The Sony A8H OLED is a 4k OLED from Sony's 2020 lineup. It's one of two OLEDs in the lineup, sitting alongside the Sony A9S OLED, which is only available in a 48 inch size, and the A8H is available in 55 and 65 inches. OLED TVs are unique because each pixel can turn on and off individually, resulting in a near-infinite contrast ratio for perfect black levels. There's no blooming around bright objects either, making it a fantastic choice for watching movies in the dark. It comes with Android TV as its smart interface, which has a ton of apps available to download, but takes a bit of time to learn how to navigate through it. Sadly, it's limited on extra gaming features, as it's limited to HDMI 2.0 bandwidth, and it doesn't support any variable refresh rate (VRR) technology. OLEDs also have the risk of permanent burn-in, but this won't be a problem if you tend to watch varied content.
Our Verdict
The Sony A8H is an excellent TV for most uses. Its picture quality in dark room is amazing thanks to a near-infinite contrast ratio for deep blacks without any blooming. It upscales lower resolution content well, which is great for watching cable TV or sports. HDR content looks excellent thanks to its wide color gamut and decent peak brightness, so most highlights pop. Unfortunately, although its input lag is great for casual gaming and it has remarkable motion handling, it doesn't support advanced gaming features like variable refresh rate support. Also, OLEDs have a risk of permanent burn-in with cumulative exposure to the same static elements, which is a problem if you want to use it as a PC monitor.
- Perfect black levels.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Near-instantaneous response time.
- Decent peak brightness in SDR and HDR.
- Risk of permanent burn-in.
- Stutters in lower frame rate content.
The Sony A8H is fantastic for watching movies. As it's an OLED TV, it has a near-infinite contrast ratio and produces perfect blacks, which is ideal for watching movies in a dark room. It doesn't use a backlight, so there's no blooming around bright objects either. It doesn't have an issue upscaling lower-resolution content from DVDs or Blu-rays, and it removes 24p judder from any source. Sadly, low-frame-rate content appears to stutter due to the near-instantaneous response time, but it has a motion interpolation feature to reduce stutter.
- Perfect black levels.
- Can remove judder from all sources.
- No issues upscaling lower-resolution content.
- Removes 24p judder from any source.
- Stutters in lower frame rate content.
The Sony A8H is great for watching TV shows. It has exceptional reflection handling and gets decently bright, so it's good for most well-lit rooms unless you have a window with direct sunlight. It also has wide viewing angles, so the image remains accurate no matter what angle you watch from, and it upscales lower-resolution content from cable boxes without issue. Like all OLEDs, there's a risk of permanent burn-in, but this is only a problem if you constantly watch the same news channel all day.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Decent peak brightness in SDR and HDR.
- Exceptional reflection handling.
- Risk of permanent burn-in.
The Sony A8H is an excellent TV for watching sports. It has fantastic motion handling, thanks to its near-instantaneous response time, meaning fast-moving balls and players look smooth on the screen. You won't have visibility issues in most bright environments since it gets decently bright and handles reflections extremely well, but don't place it opposite a really bright room. It also has wide viewing angles, which is great for watching the big game in a wide seating arrangement, as everyone will see an accurate image from the sides.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Near-instantaneous response time.
- Decent peak brightness in SDR and HDR.
- Risk of permanent burn-in.
The Sony A8H offers excellent gaming performance. It has a very fast response time that makes motion look smooth, and its near-infinite contrast ratio delivers deep blacks for dark room gaming. It also has low enough input lag for casual gamers, but it's not as low as some other TVs. Sadly, it lacks some gaming features as it doesn't support variable refresh rate technology to reduce screen tearing, and it doesn't support HDMI 2.1 bandwidth for high-frame-rate gaming from the Xbox Series X and PS5.
- Perfect black levels.
- Near-instantaneous response time.
- Input lag too high for competitive gamers.
- No variable refresh rate support.
- Limited to HDMI 2.0 bandwidth.
The Sony A8H is amazing for watching movies in HDR. Like all OLEDs, it displays perfect blacks, and it doesn't have any issues with blooming since it can turn pixels off individually. It displays a wide color gamut and gets bright enough to make small highlights in HDR content pop, especially if you're watching in a darker environment. Sadly, there's stutter when watching lower frame rate content, which is caused by the TV's near-instantaneous response time, but it has a motion interpolation feature to reduce that problem.
- Perfect black levels.
- Decent peak brightness in SDR and HDR.
- Can remove judder from all sources.
- Displays a wide HDR color gamut.
- Stutters in lower frame rate content.
The Sony A8H is an excellent TV for HDR gaming. It has a near-instantaneous response time that makes fast-moving action in video games look crisp, and it has a low input lag for casual gamers. The TV produces perfect black levels and has a wide color gamut that helps bring out highlights in HDR content thanks to the decent peak brightness. Unfortunately, it doesn't support variable refresh rate technology to reduce screen tearing, and it's limited to HDMI 2.0 bandwidth, so you can't play high-frame-rate 4k games.
- Perfect black levels.
- Near-instantaneous response time.
- Decent peak brightness in SDR and HDR.
- Displays a wide HDR color gamut.
- Input lag too high for competitive gamers.
- No variable refresh rate support.
- Limited to HDMI 2.0 bandwidth.
The Sony A8H is a great TV for use as a PC monitor. It has a low enough input lag for a responsive desktop experience and a fast response time for smooth motion. It also has excellent viewing angles, so the edges of the screen don't look washed out if you sit up close. It supports most common resolutions, except for 1440p, and it displays proper chroma 4:4:4, meaning text appears crisp. Unfortunately, there's a risk of permanent burn-in, which can happen with cumulative exposure to static elements like a desktop user interface.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Near-instantaneous response time.
- Exceptional reflection handling.
- Risk of permanent burn-in.
- Limited to HDMI 2.0 bandwidth.
Changelog
- Updated Sep 26, 2025: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
- Updated Jul 08, 2025: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
- Updated Apr 17, 2025: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
- Updated Feb 11, 2025: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 55 inch Sony A8H (XBR-55A8H), and for the most part, the results are also valid for the 65 inch (XBR-65A8H) model. In Europe, there's also the Sony A85 Series OLED. It's the same TV, but with Sony's 'Premium Blade Stand', which has a different stand. Instead of being height-adjustable like the North American model, you can place it in a narrow or wide position.
| Size | North America | Short Model |
|---|---|---|
| 55" | XBR-55A8H | 55A8H |
| 65" | XBR-65A8H | 65A8H |
If you come across a different type of panel or your Sony A8H doesn't correspond to the review, let us know, and we will update the review. Note that some tests like the gray uniformity may vary between individual units.
The unit of the Sony A8H was manufactured in April 2020, and you can see the label here.
Popular TV Comparisons
The Sony A8H is an overall excellent TV. Compared to its predecessor, the Sony A8G OLED, it performs better, as its peak brightness, color volume, and input lag have all improved significantly. However, it still doesn't have gaming features like the LG CX OLED, so if you're a gamer it's worth getting the LG instead.
For other options, check out our recommendations for the best TVs, the best 4k HDR TVs, and the best 4k gaming TVs.
The Sony A90J OLED and the Sony A8H OLED are very similar TVs overall. The biggest difference is that the A90J has two HDMI 2.1 ports, which is great if you plan on using it for the latest gaming consoles, while the A8H doesn't have any. Otherwise, they both deliver the same exceptional picture quality and performance that most OLEDs do, thanks to their ability to turn off individual pixels and their near-instantaneous response times.
The Sony A8H OLED and the LG CX OLED are almost identical in performance. The Sony delivers slightly better picture quality, as it has better gradient handling and a much better color volume. On the other hand, the LG is a better choice for gaming, as it has a lower input lag, and it supports advanced gaming features like VRR and 'Auto Low Latency Mode'.
Overall, the Sony A8H OLED is slightly better than the Sony A9G OLED. They both perform very similarly, but the A8H can get a lot brighter, it has better out-of-the-box color accuracy, and its input lag is much lower. However, if you use your TV as a PC monitor and you need native support for a 1440p resolution, then you're better off with the A9G.
The Sony A80J OLED replaces the Sony A8H OLED in 2021, and while the two perform similarly, the A80J has a few upgrades that give it a slight edge. The biggest is the addition of two HDMI 2.1 ports, which is great for PS5 or Xbox Series X owners, and the A80J also has VRR support. If you want a bigger screen, the A80J is also available in a larger 77 inch size. That said, they both offer stunning picture quality, and the A8H gets a bit brighter overall in both SDR and HDR.
We buy and test dozens of TVs yearly, taking an objective, data-driven approach to deliver results you can trust. Our testing process is complex, with hundreds of individual tests that take over a week to complete. Most of our tests use specially designed test patterns that mimic real content, but we also use the same sources you have at home to ensure our results match the real-world experience. We use two main tools for our testing: a Colorimetry Research CR-100 colorimeter and a CR-250 spectroradiometer.
Test Results
Older Test Bench: This product has been tested using an older TV test methodology, before a major update. Some of the test results below aren't directly comparable with other TVs. Learn more
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