I've been raving about the Sony Bravia 8 II since we first reviewed it in June. More recently, though, we had the opportunity to do some even more detailed comparisons.
Over two days, I (TV & AV Editor), Alastair Stephenson (Editor-in-Chief) and Lewis Empson (Senior Staff Writer) compared the 65-inch versions of the Bravia 8 II, LG G5, Samsung S95F and Panasonic Z95B side-by-side.
Yes, it was awesome fun, and we had some good debates about the relative merits of each set, too, but it didn't take us long to agree that the Sony model is the best overall.
Right now, it's the most affordable of the bunch, too, thanks to Amazon Prime Big Deal Days (and adjacent) discounts.
You won't find the best Bravia 8 II prices at Amazon, though; instead, get the 55-inch model for £1749 at Richer Sounds, or the 65-inch version for £2249 at Richer Sounds.
You can read more about the results of our comparative testing session here, but suffice to say that the Bravia 8 II was the fairly clear winner, despite all three of its rivals being five-star sets in their own right.
I actually have the Bravia 8 II's predecessor, the excellent Sony A95L, as my TV at home, which goes to show how highly I rate it – but now I've tested the Bravia 8 II alongside it, my home TV looks a little less special.
The newer-generation QD-OLED panel is capable of going quite a bit brighter than the previous one, which makes highlights all the more impressive, but this extra brightness also brings with it increased contrast and colour volume.
This is such a vibrant TV that dazzles with colourful content, such as the Spider-verse movies, but it's also beautifully balanced, boasting Sony's trademark approach to cinematic authenticity.
You won't find a sharper, more solid TV, either. The Bravia 8 II has clever AI-based processing that subtly sharpens certain picture elements. You never see the processing in action – you just see an incredibly crisp and three-dimensional-looking picture.
Sony has done amazing work on dark gradation, too, which simply means there's a great combination of perfect OLED blacks and spot-on shadow detail. None of its rivals can match it here.
Best of all, you don't have to work at all hard to get this supreme performance out of the Bravia 8 II. As I wrote in my review:
"For a supremely authentic picture, simply pick Dolby Vision Dark for Dolby Vision content or Professional for everything else.
"Should you want a little more pop to proceedings, either because you’re watching in a room with ambient light or simply because you enjoy an even more thrilling delivery, simply switch to Dolby Vision Bright or the Cinema mode."
The Bravia 8 II is also one of the best-sounding TVs you can buy, thanks to an Acoustic Surface Audio+ system that combines excellent detail and directness with surprising spaciousness and atmosphere.
I still recommend adding a dedicated sound system (the Sonos Arc Ultra is a great starting point), but if you're determined to live with your TV's built-in speakers, this is another reason to choose the Sony over its rivals – even the Panasonic Z95B.
My only real issue with the Bravia 8 II is that it has just two HDMI 2.1 sockets (as well as two 'standard' HDMIs), one of which is also the eARC port. The G5 and Samsung S95F, by comparison, have four HDMI 2.1 sockets.
The Bravia 8 II's limitation here is a bit of a pain for someone like me who has a PS5, an Xbox Series X and a Dolby Atmos sound system, but if you have only one or two of those devices, it will not be a problem at all.
All told, this is an amazing TV at an exceptional price, considering its newness and flagship status.
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