Sony X950H vs Samsung Q80T differences – are they worth for gaming?

Sony X950H vs Samsung Q80T differences – are they worth for gaming? Both brands make a lot of consumer products outside of televisions too. You wouldn’t have a PlayStation 4 without Sony, and the upcoming PS5 is set to be a big product launch for the company. Be assured, too, that Sony is making televisions capable of showing off everything its next-gen console can do – and both TV makers have a flagship TV with 8K resolution too.

Best Seller in UK

Popular in US

Sony X950H vs Samsung Q80T – which one is for you?

Not sure on either? Both Sony and Samsung are capable mainstream TV makers, and you’re unlikely to get screwed over by a purchase from one or the other. Most of our complaints for Sony and Samsung’s premiums sets gear around format support – the picture quality is generally brilliant either way. And if you’re committed to Dolby Vision or HDR10+ as an HDR format, that may well make your decision for you.

It’s worth noting that Samsung’s 2019 QLEDs brought in a new Ultra Viewing Angle technology, making for vastly improved off-axis viewing. Sony on the other hand is usually pretty competent at upscaling from low-resolution sources, and motion handling in fast-moving shots.

Samsung’s QLED sets will go big on brightness, and if you’re more of a daytime viewer than a huddle-in-the-dark cinephile, the brighter displays may be more what you’re after. Otherwise Sony’s OLEDs will offer a crisp picture with incredible contrast more suited to your late night movie sessions.

And while Sony tends to play around with TV casings and stand design more than most – with some ill-advised tilted screens, like the otherwise incredible AF9 OLED – it has come back to its senses since then. The A8H is a brilliant mid-range OLED new for 2020, and its towering A9G OLED has now got a 48-inch size that brings in within reach of more reasonable budgets.

Samsung sets will also generally be a bit cheaper for what they offer – hence how Samsung managed to overtake Sony despite being something of an upstart in the TV market not too long ago. OLEDs especially will cost more than an equivalent QLED, even if that could change in the coming years. 

Samsung’s push in 2020 is towards 8K TVs, with the Q800T, Q900T, and Q950TS all offering high-end 8K pictures – though that means its flagship 4K set, the Q95T, doesn’t benefit from the latest processing, as its the 8K models that get the goods.

REVIEWS : Sony X950H vs Samsung Q80T

Frame

The frame as well as the feet are made of aluminium, while the back is completely made of plastic. The cables run behind the feet and can be fixed here with clips. The feet are also adjustable. Because they can be pushed together further towards the centre of the TV, the X950H can also be placed in small spaces. Nevertheless, the feet are stable enough to ensure that the television hardly wobbles at all. 

Display comparison – Sony X950H vs Samsung Q80T

General features

Connection

HDR

Tizen vs Android TV – Sony X950H vs Samsung Q80T

There tends to be a different smart TV platform for each make of television, each with its own unique flavor. 

Sony uses Android TV, which offers somewhat more content and menu panes than its competitor. It’s a bit more cluttered, but also more at your fingertips. It’s really up to your preference – though Android TV is also known to be slightly buggier and prone to crashes than other smart TV platforms.

Samsung, on the other hand, goes with its Tizen OS for its mid-range and premium televisions. Tizen is fast to navigate and generally uncluttered – with a constantly refreshing ‘recent’ box enabling you to keep track of your most used apps. Overall, a pretty competent experience, though the universal search function isn’t as accomplished as LG’s webOS platform.

Voice assistant – Sony X950H vs Samsung Q80T

Sony has however now added an Amazon Alexa Music, Cameras and TV Control app to its 2019 TVs, and some mid-range models from previous years. This will let you control third-party smart home products and speakers through some basic Alexa capability – like the Amazon Echo, or Ring security cameras – and use Alexa voice commands for the TV’s power and volume functions.

Advanced Sony TVs will come with Google Assistant integration – which makes sense, given Android TV is a Google-developed platform. 

Samsung’s Bixby voice assistant can be found on mid-range sets and above, though it’s known to lag behind Alexa or Google Assistant in terms of smarts or voice recognition. However, it’s more than enough for the minimal TV controls you’re likely to be using Bixby for – and you can always link up your television with an Alexa speaker if you really want to.

OTS vs Acoustic Surface Audio -Sony X950H vs Samsung Q80T

Sony and Samsung are also increasingly at loggerheads over the best solutions for built-in audio.

Samsung usually leans on external audio solutions, pushing its range of Samsung soundbars as a natural accompaniment to its premium QLED TVs.

High-end Samsung TVs in 2020, though, will be making use of a new technology called OTS (Object Tracking Sound), which uses an array of drivers around the television’s body to give emitted audio a sense of height and scale. It’s certainly innovative, and an improvement on the built-in speakers of Samsung’s 2019 QLED range – we were pretty impressed on first listen back at CES 2020 – though the sonic signature isn’t quite as sharp as what you’d get with a proper AV setup.

Sony has been shipping sets with its Acoustic Surface Audio technology for a few years now, which vibrates the TV panel itself to emit sound. It sounds like a smart solution on the surface, though glass isn’t usually the best material for channeling audio – and the sound can be somewhat imprecise. Nonetheless, you’ll find it in most of Sony’s premium television lineup these days.

These features are very much at the premium end, though – largely for 8K QLEDs for Samsung and 4K OLEDs for Sony – and there’s far less difference between the TV brands’ average 20W speakers at the mid-range.

The Sony XBRX950H

Features

As for picture quality, Sony’s X1 Ultimate processor is considered the industry’s best, and Sony improves on LCD viewing angles with a VA panel and X-Wide Angle technology. Color and detail are exceptional, and the X950H does everything any good, fully featured smart TV will do – and then some. True, the X950H isn’t equal to Sony’s highest-end OLED TVs, but it’s still miles ahead of other LCDs at the same price point. For more, hit our product page for a full list of specs and capabilities.

The X950H is not your everyday 4K / Ultra HD / Smart TV, not by a long shot. It doesn’t take long in front of this TV to once again be reminded: no one innovates like Sony. For one, it’s a monster –  the 65-inch version is thicker than most other flatscreens and weighs a little over 100 pounds with its feet attached. But there’s good reason: Sony filled it with quality speakers, including three on each side: an 18mm tweeter, an 80mm magnetic fluid midrange and an 80mm subwoofer. The result: audio every bit as good as most soundbars, but neatly hidden away.

What else?

• Works with both Alexa and Google Assistant.
• IMAX Enhanced Mode, the X950H replicates the high-quality color and clarity of IMAX content. In Netflix Calibrated Mode, the X950H faithfully reproduces Netflix original content with the same studio quality as the Netflix studio master.

Sizes available: 49” • 55” • 65” • 75” • 85”

The Samsung Q Series QLED TVs

Features

To be clear, Samsung’s QLED technology requires LED back-lighting, versus OLED technology where every single pixel emits its own light. So though QLED can never truly equal OLED, the Q90R series is still worth a look. It costs less than similarly featured OLED TVs, it’s gorgeous, (Samsung’s “One Connect Box” houses and hides power and port connections) and with or without an OLED nearby for comparison, the picture is full-bodied and incredibly bright – with remarkable detail. Kudos to Samsung for not resting on their laurels. 

8K may be here to stay, but Samsung hasn’t given up on how great 4K can be. Ultra Viewing Angle is particularly newsworthy, given it fixes the one drawback associated with all-things LCD: poor viewing angles. In short: an LCD TV is great if you’re sitting directly in front of it… but off to the side, not so much. Samsung solves that issue with the Q90R, which now affords viewing angles in excess of 60 degrees – while maintaining vivid color and contrast.

What else?

• For those who still prefer old-fashioned / uncomplicated remotes, Samsung’s old-school approach will make your day.
• Samsung’s Bixby 2.0 voice control platform comes built-in with a robust AI. But if you prefer Alexa and/or Google Assistant, the Q90T line works with both.
• Samsung’s own “Smart Things” platform let’s you control any number of smart devices via the remote, or by voice.

Sizes available: 55″• 65″• 75″• 85″

TV Screen Type: QLED | Screen Shape: Flat | Format: 4K Ultra HD HDR| Connectivity: Wi-Fi and Bluetooth|Warranty: 1 year

Reg Price:Starts at $1,799.99

TV Screen Type: LED | Screen Shape: Flat | Format: 4K Ultra HD HDR| Connectivity: Wi-Fi and Bluetooth|Warranty: 1 year

Should you buy Sony X950H?

Matthew Rodgers stated in Quora – “Definitely the Sony X950H Full-Array LED TV. It supports Dolby Vision and HDR10, has X-Motion Clarity (a massive improvement over their 120Hz LCD HDTVs from over a decade ago), X-Tended Dynamic Range PRO for the crispest and most lifelike picture, TRILUMINOS Display Technology AND their flagship X1 Ultimate picture processor, which is also used in their 8K TV lineup. You can’t do much better than that. And you’ll be saving more than 2,000 USD if you invest in the 85″ class model, as opposed to the 77″ class Master Series XBR-A9G OLED.”

Editor’s recommendations

• Philips Ambilight 70PUS8545 review and price – 2020 model
• Samsung Q80T vs Q90T – can you do screen sharing with mobile?
• Sony VPL-VW570ES 4K SXRD projector review and price