Welcome, tech enthusiasts! Today, let's shine a light on the world of OLED TVs, where innovation is the name of the game. While the spotlight might currently be on the dazzling new MLA and QD-OLED models for their eye-watering brightness, it's essential to remember that these cutting-edge beauties, for now, carry hefty price tags, making them a dream yet to be accessible for most of us.

But here's the good news! The heart of the OLED market this year thrives on more attainable alternatives, like the remarkable Sony A80L. This gem proves that you don't need to break the bank to experience the marvels of OLED technology. It represents a sweet spot, combining quality, performance, and value, a perfect match for those looking to upgrade their viewing experience without emptying their pockets.

A Closer Look at the Latest TV Price Tags

If you're expecting a bargain, brace yourself. The price unveiled for the XR-55A80L in the UK is £2399, which is approximately $2980 / AU$4430. While we await the official US and Australian figures, predictions suggest they might offer a bit more wallet relief.

In the UK, there's an alternative – the A84L, tagged at the same price as the A80L. It boasts slight upgrades: a sleeker metal remote, additional Bravia Core credits, and a Rich Colour Enhancer for those vivid mode moments, though it's generally recommended to steer clear of that setting. Essentially, the A80L and A84L are two peas in a pod, making this review relevant to both models.

With a £2399 price tag, the A80L/A84L stands out as pricier than the 55-inch LG C3, which made its debut at £2099 / $1900 (around AU$3880). It's also not far off from the luxury 55-inch LG G3, priced at £2599 / $2500 (around AU$4800). However, the G3 boasts an innovative brightness-boosting MLA panel, something the Sony rivals lack.

Sony might highlight that the A80L shines with its state-of-the-art actuator-based audio system – a feature missing from its LG counterparts. Plus, while missing the MLA panel technology of the G3, the A80L incorporates unique heat mapping tech aimed at enhancing panel brightness, albeit not to the MLA extent.

Ultimately, Sony would argue, it's not just the components that count but how they're ingeniously used. After thorough comparison and testing, it's clear the A80L merits its higher price through innovative tech that enriches the viewing experience.

Design Revamped

Meet the sleek and stylish A80L, a worthy successor to the A80K. While it retains the minimalist charm of its predecessor, it’s time for a fresh perspective on its design aesthetics.

Though slightly bulkier at 5.3cm compared to industry rivals like the slim LG C3 at 4.5cm, this design choice is intentional. The A80L houses cutting-edge actuators behind its screen, transforming the entire panel into a vibrant soundstage, a brilliant solution to immerse you in your favorite shows and movies.

Eschewing the traditional pedestal stand, the A80L opts for versatile feet that can style your space either with a bold outward stance or a more compact inward configuration. Choose the outward placement for a statement piece that may command more room, or turn the feet inward to fit snugly in any entertainment center.

To solve any soundbar placement dilemmas, the A80L includes cleverly designed extenders, allowing additional clearance. This thoughtful detail ensures your viewing experience is complemented by superior sound, without compromising on style or space.

Features

Sony continues to harness the power of its Cognitive Processor XR in its premium TVs, bringing an even sharper and more intelligent viewing experience to the table this year with its new XR Clear Image feature. This smart form of image upscaling meticulously analyzes content type and quality, boosting the picture to near-native 4K resolution, making every scene more vivid and detailed.

The adoption of Google TV as its operating system is another strategic move by Sony, enhancing user experience with a more intuitive interface. From the get-go, viewers are treated to a personalized selection of content, heavily favoring genres like sci-fi, thrillers, and action films. With a variety of platforms such as Prime Video, Disney+, iPlayer, and Apple TV readily available, it's an entertainment hub. However, the absence of Netflix remains a notable gap.

The A80L not only brings every streaming app you could want, each supporting their respective video and audio formats, but it also ups the ante with Sony’s exclusive Bravia Core app. This app promises a high-quality streaming experience, offering movies in unprecedented bit-rates along with 10 credits for premium movies and unlimited streaming from its general catalogue for two years.

Support for the Dolby Atmos sound format, alongside Dolby Vision HDR, HDR10, and HLG, ensures a truly immersive viewing experience. While the lack of HDR10+ support might disappoint some, the overall HDR performance remains stellar.

A limitation that might impact tech enthusiasts is the inclusion of only two HDMI 2.1 ports, with the remaining two ports offering the older HDMI 2.0 specification. This could potentially limit connectivity options for cutting-edge gaming consoles and PCs, though the available HDMI 2.1 ports fully support 4K/120Hz, VRR, and ALLM for a seamless gaming experience.

Designated as ‘Perfect for PlayStation’, the A80L TV enhances the gaming experience by automatically optimizing HDR tone-mapping for games played on a PS5. Additionally, a new ‘Game Menu’ offers options for reducing motion blur, fine-tuning black depth, and enhancing detail, including an innovative feature for adding a crosshair to the game’s center. Exclusive gaming features, such as the ability to adjust screen size for focused gameplay, will be unique to the upcoming A95L QD-OLED model.

Transform Your Viewing Experience

Imagine plunging into the vibrant, dynamic realms of HDR10 with the Sony A80L, a TV that dazzles from the get-go. The 'Custom' setting delivers a picture so balanced and true to life, it's like opening a window to another dimension. The dazzling neon of Blade Runner 2049's LA contrasts beautifully against the city's gloom, while every shade of grey and flesh tone is rendered with astounding nuance and clarity.

This TV doesn't just display pictures; it brings scenes to life with a balance of light and dark so precise, it's almost rare. Highlights like Love's white jacket shimmer with purity, and the scenery has a depth that makes the digital world seem endless. Sony's mastery in motion processing means that everything moves with a realism that keeps you glued to the screen, without any visual distractions.

Detail is another area where the A80L shines brightly. From the texture of a jacket to the patterns in a window's grime, everything is displayed with remarkable clarity. The TV excels across the entire light spectrum, ensuring you don't miss a shadow or overlook the brightest details.

Shifting to Top Gun: Maverick in Dolby Vision, the 'Dolby Vision Dark' mode maintains fidelity but can seem underwhelming. However, 'Dolby Vision Bright' mode is a game-changer; with its vibrant colors, detailed imagery, and balanced aesthetics, it offers an unparalleled viewing experience.

Every HDR film we explore – from It to Dune – is enhanced in a similar vein, thrilling yet faithful to the creators' vision. The A80L expertly handles shadow detail and black levels, ensuring that darker scenes are as compelling as brightly lit ones, without sacrificing clarity for impact.

Even standard definition content is elevated on the A80L, with colors that are both warm and true, and a contrast that keeps images crisp and engaging. Sony's upscaling transforms HD to near perfection, ensuring that every scene, no matter the source, is a feast for the eyes.

Our singular critique lies in the handling of blacks and shadows in certain modes, where some detail can be lost. Yet, with a bit of tweaking, the Sony A80L offers a viewing experience that's deeply immersive, making every movie night memorable.

Revolutionizing Home Entertainment: The Sound Experience

The innovative A80L, along with its Sony OLED counterparts, redefines audiovisual harmony with its unique actuator-based sound system. This groundbreaking technology transforms the entire panel into a vibrant soundstage, eliminating any disconnect between what viewers see and hear. The A80L model boasts three of these state-of-the-art actuators complemented by two robust woofers to enrich the sound.

Our evaluation kicked off with the intense audio landscapes of Blade Runner 2049, revealing the A80L's more subtle approach to bass. While it may not plumb the depths of bass as deeply as some competitors in its price range, this is hardly a setback. Instead, the A80L shines with its composed delivery, avoiding the distortion common in TVs that overreach their acoustic capabilities. This restraint underscores a refined understanding of its performance strengths.

Setting the A80L to Cinema sound mode unleashes a remarkable auditory experience. The sound envelops the listener, stretching far beyond the physical edges of the screen to recreate the movie's varied environments with astonishing atmospheric depth. The fusion of this expansive soundscape with pinpoint accuracy, courtesy of the sound emerging directly from the screen, sets a new standard in immersive home cinema.

The A80L does not just stop at producing a spacious soundstage; its projection capability ensures that every dialogue and soundtrack nuance fills the room with authentic warmth, elevating the lower midrange to new heights. Thus, voices are rendered with lifelike clarity, further enhancing the viewing experience.

In the realm of TVs that endeavor to achieve a harmonious balance between visual and auditory excellence, the A80L stands out. Its remarkable sound performance, particularly for a model that eschews separate sound systems, positions it as an excellent choice for enthusiasts seeking to upgrade their home entertainment system without additional investments in audio equipment.

Our Take

Let's get straight to the point: the Sony A80L is an outstanding television. While many of us get dazzled by the latest and greatest technologies like MLA and QD-OLED panels, the A80L stands as a testament to how traditional OLED panels can still deliver extraordinary picture quality with top-notch processing.

This television is where the spectacular meets cinematic finesse in a way that's seldom seen. It delivers a thrilling viewing experience without being overly flashy. Plus, it offers an immersive and rich sound that enhances your watching experience, though we suggest opting for a dedicated sound system to truly elevate your home cinema setup.

The only hitch might be its price. The A80L's performance certainly warrants a higher price tag compared to other OLED TVs, but Sony's models tend to have less aggressive discounting than their competitors. This means, if the price difference with models like the LG C3 widens significantly, it could make the added investment harder to justify.

However, for now, the Sony A80L is a compelling choice for anyone seeking an exceptional all-around television experience.