Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed we just completely changed our buying advice for Mini LED TVs.
Jump over to our best Mini LED TV buying guide, and you’ll see an entirely new set of recommendations, covering everything from cutting-edge True RGB options to mid-range performance-per-pound champs.
But if you’re more interested in the top-tier category of Mini LED, while I stand by our recommendations in the buying guide and will confirm that the Bravia 9 II listed as the best premium option has a lot going for it, I have a word of caution to share.
The Bravia 9 II is the best Mini LED at that price, but it’s not the best TV you’ll find for that amount of money.
Look at our TV Award winners this year, and you’ll see there is only one Mini LED on the list: the affordable TCL P8L.
That’s because, despite great strides in the mid- and lower-end of the market, and the arrival of the next-generation RGB Mini LED panel tech this year, after our latest Awards-group test, it’s clear that, at the top end of the market, OLED is still the best option.
The reason remains the same as it has since Mini LED tech first arrived.
Modern Mini LEDs certainly have their perks, such as the ability to go brighter than OLEDs, and their cheaper manufacturing costs, which can then be passed on to the end consumer (which is why you can get sub-£500/$500 sets using the technology).
But OLED’s pixel-level light control and the ability to deliver perfect blacks, when used well, is a strength that no backlit TV, including Mini LED, we’ve tested can beat.
We have said as much, time and time again – including in our Bravia 9 II review where we bluntly state:
“Comparisons with Sony’s own Bravia 8 II reveal that even this exceptional implementation of RGB Mini LED still can’t quite match the fundamental strengths of OLED. The Bravia 9 II’s local dimming system is extraordinarily accomplished, yet it still can’t quite replicate the pixel-level precision of OLED.
“The result is a picture that looks just a touch flatter than the Bravia 8 II’s. Objects don’t separate from their backgrounds with quite the same solidity, and scenes lack just a little of the three-dimensional depth and effortless dynamism that OLED consistently delivers.”
That’s why, to any reader considering buying a Mini LED, my advice is simple: if it costs OLED money, that should be a red flag.
Our tests have shown that, outside very specific circumstances, you will almost certainly be better off with one of the OLEDs we recommend when shopping in the top tier of the market.
MORE:
These are the best OLED TVs we’ve reviewed
We rank the best cheap TVs
Our picks of the best 65-inch TVs
