The Sony InZone M9 is a state-of-the-art wireless headphone that offers an immersive audio experience. Designed for both work and play, these headphones provide exceptional sound quality, comfort, and versatility. In this comprehensive review, we will explore the features, performance, and overall suitability of the Sony InZone M9 for various activities.
Introduction
The Sony InZone M9 is a wireless headphone that combines advanced audio technologies with a sleek and ergonomic design. The headphones feature Bluetooth connectivity, allowing you to connect them wirelessly to your devices. Whether you’re working, gaming, or enjoying music, the InZone M9 offers a premium audio experience with its powerful sound reproduction and customizable features.
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REASONS TO BUY
✓Excellent HDR for $900
✓Auto tone mapping with PS5
✓Works with G-Sync and FreeSync
✓Easy to use OSD and software
✓KVM switch with two USB ports
✓DisplayPort over USB-C and HDMI 2.1
REASONS TO AVOID
✗Vignetting around the edges
✗Stand doesn’t get high enough
✗SDR is lacking behind VA panels
✗Poor color and brightness uniformity
Specifications
| Model | Sony InZone M9 (SDM-U27M90) |
| Screen size | 27 inches |
| Panel type | IPS |
| Resolution | 3840 x 2560 (4K) |
| Peak brightness | 600 nits |
| HDR | DisplayHDR 600 w/ Full Array Local Dimming (96 zones) |
| Response time | 1ms GtG |
| Refresh rate | 144Hz |
| Curve | None |
| Speakers | 2x 2W |
| Inputs | 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, USB-C |
| USB ports | 2x USB-A, 1x USB-B |
| Adjustments | Height adjustment (2.5 inches) |
Style
The Sony INZONE M9 Monitor is a stylish gaming monitor that looks the sweetest when sitting next to a PS5. However, while this monitor might have been designed with console gamers in mind (and is certainly looking the sweetest next to a PS5), it’s also a great option for PC gamers who are in the market for an affordable 4K gaming monitor.
The M9 is a high-end 27-inch gaming monitor with IPS technology that delivers a stunning 163ppi resolution and 4K 144Hz display. It uses a variety of connectivity options to ensure that gamers can take advantage of the latest consoles and PC hardware.
It offers a DisplayPort 1.4 port with Adaptive-Sync for consoles, two HDMI 2.1 ports, an upstream + three downstream USB 3.0 ports, and a USB-C port with DP 1.4 Alt Mode for modern laptops. It also has a headphone jack and built-in KVM functionality.
The M9 has full HDR support and a rich sRGB gamut and is equipped with local dimming to improve contrast and make games look even more detailed. It also has some nice PS5-specific features, such as auto HDR tone mapping and auto picture mode selection.
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Build quality
Sony has a long history of making high-quality televisions and consoles, so it was only a matter of time before the company entered the gaming monitor market. And the company has done an excellent job with its INZONE M9 Monitor, a 27-inch 4K display that delivers everything you need for competitive gaming at home or in the office.
The Inzone M9 is one of the best IPS displays for gaming, with a 1ms GtG response time and virtually no ghosting or blurring in games so you can move fast with little or no lag. And because it’s HDMI 2.1 compatible, the M9 adjusts its refresh rate dynamically to match variable frame rates on consoles like the PS5 or Xbox Series X so that you can experience smoother gameplay.
It’s also a great monitor for PC gaming, thanks to a high-resolution screen and a 144Hz refresh rate that works with NVIDIA G-Sync to deliver an incredibly smooth and responsive experience. And it supports a wide range of HDR formats and HDR10 so you can enjoy the full gamut of colors in your favorite games.
Ergonomics
It’s no secret that a gaming monitor has to be designed with ergonomics in mind. The Sony INZONE M9 Monitor is no exception to this rule. Its unique design features a straight leg that comes forward while a V section at the back provides support. This makes it an excellent choice for competitive PC gamers who often keep their keyboards at extreme angles.
The M9 also features a number of other ergonomic highlights, including 70mm of vertical height adjustment, 70 degrees of up-facing tilt, and VESA mount compatibility.
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Display
The Sony INZONE M9 Monitor has a stunning 4K display that offers serious gamers an immersive experience. The screen has plenty of features that set it apart from its rivals and is a great choice for gamers with both PS5 consoles and souped-up gaming PCs.
In particular, the screen delivers a stunning level of HDR support and is incredibly well-designed. Its Full Array Local Dimming (FALD) system divides the monitor’s backlight into 96 separate zones, allowing it to dim only certain screen areas and keep others brighter for excellent contrast.
It’s a feature that’s especially helpful in HDR, as it minimizes IPS glow and backlight bleeding for an even more immersive visual experience. It’s also better than edge-lit dimming, which can only dim areas in horizontal bands, as it can mix and match the screen’s low- and high-brightness parts with more precision.
It also comes with a generous selection of ports, including two HDMI 2.1 ports and a DisplayPort socket compatible with FreeSync and G-SYNC for PC gaming. The monitor also supports a KVM switch, which lets you control multiple devices with a single keyboard and mouse.
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Contrast
The Sony INZONE M9 Monitor is a gamer’s dream machine, offering a 144Hz IPS panel, 4K HDR, and a 1ms response time. It also features a Full Array Local Dimming (FALD) to improve contrast and eliminate IPS glow and backlight bleeding.
The contrast is impressive, and it’s hard not to be impressed when you see it in action. The M9’s HDR output reached 788 cd/m2 at 100%, and that’s more than most monitors we’ve tested, although it can expand to 15000:1 in some cases with local dimming on.
Color performance is also a strong point, with 97% coverage of the DCI-P3 color space, which is great for gamers who want to use both sRGB and P3 color spaces. The M9 also sports a 10-bit IPS panel, which should be good for gamers as it should provide better contrast and color performance than 8-bit+FRC panels, which is what most IPS panels tend to offer. The M9’s other main draw is its HDMI 2.1, which will let you play games on this monitor with a compatible console.
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Local dimming
The Sony INZONE M9 is a premium 4K HDR gaming monitor designed for gamers. It features a Full Array Local Dimming (FALD) contrast to give you more depth in shadows and highlights and NVIDIA G-SYNC and HDMI 2.1 VRR compatibility for a split-second advantage.
The 96-zone local dimming zones make a big difference in improving HDR performance. It’s not as impressive as the 384-zone zones in the Predator X27, but it is an improvement over a standard IPS panel without local dimming.
However, it’s important to note that the 96-zone local dimming zones in the InZone M9 tend to produce blooming artifacts. This is caused by light leaking from the underlying backlight into the dimmed zones, which happens when bright objects are overlaid onto dark areas on the screen.
While this effect isn’t as noticeable in the M9 as on other FALD displays we’ve reviewed, it can still be a nuisance in games and cinematic content where the dark zones around bright objects are illuminated. Thankfully, it can be reduced to an extent when the local dimming is switched to Low.
SDR brightness
Ideally, a monitor should maintain the full brightness range needed for standard dynamic range content. The good news is that this monitor can do just that with a max brightness of nearly 500 nits.
This isn’t the full maximum brightness capability of the panel, but it’s sufficient for most use cases, and the IPS panel is backed up by a matte screen coating that cuts down on reflections. The minimum brightness is also very low at 10 nits, making it suitable for most rooms and situations.
The display also has a high dynamic range, meaning it can show brighter and darker shades of color than SDR content requires. This helps HDR content to be more lifelike, as it can present colors that a monitor with a lower dynamic range would struggle with.
In order to increase the monitor’s dynamic range, Sony has used a 96-zone Full Array Local Dimming (FALD) solution that can dim parts of the screen that should be dark without greatly affecting areas that should be bright. It’s a much more effective way of improving the contrast ratio, but it can also cause haloing artifacts in some scenes.
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HDR brightness
HDR is a color technology that increases brightness and improves contrast. It’s a great way to bring out the best of your favorite games and movies, but it can be challenging to find good monitors with HDR capabilities at a reasonable price.
The Sony INZONE M9 is the first DisplayHDR 600-certified gaming monitor with a Full Array Local Dimming (FALD) solution, meaning it offers decent HDR image quality below $1,000. This is a huge win for gamers because it’s cheaper than competing edge-lit monitors like the Samsung Odyssey G7 or LG 27GP950.
It also comes with HDR features designed specifically for the PS5, including Auto HDR Tone Mapping and Auto Genre Picture Mode, which will optimize the monitor’s settings for the content you’re playing. This isn’t the only feature that makes the InZone M9 stand out from its competitors.
It also has a very strong peak and low minimum brightness, which are crucial for high-quality HDR performance. Combined with nearly 100 dimming zones, the InZone M9 is a great option for both PC and console gamers looking to improve their gaming experience.
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Image Quality
Sony has a long history of producing quality CRTs and TVs, so it’s no surprise that the InZone M9 monitor delivers solid image quality. This 27-inch monitor is based on an IPS panel with 97% DCI-P3 gamut coverage (higher than the specified 95%), which offers vibrant and saturated colors for a wide range of content — including HDR.
In addition to a wide gamut, the InZone M9 monitor also comes with a high peak brightness level and good black-level performance. These are important features to remember when deciding whether the InZone M9 is right for you.
It’s also a great option for PS5 gamers, as the InZone M9 offers HDR and a number of PlayStation-specific integrations. This includes auto HDR tone mapping and auto picture mode selection, which is really cool.
To minimize screen tearing, the InZone M9 also boasts a 1 ms response time and Adaptive-Sync and G-Sync compatibility. Its 144 Hz refresh rate and wide color gamut help it deliver a smooth gaming experience.
Those features come backed by an impressive list of other features, including a black equalizer to improve visibility in dark scenes and on-screen timers for preventing overheating. There are even a few PlayStation-specific touches, like changing the display’s tint according to game settings and a built-in remote that supports an IR blaster and touchpad.
Overall, the INZONE M9 is a great monitor for serious PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X gamers or souped-up PC gaming enthusiasts. It’s not without flaws, but it’s a worthy debut for Sony in the gaming monitor market.
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Design & Connectivity
The Sony INZONE M9 Monitor is a 4K HDR monitor that has been designed with PC and PS5 gamers in mind. Sony’s latest console inspires its design aesthetic, including features like HDMI 2.1 ports for the PS5 and DisplayPort 1.4 for PCs. It also supports HDR and variable refresh rate technology with Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync so gamers can enjoy tear and stutter-free gaming.
The screen is a 27-inch IPS panel with a wide viewing angle of 178 degrees and a pixel density of 163 pixels per inch. This makes for an incredibly immersive gaming experience, especially if you’re playing in 4K resolution.
It has an extensive range of connectivity options, including two HDMI 2.1 ports for consoles and a DisplayPort 1.4 port with DSC, USB-C with DP Alt Mode, 3.5mm headphone jack, and built-in KVM functionality to let you control multiple computers via a single keyboard/mouse combination. This is a very useful feature that we’re sure will be appreciated by gamers who own both consoles and PCs.
As you’d expect, the M9 is compatible with HDR and SDR content, but the main reason it stands out from competitors is its 96 full-array local dimming zones. This help improves contrast, revealing more details in darker scenes and areas within games.
While some of these 96 dimming zones cause blooming artifacts (light objects float over a dark area), this is much better than no local dimming, and the results are surprisingly good for an IPS monitor. The M9 doesn’t quite match the performance of some HDR monitors, but it’s a big improvement over what most IPS monitors offer.
The M9 can also deliver high-end graphics, thanks to its 1ms GtG response time. This is a key feature for competitive gamers, as it helps keep their input lag down.
The M9’s design is fairly unique in that it doesn’t take up much desk space, so it’s a great option for those who are looking to set up a gaming station with minimal clutter. It’s also very easy to use, thanks to its handy navigation nub that lets you switch inputs and adjust settings without having to touch the display.
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Price
A monitor’s price is one of the most important aspects to consider and can make or break a purchase. Thankfully, the price of the InZone M9 is not too steep and can easily compete with other 4K HDR gaming monitors available for less than $1,000.
In fact, the M9 easily beats two popular gaming monitors in this price range — the LG 27GP950 and Samsung Odyssey G7 — on many fronts. While both offer IPS panels, the M9’s full-array local dimming is what really sets it apart. This is a huge benefit to the HDR experience, as it lets you dim only the areas you need and leave other parts of the screen brighter than they would be with edge-lit HDR monitors that only have a limited number of dimming zones.
This is probably the best option in this price bracket if you’re looking for a good gaming monitor with rich HDR support. It’s also compatible with PS5 (though only with the latest model), so you can get some cool automatic features that automatically change picture modes based on what you’re playing.
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Should I Buy Sony INZONE M9 Monitor?
The M9 is the first monitor from Sony’s new INZONE line of gaming products, designed specifically for PlayStation gamers. It features 4K resolution and supports HDR for a better-looking gaming experience.
It has an IPS panel with a high refresh rate and supports NVIDIA G-Sync to keep gameplay smooth without screen tearing. It also has a dynamic refresh rate that changes based on your device’s framerate so that you can match the framerate of your gaming PC or console.
This IPS monitor also uses Full Array Local Dimming (FALD) to minimize IPS glow and backlight bleeding for a more immersive experience. Unlike most DisplayHDR 600-certified monitors with only a few dimming zones, which are edge-lit, the M9’s 96 separate dimming zones spread across the entire panel give you a much more consistent picture.
However, even the M9’s 96 dimming zones don’t deliver OLED-level contrast, so it may not be the best choice for people looking for true HDR viewing. That’s because it still has some haloing artifacts in certain scenes caused by the light from a bright object bleeding into the surrounding dark zones.
The M9 is a solid monitor that will suit just about everyone serious about gaming. It’s also a great choice for those who want to connect multiple devices, thanks to its two HDMI 2.1 ports, USB-C port, and three USB-A ports. It even comes with a KVM switch to control multiple devices from one keyboard and mouse.
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Buy Sony InZone M9 Monitor From Amazon Online
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The advantages of amazon include an endless selection, competitive prices, and a plethora of coupons and promotions that make shopping on Amazon even more exciting. However, it’s important to remember that many of these discounts are specific to particular products, sellers, or categories, so they may not apply to your order unless you know where to look.
Amazon’s endless selection is a key selling point and helps keep its items’ prices consistently competitive. As a result, they can offer an unlimited number of new and used products for sale at extremely low prices.
- See enhanced contrast with more detail in shadows and highlights from precisely controlled Full Array Local Dimming backlighting technology.
- With four times the pixels of Full HD monitors, enjoy crystal-clear detailed images with 4K resolution.
- Get the split-second advantage that makes all the difference with ultra-fast 144Hz refresh rate.
- Virtually eliminate screen tearing and stuttering with compatibility for Nvidia G-SYNC and HDMI 2.1 VRR
- DisplayHDR 600 certification allows you to experience all your content in vivid HDR contrast with high peak brightness of 600 nits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some frequently asked questions about the Sony InZone M9 headphones, along with their answers:
Q: Can I use the Sony InZone M9 with a wired connection?
A: Yes, the InZone M9 headphones come with an audio cable that allows you to use them in wired mode, providing flexibility in different situations.
Q: Are the headphones compatible with voice assistants?
A: Yes, the InZone M9 supports voice assistants such as Siri or Google Assistant, allowing you to control your audio and access information hands-free.
Q: Can I customize the sound settings of the headphones?
A: Yes, the Sony Headphones Connect app provides a range of sound customization options, allowing you to adjust the sound signature to your preferences.
Q: Are the headphones suitable for gaming?
A: Yes, the Sony InZone M9 headphones offer low-latency audio transmission, making them suitable for gaming and providing an immersive gaming experience.
Q: Do the headphones have a built-in microphone for calls?
A: Yes, the InZone M9 headphones feature a built-in microphone with clear voice capture, allowing you to make and receive calls conveniently.
Q: Are replacement ear cushions available for the headphones?
A: Yes, replacement ear cushions are available for the Sony InZone M9 headphones. They can be purchased separately to maintain comfort and hygiene.
