Sony Bravia 9 Mark II review: the RGB revolution impresses
24.7.2026
Translation: Megan Cornish
OLED’s been considered the gold standard for years. But Sony’s Bravia 9 Mark II seriously challenges this. Its new RGB backlight delivers picture quality that even makes die-hard OLED fans like me think twice.
Full disclosure: the 65-inch version of the Bravia 9 Mark II was provided by Sony for testing purposes. However, Sony had no influence on the test result, my rating or the test procedure.
Every LCD TV has a backlight. It provides the pixels with light and so determines how bright, contrast-rich and colour-accurate the image looks. In conventional Mini LED TVs, this backlight consists of blue LEDs. A quantum dot layer converts their light into pure white, and colour filters then split this white light back into red, green and blue. This creates the colours you see.
Sony’s Bravia 9 Mark II isn’t your average Mini LED TV; it’s an RGB Mini LED TV. Instead of blue LEDs, it uses red, green and blue sub-LEDs in the backlight – each individually controllable. This means the colour isn’t generated in front of the backlight, but within it. Sony calls this True RGB. And anyone who thinks that’s just a marketing term is very much mistaken.
The technology isn’t exclusive to Sony. Hisense, Samsung and even LG all have their own version of RGB Mini LED. But Sony researched until its technology was developed enough to call it True RGB. That’s no coincidence. It differs from the competition in what’s known as its sensing algorithm, which backlight engineer Akiyama Hideki describes as «the most challenging project of my entire career at Sony». Unlike the competition, this algorithm ensures that the red, green and blue sub-LEDs are monitored and controlled in real time.
True RGB. The penny’s finally dropping.
But what does that mean in practice? This is what I’m looking into, using measurements, reference scenes and a direct comparison with the best TVs of 2025 and Sony’s own predecessor, the Bravia 9. Because the Bravia 9 was an impressive Mini LED TV with one crucial weakness: colour accuracy and colour space coverage lagged behind the OLED competition. Good wasn’t good enough. The Bravia 9 Mark II aims to change that.
Spoiler alert: it will.
Design: an industrial look with an optical illusion
Outwardly, Sony’s staying true to its style in 2026 – and yet, something’s different this time. The Bravia 9 Mark II dispenses with the iconic duck feet on the left and right edges. Instead, there’s a single central stand underneath the panel – made of glass. And this stand has a trick up its sleeve.
The glass is treated to reflect perpendicular light – everything that’d be visible from behind through the stand, such as cables – instead of letting it pass through. From the front, you can’t see anything. No cables, no tangles, no distractions. The TV looks like it’s floating on furniture, as if it were drawing its power directly from the air. The only way to break the illusion is to walk around the side of the TV.
Practically everything’s the same. The gap between the bottom edge of the panel and the furniture is still enough for most soundbars. And unlike the old duck feet, the central stand can also be placed on slimmer furniture. A small but significant upgrade – typical Sony.
Speaking of specs, Sony’s Bravia 9 Mark II offers the following:
- 4 HDMI 2.1 ports, one of which supports eARC
- 2 USB-A ports
- 1 Toslink output
- 1 LAN port
- 1 CI slot
- Antenna ports (DVB-T/T2, DVB-C, DVB-S/S2)
- Bluetooth 5.3
- Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 6/Wi-Fi 6E)
- Chromecast built-in
- Apple AirPlay and Apple HomeKit
All four HDMI inputs support HLG, HDR10 and Dolby Vision. The only one missing is HDR10+, but it’s still not being widely adopted. The passthrough functionality for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X is a welcome addition. Also new is Wi-Fi 6E, which uses the 6 GHz frequency band and provides more stable connections in high-traffic networks.
Measurements: record precision
*This is a deep dive. I’m using professional tools from Portrait Display to take measurements and get an objective assessment of the image quality. If you’re not interested in the details and diagrams, scroll down to «The picture: LCD challenges OLED – and comes incredibly close».
I measured all the TV’s screen modes without doing any calibration – just as the device comes out of the box. I only made one change to the settings:
- Motion: Under Motion Flow, I set the film mode to low so the image appears smoother and less jerky.
Surprisingly, the best measurements weren’t achieved by Sony’s Dolby Vision mode, but by its professional mode. And by such a significant margin that I’ve decided to watch all content exclusively in this mode, including Dolby Vision content. This is unusual, almost heretical. But why should I go without reference-quality results when there’s a mode that delivers them straight out of the box?
However, you should still use game mode for gaming due to the input lag.
Maximum brightness
If you’re measuring the Bravia 9 Mark II for the first time, you’re in for a bit of a surprise. The peak brightness at small screen sizes – where Mini LED TVs traditionally excel – is surprisingly subdued in professional mode. It’s even lower than that of the Bravia 8 Mark II, an OLED TV that should traditionally be less bright. This might initially sound like a weakness, but it isn’t.
Sony deliberately chose this approach. Dialling up the brightness to maximum in small areas of the image risks washed-out highlights and a distorted white balance. The image may seem impressively bright, but it’s no longer accurate. In professional mode, Sony takes a different approach: a lower peak brightness, but consistently high brightness across the entire screen (967 nits!). And that’s the key.
While OLED TVs have to drastically adjust brightness on large screens to avoid burn-in, the Bravia 9 Mark II maintains a level of brightness even at half or full screen that no OLED can achieve. The result is a contrast that feels almost like OLED – but from a different angle. Not through perfect blacks, but through perfect brightness.
White balance, colours and grey tones
One thing will probably never change at Sony: natural colours, precise gradations and a neutrally balanced picture. But this time, «precise» is a huge understatement. You’ll see in a moment. Let’s start with the white balance.
White’s created on a screen when red, green and blue light are emitted simultaneously and in exactly the right proportions. If the proportions are wrong, a colour cast creeps in and the white becomes too cool, too warm or too greenish. The RGB balance of the Bravia 9 Mark II demonstrates how incredibly well it maintains this equality across all brightness levels: no channel dominates, none is overpowered and all values deviate from the target value by a maximum of just one per cent.
Next up is the colour space coverage, where I’m measuring:
- Rec. 709: 100% (good = 100%) – the standard colour space for SDR content such as live TV, DVDs and Blu-ray.
- DCI-P3: 99.81% (good = >90%) – the standard colour space for HDR content, for example in HDR10 or Dolby Vision.
- BT.2020: 88.61% (good = >90%) – the colour space of the future. Current content hardly ever uses it.
So, Sony’s getting almost the maximum in terms of colour space coverage. The fact that the Bravia 9 Mark II just misses the targeted 90 per cent for the BT.2020 colour space isn’t a problem. Even LG’s tandem RGB OLED only managed just under 76 per cent, which is still quite high for a top-of-the-line TV. Only Samsung’s S95F actually surpassed this mark with 91.39 per cent.
That leaves colour accuracy: how accurately the TV reproduces individual colours. The Bravia 9 Mark II delivers an impressive Delta E value of 1.9 in professional mode. The older Bravia 9 achieved 4.07 in Dolby Vision mode – and that was just below the maximum acceptable value of 5. Sony’s Bravia 8 Mark II reached 3.76 and LG’s G5 scored 2.29.
To put this in perspective, a Delta E of less than 3 is only visible to experts, so it’s considered excellent. Calibration aims to push the value below 2, and the Bravia 9 Mark II achieves it. And that’s without me having to do any calibration. Incredible.
Reflections
Reflections can’t be directly measured – but you can see them. Except on the Bravia 9 Mark II. I can barely see them. That’s because, for the first time, Sony’s incorporated a matte anti-reflective coating into one of its LCD TVs. Until now, this was exclusive to Samsung’s S95F, the only OLED with this feature.
The principle’s the same: incoming light isn’t reflected; it’s diffused widely. Instead of causing glare at a single point, the ambient light’s distributed so evenly across the screen that it’s barely noticeable as a reflection. A window behind you, a ceiling lamp above the sofa, afternoon sun shining side-on – the Bravia 9 Mark II handles it all without flinching.
The downside’s familiar from the S95F: in very bright environments, the black levels lose some of their punch. Black appears more matte than deep. However, this is hardly noticeable on an LCD TV, whose black levels can’t compete with OLED anyway. You only really make this trade-off if the room’s incredibly bright – and then you’ll be glad you don’t have a mirrored wall in front of you.
The picture: LCD challenges OLED – and comes incredibly close
The measurements are impressive – at least in theory. But what use are perfect Delta E values if the picture quality in the living room isn’t great? It’s time for a practical test.
Besides the Bravia 9 Mark II, I tested three other TVs under the same conditions: its direct predecessor – the Bravia 9 – and my two favourites from last year, LG’s G5 and Sony’s own Bravia 8 Mark II. Two Mini LED TVs, two OLEDs. Conventional Mini LED versus True RGB, LCD versus OLED. Which one delivers the better picture?
If you’d like to read the detailed individual tests of the other models, you can find them here:
Colour reproduction
How do the four TVs differ in terms of colour reproduction? I tested them with scenes from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avatar: The Way of Water and James Bond: Skyfall – all visual heavyweights with vibrant colours, subtle lighting effects and demanding skin tones.
Source: UHD-Blu-ray, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – Disney+, Avatar: The Way of Water – Apple TV+, James Bond: Skyfall
Let’s start with the most striking comparison: the old Bravia 9 versus the Bravia 9 Mark II. The difference is visible to the naked eye – and corresponds exactly to the measurements. From Drax’s skin in Guardians 2 to the Na’vi faces in Avatar, a slight yellow tint creeps in everywhere with the old Bravia 9, making the image look unnatural. In Skyfall, it’s the opposite, and the old Bravia 9 even looks a bit too cold.
Compared to the two OLEDs – LG’s G5 and Sony’s Bravia 8 Mark II – the Bravia 9 Mark II is true to its style: it’s cooler, more objective and less flattering. The G5 makes Ego’s palace a warmer gold, the jungle in Avatar a richer green and Bond’s face nostalgically warm. This may be less accurate, but it’s undeniably beautiful. The Bravia 8 Mark II falls somewhere in between. The warmth and emotion the two OLEDs bring are just a product of their technology. The Bravia 9 Mark II achieves something similar, however – with an LCD panel. That was unthinkable just two years ago.
Black level and brightness gradation
How do the four TVs perform in particularly dark or extremely bright film scenes? I put them through their paces with Blade Runner 2049 and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom – both films that push shadows, highlights and contrast gradients to their limits.
Source: UHD Blu-ray, Blade Runner 2049/Jurassic World
In dark scenes, the expected yet still impressive difference between LCD and OLED becomes apparent. The G5 and Sony’s Bravia 8 Mark II immerse Sapper Morton and Agent K in Blade Runner 2049 in almost pitch-black darkness – silhouettes blur into the background and details become indistinct. The Bravia 9 Mark II slightly brightens the shadows and reveals more: the wall texture, the stove, the kitchen counter. Which is «better»? I think it’s personal taste. If you ask me, Blade Runner thrives on darkness. On what you can sense within it.
Bright scenes are a different story. In Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, the Bravia 9 Mark II shines more brightly, the sun’s brighter and the plane stands out more sharply against the evening sky. The OLEDs appear more muted, but softer and more cinematic in the orange tones of the sunset. The older Bravia 9 comes closest to the Mark II here, albeit with the familiar yellow tint that makes the scene look warmer but less accurate.
Local dimming and blooming
For years, I’ve made it tough for TVs in my local dimming test. This time, the comparison ranges from LG’s 8K TV from 2020 to the Bravia 9 Mark II – and tells the story of a technology that’s made enormous progress in six years.
Source: UHD Blu-ray, Westworld, Series 2, Episode 2. Timestamp: 00:11:50.
With the LG, blooming – those halos of light that appear when bright objects shine against a dark background – was almost unbearable. Samsung’s QN95D noticeably improved this, and the QN900D almost completely got rid of it.
But it wasn’t until Sony’s Bravia 9 two years ago that blooming was completely eliminated, despite its larger 75-inch panel. And what about the Bravia 9 Mark II? There’s nothing there either. And that’s despite the fact that it even has slightly fewer dimming zones per inch than its predecessor. The reason lies in the RGB Mini LED technology: because the backlight already shines in the correct colour instead of a harsh white, the unavoidable residual light is barely perceptible to our eyes and can be blocked more effectively by the LCDs.
The processor: flawless. Almost.
The processor is the TV’s brain. Its main task is to receive, process and display image signals. It detects poor image quality and improves it by removing noise, enhancing colours, smoothing edges, making motion more fluid and filling in missing pixel information.
Motion processing and juddering
For the judder test, we’re going back to Sam Mendes’ 1917. With its long, smooth camera movements, it’s the perfect stress test for any processor. Pay attention to the vertical wooden beams in the barn: Do they move smoothly across the frame – or is there any juddering?
Source: UHD Blu-Ray, 1917. Timestamp: 00:42:25.
This is where I got my first unpleasant surprise. Despite identical picture settings, the Bravia 9 Mark II displayed the most pronounced judder of the four TVs. If you pause the image, you can see the shadowy outlines of the bars, revealing that the processor’s deliberately not intervening a lot.
The reason likely lies in the professional mode, which aims to reproduce the director’s intention as faithfully as possible. Cinema films have 24 frames per second – and purists will appreciate that. Personally, I don’t. LG is still my favourite in this regard: buttery smooth, without the soap opera effect. Sony’s still at the conservative end – consistent for purists, but not for everyone.
Upscaling
Now for one of the most demanding tests: how well can the processor improve lower-quality sources including older Blu-rays, live TV or series such as The Walking Dead? The series was deliberately shot on 16mm film to create a damaged, post-apocalyptic atmosphere with film grain and image noise.
Source: Netflix, The Walking Dead, Series 7, Episode 1. Timestamp: 00:02:30.
The most striking comparison is with the old Bravia 9. The older model visibly oversharpens: Negan’s face looks almost too «digital», edges look too harsh and textures seem overly processed. The Bravia 9 Mark II finds a more natural middle ground: sharp, detailed, but without that artificial look that’s immediately noticeable on close inspection.
The Bravia 9 Mark II’s on par with the Bravia 8 Mark II and LG’s G5 – albeit with a slightly different picture philosophy. The two OLEDs render Negan’s beard and the beads of sweat on his forehead with a bit more softness and warmth. The Bravia 9 Mark II’s cooler and more direct, with edges a bit more precise. You need a magnifying glass to declare a clear winner.
Overall, they’re four TVs of a very high standard, with one exception: the old Bravia 9 noticeably falls short in upscaling. This also speaks volumes about the progress of the Mark II.
Gaming: input lag and game mode
Speaking of input lag – the delay between controller input and the on-screen response – using Leo Bodnar’s measuring device, I measured 13.8 milliseconds on the Bravia 9 Mark II – at UHD resolution, 60 frames per second and HDR enabled. While this is a good result, it’s significantly higher than LG’s G5 (9.7 milliseconds). However, it doesn’t exceed the often-cited 20-millisecond threshold at which you actually start to notice the delay.
- 4x HDMI 2.1 ports (4K 120Hz)
- Auto low latency mode (ALLM)
- Variable frame rates (HDMI Forum VRR, only on HDMI 3 and 4)
That’s why Sony – along with Samsung, LG, Philips, TCL and Panasonic – has partnered with major game studios. The result is the HGiG – the HDR Gaming Interest Group. According to the manufacturer, it aims to ensure that HDR’s displayed as the game developers intended, for example when playing Spider-Man 2 on my PlayStation 5 Pro.
Source: PS5 Pro, Spider-Man 2, 120Hz mode, HDR, VRR and ray tracing enabled.
Spider-Man swings through New York at 120 frames per second, and the Bravia 9 Mark II handles every move with ease – without hesitation, smearing or ghosting. Thanks to True RGB, the ray-traced reflections in puddles and shop windows sparkle with a vibrancy I wouldn’t have expected from an LCD TV. Even during intense battles with fast camera pans and HDR flashes, the picture stays sharp and responsive. I don’t notice any input lag at all. However, if you really need millisecond-level response – for example, in competitive PvP – you’re still better off with LG and Samsung.
In a nutshell
The best LCD TV I’ve ever tested
The Bravia 9 Mark II’s no normal upgrade. It’s Sony’s answer to a question the industry’s been asking for years. Can LCD ever compete with OLED? After this test, I say it can. At least in terms of the picture.
The colour accuracy and white balance are really impressive – uncalibrated, straight out of the box and at a level I’ve previously only seen on professional reference monitors. The matte anti-reflective coating’s also a long overdue improvement; blooming’s a thing of the past and the surface brightness surpasses every OLED on the market. True RGB isn’t just a marketing claim; it’s a measurable reality.
There are a few minor criticisms, though: there’s noticeable juddering in professional mode, and LG remains the faster option in terms of input lag. Plus, if you’re looking for the deepest cinematic darkness, you’ll still be happier with OLED. But for an accurate, bright, practical picture – that also impresses in daylight – this is the best that LCD currently has to offer.
Pro
- Near-perfect colour accuracy straight out of the box – no calibration required
- Consistently high surface brightness that no OLED can achieve
- Matte anti-reflective coating – finally available for LCD
- No visible blooming thanks to True RGB
- Clean upscaling, strong SDR and HDR playback
Contra
- Black level doesn’t reach OLED level
Header image: Sony Bravia 9 Mark II / Luca Fontana
Luca Fontana
Senior Editor
Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.chI write about technology as if it were cinema, and about films as if they were real life. Between bits and blockbusters, I’m after stories that move people, not just generate clicks. And yes – sometimes I listen to film scores louder than I probably should.
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