This is the new Sony BRAVIA 9, the highest flagship TV from Sony in their BRAVIA series.
And coming from the Sony BRAVIA 3, what makes this Mini LED TV better, and with a selling price of RM17,999, is this better than a flagship OLED TV? Well, after you see how this TV performs, you might reconsider buying an OLED.
Display
First, let’s talk about the display. Well, obviously, since this is a TV review, the Sony BRAVIA 9 has two variants here in Malaysia: a 75-inch and an 85-inch. Both have an Ultra HD 3840 x 2160 resolution with a 120Hz refresh rate, and the variant that we got for the review is the 75-inch variant.
Since it is a Mini LED TV, you are certain to get one of the brightest TV panels that you can find in the industry, and this BRAVIA 9 does not disappoint with a High Peak Luminance. So, you’re guaranteed to have a very bright panel on the screen, whether you’re watching this TV at night or even prominently during the day.
Even placing it here at the studio in the living room area, there’s a total of six Amaran studio lights with a 20,000-lumen lighting for each of the lights, lighting up the whole area.
However, one area that I was totally blown away by is the deep blacks, and this is because of Sony’s XR Backlight Master Drive, which is not only in charge of giving you OLED-like blacks but also dazzling brightness, as mentioned.Â
It also saves power at the same time with this particular technology, where Sony has developed the world’s smallest Mini LED driver. That is why the TV can be so bright while being very precise in the light control, reducing the typical blooming effect that you’ll get from OLED.
This BRAVIA 9 is not all about the blacks and the brightness, as their XR TRILUMINOS Pro technology gives a wide color palette boost, which is amazing color reproduction. That is what gives the lifelike visuals, both for HDR and SDR content.Â
While we have been hearing the word “AI” here and “AI” there, just so you know, Sony’s processors have been leveraging AI for the longest time to produce the best image possible based on the content being displayed. So, this is not something new to Sony, as the processor intelligently makes the right choice based on the image being shown on the screen, to get the right blend of deep blacks, high contrast, and bright highlights with almost no blooming or halo on the screen.
Color accuracy was top-notch, and high-motion content like F1 or even football was great too, which was great to know since the EPL season has just started.Â
Speaking of my studio lights earlier, the X-Anti-Reflection also minimizes glare and looks very clear. It was so clear that even my own reflection looked at me and said, “Wow, that is clear.”Â
The X-Wide Angle also gives you perfect viewing angles of the TV, so you can have more people enjoying the TV from different angles compared to other models within this BRAVIA line and other competitors as well.
I also love the Studio Calibrated modes in the BRAVIA 9, which bring a true cinema experience in your home to a whole new level. This has been developed with all the streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime to ensure that the content is exactly how the creators of the movies or shows intended you to experience visually. So yeah, this is like giving Dolby Vision an energy drink to produce an even more accurate representation, matching what you get in the cinemas, right in the comfort of your home.
Design
The BRAVIA 9’s design is as impressive as its technology. The One Slate concept fuses the screen and the bezel into a single slate, minimizing distractions when viewing the screen, and the bezels also blend with the TV seamlessly.
I also love the 4-way stand, which offers flexibility with options for outside, inside, and soundbar positions, fitting any setup that you have. Speaking of the stand itself, it has a thin flat steel plate design with a metallic hairline finish and has a clever cable management cover panel at the back, so it does keep your setup clutter-free.Â
The remote is also easily designed to access what you need to get to, and the material is made of Sony’s SORPLAS recycled plastic. It is backlit and also USB rechargeable as well, which I feel by now all TVs should do this. On top of that, there’s also the “Find Remote” feature, which helps in situations if you or even your kids lose the remote—nice!
Gaming
Now, I didn’t talk about gaming when I was reviewing the BRAVIA 3, as the gaming performance on that was not the highlight of the TV. But since this has a 120Hz refresh rate panel, there are tons of things to talk about regarding the gaming experience on this.Â
This is firstly achieved because of the HDMI 2.1 port, which gives you that high 120Hz refresh rate. It also supports VRR, or Variable Refresh Rate, and ALLM, which stands for Auto Low Latency Mode. The Auto HDR Tone Mapping and Auto Genre Picture Mode ensure the best picture quality when gaming.
This means that there are brighter highlights, and even though the shadows are darker in games, you will be able to see the finer details during gaming. Of course, there is a dedicated gaming mode, and together with the PlayStation 5, this mode minimizes lag and maximizes the overall responsiveness of the game as well. This will come in clutch for any fast-paced game that you love and enjoy.Â
This game mode is also one of the places where you can fine-tune all the game-centric settings if you really need to, which I left at default as the TV knows what the best settings are. But it is nice that you have these final adjustments if you really need to. If you’re into Dolby Vision games, the good news is that this BRAVIA 9 also supports that too.
Sound
Next, let’s talk about the sound. Similar to other BRAVIA series, this has Dolby Atmos and DTS support, providing a surround sound experience that makes you feel like you’re in the middle of the action.Â
There is a unique Beam Tweeter and a Frame Tweeter to project sounds in all directions, creating an immersive audio experience. The dialogue was very clear and audible, and the bass response on this was surprisingly really good and deep.Â
If you heard our audio test on our BRAVIA 3 review and loved how that sounds, this BRAVIA 9 is going to take it nine notches higher, as it sounds really amazing.
There’s a feature called 3D Surround Upscaling that will transform standard stereo sound into extraordinary 3D surround sound. There’s also the addition of the 360 Spatial Sound Mapping, making every movie night a true cinematic experience, once again bringing cinema to your home.Â
[Audio test available in my YouTube video]
Software
The software experience was one of my favorite things about the BRAVIA 3, and so it was on this BRAVIA 9 as well.Â
While we have all seen huge improvements in how Google TV is, that itself speaks volumes on how the overall software optimization is. Together with Sony’s custom UI on top of that, all the essential settings are arranged nicely at the bottom of the screen instead of typically putting them on the side. This makes it easy to go to each setting without diving too deep into the menu system.
The Sony Pictures Core is also honestly a truly underrated feature because it provides benefits like early access to blockbuster Sony titles that could still be in cinema screenings, plus with IMAX experience support. This IMAX experience support means that the content has no top and bottom black bars.Â
Another super underrated feature is the fact that this TV will turn on based on your last input instead of turning on to your home screen. For example, if you had the TV on HDMI 1 and you turned the TV off, once you turn it on again, it will go back to HDMI 1, which was not the case for a lot of other TVs out there where it always tends to go to the home screen instead.
Besides the integration with Amazon’s Alexa, Google Assistant, and Chromecast built-in, AirPlay 2 also works very well. In addition to Apple’s HomeKit, it meant that I could easily add the TV to my HomeKit smart home ecosystem that we have in the studio as well, so I could easily turn on and turn off the TV much easier in the HomeKit app.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this Sony BRAVIA 9 is indeed a powerhouse of a TV. It didn’t compromise on anything, as it really raises the bar in Mini LED TV technology and is probably the best Mini LED ever made without trying to be an OLED, offering stunning visuals, immersive sound, and a plethora of smart features, the TV delivers an authentic cinematic experience.Â
Because of how bright the TV is, it is perfect if you’re watching TV in a very bright environment, and this is where it shines the best. So, whether you’re a movie buff, a gamer, or someone who loves binge-watching shows, this TV has something for everyone.Â
But if you want a more affordable option, check out my review of the Sony BRAVIA 3 over here.
