As exceptional as Sony OLED telescopes are, their lofty pricing leaves many searching for more affordable big-screen alternatives without losing picture quality or features. Luckily, today‘s market boasts many stellar large TVs employing premium technology like self-emissive OLED panels or advanced LED backlighting and quantum dots to rival Sony‘s best efforts.
In this guide, you’ll discover 10 superb Sony OLED alternatives delivering near flagship-level performance at cheaper cost. We’ll compare their picture and sound quality, smart platforms, gaming chops and extra features against the coveted Sony models to help identify your ideal substitute displaying movies, shows, sports and games impressively.
You’ll gain expert insight into each model’s strengths and weaknesses while learning exactly how they stack up against those impressive Sony OLED televisions through extensive objective testing data. By the end, you‘ll possess in-depth knowledge to select your perfect solution with crystal clarity and vibrant colors without overspending.
LG C2 OLED TV
LG’s brilliant C2 OLED television provides near equivalent performance to Sony A90K-series OLEDs for hundreds less. Powered by LG’s latest α9 Gen5 AI Processor 4K, it leverages deep learning to optimize picture and sound quality automatically based on content type.
According to in-depth testing measurements from reviewers like Rtings, the LG C2 actually matches and even exceeds some of Sony‘s best OLED TVs:
| LG C2 OLED | Sony A90K OLED | |
|---|---|---|
| Perfect Black Levels | ∞:1 | ∞:1 |
| Peak Brightness (SDR) | 738 cd/m2 | 417 cd/m2 |
| Peak Brightness (HDR) | 986 cd/m2 | 774 cd/m2 |
| Color Gamut (DCI-P3) | 98.5% | 98.4% |
| Refresh Rate | 120Hz | 120Hz |
As you can see, Sony‘s renowned processing can‘t overcome LG‘s OLED panel advantages in brightness and contrast. And the C2 also includes four HDMI 2.1 inputs for full 4K 120Hz gaming support and matches that silky smooth 120Hz refresh rate.
Gaming performance represents another strength for the LG C2 against Sony competitors. Let‘s compare some key gaming metrics:
| LG C2 OLED | Sony A90K OLED | |
|---|---|---|
| Input Lag @ 4k/60Hz | 5.5ms | 15.3ms |
| Input Lag @ 4k/120Hz | 3.0ms | 6.0ms |
| VRR Range | 40-120Hz | 48-120Hz |
| ALLM | Yes | Yes |
| G-SYNC / FreeSync | Yes | No |
You‘ll experience amazingly responsive play with significantly lower input lag across resolution/frame rates. That wider VRR range prevents screen tearing over more content, while AMD FreeSync support provides fluid gaming for PC or Xbox owners.
The LG C2 OLED makes an outstanding case as a Sony alternative by matching their elite contrast and color while sometimes exceeding brightness and motion performance at a lower price. If you can live without the slightly more refined Sony processing, you’ll save money and gain enough enhancements like Dolby Vision Gaming to please any gamer or cinema lover.
LG C2 OLED TV (Image credit: LG)
Pros vs Sony OLED
- Brighter SDR and HDR peak brightness
- Lower input lag for incredibly responsive gaming
- AMD FreeSync support for smooth PC/Xbox gaming
- Dolby Vision gaming maximize HDR quality
- $500+ cheaper for 65-inch model
Cons vs Sony OLED
- No dedicated Netflix Calibrated Mode
- But still displays Netflix content accurately
- No side-firing speakers like A90K
Samsung QN90B Neo QLED TV
While OLEDs capture imaginations with perfect black levels, Samsung‘s Neo QLED technology impresses in its own right by combining quantum dots and advanced mini-LED backlighting…
