Sony Bravia 9 II Review

The Bravia 9 II replaces the blue diode and phosphor arrangement every Mini LED has used with red, green and blue emitters driven independently, and the difference is not subtle. Color volume stops collapsing as brightness climbs, so a deep red stays red at the top of a highlight instead of sliding toward orange, and the set holds saturation at output levels where an OLED has already given up.

Peak brightness is enormous and full screen brightness is enormous with it, which is the measurement that actually matters in a living room at midday. Sony's processing remains the reason to buy a Sony, and the new anti reflection screen finally answers Samsung's matte finish without dulling the image the way matte coatings usually do.

The reservations are the ones any premium LCD earns. Blooming is reduced rather than gone, the picture softens off angle, and the smallest size is 65 inches, so a small room is not invited. The money is the real objection: this costs more than the best OLED at the same size, which is why the value grade sits two steps below the picture. As a bright room reference it has no equal this year.