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Sony A95K OLED TV Review

Tested using Methodology v1.11
Review updated Nov 29, 2023 at 03:26 pm
Latest change: Retest Sep 11, 2024 at 03:26 pm
Sony A95K OLED Picture
9.0
Mixed Usage
Value for price beaten by
: no price info
8.8
TV Shows
Value for price beaten by
: no price info
8.9
Sports
Value for price beaten by
: no price info
9.2
Video Games
Value for price beaten by
: no price info
9.1
HDR Movies
Value for price beaten by
: no price info
9.0
HDR Gaming
Value for price beaten by
: no price info
9.2
PC Monitor
Value for price beaten by
: no price info
This TV was replaced by the Sony A95L OLED

The Sony A95K OLED is the flagship 4k TV in Sony's 2022 lineup, sitting above the Sony A90K OLED and the Sony A80K/A80CK OLED. It's their first QD-OLED TV, which is a type of OLED panel that features new technology to improve on traditional OLED TVs. It's one of the first QD-OLED displays available at the consumer level in 2022, alongside the Samsung S95B OLED. It uses a blue OLED panel with quantum dot filters that are supposed to combine the perfect black levels of OLEDs with the wide range of colors and bright highlights of QLED TVs. It's a high-end TV, so it's packed with features like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and variable refresh rate (VRR) support for gamers. Its Google TV interface is user-friendly, and it comes with the BRAVIA webcam that adds a few new features, like gesture support if you don't want to use the remote to navigate the menu. It's been replaced in 2023 by the Sony A95L OLED.

Our Verdict

9.0 Mixed Usage

The Sony Bravia XR A95K is an incredible TV for any usage. It looks remarkable in dark rooms because of its nearly infinite contrast ratio and ability to display inky blacks without blooming around bright objects. This also makes it an incredible TV for watching HDR content, as vivid colors and bright highlights pop. It's great in a bright room thanks to its incredible reflection handling, but unfortunately, any bright light sources also cause the black levels to rise. The TV is exceptional for gaming as it has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, VRR support, crystal-clear motion, and low input lag.

Pros
  • Perfect black levels.
  • No blooming around bright objects.
  • Wide viewing angle.
  • Near-perfect tone mapping.
  • Bright highlights and vivid colors.
Cons
  • SDR brightness is just decent.
  • Ambient light causes black levels to raise.
8.8 TV Shows

The Sony Bravia XR A95K is an impressive TV for watching TV shows in a bright room. Despite the TV not having the greatest peak brightness in SDR, the remarkable reflection handling makes up for it with its ability to reduce glare from pesky light sources. The TV has a fantastic viewing angle, so no matter where you or your friends are sitting, no one will have to deal with a degraded image. The built-in Google TV smart interface has a huge selection of apps and provides both hands-free voice control and gesture controls with the included camera, so you have a few options on how you want to browse for your favorite show.

Pros
  • No issues with upscaling content.
  • Incredible reflection handling.
  • Wide viewing angle.
Cons
  • SDR brightness is just decent.
  • Ambient light causes black levels to raise.
8.9 Sports

The Sony A95K OLED is an excellent TV for watching sports. The remarkable reflection handling makes up for its shortcomings with peak brightness, so glare isn't an issue in a bright room. It also has an incredibly wide viewing angle that doesn't degrade from the sides, so it's a great choice for watching the game with friends. Fast-moving balls and players look smooth thanks to the TV's nearly instantaneous response time, so you can make out all the action without motion blur becoming a distraction. Finally, low-quality cable sports channels and streams are upscaled exceptionally due to Sony's top-notch image processing.

Pros
  • No issues with upscaling content.
  • Incredible reflection handling.
  • Wide viewing angle.
  • Fantastic motion handling.
Cons
  • SDR brightness is just decent.
  • Ambient light causes black levels to raise.
9.2 Video Games

The Sony Bravia XR A95K is exceptional for gaming. It has many gaming features like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, VRR, and 4K @ 120Hz support. The TV has outstanding response time, so even the most fast-paced games are displayed without motion blur. The input lag is low enough for a responsive feel, but it is higher than other premium TVs, so there are better options if you're after the least input lag possible.

Pros
  • Perfect black levels.
  • No blooming around bright objects.
  • Fantastic motion handling.
  • HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and VRR support.
Cons
  • Ambient light causes black levels to raise.
9.1 HDR Movies

The Sony A95K OLED is an outstanding TV for watching movies in a dark room. Thanks to its infinite contrast ratio and incredible black uniformity, the blacks are deep and inky without the risk of blooming. The TV accurately displays a wide range of colors in HDR thanks to its outstanding tone mapping. It also gets bright enough to make colors look vivid and highlights pop, and with Sony's fantastic image processing, there's hardly any banding in HDR.

Pros
  • Perfect black levels.
  • No blooming around bright objects.
  • Removes 24p judder from any source.
  • Near-perfect tone mapping.
  • Bright highlights and vivid colors.
Cons
  • Stutter with low-frame-rate content.
9.0 HDR Gaming

The Sony Bravia XR A95K is superb for gaming in HDR. It has gaming features like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, a 120Hz panel, and VRR support, so it's a great choice to pair with a modern console. Because of the TV's outstanding response time, even the fastest motion is displayed smoothly. The input lag isn't as low as some other TVs, but it's still quite low, and there's no discernable delay between your controller and the actions on the TV. In terms of HDR, it looks remarkable as highlights pop and colors look vivid, and it also displays deep blacks without any blooming around bright objects. Unfortunately, the TV only reaches 60Hz while using Dolby Vision, so you'll have to decide whether 120Hz or Dolby Vision is more beneficial to your gaming needs.

Pros
  • Perfect black levels.
  • Fantastic motion handling.
  • HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and VRR support.
  • Near-perfect tone mapping.
  • Bright highlights and vivid colors.
Cons
  • Ambient light causes black levels to raise.
  • Dolby Vision limited to 4k @ 60Hz.
9.2 PC Monitor

The Sony Bravia XR A95K is a great TV to use as a PC monitor, but there are some drawbacks. It has an incredibly wide viewing angle, so the sides of the screen stay uniform when you're sitting close to it. It displays 4:4:4 correctly, an important aspect of the TV's ability to display clear text from a computer. Still, there are some text clarity issues because of its unusual subpixel layout, and there's color fringing when displaying content with black bars. Both issues are noticeable if you sit close to the TV, but it's not apparent if you're far enough away from the screen.

Pros
  • Incredible reflection handling.
  • Wide viewing angle.
  • Fantastic motion handling.
  • HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and VRR support.
Cons
  • SDR brightness is just decent.
  • Ambient light causes black levels to raise.
  • Text clarity issues and color fringing.
  • 9.0 Mixed Usage
  • 8.8 TV Shows
  • 8.9 Sports
  • 9.2 Video Games
  • 9.1 HDR Movies
  • 9.0 HDR Gaming
  • 9.2 PC Monitor
  1. Updated Sep 11, 2024: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
  2. Updated Jul 17, 2024: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
  3. Updated May 02, 2024: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
  4. Updated Feb 13, 2024: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
  5. Updated Dec 05, 2023: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
  6. Updated Nov 29, 2023: We've updated the text in the review to reflect our latest test methodology updates and to add information about the Accelerated Longevity Test.
  7. Updated Nov 08, 2023: We bought and tested the replacement model of this TV, the Sony A95L OLED, and added a few relevant comparisons below in the SDR Brightness and the Xbox Series X|S Compatibility sections.
  8. Updated Oct 12, 2023: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
  9. Updated Oct 02, 2023: We rechecked for proper 1440p support with the latest firmware and found that this TV doesn't support 1440p at all, even when forced. The Variable Refresh Rate, Input Lag, and Supported Resolutions sections of the review have been updated.
  10. Updated Aug 09, 2023: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
  11. Updated Jul 27, 2023: Added mention of the newly reviewed Sony A80L OLED in this review's Compared To Other TVs section.
  12. Updated Jun 07, 2023: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
  13. Updated Jun 01, 2023: We've added a mention of the newly-reviewed LG C3 OLED in the Input Lag section of this review.
  14. Updated Apr 28, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 1.11. With this update, we've added a new Upscaling: Sharpness Processing test and revamped our Blooming test so the scores and picture better match the real world experience. With this change, it was necessary to remove the Black Crush test. Finally, we've updated our usage scores to better align our scores with user expectations.
  15. Updated Apr 03, 2023: We uploaded the brightness measurements and uniformity photos after running the TV for four months in our Accelerated Longevity Test.
  16. Updated Mar 13, 2023: We bought and tested the Samsung S95C OLED, and we've added a few relevant comparisons to the review below.
  17. Updated Feb 16, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 1.10. With this update we've revamped our Gradient testing, added a new test for Low Quality Content Smoothing, and expanded our Audio Passthrough testing.
  18. Updated Dec 12, 2022: Updated to Test Bench 1.9, modifying our Contrast testing and splitting our local dimming testing into multiple sections covering Blooming, Black Crush, and Lighting Zone Transitions. You can see our full changelog here.
  19. Updated Nov 17, 2022: We uploaded the initial brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
  20. Updated Oct 07, 2022: Retested the SDR Real Scene Brightness after letting the TV cool down a bit after testing the brightness slides, which results in a slightly brighter image.
  21. Updated Sep 09, 2022: We added a note that the white balance difference is somewhat expected, as Sony targets a different white point when calibrating their displays at the factory.
  22. Updated Sep 07, 2022: Review published.
  23. Updated Aug 31, 2022: Early access published.
  24. Updated Aug 22, 2022: Our testers have started testing this product.
  25. Updated Aug 18, 2022: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
  26. Updated Aug 13, 2022: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
  27. Updated Jul 27, 2022: The product has won our suggestion poll, so we'll buy and test it soon.

Differences Between Sizes And Variants

We tested the 65-inch Sony Bravia XR A95K, but the results are also valid for the 55-inch model, which is the only other size available. The model code remains the same across different regions.

Size Model
55" XR-55A95K
65" XR-65A95K

Our unit was manufactured in July 2022, and you can see the label here.

Compared To Other TVs

The Sony A95K is a remarkable TV that delivers better HDR picture quality than most TVs we've tested. If you're looking for the best TV for watching HDR movies or for a home theater setup, you won't be disappointed, as it displays a wide range of colors and highlights pop. However, it comes with a premium price, and if you don't need Dolby Vision or DTS support, competing models like the Samsung S95C OLED deliver nearly identical picture quality for a lot less. If you want these features but aren't willing to pay the A95K's high-end price, consider the much cheaper Sony A80L/A80CL OLED.

See our recommendations for the best 4k TVs, the best TVs for movies, and the best OLEDs.

Samsung S95B OLED
55" 65"

The Samsung S95B OLED and the Sony A95K OLED are both remarkable TVs with strengths and weaknesses. They use the same panel type, so the differences come down to image processing. The A95K focuses on accuracy over brightness, so it has better tone mapping in HDR as details are better, and it doesn't have black crush like on the Samsung. However, the Samsung TV focuses more on brightness, meaning it delivers brighter highlights in some scenes. The Sony model also supports Dolby Vision, which the Samsung doesn't, and it's a format that more content uses. However, the Samsung TV is the better gaming TV because it has lower input lag and supports FreeSync, which the Sony model doesn't.

LG C3 OLED
42" 48" 55" 65" 77" 83"

The Sony A95K OLED and LG C3 OLED are comparable TVs, each with its strengths, with the Sony being marginally better overall. The Sony is a bit brighter than the LG in HDR; however, the LG is brighter in SDR. The Sony has a much wider color gamut than the LG; its QD-OLED panel outputs vibrant, saturated colors, which makes the TV pop. It also has much better HDR gradient handling than the LG, so you won't notice annoying banding in scenes with color gradients. While both TVs have good image processing, the Sony has the edge in upscaling, so low-resolution content will look sharp and clear on the Sony. While both TVs are gaming beasts, the Sony TV's input lag is a bit higher than the LG's, so the LG is better if you play competitive games at high skill levels.

Sony A80L/A80CL OLED
55" 65" 77" 83"

The Sony A95K OLED is better than the Sony A80L OLED. The A95K has a QD-OLED panel that is brighter and more colorful than the WOLED panel in the A80L. They're both Sony TVs, stellar in image processing and upscaling, and they have the same feature set, so the A95K is just a better, higher-tier TV.

LG G3 OLED
55" 65" 77" 83"

The Sony Bravia XR A95K and the LG G3 OLED are very similar TVs. The A95K is better for watching movies and TV due to it’s excellent upscaling and smoother gradients in HDR. The Sony also delivers a better color volume and has a wider color gamut, so colors are brighter and more vibrant. The LG G3 is a bit more versatile and is a better option for gaming due to its lower input lag, and it has four ports capable of HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, opposed to the two ports on the A95K.

Samsung S95C OLED
55" 65" 77"

The Samsung S95C OLED and the Sony A95K OLED deliver a very similar experience overall. The Sony is a bit better for a home theater setup since it supports Dolby Vision HDR and more advanced audio formats like DTS. The Samsung is a bit more advanced for gaming, as it supports HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on more ports than the Sony, and its variable refresh rate feature is compatible with more sources.

Sony A90J OLED
55" 65" 83"

The Sony A95K OLED is an improvement over the Sony A90J OLED, especially with watching HDR content. The A95K uses new QD-OLED technology, which is a type of OLED that allows it to display more vivid colors and brighter highlights than the A90J. However, if you want to use your TV in a well-lit room, the A90J maintains perfect black levels in well-lit rooms, as the black levels raise on the A95K when there's ambient lighting.

Sony A90K OLED
42" 48"

The Sony A95K OLED is much better than the Sony A90K OLED. The A95K delivers a much more impactful HDR experience thanks to its wider color gamut and significantly better color volume, so bright colors are more vibrant and realistic. There's also less banding in gradients, and it gets significantly brighter, so bright highlights stand out much better. 

LG C2 OLED
42" 48" 55" 65" 77" 83"

The Sony A95K OLED and the LG C2 OLED are fantastic for different uses. If you watch many movies, the Sony TV is the better choice because of its better color volume and tone mapping, which displays a wider range of colors and makes them look more vivid. However, the LG is better for use in well-lit rooms because ambient lighting causes the black levels to raise on the Sony, which it doesn't with the LG, and it gets much brighter in SDR. The LG also has lower input lag for gaming.

Samsung S90C OLED
55" 65" 77" 83"

The Sony A95K is a little better than the Samsung S90C OLED. The Sony TV has significantly better image processing when dealing with low-quality or low-resolution content, so cable TV channels and streaming movies look much better, with less macro-blocking and pixelization. The Sony also includes Dolby Vision support, so it’s great if you’re a movie buff who wants to try out the format. The Samsung is a bit more versatile, especially for gamers, as it has lower input lag and four high-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports, whereas the Sony only has two.

Sony A80K/A80CK OLED
55" 65" 77"

The Sony A95K OLED is a much better TV than the Sony A80K/A80CK OLED. The A95K uses QD-OLED technology, which is a type of OLED that allows it to display more colors and get brighter than WOLED-equipped TVs like the A80K, so it's much better for watching HDR content. However, the A80K performs better in well-lit rooms because the black levels go up on the A95K when there's any ambient light, so you don't get the same perfect black levels that OLEDs are known for.

Sony X95K
65" 75" 85"

The Sony A95K OLED is a lot better than the Sony X95K. The A95K delivers a much better dark room experience, with perfect inky blacks and no blooming whatsoever around bright highlights. The A95K also delivers a much more impactful HDR experience thanks to its wider color gamut and significantly better color volume, so bright colors are more vibrant and realistic. It also has a much wider viewing angle, so if you're using it in a big room, you can move around and still enjoy a consistent image from the sides. The X95K is significantly brighter, so if you primarily use your TV in a very bright room, the X95K will do a better job at fighting off intense glare.

LG G2 OLED
55" 65" 77" 83" 97"

The Sony A95K OLED and the LG G2 OLED are both fantastic TVs with a few differences. The Sony delivers a better movie-watching experience because it has much better color volume and tone mapping, meaning it displays a wider range of colors and makes them look more vivid. However, the LG is better for use in well-lit rooms because ambient lighting doesn't cause the black levels to raise like on the Sony, and it gets much brighter in SDR. The LG has lower input lag, which is good if you're a gamer.

LG C1 OLED
48" 55" 65" 77" 83"

The Sony A95K OLED and the LG C1 OLED are fantastic for different uses. If you primarily watch movies, the Sony TV is the better choice because of its better color volume and tone mapping, which displays a wider range of colors and makes them look more vivid. It also gets brighter, so bright highlights will stand out more. However, the LG C1 is better for gaming because of its lower input lag and four high-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports, versus the two on the Sony.

Sony A95L OLED
55" 65" 77"

The Sony A95L OLED is a bit of an improvement over its predecessor, the Sony A95K OLED. The A95L is a lot brighter in both SDR and HDR, so bright highlights stand out better, even in very bright scenes. The A95L is also a bit better for gamers, as it supports Dolby Vision gaming at up to 4k @ 120Hz, which is a first for Sony TVs.

Sony A80J OLED
55" 65" 77"

The Sony A95K OLED is a much better TV than the Sony A80J OLED. The A95K uses QD-OLED technology, which is a type of OLED panel that allows it to display more colors and get brighter than traditional WOLED panels, so it's much better for watching HDR content. However, the A80J performs better in well-lit rooms because the black levels raise and become purple-tinged on the A95K when there's any ambient light.

Sony X95L
65" 75" 85"

The Sony A95K OLED is much better than the Sony X95L. The A95K delivers a much better dark room experience, with perfect inky blacks and no blooming whatsoever around bright highlights. The A95K also has a much wider viewing angle, so if you're using it in a big room, you can move around and still enjoy a consistent image from the sides. The X95L is significantly brighter, so if you only ever watch TV in a very bright room, the benefits of the A95K aren't as noticeable, so you can save some money and get the X95L instead.

Sony X90K/X90CK
55" 65" 75" 85"

The Sony A95K is better than the X90K/X90CK is almost every way. The Sony’s near-infinite contrast ratio delivers incredibly deep, uniform blacks and lets bright highlights stand out with no blooming. The A95K also delivers a much more impactful HDR experience thanks to its better color volume and wider color gamut. It also has a much wider viewing angle, so if you're using it in a big room, you can move around and still enjoy a consistent image from the sides. The X90K/X90CK does get a lot brighter in SDR, so it’s a better option for watching SDR content in a very bright room.

Samsung QN95B QLED
55" 65" 75" 85"

The Sony A95K delivers a much better dark room viewing experience than the Samsung QN95B QLED. The Sony’s near-infinite contrast ratio delivers incredibly deep, uniform blacks and lets bright highlights stand out with no blooming. The A95K also delivers a more varied HDR experience because it can display a wider range of colors. On the other hand, the QN95B gets significantly brighter, so it's a better choice for a bright room with lots of natural light.

Samsung QN90B QLED
43" 50" 55" 65" 75" 85"

The Sony A95K delivers a much better dark room viewing experience than the Samsung QN90B QLED. The Sony’s near-infinite contrast ratio delivers incredibly deep, uniform blacks and lets bright highlights stand out with no blooming. The A95K also delivers a more varied HDR experience because it can display a wider range of colors. On the other hand, the QN90B gets significantly brighter, so it's a better choice for a bright room with lots of natural light.

Samsung S89C OLED
77"

The Sony A95K is better than the Samsung S89C OLED. The Sony TV has significantly better image processing when dealing with low-quality or low-resolution content, so cable TV channels and streaming movies look much better, with less macro-blocking and pixelization. The Sony also includes Dolby Vision support, so it's great if you're a movie buff who wants to try out the format. The Samsung is more versatile, especially for gamers, as it has lower input lag and four high-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports, whereas the Sony only has two.

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Test Results

perceptual testing image
Design
Design
Style
Curved No

The frame of the Sony A95K is similar to other Sony TVs, but it has a unique stand that lets it sit flat against the table and hides the stand behind the display. It also comes with a detachable camera that sits on top of the TV.

Design
Accelerated Longevity Test
Uniformity Pictures

After ten months, the TV has permanent image retention that is visible with every color, and most visible on a 50% gray screen. You can even make out the CNN horizontal news ticker bar at the bottom.

Design
Stand

The Sony Bravia XR A95K has a unique stand that puts the TV completely in front and hides the stand, and is called the 'Front' position. This makes the display sit flush against the table. If you don't like that, there's an alternate position that puts the stand in front, as you can see here, which Sony calls the 'Back' position because the screen is in the back. The stand also includes pieces that you can take off to make it easier to hold if you need to carry the TV. Unfortunately, placing a soundbar in front of the TV in either position blocks the screen.

Footprint of the 65-inch TV:

  • In the standard position (Front): 56.7" x 11.9"
  • In the alternate position (Back): 56.7" x 11.2"

Design
Back
Wall Mount VESA 300x300

The back of the TV features textured plastic with a checkerboard pattern that's typical of Sony TVs. The inputs are difficult to reach if you wall-mount it, especially if you use the input covers. The back includes covers for cable management, including two covers for part of the stand, and unlike the Sony X95K, they stay in place well.

Design
Borders
Borders 0.30" (0.8 cm)

The top and side bezels are thinner than the bottom bezel, which is about one inch thick.

Design
Thickness
Max Thickness 1.69" (4.3 cm)

With the Sony A95K in the 'Front' stand position, it leans back about three degrees, so if that bothers you, then you can use the alternate 'Back' position where the TV doesn't noticeably lean back.

9.0
Design
Build Quality

The Sony A95 has fantastic build quality. The entire unit is well put together as it's solid, and there aren't any noticeable issues. The base of the stand is metal covered in plastic, and the borders of the display are also metal, while everything else is premium plastic. The frame of the display is solid and doesn't feel like it would break like with the Samsung S95B OLED. The stand is also very solid, as it's heavy and there's minimal wobble. The downside is that the plastic in the back panel flexes easily, but this isn't a problem unless you're pressing against it.

Picture Quality
10
Picture Quality
Contrast
Contrast
Inf : 1
Native Contrast
Inf : 1

The Sony A95K has a QD-OLED panel, which is a type of OLED panel. It has a near-infinite contrast ratio, so it displays perfect blacks next to bright highlights in dark rooms. However, because it lacks a polarizing layer, the black levels raise when there's a bright light source hitting the screen, and they have a noticeable purple tinge to them. This is typical of QD-OLEDs like the Samsung S95B OLED.

10
Picture Quality
Blooming

Because pixels can be completely turned off next to pixels that are lit up to their maximum brightness, the blacks surrounding bright elements are perfect and don't have any blooming.

10
Picture Quality
Lighting Zone Transitions
Local Dimming
No
Backlight
No Backlight
Dimming Zones Count Of Tested TV
8,294,400

As with other OLED TVs, the Sony A95K doesn't have a backlight, but its self-emissive pixels give it the equivalent of a perfect local dimming feature with no zone transitions. We still film the zone transition video on the TV so you can see how the screen performs and compare it with a TV that has local dimming.

9.5
Picture Quality
Contrast And Dark Details In Game Mode

There's zero difference in dark scene behavior when switching between the calibrated picture modes and Game Mode.

8.2
Picture Quality
HDR Brightness
Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²)
743 cd/m²
Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²)
592 cd/m²
Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²)
265 cd/m²
Peak 2% Window
983 cd/m²
Peak 10% Window
977 cd/m²
Peak 25% Window
509 cd/m²
Peak 50% Window
273 cd/m²
Peak 100% Window
193 cd/m²
Sustained 2% Window
969 cd/m²
Sustained 10% Window
958 cd/m²
Sustained 25% Window
464 cd/m²
Sustained 50% Window
258 cd/m²
Sustained 100% Window
189 cd/m²
Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
0.107

The Sony A95K has great HDR peak brightness. Highlights pop, and it delivers an impactful HDR image.

These measurements are after calibrating the HDR white point with the following settings:

  • HDR Picture Mode: Custom
  • Brightness: Max
  • Contrast: 90
  • Color Temperature:Expert 2
  • HDR Tone Mapping: Gradation Preferred

Although it's dimmer than the Samsung S95B OLED in our tests, the two TVs are very similar, and the brightness also depends on the content. However, the Samsung is slightly brighter overall because it focuses on brightness over accuracy.

Our HDR tests use HDR10, which is the basic HDR format that uses static metadata. However, the Sony model supports the more advanced Dolby Vision format, and there are two Dolby Vision picture modes: 'Dolby Vision Bright' and 'Dolby Vision Dark'. Using the 'Wheel Of Time' on Amazon Prime Video, we measured highlights in different scenes with both modes. As you can see, the brightest setting is 'Dolby Vision Bright' and it still retains shadow details well and looks accurate. 'Dolby Vision Dark' is also a good choice if you don't need the brightest highlights.

SceneDV BrightDV Dark
Medium highlight in dark215 cd/m²138 cd/m²
Small highlight in dark218 cd/m²149 cd/m²
Medium highlight in moderately-lit scene292 cd/m²206 cd/m²
Medium highlight in bright scene495 cd/m²310 cd/m²

When looking at the A95K and S95B side-by-side, 'Dolby Vision Dark' on the Sony looks very similar to the S95B, but 'Dolby Vision Bright' produces a visibly brighter and more impactful image. Also, tone mapping is better on the Sony as there's black crush and lost details on the Samsung. Because of this, the Sony TV has the advantage with HDR content, even if the Samsung TV can display slightly brighter highlights.

7.6
Picture Quality
HDR Brightness In Game Mode
Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²)
563 cd/m²
Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²)
593 cd/m²
Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²)
192 cd/m²
Peak 2% Window
940 cd/m²
Peak 10% Window
955 cd/m²
Peak 25% Window
490 cd/m²
Peak 50% Window
260 cd/m²
Peak 100% Window
169 cd/m²
Sustained 2% Window
931 cd/m²
Sustained 10% Window
934 cd/m²
Sustained 25% Window
448 cd/m²
Sustained 50% Window
246 cd/m²
Sustained 100% Window
167 cd/m²
Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
0.112

The Sony A95K has good HDR brightness in Game Mode. It looks dimmer in Game Mode, but it's still bright enough for an impactful HDR gaming experience.

These measurements are after calibrating the HDR white point with the following settings:

  • HDR Picture Mode: Game
  • Brightness: Max
  • Contrast: 90
  • Color Temperature:Expert 2
  • HDR Tone Mapping: Gradation Preferred
  • Peak Luminance: High

9.8
Picture Quality
PQ EOTF Tracking
600 Nit Tracking Delta
0.0012
1000 Nit Tracking Delta
0.0012
4000 Nit Tracking Delta
0.0011

The Sony A95K has incredible PQ EOTF tracking. It displays content at their correct brightness up until the peak brightness, but because there's a sharp roll-off, bright details are lost. If you find the image too dim, you can set the Contrast to its max, HDR Tone Mapping to 'Brightness Preferred', and Advanced Contrast Enhancer and Peak Luminance on 'High'. This results in a brighter image, as you can see in this EOTF, but it doesn't change the peak luminance.

The TV was tested with HDR Tone Mapping set to 'Gradation Preferred'. This makes the TV track the EOTF well, but setting it to 'Brightness Preferred' or disabling it both make the image appear brighter.

7.2
Picture Quality
SDR Brightness
Real Scene Peak Brightness
346 cd/m²
Peak 2% Window
412 cd/m²
Peak 10% Window
410 cd/m²
Peak 25% Window
409 cd/m²
Peak 50% Window
302 cd/m²
Peak 100% Window
152 cd/m²
Sustained 2% Window
408 cd/m²
Sustained 10% Window
407 cd/m²
Sustained 25% Window
402 cd/m²
Sustained 50% Window
295 cd/m²
Sustained 100% Window
148 cd/m²
Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
0.066

The Sony A95K has decent SDR peak brightness, but it isn't as bright overall as the Samsung S95B OLED or its replacement model, the Sony A95L OLED. It gets bright enough to fight glare from a few dim light sources, but considering the raised black level issue in well-lit rooms, it's better to use this in a dark or dim room. It also has an aggressive Automatic Brightness Limiter (ABL) that causes larger areas of bright colors to appear dimmer, which is problematic while watching sports like hockey or basketball. Also, the SDR brightness dims over time, notably in Game Mode. If you leave a static image on the screen while gaming, the brightness drops about 30-40 nits after a few minutes, but it isn't noticeable, and it isn't an issue if the content on the screen is constantly changing.

We tested it again in an air-conditioned room at about 73 F (23 C), and it didn't change the brightness results in the individual windows compared to our original testing. However, we measured the Real Scene brightness after letting the TV cool down enough following the peak brightness, which resulted in an increased brightness of about 70 nits. Letting the TV cool down a bit results in a higher peak brightness, but if you're using it for a long period and it's warm, it is dimmer.

These measurements are after calibration with the following settings:

  • Picture Mode: Custom
  • Brightness: Max
  • Contrast: 90
  • Color Temperature:Expert 1
  • Gamma: 0
  • Peak Luminance: High

If you set Gamma to '-2', the brightness increases slightly to 360 nits. The Peak Luminance setting helps make the TV brighter, but it also causes the variation in brightness, so if you choose to disable it, there isn't any ABL, but the screen is a lot dimmer and only gets to around 125 cd/m².

9.4
Picture Quality
Color Gamut
Wide Color Gamut
Yes
DCI P3 xy
100.00%
DCI P3 uv
100.00%
Rec 2020 xy
86.34%
Rec 2020 uv
91.28%

The Sony A95K has an exceptional HDR color gamut with remarkable tone mapping. It displays colors nearly perfectly in the commonly-used DCI-P3 color space, meaning images look life-like, and it preserves details well. It's a clear advantage over the Samsung S95B OLED as details aren't lost in dark areas, and this is due to the way that Sony focuses accuracy over brightness with this TV. It's also future-proof because it has excellent coverage of the wider Rec. 2020 color space that is used in the increasingly popular HDR format, and the tone mapping is also fantastic.

This was tested with the HDR Tone Mapping setting on 'Gradation Preferred'. The 'Brightness Preferred' setting performs about the same, but tone mapping is much worse with the setting disabled, as you can see below:

Brightness PreferredDCI-P3Rec. 2020
OffDCI-P3Rec. 2020

9.0
Picture Quality
Color Volume
1,000 cd/m² DCI P3 Coverage ITP
93.7%
10,000 cd/m² Rec 2020 Coverage ITP
50.5%
White Luminance
813 cd/m²
Red Luminance
190 cd/m²
Green Luminance
606 cd/m²
Blue Luminance
56 cd/m²
Cyan Luminance
655 cd/m²
Magenta Luminance
239 cd/m²
Yellow Luminance
778 cd/m²

The Sony A95K has remarkable HDR color volume. It's very similar to the Samsung S95B OLED, but some colors, like pure white, aren't as bright, while others, like cyan and yellow, are brighter. It's better than most TVs on the market as it displays colors at a wide range of luminance levels.

7.7
Picture Quality
Pre Calibration
White Balance dE
3.78
Color dE
1.62
Gamma
2.17
Color Temperature
6,841 K
Picture Mode
Custom
Color Temp Setting
Expert 1
Gamma Setting
0

With just a few quick settings changes out-of-the-box, the Sony A95K has good SDR accuracy. Although most colors are accurate, the white balance is off, particularly with brighter shades of gray. It's somewhat expected, as instead of the most common D65 white point, Sony targets an alternate white point at the factory. For consistency across our TV reviews, pre-calibration accuracy is always measured with the D65 white point instead of the Judd alternate white point, as it's the most common calibration target. Still, gamma is nearly spot-on with our 2.2 target for moderately lit rooms, and the color temperature is also close to the 6500K target.

9.6
Picture Quality
Post Calibration
White Balance dE
0.21
Color dE
0.69
Gamma
2.20
Color Temperature
6,511 K
White Balance Calibration
10 point
Color Calibration
Yes

The Sony A95K has fantastic accuracy after calibration to the D65 white point. We warmed the TV up for 120 hours before calibrating and testing it, and it's easy to calibrate. Since the colors are already accurate before calibration, we only had to slightly tweak them. The white balance is much better, and both gamma and color temperature are spot-on with the targets.

You can see the full settings for our calibration here.

8.9
Picture Quality
Gray Uniformity
50% Std. Dev.
0.972%
50% DSE
0.115%
5% Std. Dev.
0.306%
5% DSE
0.080%

The Sony A95K has amazing gray uniformity. The screen is uniform throughout, and there's minimal dirty screen effect in the center. Like with any OLED, there are faint vertical lines in near-dark scenes, but you only see them if you sit close and actively look for them.

10
Picture Quality
Black Uniformity
Std. Dev.
N/A
Native Std. Dev.
0.157%

The Sony A95K has perfect black uniformity, with no cloudiness present at all.

10
Picture Quality
Viewing Angle
Color Washout
70°
Color Shift
70°
Brightness Loss
70°
Black Level Raise
70°
Gamma Shift
70°

The Sony A95K has an outstanding viewing angle. Although it isn't perfect, it's not enough to have any issues using it in a wide seating area, as people viewing it from the side see the same image as in front.

9.5
Picture Quality
Reflections
Screen Finish
Glossy
Total Reflections
1.1%
Indirect Reflections
0.6%
Calculated Direct Reflections
0.4%

The Sony A95K has incredible reflection handling as it minimizes glare from bright light sources very well. However, any ambient light also causes the black levels to rise, and blacks look closer to purple due to the QD-OLED technology. It's best to avoid placing it in a bright room if you want to see perfect black levels. You can see an example of it with the LG G2 OLED next to the Samsung S95B OLED here, or with the Dell Alienware AW3423DW monitor here.

9.5
Picture Quality
HDR Native Gradient
100% Black to 50% Gray
10
50% Gray to 100% White
8.0
100% Black to 50% Red
10
50% Red to 100% Red
10
100% Black to 50% Green
10
50% Green to 100% Green
10
100% Black to 50% Blue
10
50% Blue to 100% Blue
8.0

The gradient handling in HDR is almost perfect, with almost no noticeable banding in any color. There's some very slight banding in lighter shades of gray and blue, but it's hardly noticeable.

8.7
Picture Quality
Low-Quality Content Smoothing
Smoothing
9.0
Detail Preservation
8.0

The Sony Bravia XR A95K has excellent low-quality content processing. It's very effective at smoothing out macro-blocking and pixelization when streaming content, with nearly no loss of fine details.

9.0
Picture Quality
Upscaling: Sharpness Processing

The Sony A95K has superb sharpness processing and upscaling abilities. Fine details in low-resolution content are upscaled well, and text is clear enough to read easily.

These results are with the following processing settings:

  • Sharpness: 55
  • Reality Creation: Auto

Picture Quality
Pixels
Subpixel Layout
Triangular RGB
Type OLED
Sub-Type
QD-OLED

The QD-OLED panel on the Sony A95K uses a unique subpixel structure. Unlike most TVs, the pixels aren't in a row; instead, they form a triangular shape, with the green pixel on top and the red and blue pixels on the bottom. It results in some color fringing when displaying content with black bars on the top and bottom, as you'll see a thin green line at the top and a thin red line at the bottom, but they aren't noticeable if you sit far enough away. The subpixel structure isn't ideal for PC use as it causes some issues with the text clarity, which you can learn more about in the Dell Alienware AW3423DW review. Windows ClearType can't fix it, but there are workarounds like using third-party software to improve text clarity or increase the scaling. Also, you'll only notice these text clarity issues if you sit close, but as it's only available in 55 and 65-inch models, you can sit far enough that they aren't visible.

You can see alternate pixel photos below:

Motion
9.7
Motion
Response Time
80% Response Time
0.2 ms
100% Response Time
4.1 ms

The Sony A95K has a near-instantaneous response time, resulting in almost no motion blur with fast-moving objects. However, because OLEDs use a sample-and-hold method, there's still persistence blur.

10
Motion
Flicker-Free
Flicker-Free
No
PWM Dimming Frequency
0 Hz

The Sony A95K isn't technically flicker-free because there's a slight dip in brightness every eight ms, which coincides with the refresh rate. However, it isn't the same as pulse width modulation on LED TVs because it isn't a full on and off, and it isn't noticeable either.

Motion
Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
Optional BFI
Yes
Min Flicker For 60 fps
60 Hz
60Hz For 60 fps
Yes
120Hz For 120 fps
No
Min Flicker for 60 fps in Game Mode
60 Hz

The Sony A95K has an optional black frame insertion feature to reduce persistence blur. It only flickers at 60Hz, which isn't ideal for 120 fps games. Also, you can't use the BFI feature at the same time as VRR.

Motion
Motion Interpolation
Motion Interpolation (30 fps)
Yes
Motion Interpolation (60 fps)
Yes

The Sony A95K has a motion interpolation feature to bring lower frame rate content up to 120 fps. Like most TVs, it looks best with slow-moving content, but there are distracting artifacts with small, fast-moving objects. Setting the Smoothness to its max makes the motion interpolation look bad and gives the soap opera effect, so it's better to leave it at '1' or '2'.

5.4
Motion
Stutter
Frame Hold Time @ 24 fps
37.6 ms
Frame Hold Time @ 60 fps
12.6 ms

Due to the near-instantaneous response time, there's noticeable stutter as each frame is held on longer with low-frame-rate content.

10
Motion
24p Judder
Judder-Free 24p
Yes
Judder-Free 24p via 60p
Yes
Judder-Free 24p via 60i
Yes
Judder-Free 24p via Native Apps
Yes

This TV removes 24p judder from any source, including those that output content in 60Hz. It helps with the appearance of motion in movies. When you enable the BFI feature, it removes judder from 24p sources, but not with 60p/i sources, like a cable box.

9.4
Motion
Variable Refresh Rate
Native Refresh Rate
120 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
Yes
HDMI Forum VRR
Yes
FreeSync
No
G-SYNC Compatible
Yes
4k VRR Maximum
120 Hz
4k VRR Minimum
< 20 Hz
1080p VRR Maximum
120 Hz
1080p VRR Minimum
< 20 Hz
1440p VRR Maximum
N/A
1440p VRR Minimum
N/A
VRR + Local Dimming No Local Dimming

The Sony A95K supports variable refresh rate (VRR) formats to reduce screen tearing. HDMI Forum VRR and G-SYNC compatibility both work without any issues.

Inputs
9.2
Inputs
Input Lag
1080p @ 60Hz
17.5 ms
1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
160.2 ms
1080p @ 120Hz
8.9 ms
1080p @ 144Hz
N/A
1440p @ 60Hz
N/A
1440p @ 120Hz
N/A
1440p @ 144Hz
N/A
4k @ 60Hz
16.9 ms
4k @ 60Hz + 10-Bit HDR
16.8 ms
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
16.9 ms
4k @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
143.4 ms
4k @ 60Hz With Interpolation
135.4 ms
4k @ 120Hz
9.4 ms
4k @ 144Hz
N/A
8k @ 60Hz
N/A

The Sony A95K has low input lag for a responsive gaming feel. It's higher than the Samsung S95B OLED and other premium TVs, but it's still low enough that you can't notice any delay while gaming. If you want a similar TV with lower input lag, check out the LG C3 OLED.

8.6
Inputs
Supported Resolutions
Resolution 4k
480p @ 59.94Hz (Widescreen)
Yes
720p @ 59.94Hz
Yes
1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
1080p @ 120Hz
Yes
1080p @ 144Hz
No
1440p @ 60Hz
No
1440p @ 120Hz
No
1440p @ 144Hz
No
4k @ 60Hz
Yes
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
4k @ 120Hz
Yes
4k @ 120Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
4k @ 144Hz
No
8k @ 30Hz or 24Hz
No
8k @ 60Hz
No

The Sony A95K supports most common resolutions up to 4k @ 120Hz, and there aren't any resolution-halving issues that some past Sony TVs had. While some text clarity issues exist due to its subpixel layout (see Pixels for more), it still displays proper chroma 4:4:4 with any of its supported resolutions. HDMI ports 3 and 4 support full HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, allowing the TV to display these various resolutions like 4k @ 120Hz. HDMI ports 1 and 2 support HDMI 2.0 bandwidth, so it can't display certain signals like 4k @ 120Hz 4:4:4 with devices connected to those ports.

Inputs
PS5 Compatibility
Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)
Yes
4k @ 120Hz
Yes
1440p @ 120Hz
No
1080p @ 120Hz
Yes
HDR
Yes
VRR
Yes

The Sony A95K works properly with the PS5 as long as it's connected to HDMI 3 or 4 because they support full HDMI 2.1 bandwidth. As it's a Sony product, it has a few proprietary features made for the PS5, like Auto HDR Tone Mapping, and its ALLM support automatically puts the TV into Game Mode without changing any settings.

Inputs
Xbox Series X|S Compatibility
Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)
Yes
4k @ 120Hz
Yes
1440p @ 120Hz
No
1080p @ 120Hz
Yes
HDR
Yes
VRR
Yes

The Sony A95K works well with the Xbox Series X, but you can't get all the green checkmarks because Dolby Vision only works up to 4k @ 60Hz. The TV doesn't support Dolby Vision with a 4k @ 120Hz signal. The replacement model to this TV, the Sony A95L OLED, is the first Sony TV to support 4k @ 120Hz Dolby Vision Gaming. The TV also supports ALLM, but unlike the PS5, you need to enable Auto Picture Mode for it to work. Because HDMI slots 3 and 4 are the only ones that support HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, you need to have the Xbox connected to one of those ports to take full advantage of the TV and Xbox's capabilities.

Inputs
Inputs Specifications
HDR10
Yes
HDR10+
No
Dolby Vision
Yes
HLG
Yes
HDMI 2.0 Full Bandwidth
Yes (HDMI 1,2,3,4)
HDMI 2.1 Class Bandwidth
Yes (HDMI 3,4)
CEC Yes
HDCP 2.2 Yes (HDMI 1,2,3,4)
ATSC Tuner
3.0 (NEXTGEN TV)
USB 3.0
Yes (1)
Variable Analog Audio Out No
Wi-Fi Support Yes (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz)

Unlike the Samsung S95B OLED, the Sony A95K supports Dolby Vision but not HDR10+. HDMI ports 3 and 4 support the full 48 Gbps bandwidth of HDMI 2.1, while HDMI 1 and 2 are limited to HDMI 2.0 bandwidth, so they don't support as many signals, like 4k @ 120Hz. The ATSC 3.0 support also allows you to stream over-the-air channels in 4k.

Inputs
Input Photos

The Sony A95K has both bottom and side-facing inputs, although most are at the bottom. You can also see the power input on the back left side here and the camera input on top here.

Inputs
Total Inputs
HDMI 4
USB 2
Digital Optical Audio Out 1
Analog Audio Out 3.5mm 0
Analog Audio Out RCA 0
Component In 0
Composite In 1 (adapter required, not incl.)
Tuner (Cable/Ant) 1
Ethernet 1
DisplayPort 0
IR In 1
Inputs
Audio Passthrough
ARC/eARC Port
eARC
eARC: Dolby Atmos Over Dolby Digital Plus
Yes
eARC: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
Yes
eARC: LPCM 7.1 Over Dolby MAT
Yes
eARC: Dolby TrueHD 7.1
Yes
eARC: DTS:X Over DTS-HD MA
Yes
eARC: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
Yes
eARC: LPCM Channels (Bitstream)
7.1
ARC: Dolby Digital 5.1
Yes
ARC: DTS 5.1
Yes
Optical: Dolby Digital 5.1
Yes
Optical: DTS 5.1
Yes

The Sony A95K supports eARC, allowing you to pass high-quality, uncompressed audio to a compatible receiver through an HDMI cable. However, because the eARC port is also one of the HDMI 2.1 ports, you can only connect one other HDMI 2.1 device if you connect a soundbar or receiver that doesn't support HDMI 2.1 passthrough. You can also connect a compatible Sony soundbar to the S-Center speaker input and use the TV's speakers as a center channel or use the speaker terminals to achieve the same thing with any soundbar or home theater receiver.

Sound Quality
7.0
Sound Quality
Frequency Response
Low-Frequency Extension
84.76 Hz
Std. Dev. @ 70
3.89 dB
Std. Dev. @ 80
3.06 dB
Std. Dev. @ Max
6.74 dB
Max
92.2 dB SPL
Dynamic Range Compression
4.55 dB

The Sony A95K has a decent frequency response. It has a well-balanced sound profile with moderate listening levels and gets loud, but there's more compression at its max volume. Like most TVs, it doesn't produce much bass. These tests were done with the stand in the 'Back' position (the stand in front of the TV), using the digital room correction feature.

7.1
Sound Quality
Distortion
Weighted THD @ 80
0.229
Weighted THD @ Max
1.028
IMD @ 80
1.25%
IMD @ Max
4.21%

The Sony A95K has decent distortion handling. It performs well with moderate listening levels but worsens at its maximum volume.

Smart Features
8.0
Smart Features
Interface
Smart OS Google TV
Version 10
Ease of Use
Average
Smoothness
Very Smooth
Time Taken to Select YouTube
2 s
Time Taken to Change Backlight
2 s
Advanced Options
Many

The Google TV interface is user-friendly, and navigating the menu feels smooth. Learning may take time, but once you do, it's a great platform.

0
Smart Features
Ad-Free
Ads
Yes
Opt-out
No
Suggested Content in Home
Yes
Opt-out of Suggested Content
No

Unfortunately, like most TVs, there are ads throughout the interface. You can opt out of personalized ads; however, you'll get non-targeted ads instead.

9.0
Smart Features
Apps and Features
App Selection
Great
App Smoothness
Very Smooth
Cast Capable
Yes
USB Drive Playback
Yes
USB Drive HDR Playback
Yes
HDR in Netflix
Yes
HDR in YouTube
Yes

The Google Play Store has tons of apps available to download, and they run very smoothly. It has Google Chromecast built-in, meaning you can cast content to the TV from your phone.

8.5
Smart Features
Remote
Size
Small
Voice Control
Many Features
CEC Menu Control
Yes
Other Smart Features
No
Remote App Android TV

The Sony A95K has a more premium remote than other Sony TVs, with a silver brushed finish. It features backlighting and has a sensor that illuminates the buttons in a dark room. The mic allows you to ask it to open apps, search for content, and switch inputs, but you can't change settings like the brightness. A mic's also built into the TV for hands-free voice control or to help find your remote.

The TV comes with the BRAVIA webcam, which you can attach on top. It provides a few extra features like Auto Power Saving Mode that darkens the screen when you walk away and has Auto Calibration modes that adjust the picture and sound depending on where you're sitting. It also supports Gesture Control and Proximity Alert.

Smart Features
TV Controls

There's a single button above the side inputs to turn the TV On/Off, change channels, adjust the volume, switch inputs, or use the Find Remote feature. There's a switch to turn the built-in mic off if you're concerned about privacy, and you can also shut the camera off when you aren't actively using it.

Smart Features
In The Box

  • Remote control
  • 2x AAA batteries
  • Cable tie
  • User guides

Smart Features
Misc
Power Consumption 126 W
Power Consumption (Max) 306 W
Firmware PKG6.5770.0680NAA