Sony bravia a8h vs sony master a9g – which oled tv is right for you?

There’s no arguing that Sony is one of the premier TV makers in the world. With every new model series, this company pushes its innovation to new heights, delivering increasingly impressive TVs each year. And, this year’s Sony Bravia A8H and Sony Master A9G didn’t fail to deliver on the trend. 

The two TVs offer exceptional all-around features capable of providing a breathtaking TV viewing experience. But, as both the A8H and the A9G come with top-quality characteristics, which TV should you opt for? Read our detailed Sony A8H vs A9G comparison and find out everything you need to know before you make your decision.

Sony A8H vs A9G – Quick Comparison

Sony Bravia A8H

Sony Bravia A8H
Sony Bravia A8H

The Sony Bravia A8H provides a premium audiovisual experience and is an exceptional choice for avid home cinema enthusiasts. It outclasses most other TVs in HDR movie and HDR gaming performance. 

Pros:

  • Excellent price for an OLED TV of its size
  • Amazing sound integration
  • Fantastic Smart TV remote
  • Great contrast/black levels

Cons:

  • Lacks HDR10+ support
  • Peak brightness won’t meet everyone’s criteria

Sony Master A9G

Sony Master A9G
Sony Master A9G OLED TV

The Sony Master A9G comes with many identical features to the A8H. That said, it also has a higher price point, justified by some extra performance characteristics. It offers better viewing angle consistency and superior peak brightness performance.

Pros:

  • Impressive peak brightness
  • Great contrast/black level
  • Rich black uniformity
  • Powerful customization settings

Cons:

  • Noticeably more expensive
  • Lacks HDR10+ support

Features Face to Face

Panel Technology

From this perspective, both models come with the same panel technology, as they are 4K OLED TVs. This designation means that they offer a resolution four times better than on LCD TVs. With such in-depth pictures, you can see even the tiniest details. This is one of the main reasons why many people choose these models for their home theater TV setups.

Image Processor

The image processor is the TV’s brain and, much like in a PC, it’s crucial for determining how fast your TV will perform the tasks you give it. In this regard, both models feature the same top-of-the-line image processor – the X1 Ultimate processor.

This processor demonstrated excellent performance capabilities that are more than enough to power these two 4K TVs. The X1 Ultimate processor is one of the most potent TV processors in the market. It can adjust its color and saturation to present more realistic and impactful HDR images.

Motion Technology

Both TVs come with Sony’s patented Motion Clarity feature that’s been around since the company’s first FALD LCD models. This option lets you tailor different motion processing settings. For the A8H, this includes an X-Motion Clarity setting, making for a more cinematic movie experience.

With that in mind, the A9G’s motion handling technology works well but is not as perfect as the one the A8H boasts. It excels for sports and generally all fast-moving action. But, it can show slight image distortion when displaying slower-paced films. 

For a TV of its size and picture quality, the A9G offers excellent low input lag. That said, the A8H model also has lower input lag across the board. This makes it a better choice for gaming. The Game Mode feature only enhances this and makes A8H the better choice over the A9G. With that in mind, enabling motion technology significantly increases the input lag for both models.

Picture Quality

When shopping for a TV, most people focus on picture quality as the deciding aspect. And, when talking about picture quality, image resolution is often used as a synonymous term. For more detailed info, here’s a closer look at all of the supported resolutions for these two models:

ResolutionSony Bravia A8HSony Master A9G
4K/60Hz/4:4:4YesYes
4K/60HzYesYes
1440p/120HzNoYes (Force Resolution Required)
1440p/60HzYes (Force Resolution Required)Yes (Force Resolution Required)
1080p/120HzYes (Native Support)Yes (Native Support)
1080p/60Hz/4:4:4YesYes

Contrast ratio / Black level

As both TVs use OLED displays, you can expect a great color contrast ratio. Regardless if you’re watching a movie in a very bright or pitch-black room, both the A8H or the A9G will deliver an excellent contrast ratio.

The A8H produces excellent black uniformity, making dark scenes enjoyable and without any dirty or greyish effects. That said, the A9G offers a better contrast ratio/black level performance. It’s capable of producing rich black uniformity with almost unnoticeable faint lines.

Local dimming

Neither the A8H nor the A9G comes with a local dimming feature. However, this isn’t anything surprising since there’s no backlight in these models. As OLED TVs have emissive technology, they don’t need this option. 

Even so, there are no dimming-related issues, such as blooming around bright objects in dark scenes. Both TVs offer excellent performance characteristics in this regard.

Peak brightness

Comparing peak brightness numbers, the Sony Master A9G has a noticeable advantage in this field. This model can record peak brightness close to 900 nits, impressive for a TV of its size and picture quality features. It may still struggle with glare issues in very bright environments but still offers significantly better performance over the A8H series.

In comparison, the Sony Bravia A8H measures between 650 and 700 nits. Keep in mind, this is peak brightness in Standard Mode, meaning that the numbers are even lower in other viewing mods. This isn’t very bright, even by OLED peak brightness standards.

Color

If you get the Master A9G, you won’t have to adjust many image settings to get the best colors out of this TV. Straight from the box, you’ll notice just how rich the colors look on the A9G. 

That said, if you want to tailor the colors towards your specific taste, you can choose between a variety of options. This includes Vivid, Standard, Cinema, Game, Custom, Graphics, and Photo.

The A8H doesn’t lag behind the A9G when it comes to color quality. It has slightly less customizable color options but provides equally accurate color reproduction. With this in mind, it’s a pity that neither of the two support HDR10+. Considering all of this, it’s hard to give either TV the edge in this category, as both offer first-rate performance.

Viewing angle

The viewing angle is an essential feature to consider. Unfortunately, less tech-savvy buyers often tend to overlook its importance. Both TVs have the same 178 x 178° viewing angle, a very wide angle suitable for large rooms. With such a broad angle, even the people watching from the corners can experience complete viewing pleasure.

Nevertheless, the A9G slightly outperforms the A8H in this category. This is because the A8H will display slight color shifts depending on the viewing angle. It’s nothing dramatic but is a difference worth noting if you pay attention to the little things.

Sound Quality

For premium TVs in this price range, the audio quality must be on par with the picture quality. In this regard, both TVs equally excel, and the main differences come to the nuances. Both TVs use Sony’s Acoustic Surface Audio technology that brings multi-dimensional sound and takes TV audio to a whole new level.

Looking into the specifics, the A9G uses a two-channel sound implementation rather than the 3.2 system its predecessors featured. If you’re an audiophile and decide to go with the A9G, you might feel the need to add extra speakers for the best sound coverage.

The A8H features a Voice Zoom feature, which the A9G lacks. The Voice Zoom element emulates the movement on the screen by moving the sound across the TV accordingly. This makes for a more immersive and vibrant experience. It also means that the A8H has the edge over the A9G in the audio department

Smart TV Platform (Operating System)

Like pretty much all other Sony TVs these days, the A8H and A9G rely on Android TV for most of their Smart TV features. That said, the two models use different versions of Android TV. 

The A8H implements a Version 9 (Pie) with a few Sony-specific features. Oppositely, the A9G uses the Oreo software iteration. From the user’s perspective, this doesn’t matter much, as the difference in performance isn’t noticeable. 

Both TVs support all key streaming services and feature very intuitive and easy-to-navigate menus. With that in mind, the A8H has the better Smart TV platform due to having a better-designed smart remote.

Connectivity

The Sony A8H vs. A9G comparison doesn’t take us far when it comes to connectivity features. This is primarily because both TVs come with nearly identical connectivity support. With that in mind, neither the A8H nor the A9G gets an edge in this category.

Inputs

Both TVs come with a long list of input ports, offering great flexibility in terms of connectivity options. You can count on four HDMI ports, although the Sony Bravia comes with an extra F-type port. Here’s a quick rundown of all input ports in each model:

Input PortsSony Bravia AH8Sony Master A9G
HDMI Ports3 x HDMI Type A (Bottom) 1 x HDMI Type A (Side) 3 x HDMI Type A (Bottom) 1 x HDMI Type A (Side)
F-Type Ports1 x F-Type (RF Antenna)N/A
RCA Ports1 x RCA (Composite) (Side) 1 x 2RCA (Analog Audio) (Side)1 x 2RCA (Analog Audio) (Side) 1 x RCA (Composite) (Side)

Voice Assistants

Both models equally outperform the competition with top-notch voice assistants. Both the Bravia A8H and the Master A9G come with the convenient Google Assistant option. You can also take advantage of the built-in Chromecast. In addition to Google’s voice assistant service and Chromecast, you can connect Amazon Alexa devices.

Wireless technologies

High-grade wireless technology is imperative in upper-end TVs like the AH8 and the A9G. With this in mind, both TVs come with the same Wi-Fi support (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz). Of course, both models also have built-in Bluetooth.

Standout features

Lastly, if all general characteristics weren’t enough to sway you to opt for either the A8H or the A9G, both TVs possess several standout features that set them apart from the competition. This includes the Dolby Vision technology, a feature that allows you to play movies recorded in Dolby Vision HDR format.

Both TVs also come with a Netflix calibrated mode. Going by Sony’s words, this feature allows you to “experience picture quality close to a filmmaker’s vision and intent”. Additionally, both TVs meet the IMAX enhanced licensing program to deliver high-quality images with immersive sound.

Conclusion

Both the Bravia A8H and the Master A9G rank highly in the premium TV market. They boast relatively similar features but also come with some discernible differences. So, after a detailed and thorough Sony A8H vs A9G comparison, which of the two TVs should you choose? Ultimately, the decision is solely on you, as the two TVs are neck in neck in nearly every important aspect. 

That said, if you’re creating the definitive home theater, the Sony Master A9G is the more favorable option. It offers slightly better picture quality properties than the A8H. On the other hand, if you’re primarily looking for a premium TV with impressive audio quality, the Sony Bravia A8H is an unmatched choice.

Avatar of Jon
About Jon

Hey, I'm Jon. I'm an engineer by trade, so it makes sense that I'm obsessed with anything technology related! On the weekends, you can find me playing around with my computers or fixing something around the house. Feel free to leave a comment if you want to get in touch.

Leave a Comment

Previous

Britbox – Problems, Cost, Shows & More | Britbox Review 2023

Samsung q70 vs q80 – which qled tv is the right choice?

Next