Is the Sony Bravia 8 II really the King of OLEDs? I tested the set for two weeks to find out

There’s no debating that Sony makes some of the best TVs in the market. The Sony Bravia XR A95L OLED TV was one of our favorite sets from last year, so we had high hopes for its successor, the Sony Bravia 8 II.

I was awed by the Bravia 8 II at first. Movies look stunning, and it has remarkable color volume to my eye. Crowned as “King of OLED TVs” earlier this year, the Bravia 8 II is a wonder to behold thanks to its QD-OLED panel, which delivers inky blacks and near-infinite contrast.

But its performance metrics tell a very different story, one that puts one of the most expensive OLED TVs at odds against its competitors. Major rivals like the LG G5, Samsung S95F, and Panasonic Z95B offer better brightness, color accuracy, and many more advanced features at cheaper prices.

So, should you buy the Bravia 8 II, and how does it compare to the best TVs in 2025? Here are my thoughts after nearly two weeks of testing.

Sony Bravia 8 II OLED TV review: Price and release date

The Sony Bravia 8 II was released in June as the flagship OLED in Sony’s 2025 TV lineup. It replaces the Sony A95L OLED TV, which originally launched in 2023, and sits above the Sony Bravia 8 and Sony Bravia 9 in terms of price and performance.

The Bravia 8 II is available for purchase in the following sizes and prices:

• Sony K-55XR80M2 (55-inch): $2,999 | Sale $2,599
• Sony K-65XR80M2 (65-inch): $3,499 | Sale $3,299

We tested the Bravia 8 II in the 65-inch configuration. There are no major differences between it and the 55-inch model, as the speaker and stand are identical across the board. You’ll notice the Bravia 8 II does not have a 77-inch model, which means the Bravia 8 and Bravia A95L are the only two premium Sony OLED models available in that size.

The Bravia 8 II costs as much as the Samsung S95F in the 65-inch configuration, but it’s pricer than the LG G5 and Panasonic Z95B OLED TVs. Both are currently on sale at the time of writing, with the G5 at $2,896 and the Z95B at $3,099.

Sony Bravia 8 II OLED TV review: Design

With its thin bezels and minimalist surface — which Sony calls its “One Slate” design — the Bravia 8 II comes off as a premium OLED TV. The bezels, which measure less than an inch, give it a frame-like look that makes it perfect for wall-mounting.

Sony equipped the Bravia 8 II with a pair of legs for its base as opposed to the pedestal stand found on other premium models. You can adjust the feet to two different heights, which is ideal if you have a raised couch or want to fit one of the best soundbars underneath the TV.

I personally like the pedestal stands over legs, as they’re much easier to set up and let you mount the TV on smaller surfaces. But you can forego Sony’s TV legs for a wall mount instead. The 65-inch Brava 8 II is rated for VESA mounts with a 300mm x 300mm standard. You can check out our best TV wall mounts to find the one that suits your needs.

The Bravia 8 II is pretty hefty. The 65-inch model weighs 50.5 pounds, which means you’ll need an extra pair of hands when setting it up. It’s also built with some nifty panels to hide away the ports and cords, and Sony includes a cable management clip for your convenience.

Sony Bravia 8 II OLED TV review: Ports

The bulk of the Bravia 8 II’s ports are neatly situated on the side of the TV at a height that’s easy to reach, which I liked. Typically, you’d have to fumble below the TV screen to find the HDMI and USB ports.

Just like the Sony A95L, the Bravia 8 II only comes with two HDMI 2.1 ports. That’s a huge letdown, especially as other premium sets, like the Panasonic Z95B, Samsung S95F, and LG G5, have four full-bandwidth HDMI ports. This means you’ll have just one extra port for gaming consoles, like the PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X, if you plan on using a soundbar with an eARC connection, which is the third HDMI input on the Bravia 8 II.

Below the HDMI ports, you’ll find an Ethernet port, two audio jacks, an RF antenna input, two USB ports (one rated as USB 3.0), and an Optical audio output. The set also has Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6 if you don’t plan on hardwiring the TV to your router.

Sony Bravia 8 II OLED TV review: Performance

As you’ll see in the test results below, the Bravia 8 II isn’t quite the brightness star like its flagship OLED rivals. However, it delivered some of the most stunning movie experiences I’ve seen on an OLED TV.

“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” was particularly exciting to showcase. I also played a few other anime flicks, like “Akira,” “Your Name,” and “The Boy and the Heron,” and was also enthralled with the rich color palette produced by the TV.

Even in more conventional shows and movies, I was impressed. “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Gravity,” and “Dune: Part Two,” with their sweeping golden vistas and sun-drenched backdrops, looked true-to-form and detailed.

I’ve been re-watching “Fallout” in anticipation of the second season and was blown away by how the Bravia 8 II held the accuracy of skin tones and eye colors in close-ups. “Oppenheimer” is another notable example; the lingering close-up shots on Cillian Murphy’s face were so lifelike as to be unsettling.

The Bravia 8 II handles dark scenes with total ease. “Gravity” looked terrifyingly realistic. The star-riddled emptiness of space set as the main backdrop was pitch black, with those tiny stars lighting up small pockets on the screen without creating any unnatural artefacts.

Reflections can prove a bit of an issue on the Bravia 8 II. Unlike other OLED TVs like the Samsung S95F, it scored very low on our brightness tests. This can make glare an issue in sunnier rooms and daytime viewing, especially if you’re watching something with a lot of darker scenes, like “Gravity” and “The Batman.” The Bravia 8 II does have an anti-glare layer, but it can only do so much.

How we test TVs

We follow a standard testing protocol for every TV we review at Tom’s Guide. Our benchmarks include a series of technical and subject tests designed to rate the set’s performance.

For our technical tests, we use a Jeti spectraval 1501-HiRes spectroradiometer, a Klein K10-A colorimeter, a Murideo 8K-SIX-G Metal pattern generator, and Portrait Displays’ Calman TV-calibration software to take measurements. We also use a Leo Bodnar 4K Input Lag Tester for determining the TV’s gaming prowess.

Subjective tests vary based on the reviewer, but usually feature anecdotes from a diverse selection of movies, TV shows, and other content reflecting the types of things you may actually want to watch on the TV.

Sony Bravia 8 II OLED TV review: Test results

When compared to other 2025 flagship OLED TVs, like the LG G5 OLED, Samsung S95F OLED, and the Panasonic Z95B OLED, the Bravia 8 II’s numbers aren’t great.

It has the lowest SDR luminance, aside from the Panasonic, and the highest Delta-E score, meaning its colors are less accurate. As with most Sony TVs, its input latency is also laughably bad. This is not a TV that you’ll want for gaming.

When it comes to brightness, the Samsung S95F OLED blows the Bravia 8 II out of the water, and it’s also outperformed by LG’s and Panasonic’s sets in our HDR test.

However, the Bravia 8 II does stand out in one area. It turned in the best performance on our Rec. 2020 Gamut coverage — a test that quantifies color volume — just edging out the Samsung S95F, and beating out the LG and Panasonic sets by about 9%.

Sony Bravia 8 II OLED TV review: Gaming

OLED TVs are often considered some of the best gaming TVs, and the Sony A95L, which came out in 2023, still ranks at the top of our list. Unfortunately, the Bravia 8 II doesn’t match its predecessor when it comes to gaming performance.

While the Bravia 8 II does have exclusive PS5 features, including Auto Genre Picture Mode and Auto HDR Tone Mapping, these won’t elevate the console experience as you might expect. It also has 4K at 120Hz support with VRR and ALLM, but as I mentioned earlier, the Bravia 8 II only has two HDMI 2.1 ports. That means you’ll have to choose between connecting either two gaming consoles or just one with a soundbar via eARC.

If you’re gaming on a PC with the Bravia 8 II, you’ll get both AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync support depending on your GPU. Given that most TVs rely on just one of the two screen tearing technologies, that’s a big win in my book. However, you are limited to 120Hz on the Bravia 8 II. That might be adequate for console gaming, but it pales in comparison to the 165Hz available on the LG G5 and Samsung S95F. You’ll also have to contend with a high input latency of 16.3ms.

Picture quality while gaming on the Bravia 8 II looks just as good as it does in general entertainment, which is to be expected, but it would be nice if the PS5 or PS5 Pro supported Dolby Vision, so it could take advantage of enhanced HDR performance.

Sony Bravia 8 II OLED TV review: Audio

Most TVs tend to have poor audio performance, but I’m happy to note that the Bravia 8 II is the exception. It’s equipped with Acoustic Surface Audio+, a 2.1 system with two actuators, two tweeters, and a subwoofer. Although Sony dropped the second subwoofer that was available on the A95L, the Bravia 8 II still has an incredible soundstage.

Movies like “A Complete Unknown,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and “Blue Giant” highlighted its audio performance in force. The jazz-fueled epic of “Blue Giant” was particularly noteworthy, as the Bravia 8 II blended trumpet solos and rhythmic bass cues without losing any detail.

“Inception” stood out as a noteworthy test in this regard thanks to its complex sound design, which is ratcheted up to 11 in those otherworldly dream sequences — and you can’t go wrong with Hans Zimmer.

Overall, I rarely had an issue with the sound on the Bravia 8 II. It’s robust and punchy when it needs to be, and dialogue is well-adjusted to fit certain scenarios thanks to Sony’s Voice Zoom 3 AI functionality, which boosts dialogue without ruining the experience.

The Bravia 8 II can also act as a center channel for compatible Sony speakers, like the Sony Bravia Quad. It’s a handy feature, but I don’t see it being of major value for most users. Instead, I recommend buying one of the best soundbars to pair with this TV.

Sony Bravia 8 II OLED TV review: Interface and apps

The Sony Bravia 8 II uses Google TV, which I adore for its simplicity. It’s equipped with tons of free channels to enjoy, easy navigation, and even some smart home functionality, if that’s your kind of thing. Google TV also has all of the best streaming services available at your fingertips, so it’s got most of the features you could ask for in a TV interface.

The real downside to Google TV is intrusive ads, but this comes with the territory on most interfaces. Google TV also doesn’t have access to any cloud gaming services, niche as they might be. Both LG’s webOS and Samsung’s Tizen OS have access to a variety of cloud gaming apps, which leaves Google high and dry in this regard.

But even with these setbacks, Google TV is still one of my favorite TV operating systems. Voice controls are a major plus. Google also keeps track of all of your favorite content, making it that much easier to dive into new shows, YouTube videos, or recent movie releases on a dime.

You don’t even need major apps to enjoy the Bravia 8 II OLED, as it’s equipped with Google Chromecast and Apple AirPlay, allowing you to cast content straight to the TV. It also has an ATSC 3.0 tuner, which gives you access to 4K broadcasts via NextgenTV, a major plus if you’ve got one of the best TV antennas.

Sony Bravia 8 II OLED TV review: Remote

I liked the Bravia 8 II remote. It’s small yet packed with all the buttons you could ask for, like Disney Plus, YouTube, Crunchyroll, and more. Plus, it’s light enough to fit comfortably in your hand but large enough not to get lost in the couch, which is a regular occurrence with my Samsung remote.

One thing that always tripped me up was the home button placement, which is below the circular navigation bar on the right. I’m so used to most remotes having the home button in a central position below the navigation keys that I found myself pressing the wrong button (specifically the Google voice control function) far too often.

It’s a minor inconvenience on my part, but something I noticed with prolonged use. One other thing to note is that the Sony remote uses two AAA batteries. While you’ll probably rarely ever have to replace these, it would be nicer if more TV makers designed remotes with USB-C charging like Roku, or added solar-charging like Samsung, just for the sake of convenience.

Sony Bravia 8 II OLED TV review: Verdict

Despite being crowned one of the best OLED TVs by Value Electronics, the Bravia 8 II fell short in many of our lab tests. Its lower color accuracy, minimal luminance, and limited gaming features make it tough to recommend over more capable, but less expensive sets.

However, its test results don’t tell the full story, as it definitely has great contrasts, gorgeous color volume, and excellent off-axis viewing. And, its audio is also one of the best I’ve heard from a TV.

If I were shopping for a new OLED TV, I would look first at the Samsung S95F and Panasonic Z95B, which offer far better performance, and are both $400 cheaper than the 65-inch Bravia 8 II.

Compared to those other OLEDs, the Bravia 8 II doesn’t quite meet the same potential offered by other flagship OLED TVs, and it still largely feels like the same A95L that launched back in 2023.