Bravo for Sony's Bravia QD OLED

This Quantum Dot OLED flatscreen is the TV to beat right now, believes

- John Archer

Samsung isn't the only brand to combine OLED's self-emissive contrast talents and the brightness/ colour benefits of Quantum Dots in a TV this year. Sony is also in on the QD OLED act with its A95K series, in 55in (tested here) and 65in versions that command a premium over Samsung's already discounted S95B model. Is the extra cost justified?

Aesthetically the £2,399 XR-55A95K (the 65-incher sells for a toppy £3,199) couldn't be more different to Samsung's first-gen QD OLED set. That TV has an incredibly thin, smart metallic finish, whole Sony's is a chunky beast by modern standards. There's still something stylish about it in an industrial kind of way, though, and I appreciate having the choice of whether to attach it to the front or back of its heavy-duty metal stand.

There's an excuse for its bulk in the shape of Sony's Acoustic Surface audio tech, where actuators behind the screen that turn it into the TV's speaker system are backed up by two bass drivers built into the set's rear.

We've heard Acoustic Surface technology on Sony OLED TVs before, of course, and it works just as well with QD OLED screens. The pulsating Dolby Atmos soundtrack of Baz Luhrmann's Elvis (4K Blu-ray) sounds consistently excellent through the XR-55A95K: dynamic, open and clean, with accurate effects placement both on and beyond the screen.

Just the two of us

The TV's connections are reasonably strong, with two of its four HDMIs supporting 4K/120Hz feeds, as well as variable refresh rates and automatic low latency mode switching. PS5 owners can also enjoy auto HDR optimisation, while image lag in Game mode is kept to a respectable 16.5ms with 60Hz sources.