Sony A95L OLED Review: Is This the Best 4K Choice for Your Home Theater?

joe603

New member

First Impressions​

The overall design of the Sony A95L is very impressive. With incredibly thin bezels and a nearly frameless design, it looks great in any room.
The back of the TV features textured plastic with a checkerboard pattern that's typical of Sony TVs. The inputs are close to the side of the TV and easy to reach if you wall-mount it. The back includes covers forcable management, giving you a very clean setup overall.
The Sony A95L has fantastic build quality. It feels very premium and is built with solid materials. The stand supports the TV well, with minimal wobble. Theres some flex to the back panel, but this is very common on any TV and doesnt cause any issues.

Introduce​

Parameter
Sony A95L​
Picture​
SonyA95L.jpg
Reference Price​
$2998​
Model Year​
2023​
Specific Uses​
Entertainment​
Built-In Media​
Power Cable, Remote Control, AAA batteries, Stand​
Highlight
Display Size: 65 inches
Display Type: QD-OLED
Processor: Cognitive Processor XR
Smart Platform: Google TV
Voice Assistant: Google Assistant
Streaming Features: Apple AirPlay, BRAVIA CORE
Gaming Features: HDMI 2.1, 4K/120Hz, VRR, ALLM, Auto HDR Tone Mapping, Auto Genre Picture Mode for PS5

System​

Parameter
Sony A95L​
Operating System​
Google TV​
Internet Applications​
Netflix, Disney Plus, Prime Video, Hulu, HBO Max, Airplay 2, Peacock, Apple TV​
Remote Control​
Bluetooth​
Controller Type​
Remote Control​
Control Method​
Remote​
System Experience
Overall Impression: The product features a user-friendly and rich Google TV interface, offering a wide selection of apps and smooth performance for streaming. However, users may experience some initial sluggishness when powering on and changing inputs, along with occasional audio sync issues. The presence of ads in the interface, even with the option to opt-out of personalized ads, may detract from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, the built-in Google Chromecast functionality enhances its usability for casting content.

Display​

Parameter
Sony A95L​
Aspect Ratio​
16:9​
Display Technology​
OLED​
Screen Finish​
Flat​
Has Color Screen​
Yes​
Resolution​
4K​
Refresh Rate​
120​
HDR Format​
Dolby Vision​
Backlight Technology​
Self-Luminous​
Backlight Configuration​
Direct-Lit​
Picture Enhancement​
QD-OLED​
Motion Enhancement​
XR OLED Motion​
Viewing Experience
The Sony A95L is an impressive QD-OLED television that excels in several key areas. Its near-infinite contrast ratio allows for perfect blacks alongside bright highlights, resulting in a stunning visual experience without blooming. The self-emissive pixels provide exceptional color accuracy and a wide color gamut, effectively covering the DCI-P3 color space and nearly matching the Rec. 2020 color space. While the gray uniformity is excellent, some minor vertical banding may be noticeable in near-black scenes, a common issue among OLED displays. The viewing angles are outstanding, making it suitable for wider seating arrangements, and it handles reflections very well, minimizing the impact of ambient light. However, the unique subpixel structure may lead to some color fringing and text clarity issues, particularly for PC use. Overall, the Sony A95L is a high-performing TV that delivers exceptional picture quality and an immersive viewing experience.

Audio​

Parameter
Sony A95L​
Audio Channels​
2.2​
Surround Sound​
Dolby Atmos, Dolby Audio​
Audio Output​
Acoustic Surface Audio+ (TV's built-in speakers)​
Audio Input​
HDMI​
Speaker Description​
Acoustic Surface Audio+​
Audio Experience
Overall Impression: The TV delivers a decent audio performance with clear dialogue and a well-balanced frequency response at moderate volume levels. However, it lacks impactful bass and shows signs of compression at higher volumes, with a noticeable drop in treble response. While distortion is minimal at lower volumes, it becomes slightly more apparent at maximum volume, but remains largely unobtrusive.

Features​

Parameter
Sony A95L​
Video Encoding​
H.264 or H.265​
Compatible Devices​
Google TV, Alexa, Apple AirPlay, HomeKit compatible devices with HDMI and USB connectivity​
Tuner Type​
QAM​
D x W x H​
13"D x 57.13"W x 34"H​
Mount Standard​
300 x 300 mm​
Voltage​
2.4E+2 Volts (AC)​
Power Consumption​
444 Watts​
Line Voltage​
110 VAC 60 Hz​
Other Features​
NEW Eco Dashboard, Movies on us with BRAVIA CORE (10 credits/24 months), QD-OLED panel with XR Triluminos Max, NEW Game Menu, NEW Multi View​
Motion Smoothing
The Sony A95L impresses with its exceptional low-quality content processing, effectively enhancing streaming visuals by reducing macro-blocking and pixelization while preserving fine details. Its OLED technology ensures a near-instantaneous response time, delivering clear motion with minimal ghosting. While there is some minor overshoot in shadow details, it does not detract significantly from the viewing experience. Although the TV is not completely flicker-free, the slight dip in brightness every 8 ms is subtle and largely unnoticeable. The optional motion interpolation feature aims to enhance motion clarity, though it may introduce artifacts and detail loss, particularly at higher settings. Overall, the Sony A95L stands out for its strong performance in motion handling and content enhancement.

Connectivity​

Parameter
Sony A95L​
Connectivity Technology​
Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB, Ethernet, HDMI​
Bluetooth Version​
5.0​
Screen Mirroring​
Apple AirPlay​
Wireless Technology​
Bluetooth, Wi-Fi​
Usb Ports​
2​
USB2.0 Ports​
2​
Audio Out Ports​
1​
HDMI Ports​
4​
Connector Type​
USB, HDMI​
Signal Format​
digital (including HDMI and HDR)​
Sharing Direction​
Mobile to TV​
Hardware Interface​
USB, HDMI​
Connecting TV
The Sony A95L offers an impressive performance tailored for gaming and high-quality video experiences. With incredibly low input lag, it ensures a smooth and responsive gaming environment, particularly for PS5 users, thanks to its compatibility and proprietary features like Auto HDR Tone Mapping. The TV supports both HDR10 and Dolby Vision, with recent updates resolving prior bugs related to Dolby Vision content. However, users may experience a temporary slowdown in the user interface when playing Dolby Vision content, though it normalizes shortly after. Additionally, the inclusion of eARC enhances audio capabilities, allowing for high-quality audio transmission, albeit with limitations on the number of HDMI 2.1 devices that can be connected simultaneously. Overall, the Sony A95L stands out for its gaming features and advanced HDR support, making it a robust choice for entertainment enthusiasts.

User Feedback​

Pros:
• Stunning color vibrancy with rich reds, oranges, yellows, greens, and blues
• Excellent picture quality with no visible digital artifacts during fast motion
• 4K resolution enhances overall viewing experience compared to 1080p
• Narrow border design allows for a sleek look in the same space as the previous TV
• Good audio quality with built-in screen speakers

Cons:
• Operating system can be problematic; prone to getting stuck in an endless loop
• Requires a separate stand for smaller furniture due to the included stand design
• Audio delay when using an external audio video receiver, necessitating a newer model for proper sync
• Limited 4K programming available on current services

Overall Impression:
This 65" OLED TV offers an exceptional viewing experience with vibrant colors and impressive picture quality, significantly outpacing older plasma models. While there are some drawbacks related to the operating system and audio syncing, the overall performance and aesthetic appeal make it a worthy upgrade for any home entertainment setup.
 
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