The Sony A90J OLED is a premium 4k TV from Sony's 2021 flagship OLED lineup and sits above the Sony A80J OLED. Like other OLEDs, it delivers unparalleled picture quality thanks to its self-emitting pixels, which produce perfect blacks and a near-infinite contrast ratio. While its HDR brightness is only decent relative to LED TVs, it still delivers a great HDR experience thanks to its wide color gamut and high contrast ratio. It also has a near-instantaneous response time for clear motion, and it supports variable refresh rate (VRR) technology to reduce screen tearing, but it doesn't support FreeSync. On the upside, it has two HDMI 2.1 ports, eARC, and Dolby Vision support. Sony released the Sony A90K OLED in 2022, but it's not a direct replacement for the A90J as it's only available in 42 and 48-inch sizes.
Our Verdict
The Sony A90J is an amazing TV for mixed usage. It delivers exceptional picture quality for movies and TV shows, and its near-instantaneous response time results in smooth motion for sports and video games. While it doesn't get as bright as an LED TV, it's bright enough to bring out most highlights in HDR, aided by its near-infinite contrast ratio. Unfortunately, there's a risk of permanent burn-in, though it isn't an issue if you watch varied content.
- Near-perfect black levels.
- Exceptionally wide viewing angle.
- Motion looks exceptionally smooth.
- Risk of permanent burn-in.
- May not be bright enough in SDR for some.
The Sony A90J is great for watching TV shows. It has adequate SDR peak brightness and fantastic reflection handling, so glare from bright lights or windows isn't an issue. The Google TV platform is smooth and lets you access all your apps and shows from one smart hub. It has a very wide viewing angle, which is great for a wide seating arrangement.
- Fantastic reflection handling.
- Exceptionally wide viewing angle.
- Google TV platform is smooth and easy to use.
- May not be bright enough in SDR for some.
The Sony A90J is excellent for watching sports. Its near-instant response time results in smooth motion with almost no blur behind fast-moving objects or players. It also has a very wide viewing angle, which is great for watching the game with friends in a wide seating arrangement. It has adequate SDR peak brightness with fantastic reflection handling, so glare from bright lights or windows isn't an issue.
- Fantastic reflection handling.
- Exceptionally wide viewing angle.
- Motion looks exceptionally smooth.
- May not be bright enough in SDR for some.
The Sony A90J is fantastic for playing video games. It has a near-instantaneous response time that results in exceptionally clear motion with almost no blur behind fast-moving objects. Its input lag is slightly higher than on competing TVs, but it's still fantastic, so your inputs are responsive. The TV's exceptionally high contrast ratio is great for gaming in the dark, and the TV's adequate SDR peak brightness and fantastic reflection handling make it a good fit for bright rooms, too. Finally, it has great gaming features like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and VRR support.
- Near-perfect black levels.
- Motion looks exceptionally smooth.
- Low input lag.
- VRR and ALLM support after firmware update.
- No FreeSync support.
- May not be bright enough in SDR for some.
The Sony A90J is excellent for watching movies in HDR. It has a wide color gamut, good HDR peak brightness, and a nearly infinite contrast ratio, so bright highlights look amazing in a dark or moderately lit room. The TV has fantastic image processing, so movies look their best no matter if they're from streaming platforms or physical media. Finally, its color accuracy is excellent without needing to be calibrated.
- Near-perfect black levels.
- Removes 24p judder.
- Upscales low resolution content without issue.
- Wide HDR color gamut.
- Good HDR peak brightness.
- Noticeable stutter with low frame rate content.
The Sony A90J is fantastic for HDR gaming thanks to its extremely fast response time and fantastic input lag. The TV has perfect black levels, and while it doesn't get as bright in HDR when in Game Mode as most LED TVs do, its brightness is still very decent, and it does make bright highlights pop in a dark or moderately-lit room. The TV is also very colorful thanks to its wide color gamut. It has great gaming features like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and VRR support.
- Near-perfect black levels.
- Motion looks exceptionally smooth.
- Low input lag.
- Wide HDR color gamut.
- VRR and ALLM support after firmware update.
- No FreeSync support.
- Lower HDR peak brightness in Game Mode.
The Sony A90J is an excellent TV to use as a PC monitor. It has a fantastic input lag and near-instant response time, so your mouse inputs are extremely responsive. It can also display proper chroma 4:4:4 at most resolutions, and its wide viewing angle ensures the image stays consistent when you're sitting up close. Unfortunately, it doesn't support 1440p. There may also be more risk of permanent burn-in with static elements like a desktop user interface.
- Exceptionally wide viewing angle.
- Low input lag.
- Displays proper chroma 4:4:4.
- Near-instantaneous response time.
- VRR and ALLM support after firmware update.
- Risk of permanent burn-in.
- No FreeSync support.
- Doesn't support 1440p.
- May not be bright enough in SDR for some.
Changelog
- Updated Sep 26, 2025: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
- Updated Jul 08, 2025: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
- Updated Apr 17, 2025: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
- Updated Feb 11, 2025: 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 55-inch Sony A90J OLED (XR-55A90J), which is also available in 65-inch (XR-65A90J) and 83-inch (XR-83A90J) sizes. The results are also valid for those models. The model codes are the same in Europe and the UK.
| Size | US Model |
|---|---|
| 55" | Sony XR-55A90J |
| 65" | Sony XR-65A90J |
| 83" | Sony XR-83A90J |
Our unit was manufactured in February 2021, and you can see the label here.
Popular TV Comparisons
The Sony A90J OLED is an amazing overall TV. It has good HDR peak brightness, fantastic image processing, and is very well-built. That said, it also comes with a very premium price tag, and while it has gaming features like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and VRR support, other OLEDs are better for gaming, like the LG C1 OLED, which has FreeSync support and lower input lag.
For more options, see our recommendations for the best OLED TVs, the best 55-inch TVs, and the best TVs on the market.
The LG C1 OLED and the Sony A90J OLED are both amazing TVs. They each have OLED panels with near-infinite contrast ratios and perfect black levels. That said, the Sony can reach higher peaks of brightness in both SDR and HDR. The LG, however, is the better option for gaming since it has FreeSync support and lower input lag, while the Sony is G-SYNC compatible.
The Sony A90J OLED and Sony A80L/A80CL OLED are extremely similar, with almost nothing to differentiate them. The biggest difference is the A90J's better pre-calibration accuracy, but it's close and could be due to panel variance. Otherwise, the A90J is a bit brighter in HDR, while the A90L is a bit brighter in SDR, but you won't notice it in practice.
The LG G1 OLED and the Sony A90J OLED are similar and fantastic TVs. They each deliver a near-infinite contrast ratio for deep blacks. The LG has the new evo OLED panel, allowing it to get brighter than other OLEDs, and while the Sony isn't advertised to have the evo panel, it has about the same brightness as the LG. The main difference is that the LG is designed to sit flush against a wall and doesn't come with a dedicated stand like the Sony.
The Sony A95K OLED is an improvement over the Sony A90J OLED, especially with watching HDR content. The A95K uses new QD-OLED technology, which is a type of OLED that allows it to display more vivid colors and brighter highlights than the A90J. However, if you want to use your TV in a well-lit room, the A90J maintains perfect black levels in well-lit rooms, as the black levels raise on the A95K when there's ambient lighting.
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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