The Sony Inzone M9 II replaces the old M9 with a better price and fantastic features for high-end gaming. It is built for both PC and PS5 gaming, but it has a few tricks for the beloved console. Let’s take a closer look if it’s worthy of consideration.
Sony Inzone M9 II Specifications
- Screen Size: 27 Inches
- Resolution:3840 x 2160 UHD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Panel Technology: In-Plane Switching (IPS)
- Refresh Rate: 144Hz
- Response Time: 1ms
- Contrast Ratio: 1000:1
- Brightness: 400 cd/m2 (900 cd/m2 Peak)
- Built-in Speakers: Yes (2 x 2 Watts)
- Stand: Height – Yes
- Stand: Tilt – Yes
- Stand: Swivel – Yes
- Stand: Pivot– No
- VESA Compatibility: Yes (100 x 100)
- Connectivity: DisplayPort 2.1 HBR10 x 1, HDMI 2.1 x 2, USB 3.0 x 4, 3.5mm Jack x 1
- Dimensions With Stand (WxHxD): 24.21″ x 15.66″ x 8.31″
- Weight: 14.11 lbs
Design and Features
The Sony Inzone M9 II drastically changed its design drastically, so it doesn’t look anywhere close to the previous version. The monitor has a matte black chassis and a simpler stand as opposed to the white and tripod-like design of the M9. The screen is bezel-free, but it still has inner borders like most modern monitors.
The new model is still a 27-inch version, but its overall dimensions are more modest due to the redesign. It only needs 8.31 inches of depth, so its fairly manageable than the predecessor. The whole device only weighs 14.11 inches, so it should be portable enough to be moved around or lugged to LAN parties.
The Sony Inzone M9 II may seem like it got cheapened at a glance, but it actually looks great once you get a hold of it. The plastic panels are thick and sturdy, and there were no cosmetic defects on any of its parts. The stand wobbles when you touch the monitor, but it can hold up the whole device sufficiently despite its small size.
The Sony Inzone M9 II has an OSD joystick for easy access to its settings and features. Its located at the back near the right side of the screen, so its easily accessible even if you can’t see it. Other premium monitors have remotes, but those only add more to your overall cost.
The included stand offers tilt, swivel, and height adjustments for your comfort and convenience. Pivoting wasn’t included since this monitor was not intended for portrait mode use. You can use VESA mounts, but that only becomes necessary in select instances or if you want more stability for the display.
Its connectivity layout includes DisplayPort 2.1 and two HDMI 2.1 ports for the latest PC and 4K 120Hz consoles like the PS5. DisplayPort 2.1 is yet to be a thing on GPUs, but at least this monitor is already future-proof. You also get four USB 3.0 ports and a 3.5mm jack for peripherals as well.
The Sony Inzone M9 II does include speakers, but they are limited to 2 watts of power. That’s not a whole lot and is considered to be gaming-grade, but they are considered secondaries for monitors like this. Sony makes Inzone headsets as well, but any gaming variant will work great with this display when it comes to immersion.
Display and Performance
The Sony Inzone M9 II sports a 27-inch IPS panel with a 3840 x 2160 resolution, a 160Hz refresh rate, and a 1ms response time. The backlight has a 400 cd/m2 output and 900 cd/m2 peak, while the contrast is listed at 1000:1. This model is HDR600 certified, but it only has 96 local dimming zones.
4K is extra sharp on a 27-inch screen, so it is perfect for games, movies, and imaging. However, there is that part where it may become difficult for some users to read or browse because of the resulting tininess of letters and numbers. You will also need a more powerful GPU to achieve 160Hz, but flagship cards like the upcoming RTX 5090 might not be completely necessary.
The Sony Inzone M9 II covers 100% sRGB and 92% DCI-P3 for stunning color in games and movies. Its default accuracy had a deltaE average of 1.71 is great, since the screen is already balanced out of the box. Most users won’t need to calibrate it right away since Sony already optimized it before selling it to retailers.
calibrating the monitor reduced the dE average to 1.24, so the improvements aren’t considerable. You will need a colorimeter to squeeze out this much accuracy from the panel since it is already great out of the box. We don’t think it is worth buying the gadget this time since the gains are minimal for the most part.
the Sony Inzone M9 II’s backlight reached 471 cd/m2 in SDR, and it peaked at 977 cd/m2 in HDR mode. Its contrast reached 1311:1 at 40% brightness, but it did not expand accurately like it would on a mini-LED or OLED panel. The screen is brighter, but the limited zone produces inaccurate highlights due to the bigger area each local dimming zone covers.
panel uniformity for the test sample was acceptable in SDR since there were no major backlight leaks. However, haloing and clouding become common when the HDR mode is on since the local dimming backlight only has a few zones. It is still nice to have for games and movies, but it can get annoying for titles with lots of dark scenes and flashes of light or color.
The Sony Inzone M9 II is slightly prone to blur when it’s local dimming is working. Setting its overdrive to its Fast level helped tremendously, effectively reducing smudging and persistence in some scenes. It’s great for common games played in 4K, including some competitive titles like Black Ops 6 or Fortnite.
The Sony Inzone M9 II is compatible with FreeSync and G-Sync for tearing and stutter-free gaming. VRR is handy for both PC and gaming consoles since it helps tame the negative effects of FPS fluctuations. Its input lag sits at 4ms at 160Hz, so it is as fast and responsive as the best 4K 144Hz+ monitors out there.
Thoughts on the Sony Inzone M9 II
The Sony Inzone M9 II makes a compelling case for a 4K 144Hz+ upgrade with its specifications, especially for those who own a PS5. It offers great image quality and brightness, plus a few tricks like HDR Tone Mapping (PS5 Only), unlike the typical 4K gaming monitor out there. It comes with modern connectivity features and a simpler design, so it should be more timeless than other options.
It’s far from perfect, especially when we consider its lower contrast and mediocre HDR performance. Local dimming certainly makes monitors more attractive, but models with fewer zones like this one are far from effective at producing true HDR effects. It’s a decent buy, but we’d wait on a sale since 4K 144Hz models have become cheaper in recent times.
Pros:
- Great Color Out of the Box
- Sharp Screen
- DisplayPort 2.1 and HDMI 2.1 Connectivity
- Plenty of Connectivity
Cons:
- Limited HDR
- Pricey for HDR 600 Performance
- No USB-C
About the Author: Paolo has been a gaming veteran since the golden days of Doom and Warcraft and has been building gaming systems for family, friends, and colleagues since junior high. High-performance monitors are one of his fixations; he believes that every citizen’s right to enjoy one. He has gone through several pieces of hardware in pursuit of every bit of performance gain, much to the dismay of his wallet. He now works with Monitornerds to scrutinize the latest gear to create reviews that accentuate the seldom explained aspects of a PC monitor.
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