Sony has announced the pricing and availability of its first QD-OLED TV, the Sony Bravia XR A95K. And while the high cost doesn't surprise us, it does give an edge to Samsung's QD-OLED TV.
With pre-orders starting in June, the 65-inch Sony A95K QD-OLED TV costs $3,999 while the 55-inch Sony A95K QD-OLED TV costs $2,999. These are the prices we guessed in our hands-on impressions of what's probably the most compelling set of all the Sony 2022 TVs.
By comparison, the 65-inch Samsung S95B OLED TV costs $2,999 (or $1,000 less than Sony's 65-inch set) and the 55-inch configuration costs $2,199.
Most of the best Sony TVs cost more than the best TVs from LG and Samsung. In our experience testing Sony sets, we've noticed a special cinematic quality specific to the brand's processors. After all, the company also produces professional filmmaking equipment and a number of blockbuster films.
Still, the pricing will make Sony's QD-OLED TV one of the priciest 4K models of the year, beating out the 65-inch LG G2 OLED TV with OLED evo ($3,199) and the 65-inch configuration of Samsung's Q90B Neo QLED TV ($2,599.)
So whether the splurge on the Sony Bravia XR A95K QD-OLED sets is worth it will come down to testing. Given QD-OLED is a new panel technology this year —introducing quantum dots to brighten OLED without the burn-in — we'll be paying attention to how both Sony and Samsung adapted their TV processors to control the next-gen screens.
Not only will we look to conduct the full series of Tom's Guide TV testing to score max brightness and picture accuracy, but we'll spend several hours watching a variety of content to gauge color volume, local dimming and more.
A few weeks ago, we got a taste of the A95K's performance side-by-side with last year's Sony A90J TV. The combination of inky blacks and deeper colors made the A95K seem more speculator than its predecessor.
Again, we'll want to take a closer look before coming to any conclusions, so while we wait for the A95K to roll out be sure to check out the best TV deals right now.
