Since news broke that TCL is taking a stake in Sony’s home entertainment business, there have been a lot of questions about the Japanese giant’s plans for OLED.
After all, TCL has famously championed Mini LED as a superior technology, even at the top end of the market, so it may not be keen on Sony continuing to push its rival format.
The Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II, which Sony unveiled mere weeks ago, are both set to use new True RGB panel technology, not OLED.
So there is some evidence that Sony may partially agree with TCL and doesn’t see OLED as its future.
We, however, don’t fully agree that Mini LED is always the better option. For us, OLED is still the top dog – at least when it comes to picture quality – based on our testing.
There is something about OLED’s pixel-level light control and the resulting perfect blacks that no LED set, Mini, RGB, or otherwise, has been able to beat.
Sony is a key reason we continue to push OLED sets in our recommendations, with our TV and AV editor, Tom Parsons, openly describing our current Product of the Year, the Sony Bravia 8 II OLED, as the best TV he has ever tested, period.
Which is why the team and I were delighted when FlatPanelsHD spotted a new leak, suggesting Sony is not only about to unveil new sets with the panel tech, but that they will also serve a currently underserved part of the market: small, affordable OLEDs.
The leak occurred when a (now removed) listing on Sony’s website for a new Bravia 6 OLED TV appeared.
This hasn’t been confirmed yet, so we are still firmly in rumour territory (we have contacted Sony for comment), but the details in the listing paint a pretty picture.
First, because the listing shows the range will feature a 48-inch size option.
Second, because the alleged use of MediaTek's Pentonic 800 chipset means it will have four HDMI 2.1 ports. That’s great news for people with multiple current-generation consoles and a Dolby Atmos soundbar, all of which require the advanced HDMI connectivity to run at full speed.
Third and finally, because the report suggests the Bravia 6 will feature one of LG’s new OLED SE panels, which are designed for cheaper OLEDs.
We haven’t yet reviewed any TVs sporting that particular panel technology, so we can’t speculate on screen quality, but the potential is certainly exciting.
Regular readers know that we have long lamented the ongoing lack of good, cheap, smaller OLED TVs on the market.
Only a select few companies offer 48- and 42-inch OLED sets. And those we have reviewed and recommend tend to sit in the mid-tier, so can’t really be described as cheap. Even on sale, you’re looking at around £850 / $850.
Right now, with Panasonic’s Award-winning 48-inch Z90B out of stock, there are only two real options to choose from: the 48-inch LG C5 and the 48-inch Samsung S90F.
Editor's note: There are 48- and 42-inch options in the cheaper LG B-series and Samsung S85-series, but we haven’t been able to review them, so we can't recommend them.
Having another contender appear from a known OLED maker, then – and one that offers all three of the things we want – is undeniably positive.
If it does appear and delivers the Award-winning, balanced performance for which Sony OLEDs have become famous in recent years, it could well be the cheap OLED we’ve been waiting for.
So, here’s hoping it’s true, and we get a 48-inch Bravia 6 into our review rooms in the not too distant future.
MORE:
These are the best OLED TVs we have tested
We rank the best Dolby Atmos soundbars
Our picks of the best Mini LED TVs
