➤Sony BRAVIA XR-55A80J review: the entry level OLED that will charm you 🕹

Sony BRAVIA XR-55A80J review: the entry level OLED that will charm you © Sony

After testing his big brother, the Sony A90J , a few weeks ago, it was time for us to get our hands on the TV Sony BRAVIA XR-55A80J, more affordable, but which does not include the new brighter panel from Sony. Good choice made by the brand? This is what we are going to check!

1424,80 € Lire la conclusion Sony BRAVIA XR-55A80J

Perfect image calibration from the 1st ignition
HDMI 2.1 input ...
Contraste infini - OLED oblige
Performances du Sony Cognitive XR Processor
Invisible and ultra efficient sound system
Google TV
Bravia Core + 1 offered at the service

VRR absence (awaiting update)
... Only 2 in number
No remote backlighting
Upgradeable light peak

The 2021 A80J range takes over from the Sony KD-55A8 which seduced us in 2020.

Among the novelties, we can cite Google TV which replaces the usual Android TV. A point to underline because Sony is the first of the TV manufacturers to adopt this operating system. The most striking novelty of this Sony A80J remains the new in-house processor: Sony Cognitive XR Processor. A processor embedding an artificial intelligence algorithm, in an attempt to reproduce the functioning of the human brain in order to offer an ever more realistic image.

As for the elements already seen and known, we find the panel that already fitted Sony televisions in 2020 and the Acoustic Surface, renewed to ensure sound reproduction with two tweeters and a woofer.

Summary

Price and availability
Information
Sony BRAVIA XR-55A80J tech. Sheet
Design and connection: three feet to suit them all
Google TV: the solution that suffers from almost no flaws
Sony Bravia Core: a service to enhance films
Audio: above the competition
Our measures
Video Games
Power Consumption
Sony BRAVIA XR-55A80J: Itopdroid's user review

Price and availability

If the Sony Bravia XR-55A80J is the entry level OLED of the Japanese manufacturer, it does not necessarily rhyme with cheap since the television is offered at a price of € 1. If you want to taste a larger diagonal, it is available in a 999 "version for € 65 and 2" for just under € 699.

Finally, know that its big brother has a call price of € 2 for its 700 "version and € 55 for the 3" version.

Information

Sony BRAVIA XR-55A80J tech. Sheet

Displays and Signage

Diagonal 55in Screen resolution 3840 x 2160 pixels - 4K OLED screen technology Panel type WOLED Video processor Sony Cognitive XR Processor HDR compatibility HLG, HDR 10, Dolby Vision Refresh rate 100Hz

Audio

Speaker power (watts) 30 Number of speakers 3 Dolby Atmos Yes DTS: X No

Connectors

Number of HDMI ports 4 Standard HDMI HDMI 2.1 ARC / eARC ARC, eARC ALLM Yes Dynamic synchronization VRR Other inputs 3x usb, 1x CI +, 1x composite, 1x ethernet Other outputs 4x HDMI ARC / eARC, 1x headphones, 1x optical (SPDIF)

Connectivity

Google TV operating system Bluetooth Yes Wi-Fi Yes Wi-Fi standard 5 (AC) Voice assistant Google Assistant, Alexa Chromecast Yes Airplay 2 Yes Homekit Yes

Physical characteristics

Height 73,5cm Width 122,7cm Depth 33cm Detachable foot Yes Weight (without stand) 17,8kg VESA compatibility Yes

Design and connection: three feet to suit them all

Sony has decided to keep the “Monolith” design used on all of its high-end models. This one is sober and benefits from neat finishes.

The main novelty of this 2021 cuvée is the TV feet, which can be mounted in three different ways: in the high position to be able to place a sound bar under the screen, in an external or central position.

Sony BRAVIA XR-55A80J review: the entry level OLED that will charm you © Sony

As with all OLED televisions, the thinness of the panel should be emphasized. The upper part of the television is only 0,6 cm; two-thirds of the way, the rear panel houses the electronics and the audio part, then increasing to more than 4,5 cm thick. If we are far from the smoothness displayed by the LG G1, it remains possible to hang it on the wall in a rather discreet way, via the VESA 300 x 300 compatible mounting holes.

If, on the contrary, you want to install your TV on a piece of furniture, this shouldn't be a problem: in fact the feet are 33 cm deep and most TV stands are 40 cm deep.

From a practical point of view, the left of the rear facade accommodates the power supply while on the right you will find all the connections, which consists of:

Four HDMI inputs: two HDMI 2.1 which handle the 4K 120Hz display, ALLM and eARC. Only regret the VRR is not yet supported. By default, whatever HDMI sockets are used, they are restricted to 8 bits. To take advantage of 10-bit UHD, you have to go to the TV settings and force the improved format of the external inputs.
An ethernet port limited to 100 mb / s,
Three USB sockets,
A headphone output,
A Toslink optical audio output,
A composite input,
CI + port,
Rake and satellite antenna connector.

This connection is supported by an 802.11a / b / g / n / ac Wi-Fi connection and Bluetooth 4.2 for the various peripherals: remote control, headset, speaker, but also game controller, keyboard or mouse.

Finally, the Sony BRAVIA XR-55A80J is compatible with Chromecast, Google Assistant and Alexa, and for owners of Apple devices you can enjoy Airplay and Homekit.

Sony has chosen to accompany its television with a plastic, non-backlit remote control, a frustrating detail for a television set costing almost € 2. Beyond its design, which contrasts with that of the BRAVIA XR, the remote control is practical in use: the essentials are there, close at hand and the integration of the microphone is sufficiently well done to facilitate everyday life. .

The last criticism that can be made with this remote control actually applies to all manufacturers: it is frustrating not to be able to customize the four shortcut keys. In this case, you will have to deal with: YouTube, Netflix, Disney + and Prime Video.

Google TV: the solution that suffers from almost no flaws

Like the Sony BRAVIA A90J, the A80J is one of the first televisions to take advantage of Google's new TV OS: Google TV. And if it adopts a new presentation, the application retains all the advantages of Android TV.

The main difference between Android TV and Google TV lies in the suggestion of content to watch, by accessing the different platforms to which you are subscribed (Disney +, Netflix, OCS, Amazon Prime, MyCanal, Bein Sports, etc.), but also content free (YouTube, Molotov…).

In use, Google TV turns out to be simple and pleasant due to the fluidity of navigation. As we said, the microphone integrated into the remote control makes searching easier. On the other hand, we had to deal with two freezes in two weeks of use. Anecdotal for some, frustrating for others, we did not notice any lag or slowdowns as could be the case with Android TV.

Finally if you do not find your happiness among the swarm of integrated applications, know that you can still stream from your PC or smartphone thanks to Chromecast or Airplay.

Sony Bravia Core: a service to enhance films

This is one of the new features that Sony presented at CES 2021, in partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment: a premium SVoD service. In fact, the streaming platform allows you to enjoy movies in 4K, 4K HDR and also, and above all, in IMAX Enhanced quality. Sony even touts its ability to stand up to the quality of UHD Blu-Rays.

Bravia Core is directly integrated into compatible televisions: Z9J, A90J, A80J and X90J and depending on the model, Sony offers one or two years of subscription to the service.

To enjoy it in maximum quality, however, it is better to be well equipped in terms of Internet connection: the company announces a minimum connection speed of 115 mb / s. Difficult to swallow when you know that the Ethernet port of the TV is limited to 100 mb / s. To achieve such a speed, you must therefore go through the Wi-Fi connection, hoping that your box or router is not positioned opposite the TV.

The application is organized into three sections:

Unlimited streaming: as the name suggests, you can watch the movies you want as many times as you want,
Movies available for download: when you activate the service, your account is credited with 5 or 10 tickets which allow you to download a film from over 300 available references,
IMAX Enhanced Experience: This section includes both unlimited streaming movies and movies available for download, all in IMAX Enhanced quality.

In terms of video quality, the experience offered by Bravia Core is simply exceptional, and often surpasses the quality of a Blu-ray. As said before, this will of course depend on your internet connection. But if your television has a connection of 115 mb / s minimum, the quality will be higher than that offered by another VOD download platform.

The only criticism that we could make with the service concerns the ergonomics and intuitiveness, less successful than on a platform such as Netflix. Regardless, once the film is launched, the experience remains very pleasant and the austere menus are only a distant memory.

Audio: above the competition

Once again, Sony has decided to entrust the audio part to its home Acoustic Surface system. The BRAVIA XR-55A80J thus embeds two motors acting as tweeter (treble and midrange), producing sound by vibration of the panel. This avoids the pitfall of the speakers located at the bottom of the television. For bass, the A80J is equipped with a woofer located at the rear of the panel.

To make the most of this sound system, when configuring the television, you can calibrate the speakers. Nothing could be simpler, take a seat on your sofa and hold the remote control in your hands: the on-board microphone takes care of the rest, so that the sound reproduction is adapted to the room and to the position of the viewer.

While this system obviously does not reach the power of a dedicated solution, the sound is precise and you can easily locate the sound effects of your films and series.

Note, however, that the television does not have speakers projecting sound vertically: if you want to enjoy a sound environment in Dolby Atmos, we therefore recommend purchasing a Home Cinema solution.

However, at the present time, no television does as well as the Sony in terms of in-car audio, with the possible exception of Panasonic with its GZ, HZ and JZ 2000, which are powerful in excess of 100 watts. .

Our measures

SDR

The Delta measurement is considered excellent when it is located below 3, the human eye no longer distinguishing chromatic drifts below this value. With an average Delta E measured at 2,48, the colors of the television are to be considered as faithful to what the director wanted to create.

For the gamma curve, the reference value is positioned at 2,4, and the Sony A80J reproduces this curve to near perfection: our probe indicates a value of 2,42.

Finally, for the color temperature, the reference value is 6 Kelvin, and this is often far from it on Sony televisions. This model is no exception to the rule with a value of 7 164 kelvins.

Results ? An image that some will consider cold, which draws towards the blue.

HDR

The Sony BRAVIA XR-55A80J offers compatibility with HDR 10, Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) and Dolby Vision. Exit the HDR10 +. Light sensor point, so you also don't enjoy Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10 + Adaptive.

During our tests, we noted a light peak of only 600 nits, a low value, especially compared to what the competition offers. In comparison, the Sony KD-A9 that we tested earlier this year had a peak brightness of 608 nits. And the A90J with a new panel had a peak light of 765 nits.

Moreover, when we send it a signal at 10 cd / m², the reference EOTF curve is not perfectly followed, placing itself below the expected values. The result is a slightly less bright image than expected.

The signal is smoothed from 70% which allows details to be kept in very bright scenes (clouds in a bright sky for example).

With a Average Delta E of 1,73, colors in HDR are displayed in a completely natural way, even surpassing last year's Panasonic HZ 1000 which had an average measurement of 2,37. In comparison, the LG OLED G1 provided an average Delta E of 2,14.

rec. 2020

DCI-P3

Here we raise a blanket of space DCI-P3 at 98%, a simply excellent result, again better than what the LG G1 offers, which does not exceed 97%. The BRAVIA XR 55-A80J additionally covers 73% of rec. 2020 color space, allowing you to enjoy an excellent viewing experience for all your HDR content (films, video games, etc.).

Video Games

We measured the input lag of the Sony A80J at 18,7 ms in game mode. While it does not do as well as its big brother the A90J (15,9 ms), than the Sony 55XH90 (14,5 ms), the TCL X10 (17,2 ms) or the LG G1, flashed at 12,5 ms, our test model is still in a good average. The game mode is perfectly well calibrated here since the average Delta in SDR is 3,17 and in HDR we obtained an average Delta E of 1,92.

In terms of disappointments, let us note that the Sony BRAVIA A80J does not currently have VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) which makes it possible to avoid tearing of images. The functionality will however be available via an update, the date of which has not yet been communicated. In the meantime, we can still be happy with the presence of 4K 120Hz, ALLM and two HDMI 2.1 sockets.

Power Consumption

During our test we noted a consumption of 88 W, with a white calibrated to 150 cd / m² on a window of 10%. Concretely, this corresponds to a relative consumption of 105 W / m², that is to say a result which remains in the average for an OLED television set of this size, but which is still higher than the consumption of many equivalent diagonal LCD televisions.

Sony BRAVIA XR-55A80J: Itopdroid's user review

Once again, Sony is proving its expertise in the field of the best OLED televisions.

The new Sony Cognitive XR Processor, as well as the image delivered (sharpness, colorimetry and infinite contrast of the OLED) make this BRAVIA XR-55A80J a television of choice for all movie fans. And all the more so since thanks to Google TV, you can find all of your favorite streaming services.

Its content input lag, as well as the integration of ALLM and 4K120HZ also play in its favor with gamers. The most demanding will certainly be able to complain about the VRR not integrated natively, but it remains a matter of months before the update ensures compatibility.

We can regret that the panel is not brighter than that of last year with a peak around 600 nits and an anti-reflection filter not yet at the level of that of Samsung ... Note however that these are inherent flaws in almost all OLED TVs.

Sony BRAVIA XR-55A80J

Sony has developed an OLED television at low cost, which does everything, or almost, as well as its top-of-the-range model. The A80J is therefore an excellent choice whose only limitation, compared to the A90J, lies in a less important light peak.

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