Sony Bravia X75K smart TV review: Audio-visual mismatch subdues experience

Powered by Google TV platform, the Sony Bravia X75K has a clean but buggy interface, which hinders interactivity and experience

When 4K resolution televisions first flooded the market in 2014-15, the TV sets were overpriced, and there was not much content on offer. Besides Tata Sky streaming the Cricket World Cup in 4K, there was no other service providing 4K content. Besides, internet speeds were on the slow side to support the smart TV ecosystem. The increase in internet speeds over the years and cost reduction have brought 4K televisions within the average consumer’s price range. Easy availability of the internet and 4K content availability on over the top apps has further provided a fillip to the sale of smart 4K televisions. A boom in gaming has also helped things.

While the market has changed, Sony’s approach has not changed much over the years. The company’s focus on video quality has ensured that it remains one of the market leaders, despite stiff competition. With its X1 processors, Sony has maintained its quality. Its new iteration, the X75K series, offers more of the same with slight infractions in user interface and connectivity.

Design

The basic design of televisions has not changed. The bezels have become smaller, and the TVs are thin at the top end and thicken at the bottom end with a place for connectors and speakers. The Sony X75K is no different from its old ones. The borders are thin, and the port placement on the side is convenient. Just the power cord (removable) connectivity could have been better. The way it is placed right now, on the side of the panel towards the edge of the box is not very convenient to plug in the system. The table stand is sleek and elegant but has too much play, which gives it the impression that the TV is not sturdy. The hinges could have been made tighter to cut down on the play, as the TV has a slight swivel.

Display

Sony is tough to beat in picture quality, and the new iteration does not disappoint. The upscaling works very well with full HD videos, the blacks are more pronounced, and the brightness is perfect. Although at lower levels, I wanted the colour profile to be a bit warmer. Still it was not too bad compared to the competition. The X1 4K processor works very well in rendering 1080p content, primarily when gaming, where you notice the difference at times. Connected to a PlayStation, Sony’s video quality was good, not excellent, unlike its higher models.

Sound and interface

This is where Sony’s X75K series lagged a lot. Given the downward-firing speakers, the sound was muffled. I had to crank up the volume to 45 and above for movies. Sometimes, to 60, if I was listening to instrumental music. Even while playing games, the sound profile was on the muted side. Sony needs to consider sound improvements with upcoming models. The other issue was the interface. Google TV does allow more interactivity for the user, in terms of voice remote and controlling the TV via your phone. It is certainly convenient to use the Google Home app on the phone to control and manage the smart TV, but the software is too buggy right now. The user interface was clean but took a lot of time to load and faltered. App crashing was sometimes an issue, and it did not work as smoothly as expected. The sleep timer feature worked perfectly.

Connectivity

It is surprising that TV manufacturers offer Bluetooth connectivity to pair devices but do not provide multi-device audio support. When I tried connecting two Bluetooth headphones to the TV, it would disconnect from one to connect to the other. This must be an essential feature, given the TVs are also meant for gameplay.

Verdict

Sony’s lowest range at 43 inches for this series starts at Rs 69,900, and the 65-inch model (review unit) is priced at Rs 1,39,900. If you have a home theatre at home, the Sony X75K is a good buy. However, if you are planning to go for 55 inches and above, I recommend going one step further and trying the higher range with a better sound system.