The Sony A80K/A80CK OLED is one of two entry-level OLEDs in Sony's 2022 lineup. It sits behind the Sony A90K OLED and the QD-OLED Sony A95K OLED; in Europe, it sits ahead of the Sony A75K. It replaces the Sony A80J OLED from 2021 and is largely unchanged from its predecessor. It uses the same Cognitive Processor XR and has many of the same features like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, variable refresh rate (VRR) support, and the S-Center speaker input to use the TV's speakers as a center channel when connecting a compatible Sony soundbar. It also uses the same Google TV smart platform, and like its predecessor, it's available in 55-inch, 65-inch, and 77-inch models.
Our Verdict
The Sony A80K is excellent for most uses. It performs best in dark rooms while watching movies because it displays deep blacks without any blooming in dark scenes. It's excellent for HDR because of that dark room performance and the fact that it displays a wide range of colors, but its HDR brightness isn't high enough for the best HDR experience. It's great for watching TV shows and excellent for sports in well-lit rooms thanks to its wide viewing angle and incredible reflection handling, but it doesn't get bright enough to fight a ton of glare. Lastly, it's fantastic for gaming as it has variable refresh rate (VRR) support with HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, a quick response time, and low input lag.
- Near-infinite contrast ratio for deep blacks.
- No issues upscaling lower-resolution content.
- Incredible reflection handling.
- Wide viewing angle.
- Low peak brightness, especially before calibration.
- Limited HDR peak brightness.
The Sony BRAVIA XR A80K is incredible for watching movies in dark rooms. It displays deep blacks without any blooming, meaning it looks amazing in dark rooms. It also removes 24p judder from any source and doesn't have trouble upscaling lower-resolution content. Sadly though, low-frame-rate content like movies stutter because of the TV's quick response time.
- Perfect black uniformity.
- Near-infinite contrast ratio for deep blacks.
- Removes 24p judder from any source.
- No issues upscaling lower-resolution content.
- Stutter due to near-instantaneous response time.
The Sony A80K is great for watching TV shows in well-lit rooms. It has incredible reflection handling that reduces the amount of glare from some light sources, but it doesn't get very bright, so it isn't ideal for placing it opposite a bright window. Luckily, it has a wide viewing angle so that the image remains consistent from the sides, which is great if you watch shows with the entire family. It also has no trouble upscaling content from cable boxes and has a great smart system, so watching streaming content is easy on this TV.
- No issues upscaling lower-resolution content.
- Incredible reflection handling.
- Wide viewing angle.
- Low peak brightness, especially before calibration.
The Sony BRAVIA XR A80K is excellent for watching sports. Fast-moving balls and players look excellent thanks to the near-instantaneous response time, so there isn't any motion blur. It also has incredible reflection handling, so the TV still looks good if you have a few lights around, although it doesn't get bright enough to fight a ton of glare. Lastly, it has a wide viewing angle, which is great if you want to watch the game with a few friends, as everyone sees the same image from the sides.
- No issues upscaling lower-resolution content.
- Incredible reflection handling.
- Wide viewing angle.
- Fast-moving objects look smooth.
- Low peak brightness, especially before calibration.
The Sony A80K is fantastic for gaming. It has features most gamers would expect, like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on two ports and HDMI Forum VRR and G-SYNC support, but it doesn't support FreeSync, which is disappointing if you have a PC with an AMD graphics card. It has a near-instantaneous response time for smooth motion, and it has low enough input lag for a responsive feel. It's also incredible for dark room gaming as it displays deep blacks without blooming.
- Near-infinite contrast ratio for deep blacks.
- Fast-moving objects look smooth.
- VRR support and HDMI 2.1 bandwidth.
- Low input lag.
- No FreeSync support.
The Sony A80K is excellent for watching HDR movies. It performs very well in dark rooms as it has a near-infinite contrast ratio, resulting in perfect black levels and no blooming around bright objects. It also displays a wide range of colors in HDR. Its HDR peak brightness is okay, and it's enough to make some bright highlights stand out in a dark room, but the TV is not bright enough to look vibrant and colorful if you have a few lights on.
- Perfect black uniformity.
- Near-infinite contrast ratio for deep blacks.
- Removes 24p judder from any source.
- Displays wide range of colors.
- Stutter due to near-instantaneous response time.
- Limited HDR peak brightness.
The Sony A80K is fantastic for HDR gaming. It has fantastic gaming performance thanks to its fast response time, low input lag, HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, and VRR support. HDR also looks excellent in a dark room as it displays deep and inky blacks and a wide range of colors, but it doesn't get bright enough for an HDR image that pops and looks vivid when a few lights are on.
- Perfect black uniformity.
- VRR support and HDMI 2.1 bandwidth.
- Low input lag.
- Displays wide range of colors.
- No FreeSync support.
- Limited HDR peak brightness.
The Sony A80K is excellent for use as a PC monitor. It has low input lag for a responsive desktop feel, and the wide viewing angle ensures the edges of the screen aren't washed out if you sit close to it. It has incredible reflection handling if you use it in a room with a few lights, but its peak brightness is limited. Sadly, OLEDs risk permanent burn-in, and this TV shows signs of temporary image retention with exposure to static elements.
- Incredible reflection handling.
- Wide viewing angle.
- Fast-moving objects look smooth.
- Low input lag.
- Low peak brightness, especially before calibration.
- No FreeSync support.
Changelog
- Updated Jul 27, 2023: Added mention of the newly reviewed Sony A80L OLED in this review's Compared To Other TVs section.
- Updated Jul 21, 2023: Refreshed the text for accuracy and consistency.
- Updated Jul 10, 2023: Unfortunately, our TV failed completely during the longevity test. We've updated the Accelerated Longevity Test section with details of the failure.
- Updated Jun 07, 2023: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 65-inch Sony A80K, and the results are also valid for the 55 and 75-inch models. It's also known as the A80CK at Costco, and it's the same TV, but the only difference is that it comes with a backlit remote, a three-year warranty, and a two-year subscription to the Bravia Core Streaming Service. In Europe, there's both the Sony A80K and the Sony A84K, and while both TVs perform like the North American A80K, the European A84K is the closest equivalent because it has a built-in mic like the North American version.
| Size | Model | Costco |
|---|---|---|
| 55" | Sony XR55A80K | Sony XR55A80CK |
| 65" | Sony XR65A80K | Sony XR65A80CK |
| 77" | Sony XR77A80K | Sony XR77A80CK |
Our unit was manufactured in May 2022, and you can see the label here.
Popular TV Comparisons
The Sony A80K is an excellent TV with deep blacks, perfect black uniformity, and great gaming features. It's very similar to the Sony A80J OLED overall, so it's not worth an upgrade if you already own that panel. It's also nearly identical to its successor, the Sony A80L/A80CL OLED, so don't worry about upgrading if you own the A80K. It doesn't match up to the brighter OLEDs that came out in 2022, and if you want the best OLED for picture quality, you can find other options, like the LG C2 OLED or Samsung S95B OLED.
See our recommendations for the best smart TVs, the best TVs for movies, and the best 4k HDR TVs.
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.
The Sony A80L OLED and Sony A80K/A80CK OLED are basically identical; they look identical, and while the A80L is slightly brighter, you'd be hard-pressed to notice even if both TVs were side by side. The A80L is available in a bigger 83-inch size, but aside from that, get the one you can find for cheaper, as they're effectively the same TV.
The LG C3 OLED is a bit better than the Sony A80K/A80CK OLED, but they're extremely similar because both use WOLED panels. The LG is slightly, but noticeably, brighter than the Sony in HDR and SDR, making for a more impactful visual impact. It also has better reflection handling and a wider viewing angle. Furthermore, the LG C3 has lower input lag, which can matter for competitive gamers. The Sony TV does have an ATSC 3.0 tuner, which lets it play 4k content over-the-air, while LG has a 1.0 tuner, which is limited to 1080p.
The LG C2 OLED is better overall than the Sony A80K/A80CK OLED. The main difference is that the LG has a brighter panel, so highlights pop more in HDR. The LG also has better gaming performance with lower input lag and FreeSync support, which is great if you're a PC gamer.
We buy and test dozens of TVs yearly, taking an objective, data-driven approach to deliver results you can trust. Our testing process is complex, with hundreds of individual tests that take over a week to complete. Most of our tests use specially designed test patterns that mimic real content, but we also use the same sources you have at home to ensure our results match the real-world experience. We use two main tools for our testing: a Colorimetry Research CR-100 colorimeter and a CR-250 spectroradiometer.
Test Results
Older Test Bench: This product has been tested using an older TV test methodology, before a major update. Some of the test results below aren't directly comparable with other TVs. Learn more
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