Sony's Bravia 9 II starts at 65 inches. That matters because the 9 II replaces the Bravia 9 as Sony's top-tier set and brings a True RGB LED backlight that delivers noticeably brighter highlights and more accurate colours. In a controlled session in Tokyo in March 2025, the 9 II, shown side by side with a Bravia 9 and a professional mastering monitor, recorded stronger HDR highlights and a brighter standard-preset output. Sony has paired the panel with new circuitry and audio upgrades, positioning the 9 II as a clear premium step up rather than a modest refresh.

The 9 II delivers brighter highlights and tighter colour control, while the original 9 relied on Mini-LED backlighting.

What changed under the panel

The difference isn't subtle. Sony moved from a Mini-LED architecture in the Bravia 9 to a True RGB LED design in the Bravia 9 II. The new set uses an RGB Backlight Master Drive Pro engine that controls red, green and blue LEDs individually. That per-colour control reduces colour crosstalk and blooming around bright objects, so HDR material looks both more intense and cleaner.

Early hands-on comparisons emphasised three picture improvements: HDR intensity, local dimming control and peak brightness. In the Tokyo session the 9 II consistently pulled ahead on HDR highlights, and its standard preset output registered visibly brighter than the older 9. Local dimming also felt tighter; zones held highlights while preventing the sort of haloing that can soften high-contrast scenes.

Sony hasn't treated the change as merely a one-year tweak. The company added monitoring and compensation systems to the 9 II that adjust for panel condition and heat. A first-impressions account singled out those engineering measures as a distinguishing feature, designed to protect long-term colour stability rather than just boost headline brightness for a launch demo.

Mastheads

Image improvements are matched by an audio refresh. Sony fitted the 9 II with acoustic actuators and additional tweeters, and broadened format support to include Dolby Atmos and DTS:X playback options.

The intention is clear, match the richer visual output with a louder and more coherent soundstage built into the TV itself.

Model positioning has shifted too. The Bravia 9 II becomes Sony’s flagship True RGB model and begins at a 65-inch size, with larger 75-, 85- and a new 115-inch option for very large rooms. The original Bravia 9 remains available as a Mini-LED set in 65-, 75- and 85-inch sizes. Sony is also offering a tiered approach across the range, keeping a QD-OLED model on sale and launching a lower-spec True RGB 7 II. That 7 II uses the same architecture but with fewer dimming zones and lower peak brightness, aimed at buyers who want the new technology in smaller screens.

Price reflects that segmentation. The Bravia 9 II occupies the top of Sony’s premium stack with a higher starting price than the earlier Bravia 9. Sony has emphasised the 9 II as a flagship play rather than a budget refresh, and it has applied the True RGB treatment across multiple models to draw clear distinctions between tiers.

Sony first demonstrated the RGB LED concept to journalists in Tokyo in March 2025 and published broader 9 II details in spring 2026. The staged reveal and subsequent technical briefings underline that this is an engineering pivot rather than a marketing rebrand.

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According to ZDNet, Sony said it will broaden the Bravia II family through the year, with additional models already announced.

This article was created with AI assistance.