Sony has just launched its 2023 Bravia XR TV line-up, headlined by the A95L QD-OLED TV and supported by the A80L OLED and X90L Full Array LED.  

Appliance Retailer had the opportunity to get hands-on with the mid-tier A80L 4K HDR OLED TV – available in the largest number of screen sizes offered by Sony in its OLED range to date – 55-, 65-, 77- and 83-inch – with pricing ranging from $4,099 to $12,199.

Here are my first impressions of the A80L TV.

Design

The design of a TV is becoming increasingly important with panels being slimmed down each year as technology improves. The A80L is no exception with a sleek and minimalist look thanks to a narrow metal bezel that maximises viewing area. However, at the rear it does get bulky where its internals and ports are housed – only something worth noting if the TV is going to be wall mounted and you want a flush installation.

If you are placing the TV on a tabletop, you will be impressed by the new stand design which provides the choice of a standard wide setting, narrow setting to ensure stability on more compact furniture or soundbar setting if pairing the TV with a soundbar for a seamless look.

TV remotes aren’t often a consideration but it’s worth highlighting that Sony’s remotes are super easy to understand, appealing to all age groups, not just the young and tech savvy. There are dedicated buttons for quick access to Bravia Core (which I’ll get to later), Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, YouTube and Crunchyroll (a US subscription on-demand service owned by Sony). 

Picture

The entire Sony Bravia XR TV line-up, including the A80L, incorporates an updated Cognitive Processor XR featuring XR Clear Image technology. This helps improve noise reduction and clarity with motion to reduce blur, while delivering better backlight control of local dimming zones, increased brightness and decreased blooming.

When watching the tennis during the French Open, the visuals were clear, bright and smooth. The picture offers wide dynamic contrast, detailed blacks, natural colours and high brightness – claiming to be up to 110% brighter compared to its predecessor, the A80K from 2022 thanks to XR OLED Contrast Pro and XR Triluminous Pro technologies.

Brightness levels are important, particularly for Australian homes that are known for a lot of natural light in living rooms.

The A80L also supports Dolby Vision, IMAX Enhanced, and Netflix Adaptive Calibrated Mode.

Sound

Acoustic Surface Audio+ available on the A80L and A95L produces sound from the screen itself, meaning the TV acts as a speaker with a sub-woofer built in (you can literally feel the vibrations when you touch the screen). Important to note that this feature was introduced by Sony back in 2015 but it’s still impressive even today. Dolby Atmos further elevates the audio experience.

The entire Sony Bravia XR TV line-up, including the A80L, offers Acoustic Centre Sync. When a Sony soundbar is connected, both the sound from the TV and soundbar will be used for a wider sound field and richer bass. I wasn’t able to test this during my hands-on with the TV but did get a chance to experience this feature in an earlier demonstration and you can certainly hear the difference compared to using only sound from the TV or soundbar (not both). Overall, it delivers a more immersive audio experience.

Acoustic Centre Sync reinforces the centre speaker channel for clearer and fuller dialogue. If you use another branded soundbar, you won’t be able to take advantage of this feature.

When paired with a Sony soundbar, the TV also leverages 360 Spatial Sound Mapping to generate phantom speakers and sound field optimisation. When you use another branded soundbar, you need to exit out of your content to adjust settings, but with a Sony soundbar, there is a quick settings bar that pops up at the bottom to adjust the volume of the subwoofer and rear, turn on/off immersive AE or voice mode, and more.

Gaming

It won’t come as a surprise that the Bravia XR line-up is ‘perfect for PlayStation 5’ with auto calibration at set up, as well as exclusive features such as Auto HDR Tone Mapping and Auto Genre Picture Mode for optimised picture quality while gaming and streaming. Again, I wasn’t able to test this during my hands-on but experienced it during a demonstration.

There is a Game Menu for quick access to settings such as Motion Blur Reduction in a single interface. With the Black Equaliser feature, gamers can increase the brightness in dark areas to better spot objects and opponents. Other features include HDMI 2.1 features 4K/120, Variable Refresh Rates (VRR) and ALLM.

Content

Leveraging the Google TV operating system, the A80L provides access to more than 10,000 apps (local and international) and over 700,000 movies and TV episodes. Content from across apps and subscriptions is organised according to user preferences with recommendations based on behaviour. For a hands-free viewing experience, you can simply ask Google to find a particular movie genre, for example.

For added privacy and peace of mind, there is a physical switch on the TV to turn Google on/off if you don’t want to be listened to. When on, it can be accessed by using the TV as a speaker or through the Bluetooth remote (no need for external Google hardware).

Sony has used Google TV since 2020 but the interface has been refined over time for a more seamless experience. In 2022, Google TV for Kids was introduced to ensure children had access to age-appropriate content with the ability for parents to set timers or daily limits on screen time.

Sony’s streaming service, Bravia Core, available as an app and exclusive to Sony TVs, delivers high-quality 4K UHD movies. Users can redeem up to 10 movies and 24 months of unlimited streaming for free. Once redeemed, users have the choice of renting or buying movies.

With Bravia Core, Sony claims to provide industry-leading 80Mbps PureStream 4K BluRay player quality speed – twice as fast as the next speediest streaming service and more than three times faster than other services which offer 15 to 25Mbps.

Sustainability

Sony is committed to decreasing plastic usage through its Road to Zero initiative. To reduce environmental impact, Sony is using twice as much Sony Recycle Plastic (SORPLAS) in Bravia XR TVs this year. Sony is also committed to reviewing energy consumption during product use.

The new Eco Dashboard included on all models means users can easily customise energy saving preferences and settings. With Easy Eco setup, simply follow a step-by-step guide to set up eco-conscious features, such as power saving mode, adjust the light sensor to optimise brightness according to the light in the room, and set a timer for the TV to power off when idle.

These options have always been available on Sony TVs in the picture settings, but the Eco Dashboard makes it much easier to access. In addition, new packaging is 15% smaller and 12% lighter which optimises transport efficiency and reduces carbon emissions by up to 15%.