Best Sony TV in 2024 – the top Sony Bravia TVs today

How to pick the best Sony TV

While browsing Sony TVs, you will encounter a lot of variety. So to help narrow down your search, you can look at some of the pointers here.

Display Size

There’s a huge variety of TV sizes available out there – right from 32 inches to 85 inches and more. The right TV size will depend on where you want to place the TV and how large that room is. For instance, the best bedroom TVs might be sized from 32 inches to 50 inches, as bedrooms tend to be smaller, and therefore, they have less space for TV. However, if you’re getting a TV for your living room or lounge, you might want to consider bigger displays like 65 inches.

With that being said, determining the right size of TV is easy. Measure the distance between the TV and your seat, and divide the resulting number into half. So if the distance between the TV and your couch is 110 inches, then you should get a TV that is around 55 inches.

Display Type

If you have a look at the available Sony TVs, you will find that the brand uses a variety of display technologies like LED, mini-LED, OLED, and even QD-OLED. Depending on your requirements and budget, you can choose a display type.

LED TVs are the more energy-efficient and enhanced versions of the traditional LCD TVs. LED displays use backlights – either on the edges or a full array. While the picture quality is not as good as OLED TVs, LED TVs do produce decent contrast with local dimming and high brightness levels.

Mini-LED TVs can said to be the enhanced versions of the LED TVs. Much like the LED TVs, mini-LED TVs, too, use backlighting, but they’re mini-LEDs – so they provide much better contrast.

OLED displays are considered to be quite superior in terms of picture quality and contrast. These TVs have self-lit pixels that deliver sharper and more detailed pictures. Although some of the newer OLED TVs have high brightness levels, they are not generally known to be very bright.

You can say that the QD-OLED TVs are a middle ground for QLED and OLED TVs, as they combine the two technologies. QD-OLED TVs have high brightness levels like QLED TVs. And they also deliver high-quality pictures like OLED TVs.

Resolution

For an immersive viewing experience, you should get the best possible resolution in your budget, especially if you are looking for a larger TV. Considering that 4K TVs are quite common, you should be able to find one within your budget. And if you want to future-proof your home theatre, you can even consider investing in an 8K TV. With that being said, if you are looking for a smaller TV, like 32 inches, then an FHD resolution would also look good. As the screen space is small, it increases pixel density, so you should get a sharper picture quality.

Gaming Features

If you play video games on your TV, then you should consider getting a TV with high refresh rates, like 120Hz or more. Plus, some gaming-oriented TVs come with a dedicated game menu that allows you to adjust settings for your game. Some TVs even support VRR, so you can get a lag-free and tear-free experience.

Frequently asked questions

There are more than a few common questions when it comes to Sony TVs, as these can be quite confusing to navigate. Here’s our expert take on them.

Which type of Sony TV is best?

The best type of Sony TV will be anything with an OLED panel. OLED is generally seen as the best for picture quality as it allows for amazing contrast. Sony OLED TVs are seriously impressive and well worth considering if you have the budget for them.

What does XR mean in a Sony TV?

XR refers to Sony’s Cognitive Processor XR. In short, most AI found in TVs can detect and analyze picture elements individually – for example, color, contrast, and clarity. Sony’s Cognitive Processor XR can cross-analyze hundreds of thousands of these elements all at once.

One of these elements is the focal point. What the Cognitive Prossor XR does is establish where the focal point is on the picture, and then adjust the picture to give it more depth and a greater sense of reality.

So basically, any Sony TV with an XR has this AI and it’s seriously impressive if you’re looking for maximum immersion and lifelike picture quality. You can read more on Sony’s Cognitive Processor XR here.

What does Bravia mean with Sony TVs?

Put simply, it’s an acronym for ‘Best Resolution Audio Visual Integrated Architecture’.

What do Sony’s model numbers mean?

Sony is actually quite easy to understand once you know, and it can help you make sure you know what you’re getting. Here’s a quick guide:

If the model starts with an ‘A’ it’s an OLED TV. If the model starts with an ‘X’ it’s an LED TV. And if it’s a ‘Z’ it’s an 8K TV.

The letter in the product number indicates the year. ‘J’ is 2021, ‘K’ is 2022, and ‘L’ is 2023.

Does Sony use LG panels?

It’s common knowledge that LG makes its own OLED TVs, but also sells its OLED panels to other brands like Vizio and Sony. What you’re paying for with Sony is their unique design, AI, and other features developed by the company itself.

How do Sony TVs compare to Samsung and LG?

Sony, Samsung, and LG all offer strong options in the TV market, but there are differences. Sony is highly regarded for its LED and OLED sets, while Samsung is more known for its QLED options. LG is also strong in the OLED market with its G and C-series.

Lower price TVs are more alike in feature sets between the three. However, this does change as prices increase because premium features are added on and effectively ‘showcased’ by each manufacturer. One example would be Sony’s ‘sound from screen’ technology known as Acoustic Surface Audio+.

It’s also generally the case that LG has a lead on smart features and wide viewing angles, while Samsung’s bright displays and excellent contrast is known to mark it out from other manufacturers.