Retested 1080p VRR range to see if there were still the same issues with latest firmware, and changed the PS5 VRR test to 'Yes' because it supports it. Key Features Include: Cognitive Processor XR, XR Picture + Sound for the best experience, Acoustic Audio+, HDMI 2.1, Google TV, Dolby Vision + Atmos, Freesat + Freeview HD Alternatively, you can swap the feet over and set the TV in its soundbar position. This gives the set a footprint of 115cm (45 inches) in width and creates a gap of about 7cm (2.8 inches) between its bottom edge and the surface below – an ideal gap in which to place an average-sized soundbar. It’s worth noting that there are no cable channels in the Sony’s feet, so if you opt for the TV’s soundbar position but don’t fill the gap, the cables dangling out of the TV will be visible. Sony’s unique Acoustic Surface Audio+ speaker system enhances the sync between what you see and what you hear. Speakers positioned behind the screen pinpoint the sound to the action, heightening the sense of connection and realism. With enhanced actuators and tweeters fitted, the latest Acoustic Surface Audio+ version is better than ever. Improvements have been made to the OLED panel, too. Sony has introduced an aluminium sheet that essentially acts as a heatsink, allowing for increased brightness and, though Sony hasn’t confirmed it, it’s believed that the A90J uses the same next-gen ‘OLED Evo’ panel as LG’s G1, which itself boasts higher brightness than OLED TVs before it.

With XR Contrast Booster bright areas are brighter and dark areas darker, so no more details overwhelmed by shadow or lost in blown-out highlights.

Standout Sound

Supplied with a multi-position stand, the XR-55A90J is ideal for use, with or without a soundbar. Dedicated settings offer a higher position for soundbar in place or the standard, low profile position for a sleeker style.

XR Triluminos Pro combines with XR Colour to deliver the truest and most natural colour. For the highest levels of contrast and detail, XR OLED Contrast Pro adjusts the brightness to give brighter peaks and more detail within darker areas. Sony X90J has good HDR brightness, which is a significant improvement over the Sony X900H, and is enough to make highlights stand out. The EOTF follows the PQ curve perfectly, but the roll-off is quite sharp, which causes the loss of some details in very bright scenes. In 2021, there’s a new settings menu called HDR Tone Mapping. Our measurements use the 'Gradation Preferred' setting, but it may be helpful to note that while the 'Gradation Preferred' setting results in a more accurate EOTF, the 'Brightness Preferred' setting lets you get a brighter image without having to make too many other adjustments. If you want to see the difference these settings make, you can see the 'Brightness Preferred' EOTF here and the EOTF with HDR Tone Mapping disabled here.The Sony X90J has impressive SDR brightness. It's slightly brighter than the Sony X900H in the real scenes, and it's enough to combat glare in most well-lit rooms. Even though brightness varies a bit between content, it's not that distracting.

Offering 4K HDR TV technology this stunning XR55A90JUis ready for the future, and has unmatched picture quality. Cognitive Processor XR is designed to replicate the way our brains think to optimisethe picture and sound accordingly. With XR Contrast, Colour and Motion theXR55A90JU is truely next level in its ability to produce the best picture possible. Switching to It, also in Dolby Vision, the A90J takes a slightly less vibrant approach to colour than its LG rivals, but it’s also subtler in terms of shading and closer to neutral. It’s sharper and more detailed, too, even revealing the texture of the paper from which Bill constructs the boat, and the brightest highlights again pop from the screen. At the other end of the contrast spectrum, the A90J digs up absolutely loads of dark detail, ensuring you miss none of the gory unpleasantness that takes place in the sewers beneath Derry. The HDR brightness in 'Game' mode is very similar to the HDR brightness outside of ‘Game’ mode. That said, the brightness measured slightly lower than outside of 'Game' mode, especially the real scene brightness. As with SDR, you can set HDR Tone Mapping to 'Brightness Preferred' to get a slightly brighter image, though we expect that this will depend highly on the content. Warming up the TV makes certain Real Scenes brighter, but doesn't change much overall. Speakers are usually a perfunctory aspect of a TV, typcially a set of downward-firing drivers a handful of watts each to provide enough sound to easily hear what you’re watching. Sony put more thought than this into the A90J’s XR Sound system, combining conventional drivers with actuators mounted behind the screen. The TV features a pair of 10-watt actuators for higher frequencies and a pair of 20-watt drivers for lower frequencies, for more audio power than typical TVs. We measured the HDR brightness in the 'Custom' Picture Mode with Brightness at max, Contrast at '90', Color Tone set to 'Expert 2', HDR Tone Mapping set to 'Gradation Preferred', and Auto Local Dimming and Peak Luminance set to 'High'.Two narrow, rectangular, gunmetal feet keep the A90J upright on flat surfaces. By default, the feet simply hold the TV stable, with the bottom of the screen nearly flush with your entertainment console. The feet can also be rotated to lift the TV up a few inches, in case you want to place a soundbar under it. The 83-inch model has a third configuration that moves the feet from the edges of the TV closer to the middle, so you can place the big screen on a surface that isn’t as wide as it is. Taking picture and sound processing to the next level, Sony’s Cognitive Processor XR marries AI to cognitive intelligence for a picture balance that’s best suited to humans rather than just algorithms. The processor analyses every element of the picture to give a sharper image with greater depth and realism. The processor also enhances lower resolution images, giving you smoother, more natural pictures from sources such as terrestrial TV. The Sony X90J has a good color gamut, but it's just short of the required 67% Rec. 2020 coverage to be considered a wide color gamut. It's lower than the Sony X900H, although the difference is pretty small and isn't noticeable. It's very difficult to tell that it doesn't have a wide gamut just by looking at an image. We measured this multiple times with different settings and picture modes, and we also compared it side-by-side with the Sony X80J, with both TVs receiving the same 4k, 4:2:2, 10-bit signal through an HDMI splitter. We took the readings with a colorimeter and spectroradiometer set up three feet from the TV, and we also took a spectrum reading, which you can see here. The results were the same. We measured a wide color gamut by lowering the stimulus received, but HDR is meant to be watched with a bright image.