Sony INZONE M9 II 160Hz 4K UHD IPS with HDMI 2.1
As an Amazon Associate and Newegg Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases made using the “Buy” button at the bottom of this post. Where possible, you'll be redirected to your nearest store. Further information on supporting our work.An enhanced HDR experience is often sought-after, particularly for immersive single player gaming. The Sony INZONE M9 II (SDM-27U9M2B) aims to provide this experience, with a pixel-dense IPS panel and FALD (Full Array Local Dimming) backlight solution. The monitor offers minimalistic styling, with plenty of dark matte materials used and a small circular stand base. The OSD (On Screen Display) is controlled by a joystick at the rear of the screen, towards the right side as viewed from the front.
A 26.9” IPS-type panel is used with 3840 x 2160 (‘4K’ UHD) resolution and 160Hz refresh rate. Adaptive-Sync is supported alongside HDMI 2.1 VRR, allowing technologies such as Nvidia ‘G-SYNC Compatible’ and AMD FreeSync to be used, with assumed 48 – 160Hz VRR range plus LFC. A matte anti-glare screen surface is included and 1000:1 static contrast ratio, 178°/178° viewing angles and 10-bit colour specified. A flicker-free WLED backlight provides a >95% DCI-P3 colour gamut and 400 cd/m² (750 cd/m² HDR peak) typical maximum luminance. This is an FALD solution – the exact number of dimming zones is not specified, but it isn’t marketed as ‘Mini LED’ so is not likely to be a huge number. Marketing materials seem to show a 12 x 8 array for 96 dimming zones, just like the original version. The monitor is VESA DisplayHDR 600 certified, allowing it to put its backlight to good use alongside 10-bit colour reproduction. HLG is also supported as an alternative HDR standard.
A 1ms grey to grey response time is specified, to be taken with the usual pinch of salt. A ‘backlight scanning’ strobe backlight setting is also included, designed to minimise perceived blur. The stand includes tilt, swivel (180° left, 180° right) and height (130mm or 5.12 inches) adjustment. 100 x 100mm VESA mounting is supported as an alternative. The ports face downwards and include; a 3.5mm headphone jack, 2 USB 3.0 ports (plus Type-B upstream), 2 HDMI 2.1 ports, ‘DP 2.1’ (UHBR10, limited bandwidth) and a dedicated USB 3.0 port for ‘software updates’. Further details can be found on the manufacturer’s website. The monitor is listed with an RRP ~$800 USD.
