Which is the perfect Sony BRAVIA TV for you?

For nearly two decades, Sony’s BRAVIA TV range has offered one of the best home cinema experiences around, with its bright, vivid panels and excellent audio. The current models are no exception, and whether you spring for the top-end A84L OLED or the more budget-friendly X75L, you’re sure of a great experience.

There are, after all, several key points all the models have in common, regardless of their price. All of them look stylish, for one thing: sleek, ultra-thin sets with minimalist stands (adjustable and removable if you prefer a wall mount). Each offers a sharp and vibrant 4K picture with great contrast and HDR support, and they all run on the easy-to-use Google TV operating system, guaranteeing a huge range of apps, covering every streaming platform and catch-up service you could want.

But there are differences, and you definitely get more if you’re prepared to pay extra. Below we outline the key points of each model and what should work best for you.

Which Sony Bravia TV is perfect for you?

Quality and value: The Sony X75L

• Screen sizes: 43in, 50in, 55in, 65in, 75in
• Prices from £579 to £1,199
• 60Hz 4K LCD panel
• Built-in Dolby Atmos

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Offering a great picture at a competitive price, the Sony X75L is available in five sizes, priced between £579 and £1,199. The range spans from the compact 43in model to the wall-covering 75in version.

Google TV provides a smooth and easy-to-use interface with access to all major apps and streaming services. Additionally, with Chromecast built-in, you can stream content from your other devices. A notable software feature is the ECO dashboard, consolidating all your eco settings into one intuitive and user-friendly interface, allowing you to save energy (available on all Sony TVs from 2023 onwards).

Despite its appealing price point, the Sony X75L boasts several features. The 4K HDR display is powered by the 4K Processor X1, analysing content in real-time to ensure you see every detail and texture in glorious clarity. X-Reality Pro upscales lower-resolution content into 4K, making everything look its best. Motionflow XR helps keep fast-moving objects in focus, making it a must for sports fans. For gamers, Auto Low-Latency Mode (ALLM) kicks in as soon as a console is detected, providing smooth, responsive gameplay.

If you don’t want to connect a full surround-sound system, the built-in speakers use Dolby Atmos to create a virtual version, and brightness is automatically adjusted thanks to a built-in light sensor.

In summary, it’s an excellent TV for most users. However, if you’re willing to invest a bit more, the X85L offers an even better picture quality.

For the videophile: The Sony X85L

• Screen sizes: 55in, 65in, 75in
• Prices from £1,099 to £1,699
• 120Hz 4K LCD panel | Full-array local dimming
• Built-in Dolby Atmos

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The X85L inherits everything that makes the X75L great — Google TV, the 4K Processor X1, X-Reality Pro, Motionflow XR, Dolby Atmos, and an automatic light sensor — and enhances it in two ways that make it a worthwhile upgrade for film buffs and next-gen gamers.

Firstly, its direct-lit LED panel uses Full Array Local Dimming (FALD) instead of frame dimming. This innovation enables the X85L to precisely control the brightness of localised dimming zones on the panel rather than the entire screen.

This means that dark areas can be made darker, and light areas can be made brighter, resulting in superior contrast and a more immersive cinematic experience with inky blacks and detail in abundance.

Gamers will also appreciate the X85L’s two HDMI 2.1 ports. These support 4K resolution at a refresh rate of 120Hz, allowing consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X to play supported games at 120fps. Additionally, they enable Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) to reduce judder and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) to minimise lag. A new dedicated Gaming Menu, accessible with one touch of a button on your remote, provides all the settings you need to optimise your gaming performance in one place.

The Sony X85L comes in 55in, 65in and 75in screen sizes, with prices ranging from £1,099 to £1,699.

As good as it gets: The Sony A84L

• Screen sizes: 55in, 65in, 77in, 83in
• Prices from £1,599 to £3,999
• 120Hz 4K OLED panel with Cognitive Processor XR
• Built-in Dolby Atmos & Acoustic Surface Audio+

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Both the X75L and X85L stand out as excellent TVs, but if you’re seeking the pinnacle of picture quality, OLED is the path to take, and the A84L not only delivers this but goes above and beyond.

With OLED — or organic light-emitting diodes — each pixel is self-lit. This unique feature allows individual pixels to be completely turned off, creating true blacks comparable to those you’d see if your TV was switched off. Consequently, the A84L achieves infinite contrast, providing an extraordinary visual experience.

The viewing angles are unmatched, and the A84L’s light sensor adeptly adjusts brightness and settings. In essence, the Triluminos Pro display’s picture quality is sensational, establishing it as the ultimate home cinema screen. Yet, the A84L’s advantages extend further, with Sony introducing ingenious innovations to elevate living-room entertainment.

The Cognitive Processor XR not only ensures super-fast performance but also enables the TV to identify the focal points in any given scene. This capability translates to added detail and colours on the main character, for instance, or adaptive sound that aligns with on-screen events, ensuring directional audio truly lives up to its name.

Regarding sound, the A84L incorporates Sony’s Acoustic Surface Audio+ technology, where the screen itself invisibly vibrates, transforming every part of it into a speaker. Coupled with the capabilities of the cognitive processor, this ensures that sound emanates from the precise location of on-screen events, enhancing immersion. Pair it with a supported Sony sound system, and the two seamlessly collaborate, offering a truly cinematic experience.

All the standout features of Sony’s other premium TVs are present and correct here too: HDMI 2.1 for top gaming performance, incredible 4K upscaling, superb motion smoothing, easy to use interface with Google TV and a stylish look. It is available in 55in, 65in, 77in and 83in screen sizes, with prices starting at £1,599 and topping out at £3,999.