Sony Bravia 55 Inch LED TV Review
Summary
Overall, the Sony Bravia XF80 is our top pick for TV shoppers who are looking for an affordable alternative to OLED, but don’t want to sacrifice much on picture and sound quality. It is an excellently-made smart TV that delivers 4K quality for considerably less than competing OLED models from LG and Samsung.
I recently bought the KD55XF8096 Sony Bravia’s 55-inch TV, and I must admit that it is a truly superior 4K HDR Ultra HD TV with impressive picture quality and robust Android features. At well below 1000 pounds, not only is it a good value for money, it is also one of the best 4K HDR Ultra HD TVs on the market in its range at the moment.
In fact, if you compare its price with its overall specifications, this model beats even the highly hyped OLED TVs on performance and value. The 55-inch panel delivers excellent colour, smooth action and exceptional viewing angles for a HDR TV. The 4K set also includes support for HDR and Dolby Vision, along with Google Assistant, Youview and Freeview HD.
But what really makes the Sony Bravia XF80 so special?
Sony Bravia 55 Inch LED TV Review
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What Are You Buying?
For a good price, you get your hands on one of the best smart TV packages. It all starts with a slim profile aluminium bezel which holds Sony’s LED backlit 4K panel. The slim body and thin aluminium frame draw your focus into the picture quality, whilst a sleek sliver stand adds sophistication to the design.
To make things even better, the XF80 comes with Triluminous coluor enhancement technology that even most premium 4K HDR TVs don’t have. This includes MOTIONFLOW XR display to keep fast motion looking smooth, superb HDR contrast, robust local dimming technology, some really clear display brightness, fantastic black levels and a great wide colour gamut for premium expression of HDR colour palettes.
Another great thing about this TV is the fact that it outputs more light than most HDR TVs (up to 1000 Nits). This ensures brighter images while maintaining perfect colour contrast- even when viewing non-HDR content. In addition, its black levels are also excellent, and though not as good as an OLED TV, they are so clear, you might want to save some bucks and go for this set instead.
The best part is that the XF80 is fully compatible with HDR10 standards, Dolby Vision and multiple other HDR formats so you’ll get the full glorious HDR quality with pin-point accuracy. 4K HDR TVs this good don’t come any cheaper than this.
How Easy Is It To Use?
Speaking of user-friendliness, the XF80 is so easy to use. It comes with HDMI compliant inputs, a set of shared video inputs and a USB port for easy access to content on Flash Drives.
And just like most Smart TVs, the XF80 gives you access to literally thousands of 4K HDR content and HD shows, movies, documentaries, and all the major big streaming platforms like Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, YouTube and others. The TV set is also ready for internet streaming offering both a physical LAN connector and built in WIFI connectivity.
On top of all that, this set comes with a built-in Chromecast that lets you beam content from your smart phone straight to the screen. This latest set has been refined for even easier interaction with all of your favorite content, and allows you to expand app storae space onto a separate USB device.
And that’s not all, there’s also a built-in YouView that brings together catch up TV from across ITV hub and BBC iPlayer as well as 70 live TV channels and radio stations for free including Dave, Channel 4, Channel 5, E4, BBC 1 and 2, and ITV 1 and 2. And thanks to its built-in Google Assistant, you can use your voice to find your favorite programmes, videos, apps and music.
You won’t find all this for such an incredible price in any other 2018 model.
What Accessories Are Included?
The box contains:
- XF80 Sony Bravia TV
- Voice remote control
- AC power adaptor
- AC power Cord
- Quick set up guide
- Batteries
- Table top stand
- Operating instructions
What We Think About It?
Pros
- Has a full array LED backlight
- Has superb HDR performance
- Full array local dimming
- Netflix, YouTube AND Amazon in 4K
Cons
- Disjointed YouView experience
- High input lag
Anything Else You Should Know?
The new 2018 Sony Bravia XF80 comes in 55 inches, but what this relatively compact 4K TV offers is truly incredible in so many ways. Perhaps what surprised us most is just how good the HDR mode is.
The clarity of detail and crispness of image it offers is exceptional. Colour brightness is enhanced without unwanted luridness. It is just the real deal. The set’s audio isn’t too shabby either, although I wouldn’t hesitate to suggest that you should go for an exterior sound system for better sound quality.
Conclusion
Overall, the Sony Bravia XF80 is a real stunner. It is our top pick for TV shoppers who are looking for an affordable alternative to OLED, but don’t want to sacrifice much on picture and sound quality. With the XF80’s Triluminous colour technology, impressive brightness and great audio; it is an excellently-made smart TV that delivers 4K quality for considerably less than competing OLED models from LG and Samsung.
Where To Buy?
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Amazon UK: > CLICK TO CHECK TODAY’S PRICE
Is XF80 is 1000Hz ? Or 400 Hz?
It’s edge led backlight, not full array and It’s the worst problem I have with this TV. When you are watching in dark room with subtitles, or when something brighter, like lamp post, comes on the scene, then whole picture got annoyingly brighter. If I’d knew about this problem before buying, I would buy another TV full direct led.
But for its price it’s superior quality.
Pros:
Color vibrancy
Smooth motion settings even on 50 Hz panel (I am using tv only for netflix, youtubes and movies, not sports or games, so this one could be a very subjective)
Picture quality
Nice thin design
Sound (Even if I am using soundbar with subwoofer, this TV can reproduce sound good enough for my GF to make her notice that soundbar isn’t on.)
Cons:
Edge Led backlight (use dynamic contrast in a dark room only with light sensor on, otherwise your viewing experience could get much worse.
Super slow android. I don’t even have a lot of apps installed, maybe like 3-4. I couldn’t read anywhere, how much RAM this TV has, but it deserve a lot more, that it has.