Sony InZone M9 II vs InZone M9 ( Mark 1 ) - What's The Difference?
/If you want to take your gameplay a little more seriously. Whether it is on PC or on console. An easy way to do it is to pick up a proper pro purpose-built gaming monitor.
Like this, the Sony InZone M9 mark 2. And you might already be familiar with the original Inzone M9. The mark 1…and you’re probably wondering. What’s the difference, what are the upgrades, is the mark 1 a better deal now?
Or is the mark 2 so much better that it’s not even worth looking back?
Well, stick around because I’ll answer those questions. And I will say one of the changes this year could instantly make you change your mind.
The Design Upgrades
So let's start with the design changes. Sony InZone has ditched the white PlayStation colours. And I'm told the reason for this is that this monitor is aimed at PC gamers first.
The actual casing and control stick on the display haven't changed from the mark 1. It's still got the same control stick on the back right-hand corner. And slightly rounded back.
With the most significant design change, this time being the redesigned stand. The Mark one used a tripod style stand which was good, and allowed to place your keyboard right up against it.
But, it didn't allow for rotation of the screen without the legs going with it.
This time around on the mark two the contact that the M9 makes with your desk has been massively reduced. It's now a thin disc with a diameter of around 17cm.
It's also quite slim. It's actually just 8mm in height. And the range of motion is also massively improved. The range goes from minus five degrees to 25 degrees. And of course, now you can fully rotate the display 180 degrees without worrying about the feet.
So this is a very notable upgrade. If I were to critique this design, the only way it could be better next time would be if Sony put a little more thought into the cable management side of things. But apart from that it's definitely one of the best stands I've ever seen on a monitor to date.
And there are a couple more less visible upgrades. The 2w stereo speakers in the monitor have been upgraded. My guess is the driver size might be a little larger or the actual quality of the parts has improved. Or both.
Also, the power adapter for the monitor is 30% smaller. Which is nice.
Ports
Now here are some more changes. The ports have been upgraded but also a couple of things have been taken away. But this might be a good thing and I will explain why. But first, let's get a look at the ports.
There are three ways to connect your computer or gaming device, all of which have now been upgraded.
The Display port that was DP1.4 is now DP2.1, and it still has 2 HDMI 2.1 but both are now 160hz. On the mark they were limited to 144hz…which is still very fast.
Now here's a little downgrade. You still get the 2 USB ports and a USB A, but this time there is no USB C port, unfortunately. But wait til we get to good news if you are upset about that.
The Display
So the display, is arguably the most important aspect of any monitor. It's almost identical in every way to last year’s M9 mark 1. With the biggest upgrade is that it now supports 4K 160Hz.
It's a Full array IPS panel with local dimming. It is VESA certified, and Display HDR 600 rated. It supports 10-bit colours & 95% DCI P3 colour gamut.
There's a new upgrade to the way it refreshes. InZone calls it Backlight scanning and this will help to reduce motion blur. The grey to grey response time is 1ms.
And just like the mark 2, G sync and is supported here.
The Software
Now there are a few more upgrades to the user interface. Sony InZone didn't mention whether the Mark 1 will get these in an update. My guess is it probably will.
So now there's a new 10-level black equaliser setting. This was actually at the request of some of the Pro Players from Fnatic that Sony InZone worked with on maybe the greatest Gaming monitor ever made. More on that in a minute.
There's also a new 24.5” mode. As this is the screen size used in Pro gaming tournaments. You can also shift the placement of this crop up or down. And there are tons more useful tools in the UI all designed to give you the gaming advantages you've been looking for.
And of course, if you are going to be getting one for these for PlayStation. Just like the Mark 1 you get the true tone colours mapping support here.
However, you won't be able to hit the 160Hz…so maybe the Mark 1 if you could find a good deal would be just as good for PS5. But there's a catch.
Price
Remember how I said that they've taken a couple of things away and that might be a good thing. Well, it's this.
Even with all the upgrades and improvements you get here. Sony InZone have managed to reduce the launch day price on the M9II down by £100 here in the UK & €100 I'm the rest of Europe. The M9 mark one retails for £999 and the new Mark is £899.
It's still not cheap but there are a lot of improvements on the InZone M9 Mark 2 including the price. And it might just be one for the best gaming monitors out there today…but it's not number one…because Sony InZone has just launched another & it is superior in almost every way.
It is the Sony InZone M10S…it's a new model, it's an OLED and it's 480Hz. I did get a quick look at it at the GamesCom. Here is the video if you want to get an idea of what it's all about:
