LG E7 vs. Sony A1: Which is the better OLED TV?

As consumption upgrades, consumers' demands for high-end TVs are becoming more diversified. OLED TVs are widely recognized by industry experts as the king of next-generation display technology due to their revolutionary inherent advantages such as self-luminescence, thin body and no tailing. They can bring users deeper depth of field effects, more vivid light and dark contrasts, and more realistic color reproduction. Apple's latest iPhone X also uses an OLED screen for the first time, pushing OLED technology to a new level.

Two best-selling OLED TVs

Only high-quality OLED TVs can bring users an excellent experience. However, there are many differences in core technology, product design, configuration, etc. among major TV manufacturers. Even if they all use LG's OLED panels, the viewing effects presented by OLED TVs are not the same. So, what kind of performance should a truly high-quality OLED TV have?

In the field of OLED, LG has an absolute say. As the founder of OLED technology, LG is currently the only manufacturer that can produce large-size OLED screens. It supplies OLED panels to more than 90% of mainstream TV manufacturers such as Sony, Skyworth, and Philips, bringing milestone changes to the TV industry. Sony has always been famous for its display effects, claiming to have many "black technologies" in the field of color TVs, and has its own unique insights into exploring OLED picture quality. However, since the cathode ray tube entered the era of LCD panels, Sony no longer has the core technology to produce panels. Instead, relying on its forward-looking outlook on display technology, it chose to cooperate with LG Display and use LG OLED panels. This also shows that from a hardware perspective, LG OLED TVs use their own display technology and are equipped with their own original screens, which has more advantages in product compatibility and technical processing.

So how do OLED TVs from LG and Sony perform? Who can represent the highest level of OLED TVs? In order to verify the comprehensive performance of OLED TVs from LG and Sony, we selected LG OLED E7 and Sony OLED A1 for a comprehensive comparison in terms of sound effects, picture quality, product design craftsmanship and other aspects.

Why compare LG E7 with Sony A1?

LG is the world's first manufacturer to mass-produce large-size OLED screens, and has made an indelible contribution to the development of the global OLED TV industry. At the same time, LG is also the first manufacturer in the world to launch curved OLED TVs, fully demonstrating its leadership in the OLED field. So far, it has launched a number of TVs equipped with OLED technology, and has been the leader in the peak showdown with many internationally renowned brands at large international exhibitions. The flagship product LG SINGNATURE W7 Sky Mirror™ Wallpaper TV launched at the 2017 CES exhibition won dozens of awards with a panel thickness of only 2.57mm. The E7 is the most classic product among many LG OLED TVs, and has been recognized and praised by consumers. Sony, as a competitor, is naturally not willing to lag behind. In early 2017, it also launched its first OLED TV, the Sony A1.

LG OLED TV lineup in 2017

As high-end OLED TVs, LG E7 and Sony A1 have too many similarities, so it is natural for consumers to compare them. First of all, the product positioning and market price are the same. Secondly, the panels of the products are all LG's OLED panels. Finally, we can see too much "black technology" on LG E7 and Sony A1. However, many consumers only compare based on these surface parameters, and professional home appliance platforms have very few contents on which of the two TVs is stronger or weaker. It is precisely because of these factors that we are sure that LG E7 and Sony A1 have the strength to represent the current OLED TVs, and decided to compare these two TVs from the perspectives of core technology, picture quality, sound effects, design craftsmanship, etc., to provide consumers with more professional purchasing guidance.

LG OLED E7

Sony OLED A1

Technology comparison: LG E7 supports Dolby Vision/Dolby Atmos, Sony A1 lacks the technology

Dolby Cinema created by Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos is the biggest technical selling point of LG E7. The former can bring richer colors and deeper and more natural details to the picture, and the latter can bring users a new listening experience. Currently, many high-end cinemas and even Hollywood use Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, allowing users to enjoy the realistic sound field effects and impact of cinemas while watching movies.

Dolby Vision

Dolby Atmos

Most high-end cinemas are covered by Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

In order to improve the overall display effect of the picture, major TV manufacturers have begun to promote HDR technology since 2016. Currently, the solutions that can realize HDR technology are roughly divided into three standards: Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG. They have different working principles and cannot support each other. TV manufacturers are more likely to use Dolby Vision and HDR10. As mainstream formats, the biggest difference between the two is that Dolby Vision adds "dynamic metadata" in addition to the core HDR image data, so as to read and present the brightness, contrast, color and other information in the data more accurately.

Color gamut, brightness information data

In the Dolby Vision format, "dynamic metadata" carries scene transition instructions, which can obtain scene transition information from the video source. TVs that support Dolby Vision can better grasp the performance of brightness, contrast and color. In contrast, HDR10 can only receive static metadata when playing content in this format, and it cannot let the device know how each specific shot or scene changes. Therefore, HDR10 cannot continuously optimize the "currently playing picture".

LG E7's own active HDR and "dynamic metadata" can be optimized scene by scene, and the TV can show extremely realistic light and shadow effects, various light and dark contrasts, light intensity gradients and even halo performances are vivid, so as to achieve a more natural viewing experience. At the same time, it also supports the billion-color function, which makes the color transition more natural, so the picture details are more delicate. It is precisely because of the more precise control of Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos on picture quality and sound effects that LG took the lead in reaching a strategic cooperation with Dolby at the 2017 CES. The entire line of OLED TVs supports these two technologies, and combined with its own excellent OLED panel technology, it creates an extraordinary picture quality enjoyment for users, and LG E7 is no exception.

LG OLED E7 has exquisite and natural picture quality

Sony has always been a TV manufacturer with strong image processing capabilities. In order to improve the overall performance of the picture, Sony A1 is equipped with the X1 advanced image processing chip to repair and optimize the image signal in terms of color, clarity and HDR. In particular, the LG OLED panel used can achieve independent switching of self-luminous pixels, and can turn off related pixels when presenting black, showing a purer black. After such adjustment, the brightness information is compressed year-on-year to ensure that no details are lost under the HDR standard.

Can identify lighting effects of clothing, distant trees and wooden fences and optimize the resynthesized signal individually

In principle, Dolby Vision is the most advanced HDR solution at this stage. However, during our test, we found that Sony A1 could not recognize and play HDR videos in Dolby Vision format whether it was connected to a USB device or an HDMI device. This head-to-head duel in terms of picture quality had to be shelved. In the field of HDR, Dolby Vision's standards are more advanced. The reason why Sony has been emphasizing chip technology is mainly because the core technology of the panel is no longer in its hands, and it can only use chip technology as a differentiation. In addition, Sony also recognizes its own shortcomings and promises to add support for Dolby Vision in subsequent system updates, but it still seems to be a blank check. We will also continue to pay attention, and once the time is right, we will bring this peak duel to our readers as soon as possible.

LG OLED E7 supports Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos modes

Sony A1 does not support Dolby Vision/Dolby Atmos (black screen)

OLED panel: LG adjusts the color accuracy to be realistic

As the basis for the picture quality comparison, the hardware quality of the two TV OLED panels is also the focus of this comparison and evaluation. Especially under the premise that the panels of these two products are OLED panels provided by LG Display, it is quite curious to see how the different tuning styles and color orientations of LG E7 and Sony A1 will affect the TV picture quality and what different performances they will have!

First of all, let's do some science: color gamut volume refers to the color gamut range that a TV can display, while color gamut coverage refers to the color gamut range that covers a certain color gamut standard. It can be seen that the two TVs show different color adjustment styles: Sony A1 has a higher color gamut volume on paper, but it chooses a more conservative adjustment style in color gamut coverage, pursuing a Japanese "natural" and "cold" style of color, while LG E7 is much brighter in color adjustment, and its color gamut coverage is also higher than A1. The picture quality pursues a realistic and gorgeous color style, which is consistent with the picture style shown in the objective comparison link.

Some people interpret the picture comparison between LG E7 and Sony A1 as the difference in color accuracy. But in fact, after testing, although both products perform very well in color accuracy, LG E7 has more accurate color rendering, with a grayscale gamma value between 2.2-2.4.

The hardware used in this comparative evaluation is the Spider 4 TV version colorimeter, and the test software is Display CAL 3.3.4 and Argyll CMS 1.9.2. Before the test, the screens of both TVs were adjusted to the default "standard" mode with the maximum brightness, and the TVs were turned on for more than half an hour to warm up. The test results show that the color gamut volume/color gamut coverage of LG E7 are 140.2%/99.4% of the sRGB color gamut, respectively. In comparison, the color gamut volume/color gamut coverage of Sony A1 are 152.3%/98.8% sRGB color gamut, respectively. In fact, the difference between these values ​​is not large, but the overly rich color gamut volume, without good color coverage, does not have much benefit for the color reproduction of the TV. The key lies in who has a more thorough understanding of color and can show the picture experience that consumers want.

LG E7's color gamut volume/color gamut coverage values

Sony A1's color gamut volume/color gamut coverage values

Dark details: hard power is clear at a glance

In addition to using test data to illustrate the problem, we also added some screenshots to test the imaging capabilities of LG E7 and Sony A1.

In this part, we focus on testing the product's ability to handle dark details and color reproduction. After all, unlike traditional LCD TVs, the biggest advantage of OLED TVs lies in light and dark contrast and color reproduction. The test method is the same as described above. Before the test, the screens of both TVs were adjusted to the default "standard" mode with maximum brightness, and they were turned on for more than half an hour to warm up.

LG E7 screen shot showing dark details

Sony A1 screen shot showing dark details

LG E7 performs better than Sony A1 in terms of light and dark details, showing more dark details

The first set of comparison pictures comes from the grayscale restoration test. Under the same test conditions, LG E7 performs better than Sony A1 in terms of light and dark details, especially the potholes on the earth's surface and the subtle changes at the intersection of black and white tones. LG E7 can capture all the details of the picture.

LG E7 screen shot showing dark details

Sony A1 screen shot showing dark details

LG E7 has a purer black / Sony A1 cannot display pure black

The second set of comparison pictures is from the light-dark contrast test. Under the same test conditions, LG E7 also processes images better than Sony A1. Focus on the marked area in the picture. When the background light needs to be completely darkened, the brightness of LG E7 in the area frame is completely "off", but the brightness of Sony A1 in the area frame is still very bright. In addition, the reflection of the moon presented by LG E7 is clearer, while the outer edge of the reflection of Sony A1 is very blurred. Again, because Sony no longer masters the core technology of the panel, the effect of image processing is far inferior to LG.

LG E7 screen shot showing dark details

Sony A1 screen shot showing dark details

The clouds presented by LG E7 are more layered and the colors are more realistic and natural. The details in the distance of Sony A1 are slightly blurred.

The last set of comparison pictures also comes from the light and dark contrast test. Under the same test environment, please pay attention to the red frame in the picture. The LG E7 has the most outstanding detail performance, and you can see the changes in the details of the layers of clouds. In the real-life shooting of distant buildings, we can also clearly see the distant buildings on the LG E7, but the image becomes slightly blurred on the Sony A1.

Through the above three sets of test shots, we found that in actual comparison, LG E7 has better control over dark details than Sony A1. Through communication with relevant technical personnel, we learned that the excellent dark details are inseparable from LG's adjustment and optimization of its TV products.

In the video source test, we selected several ultra-high-definition test videos. This part not only considers the picture quality, but also the smoothness of local video playback. In the actual test, the response speed of LG E7 is 21.1ms, and the response speed of Sony A1 is 30.7ms. The input speed of HDR video sources used by LG E7, the speed of games, and the speed of conversion of various pages are all better than Sony A1.

The following set of pictures are the same set of pictures we shot with HDR10 source, with LG E7 on the left and Sony A1 on the right. We can clearly feel that LG E7 has higher brightness and better color expression.

LG E7 has richer and more vivid colors / Sony A1 has a slightly duller color

LG E7 has a stronger three-dimensional effect and the dark details are clearly visible / Sony A1 has color distortion

LG E7 father's back details are more obvious / Sony A1 is blurry

LG E7 has vivid and accurate colors / Sony A1 has dull colors

LG E7 has more accurate control over the three primary colors / Sony A1 has a slight deviation in the three primary colors

In addition, in terms of screen brightness, LG E7 is better than Sony A1. The benefit of a brighter screen is that even in a strong light environment, it will not affect the viewing effect at all. For example, in the daytime under direct sunlight or at night under strong light, the screen display content is still clear, the color is still accurate, and the layering and color space of the picture are also larger.

Craftsmanship and design: LG E7 is high-end and stable

Faced with the obstruction of LCD TVs in the low-end market and the impact of smartphones in entertainment forms, how can OLED break through in the mid-to-high-end market? As the "only designated supplier" of OLED TVs on the market today, LG Display's choice is to "go beyond TV", aiming to break people's established perception of TV, expand new usage scenarios for OLED TVs, and use the ultra-thin characteristics of OLED panels to make OLED TVs more naturally integrated into daily home environments.

The guidance from upstream has brought greater challenges to the appearance design of TV manufacturers. In the new OLED TVs launched this year, it can be clearly felt that each manufacturer has been striving for perfection in appearance design. So what are the characteristics of LG E7 and Sony A1 in terms of process design?

Unlike previous years when TVs focused on the luxury and shape of their exterior design, in 2017, major TV manufacturers have chosen narrow bezels with simple body shapes, so that the appearance of the TV fades out of the user's field of vision and the visual center returns to the picture itself. Behind this change in aesthetic style is the rise of OLED TVs. As mentioned above, one of the major advantages of OLED TVs is that they can make the product look more fashionable and thin in terms of craftsmanship. In 2017, which can be called the first year of borderless TVs, it is not an exaggeration to call the appearance of LG E7 a full screen. Its appearance symbolizes the ultimate of borderless design. At the CES exhibition at the beginning of this year, LG E7 won the "Innovation Design Award".

Actual photos of LG E7 in a home environment

Sony A1 occupies a large area and has high requirements on the width of the TV cabinet.

Sony A1 body thickness 9.8mm (test data for reference only)

LG E7 body thickness is 6.94mm. Note: This data includes the thickness of the glass back panel (test data is for reference only)

LG E7 glass back panel thickness 3.59mm

Although LG E7 and Sony A1 are both OLED TVs, the two companies have different understandings of how to use the thin and light characteristics of OLED, which can be clearly seen from the overall design of the product.

The screen design of LG E7 boldly highlights the thin and light characteristics of OLED panel, and the "crystal screen phantom" design is quite eye-catching. The tempered glass back panel attached to the back of the panel further strengthens the user's perception of OLED TV, giving the feeling of "hearing thunder in silence". Overall, LG E7 looks like a phantom floating in the air. This TV uses a bar-shaped sound base, which innovatively combines the speaker and the TV base into one, making the TV more elegant. One point that needs to be emphasized is that in the test of the body thickness, the body thickness of LG OLED TV E7 is 6.94mm, and the glass back panel thickness is 3.59mm, so the actual panel thickness of LG OLED TV E7 should be 3.35mm (the result is for reference only). According to the author's understanding, this data is definitely difficult to surpass in the current color TV industry.

LG E7 "Crystal Screen Phantom" glass back panel details close-up

Sony's exterior design is more radical, and the distinctive shape of the A1 can show the screen more purely. In order to match this avant-garde design style, the A1 has chosen a stable design as a balance in terms of craftsmanship, otherwise the whole machine will look too frivolous. After actual measurement, the body thickness of Sony A1 is 9.80mm (the result is for reference only), which is not only much thicker than the thickness of LG E7 6.94mm (the result is for reference only), but also much thicker than its previous "floating film" LCD TV.

Sony A1 panel details close-up

In terms of design style, LG E7 takes the needs of various family types into consideration from the perspective of consumers and makes it extremely thin, saving space to the greatest extent. The thickness of the machine is only 19cm (the result is for reference only). Although Sony's original "A"-shaped bracket design is also eye-catching, the extremely heavy counterweight base and the tilted elevation screen make the thickness of the whole machine reach 35cm (the result is for reference only), which exceeds the width of many TV cabinets, which means that before buying A1, you may need to specially purchase a TV cabinet that is wide enough. Sony A1 is also criticized for its elevation design, which was once considered a design defect. The so-called elevation design means that there must be a certain viewing angle when watching so that there will be no reflection. And there are also high requirements for the placement of the product, because the TV needs to be placed very low to ensure that the viewer will not be affected by the elevation angle. If there is no TV cabinet that needs to be mounted on the wall or the TV cabinet at home is very high, the viewing experience of Sony A1 will be affected.

In Chinese families, the sofa and TV are basically horizontal. It is rare for the sofa to be much higher than the TV. This is why 99.99% of TVs on the market are vertical. The reason why Sony makes a big fuss about the design of its products is actually very simple. It is mainly because it no longer has the core technology of the panel. As a result, the design of Sony A1 gives people a feeling of failed plastic surgery.

LG E7 TV home placement width: 19cm

Sony A1 TV home placement width reaches 35cm

The comparison of wall-mounted effects can also get a similar answer. Unlike the E7, which can be wall-mounted by removing the base, the A1 is equipped with an integrated subwoofer on the back, and the wall-mounted thickness is about 150mm, so users lose the meaning of buying an ultra-thin TV. If users must choose wall-mounted, they must leave more space for it, otherwise it will cause obstacles when family members move in the living room or bedroom. In comparison, the thickness of the LG E7 when wall-mounted is about 89mm. Of course, not only the OLED camp, quantum dot TVs have also tried to break through the stereotyped impression of LCD TVs in various ways this year, but due to the inherent deficiencies in the panel structure, similar designs are only like simple and naive imitations.

The distance between Sony A1 and the wall is very wide after wall-mounting

LG E7 vertical design, and Sony A1 upward angle design

Under the tempered glass back panel of LG E7 is the sound bar base. Considering the viewing habits of users, all the speakers are facing forward. Sony A1 emits sound through the screen, and there is a subwoofer behind the screen. Whether it is wall-mounted or placed on a desktop, the subwoofer is facing the wall, and the sound will be obstructed by the corresponding refraction.

LG E7 soundbar dock

Sony A1 rear-facing subwoofer

In addition, there is a small detail in the design. The socket of Sony A1 is at the bottom. Whether it is placed or wall-mounted, it is difficult for users to reach out and operate it, which is also a big disadvantage.

The Sony A1 port faces downwards, which is not convenient for operation.

The back of LG E7 shows the ports clearly and allows for easy operation.

In general, the wall-mounted LG E7 is slimmer, more stylish and space-saving, and pays more attention to the user's viewing experience, making it suitable for families of all sizes. In addition, when watching TV in a dark environment, the flashing of the breathing light in the middle of the Sony A1 screen will distract people's attention and greatly reduce the user's viewing experience. LG E7 takes this into full consideration and boldly moves the breathing light design to the side of the TV, thereby effectively eliminating all elements that can affect the screen presentation effect, and maximizing the user's viewing experience.

In a dark environment, the Sony A1 can clearly feel the flashing of the breathing light

LG E7 brings the best immersive viewing experience in dark environments

Sound test: LG E7 is more immersive

The sound quality of televisions has long been ignored in the LCD era, but as the competition for TV picture quality has become increasingly fierce today, it has also made technological breakthroughs. The new generation of audio solutions represented by Dolby Atmos technology can effectively cooperate with 4K HDR images to achieve a more realistic audio-visual experience.

Dolby Atmos uses a sound bar to achieve surround sound effects, and is the latest and most advanced audio technology. It breaks through the traditional concept of 5.1 and 7.1 channels, and can combine the content of the film to create a more realistic sound effect from far to near; it can also be combined with speakers on the ceiling to achieve a surround sound field effect, showing more sound details and enhancing the audience's viewing experience. Currently, LG's OLED TVs launched in 2017 all support Dolby Atmos technology, while Sony has chosen not to take any action on its TV products for the time being.

Dolby Atmos can adjust the direction of sound, greatly enhancing the immersive experience

Specifically speaking of the two TVs, LG E7 and Sony A1, LG E7 can perfectly support Dolby Atmos, and it can be done with just one TV. However, Sony A1 currently does not support Atmos. If users want to experience the full range of Dolby Next-Generation audio-visual experience, they can only do so by purchasing a Sony soundbar separately.

LG E7 uses Dolby Atmos audio technology and is equipped with professional Dolby Atmos speakers, breaking through the traditional concept of sound channels and presenting dynamic sound effects. It can also achieve intelligent sound effect adjustment, accurately test the audience's position according to the different layout of the home environment, adjust to the best sound effect, and bring users a luxurious sound experience. Currently, many high-end movies and Hollywood use Dolby Atmos audio technology, breaking through traditional sound, and can detect according to people's movement and direction when recording sound.

LG E7 cavity speaker design is more professional, with rich and full sound quality

LG E7 speaker details close-up

In addition to the technology, the two TVs also have obvious differences in audio configuration. LG E7 chose to configure a 60W, 4.2-channel front-facing speaker at the bottom to achieve Dolby Atmos, while Sony A1's so-called "screen sound field" technology also attracted much attention when it first came out. Sony A1 is achieved with the help of the simple characteristics of the OLED panel structure. The image and sound are output synchronously from the OLED panel. Sony only needs to add 4 small resonant patches at the back. The screen sound effect that users will see is actually the same as the resonant speaker that can also make sound when placed on the table. It is not that what you see is the sound made through the screen, but whether the continuous vibration of the speaker after turning on the machine will affect the service life of the screen is something we cannot be sure of for the time being, and it is also a question worth discussing and thinking about.

The resonance patch hidden behind the Sony A1

Sony A1 subwoofer to make up for the lack of bass

Well-known BOSS, Harman Kardon or many other top professional audio companies are all engaged in cavity audio. The most expensive resonant audio seen on the Internet is only 700-800 yuan. This is actually a very common technology. Resonant audio will be affected by the material. If the sound is emitted through the screen, the effect of true restoration will be lost, just like a conversation between two people with a glass in the middle. In addition, Sony A1 uses a resonant patch, which cannot show the bass effect. Even if a "wall-facing" subwoofer is added, the bass part is still slightly insufficient.

Sony OLED TV A1 has a continuously adjusted panel vibration model

Since it is difficult to quantify the sound effects subjectively, we selected several representative songs for the test, and invited several colleagues to do blind tests with ordinary consumers. The test songs are as follows: "Hotel California" by the Eagles, "The Touch" by Maria Arredondo, "Drum Poem" by Yan Xuemin, "Crossing" and "Forgotten Time" by Tsai Chin, "1812 Overture" by TELARC, and action clips from "Batman v Superman" and "Captain America 3". The selection basically covers all frequency bands from bass, midrange to treble, and the styles also involve pop, rock, symphony and movie clips, so you can feel the difference in sound effects between the two TVs in all aspects.

Compared with the two products, the sound experience of LG E7 is more fashionable and advanced, giving users a stronger sense of presence. For example, if a plane passes through the screen, even if you close your eyes, you can still know the trajectory of the plane's flight, as if it is passing overhead. Such sound effects plus the picture in front of you may be the ultimate audio-visual experience. The reason why Dolby Atmos is called Dolby Atmos is precisely because of such excellent sound field positioning. In addition, the screen sound of Sony A1 is novel, but the sound effect it presents is far less shocking than the sound produced by professional audio equipment such as LG E7. For consumers, novelty is only a temporary feeling, and high-quality and long-term user experience is the foundation.

LG E7 can combine video content to present dynamic sound effects

Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos are two very big differences between LG E7 and Sony A1. When choosing a high-end TV, in addition to OLED technology, you should look for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos technology. After all, these two technologies can determine whether your TV has this Dolby cinema-level effect.

Cable design: LG E7 is simple and clear

After introducing the comparison between the two products in terms of picture quality, sound effects, and appearance, let's take a look at their performance in terms of product details. In terms of cable arrangement, all cables of LG E7 are placed behind the TV, which is simple, clear and easy to see at a glance; Sony A1 adopts a cable storage and integration design, and all cables are led out from the bottom of the bracket. Both cable arrangement methods have their own advantages and disadvantages. LG E7 supports more compatible ports, while Sony A1 pays more attention to the neat appearance.

The connection port on the back of LG E7 is clear and easy to plug in and out

The connection port on the back of Sony A1 looks simple, but it is difficult to operate.

Sony A1 seems to be very novel and simple in design, but all the wiring ports are located in the middle of the TV back panel, which seriously affects the user experience. The most obvious problem is that it is inconvenient to plug and unplug the wires. Secondly, the two USB ports of Sony A1 are too compact, and it is almost impossible to plug in two wide-port USB flash drives at the same time. In comparison, LG E7 is more convenient for consumers to operate, whether it is the design of plug-in and unplug wires or various ports.

Sony A1 has two USB flash drive ports with design flaws, requiring more USB flash drive size

Operating system: LG E7 is smooth and user-friendly

Both LG E7 and Sony A1 have built-in Wasu resources, with a vast amount of rich content to meet daily needs. LG E7 is equipped with the latest webOS3.5 system. With the dynamic remote control and the simple and intuitive webOS 3.5 quick launch bar, you can smoothly navigate through the program content and easily obtain and enjoy your favorite entertainment content. In terms of page layout, LG E7 pursues a non-interference viewing experience for consumers. All shortcut bars are at the bottom, and the operation will not be affected.

LG E7 uses the latest webOS3.5 system, which is clear at a glance

Sony A1 is equipped with Android operating system, which has a simple interface layout. Although it cooperates with third-party suppliers such as Sohu TV, LeTV Sports, and QQ Music, giving users more TV entertainment options, the convenience of operation is not as user-friendly as LG E7. For example, when you need to exit the current viewing page, the user needs to exit to the start page and then re-enter. In addition, the Android system often freezes, and the product is not as smooth as LG E7.

Sony A1 uses the Android system, which is prone to freezing if operated frequently.

Sony A1 needs to exit to the start page and then re-enter

Compared with the traditional remote control of Sony A1, the LG E7's motion remote control is more fashionable and user-friendly. When searching for content, the LG E7's motion remote control can be used directly like a mouse, while the traditional remote control requires arrow keys to operate back and forth. The difference is very obvious. For example, it takes less than 10 seconds to search for "movies" with the motion remote control, but it takes more than 20 seconds to search for "movies" with Sony's arrow keys.

LG OLED E7 dynamic remote control, more fashionable and user-friendly

Sony OLED A1 remote control, more traditional

In recent years, the VR market has been booming. The 360-degree audio-visual effect makes people feel as if they are in the scene. Many people like to shoot 360 VR videos when traveling to record every detail of their journey. LG E7 supports 360 VR and real-time zooming. The panoramic photos taken can be played on the E7; real-time zooming can enlarge the picture to see more details, which is a very good experience for watching some sports programs.

Playing 360 VR panoramic video on LG E7, the effect is stunning

In recent years, TV display technology has been constantly innovating, with OLED, quantum dots, laser TVs, and even future electroluminescent "true quantum dots" and Micro-LED technologies competing to appear on the scene, constantly refreshing consumers' perception of TV. However, as time entered 2017, quantum dots were already showing signs of fatigue, and future technologies were far away. Sony, Panasonic, Philips and other manufacturers followed suit and joined the OLED TV camp, and have become the strongest competitors for high-end TVs. It can be said that OLED has become the de facto mainstream technology for high-end TVs in 2017. It is worth mentioning that at this year's IFA exhibition, brands such as Skyworth and Philips showed their style with LG's OLED panel technology.

According to our survey in the market some time ago, more and more consumers tend to choose OLED TVs when they replace their TVs. The reason is simple: they hope to replace LCD TVs with a new display technology to try out. Behind this happy result, LG's consistent and firm exploration of OLED over the years has contributed greatly.

After comparing and evaluating the two flagship OLED TVs, LG E7 and Sony A1, we have seen the advantages of LG OLED TV in depth of field effect, light and dark contrast, etc., combined with Dolby Vision and OLED panel adjustment, it can bring users a more realistic sense of presence. Of course, while paying attention to the picture quality experience, the improvement and enhancement of sound effects are also indispensable. The integration of many technologies ensures that the product remains powerful while becoming thinner and lighter. These have to be said to be a breakthrough.

Although it is a new entrant into the OLED camp, we must also see the good intentions of Sony OLED A1, as well as its powerful chip decoding capabilities and continuous efforts to explore OLED display effects, hoping to bring more possibilities to the development of the OLED TV industry.

For the majority of users, OLED TVs are developing at a strong momentum and have already entered consumers' homes in large numbers; for the OLED industry, the entire color TV market has been upgraded again, and the commercialization of OLED TVs has completely arrived.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.