Sony Bravia OLED XR-42A90K (2022)

The first installation of the TV is a bit of a disappointment, because you still have to screw the base (installable in 2 heights) yourself with a number of different screws, whereby you don't want to damage anything. So be careful with the fairly heavy device. The device itself looks of high quality, with a nice thin bezel (plastic, that is) and a nice metal base. The 2 remote controls (one for regular TV use and one for apps) also feel solid and even have backlight in the keys and voice control (Hey Google). The beautiful clarity and sharpness of the image is already noticeable at the first start-up. We use the TV in a place where there is no cable connection, so it is used as a smart TV via WiFi. That does not seem to be a problem for the image quality; razor sharp without hitches. The sound comes from 2 speakers and is fine; crystal clear without resonances up to high volume, but otherwise not special. Don't expect Dolby surround effects from the TV without extra speakers. The home screen is filled with different apps that can be selected via an app store, where it is a pity that you cannot change the 2 largest icons (HBO and Disney +). Only the 2nd line with its own apps can be put in a different order. Fine if you're subscribed to HBO or Disney+, but if not, you'll have to scroll past them every time. We zig through the Ziggo app, which works fine. Watching live, fast forward or backward or replay previous episodes works excellently in beautiful image quality. The other apps, such as Netflix and Youtube, also work fine and intuitively. Too bad there is no keyboard on the remote control, because you have to scroll quite a bit to type in the titles. We have tried a few image settings, where the eco mode was not to our liking because the image then becomes a bit darker. The default settings are sufficient for most use. After a few weeks, we occasionally noticed some delay in the apps, a screen that got stuck or a password that had to be re-entered (Ziggo app almost once a week). The biggest drawback of this type of top range TV is the pricing policy; especially if you bought the TV around the release date for the suggested retail price, you will notice that several hundreds of euros less is being asked for it from various providers within a few weeks. In addition, the specifications that are above average today will be commonplace tomorrow. All in all, this is a great TV, with a beautiful picture, great sound for a fairly solid price. If it is your budget and desired image size, you are in any case assured of years of viewing pleasure.

After eleven years of looking at a 40” LED TV from Samsung, it was time to replace it. As a critical viewer, I have studied the various TVs that are currently offered in this price range. Several reviews later (tweakers, YouTube and comparison sites) came to the conclusion that the 90K series from Sony should be a good choice in this price range. Although there was actually a 55” model on the wish list, I still opted for the 48” model due to the available space between two windows. What struck me here is that I had to make few concessions as a result of the downgrade in dimensions. The most salient concession is that the subwoofer fits in the 55” model but not in the 48” model. This was solved by purchasing a Sony HT-G700 soundbar with subwoofer at the same time. Unpacking and installing is relatively easy. In terms of settings, there are many options on the TV that can be user-friendly to choose yourself, it is also possible to let the TV make choices based on the programs watched. We have been using the TV for some time and it meets our complete satisfaction.