Sony XR-65A90J OLED TV review

In the past, there were LEDs and plasma TVs, and despite the best efforts by LED makers, they weren’t really able to give that kind of contrast that plasmas offered. 

Then came OLED TVs, and these offer amazing contrast, and superb viewing angles, reaction times and it seemed that we can finally let that plasma TVs die.

Sony has been obtaining their panels from LG and then adding their own magic sauce, using a different set of SOC and video chips. 

The Sony A80J was recently released and it is a truly impressive panel. It is now followed up by the 90J and this panel cost more. For the price of a 77” A80J, you will be able to own the 65” panel. 

So is the extra outlay worth it?

Some info from the official site:

https://www.sony.com.sg/electronics/televisions/a90j-series

Features to note:

- new XR processor, which promises gains in motion contrast and overall picture quality 

- HDMI 2.1 (two ports only)

- acoustic calibration

- pseudo surround sound

- eARC

- 3 USB ports

- google TV interface

- centre speaker mode

- acoustic speaker panel

- extra cooling to allow for a higher brightness level

Let's begin with the looks. There are thin bezels, and there are truly slim bezels. The top of the TV is super svelte and yet, the fit and finish is very impressive. Inputs are located at the side. This TV exudes premium and looks good mounted or on a console. 

The stands allow a two way configuration, with a choice of a narrow or broad design, and there is some space below for a soundbar. However those stands still take up more space than the older central stands used in past models but bear in mind, even with the clever two way stands, you can't get more than 8cm clearance, so it may not fit a real centre speaker from your home theatre system. The bezel is really nice and thin, almost invisible.

There is a light sensor which allows you to adjust the amount of light according to the room brightness but I’ll rather turn it off.

The remote is an improvement over the standard Sony one which comes with many 2021 models. It’s decently built, but a tad long and there's a backlight. You do get a talk function which is quite handy. Pairing between your TV and the remote should be automatic unless you happen to have two Sonys near one another.. there are quick access buttons to the popular streaming apps, such as Netflix, YouTube and Prime Video, and the buttons feel decent. 

The user interface is a standard Sony one. The new Google TV interface is quite brisk, and If you have been using them or even if you come from another brand, it should be fairly simple to work out. It will take you through a rather thorough setup process, which allows you to set up wifi, google, and get your basic apps going. The interface is responsive and I did not see any pop up ads.

You get Airplay2, Bluetooth, and there is a Google interface, which allows voice commands. I found the Sony to be responsive, and picks up my voice quite easily. The nice thing about the Bluetooth is that it will turn on your associated Bluetooth speaker or soundbar automatically too.

If you add a HDMI based device, such as a Blu Ray player or Apple TV, it will turn on the TV and you can control both with the Sony remote. Very neat. 

So how does it look?

I'm not capable of measurements that professional websites like Rtings can do, but here's my personal impression.

Many buyers and readers also are aware that Sony gets their panels from other makers, so you may think that all LED TVs should look the same, so why pay more for a Sony? Furthermore, this panel has a price tag that surpasses what others charge for a basic OLED panel, so why should you get this?

When you first turn on the TV, the initial setup is simple and when you give this panel a good source, such as a 4k video from the built in Netflix app or a UHD disc, you will know where the money has gone. In 2021, Sony added the XR video processing and this extra sauce that is integral to why one pays for the brand shows that Sony has gotten things right. 

I reviewed the A80J recently (https://peteswrite.blogspot.com/2021/05/sony-xr-77a80j-review.html) and it was a marvel. OLED has come a long way, with really good colors, contrast but now, the brightness is also very impressive. With the A90J, it’s a little bit more in each field. The extra brightness gives that extra depth, color saturation is really good and contrast is at the top of all the panels I have seen. 

Sony gives really good controls over color, motion and also sound. These controls allow you to get very good picture quality, but out of the box, with the basic tweaking available to most buyers, the color is already very good. With Calman now built in, you have access to even more professional calibration, but that requirements more specialised equipment. 

I am not fond of the Soap Opera Effect and tend to turn off all smoothening but this TV handles motion very nicely. 

As for the blacks, everyone should be pretty familiar and impressed with the contrast ratio available, but more importantly, the near black details now are very good too. The extra lumens also allow the TV to be used without the curtains being pulled shut. HDR scenes do have a certain pop. 

The panel is also quite good at upscaling and again you have to thank Sony for their magic in their componentry. The images are sharp, even when you use a free to air source. Sitting close to the TV is fine if you’re viewing a high definition source. I’ve been able to sit within 1.5m to the screen and still find it satisfactory. 

Now one of the reasons why this model cost more is the sound and you do get more of it, as well as better quality.The acoustic speakers built into the panel that radiate forward allows you to really appreciate dialogue in news broadcasts, and there is some pseudosurround, but it will not really give you a true surround experience. However there is real bass here, and the speakers give such a good account of themselves that you will need to spend a lot more on a mid to high level soundbar to better the internal speakers.

I also found that the internal free to air receiver picks up channels very nicely. I live behind a hill, and that stands between me and the local TV stations, but despite using a basic indoor antenna with no booster, I had no trouble getting all the local channels. The screen size does make these free to air channels look significantly worse than other media, but they are as sharp as you can get with the source.

As for the apps, when you feed it a high quality source eg 4k Dolby Vision from either the internal apps or a UHD disc, you will then truly appreciate the picture quality on hand here and you will know where your hard earned money has gone to. The interface responds quickly. 

There are very few negatives.

I also checked for screen uniformity, and you do notice some uniformity issues in the corners but this is when one scrutinises hard with a test source. Under normal use, you will not be able to notice it. 

Where we are, there are only 55 and 65” panels available, no 83” option and that’s a pity. But it will cost a bomb, and this is the main issue – cost. In other countries, the A90J is marginally more expensive than the A80J, and compares favourably with the LG C1 and G1 panel prices. But here, there is a pretty big gulf in price. For the price of a 65” A90J, you can almost get the 77” A80J and the 83” LG C1. So the question is whether you can discern the differences in quality of the panels or will you go for the largest OLED panel that your budget can buy. 

Even so, one has to factor in the excellent sound which makes it possible to forgo a soundbar, and the impressive out of the box color that you can get. Not everyone is going to look for a professional calibrator, and many will simply turn to one of the built-in modes and that’s all they will do. 

Now if Sony gives a street pricing which brings it closer to the other OLED panels and brings in their 83”, they will really kill the market with this panel and their A80J panel