Sony Unveils New Bravia TVs —Including A Premium QD OLED Range
The latest step of what Sony describes as a three year plan with its TV and home audio division has been announced today in the shape of three new additions to its Bravia TV range.
The Bravia 8 II, Bravia 5 and Bravia 3 models (the Bravia 3s were actually announced previously for the U.S., but are now confirmed for release in other territories too) include a mixture of OLED and LCD models – and I can now confirm that the Bravia 8 II OLED models follow on from Sony's current A95L flagship OLEDs in using Quantum Dot OLED technology, rather than reverting to some version of the traditional WRGB OLED approach as some sources have been suggesting.
Sony is adding three new TV series to its Bravia TV range.
The new TV line up does not include the new independent drive RGB LED technology Sony revealed in Tokyo recently (and which I describe in this earlier article). That's hardly surprising, though, given that Sony stated when introducing its new technology for the first time that we shouldn't expect to see it turning up in consumer TVs until at least 2026.
I've been lucky enough to spend time with Sony's new Bravia TVs on two separate occasions now, so as well as providing details of each range below I'll also share my early thoughts on how they're shaping up so far.
The Sony Bravia 8 II QD OLEDs replace the lauded 55 and 65-inch A95L models.
Bravia 8 II Range
The basics
Initial thoughts
The confusingly named Bravia 8 IIs are definitely the highlights of Sony's new Bravia TV additions for serious AV fans, designed as they are to (mostly!) replace the brand's current long-running and massively acclaimed A95L OLED flagship models.
As the Bravia 8 II name suggests, though, fitting Sony's new premium OLED TVs, which use high-end Quantum Dot OLED panels, into its new Bravia TV range naming structure appears to have been something of a struggle. Sony apparently didn't want to position its new premium OLED range above the Bravia 9 Mini LED series that will therefore still sit as Sony's flagship TVs, but the Bravia 8 name is already occupied by an existing WRGB OLED Sony TV range. So adding a mark II was, I guess, the only route open to Sony – though to make things even more confusing, that original Bravia 8 WRGB OLED range is set to continue in Sony's range as a more affordable OLED option for the forseeable future.
The Bravia 8 II at a recent Sony demo event.
One other complication is that since for some reason (possibly panel supply issues) Sony has only opted to launch the Bravia 8 II TVs in 55 and 65-inch sizes, the 77-inch A95L is actually going to continue in the range as Sony's premium 77-inch OLED option.
My experiences of watching the Bravia 8 II TVs so far, including in side by side demonstrations with the A95L, a Samsung S95D, an LG G4 TVs and Sony's BVM-HX3110 professional mastering monitor, have been overwhelmingly positive. For starters, while Sony confirms that the Bravia 8 II's not surprisingly can't reach the 4000 nits of brightness established by the BVM-HX3110, they clearly looked clearly brighter, especially in highlights, than the other three OLED TVs in the head to head demo. Despite all of those other three TVs also boasting relatively high brightness by OLED standards.
The Bravia 8 II also exhibited much less clipping (loss of detail) in the brightest HDR areas than the other TVs, underlining just how much more native brightness the sets have at their disposal.
The Bravia 8 II out-performed its rivals with its color performance, too, getting much more consistently close to the accurate appearance of the mastering monitor across a range of different content. This was especially true when it came to skin tones, with the LG, for instance, leaving people looking a big jaundiced by comparison, while the original Bravia 8 gave people a slightly exaggerated pink tinge.
The Bravia 8 IIs also maintained richer, more natural yellow and red tones in an HDR shot of molten metal than the Samsung and LG sets - possibly, in the LG G4's case, because of the white element deployed in WRGB technology to boost brightness.
With the Bravia 8 II also delivering Sony's customary authority when it comes to motion handling and intense but always natural looking sharpness and detail, the only small issue I saw in Sony's demo conditions was a slight raising of the screen's black levels in the presence of high levels of ambient light - a known side effect of QD OLED technology. That said, the Bravia 8 II suffered much less from this problem than the A95L, to the extent that I suspect it won't actually be an issue in the vast majority regular living room light conditions.
While it's a pity there isn't a 77-inch Bravia 8 II,Sony's second-generation QD OLED TVs really do look like they have the potential to be very special indeed.
The new Sony Bravia 5 Mini LED TV.
Bravia 5 range
The Basics
Aside from making us wonder where the Bravia 6es are, the ranging of the Bravia 5s is more straightforward than that of the Bravia 8 IIs. The Bravia 5s are, after all, basically Sony's new mid-range LCD TV offering. As you can see from the long list of features they support, though, I'd argue that they sit more in the upper mid-range segment of the TV world in general than their Bravia 5 designation may imply, despite the ongoing presence of the Bravia 7 Mini LED TVs in Sony's current TV range.
Taking at face value Sony's claim that the Bravia 5s will get six times as many separately controlled lighting zones as the X90Ls get, then the 65-inch Bravia 5 can be expected to deliver, for instance, more than 500 dimming zones.
While the Bravia 5s will not be as bright or feature as many dimming zones as the Bravia 7s, demos of the Bravia 5s against the X90L models they replace were hugely persuasive. Particularly striking was how much the new screen's substantial increase in brightness helps it to deliver more color volume than the X90Ls, especially when it comes to shades of red. This extra vibrancy joins with a clear improvement in the subtlety with which the Bravia 5s deliver small color tone shifts and blends to instantly makes pictures look more engaging, three dimensional and enjoyable.
The Bravia 5 at a recent Sony demonstration event.
Skin tones look more natural on the Bravia 5s than they do on the X90Ls too, and its richer colors are reinforced by a clear leap in contrast, as the Bravia 5's backlight controls manage to retain good black colors despite the screens' increased brightness.
Backlight blooming is massively more controlled on the Bravia 5 than it is with the X90Ls, too, while a side by side comparison with a roughly equivalent Samsung QN85D reveals the Bravia 5 to be better at reproducing the most subtle shadow details in dark pictures (though the Samsung model achieved slightly deeper black colors).
The final appeal of the Bravia 5s will depend to some extent on their pricing, of course, given their mid-range placement. But there's no doubt that they deliver a really significant performance step-up over their popular predecessors.
The new (in some territories) Bravia 3 TVs.
Bravia 3 range
The Basics
The Bravia 3s have actually been released in the U.S. already, so I won't dwell too much on them here beyond the list of key features listed above. I will say, though, that demonstrations against the X75WL series they replace proved them capable of delivering surprisingly vibrant and natural colors for their likely very affordable price levels, as well as impressively consistent levels of 4K sharpness.
The Sony Bravia 3 at a recent demonstration event.
Note, though, that the performance of Bravia 3 TVs may vary considerably depending on which screen size you're looking at, since some sizes uses wide viewing angle but low contrast IPS panels, rather than more contrast-rich VA panels. In the U.S., the 43, 55 and 75-inch models appear to be using IPS panels, while the 50, 65 and 85-inch models use VA panels.
All of the new Sony TVs detailed in this article are available for pre-order as of today (April 2 2025), with actual shipping availability currently stated rather vaguely as Spring 2025. I'll update this story with pricing information as soon as it is available.
—
Related reading
Sony Unveils Eye-Popping Next-Gen TV Technology – And Again, It Isn't OLED
Sony Unveils Two New High Performance Gaming Monitors – Including A Flagship OLED With 480Hz Support
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Sony Semiconductor Solutions to Release Stacked SPAD Depth Sensor for Automotive LiDAR Applications, Delivering High-Resolution, High-Speed Performance
High-resolution, high-speed distance measuring performance contributes to safer, more reliable future mobility ATSUGI, Japan, June 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation (SSS) today announced the upcoming release of the IMX479 stacked, direct Time of Flight (dToF) SPAD depth sensor for automotive LiDAR systems, delivering both high-resolution and high-speed performance. The new sensor product employs a dToF pixel unit composed of 3×3 (horizontal × vertical) SPAD pixels as a minimum element to enhance measurement accuracy using a line scan methodology. In addition, SSSs proprietary device structure enables a frame rate of up to 20 fps*1, which is the fastest for such a high-resolution SPAD depth sensor having 520 dToF pixels.*2 The new product enables the high-resolution and high-speed distance measuring performance demanded for an automotive LiDAR required in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and automated driving (AD), contributing to safer and more reliable future mobility. Model name Sample shipment date (planned) Sample price (including tax)*3 IMX479 1-type (15.8 mm diagonal) 520-dToF-pixel SPAD depth sensor Autumn 2025 ¥35,000 LiDAR technology is crucial for the high-precision detection and recognition of road conditions and the position and shape of the objects, such as vehicles, pedestrians. There is a growing demand for further technical advancements and developments progress in LiDAR toward Level 3 automated driving, which allows for autonomous control. SPAD depth sensors use the dToF measurement method, one of the LiDAR ranging methods, that measures the distance to an object by detecting the time of flight (time difference) of light emitted from a source until it returns to the sensor after being reflected by the object. The new sensor harnesses SSS's proprietary technologies acquired in the development of CMOS image sensors, including the back-side illuminated, stacked structure and Cu-Cu (copper-copper) connections.*4 By integrating the newly developed distance measurement circuits and dToF pixels on a single chip, the new product has achieved a high-speed frame rate of up to 20 fps while delivering a high resolution of 520 dToF pixels with a small pixel size of 10 μm square. Main Features Up to 20 fps frame rate, the fastest for a 520 dToF pixel SPAD depth sensor*2This product consists of a pixel chip (top) with back-illuminated dToF pixels and a logic chip equipped with newly developed distance measurement circuits (bottom) using a Cu-Cu connection on a single chip. This design enables a small pixel size of 10 μm square, achieving high resolution of 520 dToF pixels. The new distance measurement circuits handle multiple processes in parallel for even better high-speed technologies achieve a frame rate of up to 20 fps, the fastest for a 520 dToF pixel SPAD depth sensor.*1 They also deliver capabilities equivalent to 0.05 degrees vertical angular resolution, improving the vertical detection accuracy by 2.7 times that of conventional products.*5 These elements allow detection of three-dimensional objects that are vital to automotive LiDAR, including objects as high as 25 cm(such as a tire or other objects in the road) at a distance of 250 m. Excellent distance resolution of 5 cm intervalsThe proprietary circuits SSS developed to enhance the distance resolution of this product individually processes each SPAD pixel data and calculates the distance. Doing so successfully improved the LiDAR distance resolution to 5 cm intervals. High, 37% photon detection efficiency enabling detection of objects up to a distance of 300 mThis product features an uneven texture on both the incident plane and the bottom of the pixels, along with an optimized on-chip lens shape. Incident light is diffracted to enhance the absorption rate to achieve a high, 37% photon detection efficiency for the 940 nm wavelength, which is commonly used on automotive LiDAR laser light sources. It allows the system to detect and recognize objects with high precision up to 300 m away even in bright light conditions where the background light is at 100,000 lux or higher. Key Specifications Model name IMX479 Effective SPAD pixels 105 × 1,568 pixels (H × V), approx. 164,000 pixels Vertical effective dToF pixel count 520 dToF pixels Image size Diagonal 15.8 mm (1-type) Recommended light source wavelength 940 nm SPAD unit cell size 10.08 μm × 10.08 μm (H × V) Element size (dToF pixel unit) Minimum 3 × 3 (H × V) Photon detection efficiency 37% (940 nm wavelength) Response speed Approx. 6 ns Power supply SPAD breakdown voltage −20.5V SPAD excess voltage 3.3V Analog 3.3V Digital 1.125V Interface 1.8V Interface MIPI CSI-2 serial output (4 lane) Chip size 12.2 mm × 20.0 mm (H × V) Max. detection distance 300 m Distance precision at 300 m Minimum 5 cm equivalent Mechanical scan LiDAR for evaluating the productSSS has developed a mechanical scanning*6 LiDAR unit equipped with this new sensor for product evaluation, which will be provided to customers and partners. This will contribute to customer and partner LiDAR development and product evaluation initiatives. *1 The frame rate may vary depending on horizontal FoV (Field of View) and its resolution.*2 According to SSS research (as of announcement on Jun 10, 2025)*3 Differs depending on the handling quantity.*4 A technology used when a pixel chip (top) is stacked with a logic chip (bottom), to achieve electrical continuity by connecting the Cu (copper) pads to each other. This increases the flexibility in the design, improves productivity, and enables a smaller size and higher performance compared with Through-Silicon Vias (TSV), where the upper and lower chips are connected via electrodes around the circumference of the pixel area*5 Compared with SSS' IMX459 1/2.9-type 100,000-effective pixel SPAD depth sensor.*6 A method in which a rotating mirror reflects the beam from a fixed laser light source for wide area horizontal scanning. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
The New Nintendo Is Here. It's Missing Something Crucial That the Previous Ones Have All Had.
Of the many reasons Nintendo has flourished during its four-decade run in the video game industry—a Pixar-like dedication to quality, a memorable roster of mascots, an inherent creative brightness that cuts against the grimdark fantasies promulgated by other franchises—the company's prime advantage might be its commitment to affordability. The Nintendo Switch, a massively successful console that first made landfall in 2017, retailed for $299—a bargain compared with the $599 Xbox Series X and $699 PlayStation 5 Pro. Remember the Wii? The motion-controlled triumph that became all the rage in retirement homes during the mid-2000s? It was priced at $249, half as much as the lumbering PlayStation 3 which arrived one week prior. (It also included the eternal Wii Sports, bundled in the box, as a bonus.) It's a strategy that has sent an enduring message to consumers. Nintendo might not flex the same graphical fidelity of its rivals—Sony and Microsoft may consistently boast more impressive technical specs—but families could expect to save money when they purchased the company's hardware. And, frankly, that's what's been on my mind most as I surveyed the launch of Nintendo's latest console last week. The long-awaited Switch 2 is here, and it weighs in at an eye-popping $449. Its marquee launch title? A new Mario Kart game that costs an unprecedented $80. The Switch 2, it should be said, has an impressive design. Nintendo has outfitted the console with a gorgeous LCD screen, robust internal storage, and a motherboard powerful enough to furnish its lineup of games in glistening 4K. If you are one of the millions of people curious about the next installments of The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, or Animal Crossing, it is easy to consider its inflated price tag as a genuinely worthwhile investment in your future. And yet, like every other piece of video game machinery that has debuted this decade, the Switch 2 isn't going to shift any paradigms, because we are rapidly approaching a ceiling of what is possible with a graphics card. In the 1990s, each new console release represented a watershed moment in the industry. The Nintendo 64 arrived in 1996 with a suite of games rendered in 3D, leaps and bounds more impressive than the Super Nintendo, which imprisoned everything on-screen in a 2D plane. The justification for the cost was self-evident—a couple hundred bucks was more than worth it to unlock a whole new dimension. The Switch 2, meanwhile, functions essentially like a prettier, svelter, and more efficient update to the previous generation of hardware. The price is dramatically outpacing the novelty of the technology, and that discrepancy has been noticed by the gaming public. During the rollout of the Switch 2, when Nintendo hosted livestreams showcasing its upcoming 2025 catalog, the chat box on the side of the screen billowed up with the same message repeated ad nauseam: 'DROP THE PRICE.' It is hard to get a straight answer out of Nintendo about why its hardware has suddenly gotten so expensive, but it must be said that the company unveiled the Switch 2 on the afternoon of Donald Trump's so-called 'liberation day'—on which he announced a barrage of ill-conceived tariffs to be levied on the global population. Nintendo, recoiling from the chaos, briefly suspended preorders of its new consoles 'in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions.' The announced price tag would eventually go unchanged, because Trump, as the saying goes, chickened out, but the impact may not be over: It wasn't long before Nintendo also warned of 'price adjustments' on accessories. The United States' self-inflicted financial uncertainty may also have already been factored into the Switch 2's retail calculus. That's certainly what industry analysts think. Joost van Dreunen, who studies the business of video games at New York University, told IGN in April that with the higher price, 'Nintendo appears to be building in a buffer against these potential trade barriers,' while Piers Harding-Rolls, who studies the gaming market at Ampere Analysis, speculated that the company 'probably had a range of pricing for the US market in play up until the last minute due to the uncertainty on import tariffs.' Nintendo, naturally, has remained publicly neutral about the issue. 'Our basic policy is that for any country or region, if tariffs are imposed, we recognize them as a part of the cost and incorporate them into the price,' said Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa during a fiscal year report in May. (Given how open-ended Furukawa's statement was, I'm not surprised some experts believe that the Switch 2 might get even more expensive if Trump reintroduces portions of his tariff program, especially his original planned 46 percent tariff on Vietnam and 49 percent tariff on Cambodia, the countries where the company does much of its Switch manufacturing.) To be clear, Nintendo isn't the only heavy hitter jacking up its prices. Video game development is taking longer and growing steadily more expensive, and that has caused all the power brokers in the industry to print out new price tags. Just yesterday, Microsoft showed off The Outer Worlds 2, due out in October, which is a madcap sci-fi RPG that will also be the company's first $80 game. (For context, the average video game cost $60 for much of the 21st century. That number jumped to $70 in 2020, and five years later, norms are shifting again.) Similarly, remember that Xbox Series X I mentioned earlier? The one clocking in at $599? That's actually a recent phenomenon. When the console launched in 2020, it was a hundred bucks cheaper. The tech hasn't changed, but those ominous 'market conditions' certainly have, so Microsoft bumped up the cost earlier this year. This is a pretty radical departure, and it can't be explained away by simple inflation. Not long ago, video game hardware decreased in price over time, once it became sufficiently outpaced by flashier tech. But the titans of this industry have become increasingly responsive to fluctuations in the supply chain, and those old patterns have fallen by the wayside. The only question, it seems, that Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo are asking of their consumers is how much they're willing to pay. If that shift in philosophy turns their consoles into a luxury? Then so be it. Last weekend, I re-created a ritual I've savored every summer since I started playing video games. A few friends came over to fire up the latest Nintendo, down some beers, and enjoy a rousing evening of Mario Kart. The latest entry in the series hasn't altered the formula much; This is still the crowd-pleasing racing game it was in 1998, and 2007, and 2021. Gamers and nongamers alike instinctually internalized the controls, and together we jostled for position on the circuit, creating fleeting rivalries with those homing red shells. It left me a little melancholy. To think such a simple joy has become a premium experience? A new Mario Kart game is like manna from heaven for college dorms and bachelor pads. But today broke twentysomethings will need to scrounge up half a grand for the price of admission. I suppose that's just what life is like in 2025, when everything—rent, groceries, concert tickets, gym memberships—leaves us feeling gouged. No leisure goes unpunished anymore, and given the Trump economy's gloomy forecast, I fear it'll get worse before it gets better.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
PS5/PS5 Pro Reportedly Getting New Mode That Has Fans Excited
The and are reportedly getting a new developer mode that signals a major development, according to insiders. A known Sony leaker has gotten hold of documents which suggest that the company is rolling out a 'low power mode' for both consoles, enabling which would draw less power and lower energy consumption while running games. The leak comes from none other than YouTuber Moore's Law Is Dead (MLID), who was the first insider to leak the PS5 Pro and internal Sony documents with its specs, prompting an official copyright strike. Now, MLID claims that they have similar documents with information about the said low power developer mode. Without going into too much technical jargon, it seems that this mode will run games with reduced specs. MLID is convinced that this mode is designed for games to run on the rumored new PlayStation handheld. Here's what the low power mode will reportedly do (thanks, ResetEra): Limit CPU to 8 threads Reduces GPU clocks by ~15% Cut GDDR 6 bandwidth in half Reduce 3D Audio Processing performance by 75% Limits PS5 Pro to 36 Compute Units No PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution) or VR support The idea here is that targeting this mode mode will ensure that there is a version of each game that runs on the upcoming handheld as well. Another known leaker, Kepler_L2, agrees with MLID's theory. 'This is 100% an emulated performance profile for the handheld since the biggest weakness of that APU is memory bandwidth, and this profile is reducing PS5 bandwidth,' they tweeted. Fingers crossed for a new PlayStation handheld! The post PS5/PS5 Pro Reportedly Getting New Mode That Has Fans Excited appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
