Sony is one of the biggest names in televisions, with a long history of offering some of the best TVs out there. For 2024, Sony is making a change to its line-up, reinvigorating the Bravia brand and changing some of the naming to make its TVs clearer to differentiate. Well, almost...
That sees the top new 2024 models landing as Bravia 9 (Mini LED), followed by Bravia 8 (OLED) and Bravia 7 (Mini LED), which will settle in alongside models like the Sony A95L OLED from 2023, which remains in the range. Remember that new models take some time to go on sale and they will be sold alongside 2023 and sometimes 2022 models in Sony's case, so it's very much a mix-up across the line-up.
That renaming strategy also sees Sony moving on from "Master Series" branding that was used to identify its top TVs in the past. It's worth noting that we're only covering Sony TVs here, we've covered the 2024 LG TV line-up separately, and have a round-up of the best OLED TVs too.
Sony OLED or LED?
- A prefix = OLED (including QD-OLED)
- X prefix = LED (including Mini LED, Full Array (FALD), LED)
- Bravia = model number dependent, as both OLED (8) and Mini LED (7, 9)
Sony remains committed to offering both LED and OLED televisions. I mention LED first, because for many years, Sony has pushed its top LED model as its most accomplished. OLED was a more recent addition to the range for Sony, but is now well established too.
There are evolutions of both technologies – Mini LED and QD-OLED – but when it comes to model codes, the X prefix has been used for LED, while A has been used for OLED. Sony also uses year model suffixes – K was 2022 and L was 2023. It would therefore be fair to assume that M would be 2024, but at the time of writing, Sony hasn't announced the actual model codes, only numbered Bravia ranges for 2024.
However, for those interested in the latest models, it's worth noting that Bravia 9 is Mini LED (and the brightest and most highly dimming controlled), Bravia 8 is OLED (but sits beneath the A95L), and Bravia 7 is again Mini LED (but, oddly, sits below the small-screen OLED A90K model).
For 2024, it seems that Sony is going to be using the XR moniker – matching the XR technology powering the panels – for these new Bravia models, so they may also be referred to as XR90, XR80 and XR70.
Whether you're looking for high-end LED – often touted for its greater brightness – or high-end OLED – lauded for more precise dimming and contrast – Sony has a wide range of options to consider and we're going to break the range down to help you make the right choice.
Sony OLED range
Sony A95L QD-OLED
- 55in, 65in, 77in sizes
The A95L is Sony's top-drawer TV for 2023, which continues into 2024. In 2023, when Sony demoed this TV side-by-side with the year-old A95K, the year-on-year improvements were stunning – as referenced in our full Sony A95L review.
With peak brightness that's up to 200% brighter than the previous year, it's very, very clear just how much better this TV is from the off. A then-new heatsink enables this brightness push.
There are other top-end perks too: it's the only 2023 Sony TV to use MediaTek's latest HDMI chipset, meaning it's the only 2023 Sony TV to support 4K at 120fps with Dolby Vision (others will deliver 4K/120 via their HDMI 2.1 ports, just not at that frame-rate when outputting Dolby Vision). An ideal match for gamers then.
A less reflective panel coating than before, a new larger 77-inch model size (if you're feeling especially flush with cash), and a really gorgeous design with embedded 2.2-channel audio output from the TV panel itself (using Acoustic Surface Audio+ tech).
Sony Bravia 8 OLED
- 55in, 65in, 77in sizes
Sony's new OLED model for 2024 is the Bravia 8. Interestingly, this TV doesn't replace the excellent A95L from 2023 which will continue to be sold. Indeed, while the A95L is a QD-OLED panel, Sony tells us that the Bravia 8 is a WOLED panel, so likely to be less vibrant than the A95L.
The brightness is said to have a 10% bump as it uses the latest panel from Sony's suppliers (that's LG Display, by the way). That means it'll be a step above the Sony A90K, the 42-inch and 48-inch high-end OLED panel still in the range (see below).
Acoustic Surface Audio+ is there to ensure that the sound comes from the centre of the display, with two actuators and two tweeters behind the screen. It also offers multiple stand positions – but this model feels like a replacement for the Sony A80L rather than a new OLED flagship.
Sony A90K OLED
- 42in and 48in sizes only
As you'll spot from the 'K' in the name (it doesn't stand for 'kittens', sorry), this model is the 2022 release. So why no Sony A90L for 2023 or A90M for 2024? Well, Sony doesn't see it as necessary.
This top-end OLED panel (albeit not QD-OLED) is only available in the smaller 42-inch and 48-inch sizes, so it's ideal for a bedroom or smaller space.
Sony A80L OLED
- 55in, 65in, 77in, 83in sizes
If the top-tier A95L QD-OLED is outside of your financial reach then Sony's traditional OLED, available in a wider range of sizes, is a premium competitor to the likes of LG's C3 OLED. It's not officially part of the 2024 range, given the Bravia 8's presence, but you're likely to still find models on sale at discount.
Sony LED range
Sony Bravia 9
- 75in and 85in only
Sony's top TV for 2024 is the Bravia 9. This sits above and effectively replaces the excellent Sony X95L from 2023 and makes a number of improvements to it. Sony actually previewed the new display tech at CES 2024 and it was hugely impressive – but now those improvements are coming to market.
The Bravia 9 will come in 75- and 85-inch sizes, sticking to Sony's trend of going big with its top model. But there's a new backlight system in XR Backlight Master Drive that gives a 50% boost in brightness, while also offering three times the number of dimming zones. That directly addresses the OLED competition for more accurate picture quality.
Elsewhere the Bravia 9 features Acoustic Multi-Audio+, which introduces a beam tweeter and frame tweeter to give a wider soundstage from the eight-speaker system. The system is designed to sound like the sound is coming from the screen (as it does with Acoustic Surface on the Bravia 8), and the new beam tweeter here is designed for height, to firstly draw the sound field toward the centre of the screen, but also to increase the immersion on Dolby Atmos soundtracks.
Like all Sony TVs, it runs Google TV, offering 120Hz support, but of the four HMDI ports, only two are HDMI 2.1 (an ongoing trend in Sony TVs, it seems). Sony also touts a new Prime Video Calibrated mode, to go alongside the Sony Pictures Core and Netflix calibrated modes, the idea being that when you stream a movie, it downloads the calibration settings so you get exactly what the director intended.
What's perhaps confusing about Sony's range is that the Bravia 9 is what Sony considers to be its top TV, regardless of whether you prefer LED or OLED.
Sony X95L
- 65in, 75in, 85in sizes
Regardless of where you sit in the OLED vs LED wars, for 2023, this was the TV that Sony considered its best: the X95L.
It's super-bright, with around a 30% gain over 2022's X95K, and there are more 20% dimming zones for better blooming control than before too.
Technically, this model is replaced by the Bravia 9, so the X95L will be dropped from the range, although it's still likely to be available from retailers for some time at discounted prices.
Sony Bravia 7
- 55in, 65in, 75in, 85in
The Bravia 7 is another new model for 2024, sitting below the Bravia 9 (and the Bravia 8 – although that's an OLED panel) and coming in a wider range of sizes, including the popular 55-inch size. This is again a Mini LED TV and it's essentially a replacement for the X90L from 2023.
The big difference over the X90L is that it moves from a Full Array LED ('FALD') to Mini LED, so it's a different display technology. As a result it will be brighter and offer better dimming, which effectively cuts Sony's LED range in half – those using Mini LED and those not.
The audio arrangement isn't as sophisticated on the Bravia 7 as it is on the Bravia 9, so here you have Acoustic Multi-Audio, with four speakers. Pairing it with a Sony soundbar is a great idea, as the TV's speakers will work with the soundbar to create greater immersion, thanks to Acoustic Centre Sync.
Sony X90L
- 55in, 65in, 75in, 85in, 98in sizes
The year-on-year improvement of the Sony X90L over its previous X90K/X94K model was the most impressive when it was announced in 2023. That's because this LED-backlit panel had around 60% more dimming zones and the difference in precision and blooming control was bloomin' marvellous.
The X90L is also available in some monster sizes, all the way up to 98-inches (that one comes with built-in handles it's so massive, ensuring you can move it around), so there's something to cater for everyone looking for a room-filling main telly.
Sony X85L, X80L, X75WL
- X85L: 55in, 65in, 75in sizes
- X80L: 43in, 50in, 55in, 65in, 75in, 85in sizes
- X75WL: 43in, 50in, 55in, 65in, 75in sizes
As the product number drops you'll see a difference in overall picture quality potential. The X85L is a Full Array LED set from 2023 so is markedly better than its predecessor in creating precise bright areas with great control. It's also the cut-off point for 100Hz/120Hz output, the TVs lower in the range are 50/60Hz only.
Below the X85L are the X80L and X75WL which continue into 2024, and both of which drop the FALD arrangement (and refresh rate, as pointed out) for classic LED backlighting. That means less overall precision in illumination and thus black levels incrementally suffer as a result.
The design is also simplified as you drop down the range to make for greater affordability. However, these are still mighty accomplished TVs for bright-room environments.
