The Sony A80K, as an OLED TV, delivers superior picture quality compared to the LCD-based Sony X90L, particularly when it comes to contrast and black levels, which is excellent for movie enthusiasts. However, OLED screens are more prone to glare in bright rooms, so in a sunlit environment, the X90L's LCD panel might perform better. For those interested in gaming, both TVs offer substantial features, but the A80K's OLED might provide a slightly more immersive experience. The X90L, while less expensive, also presents a good value with a high-quality display that still performs well for various content. Ultimately, if budget is less of a concern and the primary use is watching movies in darker environments, the A80K is a strong choice, but if you're looking for a more cost-effective solution that still offers versatility, the X90L is a commendable option. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Sony A80K (OLED)
Excellent for dark room
Excellent for movies & TV
Excellent for sports
Very good for use as monitor
Excellent viewing angle
Very good reflections
Advantages of the Sony X90L (LCD)
Very good for bright room
Excellent for news, talk, & other TV
Key differences
Picture Quality
8.6/10
7.8/10
10.00/10
CONTRAST
7.125/10
7.4/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
8.8/10
WOLED
PANEL TYPE
LED FALD
WBE
PANEL SUB-TYPE
VA
The Sony A80K (OLED) has very good picture quality, while the Sony X90L (LCD) has good picture quality.
Movies & TV
9.1/10
7.6/10
10.00/10
CONTRAST
7.125/10
10.0/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
6.0/10
10.0/10
UPSCALING
10.0/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
No
HDR10+ SUPPORT
No
Yes
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
Yes
The Sony A80K (OLED) is excellent for movies & TV, while the Sony X90L (LCD) is good.
The Sony A80K OLED excels in movie and cinematic TV viewing due to its perfect black uniformity and effective local dimming, which create exceptional contrast essential for deep and immersive scenes. On the other hand, the Sony X90L LCD provides good contrast and local dimming but falls short of the A80K's performance, potentially leading to less profound dark scenes and overall less cinematic quality.
Sports
9.2/10
7.2/10
10.0/10
MOTION PROCESSING
10.0/10
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
7.0/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
7.0/10
10.0/10
UPSCALING
10.0/10
7.0/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.4/10
Yes
HLG SUPPORT
Yes
The Sony A80K (OLED) is excellent for sports, while the Sony X90L (LCD) is good.
The Sony A80K excels in watching sports due to its superior response time, better motion processing, and very good handling of reflections alongside a wide viewing angle, whereas the Sony X90L, despite also being good for sports, has a lower response time and poor reflection handling which can impact the viewing experience in bright rooms or from different angles. Gray uniformity is better on the Sony A80K, which is also important, but less so compared to these other factors.
Gaming
8.8/10
8.1/10
9.4/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
8.0/10
7.0/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
7.0/10
10.0/10
MOTION PROCESSING
10.0/10
100.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
73.0/100
7.0/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.6/10
The Sony A80K (OLED) and Sony X90L (LCD) are both very good for gaming, though the Sony A80K (OLED) is somewhat better.
The Sony A80K OLED TV is highly regarded for gaming thanks to its excellent response time and good input lag, meaning it reacts quickly to in-game actions and commands. The Sony X90L LCD TV is also well-suited for gaming, offering very good response time and similarly good input lag, ensuring snappy gameplay performance.
Bright Room
7.0/10
8.6/10
9.1/10
VIEWING ANGLE
5.5/10
7.0/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.4/10
6.8/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.3/10
8.9/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
5.9/10
The Sony X90L (LCD) is very good for bright room, while the Sony A80K (OLED) is good.
When considering bright room performance, the Sony X90L LCD TV excels with excellent SDR brightness and very good HDR brightness, better for combating a well-lit environment; however, it has poor reflection handling, which can be an issue if direct light sources are present. On the other hand, the Sony A80K OLED TV offers good SDR brightness and fair HDR brightness with very good reflection handling, providing more versatility in handling indirect light but may appear dimmer in very bright rooms.
Cost
$1,698
$998
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Sony A80K (OLED) has a price of $1,698 and the Sony X90L (LCD) costs $998.
The Sony X90L (LCD) and Sony A80K (OLED) are both very good for cartoons & animation.
The Sony A80K OLED excels in displaying cartoons and animation due to its superior out-of-the-box colors and wide color gamut, resulting in vibrant and accurate colors. On the other hand, the Sony X90L LCD also provides very good out of the box colors and has a good color volume, making it a solid option for animated content, especially for brighter rooms where its higher SDR brightness is advantageous. Both TVs perform well with gray uniformity and have high contrast ratios, but the A80K offers better dark room performance due to OLED technology's ability to deliver true blacks.
News, Talk, & Other TV
8.9/10
9.0/10
7.0/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.4/10
10.0/10
UPSCALING
10.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Sony X90L (LCD) to be excellent for news, talk, & other TV, while the Sony A80K (OLED) is very good.
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How the Sony A80K (OLED) and the Sony X90L (LCD) compare to other TVs
"It’s a high-end TV through and through something that becomes clear the moment you glance at its stunning picture. The A80K’s surgically precise contrast control is likely the first thing you’ll notice about its picture ... every piece of content looks better when this amount of precision is available. Color accuracy is another strong suit; the A80K features fantastic out-of-the-box color accuracy in the Custom picture mode."
Get a great deal on the Sony A80K (OLED) or the Sony X90L (LCD)
About Sony
Sony stands as a highly experienced and widely trusted TV manufacturer, earning a reputation that surpasses all others. A Japanese company, Sony has been making TVs for far longs than it has been making Playstation game consoles. Sony's high-end TVs are often regarded as the ultimate choice for videophiles, representing the epitome of quality, albeit at a premium price point. Renowned for their advanced and precise motion handling, as well as their cutting-edge local dimming algorithms, Sony consistently delivers unparalleled performance in these areas. They include Google TV software with all their TV sets, which grants access to the largest selection of apps available and they also include Bravia Core which is a movie streaming platform specifically for Sony TVs that offers higher picture quality by using more bandwidth.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec TVs team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest TV information and makes it digestible for you.
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