Sony’s brightest A90J OLED TV hits living rooms this month

LG’s line of OLED TVs usually receives most of the press among its competitors, but Sony’s next-generation OLED TVs also receive positive reviews. Today, Sony announced the price and launch time of its flagship 2021 OLED, the A90J.

Pre-orders have already started in Europe and the United Kingdom, and the US is expected to do so at any time. But, regardless of staggered orders, TVs will be shipped this month to both regions.

The A90J will be available in sizes 55, 65 and 83 inches. The 55-inch model will cost $ 3,000 in the United States, while its 65-inch counterpart will cost a whopping $ 4,000. US and EU prices have not been announced for the 83-inch model, but it costs £ 7,000 in the UK, so let that be your guide.

Announced at CES in January, Sony’s A90J has all the standard features for a premium TV: 4K, Dolby Vision HDR, a smart TV software package (Google TV 10 in this case) and HDMI 2.1.

And like the LG OLEDs that were unveiled at the same time (Sony uses LG panels), the A90J will look brighter than its predecessor. Unfortunately, we don’t know exactly how much brighter it is. But this is something that reviewers will begin to learn and report on as these TVs are launched.

Sony says it has managed to achieve a higher brightness than before not just because of the new and improved panels, but with a new lamination approach that provides additional cooling, allowing the TV to push a little more.

The claim here is that TV can make the most of its red, blue and green matches together with white simultaneously, in contrast to predecessors who did not achieve this.

As it became standard for next generation TVs, part of the argument for this new model is also about the internal chip. Sony calls the A90J’s chip “XR Cognitive Processor” and, like similar chips from LG, Samsung or others, it uses AI and machine learning to optimize the image in several ways.

The inputs include four HDMI (one on the side, three on the bottom), three USB (two on the side, one on the bottom), an Ethernet, an RF and an RS-232C. There is also a digital audio output and a headset, as you would expect. The TV is compatible with Chromecast and AirPlay, and the HDMI 2.1 ports, of course, facilitate 4K at 120 Hz, as well as eARC, VRR and ALLM.

For a time, LG and Sony were the only significant players in the OLED TV game in most regions, but that started to change. Panasonic stepped up their game, and Philips, Vizio and TCL joined the fray, so OLED looks set to hit the mainstream in a market still dominated by cheaper LCD devices – or at least that’s what these manufacturers would like to see happen.

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