It was widely reported that Sony had decided to ditch Samsung Display’s QD-OLED panel technology with its 2024 TV models, and it’s true that the company did not announce any new televisions featuring the tech. But the company insists that it’s not abandoning the tech, which is an alternative to LG Display’s WRGB OLED displays.
Instead, the company has decided to roll over last year’s flagship QD-OLED TV, the Sony A95L, into this year’s lineup, citing how it was released so late last year. According to FlatPanels HD, Sony believes it’s “basically a 2024 model”, even though it won’t feature the most advanced QD-OLED panel.
To support the idea that the A95L QD-OLED TV is every bit as good as its newly announced 2024 Mini-LED TVs, Sony will ensure that it receives a firmware update that adds key new features such as Voice Zoom 3 and Prime Video Calibrated Mode.
This isn’t the first time Sony has done such a thing. FlatPanels HD recalls that Sony has made a habit of rolling over certain TV models when it deems it worthwhile. Its policy, it seems, is to offer both OLED and LCD flagship TVs, and only update those models when significant advancements are made in the underlying technology.
The company has done this before, when its Sony Z9D model famously carried over from 2016 to 2017, and then again to 2018. Moreover, the Sony A90J OLED TV, which came with a WRGB OLED panel, was launched in 2021 and then rolled over into 2022.
Sony told FlatPanels HD that two of the main new features in its 2024 Mini-LED TVs will come to the A95L QD-OLED TV via a firmware update that will roll out sometime later this year. It isn’t clear when the upgrade will come, but Sony is planning to launch its new Bravia 9, 8, 7 and 3 series TVs in May and June.
The new features in question are Prime Video Calibrated Mode, which optimizes the picture settings for Amazon Prime Video content, and Voice Zoom 3, which is a new, artificial intelligence-based voice enhancement system. According to Sony, the A95L QD-OLED TV will also get an updated Sony Picture Core app that includes content from Crunchyroll.
The Sony A95L QD-OLED TV already features the same XR processor that’s coming to the Bravia 9, 8 and 7 TVs, and it supports both Dolby Vision at up to 120 frames per second and IMAX Enhanced.
HDTVTest's Vincent Teoh was one of the first TV reviewers to get his hands on the Sony A95L QD-OLED TV last year, and here is his review:
