It is a huge feat to see the next-gen Sony QDOLED panel tech for the first time.
Sony is the first TV manufacturer that has shown a QD-OLED (Quantum Dot OpLED) TV. The flagship of the Sony TV range is the Master Series Bravia A95K. It offers absolute picture quality and pushes the boundaries.
It was a great experience.
We were able to confirm that the set delivers higher levels of brightness and a greater color volume than OLED panels.
It also includes an upgraded version the brand’s Cognitive Processor XR processor that is tuned to maximize the potential of QD OLED panels and a revised version the Sony’s Acoustic Surface Audio+ technology.
Does it live up to its hype? It has proven to be a great product.
Prices and availability
Sony has not yet confirmed the price of A95K. The screen will be available in two sizes: 55-inch and 65-inch. It is expected that the price of the A95K will be around PS3000/$3000, and PS4000/$4000 respectively.
Expensive? Yes, they are expensive, but we expect a premium on QDOLED flatscreens due to the fact that this technology is still new and that production yields will be very low.
It is reasonable to assume that the rollout will occur sometime between April-June, although shipping delays could mean that it may not be available in certain territories until later in this year.
Design and features
The A95K certainly has designer good looks. This panel is reminiscent of the original OLED by Sony. It had a similar design to its monolithic lean-back LCD. However, this was a little controversial with some buyers. The glass is held up by a thin, transparent bezel. The screen is nearly flush with the ground. You will see the counterweight support at the back if you look around.
This model has a 3 degree lean back. It should be placed on low-AV furniture to get the best view angle. An alternative installation option is to reverse the stand so that it can be seen from the front. If necessary, you can push the set closer towards a wall.
The rear covers conceal all inputs and outputs, giving the screen a sleek look from every angle. Only two HDMI inputs on the screen are capable of supporting high-frame rate 4K/120fps gaming.
This set includes a premium slim remote control that is both aluminum and backlit. The keys glow when you pick it up. It is a beautiful wand with keys that can be used to stream streaming services.
Also included in the box is the Sony Bravia Cam, a magnetically connected video camera that connects at the top of your screen.
Performance
The short version is that QD-OLED panel technology lives to its hype. The Sony A95K OLED display is brilliant and has great color vibrancy.
A 65-inch A95K was used as a comparison alongside a 2021 OLED. This is no small feat in terms of picture quality. A venerable Sony BVMX300 pro mastering monitor provided visual reference.
Although QD-OLED may be an evolution of OLED displays, it is worth noting that the structures are quite different. There is no need for white sub-pixels, which are used in OLED panels popularized by LG Display. This is to increase brightness, but limit the theoretical depth of color.
Instead, the QD-OLED panel uses a quantum dot filter to achieve high brightness and a large color volume. The Sony A95K is capable of producing stunningly deep and vivid reds as well as brilliant greens.
A variety of test sequences were used to stretch the panel for the demo. These included scenes from Cruella (principally, to demonstrate color fidelity) as well as Monster Hunter (to show black level performance and banding/gradation prowess). The A95K performed almost identically to the Pro mastering monitor in its Custom image preset in all tests.
Despite the fact that the A95K was clearly better than last year’s QD OLED model by a wide margin, there were subtle differences as required by the cinema preset.
It was pure coincidence that I had just looked at LG’s OLED the day before. This model features LG Display’s new OLED panel with heat distorting techThe moment that Sony let the QD-OLED go free was when it ran it in Standard and Vivid modes. This proved to be a great marriage in AV heaven. A custom demo of a country wedding looked amazing.
The A95K’s standard mode images really pop. Not so much in terms specular HDR highlights, but overall picture quality. This is where the A95K stands out from regular OLED TVs and QD-OLED is positioned as an attractive bright room/living room option to the most expensive LED models.
Vivid also elevated the screen’s green and red performance. It was garish, but it was amazing.
nology. In their respective cinema modes, would the Sony QDOLED and LG G2 really be that different? They weren’t paired together, but I suspect they are.
There is a catch. Very few people will choose to view live action content in Vivid mode. If you are a dedicated home cinema fan, I bet your natural instinct will be to view the set’s Custom or Netflix calibrated cinema modes. This panel is full of potential.
Audio quality
The jury is still out on this one, since our demo session with it did not allow us to test the sound quality. It will sound great, I am optimistic.
Sony rates the Acoustic Surface Audio Plus sound technology on the A95K at 2.2. This compares to the A80K’s 3.2. According to Sony, this is due to the QD OLED panel requiring changes in actuators. The new panel structure apparently makes a difference in their implementation.
Sony claims that the A95K’s actuators are slightly larger and more powerful than those on the A80K. Let’s just take it as is.
A center speaker mode is also available on the set. This allows the TV’s sound system to act as the central speaker in a multichannel system.
Early verdict
Sony’s QDOLED A95K is a game-changer in so many ways. It has the ability to improve picture quality beyond what is required and offers a level that will ensure the future of the visual industry. It is amazing, unleashed.
Is it worth the extra cost compared to more traditional screens? Especially if 4K streaming is default content. We won’t be able to answer that question until we have a few of the best 2022 models on our bench. You might not be able to see the differences in real-world viewing as clearly as you might think.
We can confirm that the Master Series A95K TV is a stunning TV and a front-runner in the year’s screen of the Year race.
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