Officially speaking, Black Friday isn't until 24th November, but if you're after an amazing Black Friday deal on an incredible OLED TV, you don't have to wait.
That's because the Sony A80L, recipient of both a five-star verdict and a What Hi-Fi? Award, is already down to its lowest-ever price of just £1499 at Sevenoaks.
We tested the A80L at its original price of £2399, but it's slowly come down since then, hitting £1599 last month. At £1499 it's exceptional value. That's a £900 / 37% overall price drop since launch.
It's fair to say that all of the TV buzz this year has been around the new MLA and second-generation QD-OLED models, such as the LG G3 and Samsung S95C respectively, so the Sony A80L – which features neither technology – snuck out with fairly minimal fanfare. However, when we got it into our test rooms we quickly discovered that it's a rather special TV.
This is a TV that proves that 'standard' OLED technology (often referred to as 'WOLED' because of its use of a white sub-pixel) is capable of absolutely stunning results when it's tuned with care and attention. The A80L produces and image that pops with vibrant colours and superb contrast, yet combines that with a naturalism and subtlety that means you're always seeing movies and TV shows as intended.
The Acoustic Surface Audio+ technology, which uses actuators that vibrate the whole screen in order to make sound, ensures that the audio and imagery are spatially connected in a way that non-Sony TVs can't match, and the A80L sounds direct, detailed and open by general TV standards, too.
In a year in which LG's new C3 has barely moved things on since last year's C2, the A80L is a startling step forward and the best performance-per-pound TV of the year so far, particularly with this discount. You might still want to consider the LG C3 if you're a hardcore gamer, though, as it has four HDMI 2.1 ports (the Sony A80L has just two, of which one also handles eARC duties) and supports Dolby Vision gaming and HGiG, which the Sony doesn't. For everyone else, though, the Sony A80L is a brilliant buy.
MORE:
Read our review of the Sony A80L (XR-55A80L)
Our picks for the best OLED TVs in 2023
The best 55-inch TVs: Smart, HDR, 4K, and OLED options.
