Sony A95L, first impressions: your competitors will tremble for the image quality of this QD-OLED TV

It’s almost here. Sony’s flagship TV for 2023 is set to hit stores, and we’ve seen it in action. Its predecessor, the A95K model launched by Sony last year, was the first TV from this brand equipped with a QD-OLED panel made by Samsung, and set the bar high. Soaring. In fact, so far it is the only screen that we have rated a 10 in the section in which we evaluate its image quality.

We have had this first contact at the Sony headquarters in London, and they have allowed us to form a fairly precise idea about the benefits of this television in advance of the tests that we will subject it to when we have the opportunity to analyze it in our own facilities and in more depth. Here’s a little spoiler to whet your appetite: this A95L is not just a worthy successor to the outstanding A95K; objectively it is going to be one of the best premium TVs of 2023.

Sony A95L: technical specifications

This TV has two weapons: its QD-OLED panel and its XR image processor

A note before we get down to business: Sony officials only allowed us to take pictures of the TV in static mode, and not during image quality tests that we were able to witness. This is the reason why the photographs that illustrate this article always show the same image on the panel. Even so, our first conclusions are supported by the image quality tests in which we participated.

Probably those responsible for this brand preferred that we not take pictures freely because the A95L televisions that we were able to test were not final versions, so it is possible that those that finally reach stores incorporate improvements.

During our visit, those responsible for Sony did not confirm the exact characteristics of the organic matrix of this television, but I am reasonably sure that it is a second generation QD-OLED panel. These matrices were presented by Samsung during the CES edition held in early January in Las Vegas (United States), and stand out from the 2022 QD-OLED panels due to their greater brightness delivery capacity, its best color reproduction, and also for being available, in addition to 55 and 65 inches, in 77 inches. For these reasons, there is no doubt: the A95L incorporates a second generation QD-OLED matrix.

Its panel is very important, there is no doubt about that, but the XR image processor is also crucial, which is responsible for optimizing contrast, fine-tuning colorimetry, minimizing high-frequency noise, and recovering the maximum possible detail in highlights and lowlights. shadow regions. In addition, this chip monitors the panel so that the delivery of light in each region is ideal for each frame. This processor is ultimately responsible for the fact that the image quality of QD-OLED televisions from Samsung and Sony is not the same despite the fact that in theory they mount the same panels. Each of these brands develops its own processing chip and its own image optimization algorithms.

What we’ve just seen is what theory tells us, and yes, it sounds good, but how does the A95L really perform when you have it in front of you? Our definitive conclusions will come when we have the opportunity to analyze it in depth in our own facilities, but we can advance several ideas. The most obvious is that its maximum brightness delivery capability is noticeably higher than on the A95K (we were able to compare them head-to-head).

Besides, colors on the A95L are more vivid. They have a higher saturation, but they are not gimmicky. In fact, in a face-to-face test, its colorimetry surpasses that of the Samsung A95K and S95B. And, to top it off, Sony’s new flagship model manages to recover slightly more detail in highlights than the A95K.

In the following detail photograph we can see the side feet that are responsible for guaranteeing the stability of the panel. They are discreet and impeccably machined from aluminum, so in this context I have no objection. Of course, there is something that users are interested in taking into account: only the 77-inch version of this television allows us to install the feet in a central position and not attached to the ends of the panel.

It seems to me a pity that at least the 65-inch television does not allow it to be done. In fact, I would not be able to place the latter in my living room because the feet would be outside the table where I would need to install it. However, if the 65-inch version allowed the installation of the feet in central position yes you could put it on your site, and I’m sure I’m by no means the only user who would have this problem.

The back of this TV is smooth and essentially clear. It’s not as thin as some premium Samsung or LG models, but its thickness is no problem. In addition, its enclosure is rigid and robust enough to guarantee that we can handle it during its installation comfortably and without fear of damaging it. If something does not transmit this A95L it is, without a doubt, fragility. It is finished like a real tank.

The remote control that Sony gives us along with this television fulfills its mission perfectly. It is very similar to one of the ones that this brand gives us along with the A95K and other 2022 televisions, but it stands out from last year’s controls thanks to the direct access buttons that it offers us. And it is that, curiously, Sony has eliminated the button dedicated to the Bravia Core platform, but it compensates us by introducing three additional buttons dedicated to the Crunchyroll anime platform, which was bought by Sony Pictures in December 2020, to YouTube and YouTube Music.

From behind, this television is very similar to last year’s A95K. In the following detail photograph we can see that it is very sober. Of course, the polycarbonate panel that protects the organic matrix is ​​very solid. One last interesting note: in the center of the upper end of this television we can see a cover that safely hides the proprietary connector that is used to connect a Bravia Cam camera like the one that this brand gives us when buying an A95K. What we still do not know is if the camera that the A95L will include will be identical to that of its predecessor, which is 1080p and incorporates a physical cover that allows us to prevent it from continuing to collect images at any time.

We already have a very solid candidate for the best premium TV of 2023

This first contact with the most advanced television that Sony will launch this year has left us with a very positive taste in our mouths. In order to evaluate its image quality with the maximum possible objectivity, we need to test it thoroughly in our own facilities, but these first tests anticipate that due to its ability to deliver brightness, due to the way it resolves colorimetry and the detail it achieves recover in highlights and shadow regions is a bit ahead of its predecessorthe also fabulous A95K.

Regarding its sound quality, we are afraid that we cannot advance anything reasonably well tied to you because we need to test it more calmly and using our own analysis tools. Of course, we cannot conclude this article without mentioning the two characteristics of this television that we have liked the least. One of them is that, like the models that Sony has offered us in recent years, it processes Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG content, but not HDR10+. And, on the other hand, it only gives us two HDMI 2.1 inputs. The other two implement the 2.0b standard. It’s nothing dramatic, but there it is.