Sony announces new QD-Oled and Oled TVs for 2023

The Japanese manufacturer Sony presented its 2023 range of televisions, finally quite simple with a QD-Oled model for the high end. It is followed by classic Oled (LG Display), a Mini-Led 100 Hz, a Full Led 100 Hz – on which Sony seems to be betting this year –, and finally Full Led 50 Hz and Direct Led models which are a little less enticing. We will come back to LCD TVs later. Make way for QD-Oled and Oled models.

Successor to last year’s excellent Sony A95K, the A95L will be the Japanese company’s flagship in 2023. It benefits from the new QD-Oled panel produced by Samsung Display, which should be between 20 and 30% more bright. The peak brightness measured at around 1000 cd/m² on the A95K could thus increase to 1300 cd/m².

In addition to the slab, it is above all the design that is changing. The Sony A95L opts for a much more consensual look than that of the A95K, with two feet that can be placed at the ends at the bottom or at the top to slide a sound bar in the middle, or even in the center to simplify installation on a narrow TV cabinet.

We also identify some novelties on the side of the gaming with support for Dolby Vision 4K at 120Hz thanks to the MediaTek Pentonic 1000 processor and a menu that allows resizing the image size (for those who will be using the TV as a monitor on a desk, for example), unclog the dark areas (black equalizer), display a crosshair in the center of the image or two video streams side by side (Picture by Picture). For energy saving, Sony has put together a trivial, but didactic guide for the general public.

For the rest, this model is very close to its elder from last year. We find the Sony XR video processor in a 2023 version which improves video processing depending on the signal (XR Clear Image), but also the Acoustic Surface Audio + system which vibrates the slab. We also note an integrated microphone for calibrating the audio system and controlling Google TV hands-free, the Acoustic Center Sync system which allows the TV to be used as a central speaker in a Home Cinema audio system, and the same remote control backlit.

Sony still stands out with its exclusive Bravia Core streaming offer for 24 months, including 10 free movies (10 tokens). This Sony service offers unparalleled image quality with a throughput of 80 Mbit well above the 15 to 20 Mbit of competitors. Sony is also integrating the CrunchyRoll manga streaming platform this year.

The connection is identical with four HDMI inputs, including two HDMI 2.1 (4K120, ALLM, VRR), two USB ports, including one USB 3.0, an Ethernet port (limited to 100 Mbit), an SPDIF output (optical digital), an output composite shared with S-Center input (for synchronization with a Sony soundbar), PCMCIA port (CI+ Common Interface), rake antenna connector and satellite connector. This model has a dual DVB-T/T2 (TNT), DVB-S/S2 (satellite) and DVB-C (cable) tuner. It also has 802.11a/b/g/n/ac wifi (wifi 5), as well as Bluetooth 4.0 for wireless connection with headphones or speakers. The Sony A95L also retains the Bravia Cam for Google Duo video chats, which is also responsible for reducing brightness when no one is in front of the TV.

The Sony A95L will be available in 55, 65 and 77 inch versions, respectively under the references XR-55A95L, XR-65A95L and XR-77A95L, but not before the end of the summer. Sony doesn’t release pricing, but you should probably expect €3,000 for the 55-inch model and €4,000 for the 65-inch. The 77 inch should be even more expensive.

The Sony A80L television replaces last year’s Oled A75K and A83K models, but not the Sony XR-42A90K and XR-48A90K with their respective sizes of 42 and 48 inches, which will remain in the catalog. The A80L has an Oled EX panel from LG Display, but does not use a cooling system to significantly increase the brightness. We should see a fairly low gain in brightness compared to last year’s models. Sony has also chosen the new QD-Oled panel from Samsung for its most high-end Oled television, and will therefore not use the latest Oled Meta from LG Display.

The Sony A80L incorporates the characteristics of the A95L model, but does not use the new MediaTek Pentonic 1000 processor. It therefore ignores support for Dolby Vision 4K content at 120 Hz, which is only used by Xbox gamers. S/X series. It is of course compatible with Dolby Vision content at 24, 50 and 60 Hz, but loses the Picture by Picture image mode. On the other hand, it retains the same Bravia XR Cognitive 2023 processor with its small improvements, in particular the XR Clear Image. The Acoustic Surface Audio+ system is still on the menu with three 10W vibration motors and two 10W subwoofers, as is the Acoustic Center Sync.

The buyer can also count on two years of access to Bravia Core with 10 extra film tokens, the integration of microphones into the TV for hands-free control, not to mention Google TV. This model also benefits from a foot with two low or high positions to install a sound bar.

The connection is identical to that of the A95L with still two HDMI 2.1 ports out of the four on the television. It is also compatible with Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, IMAX Enhanced, HDR10 and HLG, but skips HDR10+.

The Sony Bravia A80L is available in 55, 65, 77 and 83 inch versions (a new diagonal for this year) under the references XR-55A80L, XR-65A80L, XR-77A80L and XR-83A80L. These televisions should be available from April 2023 from 1800 €.