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I spent a week with Sony’s $3,500 Bravia TV – the True RGB display is the real deal

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Sony Bravia 9 II TV

4 / 5

Very good

pros and cons

Pros

  • Excellent color accuracy
  • Brighter picture than previous Bravia models
  • Fantastic built-in audio
Cons

  • Pricier than most premium TVs
  • Not as many gaming features as competitors

 on Google.

Sony is known for its high-quality TVs, and it should come as no surprise that the latest refresh to the Bravia lineup continues that tradition. In the wake of entering a tentative partnership with TCL to co-own the Bravia brand, Sony has put a pause on refining its more established OLED and Mini LED TVs in favor of adopting new Micro RGB display tech and AI integration – the former of which is a much more welcome development, from our tests.

Also: Sony Bravia 9 II vs. Bravia 9

The new Bravia 9 II A Sony Bravia 9 II showing a birds-eye view of a canal bridge at night

Taylor Clemons/ZDNET

There’s even a fully customizable equalizer for audiophiles (and control freaks) to get the most out of the Bravia 9 II’s built-in speakers. The speakers themselves sound very nice, even at very high volume, delivering clean dialogue and fairly balanced music. 

They also work with Sony’s Acoustic Surface Audio+ technology, which uses tiny actuators behind the display to turn the entire screen into a speaker. This means you’ll get object-tracking sound for a more immersive streaming and gaming experience.

Technicolor truly shines

I put the Bravia 9 II A Sony Bravia 9 II showing an English Equestrian rider on a black horse, jumping over a gate decorated with multicolored flowers

Taylor Clemons/ZDNET

The Bravia 9 II also handled the stunning vistas and moody night scenes of Ghost of Tsushima with ease. From the bright, bold yellows and reds of birch and Japanese maple forests to green-grey grasslands and snowy mountains, every frame proved why Micro RGB could overtake OLED in the future.

ZDNET’s buying advice

The Sony Bravia 9 II starts at $3,500 for the 65-inch model, compared to $1,800 for the 65-inch Bravia 8 II OLED TVs. The price only ratchets up from there, with the 85-inch version selling for $6,500. And if you’ve got your eye on the 115-inch model that’s slated for release later this year, be prepared to take out a small loan of $31,000. 

Personally, I would give Sony a bit more time to work out the kinks in firmware updates and to become more experienced as a manufacturer before jumping on the bandwagon. But if you’ve got the cash to burn, you can get in on the ground floor for some truly impressive TV tech.

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