{"id":409128,"date":"2026-01-15T16:56:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T16:56:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/409128\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T16:56:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T16:56:11","slug":"sony-bravia-8-ii-oled-tv-review-a-tv-enthusiasts-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/409128\/","title":{"rendered":"Sony Bravia 8 II OLED TV review: a TV enthusiast\u2019s dream"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sony has a history of making excellent TVs, from the Trinitron CRTs of last century to the world\u2019s first OLED nearly 20 years ago<\/a> to 2016\u2019s ZD9 mini-LED that delivered exceptional brightness and dimming control for the time. And while Samsung beat Sony to the market with the S95B, in 2022 Sony was the first company to announce a QD-OLED TV<\/a>. That TV, the A95K, was the best TV I had ever seen \u2014 until the A95L in 2023. Now we have the next in the series. The naming convention has changed, but with the Bravia 8 II, Sony once again aims to create the best-ever QD-OLED TV.<\/p>\n

Since its release in June 2025, the Bravia 8 II has received praise for its deep blacks and shadow detail, excellent processing, and realistic picture quality. Like the A95K in 2022, and the A95L in 2023 and 2024, the Sony Bravia 8 II was named the King of TV by the judges of the Value Electronics\u2019 2025 TV Shootout<\/a> (including Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel). It\u2019s a bit brighter than the A95L, its processing is stellar \u2014 especially the way it elevates the look of lower-quality content \u2014 and it runs on Google OS (which is a great benefit over its QD-OLED and OLED competitors from Samsung, LG, and Panasonic, which rely on either their own, clunkier interfaces or on Amazon Fire TV). Since it\u2019s an OLED, its blacks are deep and inky, and better when the lights are on than the Samsung S95F QD-OLED, which uses a matte finish. But it isn\u2019t quite as accurate out of the box as the A95L, which measured virtually perfect. Because of those sky-high expectations, some reviewers and enthusiasts have rated the Bravia 8 II lower than it deserves.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no such a thing as a perfect TV. Each one has something it doesn\u2019t do quite right. But while the Bravia 8 II does have some minor issues, they\u2019re the kind that only TV enthusiasts are likely to notice. And those enthusiasts are the same people that will get the Bravia 8 II calibrated, eliminating most of the issues. Even though I\u2019m exceedingly particular about TV performance (it\u2019s my career, after all), none of the issues were deal-breakers for me, because with actual content they were either fleeting or not visible from a normal viewing distance. When it comes down to it, I\u2019ve rarely enjoyed watching a TV more than this one.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

$2398<\/p>\n

The GoodExcellent out-of-the-box performance in Professional modeIncredibly engaging pictureIndustry-best image processingThe BadMinor color fringing in dark scenesNot as bright as some competitorsRemote isn\u2019t backlit<\/p>\n

At a Sony Electronics event I attended at Sony Pictures in Los Angeles a couple years ago, company reps boasted that Sony products are used in every level of cinema production, from the cameras and lenses to the $40,000 display used to master the final product. Sony\u2019s tagline for its Bravia TVs and speakers is \u201cCinema is coming home<\/a>,\u201d and the Bravia 8 II is its top-end OLED, designed to deliver as close to a theater-level performance in your living room as possible. It\u2019s what cinephiles chase: a TV that accurately displays the creators\u2019 intent. And it\u2019s for that reason I\u2019m being a bit picky in my assessment.<\/p>\n

Sizes available (inches): 55, 65<\/p>\n

HDR formats: Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG<\/p>\n

HDMI inputs: 2 x HDMI 2.0, 2 x HDMI 2.1 (one with eARC\/ARC)<\/p>\n

Gaming features: 4K\/120Hz, VRR, ALLM<\/p>\n

The Bravia 8 II is only available in 55- and 65-inch sizes with MSRPs of $2,599.99 and $3,299.99, respectively (Sony provided a 65-inch model for our review). Only two of the four HDMI inputs are 2.1, allowing for 4K\/120Hz signals with VRR, and one of those ports (HDMI 3) is the eARC connection. So if you\u2019re connecting a soundbar or receiver and aren\u2019t routing a game console through it, you\u2019re losing one of the HDMI 2.1 inputs.<\/p>\n

Like its predecessor, the A95L, the Bravia 8 II uses feet connected out near the screen edge that can be attached in two height positions \u2014 one with the bottom edge of the TV about half an inch from the surface it\u2019s resting on and the second elevating the TV 3 inches. That\u2019s enough to accommodate a soundbar right under the screen instead of in front of it, as with TVs like the TCL QM9K<\/a> that have pedestal stands. But it also means you need a media console wide enough to fit the TV.<\/p>\n

OLED performance with Sony processing <\/p>\n

Since it\u2019s a QD-OLED TV, the Bravia 8 II comes with the pure blacks and pixel-level control we expect from an OLED, with the extra color vibrancy of quantum dots. Matched with Sony\u2019s excellent image processing, which has been the best on the market for years, the Bravia 8 II delivers a fantastic 4K image. Stars sparkle, there\u2019s great detail in the shadows, and scenery looks realistic and inviting. The grittiness of future Los Angeles in Blade Runner 2049 is heightened by the details visible in the dark, rainy streets. The buildings among the trees of Rivendell look like a true solace from the evils creeping through Middle-earth. At numerous points during my review process I was sucked into what I was watching and forgot I was there to evaluate. Even a YouTube video of a train<\/a> winding its way through snow-covered villages in Switzerland was mesmerizing, and kept my attention as I dreamed of a vacation in the Alps.<\/p>\n

The TV\u2019s processing and upscaling improves lower-quality content, too, causing it to look smoother and less pixelated, and better than what I\u2019ve seen on competitors from LG, TCL, Samsung, and Hisense. Nobody does it better than Sony. Most of the content people watch is 1080p \u2014 be it from a streaming service, cable, or over the air \u2014 and there the Bravia 8 II achieves a cleaner and more detailed image than its competitors.<\/p>\n

OLED brightness isn\u2019t the problem it used to be<\/p>\n

Brightness has always been the biggest thing holding OLEDs back, and while they still can\u2019t compete with mini-LED TVs, they\u2019re now able to put out enough light to stand up against ambient lighting conditions. While the LG G5<\/a> is the brightest OLED I\u2019ve seen, the Bravia 8 II still gets plenty bright. In HDR, the Sony measures 1,590 nits from a 10 percent window, and gets even brighter with smaller highlights (up to 1,884 nits). As the size of the bright area increases, the Sony isn\u2019t able to maintain that level of brightness (no TV is), and a full white screen measures only 239 nits. But no one (other than reviewers) watches a full-field white screen. While watching movies and TV shows in my living room \u2014 which admittedly doesn\u2019t get direct sunlight \u2014 the Sony ably held up to ambient light. If you have large picture windows with sunlight streaming through, I\u2019d consider the G5; for most, Sony\u2019s brightness should be plenty.<\/p>\n

In SDR, if you turn Peak Luminance (found under Brightness) to High, the Sony hits 540 nits, which, again, should be enough unless your living room is drenched in sunlight. For the video purists watching SDR in a home theater, leaving Professional with its default SDR settings, the TV tracks between 107 and 100 nits from small highlights up to a full screen. This is spot-on reference-level brightness for SDR content in a dark room. It shows that Sony\u2019s engineers are serious about delivering a reference-quality image with minimal settings adjustments.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

The Sony Bravia 8 II uses Google TV as its OS.<\/p>\n

While the Bravia 8 II is incredibly accurate out of the box in Professional picture mode, there are a few minor issues. Most people won\u2019t be bothered by any of them. In HDR, the grayscale on the Bravia 8 II leans a little blue as it gets closer to white, in a way the LG G5 doesn\u2019t. It\u2019s most noticeable in things like white clouds or snow on mountain peaks. It\u2019s in no way unpleasant, just not quite as accurate and pure as it should be. Colors also pull a bit toward blue. It\u2019s not drastic \u2014 the red Corvette in The Big Lebowski is still red, just not quite as vibrant \u2014 but with a TV this good, those minor details stand out more.<\/p>\n

Calibration brings it from excellent to near perfect<\/p>\n

I set up each TV in my living room on my home theater credenza. I stream movies and shows through the TV\u2019s apps, play discs on my Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-Ray player (including the Spears & Munsil Ultra HD Benchmark disc) and movies from a Kaleidescape Strato V<\/a> player, and play games on my Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. This is done at different times of the day and under different lighting conditions, with curtains open, with lamps and overhead lights on, or with blackout curtains up to keep the room dark. While I am a certified ISF Level 3 calibrator, I do not calibrate the TVs before measurement, as the overwhelming majority of TV owners don\u2019t bother. So it\u2019s important to know how well the TVs perform out of the box, with minor tweaks in the menu anyone can do.<\/p>\n

For measurement, I use Portrait Displays<\/a>\u2019 Calman color calibration software, a Murideo 8K Seven pattern generator, an X-rite i1 Pro 3 spectrophotometer, Portrait Displays\u2019 C6 HDR5000 colorimeter, a Konica Minolta LS-100 luminance meter, and Leo Bodnar 4K lag tester.<\/p>\n

I normally don\u2019t recommend calibration to most people, or for most TVs. Out-of-the-box performance has improved pretty significantly over the past few years across a broad range of prices and manufacturers, as long as you switch out of the default picture mode to something called Movie, Cinema, or Professional. And as I\u2019ve said, the Bravia 8 II looks really great in Professional. But it can still look better. When you say a TV is the one that brings cinema home, the people that are buying it are very likely chasing the best image quality they can get. And for those people, a calibration is worth it. I performed a quick 21-point calibration on the Bravia 8 II, and afterward, the image looked perfect. No more blues in clouds, and colors from skin tones to nature backdrops looked even more incredible.<\/p>\n

If we\u2019re being picky, the Bravia 8 II does have two issues specific to QD-OLED panels, but even those are less noticeable than on earlier models. One is the lack of a polarizing filter, which can lead to raised blacks with a slightly purplish color. While there was a little bit of this happening on the Bravia 8 II, it\u2019s better than what I\u2019ve seen on Samsung QD-OLED TVs, and it was barely noticeable in regular use. Even with the lights on in my living room, the blacks felt deep and inky, giving the TV exceptional contrast. And the triangular pixel structure of QD-OLEDs can cause color fringing of either green or purple on the edges of bright images against dark backgrounds. I saw hints of this as well, but from a normal viewing distance it\u2019s only noticeable if you\u2019re intently looking for it. It didn\u2019t bother my family at all. And this too is less noticeable than on early generation QD-OLEDs, though it likely won\u2019t go away entirely until and unless Sony changes the pixel structure on QD-OLED panels.<\/p>\n

1\/3The Bravia 8 II has deep and inky blacks, giving great depth to space images.<\/p>\n

If I were to buy a TV for myself today, the Sony Bravia 8 II is the one I would get \u2014 no question. The picture it produces is incredibly engaging, and throughout my review process I found myself wanting to watch it more and more, even without the calibration. Sure, there are minor issues with some dark scene color fringing, and it doesn\u2019t get as bright as other TVs. A case could be made for the older A95L if you find it discounted, as out of the box it will be a little more accurate than the Bravia 8 II. And for a room that\u2019s absolutely bathed in light, the LG G5 offers very similar performance with a brighter image. But during my time spent with the Sony Bravia 8 II, there was never a moment, be it with critical viewing or watching a movie with my family, when I wasn\u2019t impressed. It reminded me why I love movies. What more could you ask from a TV?<\/p>\n

Photography by John Higgins \/ The Verge<\/p>\n

Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.John HigginsClose\"JohnJohn Higgins<\/p>\n

Senior Reviewer, TVs & Audio<\/p>\n

Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n

FollowFollow<\/p>\n

See All by John Higgins<\/a><\/p>\n

GadgetsCloseGadgets<\/p>\n

Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n

FollowFollow<\/p>\n

See All Gadgets<\/a><\/p>\n

ReviewsCloseReviews<\/p>\n

Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n

FollowFollow<\/p>\n

See All Reviews<\/a><\/p>\n

SonyCloseSony<\/p>\n

Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n

FollowFollow<\/p>\n

See All Sony<\/a><\/p>\n

TechCloseTech<\/p>\n

Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n

FollowFollow<\/p>\n

See All Tech<\/a><\/p>\n

TVsCloseTVs<\/p>\n

Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n

FollowFollow<\/p>\n

See All TVs<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sony has a history of making excellent TVs, from the Trinitron CRTs of last century to the world\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":409129,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[166,900,1014,172,74,23474],"class_list":["post-409128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-gadgets","tag-reviews","tag-sony","tag-tech","tag-technology","tag-tvs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=409128"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409128\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/409129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=409128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=409128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=409128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}