Sony BRAVIA XR85X93L 85"

A rare TV where the built-in audio is the star of the show, not an afterthought. Buy it for the massive, bright screen and ditch the soundbar, but don't expect Sony's best-ever picture processing.

The audio on this thing is a genuine shocker. Hitting the 95th percentile in our database means the built-in 2.2 channel, 60W system with Dolby Atmos isn't just passable, it's actually good enough that you might not feel the immediate need for a soundbar. That's rare. On the flip side, the picture quality score landing in the 37th percentile is the real head-scratcher. For a Sony with the Cognitive Processor XR, we expected more nuanced processing. It's like the Mini-LED backlight is doing all the heavy lifting for brightness and contrast, but the fine detail and upscaling aren't quite keeping up with the best in class.

The obvious competitor is the Samsung Neo QLED QN75QN990FFXZA. Samsung's processing is typically sharper, and their gaming features are just as strong, but you'll almost certainly need a soundbar. The Hisense U8 Series 100U8QG is the value elephant in the room, offering a bigger screen and shockingly good picture quality for often less money, though its audio and motion handling won't touch the Sony. The LG C5 OLED is in a different universe for contrast and black levels, but it can't match this Sony's sheer brightness or size for the price.

At $3,449 for the 85-inch model, the value proposition is tricky. You're getting a massive, bright screen with phenomenal sound, but the core picture quality doesn't lead the pack. It's worth it if you value the all-in-one, no-soundbar-required experience and that Sony build quality. But if you're a pure videophile chasing the best image for the money, your dollar goes further elsewhere.

The Sony X93L is a fascinating beast. It's a TV that absolutely nails the stuff you can't easily fix with a soundbar or streaming stick, like audio and raw display brightness, but it stumbles a bit on the core picture processing magic Sony is usually famous for. If you want a massive, cinema-like screen that sounds incredible out of the box and gets bright enough to fight a sunny room, this is a serious contender. Just know you're paying a premium for that integrated experience, not necessarily the absolute best picture quality per dollar.

If you're a cinephile who watches mostly in a dark room and obsesses over perfect black levels and shadow detail, this isn't your TV. Go get an LG C5 OLED instead. The Sony's strength is raw brightness, not the inky blacks and pixel-level contrast of an OLED.

The Sony X93L is a niche champion. It's the TV you buy when you want a massive, brilliant screen and genuinely hate the clutter of external speakers. The audio is a standout feature that genuinely changes the living room experience. Just go in with your eyes open about the picture processing, which is good but not the class-leading Sony magic we've seen in the past. For the right person, it simplifies their setup beautifully.