Sky Glass Gen 2 unveiled alongside a cheaper, Sky Glass Air TV
Sky’s second generation Sky Glass TV comes with improved design, picture quality and better audio
Sky has officially unveiled the follow-up to its popular streaming TV – Sky Glass Gen 2 – and teased a cheaper model – Sky Glass Air – which will launch later this year.
The new Sky Glass Gen 2 looks much like the first model. It comes with built-in “360-degree” Dolby Atmos sound via an integrated soundbar and a 4K HDR quantum dot display, both improved, of course, but not dramatically different from what went before.
The Sky Glass Air, on the other hand, is slimmer and sleeker and shorn of the hefty soundbar built into the flagship model, but uses the same panel as its flagship sibling and is available in the same three sizes. Sky said no more about it other than it would be cheaper, and available later in the year.
Sky Glass Gen 2: Key specifications, price and availability
- 4K HDR quantum dot panel with more LEDs and more local dimming zones
- Built-in 360-degree Dolby Atmos audio
- Three sizes: 43in, 55in and 65in
- Three new colours: Arctic Silver, Atlantic Blue and Volcanic Grey
- Price: Pay upfront or over 24 or 48 months
- Availability: From 12 February 2025 from Sky
Sky Glass Gen 2: Features and initial impressions
The Sky Glass Gen 2 might look similar to the previous model, but Sky hasn’t rested entirely on its laurels. The built-in Dolby Atmos soundbar gains an extra speaker, rising from six in the first Sky Glass TV to seven here.
The “soundbar” is still a 3.1.2 channel system (three front channels, two upfiring channels and a subwoofer at the rear); the seventh speaker is merely an extra driver added to the subwoofer. The subwoofer sits at the rear of the TV in a “dual-channel” configuration to improve low-end output. As part of this, Sky has also refined the tuning of the audio system and overhauled the enclosures housing the speakers themselves. “It’s like having an amazing soundbar in your room,” said Fraser Stirling, Global Chief Product Officer at Sky.
We had a quick demonstration of the new audio system at the launch and I can’t say it was particularly conclusive or all that impressive but I’ll reserve final judgement for the full review. Our first demo – a David Attenborough nature programme – was intended to demonstrate the system’s “improved spaciousness” but it sounded a little flat and harsh to my ears. The second demo was a clip from the movie, A Star is Born, and sounded better, with good levels of clarity and warmth. I heard no evidence of the improvement in bass in these demos, but the demo room wasn’t the ideal place in which to experience subtle differences in audio quality.
As for picture quality, that’s been amped up, too. Sky hasn’t made the move to a new panel technology such as mini LED or OLED. Instead, it has stuck with a 4K quantum dot panel similar to that used by the first Sky Glass but boosted the number of LEDs in the backlight and the number of dimming zones. It says this leads to improved contrast, less blooming – a big problem for the original TV, “massively improved” viewing angles, “brighter whites” and increased brightness.
Sky provided no solid details on these improvements at the launch itself, but my initial impressions were largely positive. Blooming seems to have been knocked on the head and both brightness and contrast look like they’ve been improved, too. I only had the chance to watch the TV for a few minutes, though, and in a demo room not 100% suited to critical watching, so my opinion may well change once I get my hands on the TV for proper testing in a week or two.
What I can say is it’s a little disappointing that Sky hasn’t moved to mini LED and although the TV supports auto-low latency mode, gamers will be disappointed to discover that it still only refreshes at 60Hz.
The good news is that, while the physical appearance of the Sky Glass Gen 2 is very similar to the first model, the engineers at Sky have been refining the way the TV is made. The mesh covering the speakers at the front is now colour-matched to the colour of the chassis, which is available in three new colours: Arctic Silver, Atlantic Blue and Volcanic Grey.
But more significant is that Sky has shaved off a significant amount of weight from the TV, something I complained about when I reviewed the first Sky Glass TV. Not being the most hench of tech reviewers, the weight of Sky Glass made it difficult to move around the house on my own.
Most of the weight loss comes from the stand. Instead of attaching to the wall mount at the rear, the new design simply has a couple of lugs that the TV slides onto. Push a couple of latches into place and the stand is locked solidly in place. However, the company has also shaved off weight from the speaker system and the aluminium frame and it has redesigned the rear, moving the power input to a cubby on the right side, at the same time making the TV easier to lift and move around.
As for the software, the TV will run the same SkyOS user interface (previously called Entertainment OS) as the original Sky Glass and the Sky Stream box.
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Sky Glass Gen 2 hands-on review: Pricing and early verdict
It might not be a groundbreaking upgrade, but with picture quality, audio and the design all being improved – and the price staying the same – Sky Glass Gen 2 will probably maintain its position as one of the most popular TVs to buy in the UK.
Especially since, as before, you’ll be able to buy it outright or in instalments over 24 or 48 months. Upfront, the TVs will cost as below:
- 43in Sky Glass Gen 2: £699
- 55in Sky Glass Gen 2: £949
- 65in Sky Glass Gen 2: £1,199
And if you want to spread the cost, here are the prices:
- 43in Sky Glass Gen 2: 48 payments of £14 (plus £20 upfront); or 24 payments of £24 (plus £20 upfront)
- 55in Sky Glass Gen 2: 48 payments of £19 (plus £20 upfront); or 24 payments of £38 (plus £20 upfront)
- 56in Sky Glass Gen 2: 48 payments of £24 (plus £20 upfront; or 24 payments of £48 (plus £20 upfront)
Naturally, you’ll have to pay for Sky’s service on top of these prices, with the basic Sky Essentials contract adding £15/mth over 24 months.
The verdict on the new Sky Glass is likely to be very similar to the original Sky Glass, then. Assuming picture and audio quality are improved, that is. Either way, we’ll be getting our hands on a review sample very soon, so watch this space for our final verdict.
