Sony announces 65″ and 55″ QD OLED TVs and LCD TVs with mini LED backlight
Sony presents its 2022 lineup of Bravia TVs. Two of them have a QD OLED panel. This concerns models with screen sizes of 65″ and 55″. The line-up also includes regular OLED TVs from 42″ to 77″ and Sony’s first LCD TVs with mini LED backlight.
Sony placed the QD OLED TVs in the new A95K series. According to the manufacturer, the screen technology provides a wider color range and higher brightness compared to traditional OLED panels. However, Sony does not specify which brightness the TVs achieve.
It is obvious that Sony purchases the QD OLED panels from Samsung. Samsung Display is the only manufacturer known to make such panels. QD OLED panels consist of blue OLEDs with green and red quantum dot filters. Until now, OLED TVs had LG OLED panels that are made up of white OLEDs with RGB color filters in front of them.
Sony gives the QD OLED TVs its Cognitive Processor XR for image processing. That was also in the high-end models of last year. Also, the TVs have Sony’s Acoustic Surface Audio functionality, where the screen panel is used to produce sound.
When the A95K TVs come out and what they will cost has not yet been announced. Sony has announced the devices at the CES electronics fair, but they are not actually shown at the fair. That also applies to all other TVs that Sony announces.
A90K and A80K series: OLED TVs from 42″ to 77″
Sony introduces more new OLED TVs, but they do not have the new QD OLED panels. For the TVs in the A90K series, Sony uses LG’s new 42″ panel and a 48″ variant. According to Sony, the A90K models also belong to the Master Series of the highest-ranking TVs. Below that, Sony places the A80K series. It contains regular 4K OLED TVs of 77″, 65″ and 55″.
Z9K and X95k series: 8k and 4k TVs with mini LED backlight
In the Master Series Z9K, Sony introduces two 8k LCD TVs with a mini LED backlight. These are 85″ and 75″ models. There will also be 4k versions in the X95K series with formats of 85″, 75″ and 65″. Sony provides these TVs with its new XR Backlight Master Drive. That is what Sony calls the control of the mini LEDs.
They are Sony’s first TVs with mini LED backlight. The predecessors from the Z9J and X95J series had full array local dimming. This works with hundreds of LEDs, while mini LED backlights are equipped with thousands of LEDs. Sony does not specify the exact number. Samsung and LG already released mini LED TVs last year in their Neo QLED and QNED series. Sony does not provide details about the brightness of the mini LED TVs.
X90K and X85K LCD TVs
At the bottom of the lineup, Sony positions the X90K and X85K series of LCD TVs. The former has a false backlight. The second has to do without local dimming. The X85K series is also the only one not equipped with the Cognitive Processor XR, but with the older 4K HDR Processor X1. These LCD TVs come in sizes from 40″ to 85″.
| Sony Bravia Series | Fencing Technique | Formats | Image processor |
| Master Series Z9K | 8k LCD with mini LED backlight | 85″, 77″ | Cognitive Processor XR |
| Master Series X95K | 4k LCD with mini LED backlight | 75″, 65″ | Cognitive Processor XR |
| Master Series A95K | 4k QD OLED | 65″, 55″ | Cognitive Processor XR |
| Master Series A90K | 4k oled | 48″, 42″ | Cognitive Processor XR |
| A80K | 4k oled | 77″, 65″, 55″ | Cognitive Processor XR |
| X90K | 4k LCD with local dimming | 85″, 77″, 65″, 55″ | Cognitive Processor XR |
| X85K | 4k LCD | 85″, 75″, 65″, 55″, 50″, 43″ | 4K HDR Processor X1 |
HDMI 2.1 features: VRR available immediately
Sony also provides an overview of which HDMI 2.1 features will be available on the different TVs. According to the manufacturer, Variable Refresh Rate support will be available immediately when the TVs come out. That was not the case in 2021. Sony promised to come up with updates, but when they will be available is not yet known.
| Fashion model | HDMI 1 | HDMI 2 | HDMI 3 | HDMI 4 |
| Z9K | 18Gbit/s | 4K120, VRR, ALLM, 48Gbit/s | 4K120, VRR, ALLM, eARC, 48Gbit/s | 4K120, 8K60, 40Gbit/s |
| A95K | 18Gbit/s | 18Gbit/s | 4K120, VRR, ALLM, eARC, 48Gbit/s | 4K120, VRR, ALLM, 48Gbit/s |
| A80K | 18Gbit/s | 18Gbit/s | 4K120, VRR, ALLM, eARC, 48Gbit/s | 4K120, VRR, ALLM, 48Gbit/s |
| X95K | 18Gbit/s | 18Gbit/s | 4K120, VRR, ALLM, eARC, 48Gbit/s | 4K120, VRR, ALLM, 48Gbit/s |
| X90K | 18Gbit/s | 18Gbit/s | 4K120, VRR, ALLM, eARC, 48Gbit/s | 4K120, VRR, ALLM, 48Gbit/s |
Google TV and PlayStation 5 features
All 2022 TVs from Sony work with Google TV as the operating system and have Apple AirPlay support. In addition, Sony TVs will receive the ‘Perfect for PlayStation 5’ rating. The console can recognize which TV is connected and then automatically adjusts the HDR settings to the maximum brightness of the screen. Sony calls this Auto HDR Tone Mapping. The Bravia TVs also detect whether the console is playing a game or, for example, a movie and the screen settings are adjusted accordingly.