Top choices for Sony’s console tested and reviewed

The LG C1 is a great all-round set, good enough for any console. It features all flavours of VRR, the technology that adapts the refresh rate of the console to the TV for a more consistent and stable visual performance that also reduces lag. With HDMI VRR, Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync onboard, consoles and PC gaming is covered if you don’t have a PS5.

We measured input lag 12.5ms, which is slightly faster than the C2 OLED, but with VRR this figure can be reduced even further. With HDMI 2.1 support across all HDMI ports, you can plug your console or PC into any one of them, and with 4K/120Hz support which the PS5 has, means you can enjoy compatible games with low latency and fast response time.

Of course, the C1 also boasts some superb picture quality with immense detailed levels that also brought out subtlety and nuance that other sets miss. During testing, HDR picture quality also proved to be impressive across a variety of sources, with fantastic contrast, as displayed by the rich whites and deep blacks. The Game Optimiser menu allows for customising the performance of the TV based on the genre of game being played, and how much detail you want to see in the darkest and brightest parts of the picture.

To get the best out of audio performance, we’d recommend adding a soundbar or sound system to the C1. We found the built-in speaker system was restricted in terms of size and scale, especially with some Dolby Atmos content. Pairing the C1 with a capable Atmos soundbar will offer better audio, for those interested in a high-spec, all-in-one TV/audio system, then there is the 55-inch JZ2000 that’s a little more expensive than the C1 currently is.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: LG OLED65C1

The A95K is a blend TV of OLED and Quantum Dot colour technologies to create a QD-OLED TV that offers the best of both worlds. If you’re after a Sony TV go with your PS5, the A95K currently offers the best performance.

It’s not a model geared for general gamers. It’s not interested in PC gamers with no support for AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync, but for those with a PS5 there are a number of exclusive features such as the Auto Tone Mapping HDR, which we found to be very good at calibrating the TV’s HDR performance. Input time of 16.5ms is solid, and Sony says that can drop down to 8.5ms with VRR enabled.

Much like the 55-inch version, the XR-65A95K delivers a quite thrilling HDR performance. Colours are wide-ranging, with more shades of colour compared to an OLED65G3. Contrast is excellent, and levels of sharpness, detail, and clarity are all high when watching 4K HDR content.

Black levels aren’t the best we’ve seen from an OLED TV, with the Sony having a tendency to struggle in describing overly dark scenes. Upscaling is also good up until a point. It’s not as sharp as LG or Samsung models with its upscaling performance, but that appears to be deliberate. Colours are handled very well, and the Sony picks out satisfying levels of detail too, with artefacts such as banding heavily reduced.

It’s with standard definition where the TV can struggle, with a signal noise that the A95K struggles smooth out. Other TVs of this size manage noise better. However, motion is excellent, very smooth and with very few noticeable artifacts.

Sound quality is among the best we’ve heard from a TV. Big in size, sharp and clear, with bass that’s much punchier than expected thanks to the integrated woofers in Acoustic Surface Audio+ system.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Sony XR-65A95K

If you don’t have the room for a 65-inch model, then Sony XR-55A80J is the screen we’d suggest at a more suitable size. The A80J is one of several Sony TVs designated as ‘Perfect for PS5‘, featuring exclusive features such as Auto HDR Tone Mapping that optimises the HDR performance of the tell, and Auto Genre Picture Mode that detects when you’re playing a game and puts the TV into its lowest latency.

On the point of latency, we measured input lag at 16.3ms, which is good for a gaming telly, although the LG C1 above is quicker at 60Hz refresh rate. With the TV having added support for HDMI VRR in 2022, that input lag figure can be reduced even further at higher refresh rates with 4K/120Hz bringing it down to 8.5ms.

There is no Dolby Vision Game mode (the PS5 doesn’t support Dolby Vision for gaming anyway), and measured brightness in the A80J’s game mode to be 712 nits, which is not as bright as the LG C1 can reach. Comparing the two TV’s luminance, we found the A80J placed more of am emphasis on smaller HDR highlights than bigger objects, which may give the C1 the impression of being a brighter screen for gaming.

The A80J through its Acoustic Surface Audio+ speaker technology offered a more direct and forthright performance than the C1, even before we’d even calibrated. Using the built-in tools to calibrate the TV’s sound, it sounded better with dialogue with clarity and detail improved. We also found there to be decent weight to voices alongside some good bass to offer a low-end with impact. While a soundbar or sound system would be recommended, the A80J’s speaker system ensures you won’t need to jump out straight away to get one.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Sony XR-55A80J

If you’re lacking space or gaming in your bedroom, then Sony’s XR-42A90K OLED is tailored for that exact use. At 42-inches, it’s the smallest size you can get an OLED TV, although in terms of price per inch, it doesn’t come at a particularly affordable price come at $1399 / £1699.

Gaming with a PS5 connected, our reviewer found the experience to be impressive for a screen of this size. Input times are around 20ms, which is a respectable response time that can be brought down further with the TV’s support for HDMI VRR. VRR and 4K/120Hz are only supported across two HDMI inputs, with one of those also reserved for eARC that passes through audio such as Dolby Atmos to a compatible soundbar. If you have more than two HDMI 2.1 sources, you’d have to plug in and out the devices you want to use, but if you only have a PS5 and a soundbar then there’s less of a need to do that.

As this is a Sony TV there are exclusive features for the PS5, much like the A80J has. There’s support for Auto HDR Tone Mapping that configures the HDR for the A90K’s capabilities, and Auto Genre Picture Mode that automatically puts the OLED into its lowest latency state when it detects a PlayStation 5.

We found the picture performance when gaming to produce convincing and naturalistic images, with plenty of vibrancy to colours, depth to the image and excellent contrast. This isn’t the brightest OLED on the market, smaller-sized OLEDs face a struggle trying to replicate the brightness of bigger sizes, but given its 42-inch screen this is likely to be less noticeable given you’ll be sitting close to it.

Like the A80J, the A90K has Sony’s Acoustic Surface Audio+ built in, and the performance delivers direct and detailed audio, with dialogue sounding distinct and coherent. There isn’t much of a low end here, though, so there’s a shortage of punchiness to its sound and there’s a hint of edginess creeping through in the top-end, which only increases with volume. We haven’t yet tested LG’s 42-inch C2 but that would give this Sony a run for its money as it is the more affordable model.

Reviewer: Simon Lucas
Full Review: Sony XR-42A90K