Making movie magic

Sony’s smallest ever OLED TV won't excite the gaming console cognoscenti, but its images still make a big impression on John Archer

- John Archer

THE GENERAL TV trend these days is towards ever-bigger screens. An interesting exception to this rule has emerged in recent months, though, in the comely shape of 48in OLED TVs.

LG kicked things off last year with its OLED48CX (see HCC #315), but now Sony, too, is jumping into the market for smaller OLEDs with the KD-48A9.

Sony’s debut 48in OLED really is a lovely little thing. An exceptionally thin bezel, and the way the screen sits right down on its silver stand, means you see hardly anything but picture when it's switched on. The chassis depth is just a handful of millimetres at its outer edges, too, and while a large central portion of its rear sticks out further than most TVs, Sony has managed to make even this look quite stylish in an industrial kind of way.

Connectivity, at first glance, is up to scratch, with the usual roster of four HDMIs, three USBs and optical digital audio out. Unfortunately, though, none of the HDMIs support the latest gaming features of 4K at 120Hz and variable refresh rates. This immediately places Sony’s 48inset at a severe disadvantage against LG’s OLED48CX, where all HDMI inputs get all the bells and whistles.

If you’re more interested in movies than cutting-edge gaming, though, then the 48A9 still has plenty going for it.

Master Series

Despite its diminutive size, this set belongs to Sony’s premium (2020-era) OLED range. This means it gets one of Sony’s Master Series OLED panels, which, says the brand, are individually tuned before leaving the factory.