The Sony Bravia 8 is one of 2024's most anticipated TVs for a couple of reasons. First, it's the only new OLED TV from the Japanese home cinema giant to be released this year. Second, it's the successor to the impressive Sony A80L.

Does it live up to its predecessor's legacy? After thorough testing, including side-by-side comparisons with top competitors and the previous model, the answer is a firm yes, though it is a close call.

Price

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The Bravia 8 is the second most expensive option in Sony’s 2024 range. You can usually find the 65-inch model, which we are reviewing here, for around £2699 / $2800 / AU$4495, although some deals have started circulating. The smaller 55-inch Bravia 8 is available for £2199 / $2000 / AU$3495, and the largest 77-inch model for £3999 / $3900 / AU$6995.

This pricing places the Bravia 8 on par with many of this year's step-down OLED TVs. For example, the 65-inch LG C4 initially launched at £2700 / $2699 / AU$4299. However, a few factors complicate the situation.

Firstly, the LG C4 and several other competitors that launched earlier this year have already seen significant price reductions. Right now, the same 65-inch LG C4 is available for approximately £2250. Additionally, some retailers still have stock of the outgoing Sony A80L, and you can find the 65-inch model for a much more affordable £1899.

The second issue is that Sony isn’t offering the Bravia 8 in sizes below 55 inches. Instead, they have opted to keep the two-year-old A90K on sale rather than introducing smaller versions of their new set.

If you're looking to save money by opting for a smaller 42- or 48-inch OLED, or if a larger size simply doesn't fit your living space, you might need to consider other options. It's unfortunate, given how popular OLED technology is among enthusiasts who don't want to overwhelm their living rooms with a larger TV.

Design

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Features

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The Sony Bravia 8 retains the sleek and stylish design of its predecessor, the A80L, with a few subtle enhancements. At first glance, the rear of the Bravia 8, though still plastic, features a fresh square textured pattern and a flatter profile, making it perfect for wall mounting.

There have been notable improvements to the stand and remote as well. The Bravia 8’s foot stands now sport a flat top and are slightly thinner, designed specifically to accommodate a soundbar more easily than the chunkier stands of the A80L.

For those using a larger stand, the Bravia 8 offers two positions for its feet: a close middle placement or a wider position at the corners, perfect for fitting a larger soundbar underneath without interference.

Whether you choose to use a soundbar or not, the feet can be adjusted to two heights—one that keeps the TV close to your stand and another that raises it by 10cm, providing versatile setup options.

This configuration ensures the Bravia 8 fits nicely on most standard-sized TV stands. However, it lacks a pivot/swivel mechanism, a feature we appreciate for easily adjusting the screen’s angle and accessing HDMI inputs.

One minor downside is the Bravia 8’s purely plastic remote, which feels less premium compared to the A80L or Bravia 9 remotes. Despite this, it’s well-equipped with handy shortcut buttons for popular streaming services and includes a backlight, a feature missing from its rival, the LG C4.

Features

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Sony has made some significant under-the-hood upgrades to the Bravia 8, retaining its familiar aesthetic.

One standout feature is the Bravia 8’s WOLED panel, now 10% brighter than its predecessor, making it part of the growing trend of OLED TVs boasting higher brightness levels. This is a key upgrade that Sony emphasizes this year.

Similar claims have been made by LG with the LG C4 and Philips with its OLED809, which was reviewed just before the Bravia 8’s launch.

While the Bravia 8 may not reach the brightness of its QD-OLED counterpart, the Sony A95L, or the MLA-equipped LG G4, which go up to 3000 nits’ peak brightness, Sony stands firm on its claim. The A80L remains one of the brightest standard OLED TVs without MLA or QD-OLED technology, even being over a year old.

Powering the TV is the Bravia XR processor found in the higher-end Bravia 9. This chip uses AI to enhance picture processing, offering a more authentic and natural home cinema experience, which, based on testing, it largely achieves on the Bravia 8.

The AI-focused chip also aims to improve audio quality by working with Sony’s unique Acoustic Surface Audio+ hardware, delivering significantly better virtual surround sound.

Acoustic Surface Audio+ has been a key feature in Sony TVs for some time, using under-screen actuators instead of traditional speakers to ensure sound comes from the image’s location, enhancing immersion.

The Bravia 8 carries the same 50W audio system as the A80L, consisting of three actuators and two bass drivers. Support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X also continues, rounding out the TV’s audio capabilities.

Regarding features, the Bravia 8 remains largely unchanged from its predecessor. It runs on the Google TV operating system, which is suitable for most users. Popular apps like Netflix, Disney Plus, Apple TV+, and Amazon Prime Video are all supported.

Specialist Sony-owned apps such as Sony Pictures Core and Crunchyroll (a top anime streaming service) are also available. In the UK, local streaming apps like BBC iPlayer, ITV X, Channel 4, and Channel 5 are supported – something many Google TVs lack. Each app streams in 4K/HDR where applicable.

The Bravia 8 supports all usual formats, including HDR10, Dolby Vision, and HLG. An IMAX Enhanced picture mode is also present, much like the Bravia 9. However, HDR10+ is still missing. With Prime Video offering a Prime Video Calibrated mode, this omission feels peculiar.

The new mode optimizes TV settings based on in-app content, leading to minor adjustments in colors and brightness, enhancing sports and films.

For gamers, the Bravia 8 excels in many ways but has some limitations seen in most non-LG or Samsung OLED TVs. Only two of the four HDMI ports meet the 2.1 standard, with one doubling as an eARC connection.

This configuration is fine if you plan to connect one current-generation console and a Dolby Atmos soundbar. Current consoles need an HDMI 2.1 input for full performance. To achieve Dolby Atmos, a compatible bar must be connected to the eARC input. Thus, if you own a PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and an Atmos soundbar, you’ll face some cable swapping or compromise on console performance.

The inputs support 120Hz in 4K but not the 144Hz seen on rival LG C4. While current consoles max out at 120Hz, this may only concern PC gamers with highly powerful setups. Both HDMI 2.1 inputs also support VRR and ALLM, essential features for smoother and more responsive gameplay.

Finally, Dolby Vision Gaming is included, a minor upgrade from the Bravia 9’s A80L. This is a version of Dolby’s HDR standard optimized for games, offering better contrast and more accurate colors in compatible games – around 100 titles on Xbox.

Picture

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To begin with, the display offers an impressive resolution, ensuring every detail is crystal clear and lifelike. Whether you're watching your favorite movie or a thrilling sports game, the colors are vibrant and the clarity is unmatched.

Key Features

• High Resolution: Experience every detail with stunning accuracy.

• Dynamic Range: Enjoy a richer spectrum of colors and contrast.

• Sharpness: Every image comes to life with just the right amount of sharpness.

Why It Matters

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The technical upgrades in the Bravia 8 may seem minor at first glance. However, real-world performance often tells a different story. This was evident when we reviewed the LG C4 earlier this year, where modest updates translated into significant improvements.

To verify if this holds true for the Bravia 8, we put it through rigorous testing. We compared it directly with its predecessor, the A80L, using identical signals through an HDMI splitter and an Oppo UDP203 Blu-Ray player. This ensured the TVs processed the content in its native format.

Initially, both TVs in Standard mode felt a bit over-processed when playing a heated desert battle from our Dune Part 2 test disc. The Cinema mode offered a visually striking experience, but still added some artificiality. Purists seeking a true-to-director experience might find the peak bright areas too intense, causing occasional distractions.

The optimal results came with the Bravia 8’s 'Professional' mode, designed to minimize processing and present the picture as intended by the director. This mode corrected our previous issues, rendering natural hues and detailed skin tones throughout the Dune Part 2 scene.

If you're looking for an impressive TV experience, the Bravia 8 might be just what you need. While it smooths out those distracting spikes in brightness, it’s worth noting that you may notice a tiny stutter in extremely fast movements. To get the best results, we recommend raising the Peak Luminance setting to Medium and setting motion processing to its lowest level.

Once adjusted, this TV really shines, especially with color handling. Skin tones appear wonderfully natural and vibrant, with the Bravia 8 leaning towards warmer reds compared to the cooler tones of the A80L. You'll see this in the rebels’ desert suits, which look authentically brown and realistic.

Watching the opening scene of Blade Runner 2049 on the Bravia 8 is a delight. Motion handling is smooth and artifact-free as Ryan Gosling’s character flies over a dusty farm. Dark scenes reveal every detail, and skin tones provide a lifelike quality that enhances the viewing experience.

The depth and three-dimensionality of the Bravia 8 are evident, making light reflections and shadows appear much more detailed. Moving to Oppenheimer, the TV’s prowess continues as black and white scenes showcase fine details in characters’ suits and ties while maintaining sharpness and depth.

You might wonder about Sony’s claim of 10% higher peak brightness. Testing it with Pan, a challenging movie with its 4000 nits mastering, the Bravia 8 delivers excellent peak brightness without losing detail. This is also evident in Rogue One on Disney Plus, where switching to Dolby Vision Bright mode elevates the picture, making stars and reflections sparkle while keeping the scene authentic and vivid.

The Bravia 8 performs admirably but isn’t perfect. When it comes to SDR and Full HD content, like our test movie True Grit, the TV does a good job but isn't the absolute best. Some dark scenes can suffer from black crush, losing a bit of detail.

Additionally, while the Bravia 8 offers modest improvements over the A80L, the differences are small, often just single-figure percentage improvements. Rivals like the Philips OLED809 and LG C4 have upped their game, offering comparable, if not better, performances in certain aspects. We’re still waiting to review Panasonic’s Z-series OLEDs and Samsung’s S90D, so stay tuned for those comparisons.

Overall, the Bravia 8 is a fantastic TV with great picture quality, building on the already excellent performance of the A80L.

Sound

The Bravia 8 stands out as one of the top-sounding OLED TVs we've tested, but it doesn't represent a significant leap forward for Sony.

This flagship model features Sony’s unique Acoustic Surface Audio+ technology. This system uses actuators that vibrate the entire screen to produce sound.

During our standard test with chapter two of Blade Runner 2049, the TV’s audio feels a bit bass-light compared to rival sets. However, it compensates with excellent control. While the deep drum thumps lack the punch to truly get your heart racing, and the roaring synth doesn't dig deep enough to pull you into the scene as effectively as a decent soundbar can, there's no distortion or loss of precision – at least until the volume exceeds 80%. Sony once again favors control over direct impact with the Bravia 8’s audio.

The Cinema sound mode provides a spacious, controlled listening experience. In one scene where Ryan Gosling’s Blade Runner 2049 character speaks to a hologram, the voices are clear and distinct, standing out from both background noise and the scene's soundtrack. The sound direction is also impressive, with the hologram’s voice matching its on-screen movements more accurately than expected.

This excellent sound control continues in action scenes as well. For instance, during a car chase in The Batman, the Batmobile’s engines may not have the growl we desired, but the sound closely follows the car’s movements, immersing us in the pulse-pounding chase. Few TV in-built speaker systems can deliver such immersive experiences.

For us, the Bravia 8’s control and spaciousness justify the trade-off of some low-end heft. Nevertheless, for the ultimate sound experience, we still recommend investing in a soundbar or speaker system.

Verdict

In conclusion, this product offers outstanding quality and functionality that meet the expectations of our diverse readership. It's an impressive choice for anyone seeking reliability and performance. Whether you're a casual user or a dedicated enthusiast, this product has something valuable to offer. With its exceptional features and user-friendly design, it seamlessly fits into your lifestyle, ensuring satisfaction with every use.

The Bravia 8 doesn’t represent a huge leap for Sony OLED TVs. It lacks QD-OLED and isn’t a significant upgrade over its predecessor, unlike the LG C4 compared to the LG C3. However, the A80L has long been celebrated for its outstanding quality and remains an exceptional OLED TV to this day.

The fact that Sony has improved it at all is noteworthy, especially since the upgrades focus on key areas that cinephiles care about. Skin tones appear warmer and more realistic, and improved light control enhances the three-dimensionality of the picture. Audio quality also surpasses that of rival sets. While the Bravia 8 might not be an easy sell for recent OLED TV buyers, it remains an excellent option for everyone else to consider.