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Fitbit Supported Devices

Sony Bravia 55XD8577/8599 LED HDR 4K Ultra HD Android TV, 55"

First impressions

The colour of the frame depends on which design variants you buy. Our sample has a shiny black-coloured frame. If you look at the TV from the side you will notice that there is silver-colour line embedded into the frame. You can distinguish the mid-range TVs such as XD85 from the high-end models in the 9 series by the colour of this embedded line. The 9 series are gold/champagne.

And yes the TV is quite thin. The new stand has an integrated cable management system. It is a solution that simply requires you to make sure that all cables go down through the middle. There is a plastic cover to hide cables.

Most ports are facing to the side but a single HDMI port (HDMI 1), optical audio out, and several analog ports face out towards the wall. We had hoped that 4K TVs would finally kill the low-resolution analog ports but we guess there are still enough legacy devices out there to support them. HDMI and optical audio on the other hand should under no circumstances face out towards the wall and we were frankly surprised to see this kind of carelessness from Sony.

User experience & features
Sony will continue to use Google’s Android TV operating system in its models. The company has confirmed that Android TV version 6.0 will be available in this model.

Operating system & smart TV
Sony claims that Android TV has been a success for them. It has helped them sell more TVs and more premium-priced TVs.

The last few updates have ironed out many bugs and Google has said that version 6.0 of Android TV focuses primarily on performance and bug fixes. That is great news.

Android TV is getting better, and in version 6.0 you will be able to better customise the user interface and select which apps are allowed to "recommend" content in the top recommendations bar. Hopefully that will make it feel less like an advertising ploy.

Netflix’s Android TV app has been updated to support HDR (high dynamic range), meaning that you can stream in 4K+HDR.
Google Cast is integrated, too, allowing you to use the TV as you would use Chromecast. Open any app on your smartphone or tablet with Google Cast support and press the cast logo to push the content wirelessly to the TV. The TV takes over the stream to the server so you can use your mobile device for other tasks.

You can even cast to the TV while it is off, and it will automatically power on, open the relevant app and start playing the video. This is very cool. However, be aware that to use this functionality you need to enable "Remote start" from the settings menu and that it will increase standby consumption to a staggering 20W.

Picture quality
Given that Sony has switched to IPS type LCD panels for this year’s 8 series we expected some significant changes. However, it is important to remember that part of what have made Sony’s TVs popular over the years is the company’s excellent picture processing systems. Those are intact in XD85. Before we get to that we just wanted to say XD85 has a semi-glossy panel that suffers a medium level of reflection in a brightly lit room. We have seen much worse.

Unlike last year’s X85C that used a VA type LCD panel, this year’s XD85 uses an IPS type LCD panel. Maybe you already know the general characteristics of each type but if not, the best way to think about it is probably that VA has relatively good contrast and black levels but narrow viewing angles - vice versa for IPS.

In a dimly lit room on the other hand it is clear that the IPS panel has quite good contrast. The picture simply lacks some depth and intensity overall.

As always, Sony has a great video processing. The TV handles SD and HD scaling well, de-interlacing looks good, and in general we noticed almost no issues in image processing. This also means that video in HD and even SD looks perfectly enjoyable on the 55-inch TV. Of course not as good as native 4K content. Upscaling video from HD to 4K does not improve the HD picture in any significant way, despite manufacturers’ claims. You need native 4K content to fully enjoy the TV’s high resolution.

Conclusion
On paper Sony XD85 is the successor to last year’s top-seller X85C but in reality it is a much different TV.

If you mostly watch TV during daytime or in a brightly lit room you will likely not be bothered much by the weak black levels, but if you mostly watch TV in the evening hours of the day you will surely notice that the picture lacks contrast and depth. On the other hand, the wide viewing angles are optimal for living rooms with multiple seating positions.

However, as a full package we think that picture quality is a clear downgrade compared to the predecessor. That is true even when you consider other factors such the expanded colour gamut and support for HDR, which is a claim at best. XD85 is not a bad TV and its motion reproduction and relatively low input lag should be praised but the TV market is a competitive arena.

Android TV on the other hand has gotten better. Not because of faster hardware, because Sony has chosen to use the exact same chip, but because of software optimisations by Google. Built-in Chromecast is great and you can even use it when the TV is off. However, Android TV still has some ground to cover.

We had hoped that Sony would improve the 8 series through iteration. It could have become something great.

HUAWEI P30 LITE 128GB

The P30 Lite has a fantastic design. Its iridescent back panel is irresistible in a great way, thanks to a wave pattern that grabs, bends and plays with light beautifully.
The 128GB storage capacity is also a boon for the phone, as too is its triple-lens camera, which features a wide, ultra-wide and depth sensor combo.
Its 4GB of RAM may put it on par with flagships like the Google Pixel 3, but mid-rangers like the Realme 3 Pro are clocking in at up to 6GB. As for its 3,340mAh battery, it’s respectably sized, but definitely isn’t the biggest on the block.

Key features
1. Big, sharp screen
2. Sleek build and 128GB of storage
3. Triple-lens camera

At 6.15 inches, the Huawei P30 Lite's screen is roughly the same size as that of the vanilla P30, and it sports roughly the same Full HD+ resolution too. What it doesn’t pack is AMOLED screen tech though, with an LTPS LCD panel taking centre stage.
The 4GB of RAM under the hood doesn’t set off any alarm bells, though the Kirin 710 chipset has shipped in significantly cheaper smartphones, including the Honor 10 Lite and the Huawei P Smart (2019).

Running Android 9, the operating system is as up to date as we could hope for, with Huawei’s skin, EMUI 9, over the top. This means interaction is all about gestures, similar to those introduced on the iPhone X, and there are customisations aplenty if you fancy a deep dive into the settings.
The P30 Lite is seriously slender at 7.4mm thick. It also fits great in the hand with its curved glass back, and the Full HD+ screen has an aspect ratio of 19.5:9, so it’s longer than your average phone.
Just like the Redmi Note 7, it features a 48MP primary camera too, with its triple camera setup sporting a depth sensor and an ultra-wide angle lens alongside that main one.
The battery is a competent with 3,340mAh.

Design
1. Slim and elegant
2. Plastic frame
3. Rear fingerprint scanner

With its 6.15-inch screen, the phone is going to be much better suited to small hands than the likes of the OnePlus 7 and Huawei P30 Pro, but it still delivers a rich, flagship-esque in-hand feel.
The P30 Lite’s frame may be plastic, but it looks and feels solid, emulating the metal of the rest of the P30 family nicely. The front is flat glass with minimal bezels on the fascia, and the back has a slight, elegant curve to it.

The back also houses the phone’s fingerprint scanner and triple camera module. At the base is the USB-C port, while all the buttons are located on the phone’s right-hand side. Audiophiles – rejoice – there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack onboard, however next to it is a very-easy-to-cover-up mono speaker.

At 7.4mm thick and weighing just 159g, the Huawei P30 Lite is indeed light, not to mention slender and comfortable to hold. Its dual-SIM tray slot is on the top, and the phone can take two nano SIM cards, or one SIM card and a microSD card.

The P30 Lite is also available in three colours: Peacock Blue, Midnight Black and Pearl White - all with the same glass finish. We reviewed the blue one and boy is it deserving of its namesake – it peacocks full-on plumage-like iridescence from every angle. If subtlety is more your thing though, black is always a safe bet.
As for the fingerprint scanner, it’s in a natural position for an index finger to fumble over. Meanwhile, the right-hand buttons are easy to press, and ultimately, from a design point of view, everything works well.

The Screen
1. 19.5:9 LCD screen with notch
2. 6.15 inches with 84.2% screen-to-body ratio
3. Full HD+ resolution, 415 PPI

The Huawei P30 Lite’s Full HD+ display measures 6.15 inches, which is an excellent size - balancing immersion and manageability like a champ. It’s a long screen thanks to its 19.5:9 aspect ratio, and it’s light on bezels too, with a water droplet notch at the top, housing the selfie camera, as found on the Honor 10 Lite.
With a resolution of 1080 x 2312, its screen is exactly what we’d expect at the price, retaining the Full HD+ resolution found in the flagship P30 Pro, but swapping out its AMOLED screen tech for something a bit less pricey - LCD.

LCD screens generally showcase less depth, punch and pop than AMOLEDs, but also deliver ever so slightly better clarity.
Thankfully, the P30 Lite’s display is a good one. Viewing angles are strong, as too are brightness levels, and with a pixel density of 415 pixels per inch – bettering the pricier iPhone XR, it’s sharp too.
When it comes to colour accuracy and white balance, the default display calibration has a marked blue tinge to it. There are display calibration settings, not to mention a blue light filter, so between the two you can temper its hues to suit your tastes.
The notch can also be hidden if you’re not a fan, and ultimately, while it definitely isn’t best-in-class, the P30 Lite’s screen looks great.