HD PICTURE QUALITY. HD picture quality was excellent. It did an excellent job displaying the finest detail of HD content. Color accuracy was excellent, so colors, especially flesh tones, looked very natural and lifelike. Contrast—the difference between the darkest blacks and brightest whites—was good, so images had depth and dimension. Black levels are excellent, with help from Sony's full array "Auto local dimming" feature, delivering very deep blacks that enhance contrast in dark scenes. This was among the brightest models we've tested (with the backlight control turned up), so the picture is well suited for a very sunny room. A lower backlight setting is recommended for a dimmer viewing environment. In scenes with subtly shaded light-to-dark areas, such as a sky during sunset, the model did a very good job producing a smooth transition without distinct, coarse bands. The deinterlacing and film mode operations were excellent on HD content; there was little or no trace of jaggies on the edges of objects for video and film-based 1080i video content, such as from cable.
POWER CONSUMPTION SPECIAL NOTE. Be aware that activating the hands free "OK Google" feature will raise power consumption to 23 watts while the TV is off.
VIEWING ANGLE. This Sony has a wide viewing angle overall, better than that of most TVs. It will provide the same picture quality, with fewer problems than most TVs, for typical viewing conditions—say, if your family is seated across a long sectional or in chairs off to the sides. When we viewed the TV from the sides the image quality showed some loss. The picture showed a slight loss of color. Black levels brightened slightly, reducing contrast especially on dark scenes. When viewing the image from above or below eye level to the screen, the vertical viewing angle was excellent. The picture showed no change in color, contrast, and black level.
4K UHD PICTURE QUALITY. 4K UHD picture quality is excellent. All native 4K content (non HDR) we played on this model, including movies and test videos, was presented in full 4K detail with excellent fidelity when played back via the TV's HDMI input. For color, contrast and black level, the TV performs similarly to its HD picture quality.
HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE (HDR) PERFORMANCE. HDR performance is very effective. The display's very high peak brightness capability helped enhance the realism of our 4K HDR test videos, while revealing very good contrast between moderately bright and very bright highlights within a scene. In HDR mode this TV only allows the optimization of the Brightness, Gamma, X-tended Dynamic Range, picture settings. All other settings are carried over from the HD picture settings. It did a good job reproducing a greater range of nuanced shadow detail from black to white, with no obvious banding on areas of the image that have subtle shade variations. There was no visible loss of near-white shadow detail in the brightest areas. Brighter colored objects remained nicely saturated.
MOTION BLUR. This Sony TV has good motion performance, with some blurring on our motion tests. Though this model includes Sony's "Motionflow", a feature designed to reduce motion blur, it also activates the so-called "soap opera" effect that removes film judder (the slightly jerky motion visible during camera pans on film-based content). This gives movies a less film-like appearance that some may not prefer. We turned the "Motionflow" feature off. Although this TV includes a "Clearness" setting that was effective at further reducing motion blur it limited the brightness of the image, so we left the feature off.
SCREEN REFLECTIVITY. Though not as mirror-like as on some models, this screen surface is glossy and therefore susceptible to reflections from a nearby lamp or window. It does a good job reducing glare from ambient light and maintains contrast in a brighter room environment.
SOUND QUALITY. This model has very good sound quality, better than most models we've tested. Whether you're watching a blockbuster movie, a concert, or TV show, it is able to deliver a satisfying listening experience. Bass was adequate, which added some fullness to the sound but lacking in definition a bit, and treble was nicely detailed, while the overall sound was a bit thin and closed in. The speakers produced a good volume range so this model should play sufficiently loud in typical room environments and without obvious distortion. Unlike most of our tested models its sound should satisfy the more discerning listeners, so an external sound bar is optional.
EASE OF USE. On first power up there is an on-screen guide that helps you through setting up the TV. Sony's advanced remote offers a traditional button keypad with high contrast labeling that remains fairly readable in a dimly lit environment. It has a dedicated button to access Google Assistant via the remote's built-in microphone. It also provides direct button access to Netflix and Google Play streaming services. Consider the TV's stand is 48 inches wide when choosing a table top to place it on.
INTERNET FEATURES. This TV provides advanced Internet functionality with a selection of applications via its "Android TV" portal with access to a library of applications. Movie streaming services that can be downloaded to this TV, or are built-in, include Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, HBO Go and HBO Now. Includes built-in Google Assistant, a virtual assistant, which allows you to use natural speech to ask questions, launch applications, and search programming via the remote's built-in microphone. Also provides support for Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa.
CONNECTIONS. This model has four HDMI inputs—one supports ARC (Audio Return Channel), one composite input, and no component input. It also has three USB ports, an optical digital audio out, a headphone out, an Ethernet port, WiFi wireless networking; DLNA, to access files within your home network; Casting, which allows you to send streaming content from your mobile device to the TV via your home network; Screen mirroring, where the image on your smartphone or other compatible device can also appear on the TV.
WHAT'S INCLUDED. A printed user manual. A quick start guide. An electronic manual in the TV's menu. A remote control with batteries. One IR Extender.
ABOUT ULTRA HD TESTING: We test UHD picture quality using 4K movies, videos, photos, and test patterns to confirm these displays deliver performance to this format's full potential. We check the TV's ability to reproduce 4K image detail, as well as high dynamic range (HDR) for TVs that support this capability. Image quality is tested using a 4K movie player connected to the TV's HDMI input, as well as from files stored on flash drive plugged into the TV's USB port. We also check how well the TV can upscale HD movies to the display's higher UHD resolution while keeping artifacts such as "jaggies" along the edges of image content to a minimum. The best UHD TVs, and HDTVs, present high fidelity images that reveal the full quality of the best source content without degradation.
