Sony shows off prototype Mini LED TV with a 50% brighter backlight

Sony used to bring new TVs to CES each year, according to industry tradition, but this year marks the third year in a row it has left the floor clear for rivals. We’ve seen big new product launches from the likes of LG, Samsung, Hisense and more in 2024.

But not to be outdone, Sony has given us a sneak peek at its latest, improved Mini LED technology, suggesting that new, improved models are on the way very soon.

READ NEXT: Our pick of the best TVs to buy right now

The key headline for Sony’s new Mini LED technology this year is increased brightness. Sony didn’t say exactly how bright the new sets are likely to go but did show us a prototype with a backlight array it claimed was “50% brighter” than last year’s Sony Bravia XR  X95L.

Given that TV was capable of producing peaks of around 1,800cd/m² – that’s already incredibly impressive – you’re looking at that rising to maybe 2,500cd/m² or more.

These improvements are due to a combination of factors. The prototype TV has more dimming zones than before and a new, unnamed image processing chip. More importantly, however, it has new 22-bit driver ICs that deliver more control and allow the LED array to be pushed to much higher brightness levels.

The new technology certainly seemed to be working effectively when Sony ran through its demonstrations – as you might expect. Highlights looked significantly brighter than on an X95L sat right next to the prototype and more finely detailed as well. You can see this in the image above: the X95L is on the left, the prototype is on the right.

Yet there were no noticeable issues with blooming. The black level was inky and deep and dynamic range noticeably improved.

Colour accuracy looked just as good as on the X95L, too, and Sony said that, despite the extra brightness it had been able to extract from the screen, it had also managed to reduce power consumption.

READ NEXT: Hisense launches Mini LED TV lineup at CES 2024

During the demonstration, Sony turned off the LCD layer in front of the backlight array on both sets to show exactly what the backlights were doing. It was obvious that the array on the new TV was able to produce more definition than its predecessor.

All this obviously bodes well for Sony’s 2024 Mini LED TVs but, if we’re honest, we’d much rather have a real-life product to talk about – and to look forward to. Alas, it looks like we’ll have to wait for a little while yet (it launched its first TVs of 2023 in March) before we can confirm what Sony’s new range is going to look like.