Sony Bravia 9 Series Review

For years, OLED has been the undisputed king of contrast, but Sony’s latest flagship is making a serious play for the throne. The Bravia 9 harnesses the raw power of Mini LED technology with unprecedented control, aiming to deliver a viewing experience that blends searing brightness with near-OLED black levels. This isn’t just an iteration; it’s a statement of intent for the future of high-end television.

Sony’s Bravia 9 is an exercise in engineering prowess, built around one central goal: to create the brightest, most precisely controlled consumer TV on the market. The secret sauce is its brand-new XR Backlight Master Drive, which leverages a 22-bit Mini LED driver to manage thousands of dimming zones with a level of granularity we’ve never seen before. In practice, this translates to breathtaking HDR highlights that pop off the screen with cinematic intensity. Where other Mini LEDs can sometimes crush detail in the shadows or exhibit a halo effect (blooming) around bright objects on a dark background, the Bravia 9 keeps these artifacts to an absolute minimum. The result is a picture with profound depth and contrast that genuinely challenges the supremacy of OLED, especially in well-lit rooms where its sheer luminance can cut through ambient light like a knife.

The processing, powered by Sony’s XR Processor, remains a class leader. Upscaling lower-resolution content is handled with a deft touch, adding sharpness and detail without introducing unwanted noise. Motion handling is exceptionally smooth and clear, making fast-paced sports and action films a joy to watch. Color reproduction is both vibrant and natural, striking a perfect balance that feels true to the creator’s vision. While a flagship OLED like Sony’s own A95L will still offer technically perfect blacks and superior off-axis viewing, the Bravia 9 gets startlingly close while delivering a peak brightness that no current OLED can match.

Wrapped in Sony’s signature minimalist aesthetic, the Bravia 9 looks and feels every bit the premium product it is. The thin, dark metal bezels recede from view, and the build quality is impeccable. Its four-way stand is a masterstroke of practical design, allowing you to position the TV in a standard-width stance, a narrow stance for smaller furniture, or a raised position to accommodate a soundbar. The only physical trade-off for its advanced backlight system is its depth; it’s noticeably thicker than the wafer-thin OLEDs on the market, which may be a consideration for those planning an ultra-flush wall mount.

On the feature front, the Bravia 9 is fully loaded. The Acoustic Multi-Audio+ system uses frame tweeters to make sound feel as if it’s emanating directly from the action on screen, creating a surprisingly wide and convincing soundstage for built-in audio. Gamers will appreciate the “Perfect for PlayStation 5” features, including Auto HDR Tone Mapping, alongside 4K/120Hz and VRR support. However, a persistent Sony weakness remains: only two of the four HDMI ports are full-fat HDMI 2.1, which could be a constraint for users with multiple next-gen consoles and a high-end soundbar. The Google TV interface is responsive and content-rich, and the inclusion of the Bravia Core streaming service provides access to a library of films in stunningly high bitrate.

The Bravia 9 is an unapologetically high-end television with a price tag to match. Its value proposition isn’t about being the cheapest path to a great picture, but about offering the absolute pinnacle of Mini LED performance. It’s for the home cinema purist who craves the most impactful HDR experience possible, especially in a viewing environment that isn’t a dedicated, light-controlled cave. For those who want the best of both worlds—scorching brightness for daytime viewing and deep, nuanced blacks for movie night—the Sony Bravia 9 makes a powerful and compelling case as the new king of LED.

Where to Buy:

Check it out on Amazon