Sony made an impact with the introduction of the Inzone M9, a 27-inch, 144Hz, 4K monitor with a local dimming backlight. Now, Sony is back with the Inzone M3, a more modest 27-inch 1080p, 240Hz monitor without the local dimming feature. It’s less expensive at an MSRP of $529.99 but ticks the top of the price bracket for similar gaming monitors. Let’s see if Sony can justify the premium.
Sony Inzone M3 – Design
The Sony Inzone M3 may be less expensive than the Inzone M9, but it’s hard to tell at a glance. They’re almost identical, right down to the unique and attractive tripod-style with black-and-white PlayStation 5 design vibes. The monitor is most attractive from a side profile, where the rearward sweep of the stand’s largest leg gives the impression Sony found a way to resist gravity.
A glance from the front is less alluring. There’s only so many ways to style a monitor with thin bezels. However, Sony’s material quality is top-notch. The matte black plastic chin below the display’s surface should seem generic, yet it’s the most elegant matte black plastic I’ve seen in years.
Looks aside, the stand has practical limitations. Height adjustment is only 70 millimeters – significantly less than the 100mm to 150mm available from competitors. The stand doesn’t swivel, either, and can’t rotate 90 degrees into portrait orientation. The monitor does have a 100mm x 100mm VESA mount, so third-party stands are supported – but that would ruin the monitor’s look.
The monitor’s cable management isn’t great, either. I rarely even mention this, as most monitors use a clip or hole located on the rear of the stand. The Inzone M3’s unusual stand means the hole used for cable management is closer to the front of the display and more visible. It’s not an issue for me, personally, but I suspect some owners will find this a bother.
Sony Inzone M3 – Connectivity & Features
You might be wondering: why is the Inzone M3 so expensive? Connectivity is one answer. This monitor has two HDMI 2.1 ports, as well as DisplayPort 1.4 and USB-C with DisplayPort Alternate Mode. All of the monitor’s inputs can support 1080p at 240Hz.
There’s a few problems, however. The HDMI 2.1 ports seem attractive, but the monitor’s 1080p resolution and additional input options makes this a moot point. Neither the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S supports 240Hz. So, this is only useful with a PC – and with two DisplayPort connections available, it’s hard to imagine PC gamers will be using HDMI.
The USB-C port can work as an upstream connection driving three additional USB-A ports. There’s also a USB-B upstream port that handles the same task, if you prefer. The monitor can be used as a KVM switch and has features in the menu to allow this. However, the USB-A ports are all on the rear panel, so they’re not convenient to use as a USB hub. The USB-C port also provides just 15 watts of power delivery, which limits its appeal for charging devices.
A large joystick on the monitor’s right rear flank provides an easy way to navigate the monitor’s menus. Sony’s menu system is top-notch with relatively large font sizes, sensibly arranged menus, and quick response times to user input.
Image quality adjustments include several color temperature presets, a custom color temperature mode, saturation and hue adjustments, and four gamma presets. Gaming features include built-in crosshairs, an FPS counter, a timer, and a black equalizer to increase visibility in dark areas of a game.
The monitor also has a pair of two-watt speakers but, unsurprisingly, they’re terrible. Audio sounds weak, tinny, and annoying. The speakers are fine for basic Windows OS sounds but overmatched even by podcasts, nevermind music or games.
Sony Inzone M3 – Gaming Image Quality
Sony’s Inzone M3, unlike the more expensive Inzone M9, has no extra features that might boost its image quality. The monitor doesn’t have quantum dots, full array local dimming, or a unique panel. It’s just an average 240Hz gaming monitor.
The monitor’s 27-inch 1080p panel has a pixel density of just 81 pixels per inch, which is near the lowest you’ll find on any modern computer display. Small fonts and icons don’t look smooth and aliasing is obvious when viewing thin objects in games, such as power lines or stairs on distant buildings. This was noticeable in Final Fantasy XIV, a game with older visuals and a mediocre anti-aliasing implementation.
Color performance is fine, but not exceptional. The monitor’s color gamut spans 100 percent of sRGB, which is typical for a modern monitor, and 84 percent of DCI-P3. That’s an ok result but certainly not exceptional, as some monitors in this price range can deliver 95 percent of DCI-P3 or more. Games tend to look less vivid and saturated than on competing monitors. I found this most obvious in games with a punchy, animated presentation, such as Overwatch 2.
Contrast is also an issue. The monitor has a maximum contrast ratio of 1130:1, which is normal for an LCD monitor with a high-refresh IPS panel. Full array or Mini-LED local dimming could help, but the Inzone M3 lacks that feature. Scenes that should look deep and foreboding instead look hazy and musty as the backlight’s glow creeps through the panel. I easily noticed this in Diablo II: Resurrected, as the Inzone M3 struggles to handle the game’s grim art style.
To be fair, the Sony Inzone M3’s image quality isn’t awful. It scores well enough in most areas and doesn’t suffer unexpected flaws. Still, the monitor’s overall image quality is mediocre for a gaming monitor on store shelves in 2023, and its pricing makes that a serious problem.
Sony Inzone M3 - HDR Image Quality
HDR doesn’t improve the Sony Inzone M3’s fortunes, as it still lacks features that might help it stand out from the competition.
The monitor supports HDR and is VESA DisplayHDR 400 certified. I found a maximum HDR brightness of 520 nits, which is a strong result for a monitor with this certification, and for any monitor in general.
However, the lack of full array of Mini-LED backlight, and limited color gamut, makes for a rather mediocre HDR experience. The improved brightness added punch to bright scenes, and I noticed some detail in bright highlights, such as rays of sun filtering through a window, when viewing HDR test clips. The effect is subtle, though, and lost in games with a darker presentation.
That’s not to say HDR gaming isn’t viable. It works well enough and may seem more appealing due to the added brightness. Still, gamers looking to play in HDR should consider paying more for an OLED or Mini-LED monitor.
Sony Inzone M3 – Motion Performance
The Sony Inzone M3 is a 27-inch, 1080p, 240Hz monitor. A refresh rate of 240Hz is no longer the best available in this category, as 27-inch 360Hz monitors are available. Still, the Inzone M3 looks great in motion.
Motion blur is minimal at the monitor’s maximum refresh rate of 240Hz. Interface details, like hitpoint bars or damage numbers, are often readable, and quickly spinning an in-game camera doesn’t obscure important information like the presence of enemies or the look of nearby terrain. Small fonts can be hard to read, however, and objects that are just a few pixels in size won’t be noticeable.
The monitor has three response time modes: Standard, Fast (which is the default), and Faster. Standard and Fast didn’t cause distracting overshoot artifacts, and while I could notice a difference between them in a direct side-by-side comparison, it was small enough that I couldn’t see a difference outside of test images. The Faster mode, on the other hand, caused major overshoot that trailed high-contrast objects and caused shimmer in fine textures. I recommend sticking to the default setting of Fast.
The Inzone M3’s motion performance holds up well at 120Hz and 60Hz, which indicates the panel has low pixel response times. I found the Inzone M3 performs better than most 240Hz monitors in this regard, though I suspect most will find the difference negligible.
PlayStation 5 owners should remember that while the Inzone M3 has a refresh rate up to 240Hz, the PS5 supports a maximum of 120Hz. That’s a problem, as it further reduces the Inzone M3’s value. PS5 owners are better off with a much less expensive 1080p 120Hz monitor The same true for Xbox Series X|S owners, as well.
The Inzone M3 officially supports Adaptive Sync and Nvidia G-Sync. FreeSync support is not listed, but it worked in my testing (which makes sense, as FreeSync is built on Adaptive Sync).
Sony Inzone M3 – Day-to-Day Use
The Sony Inzone M3 is a bad pick for day-to-day productivity. The monitor’s 1080p resolution lacks sharpness and the mediocre color gamut isn’t ideal for creatives looking to edit photos and videos or work with digital art. The monitor lacks color modes that target a specific color gamut and has somewhat limited color customization, as the hue and saturation options are general options not broken out into red, blue, and green.
Sony Inzone M3 – The Competition
Price is the Sony Inzone M3’s biggest problem. It’s an ok monitor by many standards, and its motion performance is excellent, but the monitor’s MSRP of $529.99 compares unfavorably to the alternatives.
Gigabyte’s M27Q X and Samsung’s Odyssey G7 easily defeat the Sony Inzone M3. Both have 1440p resolution, which is far sharper than the Inzone M3’s 1080p resolution, and both offer a wider color gamut as well as better color accuracy. Gigabyte’s M27Q X is less expensive than the Inzone M3, often retailing under $500, while the Odyssey G7 is a tad more expensive with a retail price around $549.99. These alternatives make the Inzone M3 impossible to recommend.
