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To try to better understand how long a TV should last, we're running 100 TVs through an accelerated longevity test for the next two years. We've just posted our 1-year video update with our latest findings on temporary image retention, burn-in, and more!

Sony A80J OLED TV Review

Tested using Methodology v1.11
Review updated Dec 01, 2023 at 03:51 pm
Latest change: Retest Feb 13, 2024 at 11:44 am
Sony A80J OLED Picture
8.7
Mixed Usage
Value for price beaten by
: no price info
8.2
TV Shows
Value for price beaten by
: no price info
8.5
Sports
Value for price beaten by
: no price info
9.2
Video Games
Value for price beaten by
: no price info
8.8
HDR Movies
Value for price beaten by
: no price info
8.9
HDR Gaming
Value for price beaten by
: no price info
9.0
PC Monitor
Value for price beaten by
: no price info
This TV was replaced by the Sony A80K/A80CK OLED

The Sony A80J OLED is a high-end OLED TV that's part of Sony's premium BRAVIA 4k OLED lineup, sitting below the Sony A90J OLED. It replaces the Sony A8H OLED from 2020, and it mostly competes with other OLED TVs, like the LG C1 OLED, the Vizio OLED 2020, and the LG A1 OLED. It comes with the Google TV smart interface, which is pretty much a redesigned version of Android TV and has a ton of apps you can download. It has a great selection of gaming features, including HDMI 2.1 bandwidth for high-frame-rate 4k gaming, and it has variable refresh rate (VRR) support to reduce screen tearing.

Our Verdict

8.7 Mixed Usage

The Sony A80J is an amazing TV for any usage. It looks remarkable in dark rooms because of its nearly infinite contrast ratio and ability to display inky blacks without blooming around bright objects. This also makes it an excellent TV for watching HDR content, as vibrant colors and bright highlights pop. It's great in a moderately lit room thanks to its incredible reflection handling, but unfortunately, it doesn't get bright enough to fight off more intense glare. The TV is exceptional for gaming as it has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, VRR support, crystal-clear motion, and low input lag.

Pros
  • Near-infinite contrast ratio.
  • Image remains consistent at an angle.
  • Near-instantaneous response time for smooth motion.
Cons
  • Doesn't get bright enough to fight intense glare.
8.2 TV Shows

The Sony Bravia XR A80J is great for watching TV shows. Despite the TV not having the greatest peak brightness in SDR, the remarkable reflection handling helps make up for it with its ability to reduce glare from bothersome light sources. It also has a wide viewing angle that allows you to walk around with the TV on and still enjoy a consistent image. The TV has Sony's class-leading processing capabilities, so low-resolution shows on cable or DVD are upscaled well, and macro-blocking and pixelization from low-quality streams are effectively smoothed out with no noticeable loss of details.

Pros
  • Near-infinite contrast ratio.
  • Image remains consistent at an angle.
  • Incredible reflection handling.
  • No issues upscaling lower resolution content.
Cons
  • Doesn't get bright enough to fight intense glare.
8.5 Sports

The Sony A80J is an excellent TV for watching sports. The remarkable reflection handling makes up for its shortcomings with peak brightness, so glare isn't a big issue in a bright room. The image looks consistent from the sides due to its wide viewing angle, making it a great choice for watching the game with friends. Fast-moving balls and players look smooth thanks to the TV's nearly instantaneous response time, so you can make out all the action without motion blur becoming a distraction. Finally, low-quality cable sports channels and streams are upscaled excellently due to Sony's top-notch image processing.

Pros
  • Near-infinite contrast ratio.
  • Image remains consistent at an angle.
  • Near-instantaneous response time for smooth motion.
  • Incredible reflection handling.
Cons
  • Doesn't get bright enough to fight intense glare.
9.2 Video Games

The Sony Bravia XR A80J is fantastic for playing video games. It has modern gaming features like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth for 4k @ 120Hz support and VRR to greatly reduce screen tearing. The TV has outstanding response time, so even the most fast-paced games are displayed without motion blur. The input lag is low enough for a responsive feel, but it is higher than other TVs in its class, so there are better options if you're after the least input lag possible.

Pros
  • Near-infinite contrast ratio.
  • Near-instantaneous response time for smooth motion.
  • Low input lag.
  • HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on two inputs for 4k @ 120Hz gaming.
  • Variable refresh rate support to reduce tearing.
Cons
  • No FreeSync support.
8.8 HDR Movies

The Sony A80J OLED TV is excellent for watching HDR movies. Thanks to its infinite contrast ratio and incredible black uniformity, the blacks are deep and inky without the risk of blooming. Although its brightness in HDR is lower than most comparable OLEDs, it’s still bright enough to make colors look vibrant and make highlights pop. Unfortunately, HDR gradients are disappointing on the TV, with noticeable banding with all colors.

Pros
  • Near-infinite contrast ratio.
  • Wide color gamut.
  • Removes 24p judder from any source.
Cons
  • Low frame rate content appears to stutter.
  • Can't hit the brightest highlights in HDR.
8.9 HDR Gaming

The Sony Bravia A80J is amazing for gaming in HDR. It has modern features like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, a 120Hz panel, and VRR support, so it's a great choice to pair with a modern console. Because of the TV's outstanding response time, even the fastest motion is displayed smoothly. The input lag isn't as low as some other TVs, but it's still quite low, and there's no discernable delay between your controller and the actions on the TV. The TV doesn't get very bright in HDR, but it's bright enough to help colors look vibrant and to make highlights pop, and it also displays deep blacks without any blooming around bright objects. Unfortunately, the TV only reaches 60Hz while using Dolby Vision, so you'll have to decide whether 120Hz or Dolby Vision is more beneficial to your gaming needs.

Pros
  • Near-infinite contrast ratio.
  • Near-instantaneous response time for smooth motion.
  • Wide color gamut.
  • Low input lag.
  • HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on two inputs for 4k @ 120Hz gaming.
  • Variable refresh rate support to reduce tearing.
Cons
  • No FreeSync support.
  • Can't hit the brightest highlights in HDR.
9.0 PC Monitor

The Sony A80J is a fantastic TV to use as a PC monitor. It displays chroma 4:4:4 properly, which is essential for clear text from a computer. Thanks to the TV's wide viewing angle, the screen's sides remain uniform when sitting up close. The reflection handling is incredible, so glare isn't an issue if you're in a moderately lit room, but it's not bright enough to overcome more intense glare.

Pros
  • Near-infinite contrast ratio.
  • Near-instantaneous response time for smooth motion.
  • Low input lag.
  • Displays proper chroma 4:4:4.
  • Variable refresh rate support to reduce tearing.
Cons
  • No FreeSync support.
  • Issues displaying 1440p resolution.
  • 8.7 Mixed Usage
  • 8.2 TV Shows
  • 8.5 Sports
  • 9.2 Video Games
  • 8.8 HDR Movies
  • 8.9 HDR Gaming
  • 9.0 PC Monitor
  1. Updated Feb 13, 2024: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
  2. Updated Dec 05, 2023: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
  3. Updated Dec 01, 2023: We've updated the text in the review to reflect our latest test methodology updates and to add information about the Accelerated Longevity Test.
  4. Updated Oct 12, 2023: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
  5. Updated Aug 09, 2023: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
  6. Updated Aug 01, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 1.11. With this update, we've added a new Upscaling: Sharpness Processing test and revamped our Blooming test so the scores and picture better match the real world experience. With this change, it was necessary to remove the Black Crush test. Finally, we've updated our usage scores to better align our scores with user expectations.
  7. Updated Jun 07, 2023: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
  8. Updated Apr 21, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 1.10. With this update we've revamped our Gradient testing, added a new test for Low Quality Content Smoothing, and expanded our Audio Passthrough testing.
  9. Updated Apr 03, 2023: We uploaded the brightness measurements and uniformity photos after running the TV for four months in our Accelerated Longevity Test.
  10. Updated Feb 28, 2023: We retested the TV with the PS5's variable refresh rate (VRR) feature and updated the PS5 Compatibilitysection of the review, as VRR is working properly.
  11. Updated Feb 17, 2023: Updated to Test Bench 1.9, modifying our Contrast testing and splitting our local dimming testing into multiple sections covering Blooming, Black Crush, and Lighting Zone Transitions. You can see our full changelog here.
  12. Updated Feb 16, 2023: We uploaded the brightness measurements and uniformity photos after running the TV for two months in our Accelerated Longevity Test.
  13. Updated Feb 09, 2023: We've updated the text in the review to reflect our latest test methodology updates.
  14. Updated Nov 17, 2022: We uploaded the initial brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
  15. Updated Aug 30, 2022: Retested 1080p VRR range to see if there were still the same issues with latest firmware.
  16. Updated Aug 05, 2022: We updated the local dimming text to be more technically accurate and removed mention of the backlight, as OLED panels are self-emissive and don't have a backlight.
  17. Updated Aug 04, 2022: Updated to Test Bench 1.8, adding a new box for PQ EOTF tracking and updating our Color Volume and Color Gamut tests to better reflect real world usage. You can see our full changelog here.
  18. Updated Jul 14, 2022: Updated to Test Bench 1.7 with an updated HDR Brightness test that better reflects real world usage. We've also split the console compatibility boxes into separate PS5 Compatibility and Xbox Series X|S Compatibility tests. You can see our full changelog here.
  19. Updated May 06, 2022: We changed the subtype from WRGB to WOLED as it's more accurate and more consistent with other TVs.
  20. Updated Mar 04, 2022: Checked for VRR support after latest firmware update.
  21. Updated Nov 19, 2021: Updated review for accuracy and clarity.
  22. Updated May 19, 2021: Review published.
  23. Updated May 14, 2021: Early access published.
  24. Updated May 04, 2021: Our testers have started testing this product.
  25. Updated May 03, 2021: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
  26. Updated Apr 23, 2021: The product has won our suggestion poll, so we'll buy and test it soon.
  27. Updated Mar 31, 2021: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Differences Between Sizes And Variants

We tested the 55-inch Sony A80J (XR55A80J), which is also available in 65-inch (XR65A80J) and 77-inch (XR77A80J) sizes. These results are also valid for those models, but the 77-inch model has a slightly different screen coating. The A80J is also sold as the A80CJ at Costco, but only in the 65 and 77-inch models.

Size Panel Model Costco Notes
55" OLED XR-55A80J - Semi-gloss finish
65" OLED XR-65A80J XR65A80CJ Semi-gloss finish
77" OLED XR-77A80J XR77A80CJ Glossy finish

 Our unit was manufactured in April 2021, and you can see the label here.

Compared To Other TVs

The Sony A80J is an excellent all-around TV with many features and stunning picture quality thanks to its OLED panel. It performs very similarly to the Sony A90J OLED, except it lacks the XR OLED Contrast Pro heatsink that allows the A90J to hit very high peaks of brightness in HDR, and it's available in a 77-inch size as opposed to an 83-inch.

For more options, see our recommendations for the best OLED TVs, the best movie TVs, and the best TVs on the market.

Sony A80L/A80CL OLED
55" 65" 77" 83"

The Sony A80L OLED is better than the Sony A80J OLED, but only because it has slightly better processing. In particular, it has much better HDR gradient handling, which was disappointing on the A80J. Aside from that, they're extremely similar TVs.

LG C1 OLED
48" 55" 65" 77" 83"

The Sony A80J OLED and the LG C1 OLED are amazing TVs capable of turning pixels off individually to produce deep inky blacks with a near-infinite contrast ratio. You can't go wrong with either, but they do have some differences. The LG offers a bit more for gamers, with two more HDMI 2.1 ports than the Sony and it has lower input lag. The Sony, however, has better out-of-the-box accuracy, although this can vary from unit to unit.

Sony A80K/A80CK OLED
55" 65" 77"

The Sony A80K/A80CK OLED and the Sony A80J OLED are extremely similar TVs with the same features. They're so similar that deciding between these two TVs comes down to which you can find for cheaper.

Sony A90J OLED
55" 65" 83"

The Sony A80J OLED and the Sony A90J OLED are very similar TVs overall, and both offer stunning picture quality in a premium, well-built package. That said, the A90J uses Sony's new heatsink technology, which allows it to get brighter in HDR, although the difference is relatively small. The A90J also has a better remote with motion-activated backlighting. The other big difference is that the A90J is available in 55, 65, and 83 inch sizes, while the A80J is available in 55, 65, and 77 inch sizes. If none of these are dealbreakers, the A80J is still an excellent choice that performs about the same as its more expensive sibling.

LG G1 OLED
55" 65" 77"

The LG G1 OLED and the Sony A80J OLED are both excellent TVs with a few differences. The LG has more gaming features like lower input lag. The LG has the new evo panel, allowing it to get brighter in HDR, but the Sony still gets a bit brighter in SDR. They're built differently as the LG is meant to sit flush against a wall and comes with a dedicated wall mount, while the Sony is a more typical TV that comes with a stand.

LG C3 OLED
42" 48" 55" 65" 77" 83"

The LG C3 OLED is better than the Sony A80J OLED in almost every way. They both use WOLED panels, but the LG is brighter in both HDR and SDR and maintains its brightness better in Game Mode. The LG also supports FreeSync and has lower input lag than the Sony, so it's better for gamers. Sony's only advantage is its processing capabilities with low-resolution and low-quality content.

Sony A8H OLED
55" 65"

The Sony A80J OLED replaces the Sony A8H OLED in 2021, and while the two perform similarly, the A80J has a few upgrades that give it a slight edge. The biggest is the addition of two HDMI 2.1 ports, which is great for PS5 or Xbox Series X owners, and the A80J also has VRR support. If you want a bigger screen, the A80J is also available in a larger 77 inch size. That said, they both offer stunning picture quality, and the A8H gets a bit brighter overall in both SDR and HDR.

LG C2 OLED
42" 48" 55" 65" 77" 83"

The LG C2 OLED is better than the Sony A80J for most users. The LG is a bit brighter, especially when displaying small, bright highlights in dark scenes. The LG also has better reflection handling, with a glossy finish that reduces the intensity of bright lights. On the other hand, the Sony has much better processing, with better gradient handling and better tone mapping, so it's a better choice if you're a movie buff and care about an accurate picture, especially in HDR.

Sony X90L/X90CL
55" 65" 75" 85" 98"

The Sony A80J OLED and the Sony X90L/X90CL are different types of TVs due to their different panel types. If you often watch content in a dark room, the A80J is the better choice as its OLED panel delivers deeper blacks. However, if you want to use it in a well-lit room, the LED panel of the X90K gets much brighter in both SDR and HDR, so it fights off glare better.

Samsung S95B OLED
55" 65"

The Samsung S95B OLED is much better than the Sony A80J OLED. The Samsung has a QD-OLED panel, allowing it to get brighter and display a wider range of colors than the Sony. The Samsung TV also has better gaming performance due to its lower input lag. However, if you use your TV in a bright room, the Sony performs better because blacks still look black in a bright room, whereas ambient lighting causes the black levels to rise and become purple-tinged on the Samsung.

Sony A95K OLED
55" 65"

The Sony A95K OLED is a much better TV than the Sony A80J OLED. The A95K uses QD-OLED technology, which is a type of OLED panel that allows it to display more colors and get brighter than traditional WOLED panels, so it's much better for watching HDR content. However, the A80J performs better in well-lit rooms because the black levels raise and become purple-tinged on the A95K when there's any ambient light.

LG B2 OLED
55" 65" 77"

The Sony A80J OLED and the LG B2 OLED are similar TVs. If you only watch movies and shows in dark rooms, the Sony delivers better overall picture quality as it has better gradient handling and gets brighter in HDR. However, if you want something to use in a bright room, the LG is the better choice, and it also has better overall gaming performance if you're a gamer.

LG CX OLED
48" 55" 65" 77"

The LG CX OLED and the Sony A80J OLED are top-of-the-class OLED TVs with near-infinite contrast ratios and premium features. That said, the LG is a better choice for gamers since it has lower input lag. The LG also gets a bit brighter overall.

Samsung S90C OLED
55" 65" 77" 83"

The Samsung S90C OLED is much better than the Sony A80J OLED. The Samsung has a QD-OLED panel, allowing it to get brighter and display a wider range of colors than the Sony. The Samsung TV also has better gaming performance due to its lower input lag. However, if you use your TV in a bright room, the Sony performs better because blacks still look black in a bright room, whereas ambient lighting causes the black levels to raise and become purple-tinged on the Samsung.

Sony X90K/X90CK
55" 65" 75" 85"

The Sony A80J OLED and the Sony X90K are different types of TVs due to their different panel types. If you often watch content in a dark room, the A80J is the better choice as its OLED panel delivers deeper blacks. However, if you want to use it in a well-lit room to watch content in SDR, the LED panel of the X90K gets much brighter, so it fights glare better.

Sony X90J
50" 55" 65" 75"

The Sony A80J OLED is better overall than the Sony X90J, mostly because it uses an OLED panel and can produce perfect blacks with no visible blooming. It also has a faster response time and wider viewing angles, making it a better option for video games and sports. However, if you're worried about permanent burn-in, the X90J is a great all-around TV with a fantastic contrast ratio, and it gets significantly brighter.

LG G2 OLED
55" 65" 77" 83" 97"

The LG G2 OLED and the Sony A80J OLED deliver very similar picture quality overall, but the LG is a bit better for most users. The LG is a bit brighter in SDR and a lot brighter in HDR, so bright highlights stand out a bit better. On the other hand, the Sony TV has better processing, with better tone mapping and smoother gradients, so it's a bit better for cinephiles. There's also a big design difference between them, as the Sony comes with a stand, whereas the LG is designed to be wall-mounted and doesn't include one.

Sony X80J
43" 50" 55" 65" 75"

The Sony A80J OLED is better than the Sony X80J. If you often watch content in a dark room, the A80J is a much better choice as its OLED panel delivers deeper blacks. It also gets brighter in HDR, so highlights pop more than the X80J. The X80J lacks modern gaming features, while the A80J has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, 4k @ 120Hz, and VRR, so it's a much better choice for gaming.

LG A2 OLED
48" 55" 65" 77"

The Sony A80J OLED and the LG A2 OLED are both excellent TVs, but the Sony model has the advantage in a few areas. Although their SDR peak brightness is similar, the Sony gets much brighter in HDR, so highlights pop more with HDR content. The Sony TV also has much better image processing features when upscaling low-resolution content and smoothing low-quality content. If you're a gamer, the Sony TV can take full advantage of gaming consoles thanks to its HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and VRR support.

Sony A9G OLED
55" 65" 77"

The Sony A80J OLED and the Sony A9G OLED are excellent TVs capable of completely turning off individual pixels to produce perfect blacks. That said, the A80J is a newer model with improved features and performance, particularly when it comes to peak brightness, as well as having a different processor. The A80J also has two HDMI 2.1 ports, less input lag, and has VRR support.

Samsung QN90A QLED
43" 50" 55" 65" 75" 85" 98"

The Samsung QN90A QLED and the Sony A80J OLED use different panel types, but both offer amazing performance. The Sony is an OLED with a near-infinite contrast ratio, while the Samsung has a VA panel, so its native contrast is more limited. The Samsung uses Mini LED backlighting, and its local dimming feature allows it to produce exceptionally deep blacks. You may, however, notice a bit of blooming, especially when viewing off-angle, whereas the Sony has no visible blooming. The biggest advantage the Samsung has over the Sony is that it gets exceptionally bright, so it's better for bright rooms and can bring out more highlights in HDR.

Samsung S89C OLED
77"

The Samsung S89C OLED is much better than the Sony A80J OLED. The Samsung has a QD-OLED panel, allowing it to get brighter and display a wider range of colors than the Sony. The Samsung TV also has better gaming performance due to its lower input lag. However, if you use your TV in a bright room, the Sony performs better because blacks still look black in a bright room, whereas ambient lighting causes the black levels to raise and become purple-tinged on the Samsung.

Sony X95K
65" 75" 85"

The Sony A80J OLED and the Sony X95K are different types of TVs due to their different panel types. If you often watch content in a dark room, the A80J is the better choice as its OLED panel delivers deeper blacks. However, if you want to use it in a well-lit room, the LED panel of the X95K gets much brighter, so it fights glare better.

Sony X95J
65" 75" 85"

The Sony A80J OLED and the Sony X95J use different panel technologies, each with strengths and weaknesses. The A80J uses an OLED panel, which delivers true inky blacks with perfect black uniformity, whereas the X95J uses an LED backlight. The X95J is a lot brighter, but the A80J has better dark room performance, better uniformity, and better viewing angles. The A80J also has a nearly instantaneous response time, so it's a better choice for gamers.

Sony X950H
49" 55" 65" 75" 85"

The Sony A80J OLED is better overall than the Sony X950H, but they use different panel types. The X950H has a VA panel, and while its contrast ratio is excellent, it doesn't compare with the near-infinite contrast of the A80J. The A80J also has wider viewing angles and a nearly instantaneous response time for smoother motion. To top it off, it's a better option for gamers since it comes with two HDMI 2.1 ports and has VRR support after a firmware update.

Sony X900H
55" 65" 75" 85"

The Sony A80J OLED is better than the Sony X900H, mostly thanks to its OLED panel and near-infinite contrast ratio. The X900H is still a great TV, with a high contrast ratio and higher brightness than the A80J. It's a good option if you're worried about permanent burn-in with OLEDs. That said, the A80J has a faster response time, wider viewing angles, wider color gamut, and generally outperforms the X900H.

LG B1 OLED
55" 65" 77"

The LG B1 OLED and the Sony A80J OLED are both excellent TVs with a few differences. The LG is better for gaming because it has lower input lag. On the other hand, the Sony is slightly better for watching HDR content because it gets brighter and has better color accuracy, but this can vary between units. Overall, the differences between them are minor as most OLEDs deliver the same exceptional picture quality.

Hisense U8G
55" 65"

The Sony A80J OLED and the Hisense U8G use different panel technologies, each with advantages and disadvantages. The Sony uses an OLED panel, which delivers a much better dark room experience, with perfect blacks and no blooming. The Sony also has much better viewing angles. Unfortunately, though, the Sony comes with a risk of permanent burn-in when exposed to static content. On the other hand, the Hisense is much brighter, and it supports the latest gaming features, including two HDMI 2.1 ports and support for a variable refresh rate.

LG GX OLED
55" 65" 77"

The Sony A80J OLED and the LG GX OLED are excellent TVs with OLED panels that can individually turn off pixels and produce perfect blacks. They especially differ in design, as the LG has a unique 'gallery' design with an exceptionally thin profile intended to be wall-mounted. The LG gets a bit brighter in HDR and has a bit less input lag for gaming or PC use, but the Sony has better out-of-the-box accuracy.

+ Show more

Video

Test Results

perceptual testing image
Design
Design
Style
Curved No

The design is similar to the Sony A90J OLED, except for the back panel, which features a grid-like pattern. It's a sleek TV that'll stand out in any living room.

Design
Accelerated Longevity Test
Uniformity Pictures

After ten months, the Sony Bravia XR A80J has permanent image retention that is visible with every color, and most visible on a 50% gray screen. You can even make out the CNN horizontal news ticker bar at the bottom.

Design
Stand

The stand has three different setup positions. The standard position lets the TV sit closer to the table. There's a narrow position for smaller tables, and finally, a soundbar position that raises the TV to give you space for a soundbar in front.

Footprint of the 55-inch stand:

  • Standard position: 41" (W) x 13" (D)
  • Soundbar position: 41" (W) x 13" (D) x 2.71" (H)
  • Narrow position: 27.3" (W) x 13" (D)

Design
Back
Wall Mount VESA 300x300

The panel and feet are made of metal, while the rest of the back is textured plastic with diagonal grooves in a grid pattern. It looks good, but aside from the cable tie included in the box, which we didn't use, there's no cable management. Some of the inputs face to the side, and they're easy to access, but most of them face down and aren't easy to reach if you wall-mount the TV.

Design
Borders
Borders 0.35" (0.9 cm)
Design
Thickness
Max Thickness 2.09" (5.3 cm)
9.5
Design
Build Quality

The Sony Bravia XR A80J feels superbly well-built. The materials feel premium, and it's very sturdy with no wobble. There's a bit of flex to the plastic back, mostly on the sides, but overall, it feels very solidly put together.

Picture Quality
10
Picture Quality
Contrast
Contrast
Inf : 1
Native Contrast
Inf : 1

Thanks to its self-lit pixels, the Sony A80J has a near-infinite contrast ratio with perfect black levels. It's ideal for watching movies in dark rooms.

10
Picture Quality
Blooming

Since the TV uses self-emissive OLED technology, there's absolutely no blooming around bright highlights or subtitles in otherwise dark scenes.

10
Picture Quality
Lighting Zone Transitions
Local Dimming
No
Backlight
No Backlight
Dimming Zones Count Of Tested TV
8,294,400

The panel doesn't have a backlight, but thanks to its nearly infinite contrast ratio, it has the equivalent of a perfect local dimming feature with no zone transitions. We still film the zone transition video on the TV so you can see how the screen performs and compare it with a TV that has local dimming.

9.5
Picture Quality
Contrast And Dark Details In Game Mode

There's no difference in dark scene behavior between the calibrated picture modes and Game Mode.

7.3
Picture Quality
HDR Brightness
Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²)
558 cd/m²
Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²)
344 cd/m²
Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²)
258 cd/m²
Peak 2% Window
781 cd/m²
Peak 10% Window
658 cd/m²
Peak 25% Window
469 cd/m²
Peak 50% Window
284 cd/m²
Peak 100% Window
150 cd/m²
Sustained 2% Window
741 cd/m²
Sustained 10% Window
645 cd/m²
Sustained 25% Window
462 cd/m²
Sustained 50% Window
283 cd/m²
Sustained 100% Window
148 cd/m²
Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
0.096

The Sony A80J OLED has decent HDR brightness. As with SDR, there's a lot of variation in brightness across different scenes, partly due to the aggressive ABL. HDR content still pops out well thanks to its near-infinite contrast ratio, but extremely bright highlights and large bright scenes don't stand out as well as they should.

These measurements are before calibrating the HDR white point with the following settings:

  • Picture Mode: Custom
  • Brightness: Max
  • Contrast: 90
  • Color Temperature: Expert 2
  • HDR Tone Mapping: Gradation Preferred

The HDR peak brightness is drastically different with the Brightness Preferred setting and the Peak Luminance setting:

Test WindowBrightness Preferred OnPeak Luminance Off
Peak 2%874 cd/m²144 cd/m²
Peak 10%733 cd/m²147 cd/m²
Peak 25%494 cd/m²146 cd/m²
Peak 50%295 cd/m²146 cd/m²
Peak 100%157 cd/m²145 cd/m²
Sustained 2%757 cd/m²143 cd/m²
Sustained10%672 cd/m²146 cd/m²
Sustained 25%479 cd/m²145 cd/m²
Sustained 50%293 cd/m²144 cd/m²
Sustained 100%153 cd/m²144 cd/m²
EOTFChartChart

6.8
Picture Quality
HDR Brightness In Game Mode
Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²)
390 cd/m²
Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²)
340 cd/m²
Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²)
200 cd/m²
Peak 2% Window
775 cd/m²
Peak 10% Window
661 cd/m²
Peak 25% Window
473 cd/m²
Peak 50% Window
295 cd/m²
Peak 100% Window
179 cd/m²
Sustained 2% Window
737 cd/m²
Sustained 10% Window
650 cd/m²
Sustained 25% Window
467 cd/m²
Sustained 50% Window
292 cd/m²
Sustained 100% Window
177 cd/m²
Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
0.096

In Game Mode, the HDR brightness is about the same as outside of Game Mode. For the most part, the difference is hardly noticeable, although real scenes appear slightly dimmer.

These measurements are after calibrating the HDR white point with the following settings:

  • Picture Mode: Game
  • Brightness: Max
  • Contrast: 90
  • Color Temperature: Expert 2
  • HDR Tone Mapping: Gradation Preferred

9.7
Picture Quality
PQ EOTF Tracking
600 Nit Tracking Delta
0.0024
1000 Nit Tracking Delta
0.0022
4000 Nit Tracking Delta
0.0030

Like most Sony TVs, the Sony Bravia XR A80J has incredible PQ EOTF tracking. The vast majority of content is displayed at the exact brightness level the content creator intended. There's a very smooth roll-off near the TV's peak brightness, preserving fine details in bright areas of the screen.

6.9
Picture Quality
SDR Brightness
Real Scene Peak Brightness
298 cd/m²
Peak 2% Window
484 cd/m²
Peak 10% Window
481 cd/m²
Peak 25% Window
471 cd/m²
Peak 50% Window
306 cd/m²
Peak 100% Window
166 cd/m²
Sustained 2% Window
445 cd/m²
Sustained 10% Window
456 cd/m²
Sustained 25% Window
458 cd/m²
Sustained 50% Window
302 cd/m²
Sustained 100% Window
164 cd/m²
Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
0.066

The SDR brightness is okay and is on par with other OLEDs. It has an aggressive Automatic Brightness Limiter (ABL), which causes large bright areas to be less dim, which is distracting while watching sports like hockey. Overall, it performs well in moderate lighting conditions but isn't bright enough to fight glare in really bright rooms.

These measurements are after calibration with the following settings:

  • Picture Mode: Custom
  • Brightness: Max
  • Peak Luminance: High
  • Color Temperature: Expert 1

If you find the brightness changes with different scenes, you can set Peak Luminance to off. With it disabled, all scenes are displayed at around 130 cd/m², and there's no noticeable fluctuation in brightness with different scenes. It's a lot dimmer, so most people are better off leaving Peak Luminance enabled.

8.6
Picture Quality
Color Gamut
Wide Color Gamut
Yes
DCI P3 xy
97.42%
DCI P3 uv
98.60%
Rec 2020 xy
71.60%
Rec 2020 uv
75.12%

The Sony A80J has an excellent color gamut. It has full coverage of the DCI-P3 color space used in most HDR content and decent coverage of the wider Rec. 2020 color space. It tone maps well in both color spaces, ensuring fine details are preserved in saturated scenes.

7.8
Picture Quality
Color Volume
1,000 cd/m² DCI P3 Coverage ITP
72.9%
10,000 cd/m² Rec 2020 Coverage ITP
32.9%
White Luminance
526 cd/m²
Red Luminance
69 cd/m²
Green Luminance
247 cd/m²
Blue Luminance
34 cd/m²
Cyan Luminance
267 cd/m²
Magenta Luminance
87 cd/m²
Yellow Luminance
291 cd/m²

The color volume is good. It has trouble with colors at higher luminance levels due to its limited brightness, but it displays dark saturated colors well, thanks to its near-infinite contrast ratio.

8.6
Picture Quality
Pre Calibration
White Balance dE
1.97
Color dE
1.29
Gamma
2.21
Color Temperature
6,970 K
Picture Mode
Custom
Color Temp Setting
Expert 1
Gamma Setting
0

With just a few quick settings changes out-of-the-box, the Sony A80J OLED has excellent accuracy. The white balance and color inaccuracies are minor and are hard to spot with the naked eye. Gamma is great, but it doesn't quite follow the 2.2 target, so a few scenes are either over-brightened or too dark. Also, its color temperature is on the cold side, giving the image a slightly blue tint.

9.6
Picture Quality
Post Calibration
White Balance dE
0.21
Color dE
0.93
Gamma
2.20
Color Temperature
6,517 K
White Balance Calibration
10 point
Color Calibration
Yes

The Sony A80J has fantastic accuracy after calibration. The white balance, gamma, and color temperature are all nearly perfect, and while there are some slight inaccuracies with a few colors, it's not noticeable at all. The calibration system is effective but sensitive, so it can be tricky to calibrate as changes to one setting may have a more significant impact on other measurements.

You can see our full calibration settings here.

8.6
Picture Quality
Gray Uniformity
50% Std. Dev.
1.436%
50% DSE
0.124%
5% Std. Dev.
0.589%
5% DSE
0.104%

The Sony A80J has excellent gray uniformity. The screen is very uniform, with practically no dirty screen effect. Near-dark scenes look fantastic, with no noticeable issues.

10
Picture Quality
Black Uniformity
Std. Dev.
N/A
Native Std. Dev.
0.326%

Like all OLEDs, the Sony A80J can completely turn off individual pixels to achieve perfect black uniformity, with no cloudiness present at all.

8.3
Picture Quality
Viewing Angle
Color Washout
55°
Color Shift
28°
Brightness Loss
59°
Black Level Raise
70°
Gamma Shift
52°

The Sony Bravia XR A80J has a great viewing angle. The image looks consistent when viewed from the sides, which is great for accommodating more people or wide seating arrangements.

9.0
Picture Quality
Reflections
Screen Finish
Semi-gloss
Total Reflections
2.0%
Indirect Reflections
0.4%
Calculated Direct Reflections
1.6%

The Sony A80J has a slightly matte finish, unlike the Sony A90J OLED. The reflections are duller but more widely diffused than on a typical glossy screen. The reflection handling is still superb overall, meaning glare is not an issue in most rooms, but placing it directly opposite a window or light source isn't a good idea because it doesn't get bright enough to fight off intense light. The 77-inch version has a glossy finish, which handles light differently, resulting in less indirect reflections as bright lights aren't diffused across the screen as much.

5.8
Picture Quality
HDR Native Gradient
100% Black to 50% Gray
6.0
50% Gray to 100% White
4.0
100% Black to 50% Red
8.0
50% Red to 100% Red
6.0
100% Black to 50% Green
4.0
50% Green to 100% Green
4.0
100% Black to 50% Blue
8.0
50% Blue to 100% Blue
6.0

Gradients look disappointing on the Sony A80J. There is a great deal of banding with greens and grays, and although other colors perform a bit better, there is noticeable banding across the board. When we originally tested the TV, it performed much better. The banding could be more prevalent because of general panel degradation, but we don't know for sure.

The Smooth Gradation feature can help even out gradients in low-quality content.

8.7
Picture Quality
Low-Quality Content Smoothing
Smoothing
9.0
Detail Preservation
8.0

The Sony A80J has excellent low-quality content processing. It's very effective at smoothing out macro-blocking and pixelization when streaming content, with very little loss of fine details.

8.5
Picture Quality
Upscaling: Sharpness Processing

The TV has excellent sharpness processing and upscaling overall. Fine details in low-resolution content are upscaled well, and text is clear and easy to read.

These results are with the following processing settings:

  • Sharpness: 60
  • Reality Creation: Auto

Picture Quality
Pixels
Subpixel Layout
RWBG
Type OLED
Sub-Type
WOLED

The Sony Bravia XR A80J uses a WRGB sub-pixel layout, where all four subpixels are never lit simultaneously. You can see some of the blue sub-pixels lit up in this photo.

Motion
9.8
Motion
Response Time
80% Response Time
0.2 ms
100% Response Time
2.7 ms

The Sony A80J has a near-instantaneous response time, so motion looks exceptionally clear with minimal blur trail behind fast-moving objects. Unfortunately, due to the sample-and-hold nature of OLED technology, there's still some noticeable persistence blur.

10
Motion
Flicker-Free
Flicker-Free
No
PWM Dimming Frequency
0 Hz

The Sony A80J isn't completely flicker-free; the slight dip in brightness you see in the chart every 8ms is due to the TV's 120Hz refresh rate, which isn't noticeable.

Motion
Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
Optional BFI
Yes
Min Flicker For 60 fps
60 Hz
60Hz For 60 fps
Yes
120Hz For 120 fps
Yes
Min Flicker for 60 fps in Game Mode
60 Hz

The Sony A80CJ has a black frame insertion feature to try to improve the appearance of motion. It can flicker at 60Hz or 120Hz; the photo above is with the 60Hz flicker, and you can see the 120Hz flicker here.

Motion
Motion Interpolation
Motion Interpolation (30 fps)
Yes
Motion Interpolation (60 fps)
Yes

The TV can interpolate lower frame rate content up to 120fps to make motion look smoother, which is also known as the 'Soap Opera Effect'. It performs fine during slower scenes, but there's a fair number of artifacts in busier scenes or panning shots.

5.1
Motion
Stutter
Frame Hold Time @ 24 fps
38.9 ms
Frame Hold Time @ 60 fps
13.9 ms

As the TV has a near-instantaneous response time, lower-frame-rate content appears to stutter because each frame is static on the screen for a long period.

10
Motion
24p Judder
Judder-Free 24p
Yes
Judder-Free 24p via 60p
Yes
Judder-Free 24p via 60i
Yes
Judder-Free 24p via Native Apps
Yes

The Sony A80CJ removes 24p judder from any source, which helps with the appearance of motion in movies. There are different settings needed for native apps and 60p/i sources, which you can learn about here.

9.4
Motion
Variable Refresh Rate
Native Refresh Rate
120 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
Yes
HDMI Forum VRR
Yes
FreeSync
No
G-SYNC Compatible
Yes
4k VRR Maximum
120 Hz
4k VRR Minimum
< 20 Hz
1080p VRR Maximum
120 Hz
1080p VRR Minimum
< 20 Hz
1440p VRR Maximum
N/A
1440p VRR Minimum
Unknown
VRR + Local Dimming No Local Dimming

The Sony A80J supports variable refresh rate technology to reduce screen tearing. It works without issue on the Xbox Series X and PS5 for a tear-free gaming experience. It's also G-SYNC compatible, but there are some issues with it. It's tear-free with 4k @ 120Hz signals from the NVIDIA RTX 3060 graphics card, but the screen flickered black at times like the Sony A90J OLED. Still, there wasn't any screen tearing in Destiny 2 with a 4k @ 120Hz signal, so it does its job at reducing screen tearing when it works properly.

Inputs
9.3
Inputs
Input Lag
1080p @ 60Hz
16.9 ms
1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
143.9 ms
1080p @ 120Hz
8.9 ms
1080p @ 144Hz
N/A
1440p @ 60Hz
17.5 ms
1440p @ 120Hz
N/A
1440p @ 144Hz
N/A
4k @ 60Hz
16.7 ms
4k @ 60Hz + 10-Bit HDR
16.9 ms
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
16.8 ms
4k @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
152.1 ms
4k @ 60Hz With Interpolation
143.9 ms
4k @ 120Hz
8.7 ms
4k @ 144Hz
N/A
8k @ 60Hz
N/A

The Sony A80J has a low input lag, although it's slightly higher than competing high-end models, and it's much higher at 60Hz than it is at 120Hz.

9.3
Inputs
Supported Resolutions
Resolution 4k
480p @ 59.94Hz (Widescreen)
Yes
720p @ 59.94Hz
Yes
1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
1080p @ 120Hz
Yes
1080p @ 144Hz
No
1440p @ 60Hz
Yes (forced resolution required)
1440p @ 120Hz
No
1440p @ 144Hz
No
4k @ 60Hz
Yes
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
4k @ 120Hz
Yes
4k @ 120Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
4k @ 144Hz
No
8k @ 30Hz or 24Hz
No
8k @ 60Hz
No

The Sony A80CJ supports most resolutions, including proper 4k @ 120Hz. Unfortunately, the TV can't do 1440p @ 120Hz. Chroma 4:4:4 is displayed properly with 1080p and 4k resolutions, which is important for clear text from a PC.

Inputs
PS5 Compatibility
Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)
Yes
4k @ 120Hz
Yes
1440p @ 120Hz
No
1080p @ 120Hz
Yes
HDR
Yes
VRR
Yes

The Sony A80J OLED has good compatibility with the PS5. 1440p doesn't work, but other than that, it's a great choice for PS5 gamers.

Inputs
Xbox Series X|S Compatibility
Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)
Yes
4k @ 120Hz
Yes
1440p @ 120Hz
No
1080p @ 120Hz
Yes
HDR
Yes
VRR
Yes

The Sony A80J supports most resolutions on the Xbox Series X. It can't do 4k @ 120Hz on the Xbox while 'Enhanced Format (Dolby Vision)' is enabled, so you either have to choose between 4k @ 120Hz games without Dolby Vision or 4k @ 60Hz with it.

Inputs
Inputs Specifications
HDR10
Yes
HDR10+
No
Dolby Vision
Yes
HLG
Yes
HDMI 2.0 Full Bandwidth
Yes (HDMI 1,2,3,4)
HDMI 2.1 Class Bandwidth
Yes (HDMI 3,4)
CEC Yes
HDCP 2.2 Yes (HDMI 1,2,3,4)
ATSC Tuner
3.0 (NEXTGEN TV)
USB 3.0
Yes (1)
Variable Analog Audio Out Yes
Wi-Fi Support Yes (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz)

HDMI ports 3 and 4 support the full 48 Gbps bandwidth of HDMI 2.1, while HDMI 1 and 2 are limited to HDMI 2.0 bandwidth. However, because HDMI 3 is also the eARC port, you lose an HDMI 2.1 slot if you connect a receiver, so you can't use HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on multiple devices simultaneously.

Inputs
Input Photos
Inputs
Total Inputs
HDMI 4
USB 3
Digital Optical Audio Out 1
Analog Audio Out 3.5mm 1
Analog Audio Out RCA 0
Component In 0
Composite In 1 (adapter required, not incl.)
Tuner (Cable/Ant) 1
Ethernet 1
DisplayPort 0
IR In 1
Inputs
Audio Passthrough
ARC/eARC Port
eARC
eARC: Dolby Atmos Over Dolby Digital Plus
Yes
eARC: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
Yes
eARC: LPCM 7.1 Over Dolby MAT
Yes
eARC: Dolby TrueHD 7.1
Yes
eARC: DTS:X Over DTS-HD MA
Yes
eARC: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
Yes
eARC: LPCM Channels (Bitstream)
2.0
ARC: Dolby Digital 5.1
Yes
ARC: DTS 5.1
Yes
Optical: Dolby Digital 5.1
Yes
Optical: DTS 5.1
Yes

This Sony A80J supports enhanced audio return, or eARC, which allows you to pass high quality, lossless audio formats from connected devices through to your home theater receiver or soundbar.

Sound Quality
7.5
Sound Quality
Frequency Response
Low-Frequency Extension
59.93 Hz
Std. Dev. @ 70
3.72 dB
Std. Dev. @ 80
3.90 dB
Std. Dev. @ Max
6.03 dB
Max
92.7 dB SPL
Dynamic Range Compression
3.56 dB

The Sony A80J has good built-in speakers, noticeably better than the Sony A90J OLED, especially concerning bass, which sounds significantly punchier. Overall, the sound profile is well-balanced at moderate volume levels. At max volume, the sound loses its balance because bass and midrange frequencies overpower treble, which makes dialogue difficult to understand

6.8
Sound Quality
Distortion
Weighted THD @ 80
0.063
Weighted THD @ Max
2.032
IMD @ 80
1.85%
IMD @ Max
12.53%

There's a lot of distortion at the TV's max volume, but it's much better at moderate volume levels.

Smart Features
8.0
Smart Features
Interface
Smart OS Google TV
Version 10
Ease of Use
Average
Smoothness
Very Smooth
Time Taken to Select YouTube
2 s
Time Taken to Change Backlight
2 s
Advanced Options
Many

Like the Sony A90J OLED and other 2021 Sony TVs, the A80J runs on Google TV, which replaces Android TV. It's a little more streamlined than Android and runs smoothly.

0
Smart Features
Ad-Free
Ads
Yes
Opt-out
No
Suggested Content in Home
Yes
Opt-out of Suggested Content
No

Google TV includes ads on the home page and app store. While you can opt out of ad personalization, you can't opt out of getting ads or suggested content.

9.0
Smart Features
Apps and Features
App Selection
Great
App Smoothness
Very Smooth
Cast Capable
Yes
USB Drive Playback
Yes
USB Drive HDR Playback
Yes
HDR in Netflix
Yes
HDR in YouTube
Yes

The Google Play Store has tons of apps available to download, and they run very smoothly. It has Google Chromecast built-in, meaning you can cast content from your phone.

8.5
Smart Features
Remote
Size
Large
Voice Control
Many Features
CEC Menu Control
Yes
Other Smart Features
No
Remote App Android TV

The Sony A80J comes with a similar remote to the Sony A90J OLED, but it doesn't have backlighting and comes in a black finish instead of silver. It has shortcut keys, and you can use it as a universal remote.

Smart Features
TV Controls

There's a single button on the back left side of the TV, which you can use to change channels and inputs, adjust volume, and power the TV On/Off.

Smart Features
In The Box

  • Remote control
  • 2x AAA batteries
  • Cable tie
  • User guides

Smart Features
Misc
Power Consumption 99 W
Power Consumption (Max) 172 W
Firmware PKG6.3628.0454NAA