It feels like the Sony Bravia KD43XH8196PBU has been tailor-made for this generation.
Check out the latest price for the Sony Bravia KD43XH8196PBU.
It seems to fix all of the issues with last year’s less-than-amazing Sony X950G / XG95 by providing louder and clearer audio and introducing a range of smart UI improvements. Now, it is easier than ever to customize an image.
Sony BRAVIA KD43XH81 TV Specifications
- Ultra Slim TV: Yes
- Diagonal: 43″
- 3D TV: Yes
- Display Type: LED
- Upscaling: No
- Sound Technology: Dolby Digital
Benefits
- Setting up the TV is as easy as constructing metal legs with a few screws.
- The design allows people with smaller entertainment centres to still carry a TV, convenient for people who don’t want their furniture to decide which TV they’re buying.
- Just by spinning the TV to the back, you’ll find the panel’s inputs and outputs.
- They all include HDCP 2.3 and HDMI-CEC side ports, each of which supports eARC for Dolby Atmos Audio Passthrough.
- There are a pair of USB ports for charging and connecting computers, optical audio out, a 3.5 mm audio jack, and an Ethernet port.
- Huge audio improvements
- Improved usability
- Great value for the performance
Downsides
- Sadly, the setup of the TV wobble on its legs with a relatively high centre of gravity.
- It is easier to tip over than most other TVs, and it could be a massive problem for people who have children running around.
- Like in previous years, Sony TVs still use Android TV as their main smart interface.
- To some, that’s an immediate deal-breaker, but frankly, Android TV has made a lot of changes over the years that have taken it closer than ever to LG’s WebOS and Samsung’s Tizen smart platforms.
- Wobbly stand
- No HDMI 2.1 ports
- No HDR10+ support
Verdict
This TV could have been one of the best TVs of the year – a title that seems to be harder to win as TV manufacturers pump out better processors and panels as the day goes by.
However, it’s kept from that honour by two poor design decisions: a lack of HDMI 2.1 ports and a new stand design that can drive the display wildly.
Fortunately, the TV still has eARC for Dolby Atmos going through, and wall mounting completely circumvents the legs’ use, so neither is it an outright deal-breaker.
Check out the latest price for the Sony Bravia KD43XH8196PBU.