Incontrovertible proof that there is plenty of life in the OLED dog yet
55IN OLED TV | £2399 | whf.cm/XR55A80L
While all of the OLED attention may well be focused on the super-bright new MLA and QD-OLED models, the truth is that they are prohibitively expensive right now, and the vast majority of OLED TVs sold this year will be step-down models such as the Sony A80L that we have before us today.
Not that this is a terribly cheap TV, mind. The only price so far confirmed for the XR-55A80L is the £2399 UK price, although official US and Australian pricing will likely be lower than this.
That makes it significantly more expensive than the 55in LG C3, which launched at £2099. In fact, it’s not much more affordable than the 55in LG G3, which nominally comes in at £2599, and features a new brightness-boosting MLA panel. Then again, it does boast a fancy actuator-based audio system that those LGs do not.
Design highlights
The A80L looks very similar to the A80K it replaces. That’s fine, but the minimalist design is beginning to look a bit bland.
As before, the set is just a touch thicker (53mm) than rivals such as the LG C3 (45mm), and it is thicker over more of its rear, largely because it needs a larger enclosure to house the actuators that are placed behind and vibrate the whole panel in order to generate sound.
Rather than a pedestal stand, the A80L comes with feet that can be positioned angled either outwards or in. It looks more stylish with them angled out from the set’s edges – as long as your supporting furniture is wide enough.
There are also little extenders in the box that can be added to the feet in order to increase the amount of space between the TV’s bottom edge and the surface upon which it is placed so that a soundbar can be accommodated.
Sony is continuing with its Cognitive Processor XR as the brain of its premium TVs, and this has proved to be hugely capable in the past. This year, it gets a new XR Clear Image feature, which is intended to be a more intelligent form of upscaling that applies processing in a more intelligent way.
The company is also sticking with the Google TV operating system, which is good and getting better. The most recent version, which the Sony uses, is much better at presenting you with a personalised array of content to watch. There’s a good range of sources for this content, too, with Prime Video, Disney+, iPlayer and Apple TV all represented, but the continued lack of Netflix shows and movies in the selection remains a tho
