital blocking was and several
other basic terms I am 59 and been interested in tv,s etc since
leaving school, made valve amps from kits good soldering skills needed
for that and understanding of parts etc so to be treated like I know
nothing buy the local sony store is a insult and I am no further on as
they just give any reason to avoid being helpful, they know there,s
problems with the google side of the set just how can sony think that
I will ever buy another from them, maybe that's why they are not the
biggest but one of the smallest tv makers now leaving Samsung , lg to
build the best sets what a shame from what sony used to be and all the
great inventions they have come out with, I cant see many more years
of there being a sony brand, maybe just the games console side its
about the only thing that makes them any money now so very sad.
Rating:
Reviewed by Ed
from Netherlands
on 19th May 2016
Last week I've received the 55X930D and the Panel is bend.
Returning it this week to the store.
Rating:
Reviewed by G.Bearman
from UK
on 14th May 2016
Picture very good, but many user problems. Inputs are designed for
left handers, I find Menu system far too complicated much prefer
Samsung being very user friendly at least my previous H6700 was. Why
no Standby light , can not obtain Freesat. Retailer says Sony told him
the XD93 sold in the UK is a German model and consequently will not
accept Freesat. Do not like Youview but will have to enable to obtain
Catchup. All inputs should be on right hand side.
Rating: 
Reviewed by John
from UK
on 12th Apr 2016
Finally got my 55inch set from John Lewis...massively disappointed
with this "leading edge" technology screen from Sony...the whole area
around the screen edge is like a vignette...shading to dark around the
whole screen and most evident of course when screen is generally light
colours...how sad that Sony decided to adopt this new technology
screen...for me its back to JL for the LG OLED or even the older Sony.
How can a manufacturer make such a mistake?!? I realise not everyone
will notice this, or will learn to live with it...but this is not good
technology.
Rating:
