PREMIUM PERFORMERS

Make the move upmarket with one of the best screens around

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SONY XR-55A80L

Some TVs try to grab your attention with slim design. Some try to catch your eye with a fancy control app or an integrated webcam. But the XR-55A80L doesn’t do any of that – it asks you to judge it on the quality of the images it delivers.

And when you get an eyeful of what this Sony is capable of, the relative bulk of its cabinet and its lack of added features are easy to overlook.

This is a 4K OLED with the same Cognitive Processor XR that was so impressive in last year’s Sony OLEDs. It has new XR Clear Image processing to assist with upscaling, and it’s compatible with Dolby Vision. It uses Google TV as its smart interface, and navigation can be done using one of the two remotes provided. Half of its four HDMI sockets are at 2.1 standard, which means all your PS5 or Xbox Series X features can be exploited, and there’s a handy new Game Menu.

So far, so unremarkable. But the conviction with which the A80L handles native 4K HDR content makes it a cut or two above other OLED screens that would seem, on paper at least, capable of similar results. It delivers its skin-tones in a naturalistic way, handles motion with certainty and keeps detail levels high even in the darkest scenes. And when you switch to sub-4K material, that new processing algorithm really earns its keep.