This year, Sony is launching two new OLED TVs, A9G (AG9 in Europe) and A8G (AG8 in Europe). A9G represents Sony's flagship 4K OLED and replaces A9F that only lasted half a year. It builds on the same technical platform with an 4K OLED panel from LG Display, 'Acoustic Surface' speakers, Google's Android TV, and the 'X1 Ultimate' video processor. In addition, it will support Dolby Atmos and will get Apple's TV app, AirPlay 2 and HomeKit via a software update later this year. It also has a new, thinner design and the 77-inch size will return.
Is A9G another tweaked OLED TV or has Sony managed to take OLED TV performance to the next level? Let us find out.Price and retailers:
First impressions
Sony has abandoned the easel-like stand this year and A9G looks more like a conventional OLED TV. One benefit of this approach is that it can be mounted closer to the wall, which was one complaint with the previous flagship Sony OLED TVs. On the other hand A9G no longer oozes exclusivity, if you ask me. This is obviously personal but Sony previously offered two design options. A8G and A9G now look largely similar.
Last year, Sony did not offer a 77-inch version of its OLED TVs. A9G exists in 55, 65, and 77-inch sizes. We have the 65-inch model, which is an elegant TV. Sony has managed to significantly reduce the size of the electronics box + subwoofer system on the back. It is still not a pretty sight but it is much improved compared to previous Sony OLED TVs. It is divided into segments, some of which can be removed to reveal ports, cable management etc. As you can see, some of the segments also include bass ports and cooling grills.
The cable management system is simple yet effective. The power cable routes directly into it and other cable can easily be routed around the bend. Input/output ports all face either down or to the side. There are two 'center speaker in' terminals near the top. We will get back to those in a minute. Around the electronics box the TV has a matte coating.
From the front A9G looks like a one large glass pane with a very thin bezel at the bottom. Like other OLED TVs, the panel will reflect bright lights and lamps in your environment but it can easily be used as your main TV in a bright living room environment. The panel is bright enough to compensate. Because the stand is so flat and clean, with its metal surface and rounded corners, it looks very minimalistic and almost fades in with furniture when looking at the TV from a distance. Overall, this is a step forward for Sony OLED but despite the improvements the electronics box remains unsightly.User experience & features
Sony A9G runs Android version 8 (Oreo) and has the same MediaTek SoC as the X950G (XG95). Compared to last year's A9F OLED flagship it is actually a downgrade on the MediaTek hardware. It has the same MediaTek chip but with less RAM (2.5GB vs. 4GB). Why Sony has decided to downgrade the chip in its flagship TVs for spring 2019 is not clear but the same is true for the 8K Z9G. Sony Android TVs are already underpowered so reducing RAM is obviously the wrong trajectory.
As such, the Android part (and TV tuner functionality) of A9G is similar to X950G and we will not be examining it in depth here. We refer to our Sony X950G review as well as our previous reviews of Sony Android TVs.
A few things that are worth pointing out. A9G comes with Sony's new remote control, which is an upgrade over the old cheap plastic/rubber remote. It is a decent remote control but not a great one. Apple's TV app, AirPlay 2, and HomeKit will be added to A9G via a later software update. There is no beta program so we were unable to test the functionality. Samsung is first to add the TV app and AirPlay 2 and we will be examining the TV implementation in our upcoming review of Samsung Q70R. We expect AirPlay 2 and the TV app in Sony's TVs to be largely similar. As for HomeKit, the full scope of functionality remains a little unclear but we know that you will be able to control certain aspects of the TV from an iPhone/iPad.
The speaker system in A9G is the 'Acoustic Surface' that uses the actual OLED panel as a speaker membrane. Here, again, Sony has downgraded the system compared to A9F, going from a 3.2-channel audio system to a 2.2-channel audio system. On the other hand, Sony says that the actuators behind the OLED panel have been upgraded to deliver a wider sound field between bass and treble. A9G can still be used as a center channel in a surround setup by connecting it to a receiver via the built-in speaker terminals.
The 'Acoustic Surface' speaker system is significantly better than average TV speakers. As said before, it sounds as if voices are coming directly from the actor's mouth rather than a speaker unit below the TV. Together with the built-in subwoofer system it helps elevate sound. It is curious that Sony has downgraded the system to 2.2 but overall the difference is not significant. A9G still delivers powerful TV sound and flexibility to use it as a center speaker. As always, for the best possible movie and game experience you should use an external audio system.
Like last year's A9F, A9G has support for HDMI eARC. Unfortunately, we did not have an HDMI eARC audio system available at the time of testing. We are considering adding one permanently to our test bench but we do not want a first generation product so we will wait a little longer. Sorry guys.
Also read: HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel) and eARC explained
Sony TVs will also support Dolby Atmos pending a software update. The speakers in A9G are obviously not equipped for a rich Atmos experience but you will be able to output Atmos to an external soundbar or receiver via the HDMI eARC port.Calibration
We have included measurements of the pre-configured picture modes in Sony A9G. As mentioned in our last few Sony TV reviews, Cinema mode no longer represents Sony's most accurate picture mode. It now uses an extended color space (the TV's native space) instead of respecting the creator's intent. Sony says that Cinema has been optimized for a bright viewing environment and that it is therefore brighter and more saturated in order to compensate for light pollution in a bright viewing environment. You should select Custom mode if you want the most accurate picture quality. The Game mode is - for a Game mode - actually quite good, while Standard and Vivid are - as always - terrible.If Sony wants its "true to the creator's intent" slogan to resonate, I think it should eliminate some of these picture modes that have little to do with good picture quality and pick another picture default picture mode. Many TV buyers never venture into the picture menus so the default mode should represent Sony's vision - not the retailer's sales tactics. Sony has done more to remove complexity in its picture settings as, say, LG, but it could still do more.Other picture modes
Click the title to expand the view
Standard (SDR) Vivid (SDR) Game (SDR) Cinema (SDR) Standard (HDR) Vivid (HDR) Game (HDR) Cinema (HDR)
With very tweaks we managed to improve color accuracy (using Custom mode as the foundation). Considering how little effort it took, we think the result is quite outstanding and it is a testament to the effort Sony has put into delivering accurate colors. You can improve things further with the advanced settings but potential improvements will be small and probably indistinguishable to the human eye.
As for the HDR modes, these are - as you may now - derived from the SDR modes. As such, changes to the SDR mode will carry over to the HDR modes. Again, pick Custom mode if you want the most accurate HDR picture quality. It is not perfect but should satisfy most user's needs. As can be seen on the Custom mode's HDR luminance graph, Sony has decided to let it roll off as it approaches peak brightness in order to preserve more highlight detail.
We measured DCI-P3 / Rec.2020 (xy) color space coverage to 93% / 67%, which is roughly in line with previous Sony OLED TVs. As before, it is slightly below other OLED TVs and Sony seems to sacrifize some saturation to achieve better accuracy across the board.Measurements
In our "measurements" section we include all measurements and our suggested calibration settings. If you want to learn more about our test methodology click here.Note: We include calibration settings only for SDR, not HDR. For our calibration we have deactivated the ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts the backlight setting according to your environment. You may prefer to have it enabled.
Picture quality
We have already in detail covered the important picture quality aspects of Sony OLED TVs in previous reviews. We have retested the full spectrum but in this text we will not go into minute details in all areas unless there are important or significant changes.
Just to sum up before we start to examine HDR. Sony's OLED TVs deliver excellent SDR (SD, HD and 4K resolution) picture quality. It has great processing, which handles upscaling, de-interlacing and other areas as expected. Sony's MotionFlow system for motion is also one of the best out there, if not the best. We did not observe anything that has forced us to reconsider any of our previous findings in the area of SDR picture quality.
Switching our attention to HDR, there were a couple of things that we were curious to reexamine. First of all, Sony's mis-configured dimming algorithm that inadvertently starts dimming the full picture in some specific instances where small static elements appear on-screen, for example a scoreboard during a sports match or a on-screen HUD in a console game. The purpose of the dimming algorithm is to dim the picture only if you leave the room with the TV showing a static image. The problem was introduced on the A1 through a firmware update in 2018. A later firmware update reduced the effect but did not eliminate it. The updated algorithm is also used in A8F/AF8 and A9F/AF9 so these also suffer from it, although to much lesser extent than A1 did initially. Some viewers never notice it, at least not consciously, but it also depends a lot on your usage patterns. If you never watch sports or play any console games with a HUD, it is unlikely that you will spot it. You can learn more about the case in our article here.
So we reexamined the issue and can conclude that A9G still suffers from the issue. The dimming algorithm appears to be unchanged or largely similar. We used an HDR scene with a very bright, static element but it can also affect SDR content, although it will be harder to spot here. As you can see on our graph, the bright element (that the meter was place on) starts at its initial brightness level and then starts to drop to around half as time passes (x axis = time). We can then "reset" the picture by calling up a menu and the process starts all over. Please focus on the slow and steady drops and ignore the sudden drop between cycles (it was a black screen that briefly appeared as we opened the menu). Also ignore the spike between the first two cycles as it was merely a brighter menu element that briefly appeared as we pressed the wrong button on the remote.
While we think that the issue is much alleviated compared to the initial issue on A1 and while we think that most users will never notice it, it is a little frustrating to conclude that Sony is not addressing the issue. It is clear what problem is: the algorithm focuses only on the static element while ignoring what else is going on in the picture. It should not be that hard to fix considering that TV makers have advanced video processing engines that can analyze small objects in the picture. The challenge is probably that this system is not integrated into the video processor.
In our previous Sony A9F review we included these photos that illustrate the effect. Depending on the type of scene, it may be more - or less - visible.
Nevertheless, Sony A9G can deliver impressive HDR picture quality. In 'Standard' mode it peaks at 860 nits, which is actually higher than the LG C9 sample we had next it. In 'Movie' mode it sacrifices some brightness near the peak to bring out more detail in highlights. In Movie mode it hits 650 nits peak brightness on a 2% window (2% of the screen is white, while the rest is black) and 572 nits with a 10% window. As such the TV's ABL (Automatic Brightness Limiter) is more aggressive than LG's. You can see our full peak brightness measurements in the measurements table.
In this context, it is important to note that unless a very large portion of the screen is bathed in strong light you will actually experience these peak brightness levels while enjoying a movie or game in HDR because OLED can control the full luminance range on the pixel level. That is in contrast to LCD TVs with a limited number of dimming zones (usually a few hundreds spread thin across millions of pixels). Even the brightest LCD TVs that can hit 4000 nits on theoretical test patterns are unlikely to go beyond 1000 nits in many movie and game scenes, and will hit levels far below OLED when it comes to illuminating small bright objects such as stars, lamps, reflections in surfaces etc.
To give you some pratical examples of the size of objects in a picture consider the photos below (but remember that these picture objects are not necessarily 100% peak white).
Price and retailers:
Excellent HD, 4K & HDR
Great motion system
Better-than-average TV sound
Improved remote control
Too aggressive dimming algorithm
MediaTek Soc has less RAM
Premium price harder to justify in 2019