After surprising everyone with its no-show at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, Sony has finally announced its new TV lineup for 2023.
Sitting at the very top, of course, is Sony’s latest QD-OLED TV, the Sony A95L, which is the successor to last year’s Sony A95K QD-OLED TV that was rated among the very best that money could buy. The Sony A95L sits alongside the Sony X95L Mini-LED backlit LCD TV as the company’s flagship product for this year.
Sony didn’t say so but it seems almost a given that the A95L QD-OLED TV is equipped ith the same, updated panel from Samsung Display that appears in the new Samsung S95 C, meaning it has higher brightness than last year’s A95K.
Building on this, Sony has added its own heat diffusion sheet, or heatsink, and thermal analysis software, powered by its Cognitive Processor XR. These technologies combine to deliver a huge increase in peak brightness, and while Sony didn’t provide specific numbers, we can expect it to achieve more than 2,000 nits in its most vivid picture setting, and closer to 1,500 nits in its more authentic presets.
The Sony A95L will be available in 55-, 65- and 77-inches, the same sizes as Samsung’s S95C.
In addition, the Sony A95L has the distinction of being the world’s first QD-OLED TV to support Dolby Vision gaming at 4K/120Hz. It also supports Multi View, which means it’s possible to display content from two different sources at once, splitting the screen between them. Sony said this would allow users to play a game in one window while watching a YouTube video on the other.
On the other hand, users may be disappointed that, like the Sony A95K, the A95L only has two HDMI 2.1 ports capable of supporting 4K/120Hz.
Another cool feature is the Bravia CAM camera, which clips onto the edge of the TV and introduces a number of interesting features such as video calling, automatic power saving and picture and audio optimisation that’s based on where the user is sitting.
The audio itself is powered by Sony’s Acoustic Surface Audio+ technology, where actuators vibrate the QD-OLED panel to produce sound.
Alongside the Sony A95L is the X95L Mini LED TV, which Sony said is its joint flagship model for this year. However, it notably lacks support for Dolby Vision gaming and Multi View, and does not come bundled with the Bravia CAM (though it can be purchased separately), so there may be some who don’t consider it a true equal.
That said, it does come with a number of improvements over last year’s X95K, with the major ones being an increased number of dimming zones and peak brightness that is up to 30% higher.
One step down and we have another, standard OLED model. That’s the Sony A80L, which replaces last year’s Sony A80K, and is available in 83-inches as well as the same 55-, 65- and 77-inch options that were offered last year. Sony doesn’t mention too many improvements over last year’s model, so it’s almost certainly not that different from its predecessor. That’s similar to LG Electronics, which introduced several updates to its flagship G3, but hardly any to its step down C3 OLED TV.
That said, the Sony A80L, as well as the flagship A90L and X95L, all benefit from a number of cool features that are delivered across the company’s entire range, including its more affordable LCD TVs.
There’s a new, dedicated Game Menu that brings up quick access to relevant settings while playing video games on the TVs. Most other brands have already had this feature so it is a timely addition from Sony. All of Sony’s TVs are powered by the Google TV operating system, as were last year’s editions, but this year the more expensive models from the X80L and up also come with a built-in microphone, enabling hands free control.
Sony’s Bravia Core streaming service also deserves a mention, with its bit-rates that are far higher than anything offered by Netflix, Disney+ etc. Once again, all of Sony’s new TVs come with free credits for purchasing Sony Pictures movies, so users can access the service for free, initially. The Sony A95L, A80L, X95L and step-down X90L all get 10 credits for movie purchases and 24 months of unlimited streaming, while other models get 5 credits and 12 months.
Sony said it will announce pricing and release dates for its 2023 TVs in the coming weeks, but we already know the A95L won't arrive until the second half of the year.
