Sony Bravia XR A95K review

The Sony A95K is the first premium smart TV from the Japanese giant to utilise a QD-OLED (Quantum Dot OLED) panel, which promises a brightness boost and best-in-class colour fidelity. This is allied to the latest AI iteration of Sony’s Cognitive Processor XR, and advanced XR OLED Contrast Pro technologies, for truly remarkable images. 
 
The Bravia XR A95K Master Series, to give it its full title, also boasts the brand’s clever Acoustic Surface Audio+ sound system, which uses actuators to vibrate the glass panel, negating the need for conventional forward facing speaker drivers, and a bundled Bravia Cam camera for video chats. 

The panel rests on an innovative Dual Stand which can be used forward facing (allowing the set to sit close to a wall), or hidden to the rear. The screen is a little deeper than some competitors, to accommodate those two sonic actuators. 

But there are caveats, not least the lofty price tag and the provision of just two 4K 120Hz capable HDMI inputs.  

So can the A95K compete with the likes of the Samsung S95B? Let’s take a closer look… 

Design & Features

• One Slate Design 
• Google TV smart TV 
• Plug in Bravia Cam 

The A95K has a relaxed, stylish demeanour and the bezel and panel wrap is wafer thin. The screen-width stand offers two options, extending forward or to the rear. Sony calls the latter the Front Position Style. The set reclines at a slight angle, so ideally your AV furniture should be quite low. 

If you want to push the TV closer to a wall, you can opt for the Back Position Style, which reserves the pedestal.  

Decorating the rear is the familiar Sony checkerboard plastic back panel. Here you’ll find four HDMI inputs, of which two are 4K 120Hz compatible for use with Xbox or PlayStation 5. VRR and ALLM are also supported on these inputs and there’s also eARC. 

In addition to its terrestrial aerial input, there are dual satellite inputs for the Freesat (or generic satellite) tuner, a CI card slot, a digital optical audio output, two USB ports, an AV minijack and, more unusually, a centre speaker connection. 

The latter is useful if you want to treat the TV’s sound system as the centre speaker in a multichannel setup. 

Also included in the box is a plug-in Bravia Cam camera and microphone unit. A small, dedicated bus at the top back of the screen is provided for the bolt-on. 

The set comes with two remote controls, a button-heavy zapper and a slimline remote with dedicated buttons for various streaming services, including Bravia Core, Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video. 

Steve May / Foundry

The smart platform is Google TV, a more overtly content led sibling to Android OS. It has the usual content rails and recommendations. Terrestrial duties are handled by YouView in the UK, which is starting to look pretty tired.  
 
The TV also supports Chromecast, Apple AirPlay and Apple Home Kit.   

Picture Quality  

• QD-OLED panel   
• Cognitive Processor XR 
• Dolby Vision HDR

The A95K’s images are as beguiling as its industrial design. We’ve seen the brand’s impressive Cognitive processor at work on other Sony models – it works by prioritising processing muscle on those parts of the picture the human eye naturally gravitates to, but it’s arguably found its best expression here. 

Native 4K images combine inherent sharpness, with tonal gradations that look entirely naturalistic. 

Sony offers a wide range of picture presets: Standard, Cinema, Game, Graphics, Photos, Vivid and two Pro settings. I found the most consistently satisfying to be the Standard and Cinema modes.  

There’s also an Auto Picture mode which automatically selects what it assumes to be the correct image present, however, it only works on content from connected HDMI sources and it doesn’t always make the right decision. 

Spectacular 4K nature documentary Chasing the Rains (a co-production between Sky, ARTE France and Canada’s Love Nature channel), follows the exploits of an assortment of photogenic animals. Sony’s Auto Picture brain decided the appropriate preset here was Cinema. However, Standard and Custom both offered more subjective detail. 

Still, the Northern Kenya location footage looked gorgeous regardless.  

Steve May / Foundry

The A95K is reassuringly cinematic. The use of HDR in Dune may be underplayed, but it’s still a challenge for panel technology. The swirling clouds of sand are presented without banding or abrupt posterisation. There’s no sense that the image is being overworked.  

The A95K isn’t quite as bright as you might imagine, though, given what we’ve seen from Samsung’s implementation of QD-OLED self-emissive panel technology in the S95B. 

I measured peak HDR brightness at 946 nits using a 10% window. This is bright enough to deliver specular highlights on content mastered up to 1000 nits, which is effectively the broad standard, but it’s not class-leading. 

Disappointedly, the set doesn’t support Dolby Vision IQ or HDR10+. The Samsung S95B does support HDR10+ if that’s important to you.

Steve May / Foundry

Latency was measured at 16.6ms (1080p/60fps) in Game mode. This is reasonable but not outstanding. The set lacks a dedicated gaming interface, something the brand will put right on its second generation QD-OLED, the upcoming A95L. 

Sound Quality  

• Dolby Atmos 
• Acoustic Surface Audio+ 
• Acoustic Centre Sync 

I’m somewhat conflicted about the A95K’s audio performance. Sony’s Acoustics Surface Audio system has proven itself on previous OLED TVs from the brand, but reveals limitations here. 

It works by using a pair of actuators attached to the panel which vibrate to create sound, with two conventional subwoofers filling in lower bass. Total power output is a potent 60W (2 x 20W + 2 x 10W).  

The system is particularly good with vocal intelligibility, and the crossover with lower frequencies is largely seamless. Sound mode settings comprise Standard, Dialogue, Cinema, Music, Sports and Dolby audio. 

Steve May / Foundry

TV dramas and movies sound fine and it tracks on-screen action well. The Illuminations Studio logo, which fronts up Minions: The Rise of Gru, exhibits overt steerage, as does the funky seventies motorcycle chase which follows.  

But when the mix gets really busy, the presentation becomes increasingly sharp.  
 
One final audio feature is Acoustic Centre Sync. If you want, you can use the TV’s sound system as a centre channel in conjunction with a compatible Sony soundbar or home theatre system. 

Price & Availability 

Available now, the Sony A95K is available in two screen sizes, 55- and 65in (XR-55A95K, XR-65A95K). They’re priced at £2,199 and £2,999 respectively from the Sony store. It’s also available from Amazon, Currys, John Lewis, AO, Box, Very and Laptops Direct.

In the US, the same two models are available for $2,799 and $3,499. You can also buy it from BestBuy.

Check out our chart of the best TVs for more options as well as our complete guide to Sony TVs. 

Verdict 

This QD-OLED debut from Sony is a cracker of a screen. The novel Dual Stand and whisper-thin bezel are a class above most flatscreens, and its picture performance is exceptional. I love its colour vibrancy and punchy contrast.  

The provision of 4K 120HZ is also welcome, although this wouldn’t be my top choice if I was looking for a premium OLED primarily for gaming. With the lack of a gaming interface, it’s much more of a home cinema screen. 

Google TV is a solid smart platform, with excellent streaming service provision. Value wise though the A95K faces stiff competition from both the LG C3 and Samsung’s S95B. 

Ultimately, the Sony A95K is easy to recommend if you can afford it, albeit with some caveats. 

Specs

• 55in (65in also available)
• QD-OLED 4K display technology  
• Resolution: 3840 x 2160  
• HDMI: x4  
• HDR support: HDR10, HLG,  Dolby Vision 
• Google TV smart platform  
• Acoustics Surface Audio+ with Dolby Atmos support 
• Dimensions: 1225(w) x 728(h) x 280(d)mm    
• Weight: 21.2kg