There’s no point in being coy about it at this point – the Sony Bravia 8 II is my favourite TV of 2025.
Not only that, it’s also been proclaimed the best premium TV of the year in the What Hi-Fi? Awards, having been tested side-by-side with the Samsung S95F, LG G5 and Panasonic Z95B.
You can click here to read more about that epic, flagship OLED group test, but in summary, the Bravia 8 II combines the latest QD-OLED panel with Sony’s legendary processing to produce absolutely stunning picture quality.
The Bravia 8 II doesn’t actually go quite as bright as those rivals I’ve mentioned, but it’s still a very bright TV in its own right, and it combines that brightness with inky blacks and Sony’s subtle image enhancement to recreate movies with unmatched crispness, solidity and three-dimensionality.
Colours are rich but accurate, too, and Sony has done a huge amount of work on dark gradation, ensuring that you don’t miss out on any crucial shadow detail.
And, while I absolutely recommend adding a dedicated audio system if you want the quality of the sound to match that of the picture, the Bravia 8 II sounds a good deal better than its rivals.
One of the big surprises with the Bravia 8 II was how aggressive Sony was with the launch pricing, but that hasn’t stopped the discounts coming thick and fast.
So, while the 55-inch model launched for £2499, it can now be bought for £1799 at Amazon, and the 65-inch version, which launched at £2999, can now be picked up for £2199 at Amazon.
These aren’t outlier deals, either, as other retailers, such as Richer Sounds and Sevenoaks, are offering the two sizes at the same prices.
Will it get cheaper for Black Friday?
The big question, then, is whether prices will drop further for Black Friday at the end of this month.
Now, this one is hard to predict. Unlike LG’s G- and C-series TVs, which have exhibited a clear pattern over the last few years that includes extra-big discounts during Black Friday, the Bravia 8 II is a rather unusual proposition.
While it officially replaces the A95L, that TV was around for two years, so we can’t look at last year’s price history and expect it to repeat. What’s more, the Bravia 8 II launched for less than the A95L did, and was discounted earlier. it's just a different proposition all round, really.
But while we can’t learn much from the A95L’s price history, we can look at what happened to the pricing of another Sony model last year – and doing so presents some encouraging news.
The standard Bravia 8, which launched last and still sits in Sony’s range below the Bravia 8 II, received some tasty, temporary discounts during Black Friday last year. The 55-inch model dropped by £150, while the 65 incher dropped by £200.
I would not be at all surprised if the Bravia 8 II was discounted by similar amounts, so we could see the 55-inch model drop to £1649, and the 65-inch model to £1999.
Of course, there’s no way of knowing for sure that these discounts will materialise, but I do know for sure that I wouldn’t be forking out for a Bravia 8 II right now. I don’t see the current prices rising, so there’s no harm in waiting, just in case.
And when Black Friday does roll around on 28th November, keep an eye on retailers such as Richer Sounds, Sevenoaks and Peter Tyson, as well as Amazon. Those specialists often engage in pricing battles with one another that result in extra deals, often via discount codes.
Or, of course, you can just stay tuned to our Black Friday deals hub, where we will be flagging all of the biggest and best discounts as we find them during the sales event.
MORE:
Here's our full Sony Bravia 8 II review
And here are all of the best TVs you can buy right now
Will the LG C5 be discounted for Black Friday? I believe I have the answer
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