Sony 75" 4K Android Smart TV - Review

OVERKILL

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Purchased at Costco in January of this year.

Unit replaced a 65" Samsung 3D SmartTV we bought many years ago which stopped receiving updates a while back and recently wouldn't load the TV apps such as Amazon Video or Netflix. This TV was moved up into my eldest son's room, since it worked fine otherwise.

This is actually our 2nd google-based television. The first we purchased was a Samsung 4K 55", also from Costco, for our bedroom. It's a more "limited" experience, in terms of the google stuff, which I'll come back to. Worthwhile to mention that Samsung's transition from their own OS on the TV's to Android appears to have been done in a manner that made the operation seem familiar and they weren't out to reinvent the wheel.

Pros:
- Image quality is fantastic
- Detection and configuration of attached devices, such as my Denon AVR X4200-W was for the most part automatic, same with my son's PS5.
- Included remote is well laid-out and has quick access buttons for the most popular apps such as Amazon, Netflix, Youtube...etc.
- Integrated player is better than on the 4K Samsung, able to play a wider range of content
- Automatic screensaver feature works well, as does being able to cast Youtube or do airplay from a phone or computer.
- Unit is FAST. Apps open extremely quickly

Cons:
- It's very much full-featured Android, so it does weird things sometimes. Apps will randomly crash or not load properly, requiring you to hold down the power button on the remote and select "Reboot" to resolve. Coming back to the Samsung, which has fewer features and a more simplified user experience, this does not happen, despite it also being an Android-based device. So, this appears to be a byproduct of the newer Google TV/Android ecosystem and not an underlying issue with Android itself, as a TV OS.
- HDMI smart features are a bit buggy. For example, it turns off my stereo, like it is supposed to, when you shut off the TV. 30 seconds later, it turns the stereo back on. Then, a minute or so later, it turns the stereo back off, at which point it stays off. This didn't happen with the Samsung.


Hopefully the cons get resolved with an OS/firmware update at some point.

All-in-all, reasonably happy with the purchase, though do suspect we might have been a touch happier with another Samsung.
 
Doesn''t sound like Sony is implementing the Android O/S very well. Thanks for the review. I'm in the market to replace my 55" Sony soon and was considering that brand again.
My wife's "daily driver" Toshiba using the Fire TV features does pretty good, and continues to get updates. Android itself seems to have issues with trying to use expanded (USB) storage, but that might be down to specific requirement for the memory stick. Yes, it will format to either external or internal storage, but it doesn't allow installation of apps onto that storage. Only things like pics. Pretty much the same thing with phones.

I'm thinking LG might be the way to go for me.
 
I purchased a 65" Sony about a year and half ago and I haven't had any of those issues. I stream Pandora and watch a lot of movies off Amazon and never had it crash. I also have a Logitech remote that controls every thing so I can't comment on the remote.

I agree the picture is fantastic and it works seamlessly with my home theater. One problem I had with my Tashiba was getting the sound from the TV back to the AV receiver in sync, no problems with the Sony.

Hopefully they'll get your issues resolved.
 
I have an 85" Sony with local-dimming, bought at Costco a year and a half ago.
Fantastic picture, minor ARC/HDMI audio issue with a sound bar. Turn of the sound bar and it comes back on a while later. I use a separate power bar to power it on and off.
Overall, a great tv. Would buy again.
 
I purchased a 65" Sony about a year and half ago and I haven't had any of those issues. I stream Pandora and watch a lot of movies off Amazon and never had it crash. I also have a Logitech remote that controls every thing so I can't comment on the remote.

I agree the picture is fantastic and it works seamlessly with my home theater. One problem I had with my Tashiba was getting the sound from the TV back to the AV receiver in sync, no problems with the Sony.

Hopefully they'll get your issues resolved.
What OS is on yours? This is my "About" page:
IMG_3573.jpeg
 
I read in the owner's manual that use of Radioactive electricity causes issues with Android apps. ;):p:D

Kidding -- I actually have the same TV and yes it has a few quirks....but for the price I paid for it they are minor and still happy with it. I'm actually going to get the 75" when they put them on sale.
 
I read in the owner's manual that use of Radioactive electricity causes issues with Android apps. ;):p:D

Kidding -- I actually have the same TV and yes it has a few quirks....but for the price I paid for it they are minor and still happy with it. I'm actually going to get the 75" when they put them on sale.
Yeah, we got the 75" on sale at Costco, seemed like a great buy.
 
The Sony TVs are probably the best in the business, but I'm a cheapskate so I buy the cheapest Android set I can find. I have a 75" Phillips (Funai) that I paid $599 for black friday 2019. The Android system works great, the whole TV does. That backlighting though...on dark scenes you can see where every LED is bleeding through from the edge. We rarely watch movies, mostly just news shows and YouTube videos so it's just fine for our needs.

The other two in the house are Hisense Androids, much better quality than the Funai.
 
I think with most TVs it's processing power that can be lacking. I use a Shield TV that runs Android smoothly...going forward I'll buy for the picture and not sweat the OS as I'm sold on the external sticks and devices. That being said, Sony FTW...I have 2 of them.
 
I think with most TVs it's processing power that can be lacking. I use a Shield TV that runs Android smoothly...going forward I'll buy for the picture and not sweat the OS as I'm sold on the external sticks and devices. That being said, Sony FTW...I have 2 of them.

I think it used to be that way, I don't have any issues with the current TVs I've used lagging.
 
I think with most TVs it's processing power that can be lacking. I use a Shield TV that runs Android smoothly...going forward I'll buy for the picture and not sweat the OS as I'm sold on the external sticks and devices. That being said, Sony FTW...I have 2 of them.
Our old Samsung was certainly slow, but the Sony and current Samsung are very fast.
 
I find the idea that apps crashing or slow OS is a reason anyone moves on from a tv. You can go out and buy the newest and fastest streaming stick of choice and get a superior experience.
 
Digging up this old thread WRT: Android TV.

I have a TCL QM7 75" that we bought around 4 months ago the first time they went on sale for $999 and I have some of the same odd issues with Google TV, which as far as I can tell is just Android TV rebranded.

The most frequent one is losing sound altogether, I assume maybe due to a driver issue. If you hold down the power button for a long time, maybe 3 seconds or a little more, it will give you the option for a hard power off as opposed to a normal power off. The hard power off fixes it. But it's an annoying quirk if you are trying to watch something and it dies. Usually after an app change or something like that.

On a side note I really wanted last year's Series 6 TCL that had all the great reviews, but once they were no longer mainstream stocked at most retailers, the prices went up. So we went with this current model.
 
We never used the native applications on TVs. Including our Sony X900
I MAY have connected it to our WiFi once or twice to check for updates and then removed. I can see you use your sets in more ways then we do though.

We always used Roku boxes back when some of the first ever came out over a decade ago (or 15 years?). (last house had five) New downsized home only using two TVs so far.
In fact, still have to hook up the latest Roku Ultra # 4802R bought just a few weeks ago for our main set (X900) to replace our current Roku Ultra # 4660X2 on that set which will go to a secondary set or family member.

I like to upgrade every 2ish to 3 years, faster processors, more features but not sure how many more features anymore, I guess I can check, the newest model says Dolby Vision, HDR blah, blah. There was a time we would notice a significant increase in speed. Will be interesting to see if any faster with the newest one ...

Whether or not the native application is any good I would never know, never used it. I do know the sound on our JBL Bar 500 knocks our socks off with the side wall reflections, not sure if the native would have been as good as this is, freaking crazy at times in a room almost maybe perfect for this setup as room dimensions are critical when relying on reflections rather then surround speakers .
 
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Should add, I found out what the issue was that causes the stereo to go off, then on, then off again. When you shutdown the TV, 30 seconds later it wakes up to check for updates. It does not turn the screen on for this function, but it DOES wake up the HDMI ports, which prompts the AVR to turn on. When this process is done, it turns back off, which shuts down the AVR again.
 
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