Sony XE85xx (2017) Series

Natural, neutral, balanced pictures ; Handles motion well ; Good detail, particularly in blacks ; Easy to use

Dull HDR performance ; Upscaler isn’t particularly impressive

A solid Sony but lacks the dynamism to do HDR justice.

Great value ; Good HDR pictures ; Excellent SDR pictures

HDR isn’t very bright ; Android TV is frustrating ; Slightly flimsy build quality

Considering it costs well under two grand, the 65X850E manages to cling on to a startling amount of relatively high-end features - including, most notably, Sony’s excellent X1 picture processing system. This joins a much-improved backlight system in...

This 4K Sony mid-ranger features a striking space-saving design and provides a much better performance with HDR and SDR pictures than you’ve any right to expect for its money

It’s not very bright for an HDR TV ; Its build quality is a bit flimsy ; And its Android TV smart system can be frustrating

After struggling to impress with its mid-range TVs for the past couple of years, Sony has turned things round handsomely with the XE85.

The Sony KD-55XE8596 is a mid-range offering, and is therefore neither the best nor the cheapest TV from Sony this year. We think it ought to be quite a bit cheaper than its £1,400 asking price. Look for a reduction in price to £1,000 as Christmas 2017...

Accurate calibrated greyscale & colours ; Excellent performance with SDR ; Good motion handling ; Low input lag ; Decent set of features ; Great price

HDR performance could be better ; Narrow optimal viewing angles

The XE85 really impressed in our testing, delivering a great all-round performance that, when combined with its low price, makes it a cracking buy. Whilst the Sony might not have a direct LED backlight or local dimming, the even nature of the edge LED...