Verdict
The Sony Inzone M9 II is a decent 4K gaming monitor with excellent detail and solid motion, combined with a clever stand and easy-to-use OSD. Overall performance is mixed, depending on the preset mode selected, though, where OLED rivals are more consistent.
Pros
- Solid detail with great motion handling
- Clever stand with lots of adjustment
- OSD has extensive options list
Cons
- Image quality not as strong as its OLED rivals
- Middling speakers
-
27-inch 4K 160Hz LCD panel:The Inzone M9 II provides lots of detail and smooth motion, complete with the fun of local dimming. -
Large port selection:It also comes with everything from DisplayPort 2.1 to a three port USB hub. -
Adjustable stand:The Inzone M9 II also comes with a highly-adjustable stand with lots of tilt and height adjustment.
Introduction
The Sony Inzone M9 II provides a welcome update to the brand’s first stab at a gaming monitor from a couple of years ago.
Since the original M9‘s release back in 2022, the gaming monitor landscape has shifted towards OLEDs as top dog, while high refresh 4K LCD options have dropped like a stone in price. This leaves the Inzone M9 II in a bit of an odd position, given this is a 27-inch 4K 160Hz LCD panel that costs £899/$799.
Sure, it comes with lesser-spotted features such as Full Array Local Dimming, as is found on some of Sony’s excellent non-OLED TVs, and a clever OSD, but that price tag isn’t far away from seriously brilliant 32-inch 4K 240Hz QD-OLED screens such as the Philips Evnia 32M2N8900.
It means the Inzone M9 II has a bit of a mountain to climb to become one of the best gaming monitors we’ve tested. I’ve been using it for the last couple of weeks to see how it fares.
Design
- Inoffensive, matte black frame
- Clever rotating stand
- Excellent port selection
Where the original M9 was an out-there affair with a modern white aesthetic and more space-age design choices that fitted in well with the PS5, this second-gen model is a complete departure from the original design language. Instead, this is an all-black monitor with more in common by way of its looks with 2011’s PlayStation 3D Display.
It isn’t as sleek or as exciting as the Evnia 32M2N8900 or Samsung’s Odyssey OLED G8 (2024), sticking with a matte black plastic frame that’ll fit well in a variety of environments. Branding here is minimal, too, with only a small Sony logo on the bottom left corner. I’ve got no issue with the general construction and feel of the Inzone M9 II, either, as it’s especially well-built.
What’s more, its stand has been changed from the tripod option on the original to a rotating stand, which is a lot easier to manoeuvre. This goes for everything from the initial setup when plugging in power and display cables to when you need to move it clean around it. It’s all straightforward.
The stand offers reasonable adjustment, with solid scope for height adjustment, swivel and loads of tilt. It won’t go into a portrait orientation though. Construction is simple, too, with the monitor attaching to its stand toollessly, which then attaches to the base. Then, you’re all ready to go. Even a ham-fisted idiot like me managed just fine.
Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)
Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)
Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)
A real highlight of the Inzone M9 II is the fantastic port selection, providing great options for both display and connecting other devices. It’s split into three components, with the left side coming with a 3.5mm headphone jack, a pair of USB-A ports on a hub and a USB-B for powering the hub. The middle section houses the pair of HDMI 2.1 and DP 2.1 ports, which is especially modern, while the remaining section has the barrel jack for power and another USB-A.
The back of the Inzone M9 II comes with a singular means of controlling its extensive OSD with a joystick housed on the right rear corner as you look at the monitor. This is also a power button, and there is a small power LED close by, too.
Image Quality
- Solid overall brightness and black level
- Much better with FALD on
- Excellent motion handling and detail
Considering the Inzone M9 II’s status as a more ‘standard’ 4K IPS LCD screen, I had quite a high bar for it given the price tag and what we’ve seen happen to monitor tech in the last couple of years. At £899/$799, it had better be good.
Initial out-of-the-box results where the panel defaults to its FPS preset and 80% brightness was far from impressive, with a 0.41 black level and 8300K colour temperature that resulted in weaker image quality. Moving over to the ‘Standard’ preset yielded much better quality with a 0.24 black level and a perfect 6500K colour temperature, alongside a peak brightness of 358.1 nits.
When not using the FPS preset, I was impressed with the Inzone M9 II’s deeper blacks and its bang-on colour temperature. The 980:1 contrast ratio is quite meagre, meaning the panel lacks some dynamic range and pop against its OLED brethren.
As with the more affordable AOC Gaming Q27G3XMN/BK though, Sony’s option truly comes alive when its local dimming is enabled, resulting in a boosted vibrancy of 435 nits in SDR, without sacrificing much in the way of its black level and colour temperature. It also led to an increased contrast of 1220:1, leading images to have a bit more in the way of dynamic range.
With the local dimming enabled and in running through some Counter Strike 2, the Inzone M9 II served up some great detail with its 4K resolution and marvellous motion handling with its 160Hz refresh rate. Colour accuracy is also solid, with perfect 100% coverage of the mainstream sRGB gamut, while the 92% DCI-P3 and 84% Adobe RGB results mean you could conceivably use the Inzone M9 II for more specialist workloads.
Software and Features
- Convenient OSD
- Lots of interesting competitive features
- Weaker speakers
Where the Inzone M9 II actually shines is with its convenient on-screen display (OSD), which is operated by the joystick on the rear of the chassis. It’s a bright and clear OSD that’s easy to navigate and provides access to handy features with everything from more basic brightness and contrast controls to some cleverer advanced features such as the level of local dimming, on-screen crosshairs and more.
One of the most interesting features here is the panel’s 24.5-inch mode, which reduces the displayed image in size to match that of a 24.5-inch monitor. This is designed for those competitive players who choose to sit especially close to the screen. It’s certainly a different experience to using the Inzone M9 II across its usual 27-inch size, and comes with the caveat of disabling both variable refresh rate and local dimming, which is a bit of a shame.
The Inzone M9 II comes alive when connected to a PS5, coming with a useful feature of automatically switching between its on-board profiles based on the type of content on screen, be it a game or film.
I’m less enthusiastic about the pair of 2W speakers packed inside the monitor, though. They’re quite weak and thin in their sound, lacking much in the way of bass. You’ll want to pair the Inzone M9 II with either a capable set of separates, a soundbar, or use a gaming headset for your audio.
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
You want a clever stand and a great port selection
Sony’s Inzone M9 II excels with its clever stand that’s easy to use, and a brilliant port selection. Not many monitors offer this good a user experience.
You want the power and consistency of an OLED
As solid as the Inzone M9 II is, QD-OLED options with generally better image quality aren’t too far up the price ladder, and are better overall options. If you want the pinnacle of a modern gaming monitor, the Sony Inzone M9 II isn’t it.
Final Thoughts
If the Sony Inzone M9 II had been released a year or two ago, it would have perhaps been an easier recommendation, given the lack of OLED panels on the market at the time. In isolation, it’s a good overall LCD gaming monitor with great detail and motion handling, combined with decent black levels and colour accuracy that felt responsive to use in everything from Counter Strike to Cyberpunk.
The rotating stand is seriously clever, making it easy to move the Inzone M9 II, while also helping it to be simple to build. The port selection here is also fantastic, with a lovely blend of display and expansion options.
The real kicker for the Inzone M9 II though is its price tag. The likes of the Philips Evnia 32M2N8900 and Samsung Odyssey G8 (2024) can get brighter, offer deeper blacks and better dynamic range, while also coming with a more stylish look and feel, and aren’t too far up the road in terms of their list price. That’s not to say the Inzone M9 II is a disappointing panel, because it isn’t. It’s just the competition makes it a bit of a harder sell. For more options, check out our list of the best gaming monitors we’ve tested.
How we test
We use every monitor we test for at least a week. During that time, we’ll check it for ease of use and put it through its paces by using it for both everyday tasks and more specialist, colour-sensitive work.
We also check its colours and image quality with a colorimeter to test its coverage and the display’s quality.
We used it as our main monitor for at least a week.
We used a colorimeter to get benchmark results.
We used our own expert judgement for image quality.
FAQs
The Sony Inzone M9 II features a 4K, or 3840×2160, resolution across a 27-inch screen size.
Trusted Reviews test data
Brightness (SDR)
Black level
Contrast ratio
White Visual Colour Temperature
sRGB
Adobe RGB
DCI-P3
›
UK RRP
USA RRP
Manufacturer
Screen Size
Size (Dimensions)
Weight
Release Date
First Reviewed Date
Resolution
HDR
Types of HDR
Refresh Rate
Ports
Colours
Display Technology
Screen Technology
Syncing Technology
›
