We recently finished a major remodel of our kitchen and capped off the project by ordering the Sony XR42A90K. Our kitchen gets a lot of traffic and frequently doubles as my wife's office, so we wanted a TV in the room but not something that would overwhelm the space. The 42" A90K is a fantastic option, having installed it and used it for a bit.
My house is a Sony TV house, having moved away from Samsung products and their awful app environment, short support windows, and subpar performance (in my opinion). This is the fourth Sony TV in our home, and the second OLED. I know LG OLEDs also receive very good reviews, but having a common platform in my house, and one my wife and kids are already familiar with pushed us to the Sony OLED.
►Picture Quality:
I am not a professional TV reviewer, but in my estimation it's hard to beat the picture on a Sony OLED. Our A90K is located in a very bright kitchen and performs terrifically! The picture is very bright, while still offering excellent deep blacks and contrast. Any worry about glare was washed away shortly after powering the TV on for the first time.
→Concerns about burn-in:
I've owned a Sony Master-series OLED in my home theater for years and the TV has not experienced any burn-in at all. I frequently game on that set, for reference, and it's worked great for four years without any noticable burn-in. So, I have no concerns with the A90K at all.
►Google TV:
One of the biggest selling points on Sony TVs is the integration with Google TV. It's incredibly easy to setup (using the Google Home App), and use. My wife and I have Google's Pixel series Android phones, and the integration with our phones is fantastic - for example, we display a rotating album of our favorite family pictures on all of our Sony TVs when they enter stand-by mode. It's one of our favorite features and requires very little user input to get it set up.
The next best thing is the responsiveness of Sony TVs. Switching from app to app, or from cable is a breeze and the A90K responds immediately. I contrast that experience with our awful Samsung TVs that had noticeable lag when pressing any button.
►I/O:
→ 4 × HDMI -- 2 × @ HDMI 2.1 (inputs 3, 4); 2 × @ HDMI 2.0 (inputs 1, 2)
→ 2 × USB 3.0
→ 1 × Optical out
→ 1 × Ethernet
→ 1 × IR (input)
→ 1 × RS232C
→ 1 × Composite (requires adapter, not included in the box)
►Other Things:
→ The A90K comes removeable plastic backplates that cover areas like the cord and I/O. They're great for completing a clean, minimalist look. I have my TV mounted on our kitchen wall but still installed the plates since they cover up part of the side panel too. Again, purely aesthetic, but I love the finished look.
→ There's a mic mute toggle on the side of the TV. If you want a more privacy and aren't interested in using the Google Voice Assistant, turn the mic to mute.
→ I do not use the included stand but I do appreciate that it's made out of metal and not flimsy plastic.
→ The TV does use on-screen ads (unfortunately). I believe that most TVs these days have them, and it sucks. At least they're unobtrusive and you can opt out of personalized ads when you perform the first-time configuration.
→ The remote is compact but excellent. It feels great in-hand and sturdy. It has a minimalist approach to buttons which is great in a household with kids.
►In the Box:
→ A90K TV
→ Remote control
→ 2 × AAA batteries
→ Base plate and metal legs
→ 2 × Cable management straps
→ Manual, user guides, and warranty information
►Closing:
That's it! This TV is fantastic and I'm very pleased with my purchase. The picture quality is fantastic, The user interface, sound, inputs are all the top-notch Sony quality I'm used too! This is definitely a TV I recommend!
