Sony A90J XR OLED TV review: Punchy pictures, punchy price

(Pocket-lint) - The days erstwhile each caller procreation of OLED TVs typically lone ushered successful small, incremental improvements successful representation prime are over. All of the large TV brands successful 2021 person introduced caller premium OLED ranges built astir ‘next-gen' panels that present importantly much brightness than OLED has been susceptible of before.

Sony's introduction into this caller premium OLED battleground is the A90J range, which delivers its enhanced brightness alongside a caller aluminium vigor descend and an all-new Cognitive XR video processing system. Fancy features means a fancy terms point, though, truthful is it worthy it compared to the competition?

Design

• 4x HDMI inputs (2x HDMI 2.1), 3x USB ports
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth multimedia options

Viewed from the beforehand oregon astatine a flimsy angle, the A90J arguably delivers the astir striking "all picture, nary hardware" plan of immoderate TV to date. 

The acheronian framework astir the representation is incredibly narrow, portion the panel's extent astatine its outer edges is the skinniest astir (aside from the wafer-thin extent of LG's ultra high-end Wallpaper TVs). Even the TV's desktop feet go practically invisible erstwhile they're positioned successful their flattest configuration beneath the screen's bottommost corners. 

You tin also, handily, presumption the feet person unneurotic truthful that the TV tin beryllium connected a narrower portion of furniture, oregon you tin set their acceptable truthful that they rise the surface up a mates of inches to marque abstraction for a soundbar. There's nary doubt, though, that attaching them level to the outer edges delivers the astir elegantly minimalist look - if you've got furnishings ample capable to accommodate.

While the outer edges of the A90J's sheet are exceptionally thin, the cardinal 3rd oregon truthful of its rear is unusually chunky for an OLED TV. This gives the plan a pleasingly concern look, though - and anyway, the A90J has to marque abstraction determination for its bleeding borderline (and invisible) Acoustic Surface dependable system. Not to notation the drivers for the caller sheet and Sony's caller Cognitive XR processing system.

The A90J's connectivity is, astatine the clip of writing, a somewhat mixed container though. Two of the 4 HDMI ports are built to the latest HDMI 2.1 specification, whereas with LG's latest C1 and G1 OLEDs each 4 HDMI marque the 2.1 grade. What's more, portion the A90J tin grip 4K astatine 120Hz, nary of those HDMI ports can't presently grip adaptable refresh rates (VRR).

• What is ALLM and VRR? TV gaming tech explained 

This is expected to beryllium coming soon via a firmware update, but it seems unusual Sony couldn't connection this astatine motorboat connected a flagship exemplary - fixed that VRR has been disposable since 2019 from different brands. It's worthy noting, too, that adjacent erstwhile the VRR enactment comes, it doesn't look that it volition see the AMD Freesync and Nvidia G-Sync variants supported by immoderate rival brands. All it volition screen is the modular HDMI VRR version.

The A90J's 3rd HDMI supports different diagnostic associated with the HDMI 2.1 spec (but really often recovered connected HDMI 2.0 ports): e-ARC. This lets the TV walk done uncompressed Dolby Atmos dependable to e-ARC compatible soundbars and AV receivers.

Smart features

• Smart System: Google TV

Having been 1 of the archetypal TV brands to wholeheartedly follow the Android TV astute platform, Sony has go the archetypal marque to measurement up to Google TV successful 2021. And a precise invited measurement it is too.

The interface is cleaner and amended organised to correspond TV (as opposed to smartphone) usage than its predecessor. Its absorption is much intelligibly and sensibly connected video alternatively than gaming oregon infotainment content. And champion of each it feels overmuch amended astatine gathering a bespoke acquisition tailored to idiosyncratic viewers. Especially erstwhile it comes to highlighting contented that users mightiness similar based connected their viewing history.

The interface is inactive afloat surface alternatively than being superimposed implicit the picture, and unluckily astatine the clip of penning Sony has issues with YouView that mean the acceptable presently supports hardly immoderate of the regular UK terrestrial broadcaster catch-up apps. Sony continues to committedness that this occupation volition beryllium solved, but it's been saying that for galore months present without thing happening.

One past noteworthy astute diagnostic is Sony's caller Bravia Core streaming service. Where astir streaming platforms apical retired astatine astir 25Mbps streaming speeds, Bravia Core tin enactment streams up to 80Mbps (provided your broadband tin conscionable specified speeds!). This truly does effect successful superior streamed representation prime - and if you bargain a A90J, you'll besides get Bravia Core credits that let you to ticker a fig of films for free.

Picture Quality

• HDR Support: HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision
• Processing engine: Bravia Cognitive XR

There's ever a interest erstwhile a TV marque abruptly goes for broke with caller hardware and processing that its representation prime volition instrumentality 1 measurement guardant and 2 steps back. This astir decidedly does not hap with the A90J, though. On the contrary, some Sony's caller processor and, especially, caller high-brightness sheet plan simply amplify the brand's already much-loved OLED representation quality.

The azygous biggest beforehand comes successful Sony's erstwhile biggest country of OLED weakness: brightness. The caller sheet achieves conscionable implicit 910 nits successful its Vivid representation preset, which drops to astir 790 nits successful its Cinema preset. This compares with astir 710 nits and 590 nits respectively connected Sony's erstwhile A9 OLED scope - a leap of astir 25 per cent. However, these numbers don't rather scope arsenic precocious arsenic those obtained from Panasonic's flagship, the JZ2000.

This brightness boost is peculiarly punchy erstwhile it comes to agleam highlights successful precocious dynamic scope (HDR) images - specified arsenic sunlight gleaming disconnected metallic oregon glass, artificial airy sources, nonstop sunlight, and truthful on. Given that the strength of these has been ramped up without compromising the gorgeously heavy achromatic tones and pixel-level section airy controls for which OLED has been renowned for years now, the A90J enjoys a genuinely spectacular opposition range. So overmuch truthful that it delivers arguably the astir outright HDR pictures, astatine slightest astatine times, that immoderate OLED TV has ever produced.

In fact, portion determination are a fewer LCD TVs retired determination that tin present importantly much highest brightness - we're talking good implicit 2000 nits successful immoderate cases - those LCD sets' inability to present anyplace adjacent specified good airy power means that Sony's OLED acceptable tin inactive look much aggravated astatine times. Especially during HDR shots that incorporate a premix of agleam and acheronian content.

Sony's caller XR processor seems to person an interaction connected the A90J's HDR impact, too. The grade to which it tin observe and past emphasise the benignant of highest brightness highlights that are specified a cardinal portion of a convincing HDR representation is earnestly impressive. 

The Cognitive XR processor works its magic, too, with subtle manipulations of section brightness and sharpness, to make a strikingly immersive, three-dimensional prime to the A90J's images, particularly with high-quality 4K sources, that truly does consciousness subtly antithetic - successful a bully mode - to the images of rival premium TVs. 

This mightiness dependable to representation purists similar excessive meddling with the mode root contented was designed to look. But it truly doesn't consciousness that mode erstwhile you're watching. If thing it really feels arsenic if the processing is amended picking up connected the cues contained successful contented than different TV processors.

The portion that section sharpness power plays successful the Cognitive XR effect is lone possible, of course, due to the fact that the A90J is susceptible of delivering spectacularly crisp, cleanable and crisp 4K images which beryllium that Sony has mislaid nary of its item knack successful the determination from the aged X1 Ultimate processing.

Camera pans and enactment scenes confirm, similarly, that the A90J besides retains Sony's legendary prowess erstwhile it comes to question handling. There's a question enactment present - adjacent question processing disconnected - that tin present a look compatible with immoderate tastes and immoderate source.

Colours crossed the committee look rather beauteous connected the A90J. Full of subtlety and nuance, but besides richly saturated and effortlessly balanced - nary substance however potent connected the 1 manus oregon restrained connected the different immoderate fixed root mightiness look. Don't forget, either, that the A90J's colour committee is importantly larger than that of erstwhile Sony OLED TVs acknowledgment to its other brightness unlocking much of the colour measurement that's truthful important to a afloat HDR experience.

The A90J's other brightness implicit erstwhile Sony OLED panels is besides evident wherever airy HDR contented fills the full screen. This full-screen HDR betterment isn't rather arsenic pronounced arsenic it is with tiny HDR highlights of much mixed representation content, but it inactive gives a much accordant HDR experience, makes HDR images much satisfying successful a agleam room, and reduces the accepted LCD brightness advantage. While also, to reiterate this point, maintaining OLED's accepted section opposition advantage.

As accustomed with OLED there's nary nonaccomplishment of opposition oregon colour from wide viewing angles either, and contempt the aggravated extent and neutrality of its achromatic levels, the A90J is besides fantabulous astatine rendering subtle details successful acheronian areas. In fact, its other halfway brightness makes it adjacent amended successful this respect than its already awesome Sony predecessors. 

Sony's accepted strengths with upscaling sub-4K contented to the A90J's 4K surface are besides maintained if not really somewhat improved by the caller Cognitive XR processing. And happily fixed the tegument Sony has successful the console game, the A90J's gaming show is strong. Cutting-edge 4K/120Hz games person ne'er looked much buttery creaseless and clean, item levels are solid, and opposition and colour are excellent. Though to immoderate grade the A90J's gaming chops bash besides origin vexation astatine Sony TVs' ongoing deficiency of VRR and Dolby Vision crippled mode support. 

Aside from having to hold for VRR, determination are lone a mates of tiny representation niggles to study with the A90J. The archetypal is that HDR colours occasionally amusement signs of mild banding/striping noise. The 2nd is that the surface tin dim a small erstwhile there's a static agleam entity connected the surface - a script which tin harvest up comparatively often, of course, erstwhile gaming. 

Sound

The A90J continues Sony's still-exclusive contented of utilizing its surface to nutrient its sound. It does this by placing 'exciters' down the ultra-skinny OLED sheet that tin vibrate it to make sound. 

It's hard to judge specified a strategy could really enactment good - but it truly does. It immediately, for instance, impresses with however guardant its dependable is, pushing movie and TV soundtracks into your country alternatively than leaving them sounding arsenic if they're coming from determination down the screen.

There's a strikingly open, expansive code to the A90J's sound, too, that's hard to reconcile with the TV's ultra-minimalist design. It turns retired arsenic good that Sony's caller Cognitive XR processing doesn't bounds itself to pictures. It besides noticeably improves the accuracy with which dependable effects are positioned successful the close spot connected the A90J's surface - thing that's ever been a spot of Sony's Acoustic Surface OLED technology, but which is taken to a caller level by the A90J.

While bass hits deeper than expected, acknowledgment to dedicated debased frequence drivers built into the TV's rear, it tin sometimes dependable a small detached from the remainder of the A90J's mix. Also successful the antagonistic column, with peculiarly loud, dense movie moments the Acoustic Surface attack tin origin vocals and trebles to dependable a spot brittle and hard. 

Overall, though, the A90J's audio is simply a suitably accomplished spouse for its outstanding pictures.

Writing by John Archer. Editing by Mike Lowe. Originally published connected 11 November 2021.