In the 48-inch OLED TV battle, it’s LG vs. Sony, A9 vs. CX. Welcome to the ultimate battle of small OLED TVs.
This is a competition between two of the top middleweight contenders in OLED TV, the LG OLED48CX and Sony’s KD-48A9 (known as XBR-48A9S in the US). Which screen makes its pixels pound, and which will have its support raised at the end?
OLED TVs are always available in fairly large sizes, but if your home is about the size of a shoebox, getting big on a TV is like actively picking the front row in the cinema. It’s too much and you will end up with neck pain.
Sure, bigger TVs are very luxurious, but there’s a reason LG (which makes the panel for both of these TVs) has expanded its panel production to achieve that magical 48-inch diagonal: it means smaller TVs. expensive and lighter weight that doesn’t support half of your living room.
Since they use the same display hardware, you might not think there is much to separate from the CX and the A9. But there can be some pretty big differences beyond the screen itself, so we’re going to pit these mini-monsters against each other and find out which one roars the loudest.
(Image credit: Sony)
48 inch LG CX vs 48 inch Sony A9 / A9S: Price
Is it too cynical to suggest that LG’s ownership of the factory that makes the OLEDs has helped the company gain a foothold in the pricing department? Probably not. It was the first to market a 48-inch OLED and managed to market it with a totally affordable MSRP (at least compared to most other OLEDs) of £ 1,499 / $ 1,499. This puts it dangerously close to many LED TVs that can’t handle the same contrast range as the OLED.
For the A9, Sony was forced (or chosen) to drop it to the significantly higher mark of £ 1,799 / $ 1,799. This gives it the loss in that category, although Sony is hoping that additional technology added elsewhere will entice you to spend the extra cost. That said, Sony is actually missing some features here, which we’ll come back to …
(Image credit: LG)
48-inch LG CX vs 48-inch Sony A9: Design
The fight here is pretty much a mirror match of large rectangles with minimal bezels; each is a modern TV that will look great on a stand or on a wall. He might have a slightly bigger chin, but we’ll give Sony an extra half mark for his sexier base and lower ground clearance.
The belly pose of the A9 is possible because it does not need to make room for the sound to be diffused in this way. Instead, it uses Sony’s sleek Acoustic Surface technology, which turns the screen itself into a big speaker and means the audio is emitting from where it’s supposed to come from, rather than where it is. ‘from a point slightly away from the main action.
This means the Sony is far superior for audio quality and is good enough to replace the need for a basic soundbar, which is a big reason for its higher price tag. With the LG CX, if you want sound as rich as the visuals, you’ll need a speaker upgrade, stat.
LG CX 48 inch vs Sony A9 48 inch: Interface
It’s a battle of two well-established interfaces, each decent in its own way. LG uses, as always, its own webOS operating system, which is simple and nifty software. It’s easily voice-driven, incorporating LG’s own ThinQ AI for easy navigation around its various functions, as well as support for Google Assistant and Alexa.
The A9 comes equipped with Android TV, which (predictably) narrows down the choice of voice assistant to Google Assistant only. The latest version of Android TV feels a lot smoother than the ones that came before, includes support for a range of add-on apps, and also includes a bunch of stability fixes.
We would say LG wins, but it’s actually a personal preference rather than webOS being overall “ better ” than Android TV.
In the UK, neither is particularly good for UK catch-up TV apps, but both are really good at supporting streaming apps in general.
(Image credit: Sony)
48-inch LG CX vs 48-inch Sony A9: image processing
It’s not hard to argue the importance of the processor when it comes to modern TVs, especially in the OLED space where every manufacturer shares the same basic hardware. The processor and firmware package determines how well the OLED panel performs and how well the TV interprets raw data. None of these TVs are slouch when it comes to pushing the pixels.
Sony includes its Picture Processor X1 Ultimate chip in the A9, the same chip that supports the company’s 8K lineup, which means it has a little bit of processing time to play with, and it’s a breakthrough. compared to the X1 Extreme which remains part of Sony’s 2020 lineup. The X1 Ultimate features serious HDR scaling and remastering improvements, as well as object-based detail enhancements.
LG has released its latest and greatest processor, the third generation A9, which unlocks the full power of LG’s processing capabilities, with a slew of AI image processing tricks serving it very well.
LG includes Filmmaker mode in the CX range, which actually turns off a lot of its processing so that the image you see is as close as possible to what the content creator wanted; Sony, on the other hand, is so confident in its own picture expertise that it doesn’t include Filmmaker mode, although it does support Netflix calibrated content.
Sony’s handling is slightly better with movement, so for sports fans in particular, the A9 may be preferable. But in general, they are incredibly close, the difference being more related to the specific approach than the quality.
(Image credit: LG)
48-inch LG CX vs 48-inch Sony A9: format support
Both TVs support HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision content. Neither includes support for HDR10 +, a competitor to Dolby Vision. Dolby Vision is more widely used than HDR10 +, so if we’re going to have one we’re happy that they include Dolby… but some TVs include both, so we really wish that was the standard for flagships.
LG scores a win here with its additional HDR functionality, incorporating Dolby Vision IQ which adjusts the image to match the light levels in your room. It’s a cool and useful feature, but it’s no more difficult than the Sony doesn’t.
When we look at what you might be able to plug in, things turn more to LG. The South Korean giant includes support for multiple HDMI 2.1 features across all of its ports, with support for variable refresh rates, including on PS5 and Xbox Series X (plus GSync and FreeSync compatibility for PC), and the ability to receive 4K video at 120 fps.
Sony doesn’t include these items at all, despite creating the PlayStation 5, a game console that supports both of these features. Oh and also despite the claim of the A9 is “perfect for PlayStation”. Of course, the A9 is no slouch in the response time department for gaming, but it can’t hope to compete with the CX in the gaming space in general.
48-inch LG CX vs 48-inch Sony A9: the verdict
So which one should you buy? In most categories, the answer is “either”: the CX and A9 are both master TVs with all the weight of their manufacturer’s respective treatment packages inside. These are amazing and reasonably sized entry points into the rich, edgy world of OLED, and probably a huge step up from the midsize display you already own.
But some things are more important than others. Presumably, you aren’t buying a 48 inch TV that will last you a year and end up scrapped. As beautiful as the Sony A9 is, we have to point you towards the LG CX as it’s the only one of this pair to live up to its connectivity.
The HDMI features it includes have the potential to be so crucial over the next few years that even if you have no interest in gaming, the LG display is the one for you. The fact that it’s much cheaper at the same time is just a bonus.
If you’re a Sony fan, you won’t be unhappy with the A9 for what it offers, and the better sound quality is certainly a good thing – but the sound can be improved later by adding one of the better. sound bars. Integrated connections cannot.