Memorial Day sales are on the way, and we're already seeing big discounts on some of the best TVs on the market.
Right now, the 50-inch Sony Bravia X80K 4K TV is $548 at Amazon. This is $150 off its usual price. It's not the lowest price I've ever seen for this TV (it has sold for $528 in the past) but it's still an excellent deal.
This entry-level Sony TV does a lot more than you'd expect. In our Sony Bravia X80K review, we said it "punches above its price" and praised its visuals, smart interface and useful special features.
In our tests, we saw 272 nits of brightness in standard mode for SDR content, a Delta-E score of 1.6907 and 99.6177% coverage of the Rec. 709 color gamut from the Sony Bravia X80K. These aren't on the level of some of our best TVs like the LG C2 OLED, but the Sony X80K still looks great for its price. Colors, contrast and details were handled well, and everything we viewed on this TV looked good. We also appreciated the X80K's viewing angles — this TV will look sharp no matter where you sit in the room.
The Sony Bravia X80K put in great gaming performance, too. We saw a lag time of 11.1ms, which is means gameplay is very responsive. This is better than some pricier Sony TVs, like the X95K and the A95K.
The Sony Bravia X80K also deserves praise for the Google TV operating system it runs on. This OS is user-friendly and makes it easy to find content you want to watch.
However, the Sony Bravia X80K's sound could be better. Dialogue, music and effects sounded clear during our tests. But we heard some audio distortion at high volumes, and a lack of bass, so audiophiles will want to add one of the best soundbars to this TV. For average users, the X80K's sound is acceptable.
If you're looking for a TV with great picture quality and a large screen that won't break the bank, the Sony Bravia X80K is it. I highly recommend picking one up at this price. If you're still looking for your perfect TV, stay tuned to our Memorial Day TV sales coverage.
