X

Sony challenges Samsung for 8K crown with $70,000 98-inch TV

It also has cheaper TVs, including five new OLED models and a bunch of mainstream 4K LCD TVs.

David Katzmaier Editorial Director -- Personal Tech
David reviews TVs and leads the Personal Tech team at CNET, covering mobile, software, computing, streaming and home entertainment. We provide helpful, expert reviews, advice and videos on what gadget or service to buy and how to get the most out of it.
Expertise A 20-year CNET veteran, David has been reviewing TVs since the days of CRT, rear-projection and plasma. Prior to CNET he worked at Sound & Vision magazine and eTown.com. He is known to two people on Twitter as the Cormac McCarthy of consumer electronics. Credentials
  • Although still awaiting his Oscar for Best Picture Reviewer, David does hold certifications from the Imaging Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology on display calibration and evaluation.
David Katzmaier
4 min read
sony-85z9g-cw-xbr

Sony's Master Series 8K Z9G comes in 85- and 98-inch sizes. They're big. I'm 6' 3".

Sony

The 2019 8K TV battle lines have been drawn, and both heavyweight contenders have thrown down the platinum-plated gauntlet.

In one corner is Samsung, the champion by dint have having introduced the first 8K TV to the US, the $15,000 85-inch Q900. Now its other new models are out, including a 98-inch version that costs -- wait for it -- $70,000.

In the other corner is the challenger, scrappy upstart Sony. It introduced its own 85-inch and 98-inch 8K TVs at CES earlier this year but waited till now to reveal: $13,000 and, yes, $70,000 respectively. That's a $2,000 savings over Samsung's 85-inch TV. On the other hand Sony isn't selling any smaller, cheaper 8K TVs this year, while Samsung goes all the way down to 65 inches for $5,000.

Sony's 2019 8K, 4K and OLED TVs go against Samsung and LG

See all photos

Here's where I remind you that only folks with money to burn should buy any 8K TV. They're (duh) too expensive, there's no 8K content and, like all first-generation technology, they're destined to be replaced by cheaper, better versions next year. 

Sony also announced pricing for the rest of its 2019 TVs. Here's the full lineup:

Sony 2019 TVs

Model SizeTechnologyAvailablePrice
XBR-98Z9G 98-inch8K FALD LCDJune$70,000
XBR-85Z9G 85-inch8K FALD LCDJune$13,000
XBR-77A9G 77-inch4K OLEDJune$8,000
XBR-65A9G 65-inch4K OLEDMay$4,500
XBR-55A9G 55-inch4K OLEDMay$3,500
XBR-65A8G 65-inch4K OLEDMay$3,500
XBR-55A8G 55-inch4K OLEDMay$2,500
XBR-85X950G 85-inch4K FALD LCDlate April$5,000
XBR-75X950G 75-inch4K FALD LCDNow$3,500
XBR-65X950G 65-inch4K FALD LCDNow$2,200
XBR-55X950G 55-inch4K FALD LCDNow$1,400
XBR-85X850G 85-inch4K LCDNow$3,500
XBR-75X800G 75-inch4K LCDNow$2,000
XBR-65X800G 65-inch4K LCDNow$1,200
XBR-55X800G 55-inch4K LCDNow$900
XBR-49X800G 49-inch4K LCDNow$750
XBR-43X800G 43-inch4K LCDNow$650

The FALD on the chart above refers to full-array local dimming LCD backlights, the most effective image quality improvement for LCD TVs. The 8K versions bring back Sony's Backlight Master Drive technology, which utilizes "ultra-dense LED modules that are independently controlled" and can "intelligently boost the brightness in the areas where it needs to be boosted." 

The 8K LCDs and the higher-end 4K OLED TVs, the A9G series, are part of Sony's so-called Master Series. They feature Sony's Picture Processor X1 Ultimate processing, its best yet. Sony says the 8K version "has a unique algorithm specially developed for 8K that can intelligently detect and analyze each object in the picture, resulting in exceptional detail and contrast for a more realistic picture that represents the creators' intent." That sounds a bit like the AI processing Samsung uses.

Watch this: The first Sony 8K TVs are really, really big at CES 2019

The new 8K sets also have full-spec HDMI 2.1 inputs complete with 48Gbps capability, which means they're compatible with higher frame rates and resolutions that could come down the pike soon, like 4K at 120 frames per second or 8K at 60fps. All 2019 Sony TVs support enhanced audio return channel (eARC) -- with the exception of the A8G. 

Support for the other two major HDMI 2.1 features -- variable refresh rate (VRR) and automatic low latency mode (ALLM, or auto game mode) -- isn't final yet. A Sony representative says that once the HDMI 2.1 evaluation period is over, the company will be able to provide more information.

01-sony-master-series-z9g-85-inch

98 inches is, like, really big.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Sony also revamped the sound quality, using four front-facing speakers to position the sound so it seems to emanate from the screen. Unlike Sony's OLED TVs, however, the screen itself doesn't produce the sound -- instead there's an array of drivers surrounding the screen (on the 8K LCDs) and positioned toward the top of the screen on the back (on the 4K LCDs). 

Here's a few more details on Sony's 2019 4K TVs.

01-sony-master-series-a9g-65-inch

Sony's new A9G OLED TV.

Sarah Tew/CNET

A9G Master Series OLED TV: Sony's highest-end OLED TVs for 2019 are really similar to the 2018 version, the Master Series A9F, except that now it offers a 77-inch option in addition to 55- and 65-inch sizes. The main different is in design; the A9G has a more standard ultraslim look, without the large "kickstand" lean-back design of the A9F. Sony's OLED TV screens are actually big speakers, and the version on the A9G ("Acoustic Surface+") supposedly offers better sound.

07-sony-master-series-a9g-77-inch

The A9G is OLED-typical slim from the side.

Sarah Tew/CNET

A8G series OLED TV: Sony's step-down 2019 OLED sets, the A8G series lacks the fancy processing of the Master Series and have just the standard Acoustic Surface screens. The series comes in 55- and 65-inch sizes.

X950G series 4K LCD TV: Available in 55-, 65-, 75- and 85-inch sizes, these sets look similar on paper to the X900F we reviewed in 2018, complete with full-array local dimming and Dolby Vision. It gets a couple new features however, including improved sound ("Acoustic Multi-Audio", said to improve sound positioning) and a far-field mic for Google Assistant. 

Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support: Similar to LG's and Vizio's, Sony's 2019 TVs will work with Apple AirPlay 2 and Homekit via a software update coming this summer. That means iPhone , iPad and Mac computers can be used to control TV show and movie playback on the big screen, whether from iTunes movies and TV shows or other compatible apps. Photos can also be shown on the TV screen, and it can mirror a phone or computer screen to show web pages for example. The TV can be part of a multiroom audio setup, and controls for the set itself can appear on the phone screen. 

With HomeKit, "these TVs can be added to the Home app and included in scenes or automations with other HomeKit accessories" according to Sony's press release. "For example, users can create a 'Movie Night' scene in the Home app to easily turn on their TV and dim the lights, and simply ask Siri to launch the scene."

I expect to review the first 2019 Sony TVs later this spring. Stay tuned.

Update April 29, 2019: Adjusted price on Samsung's 98-inch 8K TV from $100,000 to $70,000. Samsung's web site currently still shows the $100,000 price, but a Samsung representative told CNET: "The $99,999 price was our introduction/launch price and since launch it was planned to move to the lower price in April." 

Clarified support for HDMI 2.1 features.