In the event you’re wanting for a premium 2025 TV, the most recent spherical of the greatest OLEDs has you spoiled for alternative. With LG and Panasonic utilizing LG’s new breakthrough four-stack panel, and Samsung and Sony sharing Samsung’s most superior QD-OLED panel but, there are 4 tantalizing top-tier OLED TVs hitting shops this yr, each providing a notable brightness increase to associate with OLED’s many different abilities.
What Sony has completed with Samsung’s new show is, in a phrase, stunning. The awkwardly named Bravia 8 II, which replaces 2023’s attractive A95L (9/10, WIRED Recommends), is brilliantly balanced with punchy brightness, expressive and pure colours, and Sony’s candy picture processing for an image so clear that some pictures appear virtually three-dimensional.
For all its abilities, the Bravia 8 II has some downsides in comparison with the outstanding LG G5 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) it changed on my console, together with decrease peak brightness and a backdrop that’s extra deep charcoal than pitch black, resulting in much less impactful distinction and perceived picture depth. For gaming, Sony continues to scrimp on connectivity with simply two HDMI 2.1 ports.
Persnickety as these complaints sound, they’re elevated by pricing: the 65-inch Bravia 8 II mannequin I reviewed lists as excessive as $700 greater than the G5 stateside at launch (although reductions exist already). Make no mistake: That is nonetheless a superb TV for the precise purchaser, providing sights (and sounds) worthy of a front-row spot on 2025’s beautiful mantle of premium screens. As regular, if you’d like the very best processing that cash should purchase, this Sony is a transparent winner.
On the Wall
{Photograph}: Ryan Waniata
In contrast to most TVs in its class, Sony’s high OLED once more opts for legs on the panel’s far sides as a substitute of a pedestal stand. This may be useful for soundbar placement the place large pedestals trigger hassle, however until your console is 60 inches large, you’ll have to wall-mount the TV as I did. The 8 II’s mount screws are positioned reasonably low, that means the TV sat increased than I needed, which is one thing to notice in case your mount is already in place.
The TV is subtly trendy, with acquainted plastic checkers on the again panel, and paper-thin bezels out entrance. There’s some recency bias right here, however I couldn’t assist noticing how a lot milkier the panel appears to be like in comparison with the LG G5’s black void, which I saved noticing all through my analysis. On the brilliant (or reasonably darkish) aspect, the TV’s reflection dealing with is among the many greatest I’ve seen, diffusing practically every part however direct lighting, with out the total matte look of Samsung’s newest fashions.
Software program setup is a relative cinch with Google TV’s plug-and-go structure, letting you modify most parameters together with your cellphone and G Suite credentials. I’m a fan of Google TV’s total journey, particularly the power to make use of Google Images as display screen savers, about the one time I take to reminisce on previous adventures. Sony’s implementation has improved with every iteration, and other than Google’s overly zealous advertisements, I had just about no complaints over weeks of clean streaming and navigation.
That features zoomy channel browsing by 50-odd channels by way of my HD antenna with the Bravia 8 II’s compact distant. The distant is easy however intuitive, particularly in comparison with the oddly oriented G5 distant, although it might be good if it had been backlit, contemplating that the 8 II—like all OLEDs—does its greatest work in decrease lighting.
