Sony A95L vs. Bravia Mark II, iPhone 17 Air battery life? You Requested

On immediately’s You Requested: Do you have to go together with a 77-inch A95L or 65-inch Bravia 8 Mark 2? Will the anticipated iPhone 17 Air have poor battery life? And, is burn-in nonetheless an issue on a few of the newest OLED TVs?

Greatest 55-inch TV

Peter asks: What’s the finest TV at 55 inches, OLED or mini-LED?

This might be asking: Is an OLED or mini-LED the higher purchase at 55 inches or What’s the finest 55-inch TV, whether or not it’s OLED or mini-LED?

First, the latter: What’s the most effective TV, whether or not it’s an OLED or mini-LED? I’ll lay out an goal reply and allow you to resolve your funds.

From what I’ve seen, the most effective mini-LED TV is the Sony Bravia 9. It’s additionally on the expensive aspect, however if you would like the most effective, that’s it. In any other case, try our purchasing guides for choices.

For the most effective OLED, we begin to cut up hairs on the high between Sony, Samsung, LG, and Panasonic. Nevertheless, possibly the reply to “Which TV kind is best for a 55-inch TV?” will assist.

Objectively, by way of HDR efficiency and total image high quality, the higher purchase is OLED. One thing like “beginning at a baseline of superior” rings a bell. We’re speaking all of the deep blacks and distinction you could possibly need, and since our eyes discover distinction essentially the most, for those who put the 2 side-by-side, the OLED stands out.

If that’s the route you’re going, we additionally want to speak about worth and availability. Sansui shook issues up a bit with their launch of a 55-inch OLED operating Google TV for simply $799 within the fall. And so they’re anticipated to launch bigger sizes this yr. That will be essentially the most reasonably priced choice and a very good one for those who don’t thoughts the few corners they minimize to maintain the worth down. We’ve bought a video that explains a bit extra.

Slightly costlier could be: LG’s C4 and C5 (the 2024 and 2025 choices) and Samsung’s S90D and S90F (additionally the 2024 and 2025 choices). I checklist choices for each years as a result of it’s about this time of yr – Could – that a few of the finest offers on the earlier yr’s fashions can be found. And generally, the variations between these upper-tier TVs are minor. So if it can save you just a few hundred {dollars}, and possibly much more, that’s in all probability the higher purchase.

If you’d like the most effective of the most effective, contemplate LG’s G4 or G5, Panasonic’s Z95A, or Samsung’s S95D or S95F. Observe that these Samsung choices have anti-reflection screens, which individuals have very completely different opinions on.

When measurement issues

Billy writes: I needed so as to add the Sony A95L 77-inch to my house theater, however now I’m listening to in regards to the Sony Bravia 8 Mark 2. I just like the 77-inch measurement and the brand new Bravia 8 tops out at solely 65 inches. Am I OK going with the A95L or will I remorse it?

Straight up, I’d go together with the 77-inch A95L and by no means look again. On this case, it appears like measurement issues most to you and your house theater wants, and with the Bravia 8 Mark II not assembly that requirement, I feel that might be extra disappointing than not having absolutely the newest TV. Sony’s image processing is usually years forward of the competitors, which implies the A95L, regardless of being a two-year-old mannequin, nonetheless delivers when in comparison with the newer TVs.

In our earlier studio, the A95L was the TV that might normally return on high of the media console once we weren’t filming a evaluation on one other, and each time I sat down to observe one thing, I all the time mentioned wow.

I feel you’ll really feel the identical method going with the 77-inch model. And to place a bow on Peter’s query … If I needed to go together with a 55-inch Sony OLED, I’d save $1,300 {dollars} and go together with the A95L as an alternative of the Bravia 8 Mark II.

Higher purchase: Samsung S95D or LG G4

Yodito writes: Is the Samsung S95D or LG G4 the higher purchase? The place I stay, the S95D is $300 cheaper than the G4.

It is a nice query a few pair of 2024 fashions which were put head-to head very often. Usually, when selecting between two TVs which might be each unimaginable, I’d go together with what saved me essentially the most cash – as long as there have been no different dealbreakers. However on this case, there could also be one in Samsung’s matte coating that reduces reflections. (We did a video evaluating that in these two TV’s particularly).

The TLDR: In case your TV will probably be positioned someplace that has loads of gentle, doubtlessly inflicting distracting reflections within the TV, the Samsung will in all probability go well with you finest. But when it’s in a darker room, issues actually come down to private desire. You may’t go mistaken both method.

That leads me into the following pair of questions, which I’ll mix.

Is burn-in nonetheless a factor?

Steve writes: I’m involved about burn-in. Is it nonetheless an issue on these TVs?
Emmanuel writes: What about display screen burn-in? Is {that a} factor of the previous?

First, I’m no burn-in professional, however I do know that year-over-year, as expertise improves, burn-in turns into much less of a threat. Quite a lot of that’s due to sensible options built-in into OLED TVs. Samsung gives a Pixel Shift setting, which strikes the picture barely to maintain static photos from being displayed in the identical a part of the display screen for lengthy intervals of time, which might result in burn-in. There’s additionally an Alter Emblem Brightness characteristic.

LG gives related options within the type of Display screen Shift, Emblem Luminance Adjustment, and Pixel Refreshment. What’s extra, with LG particularly, there’s a five-year guarantee on the G4 OLED. This covers panel substitute, elements, and labor for the primary three years, after which simply panel substitute for the ultimate two. It’s a really secure purchase.

When my mother and father just lately changed their lounge TV, I used to be hesitant to advocate an OLED as a result of they watch primarily sports activities and community information – programming with numerous static components on the display screen. Nevertheless I did advocate the OLED as a result of it simply appears so good. And I used to be proper: Their Samsung S90D goes sturdy, and each time I discuss to them, they inform me how a lot they love the image. In the event that they’ve prevented burn-in, I feel anybody can.

Subsequent we’ve got some cellular questions.

Dangerous battery life?

@turbodat asks: Ought to we count on the iPhone 17 Air’s battery life to be atrocious?

The reply: Sure, in all probability – nevertheless it will depend on how a lot you utilize your telephone and what you do when utilizing it. Nevertheless, it appears even early within the recreation, Apple is making ready us for brief battery life from its skinny telephone. A report claimed Apple expects the battery to final for a full day for 60–70% of its house owners, and that’s down from 80–90% for the iPhone 16 collection.

To compensate, Apple is seemingly contemplating reintroducing the MagSafe battery pack to assist the telephone’s battery push by way of a complete day. After all, attaching a battery pack will instantly negate the telephone’s large promoting level – its thinness – making all of it a complete downside totally of Apple’s personal making.

It’s a well timed dialogue as a result of Samsung is about to launch its personal skinny telephone, the Galaxy S25 Edge, which is able to give us a greater real-world instance of how a lot battery life to count on from a contemporary, skinny telephone.

If the battery in an everyday telephone doesn’t final lengthy sufficient for you now, it’s extraordinarily unlikely one inside a thinner telephone will do any higher.

The return of bodily keyboards

@axiomfinity writes in with a plea: Deliver again the mini bodily keyboard!

Excellent news: The bodily keyboard has already made a comeback. Check out Clicks, the corporate making bodily keyboard circumstances for a wide range of telephones, together with the iPhone and the Motorola Razr folding telephones. The newest revised mannequin is great, with a much more refined typing expertise and extra modest studying curve. It’s by far one of the best ways to mix a bodily keyboard with an up-to-date, no-compromise smartphone.

Desktop expertise on the telephone

@anjo1030 writes: Do you could have any information on whether or not they plan to activate full mode on Android (desktop mode), so we are able to use a telephone linked to a keyboard, monitor, and mouse, and work without having a desktop pc?

There are alternatives for this obtainable immediately, resembling Samsung’s DeX and Motorola’s Prepared For options. There’s additionally information popping out of a model being made by Google for Android known as, merely: Desktop Mode. It has been noticed in beta variations of Android 16 and will require a Pixel smartphone to function, however will enable a connection between a telephone and an exterior monitor, after which show a DeX-style desktop interface managed by a keyboard and mouse linked to the telephone utilizing Bluetooth. Sadly, the characteristic continues to be a piece in progress, and people analyzing the beta software program don’t count on it to be prepared – and due to this fact launched – with Android 16.

For the time being, Samsung’s wonderful DeX characteristic is your finest option to emulate a desktop expertise together with your telephone.