Sony KDL-55EX723 review

App-packed 55-inch Edge LED is hugely impressive with 2D

Sony KDL-55EX723

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Sony kdl-55ex723

At 55-inches we're firmly in plasma territory, but can this Sony knock the original gas tech from its perch?

That could be tricky; this 55-inch LCD TV is a step-up choice in terms of size, but only five inches bigger than a host of 50-inch plasmas from the likes of Panasonic, Samsung and LG, many of which sell for as little as £800. Crucially, all of them offer better 3D experiences, and for as little as half the outlay.

We liked

Access to BBC iPlayer is just the start; the KDL-55EX723 adds some excellent apps and functionality to Bravia Internet Video, but the way it upscales to fit this 55-inch panel is extraordinary.

Add a 2D performance that is as close to perfect as on any TV this size and the KDL-55EX723 could be the answer for those after a cinematic, versatile TV to wow in the living room.

We disliked

No 3D specs? No Wi-Fi? The KDL-55EX723's stature isn't matched by the contents of its box, though arguably this is a 3DTV only in name – it's 3D pictures are either so underwhelming, or so uncomfortable, that we'd recommend you head elsewhere for any kind of 3D action.

Final verdict

Expensive, but worth it for 2D performance, the KDL-55EX723 is nevertheless not the all-rounder we'd hoped for. An engaging online dimension, some awesome 2D Blu-ray and notable upscaling aside, the picture performance is blighted by some troubling 3D images.

Elsewhere it falls short of its modular design by making it tricky to accessorise, but the main problem is a lack of 3D glasses, which for this kind of money is hard to understand.

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Jamie Carter

Jamie is a freelance tech, travel and space journalist based in the UK. He’s been writing regularly for Techradar since it was launched in 2008 and also writes regularly for Forbes, The Telegraph, the South China Morning Post, Sky & Telescope and the Sky At Night magazine as well as other Future titles T3, Digital Camera World, All About Space and Space.com. He also edits two of his own websites, TravGear.com and WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com that reflect his obsession with travel gear and solar eclipse travel. He is the author of A Stargazing Program For Beginners (Springer, 2015),