When it was released in 2021 as a part of Sony’s BRAVIA 4K OLED lineup, the Sony A80 OLED TV was considered to be the TV of the future. Equipped with every possible feature to give the LG A1 OLED and Vizio OLED 2020 — its competitors — a run for their money, the Sony TV does impressively well in all departments, from gaming to smart features.
Of all its uses, the Sony A80 works best as a PC monitor. However, you can also use it for HDR gaming, movies, sports, TV shows, and mixed usage. Its wide color gamut, excellent motion handling, and lightning-quick response make it an incredible addition to your home.
Do these features make Sony A80 OLED TV worth breaking the bank? Here’s a roundup of the TV’s performance on various parameters, such as performance, build, design, gaming features, etc.
Overview of Sony A80 OLED TV
- 65-inch OLED 4K Ultra HD screen
- Smart Google TV
- Dolby Vision HDR
- Alexa compatibility
- Black bezel
The Sony BRAVIA XR Class A80J TV has three size variations: 55-inch, 65-inch, and 77-inch. While the smallest size sits below the $2,000 mark, the 77-inch variation is nearly $3,500.
Although the Sony A80 does not come with additional accessories, it has Google TV built in. Most OLED TVs have extremely thin panels that often lack stability and become a pain to mount on the wall.
However, the Sony A80 exudes skilled craftsmanship and design. It has sturdy metal feet and razor-thin metallic bezels. Neither is it overly flashy, nor does it feel dull. It comes with the regular Sony fare — a remote that lacks the backlight — but it has every other feature.
The metal feet can sit in three positions; standard, slinging the TV low towards the credenza, or raising its lower border. Opt for the latter if you want to place a soundbar on the console without blocking the TV screen.
A little tip: make sure your media stand is bigger than the TV size variation you choose. Sony A80’s feet extend towards the edge of the screen, regardless of the configuration, requiring additional space.
Sony A80 Specs Table
| Features | Sony BRAVIA XR Class A80J (55-inch) | Sony BRAVIA XR Class A80J (65-inch) |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions Without Stand (W x H x D) | 1227 x 712 x 53 mm | 1448 x 836 x 53 mm |
| Weight Without Stand | 17.8 kg | 22.3 kg |
| Notes | Semi-gloss finish | Semi-gloss finish |
| HDMI Inputs | 4 (1 Side,3 Bottom) | 4 (1 Side,3 Bottom) |
| Display Type | OLED | OLED |
| Bezel Color | Titanium Black | Titanium Black |
| Sound Modes | Standard, Dialog, Cinema, Music, Sports, Dolby Audio | Standard, Dialog, Cinema, Music, Sports, Dolby Audio |
| HDR Compatibility | HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision | HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision |
| Speaker Type | Acoustic Surface Audio+ | Acoustic Surface Audio+ |
| Sony BRAVIA XR Class A80J (77-inch) | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions Without Stand (W x H x D) | 1722 x 999 x 54 mm |
| Weight Without Stand | 28.9 kg |
| Notes | Glossy finish |
| HDMI Inputs | 4 (1 Side,3 Bottom) |
| Display Type | OLED |
| Bezel Color | Titanium Black |
| Sound Modes | Standard, Dialog, Cinema, Music, Sports, Dolby Audio |
| HDR Compatibility | HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision |
| Speaker Type | Acoustic Surface Audio+ |
Sony A80 OLED TV: Build and Design
The Sony A80 OLED TV is closely related to the company’s A90J OLED. However, the back panel is different, featuring a grid-like pattern. At first glance, the Sony A80 is the perfect TV for any living room.
Looking at the TV’s build, let’s start with the stand. Its regular position keeps the TV sitting close to the table. The 55-inch would have a 41 inches (W) x 13 inches (D) footprint in this position. However, if you have a smaller table, the stand also has a narrow position, in which the footprint is reduced to 27.3 inches (W) x 13 inches (D) for the 55-inch variation. Meanwhile, the soundbar position has the same footprint as the standard one but raises the TV to accommodate a soundbar.
As for the wall mount, its feet and panel are metallic. The rest is textured plastic with a grid-like pattern of diagonal grooves. A slight downside of the Sony A80 is the lack of cable management features. The TV comes with a cable tie in the box, but apart from that, there’s no mechanism to manage the input cables. Most of the input slots face down on the Sony A80. So, it’s hard to access them if the TV is wall-mounted.
In terms of build, the Sony A80 is a stellar piece of work. It has premium materials in a sophisticated build, with no wobble in the stand. The plastic back has a slight flex, but it’s nothing that takes away from the solidness of the TV unit.
- Cognitive processor XR delivers deep blacks, high peak brightness, and realistic colors
- Billions of accurate colors with the XR Triluminos Pro
- Over 700,000 movies and TV episodes from favorite streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+
- 120Hz refresh rate plus XR Motion Clarity keeps fast-paced action blur-free
- Works with Alexa
Sony A80 OLED TV: Display and Performance
To fully understand the performance of the Sony A80 OLED TV, we need to touch on individual plus points.
XR Processor
Sony’s XR Picture, combined with the OLED contrast, offers a matchless viewing experience with deep and natural colors. The company’s XR processor takes a human perspective approach to viewing TV. It cross-analyses hundreds of thousands of viewing elements in milliseconds, resulting in lifelike pictures with pure blacks and true-to-life colors.
Sony’s Cognitive Processor XR also enhances pictures on the screen as our eye focuses on an object’s depth and color. The XR OLED contrast further brightens colors as required, ensuring no detail is missed out due to blown-out highlights.
Simply put, the Sony A80 shows you even the smallest differences in color shades and hues. It defines details, even in areas with glare and dark shadows.
The XR HDR Remaster detects every object on the screen, even the smallest one. It then analyzes the contrast and color of the object. Finally, it adjusts everything from motion vector, brightness, and saturation, to hue and bandwidth to show natural colors.
4K/120fps
Sony’s BRAVIA lineup features 4K/120fps support, allowing you to watch movies and shows in full 4K quality. The 120fps frame rate provides smoother playback for compatible games and media.
It makes the TV a great addition to your gaming setup if you play high-performance sports or shooting games. Plus, the input lag of under 8.5ms with 4K/120fps offers smooth gameplay.
Sony’s A80 also has a dedicated Game Mode. Although the HDR brightness is the same as outside Game Mode, the near-infinite contrast ratio makes HDR content pop out.
The Game Mode also has an Electro-Optical Transfer Function (EOTF), which converts a digital signal in the viewed content into brightness. Sony’s A80 shows you gaming content at the exact brightness level the game developer intended.
Even at peak brightness, the roll-off is smooth enough to ensure the fine details are not lost in the bright areas. The same goes for gradients too. Even if you’re playing a low-quality game, you can even out the gradients with the Smooth Gradation feature.
As for the color gamut, the TV covers the whole DCI-P3 color space, commonly used in HDR content. Rest assured, the viewing experience will be as good as it gets.
Netflix Calibrated Mode
The Sony A80 also has a Netflix Calibrated Mode in which you’ll see the content just as the creator intended you to see it. That includes the color, sounds, and most of the picture settings.
The TV also has a Light Sensor to optimize the screen brightness according to room conditions. It boosts picture brightness in light rooms and lowers it in darker ones.
IMAX Enhanced
The IMAX Enhanced certification means the Sony A80 is optimized for high-quality sound and picture. So you can enjoy an immersive entertainment experience at home.
Want to save a trip to the cinema? The Dolby Vision® and Dolby Atmos® allow this. While Dolby Vision® offers authentic visuals, Dolby Atmos® provides a rich acoustic experience.
Sony A80 OLED TV: Screen Size and Resolution
The Sony A80 OLED TV supports most resolutions, such as 4k @120Hz. It also displays proper Chroma 4:4:4 with 4k and 1080p resolutions. That’s a huge plus if you want to use the TV as a PC monitor.
But do note that the TV won’t allow 4k @120Hz on your Xbox if you’ve enabled the Enhanced Format (Dolby Vision) during gaming. You can either play games at 4k @120Hz without this feature or turn it on and experience a reduced refresh rate of 4k @60Hz.
For PS5 gaming, the TV offers 4k @120Hz , 1440p @120Hz, and 1080p @120Hz. It doesn’t offer 1440p support.
Regarding the screen size, the 55-inch variation has a screen size of around 54.6 inches. Meanwhile, the screen size for the 65-inch variation is 64.5 inches, and for the 77-inch variation is 76.7 inches.
©Tooykrub/Shutterstock.com
Sony A80 OLED TV: Inputs
The Sony A80 OLED TV has 3 USB and 4 HDMI inputs. These include:
- 1 Digital Optical Audio Out
- 1 Analog Audio Out 3.5mm
- 1 Composite In (adapter is not included)
- 1 Tuner (Cable/Ant)
- 1 Ethernet 1
- 1 IR In
It does not come with a Displayport, but you can use an HDMI to Displayport converter if you need one.
Sony A80 OLED TV: Sound
Sony’s Acoustic Surface Audio＋ offers an amazing sync between the sound and the action on the screen. The actuators are placed behind the TV, so the sound comes from the screen’s center.
Sony A80 also has a front-facing subwoofer to deliver deep and clear bass. The sound remains consistent even if the TV is placed on the table or mounted on the wall.
With 3D Surround Upscaling, the TV reproduces multi-dimensional sound to offer an immersive experience. You will feel the sound not only from your sides but also vertically.
Think of a cinema hall. That’s what you’ll get with this setting. The XR Surround also gives surround sound treatment to all visual content. So, you get a 3D audio experience without additional in-ceiling or external speakers.
Sony A80 OLED TV: Smart Features
With Google TV built-in, you can access more than 700,000 TV shows and movies from your favorite streaming platforms. The Sony A80 is also compatible with voice search. You simply have to ask, and the TV will resume the episode you were watching last time.
Or, you can use the smart remote that controls all your connected devices too. You can access on-demand content, switch inputs, control your gaming console, and more with a single touch.
Besides Google TV, the Sony A80 also has built-in Chromecast. You can cast your favorite shows from your phone to the big screen.
It also works with Apple HomeKit. You can stream videos and content from your iPhone using Apple AirPlay. Or use the Apple TV app to watch your favorite shows on a big TV screen.
The Final Verdict
All in all, the Sony A80 OLED TV is a good investment if you’re looking for a multi-use TV. Whether you want to play video games, connect it to your computer, or binge-watch Netflix, this TV performs well in all aspects.
Its color gamut, sound technology, and instant response time make it useful for HDR gaming and watching sports. The smart features further make it easy to use, allowing you to control it with your voice or phone.
- Sony A80J 65-inch TV XR65A80J BRAVIA XR OLED 4K Ultra HD Smart Google TV (2021)
- 65-inch OLED 4K Ultra HD screen
- Smart Google TV
- Dolby Vision HDR
- Alexa compatibility
- Black bezel
- Sony A90J 55 Inch TV: BRAVIA XR OLED 4K Ultra HD Smart Google TV with Dolby Vision HDR and Alexa Compatibility XR55A90J- 2021 Model
- Cognitive processor XR delivers deep blacks, high peak brightness, and realistic colors
- Billions of accurate colors with the XR Triluminos Pro
- Over 700,000 movies and TV episodes from favorite streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+
- 120Hz refresh rate plus XR Motion Clarity keeps fast-paced action blur-free
- Works with Alexa
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