In my years of television reviewing and fanaticism, I’ve found thatSonyhas always positioned itself as one of the industry leaders indisplaytechnology and overall television quality. Their flagship models often feature superior image processing, are fairly priced, and have breathtakingly beautiful displays. I was over the moon to spend some time hands-on with the Bravia 9, the latest flagship and top-of-the-line model in the newest Sony lineup. TheBravia9 is a Mini LED display model that, yet again, is hoping to challenge the OLED purists of the world. I put the flagship through its paces and came away impressed.
Sony BRAVIA 9
The Sony BRAVIA 9 reafirrms Sony’s position as one of the leaders in display quality. The BRAVIA 9 is imbued with every fiber of Sony’s cinematic DNA, boasting support for Dolby Vision, IMAX enhanced movies, high bit-rate streaming, and stunning brightness.
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Price, availability, and specs
The Sony Bravia 9 is retailing for $3,000 and is available now from Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, as well as directly from Sony online.
At its core, a good television is all about the display technology, backlight panel, refresh rate, and resolution. The Sony Bravia 9 sports a gorgeous Mini LED display that brings 4K resolution to your living room with spectacular brightness and excellent contrast. The panel is lit by a robust backlight panel featuring a dizzying number of dimming zones. While Sony has not published the exact number of dimming zones on the Bravia 9, estimates place it at well over a thousand. The result is contrast performance that is just begging to start an LED vs. OLED argument. The Bravia 9 features a native refresh rate of 120 Hz.
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What I liked about the Sony Bravia 9
A brilliant image with striking brightness
I’m blessed with a living room bathed in natural light, which makes for a warm and inviting place to hang out, but doesn’t always lend itself to a proper environment for watching TV. With the light pouring in through my shutters, the Bravia 9 didn’t even blink. This is where OLED gets left in the dark, and Sony’s Mini LED display shines, literally. Being able to catch up on my favorite shows in broad daylight was a huge plus for me. Frankly, this display also outperformed after the sun went down, because I like keeping some lights on while watching TV with my dinner. Who likes to eat in the dark? The Bravia 9 was so bright that during true movie nights with all the lights turned off, my wife actually requested that I turn down the brightness.
Features curated with cinephiles in mind
For the Blu-ray collectors among us, I wanted to take a moment to appreciate Sony Pictures Core. While this feature may rarely be touched (much less paid for) by casual viewers, its inclusion is a win for the movie-minded and image quality obsessed. Sony Pictures Core is Sony’s native video on demand service and comes included on the Bravia 9. It features a library of Sony property films that can be streamed at 4K resolution, though crucially at far higher bitrates than can be found on regular streaming services. Some compatible films can be streamed at up to 80 Mbit/s, which puts it on par with some Blu-ray UHD discs.
The service boasts a fairly extensive collection of IMAX enhanced films, so that movies can be appreciated in their original aspect ratios and impressive image quality.
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What I didn’t like about the Sony Bravia 9
Definitely not the thinnest TV on the market
There is an ever-growing trend these days by major TV manufacturers to put the “brains” of the unit in an exterior, cable box-looking contraption, and leave only the display components in the main body of the TV. This, of course, yields a super-thin unit, though it leaves you dealing with the additional box. The Bravia 9 opted for the more traditional method of assembly and thus comes in at about 1.8 inches thick for the 65" model that I tested. This is by no means a deal-breaker, but it is a consideration for mounting in your home.
I just wasn’t that impressed with the sound
At the risk of Sony hunting me down for saying this, I have to admit that I was just not that impressed with the sound on the Bravia 9. Truth be told, I’m rarely ever “impressed” with built-in sound in a vacuum, but I usually view it in the context of value. If the built-in sound on an economy TV is loud, clear, and undistorted, I’d say I’m impressed by that. That is not the case here, nor is it the correct context. The Bravia 9 is a flagship model and costs $3,000 just for the 65" model.
Its multi-speaker setup with frame and beam tweeters, along with its native support for Dolby Atmos sound, were highly boasted about in marketing materials. In the end, it sounds just ok. For more impressive sound, consider using a soundbar or connecting your TV to a true home theater audio system.
Viewing angle could be a lot better
In my own day-to-day life, viewing angle truly isn’t that important. Ninety percent of the time, it’s just my wife and me watching our TV directly from our couch, sitting squarely in front of the display. Viewing angle might be important to you, though, if you host a lot of movie or game nights that involve large groups with disparate seating locations. It’s also worth considering when planning where to mount your TV, if doing so.
Verdict: Should you buy the Sony BRAVIA 9?
The Sony Bravia 9 is undoubtedly one of the best televisions on the market today. It’s Google TV OS makes it easy to use, it’s searing brightness makes it ideal for any number of viewing situations, and it’s superb display quality and cinematic features are sure to please even the most discerning viewer. If you’re in the market for an upmarket TV, and especially so if you like watching your TV while the sun is out without having to turn your house into a dark cave, then you’ll likely be pleased with the Sony Bravia 9.
