You want OLED? Grab an LG C9 - HDMI 2.1, VRR with G-Sync, 120 Hz. Sorry but Sony sucks when it comes to OLED specs, A8 is their top model for 2020 and it does not support and will not support HDMI 2.1. They're getting their panels from LG anyway and LG is always the first to get the best features for their OLEDs. The downsides of the OLED are mainly risk of burn-in and lower peak brightness than a regular LCD panel. Risk of burn-in is reduced by varying the content and running compensation cycles and enabling pixel shift.
As for XH9005 - it's based on VA panel, so probably the same type you have in your current Bravia. If it didn't bother you before it shouldn't now. The downsides are that viewing angles are limited and you lose contrast and saturation if you're watching at an off-angle. It has full array local dimming so you'll get better contrast in dark scenes and overall better HDR effect than what you have right now. When it comes to HDMI 2.1 the thing is - Sony said that XH90 will be updated to support 4K@120Hz, variable refresh rate and auto low latency mode (automatic switching to game mode) to
enable HDMI 2.1 in the future via a firmware update. Does it matter? For now? No. Unless you're planning to buy a next gen high end GPU or a PS5/Xbox Series X once they come out (hopefully) in Q4 of this year.
Here's a video about this:
XH9005 is the only model from 2020 lineup that (according to Sony) will support HDMI 2.1 at some point.
Now the big question is:
Do you really need to upgrade your TV right now?
If the answer is yes and you want to stick with Sony, go with XH9005.
However, its RRP is £1,299,
for the same amount of money you can grab 55" LG C9. If I had to choose between those two at this price I'd go with LG.
If you don't need to buy the TV right now and you can avoid the upgrade bug just wait until Black Friday and find a good deal. I suggest subscribing to HDTV Test youtube channel:
Youtube's leading voice on TV technology, with many videos getting at least 10000 views, 1000 likes & tons of comments.
www.youtube.com
since Vincent is a great reviewer from UK and you can support him by buying from local retailers.
