Sony's 2022 QD-OLED And Mini LED Pricing Revealed
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Sony's 2022 BRAVIA XR TV lineup has officially been announced and it includes Sony's first entries into consumer-grade QD-OLED and Mini LED televisions. Arguably, the most pertinent part of this announcement is that we now have a release window for the Bravia XR Master Series A95K QD-OLED TV, which won our favor for the Best TV of CES 2022. But it may not come as a surprise to TV enthusiasts that Sony's new Mini LED and QD-OLED displays target relatively high price ranges in comparison to OLED and LED models, especially the 85" BRAVIA MASTER Series XR Z9K which will sell for an MSRP of $9,999.99.
Those who've yet to upgrade to OLED may be pleased to see a few relatively affordable displays in the new lineup. The Bravia XR Master Series A90K is one such display, and a 48" model will become available to pre-order in July 2022 at $1,499.99 in the U.S. Compared to LG's television ecosystem, the Sony Bravia XR A90K is comparable in price to the LG OLED C2.
For those unaware, an OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display is made up of an array of self-lit pixels that don't require any backlight, resulting in crisp, colorful images and rich blacks. QD-OLED builds on this method, using something called "Quantum Dot" technology to increase the brightness of an OLED image. By contrast, Mini LED uses a regular backlit pixel array made up of much smaller pixels — which can theoretically achieve a similar effect.
Sony 2022 Bravia XR pricing details
Sony's projected high-end contender in its 2022 TV lineup is the aforementioned Bravia XR Master Series Z9K 8K Mini LED, which promises to upscale "any content" to 8K resolution. It is the most expensive of the bunch, ranging from $6,999.99 MSRP for its 75" model to $9,999.99 for its 85" model in the U.S. There is no de facto release date for the Z9K, but shoppers can expect to see pre-orders begin this summer. Sony is also bringing Mini LED to 4K, and its 4K Mini LED display is widely available to purchase right now; the Bravia XR X95K 4K Mini LED may be reasonable for many TV shoppers who want a high contrast image but aren't willing to shell out for a QD-OLED screen. The X95K begins at $2,799.99 (65") and scales up to $5,499.99 (85") in the U.S.
Among those who tested it at CES 2022, the Bravia XR Master Series A95K generated some buzz for producing deep blacks and improved brightness over its OLED forebears, which means it's most likely the best of the bunch for anyone shopping for a 4K screen, not an 8K screen. If you're shopping for a home theatre display, this (and other QD-OLED displays) may offer the best price-to-performance ratio in comparison to leading OLED models. Pre-orders for the A95K begin in May (Canada) and June (U.S.) for both the 55" and 65" models. They will go for $2,999.99 and $3,999.99 in the U.S., respectively.