The Sony A90K OLED is now available in 42″ and 48″ sizes and has improved gaming features. It replaces the Panasonic KD-48A9 in 2022.
The Sony XBR-48IN OLED is a new and innovative TV that features an extremely thin bezel and a sleek, silver stand. The picture is primarily seen due to the screen’s extremely thin bezel and the way it rests directly on its silver stand. While a sizable central portion of its rear protrudes outward more than most TVs, the chassis’ outer edges are only a few millimeters deep.
Sony KD-48A9 review: Design
Sony has built the 48A9 small in terms of height and width, in order to take advantage of the new, smaller OLED panel’s ability to be compact. The sleek, glossy bottom edge, which has a subtle Sony logo that is invisible in most light, is only slightly thicker than the flush, black bezel that runs along the top and sides.
The TV stand is a great way to keep your TV in place and has a small footprint of under 47 cm. However, if you place a soundbar in front of the TV it will obscure most of the screen. Sony hopes that the screen-vibrating audio technology incorporated into the TV will prevent you from feeling the need to buy a speaker.
The Sony KD-48A9’s back enclosure is larger than typical in both the area of the panel it covers and the overall depth it adds. The LG OLED48CX, on the other hand, is only 4.7cm thick at its thickest point. This makes the Sony’s 6cm thickness less impressive from a profile perspective.
Features
This TV has a 4K HDR OLED display with a resolution of 3840 x 2160p. It also has a 120 Hz refresh rate and Dolby Vision support. The TV also has an A/V input, an HDMI input, and a 3.5mm audio output.
The Sony features a tone of connecting options that makes it easy to get the most out of your TV. There are enough physical connections for everyone, including four HDMI inputs, three USB ports, an Ethernet input, two satellite TV aerial posts and an equivalent terrestrial TV input, and composite video inputs for your actual legacy equipment. There is also dual-band wi-fi, Bluetooth 4.2, Google Chromecast, and Apple AirPlay 2 wireless connectivity for good measure.
The PlayStation 5 has a digital optical connector and a 3.5mm headphone jack as outputs. However, there is no HDMI 2.1 support, so none of the clever features built into Sony’s PlayStation 5 or Microsoft’s Xbox Series X can be used. However, there is eARC support for a fancy sound bar, so the HDMI news isn’t all bad.
The KE-48A9 TV has a built-in soundbar that requires no additional equipment to make it sound good. It uses Sony’s Acoustic Surface Audio technology to create a surround sound experience. The subwoofer is also included and is more conventional in design.
Connectivity
The Sony KD-48A9 Master Series OLED is missing HDMI 2.1 features, allm and VRR. A port provides eARC.
The Sony KD-48A9 is a great 4K Ultra HD HDR television that has many features and connections. There are no incompatible Ultra HD HDR connections, three USB ports, an optical digital output, a splitter-enabled composite video input, and a stereo minijack for headphones. Bluetooth can also be used to connect headphones. Wall mounting is not a problem because all connections point to the side or downward. There is an Ethernet connector and Wi-Fi. ..
Sony KD-48A9 review: Picture quality
The A9 is cautious in its offering right out of the box, appearing hesitant to deliver the kind of brilliant contrast we’ve come to anticipate from top HDR signals. That problem has been fixed after a little bit of tinkering, and when we start Blade Runner 2049, we’re thrilled to see the film’s vivid red and white typography appear on the perfectly black screen with serious punch and purity. In this regard, it actually matches the LG CX in size. It also outperforms the CX at the other end of the brightness spectrum: while both sets produce pure black, the Sony digs up more dark detail, faithfully recreating Sapper Morton’s dingy farmhouse interior with more scene-setting insight.
Sony’s A9 camera is better than the CX camera in that it can better smooth and sharpen motion. ..
The A9’s picture quality is on par with Sony’s Master Series models, presenting the image exactly as intended with a slight richness and warmth that may not be completely accurate to life. This subtle rosiness enhances the sense of life in skin tones, rather than the awful sepia-tinted blandness you encounter when you choose the Cinema mode on most TVs. Once more, everything appears as it ought to, only better. ..
The new TV set in Blade Runner 2049 is the best ever made. It has amazing sharpness and detail, and the way it combines ultra-deep blacks and bright, pure whites gives the picture an unmatched sense of depth and solidity. Everything in the movie looks real, from the close-up of K’s hand at the beginning to the hauntingly gorgeous shots of the devastated town in 1917. ..
Sound quality
The Sony A9 OLED Acoustic Surface audio system delivers on its promise to push forward into the space, immerse you in the action, and make even the densest mixes sound clean, clear, and dynamic. It’s incredible how well-rounded the sound is considering that the flat TV screen is the main source of its vibration. The way the sound system places audio effects is also impressive. For example, a vehicle’s sound will follow it as it moves across the screen.
The TV’s sound is impressive, especially when you consider the small size of the TV from which it is emanating.
Sony KD-48A9 review: Interface
Sony appears set on sticking with Android TV as its entry point into the world of Smart TVs, and while development is agonizingly slow, Android TV is beginning to make some sense. There are undoubtedly a number of streaming services that deserve discussion as well as many that don’t, including Netflix and Disney+, both of which offer Dolby Vision HDR. There are also apps for streaming music and catch-up TV, and the interface isn’t quite the logistical nightmare it once was. ..
The KE-48A9 is a nice handset from Sony that comes with a remote control that has an aluminum and textured plastic combination. The TV’s setup and use are as simple as it gets thanks to logical, comprehensive, but not overly so, on-screen menus.
Price and availability
Sony should have included HDMI 2.1 connectivity with the release of the PS5. Although HDR10 + support would be wonderful, it is not a barrier. The cost is fairly hefty, but compared to the LG 48CX, the 55A8 is only € 100 more expensive. In return, you can fully appreciate the image. Therefore, the TV justifies its cost. ..
Conclusion
The Sony XBR48A9S is a great TV that has an OLED display, excellent black uniformity, and wide viewing angles. It upscales lower-quality video well and has a superb gaming experience with an almost instantaneous response time and little input lag. However, it does not support VRR, and the refresh rate is only 60Hz at 4K.
