True 4K Performance Monitors For PCs and PlayStations

Released back in 2022, Sony’s premium 27-inch Inzone M9 monitor proved to be a popular choice for serious PC and console gamers. It featured a 4K display, NVIDIA G-SYNC, 144Hz variable refresh rate, HDR, and other features that helped it stand out. Of course, two years is a long time in the tech world, and, high price aside, the monitor wasn’t perfect, which is why Sony is back with the Inzone M9 II monitor. With improvements in many areas, including peak brightness, refresh rate, and even the stand, Sony has tried to bring its flagship 4K gaming monitor to the next level. Although the price may still give pause, the fact remains that for most dedicated gamers, especially those with a PlayStation 5 (PS5), this is one of the best 4K monitors around.

Sony Inzone M9 II

The Sony Inzone M9II Monitor offers gamers 4K, HDR, full array local dimming, 160Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, and Nvidia G-Sync in one premium display.

Pros

• Excellent HDR color and brightness
• Fast response time and overall performance
• Well optimized for gaming PCs and PS5s
• Versatile stand

Cons

• Some corner dimming
• Cable management could be better

Price and Availability

The Sony Inzone M9 II is available for $800 from Amazon, Best Buy, and direct from Sony. The monitor comes with a 19.5V 120.9 W AC adapter, power cable for the AC adapter, DisplayPort cable, stand arm, stand arm base, paperwork, and calibration stickers for the base.

Setup and Inputs: Easy and Robust

Setup was a tool-free breeze. Once the monitor body was out of the box, I just had to place it face down on a soft blanket and click the monitor arm in place in the slot. The base then screwed right into the bottom of the monitor arm. For those who would rather wall mount the monitor, its VESA compliant with a standard four-hole mounting pattern.

Of course, for most of us, including me, we’ll just use the included stand, which Sony did a great job on. Gone is the weird tripod-like stand of the M9 II’s predecessor. Instead, we get a circular base that’s just 0.5 inches thin and has a compact 7 inch diameter. There’s no option to rotate the monitor to a portrait orientation, but it’s otherwise extremely maneuverable. It’s height adjustable up to 5.1 inches, has a -5° to -25° degree tilt, and 180° swivel. Since the ports are underneath the monitor, the tilt and rotation options also help with connecting and disconnecting cables.

The I/O ports include DisplayPort 2.1 for up to 4K 160Hz, two HDMI 2.1 for up to 4K 144Hz, USB Type-B 5Gbps upstream to PC, two USB Type-A 5Gbps downstream from PC, 3.5mm headphone and speaker audio output, and a USB Type-A exclusively for software updates. Cables can be tied with the included purple rubber branded strap. It’s not the best system to secure cables, but the flexibility of the strap does offer some benefit over rigid plastic slots.

Display and Performance: 4K, HDR, and High-Speed

Although OLED displays, with their superior color accuracy and contrast, get a lot of buzz these days, an IPS panel like in the Inzone M9 II still has its merits with similarly wide viewing angles, color consistency, and resistance to burn-in. The top features of Sony’s panel are a 4K 3840 x 2160 pixel resolution, 1ms Grey-to-Grey response time for minimal blur and ghosting effects, full array local dimming for brighter highlights and deeper blacks, and backlight scanning to reduce motion blur across the entire screen and improve clarity in action-packed games. Ultimately, these are fancy ways of saying that the display can make even the fastest, most visually intense games look their best.

Although other cards may work, according to Sony, if you have a PC with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3000 series or greater, AMD Radeon RX6000 series or greater, or Intel Arc graphics, you can utilize the monitor’s ability to match a game’s variable frame rate to eliminate stuttering and screen tearing for smoother, more fluid gameplay over DisplayPort 2.1, up to a maximum of 160Hz, or 160 fps. The M9 II features VESA Certified AdaptiveSync, NVIDIA G-Sync, and, over its HDMI 2.1 ports, Variable Refresh Rate (VRR). In addition to the aforementioned PC graphics, both Sony’s PS5 series and Microsoft Xbox Series X/S consoles support VRR over HDMI 2.1, up to a maximum of 120Hz, or 120 fps.

In terms of color and brightness, the key metrics are that the display covers greater than 95% of the DCI-P3 sRGB spectrum, supports a peak brightness of up to 750 nits with DisplayHDR 600 and up to 400 nits over SDR, and up to 1.07 billion possible colors with a dynamic contrast ratio of up to 8,000:1. Even in a very well lit room, I found the brightness, at 100%, and color saturation, particularly with HDR content, to really pop, and even fine details, like small text, to remain easily visible. Even better, I never really noticed outside reflections on the display, which further helped enhance color saturation and black levels.

My Windows 11 desktop has an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 graphics card, which I was able to connect via DisplayPort 1.4. HDR support on PCs is still inconsistent, but, when it’s supported, like watching 4K 120FPS HDR content, it’s a real treat. For the most part, I was able to leave HDR enabled, which didn’t affect my normal PC usage, but it may need to be disabled for certain PC games to display proper colors.

As for regular Windows usage, I found the default 150% scaling to work well for everyday usage, as did placing windows side-by-side, giving me effectively two 8 x 10 pages. Of course, I’m still not entirely convinced that the 16:9 aspect ratio of the monitor, which is optimized for gaming and watching video content, is best-suited to productivity use cases over ultra widescreen displays, but the extra resolution that 3840 x 2160 provides certainly helps.

Overall, I was impressed with how the monitor worked on my PC. The variable frame rate support, which in my case was through G-Sync, is always welcome for keeping frame rates in sync. I also never found the display lacking in terms of color or contrast. I did note some slight dimming in the corners of the display, which is disappointing, but it was really only something I noticed with white backgrounds.

Of course, you can plug a whole lot more than just PCs into this monitor thanks to its HDMI 2.1 ports, but it’s especially well-tuned to the current highest end consoles from Microsoft and Sony. On the Xbox Series X/S, you can support its best resolution, frame rate, and HDR features. On the PS5 and PS5 Pro, the monitor performs even better. Sony’s consoles automatically recognize the monitor during initial setup and optimize their HDR settings. Further, the M9 II automatically switches to Game Mode when gaming or Cinema Mode when watching streaming or Blu-Ray discs, which shifts the focus to picture processing rather than the combination of speed and quality needed to keep games in sync.

Having played my PS5 consoles on 4K TVs of 75-inches and larger and sitting eight to 10 feet back, it’s been hard to appreciate how much detail there are in these games. When you get up close and personal with a monitor like the M9 II with such incredible fidelity that’s so well-tuned to the PS5’s capabilities, it’s like a next generation experience. For instance, in NHL 24, where my photos may not do it justice, you can see every scratch in the ice, amazing light reflections, and just a mind-blowing amount of overall detail and fluidity. This experience has convinced me now more than ever that as fun as a big screen experience can be, getting up close and personal is something I should do a lot more often.

In terms of the built-in 2W speakers, as expected, they’re nothing more than serviceable. While they remain mostly distortion-free even at 100% volume, they lack bass and overall presence. With that said, if you’re investing this kind of money in a monitor and are a serious gamer, you’re already going to have your own audio solution that will far surpass anything that could possibly be built into a monitor, so it’s hard to be too critical of this type of non-core feature.

UI, Software, and Special Features: For All Gamers

It’s important to update the firmware on monitors like these to get access to the latest performance improvements. While Sony offers a dedicated USB slot on the monitor for a flash drive where you downloaded the latest firmware to, I had trouble getting it to recognize any of the USB sticks I used, or, if recognized, getting the file to work. Fortunately, Sony makes the Inzone Hub software available for Windows 10 or later computers.

After installing Inzone Hub, and using the same DP 1.4 video connection, I was able to install the latest firmware without issue. Of course, Inzone Hub offers much more, providing full access to all of the display settings, picture adjustments, and gaming options. These options are also available from the JoyStick Key on the back of the monitor, where you can also quickly adjust the brightness, input source, preset modes, and volume, but I personally find it much quicker to adjust most settings from the software.

As is customary for a monitor of this type, many of the features cater to gamers. Picture Mode options, beyond standards like sRGB and DisplayHDR, include FPS, MOBA/RTS, RPG, and Game. For instance, selecting FPS adjusts the brightness and contrast levels to see in-game enemies more clearly. There are also the usual frame counter and crosshair options.

One feature that is unusual, however, is what’s called 24.5-Inch Mode. Instead of utilizing the full 27-inches the display has to offer, the display shrinks down to 24.5-inches, either centered or at the bottom of the screen, and also drops the resolution to 1962p. The idea is taken from the competitive gaming world, where you’re forced to focus more on all of the actions happening at once, something particularly useful in online shooters like Fortnite. It’s a feature I’m not sure I’ll personally use on a regular basis, but I certainly appreciate the effort as a further nod to the gamer who wants the best possible competitive experience.

Should You Buy the Sony Inzone M9 II Monitor?

The Sony Inzone M9 II monitor is not for everyone. Although it makes an excellent daily driver, it’s purposely optimized for those who not only game on a regular basis, but also have a machine that can drive both the high resolution and frame rates this monitor offers.

If you do care about PC gaming and have the necessary equipment, the superior response time, color, HDR support, and overall options in a compact package make this a fine choice. If you also own an Xbox Series X/S, or, even better, a PS5 or PS5 Pro, the quality of this monitor may make you forgo your big screen TV. Even with its premium price, if you’re serious about gaming, the Inzone M9 II is hard to resist.

Sony Inzone M9 II

The Sony Inzone M9II Monitor offers gamers 4K, HDR, full array local dimming, 160Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, and Nvidia G-Sync in one premium display.