Amanda Brown
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In 2021, all the major TV brands are introducing new premium OLED series built around "next-generation" panels.
Sony's entry into this new premium OLED battlefield is the A90J series, which offers enhanced brightness along with a new aluminum heat sink and the new Cognitive XR video processing system. Let's see the Sony A90J TV review, and if it's a good choice.
| Model Name | Sony BRAVIA XR A90J TV |
| Display Type | OLED |
| Resolution | 4K (2160p) |
| HDR | Yes |
| High Dynamic Range Format | HDR 10, Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG), Dolby Vision |
| Refresh Rate | 120Hz |
| Smart Platform | Google TV |
| Featured Streaming Services | Paramount+, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, Prime Video, SHOWTIME, STARZ, Sling TV, YouTube, Peacock |
| HDMI Inputs | 4 |
| HDMI 2.1 Inputs | 2 |
| HDMI HDCP 2.2 Inputs | 4 |
| HDMI 2.0 Inputs | 2 |
| Voice Assistant Built-in | Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant |
| USB Port(s) | 3 |
| USB 2.0 Ports | 2 |
| Bluetooth | 4.2 |
| Surround Sound Supported | DTS Digital Surround |
| TV/DVD Combo | No |
| TV Tuner | Digital |
1. Appearance and Design
- 4x HDMI inputs (2x HDMI 2.1), 3x USB ports
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth multimedia options
From the front or a small angle, the A90J is arguably the most striking "all picture, no hardware" design of any TV to date.
The dark frame around the image is very narrow, and the depth of the outer edges of the panel is the thinnest around (except for the extremely thin depth of LG's ultra-high-end wallpaper TVs). They even become almost invisible when the TV's tabletop legs are placed in the flattest configuration below the bottom corners of the screen.
Two of the four HDMI ports on the A90J are compliant with the latest HDMI 2.1 specification.
The A90J's third HDMI supports another feature associated with the HDMI 2.1 specification (but actually often found on HDMI 2.0 ports): e-ARC. This allows the TV to deliver uncompressed Dolby Atmos sound to e-ARC-compatible speakers and AV receivers.
2. Smart System
Smart Platform: Google TV
Sony has become the first brand to upgrade to Google TV in 2021 with an interface that is cleaner and more organized than its predecessor to represent the use of TV. It has a clearer, smarter focus on video, rather than games or infotainment content. Most importantly, it feels better at building an experience tailored to the individual viewer, especially when highlighting content the user might like based on their viewing history.
The last smart feature of note is Sony's new Bravia Core streaming service. While most streaming platforms have a maximum streaming speed of about 25Mbps, Bravia Core can support streaming at up to 80Mbps (provided your broadband can accommodate such speeds).
3. Image Quality
- HDR support: HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision
- Processing engine: Bravia Cognitive XR
The biggest improvement comes in brightness. The new panel reaches a little over 910 nits in its vivid picture preset, dropping to about 790 nits in its theater preset. By comparison, Sony's previous A9 OLED series was about 710 nits and 590 nits, respectively - a jump of about 25%.
This brightness boost is especially powerful when it comes to bright highlights in high dynamic range (HDR) images - such as sunlight glinting off metal or glass, artificial light sources, direct sunlight, and more. Considering that these intensities have been increased without compromising the gorgeous deep black tones and pixel-level localized light control for which OLEDs have been known for years, the A90J enjoys a truly spectacular range of contrast.
4. Sound
The A90J continues Sony's still-exclusive tradition of using the screen to generate sound. It does this by placing an "exciter" behind an ultra-thin OLED panel that vibrates to produce sound.
Sony's new Cognitive XR processing isn't limited to display, it also significantly improves the accuracy of how sound is correctly positioned on the A90J screen - always a strong point of Sony's Acoustic Surface OLED technology, but the A90J takes it to a new level.
Overall, the A90J's audio is the perfect companion to its excellent display capabilities.
5. Summary
For an OLED TV in 2021, the Sony A90J is wonderfully priced. If you have the budget, you can experience its uniquely powerful HDR display, minimalist design and extremely good surround sound quality.
