I review OLED TVs for a living — and this 3-year-old Sony is still one of my favorites I'd buy
But newer doesn't always necessarily mean better. In fact, when it comes to recommending premium TV picks to friends, family and readers, it's a 3-year-old set that's often at the top of my list.
I'm referring to the Sony A95L, a flagship QD-OLED TV originally released back in 2023 that you can still buy brand-new today.
Yes, Sony technically replaced the A95L with the 2025 Bravia 8 II OLED TV. But the successor only comes in 55- and 65-inch configurations. To accommodate those looking for bigger screens, Sony decided to keep the 77-inch A95L in its QD-OLED lineup.
And there are a few reasons I think that was a pretty smart move, especially considering I recently introduced it into my own living room.
When it originally launched, the A95L set a new standard for premium OLED TVs. It combined Samsung's QD-OLED panel technology with Sony's best-in-class Cognitive Processor XR.
The result was a TV with unmatched color volume, excellent peak brightness for HDR content, near-perfect motion handling, and Sony's signature cinematic image tuning.
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I don't think anyone in the TV community was shocked when it won the Value Electronics annual TV Shootout event, being crowned the 'king of 4K TVs' by a panel of reviewers and display experts. At the time, it felt like this OLED was in league of its own.
The Sony Bravia A95L is a QD-OLED TV that excels with every kind of content, every time. In our Sony Bravia XR A95L QD-OLED TV review we said the Editor's Choice TV offers superlative picture and top-notch sound.
That clear distinction is why I think, a few years later, it remains a great choice. Our lab tests confirmed near-100% coverage of the P3 color gamut and outstanding Rec.2020 performance when it comes to HDR. Simply put, the A95L didn't leave much room for improvement.
Sony A95L
Sony Bravia 8 II
HDR Brightness (10%, in nits)
1215
1584
UHDA-P3 Gamut Coverage
99.95
100
Rec. 2020 Gamut Coverage
89.41
90.55
Input Lag (ms)
16.1
16.3
The new Bravia II did rise to the occasion with a healthy degree of upgrades, but it's not nearly enough to render the A95L irrelevant as we've seen some other TV manufacturers do with the progression of their OLED lineups year over year. As the close test results above show, the A95L doesn't make customers sacrifice quality much for prioritizing a larger screen size.
And if those customers happen to be gamers like me, the A95L offers 4K at 120 Hz, VRR and Auto Low Latency Mode over two HDMI 2.1 ports, plus PlayStation-specific features that optimize HDR and picture modes on the fly. Input lag measures a smooth 16 ms, and for me, the gaming experience has only increased my appreciation for the A95L as my console's monitor.
It's rare to recommend a three-year-old TV, but the A95L is that kind of product. It's a no-compromises display with longevity built in, especially if you're serious about upgrading your home theater space and have an appetite for a big-screen gaming TV.
Sony's TV division has always prioritized picture fidelity over flashy upgrades, and the A95L is a testament to that approach. Even in 2025, it remains one of the most visually stunning displays you can buy. It may not be new, but it's still among the best — as long as 77 inches fits your wall and your budget.
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