Sony has officially confirmed the pricing of its new 48-inch A9 OLED, and it’s more expensive than LG’s effort.
Sony has announced the start of pre-orders for its KD-48A9 Master Series OLED, with the price set at £1799/€2149.
Related: All the Sony 8K, OLED and Bravia TVs
That’s more than we had expected, as some online retailers put a placeholder of £1699 in the run up to the announcement. The price of the KD-48A9 matches the price for KD-55A8 OLED, and it also means that the KD-48A9 OLED is more expensive than the LG OLED48CX. It tilts the favour more towards LG for anyone looking to purchase an OLED in a smaller size.
So what does the Sony have to sway purchasers? Well, like a number of its top TVs for 2020, the picture is powered by the top of the range X1 Ultimate processor, which analyses the image to better bring out the contrast of OLED technology for peak brightness and more realistic pictures. The Pixel Contrast Booster enhances colour and contrast in bright areas of the image for more depth, finer texture and assistance in delivering OLED’s characteristic pure black levels.
Sony’s X-Motion Clarity technology which also appears in the A8 OLED, helps produce smooth and clear images with fast-moving objects, minimising blur while also retaining more brightness. Considering Sony’s reputation for excellent motion control, we’re hoping the A9 continues that level of performance.
Even though it’s a smaller panel, the A9 has incorporated Acoustic Surface Audio, which turns the display into a speaker. The screen is gently vibrated by actuators that sit beneath panel to generate sound, and the placement of these audio drivers helps for more accurate placement of effects on screen. There’s also a subwoofer in the rear of the unit to help with more bass-heavy soundtracks.
The A9 keeps with the brand’s slim one-slate design for a minimalist aesthetic and unobtrusive design. It’s also capable of tuning the image and sound to its surroundings with Ambient Optimisation. This is a tech that uses the TV’s light sensor to adjust the brightness of screen depending on whether it’s light or dark. With sound the A9 can detect objects in a room that could absorb sound, and adapts the way audio is delivered to compensate.
Other features include Netflix Calibrated Mode for studio quality picture. It supports IMAX Enhanced standards for higher quality picture and sound, and there’s support for Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, AirPlay 2 and HomeKit. We’re assuming the Apple TV app is still on track for launch later this year.
The KD-48A9 is available for pre-order now, and due to go on sale at the end of August
A9 MASTER OLED SERIES
- KD-48A9 – £1799/€2149
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
