Sony launches new OLED and LCD TVs plus wireless headphones at CES 2018
The same image processor will run both Sony's high-end OLED and LCD displays.
Sony has used its CES 2018 launch to highlight its commitment to picture quality on its new TV lines, with only a few key new products actually announced.
On the TV front, Sony announced new OLED TV models under the Bravia A8F branding, with TVs available in 55 inch and 65 inch sizes. They'll run on Sony's new X1 Extreme processor for improved image clarity, but what's interesting here is that Sony's using the exact same platform for its 2018 LCD TV lines. The X9000F LCD TV uses local dimming and the same processor, while Sony's Kazuo Hirai also noted that Sony will be showing off its next generation TV processor, dubbed the X1 Ultimate at CES.
On the headphones front, Sony also showed off new wireless headphones, available either as standalone units or in cabled format. The WF-SP700N is the totally wireless variant while the WI-SP600N is (technically) wired, but both offer active noise cancellation and splash resistance, which isn't common in wireless Bluetooth headphones.
Sony also used its launch to show off a product it technically launched in Japan last year, with the reappearance of Aibo, its cute robotic dog that first came to prominence in 1999 and lasted as a Sony product line until 2005.
The new Aibo has a more puppy-like appearance than the "classic" model and will ship to Japanese consumers "very soon", according to Hirai. No word on international releases if you're lovestruck by this rather cute robotic puppy, though.
Sony Australia hasn't given any particular timeframe for when we might see the new OLED and LCD TVs, but it has confirmed it intends to launch the new TV models into the Australian marketplace.We'll see the new Bluetooth headphones in April with pricing still to be confirmed, alongside new wireless speakers, and a range of new audio products including soundbars and receivers set to arrive in April-June.
Sony Australia has also indicated that the new Xperia XA2 shown off at CES 2018 will come to Australia, with pricing and availability for that handset still to be determined.
Alex Kidman travelled to CES 2018 as a guest of Samsung.
