The Sony A9S Master Series OLED is an excellent TV that delivers stunning picture quality in almost every type of content. Like all OLEDs, it can produce inky blacks for a great dark room viewing experience. It has a nearly instantaneous response time and an optional Black Frame Insertion feature, resulting in clear motion in fast-moving scenes. Input lag is significantly improved over its predecessor, the Sony A9G OLED, but it still lacks variable refresh rate support. Also, it doesn't have any HDMI 2.1 ports and can't display a 4k @ 120Hz signal, which might disappoint those looking for a TV to go with their PS5 or Xbox Series X. It's been replaced in 2022 by the Sony A90K OLED, which is now available in a 42" and 48" size and features improved gaming features.
Our Verdict
The Sony XBR48A9S is an excellent TV overall. Its OLED panel has a nearly infinite contrast ratio and perfect black uniformity, making it a fantastic choice for watching movies. It's well-suited for watching TV shows or sports as it upscales lower resolution content well, and it has wide viewing angles so that you can watch with a group of people. It has a nearly instantaneous response time and low input lag to deliver an excellent gaming experience; however, it lacks VRR support, and the refresh rate is limited to 60Hz at 4k.
- Inky blacks.
- Near instantaneous response time.
- Exceptional reflection handling.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Risk of permanent burn-in.
- Might not get bright enough to overcome intense glare.
The Sony A9S is exceptional for watching movies. It can produce inky blacks due to its OLED panel's nearly infinite contrast ratio, and there's no blooming around bright objects since there's no backlight, which is great for dark room viewing. It displays lower resolution content well without any artifacts and can remove judder from all sources. Unfortunately, its fast response time causes stuttering in lower frame rate content.
- Inky blacks.
- Perfect black uniformity.
- Removes judder from all sources.
- Stutters in lower frame rate content.
The Sony A9S is great for watching TV shows. It has wide viewing angles, so you don't lose too much image accuracy when viewed from the side, great for those who like to walk around while watching TV. Its Android TV platform is user-friendly and has tons of apps available for download. It has exceptional reflection handling, but it might not get bright enough to overcome intense glare. Unfortunately, it's susceptible to permanent burn-in, especially with static elements like a channel logo.
- Exceptional reflection handling.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Android TV has tons of streaming services.
- Risk of permanent burn-in.
- Might not get bright enough to overcome intense glare.
The Sony A9S is excellent for watching sports. It has a nearly instantaneous response time and a Black Frame Insertion feature, resulting in almost no motion blur in fast-moving scenes. It has wide viewing angles so that images remain accurate when viewed from the side, making it ideal for watching a big game with a big group of people. It handles reflections exceptionally well, but it may struggle to overcome intense glare.
- Near instantaneous response time.
- Exceptional reflection handling.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Risk of permanent burn-in.
- Might not get bright enough to overcome intense glare.
The Sony XBR48A9S is excellent for gaming. It has a quick response time and low input lag to provide a responsive gaming experience. However, it doesn't support any variable refresh rate technology, and the refresh rate is limited to 60Hz at 4k. It has a nearly infinite contrast ratio, making it an ideal choice for those who like gaming in the dark.
- Inky blacks.
- Near instantaneous response time.
- Great input lag.
- Perfect black uniformity.
- No VRR support.
- Risk of permanent burn-in.
The Sony A9S is excellent for watching movies in HDR. It can produce a wide range of colors in HDR content thanks to its excellent color gamut and infinite contrast ratio. However, some highlights don't pop the way they should due to its aggressive Automatic Brightness Limiter. Also, there's some stutter in lower frame rate content. On the upside, there's no blooming around bright objects in dark scenes because it doesn't have a backlight.
- Inky blacks.
- Perfect black uniformity.
- Removes judder from all sources.
- Risk of permanent burn-in.
- Stutters in lower frame rate content.
The Sony A9S is great for gaming in HDR. It has low input lag, and its near-instantaneous response time results in almost no blur trail behind fast-moving objects. Its OLED panel has a nearly infinite contrast ratio to produce perfect blacks, making it a fantastic choice for dark rooms. It has an excellent color gamut for HDR, but it can only bring out highlights in some scenes due to its aggressive Automatic Brightness Limiter.
- Inky blacks.
- Near instantaneous response time.
- Great input lag.
- Perfect black uniformity.
- No VRR support.
- Risk of permanent burn-in.
The Sony A9S is great for use as a PC monitor. It supports most common resolutions and can display proper chroma 4:4:4 for optimal text clarity. It handles reflections well, and it has wide viewing angles so that the image remains accurate at the sides even if you sit up close. Unfortunately, there are risks of permanent burn-in with static elements such as a desktop user interface.
- Near instantaneous response time.
- Great input lag.
- Exceptional reflection handling.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Risk of permanent burn-in.
- Might not get bright enough to overcome intense glare.
Changelog
- Updated Oct 06, 2022: We bought and tested the Sony A90K OLED, and added a few relevant comparisons to this review.
- Updated May 06, 2022: We changed the subtype from WRGB to WOLED as it's more accurate and more consistent with other TVs.
- Updated Aug 04, 2021: Added the real content local dimming videos.
- Updated Apr 29, 2021: Updated the white balance pre-calibration photos.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 48 inch Sony A9S OLED (XBR48A9S), and it's the only size available. In Europe and other regions, it's known as the Sony A9 (KD-48A9).
| Size | North America | Europe |
|---|---|---|
| 48" | XBR48A9S | KD-48A9 |
If someone comes across a different type of panel or their Sony A9S doesn't correspond to our review, let us know, and we will update the review. Note that some tests, such as the gray uniformity, may vary between individual units.
Our unit was manufactured in October 2020; you can see the label here.
Popular TV Comparisons
The Sony A9S is an excellent TV overall and delivers fantastic picture quality for nearly every type of content. However, it's very expensive for a 48" TV, and it lacks features such as HDMI 2.1 ports and VRR support that other high-end TVs have, like the LG CX OLED. For other options, check out our recommendations for the best OLED TVs, the best 48-49-50 Inch TVs, and the best TVs for watching movies.
The Sony A90K OLED is the replacement for the Sony A9S OLED. The A9S is a bit brighter, so it can handle more glare overall, but the A90K has better gaming features. The A90K supports variable refresh rate technology and supports HDMI 2.1 bandwidth over two of its HDMI ports, allowing for 4k @ 120Hz gaming from the Xbox Series S|X or the PS5.
The Sony A9S OLED and the Sony A8H OLED are nearly identical. The main differences are that the A8H's SDR peak brightness is more consistent due to a less aggressive ABL, and it has better accuracy out of the box. The A8H is only available in a 55 inch or 65 inch, while the A9S is only available in a 48 inch.
The Sony A9S OLED and the Sony A9G OLED are almost identical. The most notable change is the A9S' significantly lower input lag. The A9S also has better accuracy out of the box, and its Black Frame Insertion feature can flicker at 120Hz for 120fps content. The A9G has slightly better viewing angles, and its Automatic Brightness Limiter isn't as aggressive, so the overall brightness is more consistent.
The LG CX OLED and the Sony A9S OLED are very much alike, but the LG is a bit better, mainly due to its advanced gaming features. It can display a 4k @ 120Hz signal, and it has lower input lag and VRR support. The Sony's viewing angles are slightly wider, making it a better choice for wide seating areas. It has better gray uniformity as well; however, this varies between units.
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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