08/18/2022
Design and build: (partially) hidden depths
A small TV only remains small if the bezels surrounding its screen are compact too – and so from the dead-ahead, the XR42A90K looks neat and tidy. Three-quarters of its bezels are very narrow indeed, and even the bigger stripe across the bottom of the screen isn’t that much bigger.
In profile, though, the Sony’s a little disappointing. One of the major pulls of OLED technology is (or at least should be) how very slim they can be. But apart from a brief little area at the top, the Sony’s an unsexy 5.7mm deep. That’s a measurement that harks back a decade or more. ‘Flush’ is not the word to describe the way this TV will look if you decide to hang it on the wall.
Happily, it looks much better on its little stand. It’s small, for a start, so the A90K doesn’t need a big surface to stand on. And the screen sits very low indeed, which helps the whole arrangement look unified. But if you need to find space for a soundbar, the Sony is supplied with little ‘stilts’ for its stand. These raise the bottom of the screen far enough to position a soundbar underneath.
At the rear of the chassis, the Sony features a lot of high-quality plastic arranged in a gridded design. There’s a small woofer visible behind a section, while the majority of the physical inputs are hidden behind a ‘pop on/pop off’ panel that’s a match for the rest of the surface.It’s all very neat and, as has long been the case with Sony TVs, it’s all put together really well. It’s not like we all go around touching our TVs all the time, but the quality of materials and construction here should make even the biggest worriers rest easy about the longevity of their television.
