As my colleagues and I make our way through the Sony TV lineup, testing and reviewing each of the brand's mainline TVs for 2025 to see if they'll make our list of the best TVs, one set stands out: the Bravia 2 II.
It's one of the most affordable TVs that Sony is promoting this year, which means it has the potential to be a pretty popular model. Oddly, though, it bears a striking resemblance to a Bravia TV that made its debut in 2024 that I personally reviewed. Here's what you need to know about the Sony Bravia 2 II — including how it compares to last year's Bravia 3.
Where does the Bravia 2 II fit in Sony’s TV lineup?
Sony’s 2025 Bravia TV lineup is a blend of new and old models, so TVs that launched last year are sharing shelf space with their newer counterparts. This might seem confusing at first, but broadly speaking, each set fills a niche, and you can glean a great deal from each model’s numerical designation.
At the bottom of the lineup sits the entry-level Bravia 2 II (that’s “two mark-two,” in case you’re wondering how to pronounce it). It’s an affordable QLED TV with a modest selection of features and it’s brand-new for 2025.
At the top of the lineup is the flagship Sony Bravia 9, a super-impressive Mini-LED TV jam-packed with bells and whistles. There’s nothing above the Bravia 9 within Sony’s TV hierarchy, but this is technically an older model, as it made its debut in 2024. In between are several other sets — some from 2024, some from 2025. Here’s the series at a glance:
- Bravia 2 II (QLED, 2025)
- Bravia 3 (QLED, 2024)
- Bravia 5 (Mini-LED, 2025)
- Bravia 7 (Mini-LED, 2024)
- Bravia 9 (Mini-LED, 2024)
I’ve yet to watch (and test) the all-new Bravia 5, but given its numerical designation and its hardware specifications, I can reasonably assume that its performance ceiling falls somewhere in between the Bravia 3 and the Bravia 7. Pricing reflects this, too.
But from where I sit, I can’t make a similar assumption when it comes to the Bravia 2 II's performance relative to the next TV up the chain: the Bravia 3.
Bravia 2 II vs Bravia 3: What's the difference?
In fact, I can't find very many meaningful distinctions at all.
One might expect the Bravia 3 to offer better performance and a more thorough selection of features than the Bravia 2 II based on the naming convention, but on paper, there's a much smaller gap between these two than any other pair of TVs in Sony's current lineup.
In fact, I can't find very many meaningful distinctions at all.
In my Sony Bravia 3 review, I lamented the TV's lack of local dimming, as it burdened the picture with shallow black levels and dim highlights.
The Bravia 2 II appears to be leveraging a similar display type: direct LED with no mention of full-array local dimming. The official listing for the Sony Bravia 2 II mentions a feature called "Frame Dimming," but this is a rudimentary version of backlight control when compared to full-array local dimming.
In other words, when it comes to their display hardware, the Bravia 2 II and the Bravia 3 are apparently very similar.
Now, I can't be certain that these TVs deliver comparable contrast, color and brightness without having seen the Bravia 2 II in person and measured its performance. But I can tell you that I'd be surprised if there was a significant difference between them.
I've spent hours poring over specs and press materials, and as far as I can tell, the most significant difference between these two TVs (other than their price and size availability) is that the Bravia 3 supports Dolby Vision.
And, given the Bravia 3's aforementioned performance struggles, I'm here to tell you that its Dolby Vision certification isn't nearly as beneficial as it is on higher-end, better-performing TVs. In other words, you can live without it.
If you want to save as much money as possible, stick with the newer Bravia 2 II.
I'll be reaching out to Sony to get to the bottom of this, but when all's said and done, I'll need to get our hands on the Bravia 2 II before I can recommend one over another.
Currently, the Bravia 3 is available in 43-, 50-, 55-, 65-, 75- and 85-inch versions, starting at $449.
The Bravia 2 II is available in the same slate of sizes except the 43- and 85-inch versions. However, Sony's website lists a 43-inch Bravia 2 II that might be made available at some point in the future.
Even as a year-old model, the Bravia 3 is currently $50 more than the Bravia 2 II at the 55-inch size point. If you want to save as much money as possible, stick with the newer Bravia 2 II.
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