CX vs. A80J: Which is the Better OLED Gaming TV?

In 2021, Sony released the A80J. So, how does this new OLED compare to the older LG CX when it comes to playing videogames on the PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X and other systems?

You can find out in this comparison between the two OLEDs.

Quick Summary

When compared to the Sony A80J, the LG CX has slightly lower input lag.

The CX also comes with more HDMI 2.1 ports and is the only one out of these two TVs to support FreeSync, GSYNC and Variable Refresh Rate right out of the box.

The A80J should be getting support for Variable Refresh Rate in the future, however.

In terms of HDR brightness, these two OLEDs are pretty similar in performance.

If you are interested, you can purchase either of the aforementioned televisions on Amazon with the following links:

• LG CX Alexa Built-In 4K Ultra HD Smart OLED TV
• Sony A80J BRAVIA XR OLED 4K Ultra HD Smart Google TV

You can also see how the CX compares to the Q80T with this guide.

CX vs. A80J Comparison Chart

You can take a look at Seeking Tech’s comparison table between the CX and A80J below.

Screen Sizes

LG’s CX comes is available in four different screen sizes while the A80J offers three size options.

You can check out the sizes, along with the attached model numbers, below:

CX:

• 48″ (OLED48CXPUB)
• 55″(OLED55CXPUA)
• 65″(OLED65CXPUA)
• 75″ (OLED75CXPUA)

A80J:

• 55″ (XR-55A80J)
• 65″ (XR-65A80J)
• 77″ (XR-77A80J)

HDMI Ports

For HDMI inputs, the CX features four HDMI 2.1 ports while the A80J features two HDMI 2.0 ports and two HDMI 2.1 ports.

You can find a breakdown of the HDMI port versions for both of these 4K televisions below:

CX:

• HDMI Port #1: HDMI 2.1
• HDMI Port #2: HDMI 2.1
• HDMI Port #3: HDMI 2.1
• HDMI Port #4: HDMI 2.1

A80J:

• HDMI Port #1: HDMI 2.0
• HDMI Port #2: HDMI 2.0
• HDMI Port #3: HDMI 2.1
• HDMI Port #4: HDMI 2.1

Legacy Consoles Support

If you want to connect retro consoles that don’t use the HDMI input, then you should be able to use the antenna/cable tuner of both the CX and A80J for systems such as the NES, Super NES, Sega Master System and Sega Genesis.

While both TVs also support composite input, the CX is the only one of the two products to come with the required adapter. For the A80J, you will need to get your own composite adapter in order to connect systems like the PS1, PS2, Nintendo 64, Nintendo GameCube, Saturn, Dreamcast and Xbox.

HDR Features

The CX and A80J are capable of outputting the Dolby Vision format (supported by the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X) as well as the HDR10 format (supported by the PS4, PS4 Pro, PS5, Xbox One S, Xbox One X, Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X).

You can check out the full list of supported HDR features for these OLED TVs below:

• Dolby Vision
• HDR10
• HLG
• Wide Color Gamut

Game Mode HDR Brightness

The LG CX and Sony A80J are pretty even at HDR brightness when you are using the game mode settings for both of these television sets.

According to tests done by RTINGS.com, the A80J can get 4 nits brighter than the CX when you are playing a videogame.

Depending on the type of scene used for testing, the CX has advantages in some scenarios while the A80J performs better in others.

You can check out the RTINGS’ HDR brightness test results for the CX and A80J below:

HDR Real Scene Highlight

• CX: 563 nits
• A80J: 567 nits

HDR Peak 2% Window

• CX: 749 nits
• A80J: 875 nits

HDR Peak 10% Window

• CX: 804 nits
• A80J: 725 nits

HDR Peak 25% Window

• CX: 457 nits
• A80J: 488 nits

HDR Peak 50% Window

• CX: 320 nits
• A80J: 294 nits

HDR Peak 100% Window

• CX: 152 nits
• A80J: 155 nits

HDR Sustained 2% Window

• CX: 633 nits
• A80J: 753 nits

HDR Sustained 10% Window

• CX: 768 nits
• A80J: 669 nits

HDR Sustained 25% Window

• CX: 433 nits
• A80J: 475 nits

HDR Sustained 50% Window

• CX: 302 nits
• A80J: 293 nits

HDR Sustained 100% Window

• CX: 147 nits
• A80J: 152 nits

HDR ABL

• CX: 0.096
• A80J: 0.096

Native Refresh Rate

The CX and A80J are both 120 Hz television sets.

This means that you can play games at 120 frames per second in 1080p and 4K if you have a PlayStation 5 system.

If you have an Xbox Series X, then you should be able to play games at 120 fps in 1080p, 1440p and 4K with the CX. For the A80J, you can play games at 120 fps in 1080p and 4K.

For the Xbox Series S, you can play games at 120 frames per second in 1080p and 1440p with the CX as well as 120 frames per second in 1080p on the A80J. In order to play games at 120 fps in 4K for both of these OLEDs, you need to get your own HDMI 2.1 cable as the Series S only comes with a HDMI 2.0 cable.

Adaptive Sync Support

The CX is the only OLED in this comparison to work with FreeSync (supported by AMD PC graphics cards), GSYNC (supported by NVIVDA PC graphics cards) in addition to Variable Refresh Rate (supported by Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X and, if the future, PlayStation 5).

While the A80J currently does not support any of the aforementioned adaptive sync features, Sony is expected to add Variable Refresh Rate via a future firmware update for the TV.

Input Lag

According to tests done by RTINGS.com, the CX has slightly lower input lag than the A80J when you compare the same resolution and refresh rate combinations.

With that said, both of these OLEDs should be very responsive when it comes to playing games on PC and consoles.

You can take a look RTINGS’ input lag test results for the CX and A80J below:

1080p resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate (Game Mode Enabled)

• CX: 13.6 ms
• A80J: 16.9 ms

1080p resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate (Game Mode Enabled)

• CX: 6.9 ms
• A80J: 8.9 ms

1080p resolution with Variable Refresh Rate

• CX: 5.9 ms
• A80J: N/A

1440p resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate (Game Mode Enabled)

• CX: 13.8 ms
• A80J: 17.5 ms

1440p resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate (Game Mode Enabled)

• CX: 6.9 ms
• A80J: N/A

1440p resolution with Variable Refresh Rate

• CX: 6.2 ms
• A80J: N/A

4K resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate (Game Mode Enabled)

• CX: 13.6 ms
• A80J: 16.7 ms

4K resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate + 10-bit HDR (Game Mode Enabled)

• CX: 13.5 ms
• A80J: 16.9 ms

4K resolution and 60 Hz at 4:4:4

• CX: 13.6 ms
• A80J: 16.8 ms

4K resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate (Game Mode Enabled)

• CX: 6.7 ms
• A80J: 8.7 ms

4K resolution with Variable Refresh Rate

• CX: 11.1 ms
• A80J: N/A

1080p resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate (Game Mode Disabled)

• CX: 97.0 ms
• A80J: 143.9 ms

4K resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate (Game Mode Disabled)

• CX: 97.0 ms
• A80J: 152.1 ms

4K resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate with Interpolation

• CX: 92.9 ms
• A80J: 143.9 ms