The games master

John Archer explains why Sony’s latest mid-range LED LCD TV is arguably better for next-gen console gamers than its flagship models

- John Archer

AV INFO

PRODUCT: 75in 4K HDR TV with direct LED lighting and local dimming

POSITION: Upper mid-range on the LCD side of Sony’s 2020 4K TV cycle

PEERS: LG OLED65CX; Panasonic TX-75HX940

WHILE THE ORIGINAL PS4 and Xbox One consoles trailed behind TV technology when they first came out, the Xbox Series X and PS5 are running ahead of most 2020 TVs. Graphics features such as 4K at 120Hz, variable refresh rates and automatic low latency mode switching have caught the vast majority of this year's displays on the hop, including many of Sony’s own models. Oddly, the only game-friendly exception in its range isn’t some high-flying, megabucks flagship, but the mid-range XH9005 series.

Thanks to their carriage of the latest MediaTek chipset and two v2.1 HDMIs with 48Gbps data rate support, the XH9005s will handle all the key next-gen gaming features.

There's a 55in model selling for £1,000, which looks likely to be a hot ticket item this Christmas for gamers. Even the more overtly cinematic 75in version under scrutiny here doesn't come with a stratospheric price tag, launching at £2,200 and now available for around £1,800.

I don’t know why Sony's next-gen console-friendly functionality only appears on the mid-range XH9005s rather than high-end sets, but our bank balance isn’t complaining.