It has been quite a week for TV reviews here at What Hi-Fi?, with the arrival of Sony's new RGB Mini LED TVs causing much excitement in our test room.

This excitement has extended to the deals section, as both TVs are seeing generous discounts despite only just being reviewed.

They're not the only discounts available, however – there are five-star soundbar systems and JBL speakers on offer, while the LG G6 has also just been re-reviewed and is seeing a tasty saving.

These are all products that have been reviewed and rated by our expert testing team. They have to get at least four stars to earn our recommendation, so we only share deals on the best.

We'll go into more detail about why we like these products below, but for now, feel free to have a peruse:

The Sony Bravia 9 II is Sony's latest flagship, and one of the first TVs to use the new RGB Mini LED display technology. It's a breathtaking TV with colours that surpass every other TV we've ever tested, and is also exceptionally bright. Its sophisticated dimming system is also one of the best we've seen, but it can't quite beat the pixel-level control of OLED.

At better than half price, the Samsung S90F is exceptional value right now. The OLED TV is currently our top pick out of the best 50-inch TVs, thanks to its punchy picture, flawless gaming specifications and practical stand design.

The Sony Bravia 7 II is the Japanese company's step-down RGB Mini LED offering, with vibrant, natural colours and excellent depth and solidity for a backlit TV. Use the code SONY10PERCENT to get £200 off one of the best backlit TVs we have ever tested.

The Samsung HW-Q990H is the Korean brand's follow-up to an Awards winner, and the Dolby Atmos soundbar system doesn't disappoint. With a soundbar, two rear speakers and a very good subwoofer included, the Q990H is excellent at delivering an immersive, spacious sound with excellent height effects.

The JBL Authentics 300 may have retro looks, but it's a versatile speaker with seamless usability and a forthright, confident sound. Now at a new lowest price.

Now that we've tested the LG G6 with the correct, updated software, LG's latest flagship has now been awarded the full five stars. With punchy picture quality, flawless gaming specifications and excellent app support, this is a TV of serious ability.

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And the best TVs for all budgets

Interested in the bigger picture? Here are the best projectors we have tested

You can’t have a conversation about the best TVs without mentioning Sony. In fact, if you’re reading these words, it’s likely because you want to know all about Sony’s new 2026 TV range. If so, hello – you’re in the right place.

This year, Sony’s lineup isn't built around brighter OLED panels or another incremental Mini LED upgrade. Instead, Sony is introducing its first True RGB televisions – a new type of Mini LED TV that replaces traditional white backlighting with individually controlled red, green and blue LEDs.

The company believes that this allows it to reproduce colours more accurately, while also delivering dramatically higher brightness than today's OLED TVs can achieve.

The exciting new display tech headlines the new Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II, but they're far from the only new TVs in Sony's range. More affordable Bravia 3 II and Bravia 2 II models also join the lineup (with some country-specific caveats), while several existing OLED and LED models continue alongside them.

The Sony tech headlines for 2026

Before we dive into the 2026 Sony TV models proper, here are the headlines across the range:

Embracing the RGB Mini LED revolution

For years, OLED has been regarded as the pinnacle of TV picture quality, but 2026 is shaping up to be the year RGB Mini LED goes mainstream.

Sony joins rivals including Samsung, Hisense, LG, Philips, and TCL in adopting the tech, though the company refers to its implementation as True RGB.

Instead of using conventional white or blue Mini LEDs behind a coloured panel, Sony's new system uses independently controlled red, green and blue LEDs.

The result, in theory at least, is a TV capable of producing richer colours at much higher brightness levels, while also improving colour accuracy and reducing some of the compromises traditionally associated with LCD panels.

Sony is chasing studio monitor picture quality

Sony has long claimed its TVs are designed to reproduce films and TV shows as their creators intended, and that philosophy remains central to its latest 2026 TV range.

The Bravia 9 II, for example, has been developed with Sony's professional BVM-HX3110 mastering monitor firmly in mind, with the company claiming its new True RGB technology delivers colours and brightness that more closely match the displays used by filmmakers during production.

During our early hands-on testing, our TV and AV Editor Tom Parsons found the Bravia 9 II tracked the mastering monitor remarkably closely in many scenes, particularly when it came to colour accuracy and HDR highlights. It’s worth noting that he also stated that OLED still retained certain advantages in perceived depth and overall image solidity.

Super-sized screens

Sony has also expanded its range of truly enormous TVs, with the flagship Bravia 9 II now stretching all the way up to a massive 115 inches, while the Bravia 7 II introduces a new 98-inch option.

Even the more affordable Bravia 3 II gains a 100-inch version for the first time, giving buyers who want a cinema-sized screen more options than ever before without necessarily stepping up to Sony's flagship models.

Sony has finally added four HDMI 2.1 sockets – but only on one TV

After years of criticism, Sony has finally introduced a TV with four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports. The rather bonkers catch? It's the Bravia 3 II, rather than one of the premium True RGB models.

That's right; both the flagship Bravia 9 II and step-down Bravia 7 II continue to offer just two HDMI 2.1 sockets, one of which doubles as the eARC connection for a soundbar or AV receiver.

Frankly, this seems an odd decision. Buyers investing in premium home cinema systems might not all be gamers, but certainly a sizeable chunk of them are. And even if they aren’t, it seems odd to have a superior connectivity feature on a model lower in the lineup. Right?

Welcome additions

While True RGB understandably grabs most of the attention, Sony has refreshed much of the wider user experience, too.

Across the new range, you'll find a redesigned remote control with automatic backlighting, USB-C charging and a construction that uses 80 per cent recycled plastic.

Sony has also introduced a new My Cinema interface that makes picture and sound settings easier to personalise, while Direct Connect allows compatible Sony rear speakers and subwoofers to connect wirelessly to supported TVs without the need for a soundbar.

Elsewhere, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, Sony Pictures Core, Google TV and Wi-Fi 6 all remain key parts of the experience across much of the lineup.

Sony 2026 TV range breakdown

So, we've covered the key highlights, but what about the individual models themselves?

Fear not, for it's all broken down below – leading with the newest models, before covering all of Sony's existing TVs that are sticking around for 2026.

Sony Bravia 9 II

The Bravia 9 II replaces the original Bravia 9 as Sony's flagship TV, and also marks the company's first commercial RGB Mini LED (or 'True RGB') TV.

Available in 65-, 75-, 85- and colossal 115-inch sizes, it's designed to bring professional mastering-monitor levels of brightness and colour accuracy into the home.

Unlike conventional Mini LED TVs, which use blue or white LEDs behind an LCD layer, the Bravia 9 II uses independently controlled red, green and blue LEDs.

Sony claims that this setup delivers twice the colour volume of the original Bravia 9 and four times that of the Bravia 8 II OLED.

Elsewhere, gamers may be less enthusiastic. Despite being Sony's flagship TV for 2026, the Bravia 9 II still includes only two HDMI 2.1 sockets supporting 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM. It's an increasingly frustrating limitation when many rivals (including Sony’s own Bravia 3 II) now offer four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports.

Audio is another focus area, with Sony's 2.2.2-channel Acoustic Multi-Audio+ system including upward-firing speakers for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.

That all sounds very exciting indeed, but we have now reviewed the Bravia 9 II, and while it's exceptionally accomplished for a backlit TV, it struggles somewhat to justify itself against the very best OLEDs, most notably Sony's own Bravia 8 II.

Read our Sony Bravia 9 II review

Sony Bravia 9 II specs:

• Sizes: 65, 75, 85 and 115 inches
• Display type: True RGB Mini LED
• Resolution: 4K
• Processor: XR Processor
• Sound: 2.2.2-channel (80W Acoustic Multi-Audio+)
• HDMI 2.1: Yes (x2)
• Gaming features: 4K/120Hz, VRR, ALLM

Sony Bravia 9 II launch pricing:

• Sony Bravia 9 II 65-inch: £3499 / $3600 / AU$5999
• Sony Bravia 9 II 75-inch: £4299 / $4600 / AU$7499
• Sony Bravia 9 II 85-inch: £5499 / $6500 / AU$9999
• Sony Bravia 9 II 115-inch: £22,999 / $31,000 / AU$44,999

Sony Bravia 7 II

The Bravia 9 II may grab most of the headlines, but the Bravia 7 II could end up being the more important TV for most people.

Like its flagship sibling, it adopts Sony's new True RGB backlighting technology, bringing the same fundamental advantages of wider colour reproduction and higher brightness to a considerably lower price point. It also comes in a much broader range of sizes, stretching from 50 inches all the way up to a huge 98-inch version.

Naturally, there are compromises.

Sony positions the Bravia 7 II below the Bravia 9 II by reducing the number of local dimming zones, lowering peak brightness and fitting a simpler 2.2-channel Acoustic Multi-Audio speaker system that omits the flagship's upward-firing Atmos drivers.

The gaming front is also unchanged. Like the 9 II, the Bravia 7 II still relies on Sony's Pentonic 1000 platform, meaning buyers again have just two HDMI 2.1 ports despite support for features such as 4K/120Hz gaming, VRR and ALLM.

On paper, the Bravia 7 II looks like a very tempting performance-per-pound proposition, but like the Bravia 9 II, we feel most buyers will be better served by a similarly priced OLED.

Read our Sony Bravia 7 II review

Sony Bravia 7 II specs:

• Sizes: 50, 55, 65, 75, 85 and 98 inches
• Display type: True RGB Mini LED
• Resolution: 4K
• Processor: XR Processor
• Sound: 2.2-channel (40W Acoustic Multi-Audio)
• HDMI 2.1: Yes (x2)
• Gaming features: 4K/120Hz, VRR, ALLM

Sony Bravia 7 II launch pricing:

• Sony Bravia 7 II 50-inch: £1899 / $1600 / AU$2299
• Sony Bravia 7 II 55-inch: £1999 / $2100 / AU$2499
• Sony Bravia 7 II 65-inch: £2299 / $2600 / AU$3299
• Sony Bravia 7 II 75-inch: £2999 / $3100 / AU$4499
• Sony Bravia 7 II 85-inch: £3999 / $4000 / AU$5999
• Sony Bravia 7 II 98-inch: £6999 / $9000 / AU$12999

Sony Bravia 3 II

Not everyone needs a flagship TV, and Sony clearly hasn't forgotten that.

The Bravia 3 II sits much further down the company's 2026 range, swapping the cutting-edge True RGB backlight found in the Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II for a more conventional LED panel.

That naturally means it won't deliver the same dazzling brightness, colour volume or local dimming performance as its premium siblings, but it still benefits from many of Sony's broader software and smart TV improvements.

Google TV remains at the heart of the experience, providing access to all of the major streaming services alongside built-in Google Cast support, voice control and Sony's familiar smart TV interface.

One particularly notable addition for 2026 is the availability of a huge 100-inch version – the first time Sony has offered the Bravia 3 range in such a large screen size. That could make it an appealing option for buyers wanting an enormous display without paying flagship prices.

As mentioned a few times already (you’ve probably guessed by now that there are a few gamers in the What Hi-Fi? office), the Bravia 3 II actually outdoes its more expensive siblings in one important area – it offers four HDMI 2.1 ports. For users with multiple current-generation consoles, gaming PCs and soundbars, that could prove more than a little useful.

Of course, you shouldn't interpret that as meaning the Bravia 3 II is somehow a better gaming TV than the flagship models overall. Picture quality remains the priority higher up the range, and the lack of Mini LED or True RGB technology means HDR performance won't be in the same league.

But if connectivity is high on your wishlist, it's an unusual advantage that shouldn't be overlooked.

Rather bizarrely, though, the Bravia 3 II is not currently scheduled for launch in the UK.

Sony Bravia 3 II specs:

• Sizes: 43, 50, 55, 65, 75, 85 and 100 inches
• Display type: Direct LED LCD
• Resolution: 4K
• Processor: XR Processor
• Sound: 2.0-channel (X-Balanced Speaker)
• HDMI 2.1: Yes (x4)
• Gaming features: 4K/120Hz, VRR, ALLM

Sony Bravia 3 II launch pricing:

• Sony Bravia 3 II 43-inch: £n/a / $600 / AU$1299
• Sony Bravia 3 II 50-inch: £n/a / $700 / AU$1399
• Sony Bravia 3 II 55-inch: £n/a / $800 / AU$1499
• Sony Bravia 3 II 65-inch: £n/a / $900 / AU$1899
• Sony Bravia 3 II 75-inch: £n/a / $1200 / AU$2399
• Sony Bravia 3 II 85-inch: £n/a / $1600 / AU$3499
• Sony Bravia 3 II 100-inch: £n/a / $3100 / AU$5499

Sony Bravia 2 II

The Bravia 2 II completes Sony's 2026 range as its most affordable new television.

Like the Bravia 3 II, it uses a conventional LED backlight rather than Mini LED, making it the entry point into Sony's latest lineup. Buyers still get Google TV, built-in Google Cast, access to all the major streaming platforms and Sony's familiar smart TV experience, but the focus here is very much on value rather than cutting-edge picture technology.

Available in a wide range of sizes from compact 43-inch models up to larger living room-friendly options, the Bravia 2 II is aimed at people who simply want a dependable Sony TV without paying for premium display hardware they'll rarely use. It's likely to prove particularly attractive for bedrooms, guest rooms and more budget-conscious buyers who still appreciate Sony's picture processing and straightforward interface.

While it will naturally lack the spectacular brightness and colour performance of the True RGB models, Sony hasn't stripped away the essentials. Google TV, voice control and support for today's most popular streaming services remain intact, making it an accessible entry point into the Bravia family.

Sony Bravia 2 II specs:

• Sizes: 43, 50, 55, 65 and 75 inches
• Display type: Direct LED LCD
• Resolution: 4K
• Processor: X1 Processor
• Sound: 2.0-channel
• HDMI 2.1: No (HDMI 2.0b x3)
• Gaming features: ALLM

Sony Bravia 2 II launch pricing:

• Sony Bravia 2 II 43-inch: £629 / $400 / AU$1099
• Sony Bravia 2 II 50-inch: £749 / $500 / AU$1199
• Sony Bravia 2 II 55-inch: £899 / $600 / AU$1299
• Sony Bravia 2 II 65-inch: £1199 / $700 / AU$1699
• Sony Bravia 2 II 75-inch: £1399 / $900 / AU$2199

Older Sony TVs continuing in the lineup

Sony's 2026 range isn't made up entirely of new models. Alongside the latest Bravia launches, Sony is continuing to sell several existing OLED and Mini LED models.

Sony Bravia 8 II

While the Bravia 9 II is Sony's flagship LCD TV, the Bravia 8 II sits at the top of the company's OLED range. Despite its name, it isn't a replacement for the Bravia 8. Instead, it succeeds the A95L, with the Bravia 8 continuing lower down the lineup.

It uses Sony's latest QD-OLED panel, paired with the XR Processor and Acoustic Surface Audio+ sound system. Like the Bravia 9 II, gaming support includes 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM, though there are still only two HDMI 2.1 sockets.

If you're deciding between Sony's two flagship TV technologies, the choice is fairly straightforward. The Bravia 9 II prioritises brightness and very large screen sizes, while the Bravia 8 II focuses on OLED's pixel-level contrast, and perfect blacks.

Read our Sony Bravia 8 II review

Sony Bravia 8 II specs:

• Sizes: 55 and 65 inches
• Display type: QD-OLED
• Resolution: 4K
• Processor: XR Processor
• Sound: Acoustic Surface Audio+
• HDMI 2.1: Yes (x2)
• Gaming features: 4K/120Hz, VRR, ALLM

Sony Bravia 8 II prices:

• Sony Bravia 8 II 55-inch: £1799 / $3300 / AU$3999
• Sony Bravia 8 II 65-inch: £2299 / $2600 / AU$3299

Sony Bravia 8

The Bravia 8 remains one of Sony's core OLED TVs and continues in the lineup alongside the newer Bravia 8 II. Originally launched as the successor to the award-winning A80L, it combines a 4K WOLED panel with Sony's XR Processor and Acoustic Surface Audio+ technology.

Like the Bravia 8 II, it supports Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, 4K/120Hz gaming, VRR and ALLM, though only two HDMI inputs are HDMI 2.1.

Available in 55-inch, 65-inch and 77-inch sizes, it continues to offer a premium OLED option for buyers who don't need Sony's flagship QD-OLED model.

Read our Sony Bravia 8 review

Sony Bravia 8 specs:

• Sizes: 55, 65 and 77 inches
• Display type: OLED
• Resolution: 4K
• Processor: XR Processor
• Sound: Acoustic Surface Audio+
• HDMI 2.1: Yes (x2)
• Gaming features: 4K/120Hz, VRR, ALLM

Sony Bravia 8 prices:

• Sony Bravia 8 55-inch: £1399 / $1600 / AU$2499
• Sony Bravia 8 65-inch: £1799 / $2000 / AU$2999
• Sony Bravia 8 77-inch: £2699 / $3000 / AU$4499

Sony Bravia 8A

The Bravia 8A is a variant of the Bravia 8, rather than an all-new TV. Sony says that it delivers identical picture and sound performance, with the only differences being a non-backlit remote control and fewer Sony Pictures Core streaming credits.

Available in the same three sizes as the Bravia 8, the Bravia 8A gives buyers another option if pricing differs between the two models. If it's noticeably cheaper, it could prove the better buy, given that Sony says performance is otherwise unchanged.

Sony Bravia 8A specs:

• Sizes: 55, 65 and 77 inches
• Display type: OLED
• Resolution: 4K
• Processor: XR Processor
• Sound: Acoustic Surface Audio+
• HDMI 2.1: Yes (x2)
• Gaming features: 4K/120Hz, VRR, ALLM

Sony Bravia 8A prices:

• Sony Bravia 8A 55-inch: £1199 / $N/A / AU$N/A
• Sony Bravia 8A 65-inch: £1499 / $N/A / AU$N/A
• Sony Bravia 8A 77-inch: £2399 / $N/A / AU$N/A

Sony Bravia 5

The Bravia 5 continues as Sony's most affordable Mini LED TV, offering a step up from conventional LED sets without the price of the company's flagship models.

Combining Mini LED backlighting with Sony's XR Processor, it brings many of the company's premium picture-processing features to a wider audience.

Available in sizes from 55 inches up to a huge 98 inches, the Bravia 5 also supports Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, 4K/120Hz gaming, VRR and ALLM. As with many Sony TVs, only two HDMI inputs support the full HDMI 2.1 specification.

If you're looking for a Sony Mini LED TV without stretching to one of the company's flagship models, the Bravia 5 remains a compelling option.

Read our Sony Bravia 5 review

Sony Bravia 5 specs:

• Sizes: 55, 65, 75, 85 and 98 inches
• Display type: Mini LED LCD
• Resolution: 4K
• Processor: XR Processor
• Sound: Acoustic Multi-Audio (40W)
• HDMI 2.1: Yes (x2)
• Gaming features: 4K/120Hz, VRR, ALLM

Sony Bravia 5 prices:

• Sony Bravia 5 55-inch: £1099 / $1400 / AU$1699
• Sony Bravia 5 65-inch: £1299 / $1500 / AU$1999
• Sony Bravia 5 75-inch: £1599 / $2000 / AU$2499
• Sony Bravia 5 85-inch: £1999 / $2400 / AU$2999
• Sony Bravia 5 98-inch: £4499 / $5000 / AU$5999

Sony A90K

The A90K remains Sony's premium small-screen OLED, offering buyers a high-end option in 42-inch and 48-inch sizes. Powered by the Cognitive Processor XR, it combines a 4K OLED panel with Sony's Acoustic Surface Audio+ sound system and Google TV.

Gaming features include 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM, with two HDMI 2.1 inputs available. While Sony's newer OLEDs deliver improvements in brightness and overall performance, the A90K remains a premium OLED choice for anyone who wants a more compact TV.

Sony Bravia A90K specs:

• Sizes: 42 and 48 inches
• Display type: OLED
• Resolution: 4K
• Processor: Cognitive Processor XR
• Sound: Acoustic Surface Audio+
• HDMI 2.1: Yes (x2)
• Gaming features: 4K/120Hz, VRR, ALLM

Sony Bravia A90K prices:

• Sony A90K 42-inch: £1399 / $1300 / AU$n/a
• Sony A90K 48-inch: £1499 / $1400 / AU$n/a

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Here are the best TVs you can buy right now

Here at What Hi-Fi?, we love TVs with brand-new, innovative features that promise to push the industry forward.

We also love it when these TVs have great discounts.

And that’s exactly what we have with the Sony Bravia 9 II. The Japanese giant’s flagship RGB Mini LED TV is now available for £2974 at Richer Sounds with the code SONY15PERCENT.

The Bravia 9 II is one of the first RGB Mini LED TVs available. These TVs use independently controlled red, green and blue Mini LEDs, rather than a colour filter over white LEDs, for higher peak brightness, better colour volume and better contrast.

The catch? Well, the TV is not actually available to buy until the end of July; but you can lock in your pre-order now while there’s a nice £500 discount.

The headline feature is, of course, that RGB Mini LED backlight.

The technology works together with Sony’s sophisticated Backlight Master Drive system and 1530 local dimming zones to produce an impressively immersive picture for a backlit TV.

On one aspect, in fact, the Bravia 9 II surpasses every other TV we’ve tested: colour.

“Quite simply, the Bravia 9 II produces the finest colours we've ever seen from any TV,” our Sony Bravia 9 II review reads. “Richly saturated scenes burst with vibrancy, but never at the expense of authenticity.

“Sony has combined extraordinary colour volume with its traditional restraint, so even the boldest hues remain beautifully balanced and believable. It’s a wonderfully cinematic presentation that constantly impresses without ever shouting for attention.”

Brightness too is exceptional – unlike OLEDs, the Bravia 9 II can maintain its extraordinary brightness across the whole screen, and not just small highlights.

Black levels are also superb for a backlit TV, but we found even the Bravia 9 II’s exceptional dimming system can’t quite replicate the pixel-level precision of OLED.

Sound is also impressively large, spacious and immersive by TV standards, with the Acoustic Multi-Audio+ system offering a genuine sense of height and plenty of subtle detail.

The premium smart TV experience we have come to expect from Sony is present and correct, with the Google TV OS offering all the usual apps as well as YouView and PS Remote Play for PlayStation users.

All the apps that should support HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision and/or Dolby Atmos do so correctly, and Sony’s Studio Calibrated modes also provide optimised picture settings for services such as Netflix, Prime Video and Sony Pictures Core.

If you regularly watch in an exceptionally bright room or simply prefer not to buy an OLED, the Bravia 9 II should sit right at the top of your shortlist. Sony’s flagship RGB Mini LED model delivers the finest colours we have seen from a television, breathtaking brightness, and a highly accomplished backlight system. And it is now available to pre-order with £525 off at Richer Sounds.

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Read our review of the Sony Bravia 8 II

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Read our Hisense UR9 review

Fancy watching what could be a groundbreaking semi-final on a groundbreaking TV? Then you may want to consider this atypically early discount on Sony's cutting-edge Bravia 7 II.

The Sony Bravia 7 II is one of the Japanese company's brand-new True RGB TVs. And the technology could be yours in time for England's next game, and at a discount. The code SONY10PERCENT will bring the price down by, you guessed it, ten per cent, to £1799 at Richer Sounds.

True RGB is Sony's spin on RGB Mini LED. It's a next-gen panel technology that places red, green and blue LEDs behind the LCD panel for better colour accuracy, improved brightness and better contrast.

We reviewed the Sony Bravia 7 II mere days ago, and while it can't quite match some OLED-specific qualities, it's easily one of the best backlit TVs we've ever tested.

"The general sense of nuance and sophistication extends to how the Bravia 7 II manages its backlight, our Sony Bravia 7 II review reads. "When this TV is in its element, it becomes possible to forget that this is a backlit TV, as the RGB Mini LED system doesn’t distract or detract from the experience.

"This extends to general blooming control, which is extremely impressive by prevailing standards. In a shot from Oppenheimer in which the nuclear bomb testing site is lit up at night by a series of spotlights, we find that the halos of light that we’ve seen time and time again on other backlit TVs have been strictly confined. There is still a very faint amount of blooming, but this is leagues ahead of other LCD TVs that we’ve recently tested."

Sony's typically excellent picture tuning is also on display here, with motion handling being particularly impressive, helping the set deliver a tangible sense of three-dimensional solidity that we rarely see in non-OLED TVs.

As with previous Sony TVs, the Bravia 7 II supports HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision, but not HDR10+. The built-in Google TV is more all-encompassing, however, and we couldn't find any obvious missing apps – all the major domestic and international streaming services are there.

For the gamers out there, there are four HDMI sockets with ALLM, but only two of them are full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 sockets with 4K/120Hz gameplay and VRR.

Sony's usually impressive built-in audio seems to have taken a step backwards for the Bravia 7 II, however. There's a good sense of clarity and detail, but the sound system seems to struggle dynamically – we'd recommend a good soundbar or surround sound system to really get the most from your movies.

There's also a transparent centre stand that Sony has designed to refract light, making it look invisible. It caused quite a stir in our test room, as it truly looks as if the TV is floating in place.

If you want the latest in TV technology, then the Sony Bravia 7 II is a compelling choice. It rectifies several of the shortcomings of previous Mini LEDs, and already has a healthy £200 discount at Richer Sounds.

MORE:

Read our review of the LG C6

Also consider the Sony Bravia 8 II

Best TVs: flagship OLEDs and budget Mini LED sets tried and tested

There could be some big changes for the social movie platform Letterboxd. The brand is reportedly in talks with potential buyers including Netflix, Sony Pictures and Paramount, according to Puck.

Letterboxd's co-founders Matthew Buchanan and Karl von Randow will still own 40 per cent, but the fate of the remaining stake in the social network is up in the air as the current holding company, Tiny, seems to be looking to sell.

For those not in the know, the movie cataloguing site allows you to rate and review films. You can follow your friends and to see what they are watching, and tailor your profile to show your top four favourites.

As of July this year, there were a whopping 26 million users worldwide. That includes numerous celebrities, such as Ayo Edebiri, Charli XCX and Ed Sheeran. Even our furry friend Paddington leaves the odd review.

One of the prerequisites for working at What Hi-Fi? is that you have to be a massive movie nerd (joking, kind of). That's because testing out the latest home cinema and AV kit involves watching a variety of films to see how well they perform. We watch the same scenes again and again to compare different models, and that is a lot more fun if you genuinely love watching movies.

I have gushed about Letterboxd before and it's still the first thing I reach for once I have watched a movie. Users can post one-line zingers or thoughtful reviews, and both are equally likely to get hundreds of likes.

But I'm a little worried about the possibility of the platform being owned by streaming services or movie studios such as Netflix or Sony Pictures. It means that they could favour certain releases and push some films onto the homepage more than others, giving smaller movies less of a chance to get noticed.

Clearly, I am not alone, as there is already a crowdfunding effort to "buy it back for the people" that has gained over $54,000 in donations so far.

Nothing is set in stone yet, but it would be a shame to see the fun and passionate Letterboxd community become oversaturated with advertising and led by algorithms instead of film lovers.

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I’m a movie lover and this is the one app I cannot do without

These are the best scenes to test your Dolby Atmos setup

Check out the best TVs right now

Sony has unveiled its latest pair of wired in-ear headphones, the IER-M500.

Developed in collaboration with monitoring engineers, Sony bills its latest in-ear headphones as being the perfect partner for musicians and performers who require "reliable and accurate in-ear monitoring" for both performance and practice.

The IEMs' fully sealed structure, combined with a large acoustic chamber, offers outstanding sound isolation, even in noisy live environments.

A set of 5mm dynamic drivers are complemented by a large acoustic chamber in pursuit of "deep, controlled bass", while the headphones' optimised internal structure has been designed to give a more refined high-frequency reproduction.

Designed to blend comfort and stability, the IER-M500 feature what Sony calls "fitting supporters".

This is a loop at the top of each earpiece which nestles under the inner ear ridge to anchor the IEMs in place. To further facilitate a better fit, four sizes of noise-isolating ear tips are included, as is a 1.6m detachable cable with a 3.5mm jack.

While they don't carry an official IP certification, Sony pledges that the IER-M500 are capable of handling moisture, such as splashes of water or human sweat, without too much trouble.

The IER-M500 will be available from August in a choice of Clear, Black and Red & Blue finishes, priced at £99 / $120 / €115.

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Best wired headphones: from outstanding in-ears to five-star over-ears

After more than five years of daily use, my AirPods Max recently stopped working.

I can't really complain. Between commuting, international travel and a house move, they'd spent years being stuffed into backpacks and suitcases before emerging to soundtrack thousands of hours of music and movies. They'd had a pretty hard life.

Rather than rushing to repair them, though, I saw an opportunity.

In the five years since I'd bought the AirPods Max, loads of exciting new headphones had launched. This felt like the perfect excuse to break away from Apple's ecosystem and find out whether anything could finally replace them.

Over the next couple of months, I spent time with headphones from Sony, Bose, Sennheiser and Bowers & Wilkins. Their relative strengths varied, but all of them sounded very accomplished with music. In the case of Sony's superb WH-1000XM6, I'd even argue the overall musical performance is better than that of the AirPods Max.

But this period of headphone flirtation had a surprising effect: my movie-watching almost ground to a halt.

For years now, I've used my AirPods Max at least as much for movies as for music. In fact, they've quietly become an essential part of my home cinema setup.

Once the rest of my family had gone to bed and it was no longer neighbourly to keep my Dolby Atmos system rumbling away, I had a simple routine. Rather than switching on Night mode and flattening every explosion, gunshot and orchestral swell, I'd put on my AirPods Max, tap the pop-up on my Apple TV 4K and carry on watching exactly where I'd left off.

The combination of the AirPods Max and Apple TV 4K remains astonishingly good. Their Dolby Atmos implementation, delivered through Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking, creates an experience that's surprisingly easy to forget is coming from a pair of headphones. It doesn't simply sound spacious; it sounds uncannily natural.

And that's the bit I hadn't appreciated until the AirPods Max disappeared from my life. Every alternative I tried excelled with music, but none recreated that movie experience.

The closest I came was pairing Sony's WH-1000XM6 with the Bravia 8 II TV. It produced an impressively open and fairly cinematic presentation, but because the connection relied on standard Bluetooth, what I was hearing was ultimately a cleverly processed stereo signal rather than the sort of binaural Dolby Atmos experience that Apple's solution provides.

The difference wasn't night and day, but it was enough that I found myself missing the AirPods Max every time I settled down to watch a film, and that had a surprisingly big impact on my viewing habits.

If the family was asleep, I simply wasn't getting the experience I wanted. I wasn't about to hobble my main home cinema system with Night mode, but neither were the alternative headphones convincing enough to tempt me away from it.

Whether it's children, a partner or simply considerate neighbours, I suspect lots of people end up watching films after the house has gone quiet, and losing that window meant the number of films I watched absolutely tanked over the following weeks. I missed loads.

The good news is that I'm now making up for lost time, because I've managed to get hold of another pair of AirPods Max.

The whole experience taught me something I wasn't expecting, though: I'd quietly built my entire late-night movie-watching routine around one Apple feature.

That's not to say Apple has the only solution. Sony, for example, offers the little-known WLA-NS7 wireless transmitter, which promises a similar binaural Dolby Atmos experience with compatible headphones. I'll be testing that very soon.

But until something else can recreate what the AirPods Max and Apple TV 4K achieve together, they'll remain my favourite headphones for movies – even if some rivals have at least matched them when it comes to music.

MORE:

Here are the best wireless headphones you can buy right now

Check out our Apple AirPods Max review

When Sony officially unveiled its 2026 TV range, there was plenty of disappointment that it didn’t include a new OLED model – much of it from me.

These days, Sony tends to work on two-year lifecycles for its TVs, so I wasn’t expecting a successor to last year’s Bravia 8 II; but a replacement for 2024’s Bravia 8 seemed a fairly safe bet – as did a successor to the A90K, which is now an incredible four years old.

The omission prompted some (again, mostly me) to theorise that Sony had in fact turned its back on OLED entirely, and that the Bravia 8 II could be the brand’s last OLED model.

Last month, though, we reported on rumours that Sony was bracing to launch a brand-new OLED TV. And now, those rumours have been all but confirmed by the appearance of this new OLED set on several of Sony’s own websites.

The listings, first spotted by High Def News (thanks, The Walkman Blog), confirm that the new OLED is indeed the Bravia 6. And, if the name wasn’t a big enough hint, the TV’s tagline – “OLED essentials, now within reach” – also confirms that this is indeed an entry-level OLED TV.

Naturally, I’m disappointed that Sony isn’t launching a new flagship OLED at this stage, but if the Bravia 6 is indeed Sony’s most affordable OLED TV yet, as the tagline suggests, that’s rather exciting news in its own right.

Full tech specs are currently absent from the live pages (another suggestion that they have gone live earlier than planned), but there are some nuggets of information to be gleaned.

First, the TV is listed in sizes ranging from 48 inches to 83 inches. That’s a broader range than Sony typically offers for its OLED TVs, but it’s also highly suggestive of the Bravia 6 using LG Display’s new OLED SE panel, which is available in exactly those sizes and notably not in 42 inches.

While it’s not confirmed, we believe this is the panel that is already found in the LG B6, a set we will be reviewing very soon.

Another encouraging detail is that the Bravia 6 sports four HDMI 2.1 sockets. Gamers (myself included) have long lamented Sony’s models being limited to just two HDMI 2.1 sockets, with that limitation even being true of the new flagship Bravia 9 II, so this is very good news.

The listing also confirms that Dolby Vision is supported on the video side, and that Dolby Atmos and DTS:X are present on the audio side.

Unsurprisingly, like every other modern Bravia TV, the Bravia 6 also features the Google TV platform, which can be operated via voice control (though it’s not clear whether this is via a microphone built into the remote control or the TV itself).

We do know the TV includes ambient sensors, with the listing promising automatic picture adjustments based on room conditions.

None of the leaked listings includes pricing, so we don’t yet have any indication of where the Bravia 6 will sit in Sony’s range.

We don’t even know, in fact, whether the Bravia 6 will even come to the UK. Sony has a recent habit of releasing some models in certain regions but not others.

If it does launch the new model in the UK, there’s no guarantee that it will do so in all sizes: I note that Sony Hong Kong is listing the Bravia 6 in 48-, 55- and 65-inch sizes, while Sony Gabon is listing the 55-, 65-, 77- and 83-inch sizes.

We have approached Sony UK for comment. We don’t expect the company to confirm the Bravia 6 ahead of an official announcement, but with multiple regional Sony websites now listing the TV, that announcement surely can’t be far away.

Stay tuned for more on the Sony Bravia 6 as we get it.

MORE:

These are the best TVs you can buy right now

Will the Bravia 6 be good enough and cheap enough to hit our list of the best cheap TVs?

Prime Day (or should that be Prime Week?) may just be a memory now, but that doesn’t mean the savings have dried up.

Several discounts have stayed live long after the Prime curtain came down, while others have popped up out of the woodwork. And (this shouldn’t be right, surely?) some top Prime Day deals have somehow got even cheaper.

So if you’re looking to upgrade your home cinema for the final weeks of the World Cup or seeking a Bluetooth speaker for the next heatwave, we’ve got you covered.

These are all products we have reviewed and rated ourselves, and all have been awarded a full five stars. So you can buy with confidence.

It’s been a banner week this week, with several Award-winners and new 2026 releases up for grabs. Take a look yourself:

If you’re after powered speakers on a budget, then the Elac Debut ConneX DCB41 are our recommendation. They are full of features, with Bluetooth connectivity, a switchable stereo input/moving-magnet phono stage and HDMI, optical and USB inputs; but most importantly they also serve up a balanced, insightful sound.

Two of our favourite OLED TVs of 2026 are on sale this week! Up first is our mid-range pick, the LG C6, which is even cheaper than it was during Prime Day. This deal price includes the £40 cost of an AO Five-Star membership, which is needed to unlock the discount.

The JBL Charge 6 is our Product of the Year Bluetooth speaker, and we were astonished when it dropped to £100 over Prime Day. We were even more astonished, however, when it dropped even further this week, with the black finish now £96 at Amazon.

If you’re after a new flagship OLED, then the Samsung S99H is the one to beat this year. It has dazzlingly bright highlights, awesome contrast and excellent three-dimensional depth, making it perfect for the World Cup, GTA 6, or pretty much anything you plan to use it for. Unlock the deal price with the code TRADE250 and a £250 cashback offer from Samsung – full Ts&Cs can be found here.

The Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S excels where several Dolby Atmos soundbars fail, with the included subwoofer adding plenty of tight, agile bass. We reviewed this package only in April, and now it’s available with its first discount.

The Hisense AX5125H was one of the earliest deals we covered on Prime Day, and also one of the best. The fact you can get a Dolby Atmos soundbar system at this price is quite incredible. What’s more incredible is that it also sounds pretty good.

MORE:

Our pick of the best wireless headphones you can buy

And the best TVs for all budgets

Interested in the bigger picture? Here are the best projectors we have tested

Soundbars have come a long way over the years, now offering effective Dolby Atmos and surround effects all from a single bar.

But there’s one element where soundbars struggle the most: bass.

To address that shortcoming, one of Sony’s most recent releases has come with a convenient solution: the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S comes with a subwoofer included. And you can pick one up for £699 at Sevenoaks.

And it really makes all the difference – when we removed the subwoofer from the sonic equation, the soundbar lacked the scale and authority that the tight, agile bass provided.

Unlike its predecessor, the Sony HT-A3000, the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 has dedicated upward-firing drivers, meaning you’ll get ‘proper’ Dolby Atmos height effects and won’t have to rely on Sony’s Vertical Sound Engine processing.

And the effects are immersive and convincing indeed – a test viewing of Top Gun: Maverick resulted in the sound stretching above the TV screen as a jet soared into the atmosphere. You can pinpoint the plane’s position through the audio alone, while a motorcycle ride also showcases the width of the soundstage as Tom Cruise zips from left to right.

Voices are clear and emotive too, offering a huge improvement over most TV speakers.

What makes this soundbar stand out, however, is the well-handled bass from the subwoofer. So much so that when we remove the subwoofer from the equation, the soundbar on its own doesn’t quite feel like great value for money.

As we say in our Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S review: “While it still delivers clear vocals and convincing height effects, the sound is thinner and lacking the sense of scale and authority that we get when the subwoofer is added.”

Given that the package with the subwoofer is only £100 more than the regular soundbar, that really is quite impressive.

The soundbar has a neat design, with a stylish cloth grille and a 6cm height that should easily fit under most displays. The subwoofer is also fairly compact at 36 x 35 x 13cm (hwd), and can work with the grille either facing the listener or the side of the room.

There are plenty of great features, including full HDMI passthrough of 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM for the gamers out there.

There is also DTS:X support, while the Bravia Connect app allows you to fine-tune settings. This is especially important; while there is a remote control, we were disappointed to discover there were no physical buttons or display panels on the Bar 7.

The Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S is up against some steep competition, in the form of the Award-winning Sonos Arc Ultra, but does boast a more agile and well-integrated bass. If you’re after a bargain soundbar package that doesn’t disappoint in the bass department, then the Bar 7 and subwoofer duo are a match made in heaven, especially with £100 off at Sevenoaks.

MORE:

Also consider the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9

Check out the best Sony soundbars

Best soundbars: options for every need, recommended by our experts

Fancy something for the weekend? Well Sony has just the thing. Its Award-winning WH-1000XM6 headphones have just gained a new firmware update that enables an ultra-low-latency mode.

The update is also available for Sony’s 1000X The Collexion.

The update adds support for the Bluetooth LE Audio Gaming Audio Profile (GMAP). This reduces latency (the time that a sound takes to reach your ears) to less than 40 milliseconds.

As the name suggests, this will predominantly be of interest to gamers.

GMAP has four signal profiles (A-D) depending on whether speed or stability is the priority. Profile A is the quickest, while D is better suited for areas with lots of interference. GMAP is part of the Bluetooth specification laid down by the Bluetooth SIG, and so can work on other wireless headphones too.

In order to hear the benefit, your audio source also needs to support GMAP.

The new feature is available now via the 3.1.5 firmware update for the XM6 and 1.3.0 for the 1000X The Collexion. You can install the updates for both pairs of headphones using the Sony Sound Connect app.

MORE:

Read our Sony WH-1000XM6 review

And our Sony 1000X The Collexion review

I spent 10 hours on trains listening the Sony WH-1000XM6 – here’s what I learned

Well folks, it finally happened.

Sony announced yesterday that all PlayStation games released from January 2028 onwards will be available only as digital downloads; physical disc production will end.

This, unsurprisingly, has rubbed everyone the wrong way. Including more than 6000 angry gamers in the comments section of the PlayStation Blog post that announced the change, as well as on the brand’s various social media pages.

Sony has also been mocked by the likes of Domino’s Pizza. We are even seeing gamers dig up a satirical video made by Sony teaching gamers how to share and resell their games made in 2013 after Microsoft famously tried to implement a system that locked discs to individual users’ Xbox consoles.

We don’t blame them. This decision – which, according to Sony, has been made to “adapt to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs” – is without doubt detrimental not only to gamers, but also to cinephiles who value the 4K Blu-ray format.

I’m willing to bet that the PS5 is the best-selling 4K Blu-ray player on the market currently, and that’s mostly because competition isn’t exactly fierce.

Sony and Panasonic are the only mainstream manufacturers offering 4K disc players at the moment – and, one incredibly minor refresh last year from Sony apart, neither has put out a truly new 4K player in years.

While I’m not betting the house on every PS5 owner tapping into the high-resolution disc format for their films and TV shows, the PS5 has felt like a lifeline for the format for quite some time.

The multipurpose nature of its ability to play games and movie discs has really added to its appeal in the world of home cinema, even if it’s missing some AV-focused features such as Dolby Vision HDR support.

But with this change, I think it’s safe to assume that the next-generation PlayStation console will be a digital-only affair.

Sony soft-launched that concept with the PS5 Pro, when it offered the console only without the disc drive, and required customers to purchase a drive separately as an accessory.

It now seems that the company was laying the foundation for this recent announcement – and we fear that the PS6, which is expected to launch next year, could forgo the optional disc drive entirely.

While this will be a crushing blow to 4K Blu-ray fans such as myself – need I remind everyone that physical PS5 game releases come on 4K Blu-ray discs too – this is also a huge blow to consumers in general.

You can forget lending a game to your friend, or selling it on when you have finished playing it. Likewise, those who prefer to buy games on the second-hand market to save money (gaming isn’t a cheap hobby after all) will be out of luck from 2028 onwards.

Historically, Sony has come under scrutiny for the pricing of games on the PlayStation Store. It has even faced lawsuits for allegedly charging gamers unfair digital fees.

This announcement is especially galling after the recent news that, in September, more than 550 films and TV shows will be removed not only from the PlayStation Store, but also from the libraries of people who bought them.

This is due to a licensing agreement between Sony and Studio Canal ending – and it appears as though refunds will not be issued.

This is where my biggest issue lies. I tend to buy my PS5 games on disc for this very reason; so that I own them outright, and they can’t be taken away from me at a moment’s notice and with no compensation.

From 2028, I won’t have that option, and that certainly doesn’t sit well with me. As someone who is constantly vouching for physical media – especially 4K Blu-ray – I’m really discouraged by Sony’s choice. It certainly means that I won’t be rushing out to buy a PlayStation 6 in the same way I did with the PS5.

Overall, this announcement feels more like a punch to the gut for consumers, and I’m not buying Sony’s reasoning.

If it really wants to “drive innovation in how players can access games and provide choices as to where players prefer to purchase new games”, I would suggest it changes its viewpoint on physical media.

MORE:

Read our full Sony PlayStation 5 review

Check out our picks for the best 4K Blu-ray players

Which is the best 4K Blu-ray player, PS5 or Xbox Series X?

Sony has dealt a critical blow to physical media with its latest PlayStation announcement.

Starting in 2028, Sony will end physical disc production for PlayStation games, meaning you will be able to access future titles only digitally. Sony confirms that retailers will carry digital download codes for games from 2028 onwards, with the PlayStation Store as the most convenient place for gamers to access new titles in two years.

The Japanese AV and gaming goliath confirms that this change will affect only new titles, and that “this transition has no impact on games that already released, or will be releasing, prior to January 2028 in disc format”.

This news follows the announcement that Grand Theft Auto VI, which is expected to be one of the biggest video game launches of all time, will be available only in digital formats on PS5, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.

The reasoning behind this monumental change, given by Sony, is that it simply follows consumers’ wants and needs. The company had this to say in a PlayStation Blog post made yesterday:

“This is a natural direction for Sony Interactive Entertainment to adapt to consumer trends, as the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs. This transition will enable us to align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today.”

While Sony claims that this decision has been made with consumer interests in mind, the general reaction to the news has been less than positive from gamers. At the time of writing, there were 6256 comments on Sony’s blog post, and the consensus is overwhelmingly negative.

Comments on the blog post from PlayStation users include: “Do not like this, I’ve always preferred physical to digital”, “Shame on you Sony”, “Revert this decision right now”, and “We literally own nothing now but licenses; this is a horrible decision, Sony”.

This also comes in the wake of a digital-media fiasco made by PlayStation a mere three days ago. The company announced that, due to a content licensing agreement with Studio Canal, users will lose access to more than 500 films and TV shows that they have bought from the PlayStation Store here in the UK.

If that’s not already concerning enough, Sony confirmed that the affected content will be removed from users’ video library with no mention of refunds or compensation. This makes Sony’s announcement to ditch physical game releases even more troublesome.

It has been made clear time and time again that access to digital media can be revoked in a heartbeat, so seeing physical media being phased out is leaving gamers feeling understandably insecure.

While it is currently far too early to speculate, it’s presumed that Sony will lift the lid on the PlayStation 6 next year, just in time for this new digital revolution.

Therefore, it’s not out of the question to assume that the PS6 will be a digital-only console, which could deal a critical blow to the 4K Blu-ray format.

MORE:

Read our full Sony PlayStation 5 review

Check out our picks for the best 4K Blu-ray players

Which is the best 4K Blu-ray player, PS5 or Xbox Series X?

If you have purchased a movie on the PlayStation Store, then you may well be impacted by the brand’s latest announcement.

In September, PlayStation will remove more than 550 films from its catalogue. Which means any affected films will be wiped from your video library, even if you paid for them.

The company is not offering refunds to users, and there’s not even an option to offload them to another device. Sony, which owns PlayStation, says that they will be removed due to content licensing agreements with Studio Canal.

You can read the full list of affected movies on PlayStation’s website but some of the most notable titles include Moonlight, Rambo First Blood, Apocalypse Now, and Pan’s Labyrinth.

At the moment, this affects only customers in the UK, although the brand pulled the same move in Germany and Austria back in 2022.

It’s a rather unpleasant reminder that you can never truly own a piece of media online, as you are always at the whim of licensing battles. We have seen the issue with streaming services before, with Netflix most recently hitting headlines for removing all seven series of Gilmore Girls from its US site.

That’s why physical media is still so important. There is no substitute for holding a copy of your favourite movie or TV show in your hands.

Investing in a 4K Blu-ray is usually the more expensive option, but it gives you proper ownership while also providing the best picture and sound quality you can get at home.

MORE:

These are the best 4K Blu-ray players

Check out the best TVs

And these are the best scenes to test your Dolby Atmos sound system

The (absolutely scorching) sun is starting to set on Prime Day 2026, but there are still plenty of great deals available – particularly on wireless headphones.

We've seen excellent discounts on earbuds and over-ears, from new models to old favourites, current Award winners and five-star favourites.

Unfortunately, this can make it all the more difficult to know exactly which deal is right for you.

We've tested hundreds of headphones here at What Hi-Fi?, and we know a good deal when we see one. And we've been delighted to see discounts on the products we've long been recommending on our best wireless earbuds and best wireless headphones buying guides.

So if you're after some Prime Day-specific buying advice, I've found the best headphone deals and fashioned a quiz to help you find the perfect Prime Day pair.

All you need to do is answer two quick questions about your headphone requirements, and we will take you to a five-star pair that What Hi-Fi? has rated and recommended. Enjoy...

MORE:

Amazon Prime Day 2026 Live Q&A: personalised hi-fi and home cinema buying advice, direct from our experts

Sony WH-1000XM6 vs WH-1000XM5: which wireless headphones are better?

Sony has the hottest Prime Day headphones deals around – here are 5 of the best I’d recommend and one pair I’d seriously avoid

I've tested dozens of headphones – these are the 6 best Prime Day headphones deals I recommend for under £150

I've been totally open about my love for the Sony Bravia 8 II. Not only is it the current What Hi-Fi? Awards TV of the year, it's also the TV I use at home.

Seeing as I've been reviewing TVs for almost 20 years, that hopefully says a lot.

The Bravia 8 II is also on sale right now, with the 65-inch version available for £2099 at Richer Sounds.

That's not the cheapest it's ever been (that would be £1979), but it's still a good price for what is an absolutely awesome TV.

If I were looking to buy a premium TV right now, though, it's the 65-inch LG C5 I would go for.

It's a step-down OLED rather than a flagship like the Bravia 8 II, but it's still an absolutely cracking all-rounder of a TV, and it's currently available for £1299 at Amazon.

That price difference is just too big to ignore.

In our review, we awarded the C5 five stars, praising it for delivering "excellent all-round performance" that punches well above its price.

It's one of those rare TVs that doesn't have any glaring weaknesses, making it an easy recommendation whether you're a movie buff, sports fan or gamer.

Picture quality is the obvious highlight. The C5 produces rich, vibrant colours without sacrificing authenticity, while its contrast is superb, delivering the deep blacks and bright highlights that OLED TVs are famous for.

It's also wonderfully sharp and detailed, with excellent motion handling that keeps everything from fast-paced football to blockbuster action films looking smooth and natural.

Gaming is another area where the LG excels. All four HDMI sockets support the full HDMI 2.1 specification, including 4K/165Hz, VRR and ALLM, making it one of the most comprehensively equipped gaming TVs around.

Now, let's be clear: the Sony Bravia 8 II is still the better TV. It's brighter, more vibrant and more refined, producing an even more cinematic and authentic picture. Its built-in sound system is also leagues ahead of the LG's, delivering audio that's fuller, weightier and more immersive than almost any other TV.

If money were no object, I'd still tell you to buy the Bravia 8 II.

But money almost always is an object. And when you're looking at an £800 price difference, the LG C5 becomes the smarter buy.

MORE:

Here are all of the best TVs and best TV deals available right now

And here are the best soundbars

I've tested quite a few budget Bluetooth turntables this year, including the Sony PS-LX3BT and the Sharp RP-TT100, but my top pick for overall sonic performance has to be the Sony PS-LX5BT. Like its LX3BT sibling, the PS-LX5BT earned the full five-star haul earlier this year thanks to its commendable sonic talents alongside excellent usability and multiple ways to listen.

Now that it's dropped to £307 at Amazon, Sevenoaks and John Lewis this Prime Day, you're in a great position to pick up five-star quality for £92 less than its standard RRP of £399. That's roughly 23 per cent off a supremely talented Bluetooth deck that we only recently reviewed!

Best Sony turntable Prime Day deal

The PS-LX5BT gives you the full Bluetooth turntable package, with a built-in phono stage, fully automatic operation and great sonic performance on a budget, although if you're looking to save even more cash, the step-down PS-LX3BT is also on sale for Prime Day.

That said, if you pick the LX5BT, you'll get a better cartridge, a slightly different arm tube, slip mat and finish, as well as fully detachable interconnect cables.

This being a fully automatic turntable, operation and setup are simple. The PS-LX5BT is easy to use and responsive to our commands, without needing to manually adjust the tonearm or tinker with tracking weights.

The PS-LX5BT is supplied with a pre-fitted moving magnet cartridge with a 2g tracking force, with much of the PS-LX5BT's improved performance likely deriving from its more premium cartridge.

For Bluetooth, there’s support for the hi-res aptX Adaptive codec for handling files wirelessly up to 24-bit/96kHz to compatible Bluetooth speakers and headphones, with the PS-LX5BT allowing up to eight devices to be paired at any given time.

Why would you get the PS-LX5BT over the cheaper PS-LX3BT? For us, the costlier deck does a great job of justifying its not-inconsiderable price increase over its more entry-level counterpart, offering a more open, spacious and more detailed sound than the LX3BT.

It also grants more space around instruments and gives the music greater breathing space within its broader, wider soundstage, leading to a more natural and immersive performance. Judged on its own or against its smaller sibling, Sony's affordable player really shines.

All in all, a great turntable with fantastic usability and class-leading sound at a fantastic knocked-down price. Find it at Amazon, Sevenoaks or John Lewis before Prime Day ends.

MORE:

Hi-fi speaker deals are thin on the ground this Prime Day, but I've tracked down six of the best worth a closer look

Stay up to date with Prime Day 2026 LIVE: our hi-fi experts choose the best speaker, headphone and turntable deals

Prime Day 2026 LIVE: our home cinema experts' picks of the best OLED TV, Dolby Atmos soundbar, projector deals and more

We have entered the final day of Amazon’s Prime Day sales event – sales are set to cease at midnight.

While we have been carefully choosing which deals to recommend to you and which are best avoided, it’s time to determine which deals are Prime Day winners, and who has provided the biggest disappointments during the sales event.

We have seen loads of excellent AV deals, and some of them can genuinely save you hundreds, and in some cases a thousand, pounds. These are the deals that we think are genuinely worth investing in this Prime Day; they knock prices down to new lows and ensure you’re getting the maximum bang for your buck.

Some products, however, haven’t been discounted at all. One company even decided to raise the prices of its products this Prime Day. These are, unsurprisingly, the losers.

So let’s find out who our Prime Day champions are…

Winner: LG C5 OLED TV

If there’s one TV that has enjoyed some seriously impressive discounts, it’s LG’s Award-winning step-down OLED from last year. We have recently reviewed the five-star C6, and it’s a great TV, but we believe the heavily discounted C5 is the better buy this Prime Day.

We’ve seen the 42-inch model drop to as low as £611, though it seems to have bounced slightly back up to £623 at Amazon; all in all, still a considerable saving over the £1099 price we reviewed it at.

Stepping up to the 48-inch model will also grant you some serious savings, as it can be found for just £725 at Amazon, down from its original price of £1399.

However, the 55-inch model is looking like the sweet spot to us. This set has dropped to a staggering £969 at Amazon – we reviewed it at £1900, so you're essentially saving a grand here.

This versatile OLED TV will impress gamers and cinephiles alike, thanks to its four HDMI 2.1 sockets, VRR support, and LG’s Game Dashboard feature, as well as its detailed, contrast-rich, and balanced picture performance.

Winner: Dolby Atmos soundbars

If there was ever a time to invest in a Dolby Atmos soundbar, Prime Day is it. We are seeing major discounts attached to some of our favourite Award-winning models, meaning now is the ideal time to ditch your TV’s underwhelming built-in speakers.

The Sonos Beam Gen 2 has dropped from £449 to £337 at Peter Tyson, marking a £112 discount on the best entry-level Dolby Atmos soundbar. The Hisense AX5125H, which adds wireless surround speakers and a subwoofer to the mix, can now be snapped up for a truly impressive £199 at Richer Sounds.

For us, though, it’s the Samsung HW-Q990F at B&Q for £695 that really steals the show here. We have never seen it drop this low before.

That means our reigning Product of the Year winner is currently £1004 cheaper than the price when we reviewed it. And that makes this easily the best soundbar deal of Prime Day, and perhaps one of the best deals we have seen during the entire sales event.

Winner: 4K Blu-ray

Physical media is back!

Well, at least it is this Prime Day; we are seeing a few great deals on 4K Blu-ray. Could they be enough to tempt you away from streaming?

HMV’s 3 for £50 multibuy deal is a tempting choice for those looking to stock up on or start their collection, while Amazon seems to be the best place to buy single discs and box sets.

We are seeing savings on big franchise 4K box sets, including The Lord of the Rings, Mission: Impossible and John Wick, as well as deals on F1: The Movie, Interstellar, Sinners and plenty more.

If you’re sick of streaming, these deals will help you enjoy your favourite films with a greatly improved picture and sound experience, and of course you get to keep them for life.

Loser: Apple

How do you take the concept of Prime Day, and do the complete opposite? Simple: you raise the prices of your five-star hi-fi and home-cinema products.

Apple pulled a blinder in the middle of Prime Day by increasing the price of the Apple TV 4K in both its 64GB and 128GB + Ethernet configurations. We also saw the prices of the HomePod 2, HomePod Mini, and iPad Air rise sharply.

The 64GB version of Apple’s Award-winning streamer now costs £199 (up from £149 / $130 / AU$219); the 128GB model now costs £249 (originally £169 / $179 / $249).

Just to clarify, this is the same 2022 model that Apple is currently refusing to upgrade. In our original review (published back in 2022), we said that “the best video streamer just got better (and cheaper)”, but it looks like we’ll have to amend that line.

Thankfully, a few retailers haven’t caught on to Apple’s price hike yet, so you can still pick the Apple TV 4K up for its original launch price if you’re quick. Buying direct from Apple should be avoided at all costs while these retailers are offering the original prices.

Loser: 4K Blu-ray players

While the 4K Blu-ray format itself seems to be thriving this Prime Day, disc players haven’t enjoyed the same discounts.

Panasonic and Sony, practically the last bastions of the 4K Blu-ray player market, have opted to leave the prices of their respective disc spinners unchanged this Prime Day.

The Award-winning DP-UB820EB is currently sitting at £349, which is higher than the original £290 we reviewed it at thanks to a price increase a couple of years ago (we see where Apple got the inspiration from). Sony’s UBP-UX700K (which is essentially the same as the UBP-UX700), meanwhile, is a whopping £9 off at Amazon, down from its usual £249 price.

Our recommendation for anyone looking to pick up an affordable disc player this Prime Day is to consider the Panasonic DP-UB150EB, which is a fairly affordable 4K Blu-ray player at £159.

That is still £30 more than the price we originally reviewed it at, but price increases seem inevitable these days.

MORE:

Amazon Prime Day 2026: the 86 best deals on headphones, TVs, speakers, home cinema and more

Find the best OLED TV deals here

Check out our picks for the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

Prime Day is in full swing, and our deal experts are still trawling through all the savings to bring you our top recommendations.

While the options aren’t as plentiful as they would be around Black Friday, with any big sales event, you’re always guaranteed some brands will lead the way in certain categories.

And one of those names is Sony, who is one of the biggest players in the wireless headphones space. It’s a position that’s reflected in the impressive range of deals we’ve seen so far during Prime Day.

I’ve highlighted my favourite picks so far below and also included one heavily discounted pair I would urge you to avoid…

The Sony WH-CH720N headphones are an easy recommendation for me because they're so affordable and sound so good. Build quality is robust, and they deliver impressive active noise cancellation for the money, too. Add a very decent 35 hours of battery life into the equation, and you can't go wrong, especially for £60 for the black finish.

Another affordable recommendation, the Sony WF-C710N are brilliant budget wireless earbuds. They are attractive, comfortable in-ears that give a fun yet mature performance for an amazing price. And that Glass Blue finish is an absolute stunner, in my eyes at least.

If you want the very best wireless headphones Sony has to offer, you have to go for the WH-1000XM6 this Prime Day. With stunning sound quality, excellent comfort, great portability, and brilliant noise-cancelling skills, these are the flagship wireless headphones to beat, especially at their discounted price

Alternatively, the best wireless earbuds currently in Sony’s stable are the magnificent WF-1000XM6, which have their first major price drop this Prime Day. In our five-star review, we praised their “breathtaking all-round performance”, which includes awesome noise-cancelling and super-clear call quality.

The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are five-star cans that won themselves a coveted What Hi-Fi? Award in 2024. This stunning pair offers great sonic clarity, a punchy delivery and precise, agile bass. Yes, the WH-1000XM6 are newer and perform better across the board, but they are much more expensive.

Proof that Sony doesn’t always get it right are the ULT Wear noise-cancelling headphones. Yes, they boast a less-than-half-price saving, but I wouldn’t rush out to snap them up. I don't really think the Sony ULT Wear are worth your cash – there are far finer alternatives available at this level (like the WH-CH720N) that offer a much more balanced and entertaining sound for the money.

MORE:

Our pick of the best wireless headphones for all budgets

Sony WH-1000XM6 vs WH-1000XM5: which wireless headphones are better?

Sony WF-1000XM6 vs WF-1000XM5: which premium wireless earbuds are better?

Prime Day 2026 LIVE: our hi-fi experts choose the best speaker, headphone and turntable deals

Sony is always good for a Prime Day deal, and this year has been no exception. We've spotted the lowest-ever price on the WF-1000XM6 wireless earbuds, but if you're just getting into the world of vinyl, there's also a significant saving to be had on Sony's outstanding PS-LX3BT Bluetooth turntable.

The affordable deck is perfect for anyone dipping their toe into the sea of vinyl for the first time, and with the excellent plug 'n play spinner falling from £299 to £223 at Amazon, now is the time to strike.

The PS-LX3BT is such an easy to use turntable that we'd highly recommend it to anyone who wants to dip their toe into vinyl waters.

Its automatic operation means you don’t even need to adjust the tonearm, while playing and stopping tracks is made easy via ‘start’ and ‘stop’ buttons respectively. Once your record has reached its end, the arm will automatically return to its resting start position, so you barely have to touch it at all.

Speaking of tonearms, the Sony deck features an aluminium model with a precision pivot bearing, as well as an aluminium die-cast platter and a rubber mat. You also get a pre-fitted moving magnet cartridge with a tracking force of 3.5g, but as there’s no quick way to remove it from the tonearm, your options for upgrading are limited.

The PS-LX3BT offers Bluetooth streaming with support for the aptX Adaptive codec for hi-res streaming up to 24-bit/96kHz to compatible Bluetooth speakers and wireless headphones. That's a great bonus if you have, say, a JBL Charge 6 or Flip 7 knocking around and want quick and simple streaming to impress your mates.

Impress is the word. Within a proper hi-fi setup, the PS-LX3BT sounds punchy, alive and focused, with a balance that blends muscle and drive with enough space to give your music room to breathe. Affordable Bluetooth record players can often sound compromised, especially at the cheaper end of the market, but that's not a criticism we could level at this Sony.

All in all, an excellent starter point for users seeking a lethal blend of performance, usability and flexibility. Check it out at Amazon this Prime Day.

MORE:

Amazon Prime Day 2026 Live Q&A: personalised hi-fi and home cinema buying advice, direct from our experts

Discounts galore! These are the best early Amazon Prime Day Bluetooth speaker deals

These are the best Bluetooth turntables you can buy

A pair of Sony headphones for £100 off? Normally we'd be recommending that you throw caution to the wind, boot up that laptop, stretch your clicking finger and get those cans into your digital basket, because that sounds, on paper, like a Prime Day deal worth taking.

This is one of the rare instances, however, when we'd advise you to look elsewhere. The Sony ULT Wear are a rare misfire from Sony, and while they're down from £180 to just £88 on Amazon, we just don't feel that they're worth your time. Save your cash and pick up a pair of five-star alternatives (listed below, obviously) instead.

Sony ULT Wear deal

Hooray, a pair of heavily discounted Sony headphones! They’ve got noise cancelling, a comfortable design, loads of high-performance Sony features and a majorly knocked down right, so what exactly isn’t there to love?

The problem is that the ULT Wear don’t sound as good as we had hoped. In fact, they are a rare sonic misfire for Sony, with a sound that sounds either too enthusiastic and bass-heavy, or simply too lacking in the basics of dynamics and detail to have us singing their praises. Great Sony headphones abound at the moment, but sadly, the ULT Wear are quite a long way from greatness.

Consider these alternatives instead

MORE:

I've handpicked the 12 best-value Prime Day home cinema and audio deals – all under £200

Amazon Prime Day 2026 Live Q&A: personalised hi-fi and home cinema buying advice, direct from our experts

Discounts galore! These are the best Amazon Prime Day Bluetooth speaker deals

We've waited 13 agonising years for GTA VI to finally hit consoles.

After what's felt like a never-ending onslaught of leaks, delays, and speculation, we're officially less than six months away from what could be the biggest gaming launch in history.

While securing a copy is top priority – pre-orders start at midnight tonight – I'm taking the release of this hotly anticipated title as an excuse to level up my gaming setup, and what better time to do it than during Amazon Prime Day?

I've found the ideal gaming TV, a soundbar system that will put you in the centre of the action, and a console that should not only be powerful enough to handle GTA VI but also ensure that the high-resolution, neon-adorned streets of Vice City shine in glorious 4K.

Regarding the console, I recommend the Sony PS5 Pro. We haven't reviewed it yet, but its dedicated upscaling feature leads us to believe that it will offer extra headroom for the expected demanding graphical requirements of GTA VI.

As someone who has gamed on a PS5 since launch (including the superb GTA V remaster), and has also been eyeing up a PS5 Pro since Sony unveiled it back in 2024, seeing it drop in price this close to GTA VI's official pre-order date simply feels like the fates aligning.

As for the TV, I felt as though the LG C5 was a no-brainer. It's our current Award-winner in various categories, including "best gaming TV", and the 55-inch (which is the size we reviewed first and can thoroughly recommend) is currently £1000 off – that's a mind-blowing saving.

It sports four full bandwidth HDMI sockets that support up to 4K/144Hz (or 4K/120Hz with the PS5 Pro), and LG's Game Dashboard feature will be the perfect sidekick during your car chases and shootouts this November.

Finally, the Samsung HW-Q990F (another Award-winner, no less) is also enjoying an unbelievable discount of just over £1000. With Dolby Atmos on board (which the PS5 Pro supports for gaming now), it's bound to get you immersed in GTA VI's sprawling city, especially with planes and helicopters soaring overhead.

And with another HDMI 2.1 socket on board (bringing the total of this system to five), we could even bestow it with the title of "best gaming soundbar".

However, what makes it truly stand out is the incredible subwoofer, which should add some serious low-end punch to gunshots, explosions and car engines.

All of the components listed here work in tandem to also deliver a superb home cinema experience, meaning movies, TV shows and music will also benefit from this do-it-all system too.

And with Prime Day in full swing, you can expect to save a staggering £2080 in total; what's not to like?

MORE:

Find the best Amazon Prime Day home cinema deals here

Check out our picks for the best gaming TVs

As well as the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

There’s a conundrum that many movie fans face. You might be perfectly happy with your TV’s picture performance, but the audio is often another matter entirely. Punchy action scenes might be missing a sense of energy, and it may be difficult to make out dialogue during busy parts of a film.

Luckily, there is a way to fix this common problem. If you don’t have the budget or space for a multi-speaker package to upgrade your sound, then adding a soundbar to the mix is a great way to go.

• View all the Prime Day deals on Amazon

And, for those on the hunt for an even more room-filling experience, there is the option of getting a soundbar with Dolby Atmos support, which can provide a much-desired extra boost of surround sound.

With Amazon Prime Day deals swarming your search like ants to a melting Calippo, it can be hard to find a model that is genuinely right for you. That’s where we come in. We have tested hundreds of soundbars over the years, and have hand-selected four products that provide immersive sound and are at a discounted price right now.

Sonos Beam Gen 2

The Sonos Beam Gen 2 holds the crown as the top entry-level Dolby Atmos bar in our best soundbars guide.

The Beam Gen 2 measures just 7 x 65 x 10cm (hwd) and weighs 2.8kg, making it easy to place in front of your TV without obscuring the picture. Under the hood, you will find four front-facing elliptical mid-woofers and a centre tweeter.

Most importantly, it offers a detailed, rich, and enveloping audio experience, which is particularly impressive considering its compact footprint.

Despite the bar’s lack of up-firing drivers, the soundfield is immersive and we get a good sense of height as well as scale. In fact, we note in our review: “Whether it’s a chirping bird, a car or a voice, there’s remarkable consistency across the complete soundfield, and seamless handover between drivers, which we have to say doesn’t always happen when a Dolby Atmos soundbar has upward drivers to contend with.”

It launched at £449, but this Prime Day deal has seen its price drop to £337 at Amazon. That’s a saving of £112, and is well worth considering if you are looking to add an Atmos soundbar to your system.

Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9

If you are looking for a step-up soundbar to add to your system, then the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 is hard to beat. This Sony sounds exceptionally crisp and precise, and the Atmos-ness of its delivery is hugely impressive for a standalone bar.

We find there is a slightly clinical tone in its overall delivery, but its superb detail and punch mean it still achieves five-star success.

In terms of connectivity, gaming fans will be pleased to hear that the Bar 9 has a dedicated HDMI 2.1 input and support for 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM.

You can find it for £999 at Richer Sounds, chopping £400 off its launch price. At this price, it is also worth considering the Award-winning Sonos Arc Ultra. It’s a brilliant-sounding system, offering a rich overall sound with expressive vocals.

It features only a single HDMI eARC port, however, which is not as comprehensive as the Theatre Bar 9’s offerings. The Sonos model is currently available at its launch price of £999 at Smart Home Sounds, but we have our fingers crossed for a reduction before the end of Prime Day.

Hisense AX5125H

All-in-one soundbars work excellently for some people, but you might be craving that extra sense of immersion that can come with a soundbar package. And our top budget soundbar system recommendation is currently available for an absolute steal.

You can pick up the Award-winning Hisense AX5125H for just £199 at Currys, making it easily one of the best-sounding affordable soundbar systems we have heard.

The 5.1.2 system, which supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, offers a relatively compact design that is easy to accommodate in most homes. It is made up of two small wireless surround speakers, a wireless subwoofer and the main soundbar. Even though the surround speakers are surprisingly compact (each one measures just 14 x 9 x 11cm), they produce an impressively enveloping soundfield that massively improves upon our experience with the TV’s sound.

We noted in our review when watching Civil War: “Bullets whizz from the front to the back of the room and even behind the listening position, helicopters hover at ceiling height, and distant explosions rumble menacingly.”

Vocals are clear and sound relatively emotive too, although the subwoofer can get a little overzealous and cause them to become muffled in the busiest sections. Still, the Hisense system is a top performer in its class and is even more tempting at this discount.

Samsung HW-Q990F

Finally, we have the Samsung HW-Q990F, an Award-winning 11.1.4 soundbar package. Like the Hisense system, it is made up of a soundbar, a subwoofer, and two surround speakers.

It is a chunkier system in terms of its build, though. The surrounds, for instance, measure 25 x 25 x 25cm and the soundbar comes in at a more hefty 7 x 123 x 14cm (hwd).

With support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, we were impressed by the soundbar’s ability to create that all-important dome of sound as well as ensuring the sound moves organically between the channels.

When it comes to its bass performance, we say in our review: “There is a much greater sense of tonal variation from this subwoofer [compared with the older Q990D model], which unearths a new layer to the bass. The Q990F’s bass feels more organic, balanced, and seamlessly integrated into the system as a result.”

That all makes it a focused, tonally varied overall sound that immerses us in whatever we listen to. You can find the system for £750 at Amazon, saving you around a whopping £949 off its original price.

We recently reviewed the Q990F’s successor – the Samsung HW-Q990H. This new system managed to build upon our favourite aspects of the older model, resulting in an even more detailed and nuanced performance. That meant the Q990H took the crown when we put them head to head – but the Q990F is without doubt still a brilliant performer in the category.

Plus, the Q990H's price has dropped only a small amount for Prime Day (the cheapest we have seen so far is £1299 at Amazon). That makes the older model all the more tempting.

MORE:

These are the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

Check out the best budget soundbars

And here are the best TVs right now

I have been happily rocking a pair of the four-star Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 as my go-to pair of wireless headphones for a while now.

For me, they’re great, and I am more than happy with them. But, after a few readers got in touch asking if they should take advantage of Amazon’s current Aventho 300 deal, which lets you grab a pair for £239 (saving £120), my answer is, probably not.

Instead, I would point most people to Amazon’s current deal on the five-star Sony WH-1000XM6, which lets you pick up a pair for £236 (save £164).

That’s not because the Aventho 300 and I have fallen out of love and are on a break. They are fantastic, wonderfully unassuming headphones with a sonic profile that will truly delight any listener who values composure and balance, even if it means they might be a little clinical. That’s why I love them.

For most people, however, there’s a reason we scored the Sony WH-1000XM6 higher and gave them a What Hi-Fi? Award. Their sonic profile is more entertaining and packed with detail, and will please a wider audience of listeners than the Aventho 300.

They also offer better ANC, which again is a big factor that gives them more mass appeal. We said as much in our reviews of the two headphones.

For example, here is our WH-1000XM6 verdict:

“Sony’s wireless headphones deliver a performance more than befitting a flagship pair of wireless headphones. Comfort levels are great, they’re nice to use, ANC is excellent, call quality is class-leading, and sound quality can match anything at this level. Simply sensational.”

Whereas in our Aventho 300 review we reported:

“The Beyerdynamic Aventho 300 won’t be for everyone [...] That said, these are really solid performers for the money, that resist the urge to impose their will on your music and instead step back and allow your tunes room to shine.”

We stand by those statements. Which is why, generally, I recommend that most buyers should opt for the Sony WH-1000XM6, even though I am personally very fond of my Aventho 300.

MORE:

Check out our Prime Day 2026 hi-fi deals live hub

These are the best wireless headphones we have reviewed

Our picks of the best wireless earbuds

This Prime Day is the perfect time to find your latest pair of wireless headphones or wireless earbuds. Prices are dropping faster than Scotland's World Cup chances, and good deals are becoming great ones thanks to ever-plummeting RRPs. There's no time like the present to snap up a bargain.

This Prime Day has seen major discounts on a massive variety of headphones, but we're limiting this rundown to those which fall under £150. Times are tough right not, so the products we've listed below, be they in-ear or over-ear, are all designed to elicit maximum satisfaction from the lowest cost possible. Nice.

Wireless earbuds

Best mid-price: Bowers & Wilkins Pi6

Best noise-cancelling: Sony WF-C710N

Best entry-level: Sony WF-C510

Over-ear headphones

Best entry-level: Sony WH-CH520

Best budget noise-cancelling: Sony WH-CH720N

Best budget wired: Røde NTH-100

MORE:

Prime Day 2026 Live: all the top TV, soundbar and projector deals handpicked by our home cinema experts

Discounts galore! These are the best early Amazon Prime Day Bluetooth speaker deals

Amazon Prime Day 2026 Live Q&A: personalised hi-fi and home cinema buying advice, direct from our experts

Sony’s WF-1000X range has gone from strength to strength. The recent addition of the WF-1000XM6 was no exception, and the new wireless earbuds earned a five-star review from our team this year.

At their launch in February, we predicted that Sony’s new earbuds might see a Prime Day discount, but thought that, given their recent release, we were unlikely to encounter any significant savings.

How wrong we were.

As part of this year’s Prime Day savings, you can now pick up a pair of the Sony WF-1000XM6 at a whopping discount of almost £50, bringing them down to just £199 at Amazon.

We found that the WF-1000XM6 improved on the sonic performance of their predecessor, the WF1000XM5, with a “newfound sense of natural warmth throughout the frequency range”.

They sport all the features we expect from a flagship pair of wireless earbuds – “a fantastic sense of timing, an expressive midrange, weighty yet well-defined bass and crisp, nicely controlled highs” – and we feel that these earbuds cover all bases.

The WF-1000XM6 use a new QN3e processor, alongside four mics in each earbud, to improve the quality of their ANC – a move we feel has been highly effective.

When we took them out on the London tube, we were pleased with how the earbuds extracted both low-frequency rumbles and high-pitched screeches from our environment.

During calls, too, these earbuds impressed us with their ability to subdue a variety background noises, with voices coming through “loud and clear with a great level of detail”, even in windy conditions.

A battery life of eight hours places the WF-1000XM6 somewhere in the middle of their competitors, but two extra charges from the wireless charging case result in a respectable total battery life of 24 hours.

For anyone looking for a convenient, pocket sized dose of “benchmark-setting” audio performance, these earbuds could be just the thing. Even better, you can buy them now for their cheapest price yet, of just £199 from Amazon.

MORE

Read our full Sony WF-1000XM6 review

Check out our best wireless earbuds 2026: seven sensational pairs reviewed and rated by our experts

Stay up to date with Prime Day 2026 LIVE: the best headphone, speaker and vinyl deals picked by our hi-fi experts

Giant TVs are cool, but as our TV and AV editor, Tom Parsons, once said:

“A TV can’t replicate the charm of that beam of light flying over your head, or the little dust fairies that dance about within it. That’s real cinema, isn’t it?”

If that sentiment has tugged on your heart strings, and you have decided it’s finally time to take the plunge and build your own home cinema, I have some good news to share.

I have trawled the current sales and offers to create a stellar full-fat, wireless Dolby Atmos home theatre, built around a five-star Sony projector we use as a quality benchmark in our AV test room.

The package requires you take advantage of three key deals that are live on Peter Tyson right now. They are listed below.

• Get the Sony VPL-XW5000ES with a free Apple TV 4K for £4399 at Peter Tyson (save £1600)
• Get the Sony Bravia Theatre Quad for £1999 at Peter Tyson (save £500)
• Get the Sony SA-SW3 Wireless Subwoofer at Peter Tyson for £296 (£153)

Total system price: £4894 (save £2252, not including Apple TV)

There’s a lot to like about the Sony VPL-XW5000ES. But the main reason I would pick this five-star beamer – even at full price – over its rivals is its ability to deliver a native 4K image.

Most projectors at this level use pixel shifting to achieve 4K. This is a bit of a cheat, as it means the projector is creating its ‘4K’ image by combining two 1080p images per frame, rather than delivering it natively. Though the technology has improved over the years, the process can lead to motion flicker or haloing – two things you don’t want when watching movies.

The Sony projector’s ability to deliver a native 4K image is a key reason it offers one of the most balanced, authentic and ultimately immersive home-movie experiences you’ll find on a unit at this price. As we say in our review: “Despite being Sony’s cheapest 4K laser projector, the XW5000ES still delivers gorgeously cinematic and detailed pictures.”

One word of warning: it doesn’t have 4K/120Hz, so it’s not great for gamers. I have opted for the Peter Tyson deal here as it also gets you an Apple TV 4K (3rd Gen), which adds a source to the bundle, free of charge. (Like most long-throw projectors at this level, the VPL-XW5000ES doesn’t have a streaming platform built-in.)

Next up we have the Sony Bravia Theatre Quad. I chose Sony’s four-star wireless surround sound system over one of the sea of full fat 5.1 multi speaker setups we have reviewed, because of the simplicity it brings to the table. If you wanted to get a full fat 5.1 (or more) home cinema, you would need to invest in an AV amplifier to power it. You would also then need to connect it all up with cabling snaking around the room.

The Quad doesn’t require you do either of the above. It simply requires you to connect the control box to your source, then place the four wireless speakers (which house 16 channels with a total power output of 504W) sensibly around the room. From there it will deliver a pleasingly clear and spacious sound that should delight most movie fans.

In fact, the Quad’s only real shortcoming is that the system’s low end is a little underpowered. Which is why I recommend picking up the Sony SA-SW3 Wireless Subwoofer to complement it. The SW3 neatly slots into the system with a few button pushes; it improves low-end performance, making the whole experience all the more immersive.

So, a hassle free, wireless home theatre that combines the best of old and new. What’s not to love?

MORE:

These are the best surround sound systems we have reviewed

We rank the best projectors

Check out our Prime Day 2026 Home Cinema Deals Live Hub

Looking for a big new TV for Amazon Prime Day? Then I've got you covered.

65 inches is rapidly becoming the new standard TV size, offering a cinematic size without overwhelming your living room (or your eyeballs).

A 65-inch size has also become much more affordable over the years – now more than ever, with Prime Day in full swing.

• Shop the whole Amazon Prime Day sale

I've handpicked the highlights from the summer sales event, including several What Hi-Fi? favourites and even an Award winner or two. There's a bit of everything here, from great-value Mini LEDs to flagship OLEDs, but all are excellent TVs sure to enhance your living room.

These are all TVs that have been tried and tested here at What Hi-Fi?, and every set below has been awarded the full five stars. I'll go into more detail about why we like them so much below, with links to our in-depth reviews.

For now, though, let's get to the deals:

The TCL QM7K won a What Hi-Fi? Award at our most recent ceremony, partially for offering far more than it had any right to for the price. A Mini LED screen with 1008 dimming zones, Quantum Dot colour and a claimed 2600 nits of brightness are just some of the features you'll enjoy, now with $750 off.

The LG C5 is another What Hi-Fi? Award winner, taking home not one, not two, but three gongs – including best gaming TV, so it's an ideal choice for GTA 6. Whatever you use the C5 for, it will deliver a superbly detailed, contrast-rich picture, and it is the best value OLED in the Prime Day sales right now.

The TCL QM8K is a step-up model from its QM7K sibling, offering more dimming zones for better contrast control and a higher claimed brightness of 4500 nits. Combining brightness and punch with refinement and naturalism, it's a stunning TV that's even better value now that it's under $1,000.

We were recently bowled over by the new Samsung S99H, but last year's Samsung S95F is now available at an excellent discount. The five-star stunner boasts a stunningly bright, vibrant and sharp picture, four HDMI 2.1 sockets for gaming and one of the best-looking designs on the market.

The Sony Bravia 8 II is our reigning TV Product of the Year, and with good reason. Cinephiles in particular will love the stunning, authentic picture quality, but it's also one of the best-sounding OLEDs available and our go-to benchmark for testing TVs.

The Sony Bravia 8 is a tad older than the other TVs on this list, but still an excellent buy and now with a whopping 43% discount. Our 2024 TV Product of the Year, the Bravia 8 offers a balanced, immersive picture, good audio by TV standards and Sony's typically great motion handling.

MORE:

These are the best projectors out there

Check out the best TVs we have reviewed

And here are the five best OLED TVs

On Monday, I wrote about how tempted I was to buy the 42-inch LG C5, which had dropped to a record-low £649.

I already own what I consider to be the best OLED TV available – the awesome Sony Bravia 8 II – but, at that price, the C5 was well worth buying for use in my spare room, where it could perform gaming and work monitor duties, as well as the odd streaming binge.

But yesterday, I updated that story to point out that the price for the 42-inch had dropped to £623. The previous price that I had thought was unbeatable had been beaten.

And now, would you believe, it's been beaten again: the 42-inch LG C5 is down to just £611 at Amazon.

That's a nuts price for a TV this good.

At £611 from Amazon, the 42-inch LG C5 is one of those deals that feels almost too good to be true.

In our five-star review, we praised its wonderfully balanced OLED picture, excellent motion handling, natural colours and superb contrast, all of which combine to deliver a brilliantly engaging and authentic viewing experience.

It's also among the most comprehensively specified gaming TVs available, with four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 sockets supporting 4K/144Hz, VRR, ALLM and Dolby Vision gaming.

The sound is fairly ordinary, but that's a common weakness among TVs at any price and one that's easily fixed with one of the best budget soundbars.

Everything else about the C5 feels premium, making this deal particularly impressive. At £611, you're getting a TV that performs like a flagship for little more than the price of many mid-range rivals.

MORE:

Here are all the best TVs you can buy right now

And here are all of the best Amazon Prime Day TV deals

When you're looking for a great Prime Day deal, what you're really after is the cheapest price for a very good product. While we've spotted gigantic speaker savings and great OLED TV discounts, those price tags still number in the hundreds.

So what's the best cheapest Prime Day deal this week? That would be the Sony WH-CH520. These budget wireless headphones already won us over thanks to their blend of talents we tested them at full price (£49) but they're now available for just £30 at Amazon.

Only £30 for five-star Sony headphones! If you regularly peruse the glorious Tesco meal deals for your work lunches, this amounts to about seven meal deals. Even more if you're a Clubcard holder.

Which one is better value? The meal deal is invaluable – a sandwich, a snack, a drink! – but I would happily swap it for a plainer home-made lunch for a week, just so I could spare that £30 to invest in these ultra-budget Sony headphones.

It would be a good investment in the long run: these wireless headphones have a massive battery life of 50 hours, are comfortable and lightweight to wear, and they sound balanced, informative, and engaging. As a travel companion on my commutes, they would be just as invaluable, keeping me fed on a diet of new and much-loved songs.

As we said in our review: "You can’t really expect the Earth when you’re paying this much for a pair of headphones, but what’s remarkable about the Sony WH-CH520 is how little compromise they demand of you, both in terms of audio performance and ergonomics. "

If you're keeping a strict eye on your budget – as you have to be in today's rising cost-of-living crisis and hectic lives – it can be an indulgence to spend money on a pair of wireless headphones. And when you do, you want to make sure you've got your money's worth – you don't want to spend it on something that will disappoint you.

And these cheap Sony five-star headphones, with a Prime Day deal that makes them ever cheaper, won't disappoint. They are undoubtedly great value and worth indulging in.

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I'm a hi-fi expert and I’ve found 12 amazing audiophile-friendly deals you won't find on Amazon this Prime Day

As a deals writer, I spend my days hunting down the best savings on What Hi-Fi? recommended products, whether that's the latest home cinema release, hi-fi separate or other AV tech.

For Prime Day, though, I didn't have to hunt very hard – we've been flooded with savings, and luckily, most of them have been rather good.

So to celebrate, I've put together a little visual collection of some of the best Prime Day deals so far from the worlds of hi-fi and home cinema.

As always, these are all deals on products that we have tested and rated ourselves, and our expert reviewers have given them at least four stars – or, in some cases, five stars and maybe even a What Hi-Fi? Award.

I'll go into detail down below, but for now, feast your eyes on these great Prime Day savings.

The LG C5 won multiple What Hi-Fi? Awards at our most recent ceremony, thanks to its excellent picture quality and incredible gaming specs. There are LG C5 deals on virtually every size, but we've highlighted the 42-inch model as it gives you an Award-winning LG OLED TV for only £623.

The Dali Oberon 5 are a bit long in the tooth now, but they're still remarkably accomplished floorstanders for anyone getting into hi-fi or working on a budget. This is the first decent discount we've seen on the speakers – our Editor-in-Chief has been waiting half a decade.

The Award-winning Hisense AX5125H gave us quite the shock when we tested it – despite its low price tag, the soundbar system produced a room-filling, sofa-shaking, exuberant sound with amazing scale and a convincing Dolby Atmos effect. Get it quick, as it was also on offer during Black Friday last year and promptly sold out.

The JBL Charge 6 is our current Product of the Year in the wireless speaker category, thanks to its expansive, detailed and clear sound from a portable design. It hasn't been this low in price since Black Friday and is the top Bluetooth speaker deal we'd recommend this Prime Day.

The Sony WH-1000XM5 may have been replaced by their successor, the XM6, but they had a long reign as one of our favourite wireless over-ear headphones and are still an excellent choice to this day – especially at this new lowest price.

If you're looking for more budget headphones, then it doesn't get much cheaper than the Earfun Air. They're only £23, and are five-star earbuds that still offer great value.

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My favourite headphones are now substantially cheaper than when I bought them – but I’m not bitter. Which, considering how tight I am, is a sign of just how good the Sony WF-C710N are.

They can be yours now for £65 at Amazon, which is £10 less than when I bought them in February. Still, considering the use I have had out of them since then, that extra tenner was money well spent.

Best-ever deal on the Sony WF-C710N earbuds

The C710N take everything we loved about their Award-winning predecessors, the C700N, and crank it up a notch: the battery life is an hour longer; the ANC has been beefed up with the addition of Dual Noise Sensor filters; the on-bud controls are now touch sensitive – and very intuitive to use.

They also have auto pause and wear detection, to help when having to interact with people.

But it’s the sound that’s the real highlight. “There’s a weight, solidity and fullness in the bass which makes the WF-C700N sound lightweight and a little top-heavy,” we note in our Sony WF-C710N review. “The new model fleshes things out better.”

They extract an enormous amount of detail from a track, lending notes plenty of texture. And they have Sony’s trademark musicality in spades.

From a personal point of view, the C710N are a great daily pair of earbuds. Their stacked feature-set makes them very versatile, and they have accompanied me on runs, walks, commutes, Zoom meetings and everything in between. If even a skinflint like me would pay more than their current price of £65 at Amazon, you know it’s a good deal.

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Prime Day 2026 is finally here, and while it’s set to last a whole week, Amazon’s kicked the event off with a bang, offering a solid saving on one of the best Mini LED TVs money can buy.

You can grab the 55-inch Sony Bravia 7 Mini LED TV for £1099 at Amazon right now. That’s a £400 saving on its regular price and the cheapest we’ve ever seen it retail for.

And if, for whatever reason, you are dead against getting an OLED TV as your next set, it is a fantastic saving on a TV we openly describe as “a marvel”.

But, there is one issue, stopping us from wholly recommending it: you can get a Sony Bravia 8 OLED for only £100 more.

There are reasons you may want to pick the Bravia 7 over its OLED sibling – chief of which is its higher peak brightness, which makes it better if you plan to use it in a very bright room.

But for serious movie fans, the Bravia 8’s OLED panel makes it a better option for one key reason: its ability to deliver perfect blacks.

Yes, the Bravia 7 is very good by LCD standards, but it's still a backlit TV, which, as we’ve said many times before, means it can’t match an OLED's perfect black level. Put them head-to-head and the Bravia 8’s perfect blacks are immediately apparent and convey an added depth and level of contrast.

This isn’t a dig against the Bravia 7 specifically; it’s just a constant theme we’ve experienced when comparing Mini LED sets to OLEDs. But it’s especially true with the Bravia 8, which, despite coming out two years ago, remains a top performer in its class.

Highlights include wonderfully accurate colours and a general focus on consistency that helps it deliver a truly immersive home cinema experience. And that’s why, unless you really don’t want an OLED, we’d still recommend it over its Mini LED sibling.

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Our picks of the best soundbars

"Why can't I hear the dialogue on my TV speakers?"

It's a question we're asked all of the time, and while we're seeing TV manufacturers attempt to fix the issue with built-in dialogue enhancement features, we think there's a clear answer to this problem.

An external sound device, namely a soundbar, is one of the most crucial – and easy – TV upgrades that you can make.

Not only will you get clearer dialogue, but many soundbars also offer deeper bass, improved dynamics, and, if you opt for one that supports it, Dolby Atmos.

With Amazon Prime Day officially less than 24 hours away, we expect to see plenty of discounts on several models featured in our best soundbars list.

However, if you're simply looking for a quick, easy, and reliable recommendation, then you've come to the right place.

I've selected three soundbars – an affordable option, a mid-range choice, and a premium soundbar package – all of which have been thoroughly tested to solve your sonic woes by our expert team of reviewers.

Just be warned, it's early days, so prices may drop further during the Prime Day sales as the week progresses, but these are the top savings I've spotted in the initial round of discounts.

So, if you're tired of muffled voices or you're sick of rewinding to catch a crucial missed line of dialogue, then look no further.

Affordable: Creative Stage Pro

This sub-£100 marvel of a soundbar is also the most versatile option on this list.

Designed to be used with smaller TVs or on a desk with a computer monitor, the Creative Stage Pro is a charming, super-affordable, and effective soundbar.

It ditches a fancy feature set and instead opts for a straightforward approach to improving sound, and we think that was a clever move from Creative.

That simplicity extends to the setup process; a single cable links the soundbar to the included subwoofer, and there are options to connect the soundbar to your TV via an HDMI ARC or optical connection.

We think it's especially talented when it comes to voices, as our full review notes that it outputs "crisp, detailed and emotive dialogue", which is the ideal solution to stave off muffled TV sound.

We reviewed it at £130, but Overclockers UK has it down to just £95.

Mid-range: Sony HT-S2000

Sony's entry-level Dolby Atmos soundbar is my choice at the more affordable end of the market.

This compact, fuss-free soundbar sports an easy plug-and-play setup, and it produces a sound that is guaranteed to be leagues ahead of your TV's built-in speakers. Not only that, but the inclusion of Bluetooth 5.2 ensures that streaming music to the unit is a breeze.

Generally speaking, the HT-S2000 ticks a lot of boxes, especially for the money. It serves up punchy dynamics, impressive directionality, and superb clarity, which results in an impressively cinematic sound despite the soundbar's modest footprint.

When it comes to voices, we stated that the HT-S2000 delivers "crisp and clear dialogue" and praised its ability to dig up an impressive amount of sonic subtleties. This means that voices not only sound clearer, but also more textured, tonally varied, and realistic.

We reviewed it at £349, but it can be found for just £299 at Amazon right now; that's a tidy £50 saving on a five-star soundbar.

Premium: Samsung HW-Q990F

This Award-winning soundbar package has been discounted so deeply that we think it makes a compelling mid-range option for those scouting out a new 'bar to sit below their TV.

This package includes a soundbar, two surround speakers, and a subwoofer, making it a full surround sound package. The trick here is that all components connect wirelessly, making it a neater solution compared to a traditional wired surround sound package.

The system produces a hugely spacious and detailed sound, with the included subwoofer being a particular highlight. It produces a rich, powerful, and tonally varied bass that blows many competitors out of the water.

On top of this, the HW-Q990F is no slouch when it comes to dialogue. We found it presents "natural and detailed voices" in our review, and if you want even more clarity, then Samsung's Active Voice Amplifier Pro feature is on board to grant your wishes.

We reviewed it at a hefty £1699, but it can currently be found on Amazon for just £749 (a staggering £950 saving).

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I am a very lucky guy: the best TV I've ever tested (and I've been reviewing TVs for 19 years) is also now the TV I use at home.

That TV is the Sony Bravia 8 II, and it really is as awesome to live with as I had expected.

• View all the Prime Day deals

Why, then, am I eyeing up another TV in the Amazon Prime Day sales?

Two reasons: I'd love to add an OLED to my spare room for gaming, and this deal is just too exceptional to pass up.

£623 at Amazon is just unbelievable for a TV this good, and it takes it from a super-premium option that would have to be your main TV, to a good price to pay for a second room TV.

My plan for this 42-inch OLED is to use it as a gaming TV and a monitor for work.

Its gaming specs are impeccable: four HDMI 2.1 sockets that all fully support 4K/144Hz, 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM; a superbly implemented HGIG mode for super-accurate HDR in games; and a Dolby Vision gaming mode.

It's great as a monitor, too, with neat, user-created software available that enables monitor-style features such as auto-wake.

Even if you've no interest in gaming or productivity, though, the 42-inch C5 is awesome for TV shows and movies, with a really balanced and authentic performance that makes full use of OLED's perfect blacks and pixel-level contrast control.

Other than the limp sound (which I recommend solving with one of the best budget soundbars), this TV is great at everything it does, and I think it's just irresistible at this price.

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Here are all the best TVs you can buy right now

And here are all of the best Amazon Prime Day TV deals

Ah, the humble soundbar. You might not think from first glance that they are anything special. After all, their unassuming designs are usually built to blend into your living room in front of your TV virtually unnoticed.

But these compact champions can play a crucial part in your home cinema setup. If you have the right model, your TV’s (almost certainly) lacklustre audio can be upgraded to deliver immersive yet detailed sound with clear voices.

As with any piece of home cinema kit, there is a huge variety when it comes to quality and price. If you are looking on the more affordable end of the spectrum (take the Creative Stage Pro, for instance), you will rarely find Dolby Atmos support. For those who have bigger budgets, you will find more premium models with the specifications to match.

So which models are worth your time? We have tested oodles of bars over the years since the category emerged in the 2000s, so we know which soundbars are genuinely good sonic performers.

With Amazon Prime Day almost upon us (it officially runs from the 23rd to the 26th June), we have already spotted some stellar bargains on top-performing soundbars. All the models below have been thoroughly tested by our experts, and have achieved either a four or five-star rating.

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Cassettes are going the way of vinyl, with sales up 53 per cent last year in the UK, hitting 164,000 units. This is not solely a British phenomenon – 446,500 tapes were sold in the US in the same year, an increase of 17.5 per cent year-on-year.

Which got me thinking. Could we see the OG portable cassette player, the Walkman, make a comeback? And not as a Walkman-branded phone or digital music player, but as a proper, bona fide tape player? As the proud owner of at least two Walkmans during my childhood, I certainly hope so.

Here's why the time is right for the Sony Walkman to once again strut its stuff.

1. A big anniversary is coming

It seems like only yesterday that we were celebrating the iconic player's 40th birthday – but its 50th is just three years away.

Mark the date in your diary: 1st July 2029. That's when the grandaddy of portable tape players hits the half century. The world of music on-the-go has changed massively since then, with first compact discs, then MiniDiscs, digital downloads and now streaming all having their time in the sun.

But the backlash against digital is building. As vinyl's sustained resurgence has shown, people are willing to put up with the inconvenience of physical media if it makes for a more rewarding experience. While no one's arguing cassettes are the last word in sound quality, they certainly have their appeal. A special edition Walkman would make the perfect 50th birthday present from Sony.

2. Sony is no stranger to special editions

Sony loves a special edition product. Recently we reviewed the Sony 1000X The Collexion, which was launched to celebrate a decade of Sony's world-conquering 1000X wireless headphones.

Sony deserves credit here. It would've been very easy for it to release the Award-winning WH-1000XM6 with a slightly different finish, but instead, it chose to launch a proper standalone product.

Admittedly they 'only' scored four stars, as opposed to the fives that Sony headphones are accustomed to. But it shows that Sony is not above celebrating its heritage, and in the most appropriate way possible – by releasing something new.

3. The digital backlash continues

No one's arguing with the convenience of streaming, but more and more people are seeing the appeal of physical media. It's tactile, it gives you more of a connection with the artist, and it's easy to display and show which artists you like. You can't put a stream on your shelves.

This cuts across age groups. Yes, there are those of us old enough to remember vinyl and cassettes the first time around, but Gen Z is also discovering the joy of cassettes. (It helps that they're much more affordable than vinyl.) As Sound Records' owner Gareth Simon told us earlier this year: "The kids have figured it all out – they see vinyl as a way to express their interests in a physical form."

I recently used the Gadhouse Miko Bluetooth cassette player, and while I wasn't enamoured with the sound quality (especially over Bluetooth), I did get an undeniable thrill out of feeling the cassette turning inside the player. As I wrote at the time: "Seeing the cassette's spokes revolve, and feeling the player's mechanism at work in your hand, makes it feel alive in a way that a solid-state device never will. It connects you to the medium as a physical thing, rather than a bunch of ones and zeroes flying through the air."

4. The nostalgia element

I'm not alone in feeling this nostalgic thrill. Whenever I told anyone I was trying out a portable cassette player that has Bluetooth, the reaction was the same: "Cool!" Or a slight variation thereon. Now admittedly these were all men of a certain age, but you get my point. Cassettes have made a comeback. And so should the Walkman.

Whether Sony should stuff it with mod cons like Bluetooth... sure, I mean, why not? As long as it sounds good. And if it can implement the mega bass feature of my childhood Sony WM-EX16, then even better.

But really this is about celebrating an iconic product that changed the face of portable music half a century ago. Make it so, Sony, and I'll get my pre-order in now.

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You know how fancy restaurants have this tendency to deconstruct classic recipes? Well, Sony’s done the same thing to the soundbar, but unlike that deconstructed lasagne, which you rather wish was just a perfectly delicious, fully constructed lasagne, the Bravia Theatre Trio is an almost flawlessly tasty treat.

Sony’s thinking behind the Theatre Trio is that as TVs get ever bigger, soundbars will struggle to create audio on a scale to match the visuals. The obvious solution is to switch to having speakers on either side of the screen, which is what the company’s done previously with the HT-A9 and Bravia Theatre Quad, but that creates its own issue: a lack of central focus, which is particularly important for dialogue.

The solution to the solution, then, is to break the soundbar down into three parts: a centre, a front left and a front right.

In a way, this is the antithesis of the soundbar, which was created, of course, to reduce all of the speakers needed for satisfying home cinema into one, slender unit. What’s next: the return of full home cinema in a box systems?

Let’s not get bogged down in the circular nature of home theatre fashion right now, though. Let’s just enjoy the Sony Bravia Theatre Trio for what it is: one of the finest lifestyle Dolby Atmos systems you can currently buy.

Price

The Sony Bravia Theatre Trio has launched at £1999 / $2000 / AU$2999, making it a very premium proposition indeed.

It’s a highly unusual proposition in today’s market, too, which makes direct comparison rather tricky. Someone considering the Bravia Theatre Trio might also have on their shortlist solo soundbars such as the KEF XIO, Sonos Arc Ultra and Bravia Theatre Bar 9; full soundbar systems such as the Samsung HW-Q990H; and bar-less set-ups such as the Bravia Theatre Quad.

It’s a good job, then, that we have all of these on hand for comparison with the Trio.

Almost inevitably, the Trio system can be expanded through the addition of wireless surround speakers and up to two wireless subwoofers. The new Rear 8, Rear 9, Sub 7, Sub 8 and Sub 9 are all compatible with the Bravia Theatre Trio, and if you buy everything together, the prices of the surrounds and sub(s) are halved.

Several legacy accessories – the SA-SW5 and SA-SW3 subwoofers, and the SA-RS5 and SA-RS3S surrounds – are also compatible with the Trio, should you already own any of those.

We’ve tested the Trio with the Rear 9 surrounds and Sub 8, as well as solo, and you can read our thoughts on the value of expanding the system in the sound quality section.

Design

The Bravia Theatre Trio is a slightly odd thing to behold, especially if you're coming from a soundbar.

The left and right speakers will look familiar to anyone who remembers Sony's HT-A9 system. They share a similar cylindrical shape and fairly substantial dimensions, though the Trio's versions are considerably more stylish, with a black fabric (rather than grey plastic) finish that helps them look modern and discreet despite their size.

They're attractive speakers, too. A metallic ring around the top of each cabinet adds a touch of class, while perforations in the top reveal the up-firing drivers responsible for the system's height effects. Build quality feels reassuringly solid throughout, too.

The centre speaker is a little more divisive.

Essentially a very narrow soundbar that sits beneath the TV, the centre isn’t unattractive exactly, but there is something slightly awkward about its proportions, particularly when it’s positioned beneath the sort of super-sized TV that the Trio is primarily designed to partner.

Thankfully, its low-profile design means it won't obstruct the screen, and Sony includes spacer feet in the box should you need it to straddle your TV’s pedestal stand.

Sony has also done an excellent job of making the Trio as installation-friendly as possible.

The rear of each speaker is flat, allowing for neat wall-mounting, and the left and right speakers require little more than suitably positioned screws. A dedicated wall bracket for the centre speaker is included in the box, too, alongside an HDMI cable and usefully long power leads.

Sony has gone out of its way to ensure that the system isn't overly fussy about speaker placement. It's still worth positioning the speakers as symmetrically as possible, but if real-world constraints mean one speaker ends up slightly higher or further away than another, the calibration system is designed to compensate.

There are compromises to the minimalist approach, though.

Like many modern soundbars, the Trio has no traditional display. Each speaker instead features a small status light that indicates power and connection information. Anyone wanting more detailed feedback will generally need to open the Bravia Connect app, which isn’t always ideal, despite the quality of the app itself.

This is a non-issue for owners of compatible Bravia TVs, at least, as the Trio’s settings and status information appear directly within the television's interface.

Sony also supplies a small but useful remote control that provides quick access to the essentials, including volume, bass level, sound modes, voice enhancement and input selection.

Features

While the Bravia Theatre Trio's three-piece design is its most obvious distinguishing feature, the real cleverness lies in how Sony attempts to make those three speakers sound cohesive, like a soundbar, yet also much bigger, like a more traditional home cinema set-up.

Officially, the Trio is a 3.0.2-channel system comprising dedicated left, centre and right speakers. The centre houses two front-firing woofers and a tweeter, while the left and right speakers each feature a front-firing woofer and tweeter, plus an up-firing driver. Together, Sony claims the three speakers deliver a total power output of 405W.

The system supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks. It’s IMAX Enhanced certified, too, but only once compatible rear speakers and a subwoofer have been added.

Key to the way the Trio handles these 3D audio formats is Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology. Using the physical speakers as a foundation, 360SSM then creates up to 24 'phantom' speakers around the room. These virtual speakers are designed to bolster the real ones and create a larger, more immersive soundstage than would otherwise be possible.

One area in which Sony has clearly put particular effort is set-up and calibration.

Installation is handled via the excellent Bravia Connect app, which guides you through the entire process with clear, well-illustrated instructions. Despite the sophistication of the system, getting everything connected, positioned and configured is refreshingly straightforward.

As part of the set-up process, you're asked to specify the locations of the speakers relative to one another, either approximately or by entering precise measurements. You can also specify their height, allowing the system to compensate for the sort of less-than-perfect real-world placement that often comes with living-room-friendly home cinema set-ups.

The calibration itself is unusually thorough, too. As well as using microphones built into the speakers, the Trio comes supplied with a dedicated USB-C calibration microphone that you plug into your phone before measurements are taken from the listening position. The result should be a level of consistency and accuracy that's difficult to achieve with systems that rely solely on onboard microphones or a smartphone.

Despite that thoroughness, the process is remarkably quick and painless, and, once complete, Sony's Sound Field Optimisation technology adapts the system’s performance to both your room and speaker placement.

There are plenty of further adjustments available within the app should you wish to experiment. You can choose between Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping processing, Dolby Speaker Virtualiser and DTS Neural:X, adjust the height of the soundfield, create a temporary listening position and access the usual assortment of voice enhancement, bass and night mode settings.

Happily, Sony's default settings are generally spot on, and most users will never feel the need to delve into the Trio’s advanced sound settings.

Connectivity is solid, too. The centre speaker houses an HDMI eARC connection for your TV, plus a dedicated HDMI input with support for 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM passthrough.

Wireless support includes Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay and Spotify Connect, while Sony's DSEE Ultimate processing can be used to upscale compressed music files.

Owners of compatible Bravia TVs get a few extra perks, including Voice Zoom 3 dialogue enhancement and, as mentioned, the ability to control many of the Trio's functions directly through the television's interface.

Sound quality

The whole point of splitting a soundbar into three separate speakers is to create a larger and more spacious soundstage, and that's exactly what Sony has achieved.

Compared with even the best conventional soundbars, the Trio sounds huge. Effects stretch much further to the left and right, dialogue remains firmly anchored to the screen, and there's a greater sense of sound being projected out into the room rather than simply originating from beneath the TV.

Blade Runner 2049 demonstrates these strengths particularly well. The sounds of the city as K walks towards his apartment spread far beyond the physical locations of the speakers, filling our large listening room with impressive width and scale. More importantly, the system doesn't just sound wider than a soundbar; it sounds taller, too.

In fact, the Trio's Dolby Atmos performance is one of its most impressive achievements. The sounds of passing vehicles, overhead announcements and environmental effects frequently extend above the listening position, creating a genuinely convincing sense of height. Given the size of our test room and the almost three-metre distance between the seating position and speakers, that's no small feat.

The system proves equally adept with the chaotic battle sequences of Civil War and the aerial action of Top Gun: Maverick, maintaining an impressively large and immersive soundfield without losing track of the finer details.

Perhaps even more impressive than the scale, though, is the cohesion. Despite the fact that you're listening to three physically separate speakers, the Trio rarely sounds like three separate speakers. Instead, it creates a single, unified wall of sound that stretches right across the front of the room.

That sense of integration is particularly important because it allows the system to retain one of the key advantages of a traditional soundbar: you never find yourself consciously thinking about which speaker is producing which effect.

Much of the credit for this appears to belong to Sony's Movie Theatre Acoustics processing. Switch it off, and the soundstage immediately shrinks, while the illusion of a single coherent soundfield begins to weaken. Leave it enabled, however, and the Trio sounds significantly larger, more immersive and more convincing.

There is a small trade-off. The processing can occasionally exaggerate echo that's already present within a soundtrack. The interviewer's voice during K's baseline test in Blade Runner 2049 is one example, while Nandez's dialogue during the early autopsy sequence gains a touch more resonance than is strictly correct.

These moments are relatively rare, though, and the benefits broadly outweigh the drawbacks. Some people might prefer the cleaner delivery when Movie Theatre Acoustics is disabled, but most will want to leave it enabled (as it is by default) for the additional scale, weight and cohesion it brings.

In some respects, the Trio highlights the limitations of conventional soundbars.

Using the excellent Sonos Arc Ultra as a reference point, Sony's system delivers substantially greater scale, bass weight and Atmos immersion. This isn't really a criticism of the Sonos, which remains one of the most capable soundbars at its price, but it does neatly demonstrate what can be achieved when you physically separate the front channels: the Trio simply fills the room more effectively.

One small issue to note regarding movie sound is that the centre speaker can buzz slightly when pushed by super-deep bass, such as that at the start of the second chapter of Blade Runner 2049. It's not something that crops up often enough to become a significant issue, but it is one of the few occasions on which the centre speaker draws attention to itself.

For music, meanwhile, the Trio offers something that most soundbars simply cannot: genuine stereo reproduction.

Switch Sound Field processing off and the centre speaker drops out, leaving dedicated left and right channels handled by dedicated left and right speakers. Give those speakers a small amount of toe-in, and the resulting stereo image is impressively focused, while still benefiting from proper separation.

My Curse by Killswitch Engage is delivered with excellent punch, dynamics and drive, while Rosalía's Divinize demonstrates the system's ability to produce serious low-frequency heft. The dense instrumentation of Karnivool's Salva remains composed and controlled, and Alone On A Hill by Silversun Pickups is rendered with convincing scale and strong stereo focus.

Sony's hi-fi heritage shines through here. The Trio sounds weighty, energetic and engaging in a way that most soundbars simply don't.

That doesn't mean it's a replacement for a properly sorted pair of powered hi-fi speakers, of course, but it comes closer than most lifestyle home cinema products.

One similarly priced alternative to the Trio that we’ve not yet mentioned is the excellent KEF XIO.

With both movies and music, the KEF sounds cleaner, crisper and more detailed than the Sony, with excellent organisation and precision. The Trio counters with greater weight, larger scale and the sort of genuine stereo separation that only physically separated speakers can provide.

Neither approach is inherently better than the other, and preferences will inevitably vary, but the comparison reinforces the fact that Sony has created something genuinely distinct rather than simply another premium soundbar.

And, while the Bravia Theatre Trio is a complete and highly capable package on its own, adding Sony's optional speakers and subwoofer takes things to another level.

Testing with the Rear 9 surrounds and Sub 8 dramatically increases immersion, creating a seamless bubble of sound that extends around the entire listening position. Atmos effects become even more precisely placed, and the busy cityscape of Blade Runner 2049 becomes extraordinarily convincing.

Just as importantly, the minor shortcomings of the standalone system largely disappear. The slight buzz from the centre speaker vanishes once deep bass duties are handed over to the subwoofer, while the occasional over-emphasis of echo through Movie Theatre Acoustics is also cured.

There remains a very slight amount of distortion from the Sub 8 itself during the deepest bass moments, and we'd be fascinated to hear whether the larger Sub 9 can eliminate this final remaining niggle. That's a discussion for another review, though.

Judged as an initial package, the Bravia Theatre Trio is a hugely impressive performer that successfully combines the scale and spaciousness of a separate-speaker home cinema system with much of the convenience and cohesion that make soundbars so appealing.

Verdict

Sony's Bravia Theatre Trio could easily have ended up feeling like an awkward compromise: neither as neat as a soundbar nor as capable as a traditional speaker system. Instead, it succeeds in taking many of the strengths of both approaches while avoiding most of their weaknesses.

It's not quite perfect – the centre speaker isn’t quite as capable as the larger speakers flanking it, there's no display, and some rivals can sound a touch cleaner and more detailed – but those shortcomings are minor in the context of what the Trio achieves overall.

Ultimately, Sony's deconstructed soundbar concept proves brilliantly effective. If you're looking for a premium lifestyle Dolby Atmos system and have the budget to stretch this far, the Bravia Theatre Trio is one of the most compelling options in years.

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Design 4
• Features 4

MORE:

Read our review of the KEF XIO

Also consider the Samsung HW-Q990H

Read our Sonos Arc Ultra review

Best Dolby Atmos soundbars: our reviewers' five recommendations

If you are looking for a way to upgrade from your TV’s subpar audio without taking up space in your home, then a soundbar is a great way to go.

There are a range of options on the market, from budget bars to more premium models. The Sonos Arc Ultra is an example of the latter, and it has snagged a What Hi-Fi? Award for its excellent performance.

Since its release in 2024, the Arc Ultra has been relatively unchallenged. But the new Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S has stepped into the ring with its eye on the prize.

Boasting both a subwoofer and a soundbar as opposed to the Arc Ultra’s all-in-one design, they are two different beasts. But who will come out on top when it comes to audio performance? We have put both soundbars head-to-head in our test room, so we can tell you from experience which model is most worth your money.

Sonos Arc Ultra vs Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S: price

So how much will each soundbar set you back? The Sonos Arc Ultra launched at £999 / $999 / AU$1799 but, since its release, you can get it cheaper. In the UK, the Sonos model has dropped to £799 at most retailers, although we have seen it fluctuate.

The Sony system launched at £799 / $1100 (around AU$1320), and has remained at that price since its release. This combo has not been out as long as the Arc Ultra, so there is still an opportunity for the price to drop as time goes on.

There is the option to buy the Bravia 7 without the subwoofer but, for reasons that will become clear, we recommend spending the extra cash.

Right now, though, it is a tie between the two bars when it comes to cost.

**Winner: draw**

Sonos Arc Ultra vs Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S: design

The two soundbars offer opposing designs that cater to different sides of the market.

The Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S consists of a soundbar and subwoofer, so there is one extra bit of kit to consider compared to Sonos’ single all-in-one bar.

Offering a versatile design, the accompanying subwoofer is easy to place in our test room and connects to the soundbar quickly. You can use it in two different positions, either with the grille facing the listener or the side of the room.

The Arc Ultra is longer than the Bar 7 soundbar, coming in at 8 x 118 x 11cm (hwd) versus Sony’s 6 x 95 x 13cm (hwd). The Sonos model is also heavier, weighing 5.9kg compared to 4.6kg.

With the Sony bar, you will find a small remote control that puts functionality over style. From here, you can control the power, input, bass levels, volume and turn on Night mode. There’s no such addition with the Sonos, however.

You can find the Sonos bar in either a black or white finish, whereas the Sony system is only available in black. Neither of the bars has a display, and the Sony has no buttons on the top of the bar. The Arc Ultra features touch-sensitive buttons, though these are situated on a ledge at the back. A display with both models would make navigating the settings without relying on the accompanying apps feel more straightforward.

Both designs offer their own benefits. The Sonos offers a slightly simpler set-up with its all-in-one build, but the Sony’s soundbar is more compact and offers versatility with the subwoofer’s placement.

That all depends on what you need from your soundbar, so it’s a draw this time round.

**Winner: draw**

Sonos Arc Ultra vs Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S: features

In terms of physical connectivity, both bars have an HDMI that supports eARC, but the Sony model has an extra HDMI port.

Dolby Atmos is available with both systems, but the Bravia 7 also offers DTS:X, which provides more options for surround sound.

The Sony bar offers a 5.1.2-channel configuration. Under the hood of the main bar, you will find nine drive units, split between side, centre, up-firing and bass channels. That differs from the Sonos, which is packing a 9.1.4-channel configuration. This is made up of seven tweeters, six midrange woofers, and a 'Sound Motion' woofer.

They both use their company's respective apps. The Bravia Connect and Sonos apps let you fine-tune the settings of the bars. With the Sony’s app, you can also pair the subwoofer (and the surrounds if you have them) from the app, where they recognise the product almost immediately, which makes for an easy set-up.

Both apps are easy to use, but Sony’s user interface is more intuitive and this results in a smoother overall experience.

From both apps, you can calibrate the soundbar to your space (the Arc Ultra employs Sonos Trueplay). Once we have calibrated the bars to our space, we are offered a wider soundstage with both systems. It’s worth noting that the subwoofer is not included in this process with the Sony system, so it must be adjusted by ear using the bass settings with the app or the remote.

There is also the option to expand your set-up with both systems. With the Sony soundbar and subwoofer, you can also add in the Sony Theatre Rear 8 speakers, costing £449 / $500 / AU$599 on their own.

Sonos’ offerings here are more comprehensive, as you can connect other products from the brand, such as the Sonos Sub 4 or the Era 300 speakers. These can be arranged in a multi-room set-up or in one room.

For its more comprehensive HDMI support and better app experience, the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 takes it.

**Winner: Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S**

Sonos Arc Ultra vs Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S: sound

Sony and Sonos take different approaches when it comes to audio performance here. But both are five-star systems that provide a massive upgrade from the majority of TV speakers.

When we start up the Bravia Theatre Bar 7, we are greeted with a punchy, cohesive sound that is immediately likeable. It offers an immersive experience, which is put to the test with Top Gun: Maverick as Maverick attempts to reach hypersonic speed in a jet, and the soundbar stretches the height effects above the TV screen.

The Arc Ultra also impresses, matching the Sony’s sense of scale and punch. Effects sound like they're coming from all around you, and are placed with precision, while certain sounds (like rain) stretch far beyond the confines of the TV to which the soundbar is connected.

Bass performance is strong with both soundbars, but the Sony’s added subwoofer gives it the edge in terms of agility and precision. We also find that the bass is well-integrated with the main soundbar and performs with the same precision as the rest of the system. That’s not to dismiss the Sonos performance with lower frequencies, as the bass it delivers is "tight, tuneful and expressive in a way that is rare in the soundbar world".

We listen to the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 without the subwoofer, and it still delivers clear vocals and convincing height effects. But the sound is thinner and lacks the sense of scale and authority that we get when the subwoofer is added.

Both soundbars produce clear vocals, but the Sonos model produces richer voices that lend a more emotive and warm feel to the sound.

When playing music, this warm approach carries foward with the Sonos to make it a more emotive performer than the Sony. The soft vocals of Aurora’s Churchyard start with the appropriate low-level dynamics and build to the punchy chorus as the bass kicks in. As with the Sony’s performance with movies, the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S delivers a more precise and energetic bass than the Arc Ultra.

Both soundbars are excellent sonic performers, but the Sonos bar inches past the Sony system for its warmer overall sound.

**Winner: Sonos Arc Ultra**

Sonos Arc Ultra vs Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S: verdict

If you are looking to upgrade your TV’s audio and get a more immersive audio experience, then either of these soundbars will deliver. Where the Sonos Arc Ultra offers a warm, spacious sound, the Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S counters with a more agile and well-integrated bass.

One of their designs might suit you more, but the Sonos Arc Ultra just takes the crown for its richer sonic performance.

**Winner: Sonos Arc Ultra**

MORE:

These are the best soundbars on the market

Here's our full review of the Sonos Arc Ultra

Check out the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

Sony has added Direct Connect support to more of its TVs, including multiple Award-winning OLED sets.

The Japanese AV brand originally launched its Direct Connect feature with its duo of new True RGB TVs, the Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II.

The feature lets users connect a pair of the brand's latest Rear 9 or Rear 8 surround speakers and a compatible subwoofer directly to their TV. Compatible subwoofer models include the Sub 7, Sub 8 or Sub 9

The feature uses the TV's speakers as the centre, left and right channels, with the connected speakers providing surround sound and low-end support.

While it launched as an exclusive feature for the 2026 range, Sony has updated a selection of TVs from 2023, 2024 and 2025 to support the wireless surround sound feature. The list of included models is as follows:

• A95L (2023)
• Bravia 9 (2024)
• Bravia 8 II (2025)
• Bravia 8 (2024)
• Bravia 7 (2024)
• Bravia 5 (2025)

We're especially pleased to see the A95L featured here, as while we praised its built-in sound system in our review, we also reported: "we rather wish Sony gave you the option to add a subwoofer directly to the A95L, as that would make it even more formidable".

Job done, thanks to this update. Unfortunately, the Award-winning A80L misses the cut, as do other premium Sony sets from 2023, including the X95L and X90L.

While it may sound similar to LG's new Dolby Atmos Sound Suite range, Sony's system works slightly differently. Direct Connect does not use Dolby Atmos Flex Connect, and a maximum of two speakers and one subwoofer can be connected. LG's system allows for multiple sets of speakers to be paired directly with the TV.

Furthermore, Sony intends for users to place the speakers behind or adjacent to the listening position to create a surround sound effect, rather than using them as dedicated front left and right channels.

The update is rolling out now in Europe and the US, and it brings Sony's My Cinema interface, which collects the picture and sound features into a new-looking user interface, to the models mentioned above.

MORE:

Check out our picks for the best Sony soundbars

As well as the best OLED TVs

And read our full LG Sound Suite System review here

Can you believe that there was a time when Samsung didn’t feature a single OLED TV in its range? That all changed in 2022, when it put its spin on OLED by adding a layer of Quantum Dots and launched the excellent S95B QD-OLED TV.

Five years later, the brand is now reaping the benefits of the self-emissive panel technology. It now makes some of the finest OLED TVs around – take the five-star S95F and S90F duo from last year – and its 2026 lineup features more OLED TVs than ever before.

Of course, Samsung was never going to celebrate half a decade of OLED success without taking things up a notch, which is why it has introduced a new, rather unusual flagship model that takes inspiration from one of the brand's other most successful models.

That new flagship OLED is the S99H, a premium QD-OLED TV that oozes style and sophistication, thanks at least in part to its aesthetic similarities to the wildly successful, design-led The Frame LCD range.

Here, though, those smart good looks have been blended with the core abilities of the excellent S95F – with a generous helping of performance upgrades for good measure.

The result? A showstopping OLED TV that blends style and substance, and one that we think could dethrone the current reigning champion of our best OLED TV list: the Sony Bravia 8 II.

Price

We have the 55-inch Samsung S99H before us today, and it’s officially priced at £2499, though in true Samsung fashion, that launch pricing hasn’t stuck around for long. We’re already seeing a £100 decrease across all sizes, which puts the 65-inch version at £3199, the 77-inch model at £4199, and the 83-inch size at £5999.

Now, we need to clear something up regarding model numbers for different regions.

In the US and Australia, Samsung is calling this model the S95H. Despite the different name, it is an identical TV. In these regions, you’ll find the 55-inch S95H for $2500 / AU$3999, the 65-inch S95H for $3400 / AU$5299, the 77-inch S95H for $4500 / AU$7999, and the 83-inch S95H for $6500 / AU$9995.

That's not the end of the story, though. To confuse things even more, Samsung is selling a model under the S95H name here in the UK, too, but it’s a different TV. From what we gather, it is the same TV as the S99H, but without the metal frame-style design. In fact, it looks identical to last year’s S95F.

So, to reiterate, the S99H we're testing here is known as the S95H in the US and Australia, but that is not the same as the UK's S95H TV. Yes, we have given some constructive feedback to Samsung on all of this.

Got all that? Then let's consider the S99H's competition, which primarily comes in the form of Sony’s awesome, Award-winning Bravia 8 II, the 55-inch version of which, after around a year on sale, now costs around £1799 / $2600 / AU$3995. That makes it significantly cheaper than the S99H in the UK, but there's rough pricing parity between the two TVs in the US and Australia.

There’s also the 55-inch LG G6 to consider, which appears to be widely discounted to £1840 here in the UK, but is so far sticking to its $2500 / AU$3995 launch price in the US and Australia, respectively.

Design

We’re confident in saying that this is one of the most unusual-looking TVs to enter our AV testing room.

Samsung clearly took inspiration from its hugely popular The Frame TV when it came to designing the S99H, and while this television’s looks won’t be to everyone’s taste, we’re just pleased to see a TV company that’s willing to push the boat out when it comes to design.

The S99H features a two-layer design, with an OLED screen section mounted onto a slightly larger metal backplate, with a roughly 2cm gap between. Samsung calls this its “FloatLayer” design.

It’s hard to describe, but the effect it gives is essentially a floating OLED panel surrounded by a premium metal frame. Much like LG’s G-series, this TV is designed to be wall-mounted, and while we can’t do that in our testing room, we have seen it wall-mounted at various hands-on events leading up to launch.

In short, the S99H looks like a work of art when it's fixed to a wall, as the floating design becomes really quite striking and effective. Despite the two-layer design, the overall depth is just 2.8cm, which also helps to sell the futuristic look that Samsung is going for.

Unfortunately, the TV doesn’t look quite as suave when it’s set up in its tabletop configuration. Samsung includes two quite cheap-feeling plastic feet with the TV that feel somewhat at odds with the rest of the premium design, and the metal bezel and floating design look less convincing when it's not attached to a wall.

Samsung also includes two remotes in the box: a “traditional” button-heavy number, and a sleeker “smart” remote. The latter includes both a USB-C socket and a small solar panel on the back for easy recharging, though it’s frustratingly not backlit. Then again, neither are the remotes included with the aforementioned Sony or LG TVs, so we can’t knock Samsung too much here.

Features

Samsung’s penchant for cramming (almost) every imaginable feature into its TVs is, once again, evident with the S99H.

We’ll start with the QD-OLED display, which Samsung has managed to squeeze even more brightness out of since we last saw it on the S95F. It can now reportedly reach a whopping 2700 nits in the Movie picture mode, and as you’ll come to find out in the picture section of this review, there are plenty of instances in which we find ourselves being taken aback by how bright this TV can get.

Samsung has also improved its Glare Free coating this year, making it more effective at combating reflections and glare from ambient light. The matte display also makes artwork from Samsung’s Art Mode feature look more realistic for those who want a TV that blends into its surroundings.

In usual Samsung fashion, HDR support comes in the form of HDR10+ (including the Adaptive and Gaming versions), HDR10 and HLG, but not Dolby Vision.

Samsung's answer to Dolby Vision 2, HDR10+ Advanced, is also supported by the S99H. Unfortunately, no content is available in the new format yet, and we don't have a date for its arrival. Amazon is said to be working on adding it to Prime Video in the not too distant future, though.

Hardcore PC gamers will be pleased to learn that the S99H can handle signals right up to 4K/165Hz, as well as the console-friendly 4K/120Hz format, across all four of its HDMI 2.1 sockets. VRR, ALLM and HDR10+ Gaming are also all supported.

All of the connections are built into a side-facing nook in the rear of the TV, which is a departure from the One Connect box that has come with Samsung’s previous flagship OLED TVs.

One Connect does live on, though, and in a quite remarkable way: Samsung is offering an optional Wireless One Connect accessory, which is set to launch in July for £299 / $350 (AU price TBC).

This features four HDMI sockets, and because it connects to the S99H wirelessly, it takes the total HDMI 2.1 socket count to a staggering eight. That’s enough to support all three of the current-generation consoles, a gaming PC, a 4K Blu-ray player, a soundbar or AVR, and a streaming device, and you’d still have one spare.

The S99H also supports Dolby Atmos, both via HDMI eARC and through its built-in 4.2.2-channel 70W sound system.

Samsung offers two simplistic sound modes, Standard and Amplify, but there is also a range of Samsung-specific sound processing features based on its Vision AI platform, including Object Tracking Sound Plus, Active Voice Amplifier Pro, Adaptive Sound Pro, and AI Sound Controller Pro; all of which are fairly self-explanatory.

Q Symphony also returns. This allows you to use the TV’s speakers in unison with those of a connected Samsung soundbar, but it should be approached with caution – we generally find that a good soundbar performs best when the less capable speakers of a TV don't get involved.

AI also steps in to help with picture processing, as Samsung has implemented its 4K AI Upscaling Pro, AI Motion Enhancer Pro and Auto HDR Remastering Pro features, alongside a Real Depth Enhancer contrast enhancement system and Colour Booster Pro.

On the subject of AI, Samsung has applied its “AI for All” mantra in swathes here, as the S99H is positively dripping in artificial intelligence, right down to the AI button on the remote.

A click of this button brings up Samsung’s Vision AI interface, which can recognise on-screen content and provide extra contextual information. This includes related content, cast information and prompts to find out more detailed information about the show or movie.

Scrolling from this page brings us to a more generalised AI interface, from which Samsung allows you to pick your preferred system. Here you can ask for recipes, generate AI wallpapers, or ask general questions. The sky is, hypothetically, the limit.

This is all made possible by the same NQ4 AI Gen3 Processor found in last year’s S95F, as well as Samsung’s Tizen OS platform. The operating system has had a fairly comprehensive refresh for 2026, with a new content bar at the top that splits your apps into categories including entertainment, gaming and art, and the operation feels generally slicker.

App coverage is mostly excellent, with a wide range of international and domestic streaming applications. Currently, the only missing app is BBC iPlayer; we’ve reached out to Samsung, which says that it expects to add iPlayer support soon.

Samsung TV Plus, which features hundreds of free over-the-internet streaming channels, is also included, and gamers are well looked after thanks to the presence of apps for services such as Xbox, Amazon Luna, and Nvidia GeForce Now.

Picture quality

It’s clear that Samsung has been working to tweak and adjust its picture processing over the years in the pursuit of achieving that final pinch of picture quality excellence, and the S99H is evidence that its work has paid off. This is Samsung’s most mature TV yet, and it’s all the better for that.

We opt for Filmmaker Mode as our preferred picture preset, albeit with a couple of tweaks to get the best performance possible: we switch Colour Temperature from its Warm 2 default to Warm 1, and turn the judder and blur reduction settings up to 1.

The resulting picture is extraordinary, and it makes any content we throw at it – from Blade Runner 2049, Civil War, Pan and Drive, to No Time To Die and The Batman – shine. We have the S99F set up next to the Award-winning Sony Bravia 8 II, and despite the tough competition, the Samsung delivers an unflinching visual feast.

Starting with the opening scene of Blade Runner 2049, we find that the S99H serves up oodles of contrast, which results in a deeply three-dimensional picture with superb highlights.

The overhead shot of the solar farm instantly draws us in, thanks to the superb detail levels mixed with the excellent sense of depth. We also approve of how the S99H handles the gloomy, bluish-grey sky, as well as the skin tones of Officer K and Sapper Morton.

In fact, the S99H makes the Sony Bravia 8 II look a bit green in our head-to-head comparison, and skin tones start to look a bit pasty, too. Sony TVs have traditionally leaned towards the cooler side when it comes to colour reproduction, even in Filmmaker Mode, but it’s interesting to see these TVs take a different approach, particularly as they use the same panel technology.

This is most evident in the scene from Pan in which the floating pirate ship enters a cavern; the Samsung runs rings around the Sony when it comes to maintaining low-light colour volume. Skin tones are noticeably warmer and more vibrant on the Samsung in this instance. That being said, the Sony is evidently better at maintaining shadow detail.

In fact, some shadow detail is lost entirely on the S99H, especially during dark sequences in moodier flicks such as Drive and The Batman. In both films, we find facial features and clothing textures occasionally succumb to darkness, while the Sony has no trouble keeping them visible.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Samsung takes the crown when it comes to delivering dazzlingly bright highlights; in fact, we’re adding the S99H to the list of TVs that we’ve had to shield our eyes from physically.

Reverting to the exceptionally bright (and critically dismal) Pan, we find the mix of punchy, concentrated highlights and rich colours stealing our attention away from the Sony entirely.

However, the more conventional-looking Civil War is the perfect test disc to highlight exactly what this TV does well. Everything from the night-time forest fire sequence to a helicopter gliding over a lake and the Charlottesville military camp looks fantastic.

There’s a real sense of nuance here that previous Samsung TVs haven’t always been able to capture. Foliage, for example, is wonderfully textured and detailed without looking over-etched, and while the colours do seem a smidge over-saturated compared with those from the Bravia 8 II, it's not to an extent that looks instinctively wrong.

The sequence that shows the journalists driving through a forest fire seals the deal here. The mix of detail, depth and contrast served up by the S99H is remarkable – the striking, bright flames contrast wonderfully with the dark background, and there is a real sense of intensity and warmth derived from how Samsung's OLED handles highlights.

We fire up the standard Blu-ray of Logan to assess the S99H’s upscaling capabilities, and it's a similar story here, too. Detail levels are superb, and if we weren’t so eagle-eyed, the S99H could almost have fooled us into thinking we were watching a 4K disc.

Colours are also nicely balanced, and motion remains solid, too. This TV excels regardless of what you throw at it.

Sound

It’s not just the picture performance that Samsung has improved. Sound has also been upgraded, which is a good sign after the S95F’s middling delivery.

We stick with Civil War, which highlights everything from dialogue to explosions, and even Dolby Atmos height effects. The rhythmic swooping of helicopter blades is delivered with a strong leading edge, underpinned by a pleasingly controlled dose of bass.

Moving on to the scene in which Lee and Jessie have a heart-to-heart conversation in a wooded area, we approve of how the S99H captures the subtle characteristics of their voices well, and overall, the dialogue is crisp and well-defined. The atmospheric effects, including birds chirping and leaves rustling in the wind, sound pleasingly spacious, too.

There is plenty of height and width to the sound, which is also evident in Blade Runner 2049. The sequence in which Officer K returns to his home from the police precinct is another example of how the S99H captures atmospheric sounds to great effect.

The booming audio adverts are placed with impressive precision and plenty of height, while the S99H somehow manages to beam the sound of the bustling street in a way that creates a fairly convincing sense of immersion.

While we’re on the subject of Blade Runner, we put the S99H through our usual chapter two stress test and find that Samsung has changed its approach. Where many of the brand's previous models have been quite bassy but a little prone to distortion, the S99H digs less deep but proves to be almost entirely distortion-free.

Sony takes a similar approach with the Bravia 8 II (and many other of its TVs), and we ultimately find it to be a sensible compromise. We would of course like more bass weight, but if that has to be sacrificed somewhat to reduce distracting distortion, then so be it.

It’s not all good news on the sonic front, though: like the S95F, the S99H simply doesn't go very loud. Even close to its maximum volume levels, this is an easy TV to talk over. The Amplify setting helps to negate this somewhat, but it does result in some dynamic compression.

The Sony Bravia 8 II also does a better job of organising the sound during scenes with lots of competing effects. The ending battle of Civil War is a perfect example, as the Sony balances dialogue, explosions, and vehicle sounds with care to create a more impactful and immersive soundscape.

With all that said, the S99H is still a big improvement over the S95F where sound is concerned, and it's ultimately a very usable (and even enjoyable) built-in sound system.

Verdict

There’s no other way of putting it; Samsung has knocked it out of the park with the S99H.

With a refined approach to picture tuning, a feature set that (with one key caveat) many TVs can only dream of, and a greatly improved sound system compared with last year’s model, the company’s latest flagship OLED TV takes the title from the S95F as the best TV the company has made to date.

The bold new design might not suit all tastes, and die-hard Dolby Vision fans may be disappointed, but we’re struggling to find reasons not to recommend the Samsung S99H to anyone considering splashing some serious cash on a flagship OLED TV.

SCORES

• Picture 5
• Sound 4
• Features 4

MORE:

Read our review of the Sony Bravia 8 II

Also consider the LG G6

Read our Philips OLED910 review

Best TVs: flagship OLEDs and budget Mini LED sets tried and tested

Is your dad like mine and claims he doesn't actually want anything for Father's Day?

Of course, you still have to get him something – and we've put together a snazzy little gift guide to help you.

Whether you have a commuter dad who could benefit from some noise-cancelling headphones, a garden dad who would love a Bluetooth speaker or a home cinema dad who watches late-night action films, there's something here for whatever his tastes are.

All of the physical products below have been reviewed and rated by us, and must receive at least four stars to earn our sought-after recommendation. So even if you know nothing about hi-fi and home cinema, you can be sure you're getting your dad a quality gift.

The ultra-portable, ultra-affordable Tribit Stormbox Micro 2 is one of the most wallet-friendly portable speakers we've come across, but, importantly, it also offers good sound quality for the money.

The Sony WH-1000XM6 won Product of the Year in the wireless headphones category at our most recent Awards ceremony, and are still our best overall pick of the best headphones. If your dad regularly spends his time on trains, planes or buses, then the excellent noise-cancelling, exceptional detail and comfortable fit make these a go-to option.

The Panasonic DP-UB150EB is a great value 4K Blu-ray player. Picture quality is admirable – especially when it comes to dark details and 4K upscaling – and the player can handle up to 7.1 audio with an impressive sense of scale.

The Sonos Era 300 is a wireless speaker that offers huge scale, an engaging sound, a wide range of features and a seamless Sonos experience. It's also convincing with spatial audio, music that uses the Dolby Atmos format to create multiple channels of audio beyond the standard two.

We're sure Apple AirPods need no introduction. The Apple AirPods Pro 3 are our favourite overall thanks to their spacious, powerful and dynamic sound, impressive ANC and Apple's intuitive user experience.

If your dad needs something to listen to on his new headphones, then you can currently get three months of Audible for only $0.99 a month. Given that it's usually $8.99 a month, that's quite the saving.

If your dad is still listening to the tinny built-in speakers of his TV, a soundbar will be revelatory. The diminutive Creative Stage Pro comes with a soundbar and subwoofer that are compact enough for small spaces, but still sound crisp, detailed and emotive.

If your dad has crates of dusty records, then the Sony PS-LX3BT is an effective and affordable way to get back into vinyl. It comes with Bluetooth functionality, so your dad can connect his wireless headphones too.

The Audio-Technica Sound Burger may look like a novelty, but this portable record player is also an enjoyable, well-made concept with plenty of unique features. Especially recommended if your dad had the original back in 1983.

MORE:

Our pick of the best wireless headphones you can buy

And the best TVs for all budgets

Looking for a bargain? Here are the best budget soundbars

Footballers love their headphones, or at least they seem to. Barely a weekend goes by when we aren't greeted by a pre-match image of our favourite players getting off the team bus, inspecting the turf or psyching themselves up pitch-side, all with a pair of their favourite headphones jammed into their ears or hanging around their neck.

It makes sense. You need those tunes to get you pumped up before a big game, and blasting out a bit of heavy metal in the changing room via a Bluetooth speaker might not make you popular with a roster of teammates who prefer a nice bit of drill or EDM. We're not professional athletes, but it seems obvious that locker rooms are like public buses; it's best to keep your music listening private.

With the FIFA World Cup set to kick off this month, the necessity to get hyped has never been so potent for some of our favourite 'soccer' stars as they head to America. From Beats to Bowers & Wilkins, these are the headphones some of the most famous faces in football are taking to the biggest stage of all.

Kylian Mbappe – Loewe

The greatest players need the finest headphones to match. There's no question that Kylian Mbappé is one of the premier players on the planet, so it was unlikely that he would be heading to the World Cup with a tatty pair of wireless earbuds he found for £20 on Amazon.

Instead, we imagine that Kylian might have a pair of £1500 Loewe Leo wireless over-ears stashed in his hold-all instead. France's talisman is Loewe's big-name brand ambassador, modelling not only the aforementioned Leo but the chunky We. Hear Pro portable Bluetooth speaker.

Maybe the latter will emerge in the changing rooms as and when France start winning their group games.

Lionel Messi – Beats

Beats has a remarkable history of celebrity endorsements, especially from athletes.

The brand's marketing strategy throughout the 2000s and 2010s was centred on inserting itself into the public consciousness by having Beats products appear constantly in music videos, at major sporting events, in TV shows and more.

In fact, you couldn't consider yourself a big-name celebrity or top-level athlete if Beats wasn't courting your attention, with the likes of LeBron James, Shohei Ohtani, Tom Brady, Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka all enjoying sponsorship deals at some time or another.

Beats has repeated the trick by nabbing Lionel Messi as a brand ambassador, so expect to see the GOAT with a pair of cans with a big bold 'B' emblazoned on the side when you tune in to watch Argentina.

Virgil Van Dijk and Declan Rice – JBL

It makes sense for JBL to collaborate with the biggest names in the world of football.

The US company has always been pretty good at knowing its target audience and then catering to it in both the way it makes products and how it sells them to its core demographics.

JBL has snagged the services of quite a few high-profile leather-kickers in recent times, with Liverpool centre back Virgil Van Dijk and Arsenal stalwart Declan Rice being two of its major supporters.

Both will feature heavily for their respective nations, the Netherlands and England, during the World Cup, though we'd be surprised if either actually wears a pair of JBL headphones while on the pitch. They'd fall off when you went in for a header...

David Beckham – Bowers & Wilkins

In case you hadn't noticed, David Beckham is no shrinking violet. The England icon lends his visage to Stella Artois beer, Hugo Boss clothing, Pepsi soda and the Shark Ninja air fryer, to name but a few. Slip him £100 and he'll probably turn up at your child's birthday party.

He appears so frequently in the public eye that we wouldn't be surprised if he's cloned himself in a bid to get to as many high-profile events as he possibly can in a single calendar year.

Air fryers and draft beer aside, he is also the handsome face of Bowers & Wilkins' range of premium headphones, including the five-star Px7 S3 wireless over-ears and the Award-winning Pi8 true wireless earbuds, so he's certainly got taste when it comes to audio.

Whether it's by the pitch, at the stadiums or in the mid-match adverts, you're going to be seeing quite a lot of Golden Balls at the 2026 World Cup. Not bad for a man who retired over ten years ago.

Mika Bireth and Falorin Balogun – Bang & Olufsen

Ok, this might be the coolest partnership in all of sport. AS Monaco have always been one of the most glamorous sides in the French Ligue 1. B&Os' reputation for blending high-end audio with luxury design is legendary. Talk about a match made in heaven.

The team houses four big-name B&O ambassadors. Denmark's Mika Bireth and the USA's Folarin Balogun are two of AS Monaco's representatives playing at the biggest international tournament football has to offer. Meanwhile, their Monaco teammates, Paul Pogba and Eric Dier, won't be representing their respective nations this time around, but they are major names who will also be wearing B&O cans, albeit on the sidelines.

Harry Kane – Our Pure Planet

Bless Harry Kane, he really does seem like one of the good guys. He's also pretty handy at football, in case you hadn't noticed.

The English icon has been banging in goals for Bayern Munich at a near-unprecedented rate over the last couple of seasons. Between matches, he's managed to find some time out of his busy net-ripping schedule to partner with eco-audio brand Our Pure Planet, becoming both a company co-owner and big-name global ambassador.

We don't know how Harry's headphones sound or how comfortable they are, but that's not exactly the point. Our Pure Plant's aim is to, according to its website, "reduce plastic, offset carbon, and minimise paper waste "by using up to 80% recycled plastics and metals in its products."

Eschewing massive audio brands in favour of endorsing an environmentally sustainable newbie? He's a good lad, our Harry.

MORE:

We've picked a local artist from every World Cup 2026 host city to get your system ready in time for kick off

What's better for a World Cup TV – size or quality?

Want the headphones of champions? Read our list of the best wireless headphones

There’s a war going on for your living room. The premium TV technology of choice of the last few years – OLED – is under attack from a new, stunningly bright and vibrant foe – RGB Mini LED.

Every major brand has either launched its first RGB Mini LED TVs or is about to. Hisense launched its first RGB Mini LED models last year, in fact, but those were gigantic, 100+ inch sets, so a long way from a serious proposition for most people.

Hisense is also the first brand to submit to us a proper, mainstream RGB Mini LED TV to review, though – the UR9.

RGB Mini LED TVs are pitched at different levels by different brands, but Hisense is absolutely pitching the UR9 as a rival to flagship OLEDs. The price confirms as much.

So, what better way to benchmark it than against our current favourite flagship OLED, the Sony Bravia 8 II.

That, then, is what we’ve done. Over several days, we’ve tested the Hisense UR9 and Sony Bravia 8 II side by side, feeding all of our favourite discs and streams into both simultaneously, and judging them on picture quality, sound quality, features, usability, design and price.

This might not be a full RGB Mini LED vs OLED battle – the Hisense UR9 doesn’t represent all RGB Mini LED TVs, after all – but it is the opening skirmish in the broader TV tech war. And it's an eye-opening one at that.

Hisense UR9 vs Sony Bravia 8 II: price

The Hisense UR9’s pricing is interesting to say the least. In the UK, the 65-inch model we tested is priced at £2999, which places it in the same price category as brand-new flagship OLEDs.

In Australia, meanwhile, the UR9’s price of AU$3999 makes it slightly more affordable by local standards.

In the US, though, the pre-launch price of $3500 had dropped vastly to just $2000 by the time the TV actually hit stores.

Things are much more straightforward with the Sony Bravia 8 II, the 65-inch version of which launched at £2999 / $4000 / AU$5295, but can now be bought for £2299 / $2798 / AU$4995.

The inconsistent international pricing of the Hisense UR9 makes it a little tricky to judge this round, but seeing as we’re a primarily UK publication, and that we reviewed a UK sample, we’re going to prioritise the UK pricing and call this it in favour of the Bravia 8 II.

WINNER: Sony Bravia 8 II

Hisense UR9 vs Sony Bravia 8 II: design

The Sony Bravia 8 II and Hisense UR9 are both smart-looking TVs, but they take rather different approaches to design.

Sony has essentially carried over the styling of the A95L, resulting in a TV that looks purposeful, premium and monolithic. While it lacks the ultra-thin glamour of some rival OLEDs, the Bravia 8 II still feels like a flagship product, with its clean lines and understated aesthetic giving it a suitably high-end appearance.

The feet can be installed in either a low-profile position that leaves the bottom edge of the screen sitting just millimetres above your furniture, or a raised position that creates space for a soundbar. The downside is that those feet can only be positioned at the furthest extremes of the chassis, meaning you'll need furniture that's at least as wide as the TV itself.

The Hisense UR9 is a more practical proposition. At 4.5cm thick, it's chunkier than the Sony and doesn't have quite the same premium flair, but it is solidly built and neatly finished, with slim bezels and a restrained dark metallic finish.

Hisense has also made a couple of sensible usability-focused decisions. The centrally mounted pedestal stand occupies a footprint of only around 42cm, making the TV much easier to place on narrower furniture, and it too offers two height positions so that a soundbar can be accommodated beneath the screen.

The UR9's integrated Devialet sound system is more visually obvious than Sony's Acoustic Surface Audio+ setup, with perforations running down the sides of the chassis and across the top edge to house the side- and up-firing speakers. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it does contribute to the TV's more functional, engineering-led appearance.

Ultimately, neither of these TVs is likely to be bought primarily for its styling, but the Bravia 8 II's cleaner, more premium design gives it the edge. The UR9 is practical and perfectly attractive in its own right, but it lacks the sense of sophistication that Sony's flagship delivers.

WINNER: Sony Bravia 8 II

Hisense UR9 vs Sony Bravia 8 II: features

The biggest difference between these two TVs is, of course, their panel technologies.

The Sony Bravia 8 II uses Samsung Display's latest QD-OLED panel, paired with Sony's XR processor and a custom heatsink. Because OLED technology is self-emissive, every pixel can be controlled independently, with no need for local dimming zones.

Sony doesn't publish specific brightness figures for its TVs, but the Bravia 8 II is estimated to hit around 1900 nits in small highlights, making it one of the brightest OLED TVs currently available.

The Hisense UR9, meanwhile, uses an RGB Mini LED backlight with 980 local dimming zones. Rather than relying on a conventional white backlight shining through colour filters, it uses separate red, green and blue Mini LEDs to generate colour directly. Hisense claims a peak brightness of up to 3500 nits for the 65-inch model we tested.

On paper, then, these TVs take radically different approaches to creating their images. We're not going to award points for one technology over the other here, though, because what ultimately matters is how those technologies perform in practice. We'll get to that in the picture quality section.

There are other differences in the feature sets of the two TVs worth highlighting, though.

Hardcore gamers are generally better served by the Hisense. All three of its HDMI sockets are full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports, with support for 4K/170Hz, 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM. It also features a DisplayPort connection, which remains extremely rare on TVs and could prove useful for committed PC gamers.

The Sony supports 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM, too, but still offers only two HDMI 2.1 sockets, one of which doubles as the eARC connection. That limitation remains one of our biggest frustrations with Sony's flagship TVs.

That said, we'd probably take the Sony's two HDMI 2.1 sockets and two additional standard HDMI inputs over the Hisense's three HDMI sockets and DisplayPort arrangement. The latter will be useful to a niche audience, but many buyers are more likely to benefit from having an extra ‘standard’ HDMI connection available.

HDR support favours the Hisense, though. The UR9 supports every major HDR format currently in use, including HLG, HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. The Bravia 8 II supports Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG, but, as is customary for Sony TVs, HDR10+ is absent.

The Bravia 8 II fights back with Google TV, which remains one of the stronger smart TV platforms available and features excellent app support. The UR9's VIDAA operating system is fast and responsive, but there are some notable omissions.

Most significantly, while the Apple TV app is present, it lacks access to the Apple TV Store and users' purchased libraries. That's a genuine disappointment, as Apple's movie store remains the best pay-as-you-go film streaming service available, particularly for 4K HDR movies.

Sony also offers IMAX Enhanced certification, its Studio Calibrated Modes for services such as Netflix and Prime Video, and Sony Pictures Core integration.

Ultimately, neither TV completely dominates on features, but the Hisense's broader HDR support, extra HDMI 2.1 socket and more advanced gaming specification give it the edge overall.

WINNER: Hisense UR9

Hisense UR9 vs Sony Bravia 8 II: picture quality

This is, of course, the section that really matters.

The Hisense UR9 makes an immediately strong impression. Once switched into either Filmmaker Mode or IMAX Cinema, it produces a rich, vibrant and remarkably composed image that rarely behaves like a traditional backlit TV.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about the UR9 is how well controlled its RGB Mini LED backlight is. Throughout our testing, blooming is kept impressively in check, black levels are consistently strong and the TV almost entirely avoids the brightness pumping, flickering and shifting backlight behaviour that often gives Mini LED technology away.

Extra-bright HDR content is a particular strength. Movies such as Pan look spectacular on the UR9, with dazzling highlights and bold colours that comfortably outgun the Bravia 8 II for outright brightness. Sunlight bursting through clouds and glinting off fantasy scenery is delivered with real punch and intensity.

The UR9 is also a very accomplished motion performer, and it combines its brightness with rich colours, excellent shadow detail and a pleasingly cinematic warmth that stops the image from ever becoming gaudy or overblown.

In isolation, it's one of the best backlit TVs we have ever tested.

Direct comparison with the Bravia 8 II reveals why OLED remains the reference technology, though – at least for now.

Despite its impressive brightness and excellent local dimming, the Hisense simply can't match the Sony's pixel-level contrast control. Counterintuitively, some of the brightest highlights against the darkest backgrounds actually appear more impactful on the Bravia 8 II than on the much brighter Hisense, because the OLED can render them without any concern about blooming.

More significantly, the Sony produces a more solid and perceptually three-dimensional image. Objects and characters stand out from their surroundings with greater depth and dynamism, while subtle gradations within shadows, clouds and highlights appear more convincing and refined.

We've observed this extra solidity from OLED many times before, but the side-by-side comparison between these two TVs demonstrates it particularly clearly. Next to the Bravia 8 II, the UR9 simply looks a little flatter and less immersive.

The Sony also has the advantage when it comes to viewing angles. While the Hisense holds up better than many LCD-based rivals, the sweet spot in which it performs at its very best is still relatively narrow. Thanks to its OLED panel, the Bravia 8 II performs consistently from almost any angle.

And while blooming is rare on the UR9, it isn't entirely absent. Difficult scenes such as the bomb-test sequence in Oppenheimer or the opening starfield of Alien: Romulus reveal imperfections that even this highly accomplished RGB Mini LED set cannot completely escape.

The Bravia 8 II, meanwhile, is simply sensational. Its combination of dazzling brightness by OLED standards, vibrant colours, exceptional shadow detail and razor-sharp definition creates an image of astonishing depth and realism.

What impresses most isn't any single strength, but how naturally all of its strengths come together. The Bravia 8 II consistently delivers a picture that feels balanced, authentic and effortlessly cinematic, whether you're watching a pristine 4K Dolby Vision disc or a much more humble SDR stream.

The Hisense UR9 proves that RGB Mini LED can get surprisingly close to flagship OLED performance, and many viewers will adore its combination of brightness, richness and stability. But when viewed side by side, the Bravia 8 II remains the more complete and convincing picture performer.

WINNER: Sony Bravia 8 II

Hisense UR9 vs Sony Bravia 8 II: sound quality

Both the Sony Bravia 8 II and Hisense UR9 are unusually sonically accomplished by modern TV standards.

That's important, because while we always recommend pairing a premium TV with a dedicated sound system, for many buyers that’s either impractical or unpalatable.

The Hisense UR9 certainly doesn't disappoint. Its Devialet-tuned 4.1.2-channel sound system delivers a presentation that is impressively spacious and full-bodied, with particularly convincing width and height effects.

Dolby Atmos soundtracks benefit from a strong sense of scale, while bass is deeper and more substantial than most flatscreen TVs can manage. The overall character is smooth, rich and easy to listen to over extended viewing sessions.

The UR9's audio system isn't flawless, though. Dynamics can feel a little restrained during big action sequences, and dialogue doesn't always have the clarity and expressiveness we'd ideally like.

We also found ourselves preferring the Standard sound mode over the more expansive Theatre setting. While Theatre mode undoubtedly sounds bigger, it can introduce a slightly diffuse and faintly echoey quality to voices that makes dialogue seem less natural than it should.

The Sony Bravia 8 II takes a very different approach. Rather than relying on conventional speaker placement, its Acoustic Surface Audio+ system uses actuators to vibrate the screen itself, effectively turning the display into a speaker.

The result is one of the most cohesive and convincing audio performances we've heard from a TV.

Dialogue and effects are tied directly to the action on screen in a way that traditional TV speaker systems struggle to replicate, creating a stronger sense that sound is genuinely coming from the people and objects you're watching.

Like the Hisense, the Sony also sounds surprisingly spacious, with effects extending well beyond the edges of the screen. Detail levels are excellent, too, and the Bravia 8 II combines subtle dynamic nuance with enough punch to make action scenes engaging and exciting.

Bass depth isn't as generous as it is from the Hisense, but it's impressively controlled, and the overall tonal balance is exceptionally well judged.

Ultimately, these are two of the best-sounding TVs you can currently buy. The Hisense delivers scale, warmth and impressive Atmos effects, but the Sony's superior detail, greater dynamic expression and uniquely direct delivery give it the edge.

WINNER: Sony Bravia 8 II

Hisense UR9 vs Sony Bravia 8 II: verdict

The Hisense UR9 is a hugely important TV.

Not only is it the first mainstream RGB Mini LED TV we've fully reviewed, it's also the first serious attempt to take on flagship OLEDs with a fundamentally different display technology.

And the good news for RGB Mini LED fans is that, in some ways at least, it succeeds.

The UR9 is bright, vibrant and impressively refined. More importantly, it avoids many of the traditional pitfalls of backlit TVs, with excellent black levels, impressively restrained blooming and a consistency that often feels surprisingly OLED-like.

In several respects, it's one of the best backlit TVs we've ever tested.

But while the UR9 proves that RGB Mini LED is a genuinely exciting technology with enormous potential, it also demonstrates just how high the bar currently is at the top end of the OLED market.

Ultimately, picture quality remains the most important factor in any TV buying decision, and it's here that the Sony Bravia 8 II retains a clear advantage. The Hisense has the stronger gaming specification, broader HDR support and spectacular brightness, but the Sony's superior contrast control, greater three-dimensionality and more natural, cinematic image make it the more accomplished performer overall.

This isn't a verdict on RGB Mini LED versus OLED as technologies, and it certainly isn't the last battle in what is shaping up to be one of the most interesting periods in TV tech for years.

Instead, it’s the verdict on the very best OLED TV currently available versus the first mainstream RGB Mini LED model. And while the Hisense UR9 proves that RGB Mini LED is ready to compete with the very best, the Sony Bravia 8 II remains the TV to beat.

OVERALL WINNER: Sony Bravia 8 II

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

If you thought Sony was done revealing new TVs after its latest Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II announcements, then think again.

After an OLED-less lineup left us wondering if we'll ever see a new OLED from the company again, there is a glimmer of hope thanks to a leaked listing that mentions a new model – but it's not what we were expecting.

According to a post on AVS Forum (via FlatPanelsHD), Sony will launch the Bravia 6 later this year, and it is a step-down OLED that's set to compete with the LG B6 and Samsung S85H.

The Award-winning duo of OLEDs in Sony's current TV lineup, the Bravia 8 and Bravia 8 II, will remain on sale for the foreseeable future, with the Bravia 6 expected to sit lower in the lineup. In fact, it is looking like Sony will position this below its new Bravia 7 II and Bravia 9 II RGB Mini LED models.

Screen sizes are rumoured to range from 48 to 83 inches. Sony is also expected to use the A60 model number for this set.

Specific model numbers have leaked with corresponding screen size indicators, such as K-48A60 for the 48-inch model.

The post on AVS Forum also claims that Sony will use MediaTek Pentonic 800 chipset, which is the same one found on the new Bravia 3 II.

This should delight gaming fans, as the Bravia 6 will reportedly be the first Sony OLED TV to feature four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 sockets.

The mid-range chipset and the name of this TV suggest the TV will sit in the middle of Sony's current range, which gives us a hint towards the panel technology it could use.

We expect it to feature LG Display's OLED SE panel, which has been specifically designed and tailored to entry-level OLED TVs, such as the Samsung and LG we've mentioned above.

The launch of a new "small" OLED TV could also signal the end for one of the longest-running TVs on the market.

The Sony A90K, which launched in 42-inch and 48-inch screen size options back in 2022, might finally be replaced by this supposed Bravia 6. Is this the end of an era?

For those wondering where this leak originated, we'll have to direct you to Sony itself. The Bravia 6 was explicitly mentioned on a wall-mounting compatibility page from Sony's very own website; you can find the webpage here, but all traces of the Bravia 6 have been completely scrubbed from existence.

Ultimately, we have to take all leaks with a pinch of salt, and nothing is set in stone until Sony confirms the Bravia 6's existence.

We've reached out to Sony for official comment...

MORE:

Read our full Sony Bravia 8 review

As well as our LG C6 review

And check out our picks for the best OLED TVs

Temperatures might have dropped, but so have prices, with yet more products enjoying their lowest prices and five-star savings over the past seven days.

With less than a week to go until the World Cup starts on Thursday, there are only a few days left should you wish to get some home cinema equipment delivered and installed before Mexico and South Africa kick off to launch the festival of footie.

Luckily, the retailers have saved some of their best deals until now. There are great savings on brand new 2026 OLEDs, Award-winning 4K projectors, and Dolby Atmos soundbars, so you can kit out your home cinema any way you see fit.

Not that hi-fi has been left out – there is also a great value deal on some five-star Sony headphones.

All of these products have been tried and tested by our expert review team, and must earn at least four stars to get our sought-after recommendation. We’ll go into more detail on each product below.

The LG C6 is our favourite TV of the year so far, with its new processor resulting in brighter, richer and more refined pictures than the C5. Use the code LG20PERCENT to get this deal price.

The Epson EH-TW7100 was one of our 2024 Award winners, and still holds up thanks to its excellent contrast-handling and good connectivity options. A brilliantly well-judged and affordable 4K projector.

The Sony WH-CH520 headphones are the top budget choice from our pick of the best wireless headphones, thanks to their balanced and engaging sound, extensive control app, and whopping 50-hour battery life.

The 48-inch LG C5’s bright, detailed picture makes it a great choice for the World Cup, while the flawless gaming specifications and strong app support make it a great all-rounder. Use the code KICKOFF100 to get 46 per cent off our testing price.

It’s hard not to like the five-star JBL Bar 300MK2. It’s powerful and bassy, produces clear dialogue and has a rather convincing Dolby Atmos effect for a solo soundbar.

We have seen the TCL C6KS cheaper before, but even at full price, the Mini LED is one of the biggest bargains in television. For a shade under £400, you get excellent brightness and contrast, comprehensive HDR support, and plenty of features.

MORE:

Our pick of the best wireless headphones you can buy

And the best TVs for all budgets

Interested in the bigger picture? Here are the best projectors we have tested

All focus might be on the imminent World Cup right now, but there’s another rather special event just around the corner.

Father’s Day is on Sunday 21st June, so before life is consumed by World Cup fever, it might be an idea to get ahead on the gift buying.

Luckily, there are lots of great audio products available to choose from. Whether your Dad is a vinyl purist, a frequent commuter or hasn’t updated his hi-fi since 1998, you can skip the socks this year as our handpicked, five-star gear will guarantee a Father’s Day win.

We have tried and tested all the products below ourselves, so we can guarantee that even if you know nothing about home audio, they will make for a very happy father on the 21st June.

The Sony WH-1000XM6 won Product of the Year in the wireless headphones category at our most recent Awards ceremony, and are still our best overall pick of the best headphones. If Dad regularly spends his time on trains, planes or buses, then the excellent noise-cancelling, exceptional detail and comfortable fit make these a go-to option.

Rugged, IP68 water-resistant and sonically skilful, the JBL Flip 7 is the perfect companion for a dad who loves tinkering in the shed or hosting a backyard BBQ. The Flip 7 is so good that it received a What Hi-Fi? Award and is our portable pick of the best Bluetooth speakers.

Fine-sounding and fuss-free, the Audio Technica AT-LP5x is a great choice for the dad who has crates of dusty records in his loft and wants an easy setup. It can also rip records to digital files thanks to a USB output.

If your Dad is still listening to the tinny built-in speakers of his TV, a Sonos soundbar will be revelatory. The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) offers panoramic Dolby Atmos from a compact chassis, making World Cup matches or late-night action flicks incredibly immersive.

If Dad listens to music or plays games at his desk, then the Ruark MR1 Mk3 desktop speakers are a great fit. They deliver a powerful, punchy and dynamic sound that will put most standard computer speakers to shame.

For the dad who takes his listening seriously but is always on the move, the iFi Go Link Max portable DAC will transform his listening experience at an affordable price. It may be small, but your dad will notice extra helpings of detail, dynamic contrast and punch.

If your dad has a classic analogue hi-fi system but wants to bring it into the streaming age, the WiiM Pro Plus will add Spotify Connect, Tidal, Qobuz and AirPlay 2 compatibility and much more; and rather well, we might add, given that we gave the Pro Plus five stars and it is our budget pick of the best music streamers.

You don’t need to break the bank for premium sound. If your dad has yet to make the jump to Bluetooth or requires a replacement, the Sony WF-C510 offer great sound with minimal fuss.

Or if your dad is an audio enthusiast, then the Award-winning Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro X are some of the finest and most comfortable wired headphones we have heard at this price. Whether for work or pleasure, they come highly recommended.

MORE:

Our pick of the best wireless headphones you can buy

And the best TVs for all budgets

Looking for a bargain? Here are the best budget soundbars

It's one thing to make a film sound good in the cinema, but it is a whole other task to take that experience to your home.

Much of that process relies on sound editors and engineers, who have their work cut out adapting the sound to home cinema products.

During the launch of Sony’s latest soundbar system, the Sony Bravia Theatre Trio, we heard Academy Award-nominated sound editor Andrew De Cristofaro speak about the different ways sound must be engineered.

He has worked on films such as The Housemaid, Green Book and Venom: The Last Dance, and collaborated with Sony during the development of the new Bravia Dolby Atmos sound system.

De Cristofaro says: “Sound is doing way more than you think. You can close your eyes and still follow the story but if you mute it, the experience falls apart.” He adds that instead of purely making a film sound good, his job is about making “sound tell the story”.

We watch a scene from Venom: The Last Dance to demonstrate, in which Eddie and Venom come face to face with the monstrous Xenophage. First, we listen with the raw audio that comes to the sound department after filming. As you would expect, it feels far less exciting than the final cut. Footsteps sound more like shuffling, the cracking flame of a lit car has no impact, and the reveal of the Xenophage is as casual as someone getting on the bus.

Venom’s voice is not audible either, as Tom Hardy (who plays both Eddie and the aforementioned alien symbiote) records his lines offset right before he shoots. The crew then pitch the vocals down and feed them back to him so that he can interact with the character live.

Next, De Cristofaro demonstrates how sound effects start to make the scene feel more dramatic. Layer upon layer of crackling, humming and spitting is added to create the sound of the fire. The footsteps of Hardy’s character as he walks the street become precise, which creates more of a three-dimensional sound, and vocals are brought to the fore.

The stomps of the Xenophage are also given a low squelching sound that immediately makes you feel the weight and monstrous nature of the character. The final touch comes with some dramatic bass stabs, and the end result is a tense and atmospheric scene.

But how do you adapt that sound to home cinema kit? De Cristofaro admits that it is a different kettle of fish compared to the cinema audio. The impact can disappear, vocals get lost and the sense of space collapses.

De Cristofaro says that “you have to rebuild a three-dimensional soundfield” adding that “sound isn’t tied to the speakers necessarily; it is mapped into a 360 space”.

He uses the Bravia Trio as an example of this, as the sound engineers at Sony are employing the brand’s proprietary 360 Spatial Tone Mapping which “analyses your room and reconstructs that environment so you maintain the scale”. As its name suggests, the Trio system comprises three speakers: a tiny central channel soundbar and two left and right channels.

We are yet to hear the Trio soundbar system in our test room to confirm whether this is the case, but we have heard other soundbars such as the KEF XIO and the Samsung HW-Q990F come very close to the desired full dome of sound.

De Cristofaro adds: “When everything is working right, when the dialogue is clear, when the space feels real, when the dynamics land the way they should, you don’t hear the system. You feel the film.”

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Here are the best soundbars we have reviewed

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The Sony WH-CH520 headphones are the top budget choice from our pick of the best wireless headphones – and right now they're even more affordable.

Now just £30 at Amazon, the Sony WH-CH520 are almost 40% off their original price, and only £1 off their lowest-ever price.

The Sony WH-C520 are a great example of wireless headphones that can nail the basics without asking you for to part with too much money.

They don't look particularly glamorous but the WH-CH520 are reassuringly well made. In fact, our expert testers said: "They’re put together well, and feel built to last. The headband adjustment mechanism, for example, is robust and moves with reassuring solidity."

What's even more impressive though is the WH-CH520's features. We're talking a 50-hour battery life, which quite frankly the majority of premium headphones don't reach, as well as Bluetooth 5.2, physical on-cup playback buttons, and compatibility with Sony's Headphones Connect control app.

And the C520s are not done there. Bluetooth Multipoint is also supported for connecting to two devices simultaneously, as well as compatibility with SBC and AAC codecs. There's also a built-in mic that allows for voice control through your source device's Google Assistant or Siri.

How do they sound? Well, even-handed and nicely balanced, according to our expert testers. In the full review, they say: “They’re not the most expressive headphones you’ve ever heard where low frequencies are concerned, it’s true. But the low end they generate is solid, deep and properly controlled at the leading edges, so the WH-CH520 headphones express rhythms confidently.”

As long as you keep your expectations in check with a budget this low, the Sony WH-CHH520 are a real bargain – at just £30 at Amazon, it's one heck of a deal.

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Read our full Sony WH-CH520 review

Check out the best wireless headphones: rated by our in-house experts

Or the best wireless earbuds: top pairs tested by our reviewers