The New Sony A90J OLED TV: Initial Impressions

In January of this year, Sony announced a new collection of OLED TVs, dubbed the Sony A90J line. The naming convention doesn’t give away much at all, but the sets in the A90J line look to be seriously impressive. Below, you’ll find some initial impressions and what you can expect out of this latest offering from Sony.

Sony’s TV lineup is a little hard to follow thanks to its practice of choosing names like A90J. That said, here’s a quick breakdown.

The opening letter refers to the screen technology. A in Sony’s case means you’re looking at an OLED screen. Sony’s other new TVs for 2021 include a Z Series (8K LCD) and an X Series (4K LCD). Next comes the number: generally, the higher, the more features you get. On the OLED side, the A90J line is the top dog, while the A80J is less feature-packed.

Last is the J, which simply denotes that you’re looking at a 2021 model.

So let’s look again at the model name under review today. The Sony A90J, then, is an OLED TV (A) that sits at the highest end of feature set and price (90), and it’s a 2021 model (J). If you dig into Sony’s marketing materials, you’ll also discover that this television is part of Sony’s Master Series.

In addition to being a Master Series television, the A90J is also described as an XR series model. This XR branding extends to a number of features new for 2021. Most of the video and audio processing systems have been upgraded. The new video processor, dubbed Cognitive Processor XR, is billed as a step beyond standard AI video processing. Sony claims that this technology can identify where in the image the human eye will focus and give additional clarity there.

The cognitive processor also offers improved audio processing over last year’s model.

There’s also XR Motion Clarity and XR Upscaling. These are technologies you’ve likely become accustomed to, but Sony is proud of the apparently superior results they have achieved here.

The other big new feature in the A90J is brightness. One longstanding and legitimate criticism of OLED is that, while the displays are beautiful, they aren’t very bright. Overall and peak brightness are both drastically higher, thanks in part to better cooling from the enhanced processor.

There’s also HDMI 2.1, which gives users access to 120fps 4K, eARC, variable refresh rate, and auto low latency mode. If you’re gaming on a PS5 or Xbox One X, these enhancements will make a difference for you.

As a flagship Sony TV, the A90J supports the same long list of audio and video formats and codes as last year’s models, including Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, Netflix Calibrated Mode, and a host of others.

Sony’s previous smart TVs have been powered by Android TV, which became Google TV recently. The 2021 models, accordingly, ship with Google TV powering the smart experience.

AirPlay 2 support is here as well, and one smart feature to watch is Bravia Core, Sony’s brand-new streaming service. It’s designed to provide high-end 4K HDR and UHD BD quality streaming.

Sony hasn’t announced a release date yet, describing the A90J as “available soon.” TechRadar confirms there aren’t even rumors about a firm release date, though the outlet expects to see the release within the first half of 2021.

Pricing information is partially available. The smallest A90J comes in at 55 inches, and it has a retail price of $2,999. The 65-inch model jumps to $3,999. There’s also a massive 83-inch model, but Sony hasn’t announced pricing for this new form factor at this time.

If you’re considering pre-ordering a Sony A90J OLED TV, congratulations on a top-shelf choice! When your new television arrives, you’ll enjoy a truly impressive viewing experience. Of course, you’ll want your awesome viewing experience to stay awesome for years to come, and that’s where an extended TV warranty comes into play.

Even flagship models from reliable brands like Sony can encounter problems or defects or even fail entirely. For prices significantly lower than big-box service plans, Upsie offers the same or better levels of coverage for your new TV. Upsie covers repair costs or even replacement up to the purchase price of the television.

Don’t get stuck with a broken TV or holding a massive repair bill. Get an Upsie extended warranty today!