A mid-range OLED TV in Sony’s 2022 portfolio is the A90K OLED. It is located below the Sony A95K QD-OLED and above the Sony A80K OLED. It’s a bit of an outlier in Sony’s lineup because it only comes in 42″ and 48″ sizes and shares many features and performance metrics with the entry-level A80K. It belongs to Sony’s “Perfect for PS5” portfolio, which includes a few distinctive features that are exclusive to the PS5, including Auto Genre Picture Mode and Auto HDR Tone Mapping, and it primarily targets PC and console gamers. also you will learn our article on Sony A90K review.
Sony A90K review: Design
Sony’s design goal for the A90K was to make it as small as feasible. Black bezels that are about 12mm thick on the sides and bottom and only 8mm thick at the top encircle the display. Following that, the bottom features a dark grey chin with a discreet Sony logo on the far left. Since the low-profile stand is only 50 cm wide and 23 cm deep, it is simple to locate furniture that has the required TV surface area. A pair of stilts are provided in the box that, when attached, create a gap between the stand and shelf of about 7 cm, providing space for a sound bar or, if you plan to use the TV as a gaming monitor, possibly a console or your keyboard and mouse. In its default stand position, the bottom edge of the TV is raised by just half a centimeter. The A90K is thicker than LG’s 48-inch C2 (4.7cm) at 5.9cm, and since the plastic enclosure that houses the speakers, connections, and processing hardware also covers more of the back of the screen, there isn’t much OLED TV super-slimness left with which to impress your friends. However, the back has received some attention with an etched grid pattern covering the entire surface and provided plastic panels, allowing you to conceal the majority of the connections, though those on the side remain exposed and are therefore easier to access.
Features
Like other OLED TV producers, Sony purchases its OLED panels from LG. Then, employing a custom processing engine, Sony, like all other OLED TV manufacturers, tries to get the most out of the panel performance. The XR-A95K QD-OLED we recently reviewed uses the same Cognitive Processor XR as the Sony A90K, and just like there, its job is to ensure that native 4K content looks its best (compatibility with HLG, HDR10, and Dolby Vision HDR standards helps here) and that upscaled 1080p content benefits from its AI smarts. It aims to make your gaming experience as organic, smooth, and believable as your movie-going experience. We should be in for a visual treat if it can perform as well here as it does in the A95K. There are many ways to bring content onto the system so the processor can do its magic. Four HDMI ports, a few USB ports, an Ethernet port, two aerial posts for connecting the built-in TV tuners, and a digital optical output are all connected physically. Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi, Chromecast Built-in, Apple’s AirPlay, and HomeKit are all wireless alternatives. Two of those HDMI ports are 2.1 and two of them are 2.0, making them 48Gbps, 4K/120Hz, VRR, and ALLM compatible. Even though LGs and Samsung tend to have widespread 2.1 compatibility and are priced similarly, this is good news for current-generation gamers. Thanks to their Auto HDR Tone Mapping feature, PS5 owners can overlook the lack of HGiG support, but Xbox Series X users will be miffed that the Dolby Vision game mode isn’t included. One of the Sony’s HDMI 2.1 inputs supports eARC as well, which may be a problem for households that have both consoles as well as a sound bar that uses eARC. These days, Sony uses Google TV as a smart interface, and while it is a shameless screen-hogger, at least it is intuitive to use. Wide-ranging app support, reasonable app recommendations, and minimal time spent trying to upsell you on content. The only significant app that doesn’t perform at its peak here is Disney+ because it doesn’t support Dolby Atmos. Either of the included remote control handsets can be used to navigate the interface or the setup menus. also you read our article on Sony A90K review. As is customary these days, one is comfortable to hold, acts positively, and only has the headline controls, while the other is uncomfortable to hold, acts vaguely, and has an excessive number of buttons (the majority of which are too small to cover every scenario). Google Assistant voice control is possible; to enable or disable the built-in microphone, flip a small switch on one of the screen’s side panels. It functions well, and adding the A90K to a larger Google Home system is simple.
Sony A90K review: Connections
We have four HDMI ports for connections on the back, two of which are HDMI 2.0 and the other two are HDMI 2.1, allowing for 48gbps, 4k/120Hz, VRR, and ALLM. Now that only one of these supports HDMI eARC, you should use that one if you’re connecting a sound bar that supports it. Additionally, we have a few more practical connections back here, including USB ports and a digital optical output.
Sound quality
Smaller TVs sometimes struggle to deliver adequate bass, and the A90K is no exception. The typically thundering beats at the soundtrack’s low end feel a little limp and light on the A90K. Overall, the delivery is a bit thin and perhaps a bit abrupt at the top, but it’s also incredibly direct, clear, and detailed. The sound is tied to the image in a way that traditional TV speaker systems can’t match thanks to the Acoustic Surface Audio+ technology, which uses actuators to vibrate the entire screen in order to generate sound. Voices and effects frequently even sound as if they are coming from specific parts of the screen. The audio does extend beyond the boundaries of the screen, creating a certain amount of cinematic spaciousness, though the effectiveness of this effect is somewhat dependent on how close you are sitting to the screen. The A90K doesn’t appear to be able to produce a sound field that is as wide or as tall as some larger TVs. Overall, the A90K sounds decent for a relatively small TV, but we strongly advise using the space made available by the stilts in the box to add a sound bar like the Sonos Beam Gen 2.
Picture quality
The XR-42A90K should ideally have access to native 4K content with HDR in order to demonstrate its capabilities. And what it can do turns out to be quite a lot when a Netflix stream of Metal Lords arrives via Ethernet with Dolby Vision assistance. Overall, the images appear to be completely naturalistic, convincing, and lifelike. also you will learn our article on Sony A90K review. This is in large part due to the Sony’s incredibly diverse, subtle, and convincing color palette. The XR processor shines when it comes to judging color volume and saturation because the colors displayed here are varied, nuanced, and vibrant without ever seeming overblown or aggressive. Additionally, the Sony’s ability to add a great deal of detail—both broad and fine—to images greatly facilitates this. As a result, shading, texture, and pattern can all be fully expressed. The black tones on an OLED TV are just as good as one would anticipate. The predominantly non-black clothing in Metal Lords appears incredibly realistic since there is significant shade variety, actual depth where it is needed, and detail in every situation. The Sony A90K also performs generally excellent job in other areas. There is virtually no picture noise, smooth, convincing edge definition, and also excellent depth of field. Whether it’s the made-random movement-in-all-directions of a sports broadcast or the leisurely slow pans of a Coen Brothers feature, motion is controlled with the proper authority. And this skillful presentation translates to upscaled 1080p video with only a few minor (and expected) drawbacks. Up until it confronts wide-open pictures of a uniform sky or something similar, the on-screen movement is consistent, the edges are clean, and the Sony also well manages picture noise.
Sony A90K review: Price and availability
The XR-48A90K’s first significant selling point is that it costs £1899 / $1500 (roughly AU$3350). Even though we never really expect price parity across regions, it’s pretty uncommon these days to see a TV that is priced so much higher than its primary competitors in one country and is essentially priced equal to them in another, which is what we find here.
Conclusion
The Sony A90K is a great TV for a variety of uses. Due to its nearly infinite contrast ratio and flawless black uniformity, which prevents blooming around bright objects, it appears best in a dark environment. It makes it an excellent option for playing video games or viewing movies in the dark. Due to its excellent handling of reflections and acceptable peak brightness, it is also fantastic for watching movies or sporting events in a bright environment. It has a wide viewing angle, which is great if you want to watch sports with a large group of friends and have a wide seating arrangement because the image stays consistent when viewed from the side. Finally, it’s a fantastic option for use as a PC monitor, but because of its WRBG subpixel layout, there are some text clarity issues.
