I was a little bit disappointed by the Bravia 9, but I think Sony's 2025 flagship TV could be very special
Could 2025 be the year of the Sony Bravia 10 OLED TV?

Sony made the very bold decision last year to pivot away from OLED for its flagship TV and instead launch a next-gen Mini LED model. The brand made huge claims about the performance of the Bravia 9 and its borderline revolutionary homegrown backlight, particularly around brightness, and it broadly delivered (here's our Sony Bravia 9 review), yet I was still a little disappointed with it.
For me, while the Bravia 9 is an incredibly impressive technological achievement and one of the very best backlit TVs in existence, it still can’t match the contrast you get from an OLED TV and its self-emissive pixels.
This pixel-level contrast control of OLED has benefits right across the picture, from ‘pop’ to perceived sharpness and three-dimensionality, and the Bravia 9 just isn’t as strong in those areas. Sony will of course point to the Bravia 9 being able to hit peak brightness figures far beyond what any OLED can, but a vanishingly small number of modern movies demand such brightness, so I don’t feel it’s worth the compromises that have been made elsewhere.
None of which is to say that the Bravia 9 is a bad TV. On the contrary, it’s a really good one and, from what I hear, it’s really popular, too. It’s just not the flagship Sony TV for me. The good news, though, is that I think Sony might deliver my ideal flagship TV this year.
Bring on the Bravia 10
Sony no longer sticks strictly to an annual TV model cycle and I don’t expect it to launch a successor to the Bravia 9 this year. Too much development work over several years went into that new model and its progressive backlight tech, so I think Sony will leave it on shelves throughout 2025. Instead, I think it will launch a new Bravia 10 above it, and I think it will be a successor to 2023’s A95L QD-OLED, which is still my favourite TV on sale today.
Assuming I’m right – and it really is an educated guess that I’m making – it will be fascinating to see whether Sony goes with the latest QD-OLED panel tech, which has improved significantly since 2023, or switch to the new Four-Stack (aka Primary RGB Tandem) OLED panel technology from LG Display. Either way, we could be looking at a big, compromise-free brightness upgrade and potential improvements to the A95L’s already stellar reproduction of colours.
While a dedicated sound system is always the best option, the A95L is one of very few TVs that I could just about live with from an audio point of view. Its Acoustic Surface Audio+ tech, which involves actuators that imperceptibly vibrate the screen to make sound, ties the picture and sound together in a way that no non-Sony TV can match, but it also spreads sound out to the sides and above the TV surprisingly effectively. It’s quite bass-light, though, so I would like the Bravia 10 to combine this Acoustic Surface Audio tech with the ability to connect the TV to one of Sony’s wireless subwoofers. This would make for a very discreet but potentially rather potent sound system.
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One obvious deficiency of the A95L that will absolutely need to be addressed if the Bravia 10 is going to tick all of the boxes for me, is the number of HDMI 2.1 sockets. The A95L has just two of them, which is a massive pain in the backside for someone who has a PS5, Xbox Series X and gaming PC. In truth, I’m not sure that this is a problem that will be solved this year – while MediaTek, which supplies Sony’s chips, now produces one with four HDMI 2.1 sockets, it’s a less powerful one from a processing point of view, and I can’t see Sony opting for a potential performance downgrade just for the extra HDMI 2.1s. Still, I remain hopeful that Sony has come up with a clever solution to this connection conundrum.
All of which is to say that if Sony does have a Bravia 10 OLED TV up its sleeve, it has the potential to be mind-blowingly good. Of course, I could be wrong about everything – there may not be a Bravia 10, there may never be a successor to the wonderful A95L and Sony may decide to replace the Bravia 9 with another Mini LED TV after all. That would be a great shame, I think. Perhaps Sony would at least consider launching some new 'small' OLED models to replace 2022's 42-inch and 48-inch A90K as a consolation prize...
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Tom Parsons has been writing about TV, AV and hi-fi products (not to mention plenty of other 'gadgets' and even cars) for over 15 years. He began his career as What Hi-Fi?'s Staff Writer and is now the TV and AV Editor. In between, he worked as Reviews Editor and then Deputy Editor at Stuff, and over the years has had his work featured in publications such as T3, The Telegraph and Louder. He's also appeared on BBC News, BBC World Service, BBC Radio 4 and Sky Swipe. In his spare time Tom is a runner and gamer.
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simontompkins I'm still really confused by Sony. On the one side we have the A95L which consistently comes across as a stellar TV. What's more, Sony kept the A95L going and almost two years later it comes out as even better, by many reviewers, as better than (for example) the G4. Better of course in terms of pure picture quality but the 77 inch A95L has stayed consistently a couple of grand more than competitors.Reply
It's like Sony saying we can keep a two year old TV that's still better than your latest TV (even if it is more expensive)
However, on the other hand I found the Bravia 9 a really strange implementation. For example, What HiFi gave it a goodish review but said that it had issues and in fact in the best 65 inch TVs What HiFi put the Bravia 8 at the top of the list with the Bravia 9 not even on the list.
I looked at the LG G4 and for 'wow' factor it comes really close to the A95L - for my money it would be a choice between a brighter TV with a fantastic picture (G4) or a slightly dimmer picture (which is bright enough anyway) but with a more nuanced picture. It's really close but there's something about the A95L's processing that has a subtlety I believe the G4 just misses.
I know there's always a new TV round the corner but it did look to me like last year was a watershed year - the A95L 77 inch was a good two grand more than rivals and there was clearly issues around OLED technology. Convergence and divergence is always a circle in technology but I've been in no hurry to buy a set and I just think that LG, Samsung and Phillips get so close to the A95L I just thought I'd wait until this year to see what happens.
Look at Samsung's S90D reviews - the oddity here is that Dolby Vision HDR is not on the TV yet it has great reviews across the web. That said to me is that while Dolby can be great it doesn't stop a TV without it being better than a TV with it.
Not to leave out Phillips, just to note I popped into Richer Sounds at Christmas and they said if money was no object they's probably go for the A95L but to be honest they said they are in the shop for months and for them the standout TV is the Phillips 809 - they said it was the most 'watchable' picture. It was a toss up and some in the shop said it so close they'd actually go for the Phillips. Another temptation but while it has great picture reviews it doesn't rate that high for upscaling.
So here we are in 2025, I'm hoping that the main players release TVs that are better than the A95L and then Sony will be in a bit of quandary as I can't see many people playing two grand more for a a77 inch when the difference in picture quality is even smaller than it has been. Also Hisense and TCL will surely help to bring prices down.
In any case 2025 looks a great year for TVs - can't wait to see the reviews from your good selves. -
Harish_Hyderabad_India For over 25 years, I have remained loyal to the Sony brand, drawn to its unwavering commitment to superior product quality, reliability, long-lasting durability, and minimal repair issues, particularly in the TV lineup.Reply
I was excited to experience the Sony Bravia 9 TV; K-85XR90. While this TV excels in video/picture quality and capabilities. There are several areas that require paramount improvement.
Picture Quality: A Double-Edged SwordThe TV's picture quality is exceptional, but it comes with a caveat. To fully appreciate its capabilities, the TV must be placed in a closed, dark room. Any ambient light will cause reflections on the screen, reminiscent of a mirror. To address this, Sony should incorporate a 100% haze factor, similar to their professional display model BZ 53L/BZ 50L.
Audio Quality: A Missed OpportunityDespite boasting multiple speakers with 70W output, the audio quality is average at best. The primary issue lies in the speaker placement – all speakers are placed in the back panel, back-firing, causing sound waves to bounce off the decorum cardboard/acoustic panel, resulting in a dry, dull, and low-quality sound output. The sound settings are also confusing and not user-friendly, catering more to traditional users who prefer low, quiet sound effects rather than those seeking a cinematic experience.
The Immersive Audio Paradox: Separating Reality from HypeDespite the proliferation of advanced speaker technologies, such as surround firing, beam firing, and object-based audio, the promise of cinematic, immersive sound remains elusive. In reality, even with genuine Dolby Atmos and DTS: X content, the immersive sound experience falls short of expectations. Poor dialogue intelligibility in action scenes and low-pitch vocals, hard to hear, understand, and follow, no matter you tweak in all sound settings like voice zoom, dialogue enhancer, equalizer, etc… In essence, the immersive audio experience often devolves into a familiar old-school stereophonic effect-a far cry from the stated cinematic experience-“ Cinema is Coming Home “!
Calibration ModeNetflix and Prime Video's Calibration Modes are touted as unique selling points, offering users a personalized viewing experience. However, our experiences suggest that these calibration modes are not foolproof and require manual fine-tuning to achieve optimal results. Hence, room for improvement exists in calibration mode algorithms and user interface.
Connectivity LimitationsThe TV's connectivity options are limited, with only two HDMI ports supporting 2.1. Furthermore, the Ethernet connectivity speed is capped at 100 Mbps, a significant drawback.
Conclusion:At its premium price point, the Sony Bravia K-85XR90 falls short in several areas. To make it a game-changer, Sony must address these shortcomings
Improve screen reflectivity with a 100% haze factor
Redesign speaker placement for better sound quality
Simplify sound settings for a more user-friendly experience
Increase HDMI ports with 2.1 supports
Upgrade Ethernet connectivity speed
By implementing these changes, Sony can create a truly exceptional TV that justifies its premium price.