Credit: Bishnu Misra

The 3 Best Sony 43-Inch 4K Smart TV

Sony 43 Inch 4K smart TV is generally a pretty safe deal. Our recent testing of Sony 43X74/X75 unfolds that Sony has upgraded picture quality more than others. If you are looking for a decent 43 inches smart television from Sony that delivers superb picture/sound quality, a smooth innovative interface, or if you just do not want to break your budget on a TV with the best performance rating – we recommend KD 43X74. Our tested Sony 43-inch TVs deliver optimal performance and you can compare them with budget 4K TVs but they cannot have what you can expect from premium TVs. 

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What Are The Best Sony 43-inch 4K Smart TVs in India?

The Android TV smart platform isn’t the best, but it isn’t bad either. You might end up paying a little bit high over other similar models, but you’ll usually end up with a great TV. Their build quality is also better than average and their budget models are not the most quality TVs. But their high-end and especially their mid-range TVs tend to be the best.

You don’t have to pay much but it is costly compared to other brands available 43-inch smart TVs. If you are looking for a great 4K smart TV at an affordable range then we recommend Sony 43X7400H. It can handle reflections well and has wide viewing angles suitable for a room with a wide seating arrangement. It has a decent design delivering incredible viewing experiences without disrupting the relaxation of the living space. The smart platform is based on Android 10 with all important streaming services that you may ever require. The smart interface is very customized with an in-built Chromecast feature. The TV comes with a decent remote that supports voice control and dedicated buttons for popular platforms. The TV has helpful features like Bluetooth audio output and wired or wireless network connection for streaming. The Sony X74 is great for watching TV shows, and movies and good for close-up uses like gaming and PC monitor. The Sony X74 is also available in 50-inch size KD-50X74. See Review

Like Sony 43X74, the Sony 43X80J is based on an IPS panel that delivers great picture quality from extreme angles. The TV delivers HDR and SDR content perfectly and it is decent for gaming also. We find it best for desktop work and the Rtings.com report also verifies it as they have done a comprehensive review on the X80J US version. Whereas this TV has a mediocre contrast ratio with no local dimming feature hence it is not good to use this TV in a very dark room as the blacks are not so dark. The TV has a good volume of color and supports a wide color gamut so you can expect a decent HDR performance other than that it is compatible with HDR10 and Dolby Vision. The Google TV smart interface is very smooth and customized, you can access all contents from a place so it is easier to get the shows that you like to watch. The TV is compatible with AirPlay and Chromecast and they are also highly customized so you will have no issue receiving streamed content from your mobile device. We are very satisfied with its connectivity numbers (4 HDMI and 2 USB) though they don’t support HDMI 2.1 bandwidth but support eARC ports which can pass high-quality audio formats from connected external sources. The TV has a native refresh rate of 60 Hz and doesn’t have a variable refresh rate so motion isn’t that smooth and you may notice some motion blur during fast-moving scenes. The Sony X80J is available in different sizes ranging from 43 inches to 75 inches. Read Review.

The Sony 43X75K is the best alternative for both the model Sony 43X74 and Sony 43X80J. Though there are differences between them but are very significant. Before starting the briefing we want to clarify that Sony 43X74, Sony 43X80J, and Sony 43X75K don’t have any major distinction in performance. Though X80J and X75K do have some differences whereas there is no difference between X74 and X75K.The review that we have provided for X74 and X80J is also valid for Sony X75K. The X75K delivers superb picture quality with great color accuracy and has a wide viewing angle which is best for group viewing. The TV has a low input lag with a decent response time of 15.6 sec you will get a responsive gaming experience. See Review.  

Full Review

The Reason To Trust Us

It is been 5 years since Bishnu is testing and reviewed televisions. In qualification, he is an engineer but in reality, he is a tech giant. He is also certified as an Image Science level II video calibrator therefore he understands what to look for, what are the important zones to look in TV, and what you need to do to get the best out of your TV. He has all the necessary gear and software to get the practical value to back up his review and suggestion. 

How We Select And Test

Compared to previous times television market has moved up to extreme competition. There are so many TV brands coming up with new 4K television models every year and the surprising part is their price. If you compare Sony, LG, and Samsung 4K 43-inch TV prices with Mi, Vu, or TCL they are much higher than them. So, it is a puzzling factor that develops difficulty in model selection.

We are determined to select the lowest-priced Sony 43-inch 4K smart TV that performs well, supports HDR formats and has minimum drawbacks. We look for a TV that supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision but unfortunately, we found excellent Sony TV with HDR10 but there is no one in 43 inches with Dolby Vision.

We try to find TVs that are user-friendly and should give satisfactory results in various uses like watching sports, TV shows, SDR/HDR content, gaming, or PC monitor use. For every type of usage, your TV needs to have 2 or 3 factors, and when we got these results we put them on our list. 

The quality of the 4K smart TV for not only Sony but for all brands also depends on the flexibility of the television streaming platform and it is important when we pick our best-LED TV. We think when you are buying TVs at this price you should get what you desire and you don’t need separate streaming devices that might add 10% more to your overall budget. 

The TVs with decent connectivity options are also very important especially when you are looking for a 4K smart TV of 43 inches and above. The TV with a low connectivity option doesn’t let you utilize it to its full potential.

There are also some other features that affect buying decisions like Bluetooth audio output that helps you to connect headphones or Bluetooth speaker wirelessly, a wired Ethernet port, a smart remote with voice control, and the support of Chromecast or AirPlay. So, all these features are connected to the smart TV platform and they strongly influence user experience and affect buying decisions and that’s why we give importance to all these features very much.     

To measure color temperature, light output, brightness, sound level, and more we use software and gears like Portrait Displays’s Calman software, X-Rite i1Pro 2, Mengshen Decibel Meter, HTC Instrument LX-103 Light Meter Luxmeter, and more. With this equipment we spend many hours in testing, we gather measurement details of pre and post-calibration of each TV and that gave us the correct accuracy results. 

We put TVs side by side and check them from different angles by playing various content like TV shows, movies, sports, fast-paced scenes, and test patterns. We test it by switching lights on and off and see TVs’ picture quality, reflection power, and more.

Our Pick: Sony 43X74

The 43X7400H is one of our favorite and the best Sony 43-inch 4K smart TV as it has everything that you need. The TV is packed with superb picture quality, decent sound quality, and has a complete set of features. The TV is based on an 8-bit plus an FRC IPS DLED panel but still, it delivers good blacks and bright white compared to other IPS panel TVs though blacks are not deep as VA panel TV like Samsung Crystal 4K Pro.  The 50-inch size X74 series KD-50X74 comes with a VA panel that delivers excellent dark room performance but has a poor viewing angle so if you don’t have a wide seating arrangement you can go for it but instead of that we suggest you check 50X80J it also comes with VA panel whereas it performs better than 50X74.  

All Sony 43-inch TV that we have tested did a good job with sports and TV shows but 43X74 distinguished itself with movies. It outstandingly has great color accuracy and decent black levels than other Sony 43-inch TV. Whereas it cannot be compared with VA panel TVs but still delivers good dark room performance. It is one of the brightest 43-inch TV from Sony that we have measured (Our meter has recorded 320 nits of peak brightness in SDR and 360 nits of peak brightness in HDR), so it is excellent to watch during the day or in a room with enough lighting.   

All our tested Sony 43-inch smart TVs don’t have good display enhancing features but Sony 43X74 has quite a number of display enhancing features like Live Colour Display, 4K X-Reality Pro, and Motionflow XR100 that make the TV deliver an excellent picture with minimum Halo or blooming effect around the bright object and great color accuracy. This TV has a good upscaling capability and had upscaled SDR and HDR content very well you can get the full detail in our Sony 43X7400H Android 4K TV Review. We didn’t find the Motionflow XR100 feature very impressive as between off and on situations, there is not much difference in motion blur.  

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The TV produces rich, vibrant, and colorful high-dynamic range video. Whereas it supports HDR10 and HLG formats but not HDR10+ and Dolby Vision but we don’t think it is deal breaking point as no 43-inch 4K smart TV comes with all HDR format support. On the plus side, this TV has a wide color gamut that is very necessary for HDR to deliver life-like pictures. 

43X74 is good for PC use and for gaming (but not suitable for pro gamers). The TV’s 4K resolution and wide viewing angle make it good for close-up use you will not notice any type of loss in picture quality when sitting too close to your TV. Whereas it has a great response time that creates smooth motion, has a low input lag for a responsive PC experience, and delivers chroma 4:4:4 signals very well which is very important for clear text from a PC. But unfortunately, the TV doesn’t have any advanced gaming features and variable refresh rate that is required for next-level gaming. 

We like the TV’s smart Android interface it is very much like Google TV: The home page is customized very well that making him easy to use and navigate you directly go to earlier viewed shows, movies, or channels. Though it is not robust as Google TV or not simple as the Roku interface it delivers every stuff that you may like to need to watch. You will get a bunch of major apps like Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, and Voot. The TV also supports Chromecast with that you can pull streamed content from your mobile. 

It has a large-size remote that is Bluetooth based that’s why you don’t need to sit directly in the line of sight. The remote has every button that you required like setting, sound, voice control, live-TV adjustments, source buttons to switch inputs, apps, and dedicated buttons for popular apps. We really like the remote is voice control enabled as many 43-inch TVs still now come with the basic remote. Whereas we will really appreciate it if it comes with a magic remote as the magic remote delivers another level of user experience. Similarly, 43X74 has integrated Bluetooth audio output, that helps you to connect your headphone wirelessly to listen privately. 

We have tested a number of 43-inch LED TVs from different top brands like Samsung, LG, MI, etc. They are rare 43-inch models that come with a good combination of picture and audio. But we are quite impressed by its sound quality, its in-built 20-watt Dolby audio speakers deliver loud, balanced surround sound compared to others. Sony has provided two excellent features Clear Audio+ and Clear phase that eliminates sound dispersion and brings punchy bass without compromising clarity. We don’t find any requirement for an external soundbar or home theatre system for regular basic use unless you need a very deep bass and theatre-like sound experience.   

The TV has enough connection inputs the panel consists of 3 HDMI 2.0 and 2 USB inputs which are good according to us. It holds composite AV inputs to connect older analog sources and an RF antenna port. To test we connected a mini antenna and we expect to have all channels in our area, it pulled nearly all and provided a good user experience. You will also get a headphone jack, optical digital audio output, and an Ethernet port. It has WiFi support from 2.5GHz to 5GHz and it functions well with no major issues as we tested it around our house. You can see our analysis and test results here. 

What We Like/Dislike About Sony 43X7400H Android 4K TV

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The Sony 43X74 is an excellent TV for regular use and primarily for sports and TV shows. It is also great for Desktop work and good for basic gaming but not for high-end gaming. We don’t suggest this TV for dark room performance as black will appear grey. If you need a TV with excellent dark room performance that delivers deep blacks and bright white then we recommend 50X80J. 

Runner-up: Sony 43X80J

If you don’t prefer Sony’s Android version or Google smart platform is your first preference then Sony KD-43X80J 2021 model is our runner-up pick. It has nearly the same picture and performance quality as X74 except for a few differences. The LED TVs with VA panels have a narrow viewing angle whereas this TV has a wide viewing angle it maintains color saturation and contrast ratio when viewed from the sides so it is better for larger groups watching sports or TV shows from different angles. Sony is a brand that is perfectly focused on its video processing and introduces superb technology that enhances its overall picture quality.

With the help of the Triluminos Pro display, the panel generates excellent colors. Whereas it has an average contrast ratio so in dark rooms blacks appear grey and there is no chance of improvements as there is no local dimming feature. The Sony 43X80J has a decent peak brightness in both SDR and HDR, our meter recorded 355 nits of peak brightness in SDR and 400 nits of peak brightness in HDR (also same in HDR game mode) both are tested at a 10% window.  

HDR performance of the TV is greatly capable of delivering an immersive experience. We used our Calman software and see that the pre-calibration average color delta error is 1.4 which is great as the good value is less than 3 which means out-of-the-box color accuracy is excellent whereas gamma (2.29) is a little bit higher than the good value (2.1 to 2.3) but that’s ok with Sony TV as they usually target higher for presenting scenes darker than they should.

The post-calibration parameters are also good and existing inaccuracies are not visible to the naked eye. There are different picture modes (Vivid, Standard, Cinema, and more) available for HDR10 which is similar to SDR content also. For the best experience Cinema mode is suggested otherwise Standard mode is also nice. Dolby vision bright and dark are available for Dolby vision content, if you have settled to using the TV in the average lightroom then keep it bright otherwise you can switch to dark.   

The Sony 43X80J has a decent grey uniformity at the corner of the screen you will find minor darkness but it is not visible with actual content. Whereas black uniformity is not so good black screen appears cloudy and blue due to the low contrast ratio and it will be noticeable, especially in a dark room. We didn’t find any dirty screen effects throughout the center that may affect your viewing experience.

Overall uniformity results are okay and there is not any noticeable effect. On the other hand, the TV holds good reflection handling as the screen is semi-gloss finished and can reflect a good amount of light but directly opposite light from a window or lamp will create an issue. It has a good upscaling capability, it has upscaled every content (480p, 720p, 1080p, and 4K) without any issue. 

The X80J runs on Google smart platform Sony has replaced the Android that has been used in the X74 series. Google has redesigned and presented a more customized interface that delivers more smooth, quick, and easy navigation. When you logged in with your Google account you will find and can access all your content through the single recommended content hub. Though you will find ads on the home page and in the app store and you can personalize them but cannot disable them fully. The Google smart OS has an excellent collection of apps that you may ever require and also has the casting capability.  

The TV has an excellent low input lag and that is very much required for gaming, users will experience responsive gaming. The TV has a game mode for advanced gaming and we recommend keeping it on and disabling motion interpolation while gaming otherwise input lag will be very high even for casual gaming. The TV supports nearly all input resolutions with proper chroma 4:4:4 display. For the best PC use and improvement in the text clarity, it must be on game or graphics mode with enabled enhanced formats for the utilized HDMI inputs. 

The Sony 43X80J comes with a large-size smart remote similar to Sony 43X74. To get full functionality you have to connect it with the TV via Bluetooth. The Google voice assistant can be used for many things like changing inputs, opening apps, searching, and adjusting settings. Other than that you will get dedicated buttons for popular streaming apps and buttons for common basic functions. 

What We Like/Dislike About Sony 43X80J Android 4K TV

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The Sony 43X80J is a decent TV with excellent color accuracy and great viewing angles whereas it will cost you a little more than Sony 43X74. The TV is good for basic regular use and superb experience with TV shows and sports. It is also good for casual and advanced gaming but to get the best you should apply the recommended setting.

Best Alternative For Both: Sony 43X75K

Difference Between 43X74 and 43X75K

As we have mentioned above the Sony X74 and X75K do have differences on paper but in practical testing don’t have any difference in performance and usage. Both TVs are variants of the same series, actually purchasing Sony X74 and X75 has no difference at all.  Below we have mentioned key differences that you will get.

The Sony 43X75K is the same series latest 2022 model and Sony 43X74 is an old 2021 model. The original series was launched in 2020 with two variants X74H and X75H they are now unavailable and replaced by the latest models whereas 2021 models are still available in the market.

Sony 43X74/43X75 2021 model was based on IPS ELED (Edge LED Lighting) panel whereas 43X74K/43X75K is based on IPS DLED (Direct LED Lighting). What it does is it doesn’t change the panel quality but changes the light distribution pattern. Though it has the same brightness 340 nits as the 2021 model it is distributed evenly and delivers a better quality picture than X74 that you can notice if you examine them side by side.

Sony 43X74 doesn’t perform well in motion blur and in Halo testing, you can see them easily and Motion Flow XR didn’t perform very well but in the 2022 model Sony has worked hard to improve the picture quality and there is a very minimal blur and Halo effect and Motion Flow XR performs very well.

Sony 43X74 has Android OS and Sony 43X75K has Google TV OS with built-in Chromecast and Apple AirPlay support 43X74 has Chromecast support but not AirPlay it was a big disappointment for Apple users but this time Sony has corrected its mistake. Two models have two different OS but in reality, there is no big difference in interface and user experience. 

Sony 43X74 support Bluetooth 4.2 but Sony 43X75K supports Bluetooth 5.0. From the previous model, X74 had Bass Reflex speakers so Sony X75K has a 15% increase in the bass due to the addition of Open Baffle Speakers.

These are the actual difference that you will find between these two models so if you are comfortable enough to pay more than 9000 to 10000 rupees or if you prefer Google OS more than Android OS then it will be best to get this latest model 2022 upgraded model. 

Difference Between 43X75K and 43X80J

Sony 43X75K and 43X80J don’t have much difference, they both run on the same Google OS, and they are both available with a smart remote. We only find differences in the 2 sections where Sony 43X80J beats Sony 43X75K.

The Sony 43X80J delivers a better quality picture than Sony 43X75K though it is difficult to notice if you examine them side by side with enough time in your hand then you can catch the difference. X80J’s great color production and accuracy due to Triluminos pro Display and that works perfectly.

Sony 43X75K has Dolby Audio whereas Sony 43X80J has Dolby Atmos and the difference in sound quality is easy to catch. It is perfectly right that Dolby Atmos presents another level of sound experience that has no match.

So, Sony 43X80J is a few steps high in Picture and sound quality than Sony 43X75K whereas it is also high in value you have to spend 12000 rupees more to acquire the 43X80J and we think it is totally worth to spend, choice fully depends on your budget, not on the television specs.   

Performance Criteria

The performance criteria that we have set to select the best Sony 43-inch 4K Smart TVs are:

Picture Quality: Picture quality is one of the important things that comes first and its overall performance depends on the contrast ratio. The contrast ratio depends on the deepest blacks and brightest white. All 3 4K TV models that we have tested have similar contrast ratios for that we gave preferences for the highest brightness and color accuracy.

The Sony 43X80J is recorded as having the highest peak brightness of 400 nits and the maximum color accuracy. Whereas Sony 43X74 and 43X75K has the same brightness of around 350 nits. So, all 4K models are good to use in the average lightroom but Sony 43X80J can handle a little more glare. Though all models have a semi-gloss finish and can have good reflection capability they are not good for rooms with too much light and cannot reflect glare directly from an opposite source. We also consider clean, crisp, and detailed pictures, and to get a good idea of performance we run various types of content. 

Sound Quality: If your TV has a good picture but doesn’t have a good sound quality then it is useless and bad for the viewing experience. We are not talking about superb sound quality but decent that should be enough for regular use. When we talk to a few people who are interested in buying 43 inch TV they are basically buying it for everyday use. So, it is important to check speaker quality, loudness, is there any distortion, and voice and speech clarity.

In this list, Sony 43X74 has the best of both as per the television price but we will recommend Sony 43X80J due to its balanced sound output and it has Dolby Atmos enabled but it will cost you more compared to X74 or X75K. Recommended Sony 43X80J.

Build Quality: Every TV should have a decent build quality. We prefer TVs that come with good plastic material and strong table mount stands. Television look is a vital thing today TVs with thick bezels are no longer in trend today. We prefer TVs that have modern look, have cable management, and ports should have side facing otherwise they will be difficult to use when wall mounted, and the stands have to be strong and placed in a correct gap. 

All three models that we have listed are well built, the outer presentation is good, and come with management clips we didn’t find any serious issues with the build quality.

Inputs: Inputs are a very crucial part they are not that important for basic regular use. If you have a TV with multiple ports then you can connect multiple external devices at a time.

In our list, Sony 43X80J has maximum input options of 4 HDMI and 2 USB other models have 3 HDMI and 2 USB. Whereas none of them supports HDMI 2.1 but supports eARC which helps you to connect and use a Dolby-enabled soundbar.

Motion: Motion presents perfection to the picture quality and it is most important for watching sports, fast pace action scenes, and playing video games.

The first thing that we have to consider is response time. Response time means how fast a pixel can transform from one color to another, it is the amount of blur in fast pace motion and less than 14 ms is considered the best value.

Sony 43X80J has successfully passed the response time test with a result of 12.5 ms whereas Sony 43X74/X75K has an average response time of 15.6 sec. But we find the Motion Flow XR200 performs best in Sony 43X75K but still we recommend 43X80J.

Whereas no listed best Sony 43-inch 4K smart TV models have a motion interpolation feature and generally this feature is not available in this price range. Every Sony model in this article has a good native refresh rate but doesn’t have a variable refresh rate which is important during gaming and fast motion. Recommended Sony 43X80J.

Smart Features: Now a smart TV is considered best if it delivers the best user experience and best user experience related to smart features. A good smart OS provides a simple and easy-to-use interface with a good collection of apps so that you might not be required to connect to external streaming devices.

The Sony 43X80J and Sony 43X75K come with Google OS and Sony 43X74 has Android OS. We find both OS are excellent for users they have a smooth and quick interface and lots of pre-installed apps which you barely see. Whereas both Google and Android have ads that cannot be disabled.
The Sony 43X74 package doesn’t contain a smart remote it’s a drawback but you can acquire compatible magic remote with an additional price of 900 rupees. On the other side, Sony 43X80J and Sony 43X75K include a smart remote in their package.

Finally, we didn’t find any major difference in the smart feature section of all TVs so it is your preference which platform you like and how much you can spend. 

Updates

Jun 29, 2022: Full content is reformatted, and old listed models are replaced by new reviewed models with detailed descriptions and our suggestions. With our selection, testing, and analysis of full Information.