Sony Launch Inzone M9 with 27″ 4K 144Hz and 96-zone FALD Backlight (also the M3)

June 29, 2022April 8, 2023 Simon Baker

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Sony have decided to make an entry in to the modern LCD monitor market with their new “Inzone” range. There are two models available to start with, both of which are 27″ in size but offer different features, specs and capabilities. The flagship is the M9 model with 4K 144Hz and a 96 zone FALD backlight for some decent mid-tier HDR. The other model is the M3 offering a more basic spec but a 1080p 240Hz panel instead to focus on higher refresh rate. More information on both screens below.

Sony Inzone M9

The flagship model is the M9, offering a 27″ IPS panel with a 3840 x 2160 “4K” resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate. You’ll find quite a few displays with 4K 144Hz in this size already, but perhaps most interesting of all is the use of a new panel which offers a 96-zone FALD backlight for some pretty decent mid-tier HDR performance. This offers a pretty decent step up from typical edge lit local dimming which may have commonly 8, 16 or 32 zones and offers something in between those edge-lit options and higher end FALD / Mini LED options which can offer 384+ zones. The Sony M9 will sit somewhere in the middle and be priced accordingly. This allows for a better control over screen content that edge lit dimming and a better HDR experience as a result.

The screen is certified to the VESA DisplayHDR 600 standard with a 600 nits peak brightness quoted, and also includes the necessary wide colour gamut (95% DCI-P1 coverage quoted) and 10-bit colour depth support. Both HDR10 and HLG formats are supported for HDR content.

For gaming the screen boasts the usual 1ms G2G response time spec which doesn’t really tell us much. More useful is the 144Hz refresh rate with adaptive-sync for VRR from both NVIDIA and AMD systems. It’s certified as NVIDIA ‘G-sync Compatible’ as well. For PC connectivity there is a DisplayPort 1.4 with DSC connection provided as well as USB type-C with DP Alt mode. Familiar gamer extras like black equalizer, crosshair, FPS counter and various preset modes are offered in the OSD menu.

In other specs the 27″ IPS panel offers a 1000:1 contrast ratio, 400 cd/m² brightness and 178/178 viewing angles.

Sony market the new M9 as being “perfect for PS5” and it’s somewhat unusual design would sit alongside a PS5 quite nicely. It also features two 40Gbps HDMI 2.1 ports allowing for full 4K 120Hz support from the console. Sony also list HDMI-VRR support as well which is useful for the PS5 that now finally supports that feature. ALLM is also listed as supported on the monitor. There’s a couple of other features for combining this M9 display with the PS5 including Auto HDR tone mapping, and Auto Genre Picture Mode as explained below.

The unusual stand design allows for tilt and height adjustments although is quite deep and so will need a fairly large desk to accommodate. Some simple RGB lighting is provided on the back of the screen as well. There is an integrated KVM switch and 2x 2W stereo speakers. 3x USB ports and a headphone jack are also included.

The M9 is available in various European areas already including in the UK at a current retail price of £999 GBP. Check availability and pricing for your region on Amazon here (affiliate link).

More information: Sony M9 product page

Sony Inzone M3

Sony also released another 27″ model at the same time which is their M3 display. This one is all about refresh rate and offers a 1920 x 1080 (1080p) IPS panel combined with a higher 240Hz refresh rate. This is again supported by adaptive-sync for VRR including an NVIDIA ‘G-sync Compatible’ certification.

There are lower capabilities here when it comes to colours and HDR. It’s a standard sRGB (99%) colour gamut panel only (so no wide gamut support), and the screen carries only the lowly HDR 400 certification. No FALD backlight and not even any edge lit local dimming here for HDR so nothing really to speak of in terms of HDR capabilities on this model.

In other specs there is a 1ms G2G response time,1000:1 contrast ratio, 400 cd/m² brightness, 178/178 viewing angles and 10-bit colour depth support. There are 1x DisplayPort 1.4, and 1x USB type-C connections (DP Alt mode) provided for PC connectivity along with 3x USB ports, a headphone jack, and KVM support. 2x 2W speakers are built in as on the M9. The M3 appears to be missing the RGB lighting on the back of the screen, just in case that was important to you.

HDMI 2.1 connectivity is provided again so the screen can support 1080p @ 120Hz for PS5 along with HDMI-VRR and things like genre selection that we talked about above for the M9. The design of the screen is the same with the unusual stand and white enclosure, with the stand offering tilt and height adjustments again.

The M3 has started to appear in some European areas already including in Italy (but not the UK yet) at a current retail price of 699 Euro. Check availability and pricing for your region on Amazon here (affiliate link).

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