It also offers excellent handling of reflections and wide viewing angles. In 2022, Sony unveiled a new product with the same name, the Sony A90K OLED. However, as it’s only offered in 42″ and 48″ sizes, it can’t be used as a direct replacement. The Sony A90J is a fantastic TV for a variety of uses. For movies and TV shows, it provides excellent picture quality, and sports and video games benefit from its nearly instantaneous response time, which produces fluid motion. Although it doesn’t get as bright as an LED TV, its nearly infinite contrast ratio helps it to get bright enough to bring out most highlights in HDR. Although there is a chance for permanent burn-in, it shouldn’t be a problem if you watch a variety of content. also you will learn our article on Sony XR-55A90J review.
Sony XR-55A90J review: Design
It’s challenging to find a new TV with bezels larger than “minimum” unless you’re shopping in the clearance section, and you won’t find the XR-55A90J there. So this Sony is basically all screen when looking straight ahead. On the bottom bezel, there is hardly any area for the little “Sony” logo. However, the A90J is merely marginally more problematic when viewed in profile. The XR-55A90J is a little more traditional in this regard than LG’s “Gallery” series of OLED screens, which recently showed that a consistent depth of just 2 cm can be achieved. It is only 6mm deep near the top of the screen, but as you look down a little bit, the Sony swells to 41mm. We understand that a TV needs a place to hold its electronics, speaker drivers, and inputs, but the XR-55A90J isn’t the sleek wall-mounting option you would have hoped for. Though at least you have choices if you’re content to support the Sony on its own two feet. The feet actually extend beyond the screen’s edges in the first position, supporting the screen just slightly above the surface on which it is resting. With them in the second position, a soundbar can now be positioned beneath the screen even though they are still quite far apart and outside the screen’s actual borders.
Features
At first glance, those ports and outputs—four HDMIs, three USBs, satellite and aerial connectors, and ethernet—appear to be rather standard. Additionally, there is a headphone jack, which is progressively becoming less common, as well as a rarer-yet composite video input (in case you want to connect a vintage VCR to your flagship 2021 OLED TV). The most unusual feature of all is that it also has two speaker terminals, allowing the TV to replace the Centre speaker in a surround sound system. However, the main activity is in the HDMI ports. Sony has historically lagged behind in terms of HDMI technology, but it has made an effort to catch up by incorporating 48gbps HDMI 2.1s into the A90J. Although only two of the four HDMIs are 2.1-spec, it’s a positive move. Who has more than two HDMI 2.1 sources, after all? So it might not seem like a big deal. eARC/ARC is handled by one of those 2.1 sockets as well. In other words, you’ll only have one HDMI 2.1 port left if you need to use eARC/ARC to send sound from the TV to an external sound system. Even if you only have one HDMI 2.1 source right now, it’s simple to imagine that you might acquire more sources over the course of your expected ownership of the TV. You won’t need to worry about it with LG’s OLEDs, the majority of which have four HDMI 2.1 connections since way back in 2019. The Sony A90J’s lack of out-of-the-box support for VRR for HDMI is the other letdown. also you can check our article on Sony XR-55A90J review. Sony insists that the PS5 does not currently enable VRR and that it is waiting for the issuance of an official standard. However, neither problem has deterred LG or Samsung, who currently provide extensive VRR support for Xbox and PC gamers. We’d be hesitant to take Sony at its word given the company’s history of promising feature updates and failing to deliver them, at least not in a timely manner. There is no assurance that VRR will be fully and flawlessly implemented, even if it is added later.
Sony XR-55A90J review: Performance
The A90J cannot shine as brightly as current, high-end LED-backlit LCD TVs because it is an OLED TV. Sony is maximizing the brightness of the technology using new panel manufacturing and its OLED XR Contrast Pro image processing, though. The A90J displays a full-screen field of white with a peak brightness of 180.833cd/m2 when an HDR10 signal is present. Although not remarkable, this is typical for an OLED display that is fully lighted. With an 18% field of white, the TV’s peak brightness increases to 632.348cd/m2. OLEDs get noticeably brighter the less area that needs to be fully illuminated. It rises even higher to 775.534cd/m2 with a 10% field. Although it’s still not as bright as premium LCD TVs like the Hisense H9G (1,146.921cd/m2), this is a lot brighter than most OLED displays. Additionally, because it is an OLED, it can achieve flawless black levels for a really “infinite” contrast, something LCDs cannot. In terms of color, the A90J really shines, especially for HDR material. Using the TV’s Cinema picture mode, the aforementioned chart compares color levels with an SDR signal to Rec.709 broadcast standards and with an HDR signal to DCI-P3 digital cinema standards. Reds and greens shoot a little further out for a slightly more vivid image than usual, and SDR colors are balanced and accurate right out of the box. The DCI-P3 color space is almost entirely covered by HDR hues. Reds slightly overshoot and greens somewhat undershoot, however the TV still shows remarkable range. The main issues with the out-of-the-box color performance are that the whites and yellows have very slight color deviations—the whites are a bit pink and the yellows a little red. On the A90J, Planet Earth II from the BBC looks stunning. Colors, from the greens of leaves to the blues of water, are vivid and saturated while still appearing natural. The picture appears incredibly realistic thanks to the excellent contrast and color. Whether in direct sunlight or deep shade, fine details like fur and bark can be seen clearly and crisply.
Image quality
The XR-55A90J comes with Sony’s Bravia Core service, which is a nice touch. As a result, watching an IMAX Enhanced-certified stream of Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver seems like a smart place to start, even though it’s not always possible to get the region’s ultra-high broadband rates required for the film’s highest-quality “Pure Stream” edition. In any case, the outcomes are noticeably better than “good.” They might be better characterized as “outstanding,” as the Sony is capable of producing profoundly impressive images when given some high-quality content to work with. Additionally, they are outstanding in every way. Everyone is aware that OLED displays are capable of producing lustrously deep black tones, but in this case, those blacks are mixed with whites that are noticeably brighter than is typical for OLED displays, creating stunning contrasts. The amount of broad and fine detail present in both black and white tones greatly enhances these. The Sony uses a broad, subtly differentiated, and entirely convincing color palette, which results in an almost infinite range of shades and gradations on which it can draw. The overall color scheme is equally striking. In addition to being nuanced, they are also lavishly detailed, allowing for the identification and reporting of any differences in texture or shade. Edge definition is assured and competent in a similar way. Even as they begin to merge with motion, lines are drawn smoothly with no indication of jaggedness. In fact, the Sony is possibly at its most astonishingly accomplished with on-screen motion. Decide on a movement style. swift pan? abrupt fast burst? Multi-directional? against the movement of the camera? The A90J simply digs its metaphorical teeth in and grasps it firmly without hesitation, shimmering, or any of the other giveaways that less capable TVs are prone to.
Sony XR-55A90J review: Sound quality
We’ve been impressed by Sony’s Acoustic Surface Audio+ before, and we doubt we will be the last time. It has one of the best built-in sound systems available, making it one of the most convincing, articulate, and realistic-sounding televisions you can purchase. The fact that the entire screen is contributing greatly contributes to this because it allows for a much closer marriage of the visual and auditory elements than is possible with other systems. The directness of the audio delivery, in particular when it comes to dialogue, greatly enhances the presentation’s cinematic feel. The A90J performs exceptionally well by television audio system standards, being punchy and genuinely dynamic. Thanks to the two rear-firing drivers, it can provide real low-frequency impact and is impossible to frighten even the most explosion-obsessed blockbuster. However, it almost goes without saying that, despite being impressive by today’s standards, the Sony A90J’s audio quality can’t really compete with its picture quality. Therefore, the Sony A90J OLED deserves a really decent soundbar instead of the standard rule that a good TV needs a halfway decent soundbar.
Price and availability
The XR-55A90J’s debut price of £2699 ($2800) indicates that Sony reportedly does not see the need to relinquish the premium pricing of its Master Series TVs. As a result, it costs £1000 ($1000) more than the 55-inch LG C1 and £700 ($600) more than the LG G1, which panel the Sony may or may not share. A 48-inch version of the A90J is not available, but you can upgrade beyond the 55-inch model with the 65-inch XR-65A90J for £3499 ($3800) and the enormous 83-inch XR-83A90J for £6999 ($8000). you can read our article on Sony XR-55A90J review.
Conclusion
Let’s get right to the point, okay? The Sony XR-55A90J is a superbly executed television that produces absolutely captivating and convincing visuals from virtually any source. Native 4K content has incredibly stunning visuals. The Sony performs admirably across the board: its black levels are deep and detailed like a traditional OLED. White tones jump off the screen in a way that is decidedly unOLED, and they are equally packed with data. The use of color is varied, subtle, and realistic. A defined edge is guaranteed. And the Sony just doesn’t miss a beat when it comes to motion: whether it’s slow or rapid, horizontal or vertical, simple or complex, it doesn’t matter.
