Sony 4K TVs coming in May, starting at $1,300, according to leak
Pricing and availability for Sony's 2015 lineup of 4K TVs has leaked, targeting a release date of May for all of the models and prices from $1,300 up to $8,000.
- Although still awaiting his Oscar for Best Picture Reviewer, David does hold certifications from the Imaging Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology on display calibration and evaluation.
It's still the dead of winter, but the TV leaks just keep springing.
HDguru.com has already outed pricing and availability information for a bunch of Samsung and Vizio 4K TVs, so now it's Sony's turn.
The site, which has a long history of accurately jumping the gun on official manufacturer word, cites industry sources in leaking the Sony information. It indicates a range of 4K LED LCD TV prices from $1299 for 43 inches up to $7,999 for the best 75-inch model.
All will be available in May aside from the 65-inch XBR-65X900C, which is coming in July.
We've asked Sony for confirmation and will update this article if we hear back.
Here are all of the Sony sets named in the leak.
Sony 2015 4K TV leaked prices
| Model | Size | Key feature | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| XBR-75X940C | 75-inch | Full-array local dimming | $7,999 |
| XBR-65X930C | 65-inch | Edge-lit local dimming | $4,499 |
| XBR-75X910C | 75-inch | Thin bezel | $4,999 |
| XBR-65X900C | 65-inch | Thin bezel, cabinet | $3,999 |
| XBR-55X900C | 55-inch | Thin bezel, cabinet | $2,499 |
| XBR-75X850C | 75-inch | Triluminous color | $4,999 |
| XBR-65X850C | 65-inch | Triluminous color | $3,499 |
| XBR-55X850C | 55-inch | Triluminous color | $2,199 |
| XBR-49X830C | 49-inch | 4K resolution | $1,599 |
| XBR-43X830C | 43-inch | 4K resolution | $1,299 |
The sole model with local dimming from a full-array LED backlight, our favorite picture-enhancing technology for LCD TVs, is the XBR-75X940C. Unlike the 2014 flagship XBR-X950B series, it only comes in one very large size at one very high price.
The rest use edge-lit LED backlights, and among them only the 65-inch X930C has local dimming. I expect it to perform very well given the excellent picture quality of the X900B , our favorite 4K LCD TV of 2014.
HDGuru reports that while the X940C and X930C have some breed of HDR, "these series are not able to read the meta-data in upcoming Ultra HD Blu-ray discs and 4K streaming services. Instead the TVs use Sony's new signal processor to guesstimate these criteria. To date, only Samsung's SUHD models (JS9500, JS9000, and JS8500) and Panasonic's CX850 series have this capability." I've checked with Sony to confirm this information.
And love 'em or hate 'em, both the X940C and X930C have those massive built-in speakers.
Below those two in price is the X900C , billed as the world's thinnest LCD TV. Parts of the TV's cabinet, namely the top half of the set, measure just 0.2-inch thick (below). For comparison's sake LG's 55-inch OLED TV, model 55EC9300 , has a depth of 0.25 inches across most of its body. So the X900C is even thinner. The 75-inch X910C is a bit thicker, which is probably a good thing for a TV that big.
The remainder of the lineup is lacks a major differentiating feature aside from Triluminous color found on all 2015 Sony 4K TVs (aside from the X830C models). When asked how that technology compares to quantum dots found on other sets, a Sony rep told us "We developed our own nano-crystal technology, which we have been using for the last two years that offers the same benefits as Quantum Dots."
None of Sony's TVs are curved, and rather than tout a fancy homegrown Smart TV system like Web OS 2.0 or Tizen, Sony elected to go with Google's Android TV this year to power its Smart sets. And like last year's Sony TVs ( and 2015 Samsungs), all can work with PlayStation Now to play PS3 games without a console.
If you're looking for even more detail, all of Sony's upcoming TVs have been live on Sony.com since CES.