Last month at CES, we got a first-hand look at Sony’s latest batch of premium 4K HDR TVs — the XBR-X930D, XBR-X940D, and XBR-X850D — and soon customers will have a chance to get a look at them themselves.
Sony announced yesterday that the TVs are available for pre-sale right now. If you’d rather wait and see them in person, they’ll be available at Best Buy and other retailers starting next month.
When we saw the XBR-X930D last month, we were surprised by how thin it was — too thin for full-array local dimming (FLAD), in fact — but Sony is using an edge-mounted system it calls Slim Backlight Drive that we found worked surprisingly well. If you want FLAD, the larger XBR-X940D offers a backlit LED screen.
All of these TVs feature the Android TV operating system for smart TV functionality as well as some home automation features. The XBR-X930D series is available in 65-inch class and 55-inch class varieties, which sell for $5,000 and $3,300 respectively. The XBR-X940D offers up a 75-inch class screen and retails for $8,000.
The XBR-X850D series doesn’t offer the X-tended Dynamic Range PRO featured in the above lines, which Sony says offers three times the brightness range of traditional LED-backlit TV, but it offers the Dynamic Contrast Enhancer instead. The plus here is that this series offers more variety in terms of screen sizes.
Each model in the XBR-X850D line still offers key features like Sony’s Triluminos display technology, 4K X-Reality PRO upscaling, and Android TV. The top of the line 85-inch class model will cost you $10,000, but the other models are much more affordable. The 75-inch class model sells for $5,000, while the 65-inch and 55-inch class models sell for $3,500 and $2,500.
Every model listed here features the standard streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu, but Android TV also offers Google Cast functionality and the ability to install a massive variety of apps and games from the Google Play store. Home automation requires a Logitech Harmony Hub, allowing users to control devices like lights, thermostats, and more.
Sony has more models planned for this year, coming 32-inch, 40-inch, and 48-inch varieties. The models will be available this spring and will sell for $350, $600, and $700, respectively.
