Sony introduces two Inzone gaming monitors (4K 144Hz and FHD 240Hz), three headphones too
Today Sony unveiled a new series of gaming hardware – Inzone. The launch products are two monitors and three headsets. Inzone products are designed for an immersive gaming experience be it on PC or on a PlayStation 5.
Sony Inzone M9 and M3 gaming monitors
Both are 27” gaming monitors with IPS LCD panels. The Inzone M9 has 4K resolution and 144Hz refresh rate (120Hz over HDMI). For improved dynamic contrast, it uses Full Array Local Dimming. It peaks at 600 nits brightness and has a VESA DisplayHDR 600 certification. Additionally, this monitor has 95% DCI-P3 coverage.
Specs: Sony Inzone M9 • Sony Inzone M3
The Sony Inzone M3 drops down to 1080p resolution, but increases the refresh rate to 240Hz (including over HDMI). The panel is edge lit and has a peak brightness of 400 nits (DisplayHDR 400). This display offers 99% sRGB coverage.
Full Array Local dimming on the Sony Inzone M8 • The Inzone Hub PC software can control all settings for the monitors
Both displays are calibrated at the factory to hit their color accuracy goals. They also support HDR10 and HLG types of HDR. As for the refresh rate, they support G-Sync and HDMI 2.1 VRR for variable refresh rate (24Hz minimum). They also boast 1ms gray-to-gray transition times.
Both monitors are equipped with two HDMI inputs, one DisplayPort 1.4. Additionally, they have a built-in USB hub – one Type-B goes in, three USB Type-A come out. These are perfect for connecting keyboards, mice and controllers as the built-in KVM functionality will switch the USB connection along to follow the video input.
This will allow you to connect both a PC and a PlayStation 5. There are some PS5 specific features like Auto HDR tone mapping and automatic genre picture mode (e.g. switching to Cinema mode when you put on a movie). There are PC features too, like dedicated PC software that lets you tweak every setting of the monitor.
The stands of both monitors let you adjust the height and tilt for maximum comfort. The central pillar works as a cable channel to keep things neat. The M9 also has an RGB LED strip on the back to match your lighting setup.
The Sony Inzone M9 is available for pre-order at $900/€1,100/£1,000 (coming this summer). The Inzone M3 will launch by the end of this year with a price of $530.
Sony Inzone H9, H7 and H3 gaming headphones
These three share the same external design, but offer different capabilities to match your needs and budget. The first two are wireless, the H3 is a wired headset.
When you heard “wireless” you may have winced and while the H9 and H7 do support Bluetooth, they are best used with the included USB dongle that enables low-latency connection over 2.4GHz. The headphones can be connected to both the dongle and your smartphone (over Bluetooth), so you can easily answer an incoming call.
The boom mic offers great audio quality for voice chats in game and is easy to control – flip it down to talk, flip it up to mute. There is a hardware button that changes the audio balance between game audio and voice chat.
All three headphones support 360 Spatial Sound. This can be activated by the Inzone Hub PC software, which also includes algorithms to turn 2 channel stereo into 7.1 channel surround sound. There is a 360 Spatial Sound Personalizer app for smartphones.
The Sony Inzone H9 supports Active Noise Cancellation and have a dedicated button to toggle Ambient sound mode (100Hz-8,000Hz). With ANC off, the headphones can last for 32 hours of play time.
The Inzone H7 do not have ANC. On the plus side, they have longer battery life of 40 hours. Both the H9 and H7 feature 40mm drivers (EDCCA Voice coil with neodymium magnets) and 5Hz-20,000Hz frequency response.
Sony Inzone H9, H7 and H3
The Inzone H3 don’t have to worry about batteries. These headphones also have 40mm drivers (CCAW Voice coil with neodymium magnets, 35Ohm impedance) with 10Hz-20,000Hz frequency response.
All three headsets are available for pre-order now, you can find them on Sony’s official site, Amazon and Best Buy. The Inzone H9 cost $300/€300/£270, the H7 are $230/€230/£200 and the H3 are $100/€100/£90.
Here is a showcase of the new Inzone product line and more details about the monitors and headphones:
