PICTURE QUALITY Picture quality was very good, overall. Reproduction of fine image detail was excellent. Color accuracy was excellent, so colors, especially flesh tones, look very natural and lifelike. Contrast was limited in dark scenes, giving images a somewhat flatter appearance. Black levels were overly bright, unfortunately, worse than many TVs. Its reproduction of smooth edges on image content for "up-converted" HD-to-UHD images was generally excellent and free of "jaggies" (jagged edges). Deinterlacing of 1080i video fell short with some visible "jaggies". Its frame-rate compensation for 1080i film-based content was only mediocre.
HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE (HDR) PERFORMANCE HDR performance had very limited effectiveness. In our tests, the display's lack of high peak brightness capability (by HDR standards) limited its ability to show the benefits of our HDR 4K content. It revealed only a little contrast between moderately bright and very bright highlights —while the brightness levels in the mid-to-lower tones, like those in an indoor scene, were slightly low. It did a good job reproducing a greater range of nuanced shadow detail, from black to white, with no obvious banding within the gradually shaded areas. We noted some loss of detail within the highlights of the brightest areas.
VIEWING ANGLE This Sony model has a moderate viewing angle—decent—but not as good as the better-performers. The best viewing position for this model is directly in front. When we viewed the TV from the sides, image quality got worse. the picture showed a slight loss of color. Black levels brightened slightly. Lastly, we viewed the image from above and below center screen, and noticed good vertical viewing angle performance, with only slight changes in color, contrast, and black level.
MOTION BLUR In our motion tests, this Sony LCD (LED) had very good motion performance, with minimal blurring.
SOUND QUALITY We got very good sound quality, better than most models we've tested. Whether you're watching a blockbuster movie, a concert, or TV show, it can deliver a satisfying listening experience. In our listening evaluations, we found the bass (low frequency sound) was very deep and provided a strong sense of fullness and mostly well defined. Treble (high frequency sound) was very good. The treble was neutral though a bit bright. This TV should be OK if the room isn't too noisy—we found the speakers could produce a good volume level. Overall, unlike most of our tested models its sound should satisfy the more discerning listeners, so give this a listen before opting for an external sound bar.
EASE OF USE The remote doesn't need to be pointed at the TV. It has a simplified design with a small number of buttons. The remote has a microphone use to issue voice commands. The TV also has a microphone which can be used to issue voice commands without the remote.
INTERNET FEATURES This TV provides internet functionality via its "Google TV" portal, with access to a library of applications. Movie streaming services that can be downloaded to this TV, or are built-in, include Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, BET+, DirecTV, Disney Plus, Fubo TV, HBO Max, Netflix, Paramount+, Peacock, Sling TV, Starz, YouTube, YouTube TV. It includes a built-in Gemini virtual assistant, which allows you to use natural speech to ask questions, launch applications, and search programming by talking to the TV.
CONNECTIONS This model has 4 HDMI inputs 2 USB ports, and an optical digital audio out, an Ethernet port, 802.11ax/WiFi 6E wireless networking, and AirPlay—for sharing videos, photos, music, and more from Apple devices to the TV.
WHAT'S INCLUDED A remote control.
