Sony made a splash in 2017 with the launch of its first-ever range of 4K OLED TVs. The premium A1 series set the standard for 4K OLED picture quality and picked up a number of five-star ratings and Awards trophies.
And the A1 range continues for 2018 but there's a brand new flagship OLED, AF9. Beneath A1 sits AF8, launched at CES 2018. The series shares Sony TV technology with its older sibling and we found the KD-65AF8 delivered a solid performance at a more affordable price.
But it isn't all about OLED. LCDs are given a new lease of life too, with seven new 4K ranges (the flagship ZF9, XF90, XF85, XF83, XF80, XF75, XF70) and even two Full HD ranges (WF66, RF45) joining Sony's 2018 line-up.
All of Sony's new 4K OLED and LCD TVs are compatible with Google Home and Amazon Alexa devices, and feature YouView (which places all UK catch-up TV and on-demand services like BBC iPlayer, All 4, ITV Player and Demand 5 under one roof.
Unlike rival manufacturers, Sony has kept things simple on the High Dynamic Range (HDR) front, with its TVs supporting HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision as the main HDR formats. Like LG, Sony has stuck with Dolby Vision (which has had a troublesome arrival via firmware update), not feeling the need to adopt the Samsung and Panasonic-backed HDR10+ format just yet.
Sony describes its new flagship Master Series (AF9 and ZF9) as 'professional grade monitors', designed to represent the full intent of the content creator. To that end, the TVs mark the debut of a new 'Netflix Calibrated Mode' which is exclusive to these two ranges. Sony claims it tweaks dynamic contrast, colour settings and sharpens up motion.
Both the AF9 and ZF9 lines are due to go on sale at the back end of 2018, with pricing still to be confirmed.
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Bravia 4K HDR OLED TVs
Available in both 55in and 65in screen sizes Sony's new AF9 range features a brand new X1 Ultimate processor, which Sony claim is twice as powerful as the 4K HDR X1 Extreme processor found in the AF8 series.
It also showcases 'Acoustic Surface Audio+' and advanced version of Sony's screen-vibrating technology that debuted in the A1. It includes an additional centre actuator and another sub, creating a 3.2 speaker set-up.
AF8 is also available in 65in and 55in sizes, and features all of the same technology found in the A1. You get the same OLED panel, the same 4K HDR X1 Extreme processor powering the picture, and support for HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision (which will come to both OLEDs via a firmware update later this year).
It also features Sony's Acoustic Surface technology. So where are the differences between AF8 and A1? Design. Compared with the A1's "standless" easel-like design with a tilted screen, the AF8 features a more conventional rectangular stand which sits the screen upright. That should make it easier to fit on most TV racks.
AF9 (65in, 55in)
KD-55AF9 £2999
KD-65AF9 £3999
OLED
4K Ultra HD
HDR - HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision
4K HDR X1 Ultimate processor (Super Bit Mapping 4K HDR, Object-based HDR remaster, dual database processing)
4K X-Reality Pro
Netflix Calibrated Mode
Acoustic Surface Audio+ technology
TV centre speaker mode
Android 8 OS (Oreo)
Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa compatible
YouView (BBC iPlayer, All 4, Demand 5, ITV Player)
"Standless" design and tilted screen
A1 (77in, 65in, 55in)
KD-77A1 - £20,000 (now £13,000)
KD-65A1 - £4500 (now £3800)
KD-55A1 - £3500 (now £2500)
OLED
4K Ultra HD
HDR - HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision
4K HDR X1 Extreme processor (Super Bit Mapping 4K HDR, Object-based HDR remaster, Object-based Super Resolution, Pixel Contrast Booster, dual database processing)
4K X-Reality Pro
Acoustic Surface technology
Android TV
Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa compatible
YouView (BBC iPlayer, All 4, Demand 5, ITV Player)
"Standless" design and tilted screen
AF8 (65in, 55in)
KD-65AF8 - £3299
KD-55AF8 - £2499
OLED
4K Ultra HD
HDR - HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision
4K HDR X1 Extreme processor (Super Bit Mapping 4K HDR, Object-based HDR remaster, dual database processing)
4K X-Reality Pro
Acoustic Surface technology
Android TV
Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa compatible
YouView (BBC iPlayer, All 4, Demand 5, ITV Player)
Rectangular stand design and upright screen
Bravia 4K HDR LCD TVs
Sony is launching six new 4K LCD TV ranges in 2018, beginning with the new ZF9 Master Series. This flagship LCD range features the same top-end X1 Ultimate processor as Sony's AF9 OLEDs and includes Sony's new X-Wide Angle technology, designed to keep image quality as consistent as possible when watching from any viewing angle.
Below ZF9 sits XF90. The XF90 replaces the XE94 and XE93 ranges from 2017, although pricing should be closer to the more affordable XE90 range - which is excellent news for TV fans.
The XF90 features the same 4K HDR X1 Extreme processor found in Sony's OLED series - it's the first time this powerful chip has been used on a more affordable TV range.
A new motion processing technology, called X-Motion Clarity, makes its debut on the XF90. Sony claims it uses the LED panel's local dimming algorithm to deliver smoother and brighter images for fast-moving scenes.
The XF90 is joined by the XF85, XF83, XF80, XF75 and XF70. All TVs feature narrow frames, aluminium finishes, and cable management hidden in the stands.
Finally, while all 4K models support HDR10, the ZD9 and XF90 series will also support Dolby Vision HDR following a future firmware update.
ZF9 (75in, 65in)
KD-75ZF9 £4999
KD-65ZF9 £2799
4K Ultra HD
LCD display with full-array LED backlight
HDR - HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision
4K HDR X1 Ultimate processor
Backlight Master Drive
4K X-Reality Pro
X-Wide Angle
X-Motion Clarity
X-tended Dynamic Range Pro
Netflix Calibrated Mode
Android 8 OS (Oreo)
Chromecast built-in
XF90 (75in, 65in, 55in, 49in)
KD-75XF9005 - £3999
KD-65XF9005 - £2299
KD-55XF9005 - £1699
KD-49XF9005 - £1399
4K Ultra HD
LCD display with full-array LED backlight
HDR - HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision
4K HDR X1 Extreme processor (Super Bit Mapping 4K HDR, Object-based HDR remaster, dual database processing)
X-Motion Clarity
4K X-Reality Pro
X-tended Dynamic Range Pro
Android TV
Chromecast built-in
New stand design (to fit Sony HT-XF9000 soundbar)
XF85 (85in, 75in, 65in, 55in, 49in, 43in)
4K Ultra HD
LCD display with LED backlight
HDR - HDR10, HLG
4K HDR X1 processor
4K X-Reality Pro
Android TV
Chromecast built-in
New stand design (to fit Sony HT-XF9000 soundbar)
XF83 (70in, 60in)
4K Ultra HD
LCD display with LED backlight
HDR - HDR10, HLG
4K HDR X1 processor
4K X-Reality Pro
Android TV
Chromecast built-in
XF80 (55in, 49in, 43in)
KD-55XF8096 - £1199
KD-49XF8096 - £1099
KD-43XF8096 - £899
4K Ultra HD
LCD display with LED backlight
HDR - HDR10, HLG
4K X-Reality Pro
Android TV
Chromecast built-in
Skeletal stand design
XF75 (65in, 55in, 49in, 43in)
4K Ultra HD
LCD display with LED backlight
HDR - HDR10, HLG
4K X-Reality Pro
Android TV
Chromecast built-in
XF70 (65in, 55in, 49in, 43in)
4K Ultra HD
LCD display with LED backlight
HDR - HDR10, HLG
4K X-Reality Pro
Android TV
Chromecast built-in
Bravia Full HD HDR TVs
4K resolution may dominate most TV brands' ranges, but Sony hasn't forgotten about Full HD. Just like last year, these two 1080p ranges are equipped with HDR10, and will be compatible with HDR games and Netflix shows.
The WF66 won't be using Android TV but will still have some basic smart TV elements, such as a web browser and built-in Netflix and YouTube apps.
WF66 (50in, 43in)
Full HD
LCD display with LED backlight
HDR: HDR10
X-Reality Pro
Smart TV (Netflix, YouTube, web browser)
RF45 (43in)
Full HD
LCD display with LED backlight
HDR: HDR10
X-Reality Pro
No internet
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