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Purchase and Delivery from Amazon:
The unit was purchased while on sale during Amazon prime day. $1100 for the 55” model and that included delivery with unpacking service. I wouldn’t have used the unpacking service but it was free and I’m kinda glad I did. They arrived within the 3hr delivery window. They unboxed the tv in front of me and then set the tv up for me. As I had ordered a soundbar, that required adjusting the feet before installation. They 100% took care of this for me. The best part was that they took the packaging with them so I didn’t have to haul it to the curb. Definitely will recommend the service, especially if it’s free.
Build Quality:
The TV is exceptionally thin. It’s amazing how thin the panel is until you see it for yourself. Besides that, legs come out as single bars and I was worried about the stability of the freestanding tv. That won’t be an issue, the tv itself is rock solid on my table and won’t be tipping over anytime soon. Another point to mention is that the finish to the surface of the TV is a bit shiny, but not as much as some of the other TVs out there (LG C2 for example). This was a big purchase factor for me as i placed the TV in a bright room. It has some glare, but nothing too intrusive during the day. My only little complaint is that the front trim of the TV doesn’t really feel as artfully crafted as the rest (or even the LG C2). It’s kind of blah if you ask me, especially at the bottom. This is purely cosmetic, and it entirely goes away when you turn the tv on.
Onscreen setup:
Once plugged in to the wall, the delivery guys turned on the TV to make sure it was working. The onscreen prompts guide you through setup. You need to install the Google home app on your smart phone, which I already use for my nest thermostat. Very easy. After clicking and scrolling through a bunch of settings, you finally get to a screen where you can select the apps you want preinstalled. All the usuals are there with the exception of Max. Max had to be installed after the setup, but would be nice to have it included. The TV automatically identified my Xbox and correctly set the HDMI and picture scale. All in all it took about 15 minutes but it was pretty easy. There’s a good YouTube video from Sony and I highly recommend watching it.
Internal TV OS and Smart Features:
This is a smart TV and the internal operating system has optimized settings for Netflix and other apps. I wanted to like the OS, I really did, but it’s clunky and dark. I’ll use it, only because of the convenience, but I won’t be happy about it. I think my expectations were set pretty high by the Amazon Firestick and the Sony just doesn’t live up. Using my the microphone on the Firestick remote, I can simply state any title of media and it will show me every option to consume said title. Google won’t do that. It instead brings me to the Bravia Core system, if it has it, and wants me to pay Sony for the pleasure of that title, even if it’s available on Netflix. Not great! I will try a bit longer to make it work, but I will probably find my way back to a different streaming device all together.
Picture Quality:
This is where the TV really shines. It’s a true OLED and the blacks are so silky smooth. It’s a massive upgrade to anyone who hasn’t had an OLED before. The colors are also fantastic. The TV has built in calibration settings that are pretty easy to access. It’s good to be able to tweak these settings as needed. The brightness of the unit is the only room I can see for improvement, but I’m no TV snob just yet. Brightness is passable, but it’s not pop brightness as in some of the higher end models. All in all, I think it’s a massive upgrade of a TV for anyone who hasn’t bought a TV in the last five years.
Sound Quality:
I did buy a soundbar, but that didn’t arrive until a few hours after initial install so I did get a chance to drive the internal speakers quite a bit. I’m a big fan of the speakers here. I never used a soundbar before and I found the built in speaker system fully capable of immersive sound. The unit even has some directionality with sound so low grade dimensional sound is totally attainable. Plugging in a soundbar though, was very easy (literally not single setting touched on the TV) and completely changed my setup. I got a NIB Bose Soundbar 600 for $350 on eBay and I now feel like I have a truly immersive home theater. It’s nuts how much difference a basic soundbar can make, no base unit, no satellite speakers. It’s amazing.
Overall:
I marked this review a five star, but realistically, it’s closer to a 4.5. It’s a great entry tv to the OLED market and that’s why I got it. It’s not the top of the line, but it definitely brings that amazing picture quality to the masses. I’m really glad I went with the A80K and I’ll keep this review updated with info as the TV ages.
