Sony's new A8F OLED TV isn't any cheaper than the old one
At $2,800 for the 55-inch size, it's also $300 more than the cheapest 2018 LG model announced so far.
- 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.
Sony fans holding out for a cheaper OLED TV, prepare for a bit of disappointment.
The new A8F series, first shown off at CES 2018 in January, will cost $2,800 at the 55-inch size and $3,800 at the 65-inch size. Those prices are $300 more than the cost of LG's 2018 C8 series in the same sizes.
Meanwhile the Sony A1E from 2017 will remain on sale -- for the same $2,800 at 55 inches, and an even cheaper $3,500 at 65 inches.
Organic Light Emitting Diode display technology delivers the best image quality we've ever tested, and the A1E matched its competitors from LG in our testing. The A8F and the A1E have the same picture quality, according to Sony.
The main reason to choose the newer model is for its more conventional styling. The A1E's design is essentially stand-free, supported by a big kickstand that caused the TV (when it wasn't wall-mounted) to lean back a few degrees. The new A8F series has the standard foot stand support and sits straight up.
The A8F keeps the Acoustic Surface speaker design, where the screen itself actually produces sound. It also supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10 high dynamic range formats, although the former will appear as a software update after launch. Sony also talks up its X-Reality pro processing, said to improve image quality regardless of source, although it's the same as the A1E.
And like its predecessor, the A8F builds in the Android TV operating system, complete with Google Assistant voice control available by talking into the remote. It's also compatible with Alexa.
Sony also announced pricing on two additional sizes in its highly anticipated X900F series of LCD TVs. The 49-inch XBR-X900F will cost $1100 while the massive 85-inch XBR-85X900F clocks in at $5300. It also priced the 85-inch version of its step-down X850F series at $4,500, matching Samsung's largest QLED TV in price and eclipsing its size by 3 inches.
The TVs are available for preorder now at Best Buy and Amazon.