Historically Sony unveils it's latest Bravia TVs at CES--the annual consumer electronics show--but that didn't happen this year. Instead they focused on the forthcoming Afeela car. That left us wondering when Sony will unveil new TVs.
Well, we finally have an answer. Sony is now taking the wraps off the 2023 Bravia XR line and I got the chance to check out the new LED, OLED, QD-OLED, and Mini LED TVs in person during a quick demo. In classic Sony fashion, and true to the brand's heritage on the production side, these all focus on creating an immersive visual experience that doesn’t stray from what the creator wanted.
In total there are five models that make up the 2023 Bravia XR lineup: the X90L Full Array LED, the A80L OLED, the A95L QD-OLED, the X93L Mini LED, and the X95LM Mini LED. It’s an interesting naming convention, but aside from picture type these all boast a similar experience. With the Cognitive Processor XR--basically Sony’s special sauce for controlling the panel to create the visuals--inside each of these.
Ahead we’ll unpack what’s new with each and a bit of our first impressions. Sony isn’t yet announcing exact pricing or availability on these just yet, which makes the current savings on Sony’s excellent 2022 Bravia XR TVs an excellent sell. Remember that while the latest will look great, TVs tend to be a bit more iterative year in and year out.
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Bravia XR X90L LED TV: What You Need to Know
The X90L is a Full Array LED TV meaning that beneath the glass are a number of conventional sized LEDs that create the image. This is the entry-level model for the Bravia XR lineup and likely the most affordable TV from Sony.
For 2023, the biggest changes are present with a higher-end design and an increase in local dimming zones. The latter comes together with the ability to craft a better looking image, hopefully with less blooming and more accurate pictures. Essentially it means more lights and area of control to create the picture. In a brief demo, Sony showed that year over year there has been less blooming and more accuracy. Sony says that brightness is up to 130% better over 2022’s X90K, but we’ll need to test this and see which content it’s visible with.
Though with the latter that can also be from XR Clear which is a new layer of the upscaling process. As with most 4K TVs, and even 8K ones, when delivering the visual the Sony TV will improve on various aspects of the image to make it look better. This new functionally focuses on reducing blur in heavy action scenes and improving noise reduction. This all sounds great on paper and should yield a better viewing experience.
All-in-all, the X90L seems like a solid upgrade year over year. More critically though, it shows that Sony wants to improve across its full line, even with its most basic Bravia XR offering. Like the rest of the 2023 family, this also sports a Google TV smart interface and HDMI 2.1 ports.
When it launches later this year, the Bravia X90L will be available in 55-inch, 65-inch, 75-inch, 85-inch, and 98-inch sizes. As you might suspect, the X90L will be replacing the 2022 X90K.
Bravia XR X93L and X95L Mini LED TV: What You Need to Know
Like Samsung, Sony is still sticking with a Mini LED offering and the trend is even more miniature LEDs for better control over the image. If this sounds familiar, it’s all on the path of creating a better image that can get even brighter. Similar to what Samsung did with its updated Neo QLED line that has even more zones.
With Sony they are powering the X93L and X95L with the XR Backlight Master Drive which is made up of thousands of mini LEDs that are lighting the panel. Both of these are not created equally though.
The XR X93L is essentially the same as the 2022 X95K Mini LED TV. You can see a full review on that over at SI Showcase and it was an impressive entry into the Mini LED sector albeit with a hefty price tag. That’s likely to be the case with the XR 93L.
Sony is upgrading the Bravia XR X95L with 20% more local dimming zones which should reduce blooming around brighter spots in a picture and help with viewing angles, and they’ve included the Bravia Clear enhanced upscaling to further rude noise and up clarity. The X95L will only come in an 85-inch size, while the X93L will be in 65-inch, 75-inch, and 85-inch sizes.
Samsung’s Neo QLED and TCL’s 6-Series will likely be a cheaper way to get mini LEDs as we expect Sony’s to be a premium offering.
Bravia XR A80L OLED TV: What You Need to Know
Just like last year, Sony is still offering a standard OLED panel … arguably an important model that really set them up in the premium space. For 2023 it’s the A80L and as with LG’s OLED TVs the beating of the drum here is all around improved brightness. Sony notes that it’s around 110% brighter over the A80K, which really wasn’t a slouch to begin with.
Essentially, if you’re in a space with control over the environment and artificial lighting, have a desire for a deeply immersive viewing experience than an OLED is likely worth the money. You’ll find that colors will pop with vibrancy and that the TV can offer deep contrast points.
The A80L will still be the most affordable OLED from Sony, though pricing and availability haven’t been announced as of yet. It will arrive in 55-inch, 65-inch, 77-inch, and 83-inch sizes later this year.
Still if you’re after a Sony OLED sooner, the 2022 A80K is seeing some sharp discounts in the 55-inch, 65-inch, and 77-inch sizes: it’ll provide a stellar viewing experience.
- 55-inch Bravia XR A80K OLED ($1,299.99, originally $1,799.99 at Sony or Amazon)
- 65-inch Bravia XR A80K OLED ($1,699.99, originally $2,299.99 at Sony or Amazon)
- 77-inch Bravia XR A80K OLED ($2,699.99, originally $3,199.99 at Sony or Amazon)
Bravia XR A95L QD-OLED TV: What You Need to Know
Wondering what a QD-OLED is? Well, it’s a Quantum Dot OLED which can deliver more vibrancy and more color in a panel that can get seriously bright. The A95K truly wowed last year and the A95L is poised to do the same for 2023. The brightness improvement was immediately noticeable, even to the point where it was quite bright with the house lights still engaged.
What remains to be seen is how much of an improvement this is for everyday viewing in a home environment. Still thought, out of the gate the XR A95L is definitely a contender for one of the best televisions of 2023. Like the rest of the Bravia XR 2023 line this features a Google TV interface with easy access to streaming services and boasts a new “Game Menu” which is pretty much in-line with the settings on an Sony Inzone monitor. This will provide quick access to visual settings like VRR (variable refresh rate), motion blur reduction, and a black equalizer along with the ability to add a crosshair. Best of all this menu will be available on all Bravia XR 2023 TVs.
The QD-OLED, like a standard OLED, does a bit of a magic trick by having the screen be a speaker. In that an actuator in the speaker will vibrate to produce sound, Sony calls this “Acoustic Surface Audio+”. On the XR A95L it will support Dolby Atmos and DTS:X out of the box.
Sony’s XR A95L will launch later this year in 55-inch, 65-inch, and 77-inch sizes. If you can’t wait until the eventual launch or want to pay a little less, we’d check out the 2023 A95K QD-OLED which is currently on sale from Sony and Amazon.
- 55-inch Bravia XR A95K OLED ($2,299.99, originally $2,799.99 at Sony or Amazon)
- 65-inch Bravia XR A95K OLED ($2,599.99, originally $3,499.99 at Sony or Amazon)
Prices are accurate and items in stock at time of publishing.
