Sony might have perfected Mini LED TVs with its new 2024 lineup

At the premium end of home theater, Sony TVs are about as good as it gets — and have been for several years now. The company is lauded for its image processing and penchant for delivering fantastic picture quality in both its flagship sets and lower-cost options like the X90L. So there’s pressure that comes with every refresh of the lineup. But Sony’s not letting that stop it from taking some bold steps in 2024.

This year, the company’s primary focus is on Mini LED. And more specifically, all eyes are on the top-of-the-line Bravia 9. There’s still an OLED in the new roster — that’s the Bravia 8 — and last year’s A95L QD-OLED is also sticking around. But Sony has spent years refining its own approach to packing thousands of LEDs into a backlighting system and precisely controlling all of them using technology that the company says is similar to that inside its professional (and ludicrously expensive) mastering monitors. The secret sauce is the XR Backlight Master Drive system, which acts as the brain for deciding how to best utilize all those LEDs. And it can do so at a very granular level thanks to new silicon that Sony built specifically for this TV’s Mini LED structure.

To get some numbers out of the way, the Bravia 9 contains 325 percent more dimming zones than 2023’s X95L, which already delivered phenomenal black levels with barely a trace of any perceptible blooming. The X95L also got tremendously bright, but the Bravia 9 can crank 50 percent brighter at peak luminance, Sony claims. It does so while using 20 percent less energy than its predecessor. “Cinema is coming home” is the tagline for this year’s TVs, and Sony wants to reestablish Bravia as the brand capable of an unmatched living room viewing experience.

The company has always sweated the details when it comes to creator intent. On top of Dolby Vision across the lineup, all new TVs except for the entry-level Bravia 3 support Netflix Adaptive Calibrated Mode and a new Prime Video Calibrated Mode. The latter allows the TV to automatically optimize picture across movies, TV shows, and even live sports for the first time to present smoother action for, say, Monday Night Football.

The Bravia 9 retails for $3,299.99 — and that’s just for the 65-inch model. Going up in size from there, it’s $3,999.99 (75-inch) and $5,499.99 (85-inch). For that money, you’re getting all the company’s bonus features like “X-Wide Angle” for consistent viewing angles and “X-Anti Reflection” to avoid unwanted visual distractions. The Bravia 9 also adds a pair of upward-firing beam tweeters to its acoustic multi-audio system for more immersive surround sound. Sony’s built-in TV speakers are on another level compared to the mediocre drivers you often get from other brands — though you’re certainly paying through the nose for that quality.

The rest of the 2024 lineup includes the Bravia 8, which uses a regular OLED (not QD-OLED) panel. Sony says it’s 31 percent thinner than the A80L, and the company has slimmed the display’s bezels by 29 percent. The Bravia 8 includes all the same calibrated picture modes as the Bravia 9 and continues to be a strong choice for gaming with its 120Hz panel, automatic PS5 picture optimization, and game menu for quickly accessing settings. (Multi-view also now supports YouTube alongside your console’s input if you want to watch a tutorial while working through a level.)

The Bravia 7 is another Mini LED model with overall performance that should be comparable to the X95L — but for a notably lower price. You’re looking at $2,299.99 for the 65-inch set, and the biggest 85-inch model runs $3,499.99. Sony is keeping the X90L Mini LED TV in the lineup without any upgrades. Last year, reviewers pegged it as among the very best options in terms of bang for your buck, though it could’ve used some more dimming zones to cut back on blooming, which was sometimes noticeable with dark content when viewing the X90L off-angle.

Rounding out the 2024 lineup is the Bravia 3, a plain old 60Hz direct LED TV that ditches a lot of the best attributes of Sony’s other models. You’re still getting a taste of the company’s signature image processing, though, so it could make for a decent secondary TV somewhere. All of Sony’s sets continue to run Google TV software with add-ons like an Eco Dashboard for those who want to keep tabs on energy usage. And the Bravia 9, 8, and 7 are all ATSC 3.0-compliant.

Sony is also refreshing its soundbar and audio lineup with the flagship Bravia Theater: Quad wireless speaker system. You can position the four speakers wherever’s most convenient — they’re now designed for easier wall mounting — and Sony’s 360 spatial sound mapping will work its magic to get the most out of the 16 total drivers.

If you hate cable clutter, this set-them-and-forget-them method is about the best solution you could ask for. But at $2,499.99 (before the optional subwoofer), the wireless life doesn’t come cheap. Sony’s more conventional Atmos soundbars include the Bravia Theater Bar 9 (with 13 total speakers) and Bravia Theater Bar 8 (with 11). Again, these will map your room for ideal sound effect placement in 3D space.

And if you’re a fan of more private listening — or want to watch TV without disturbing others at night — the $299.99 Bravia Theater U neck speaker might have a unique appeal of its own. You can pair it with two devices at once, and a built-in mic allows for handling phone calls while you’re relaxing on the couch.

You can combine any of these external speakers with a Bravia TV’s integrated sound, and Sony will make it all work well together by making sure each device is handling the best-suited frequency range.

Sony’s 2024 home theater lineup will begin shipping very soon and should start appearing at your local Best Buy in no time at all. Samsung and LG are already out there with their own formidable competition. Suffice it to say, this is a fantastic time to be in the market for a high-end TV that’ll keep you entertained for many years to come.