What it gets right
- Natural, cinematic picture processing
- Excellent strong contrast in dark scenes and colour
- Built-in sound is unusually direct and clear
- Google television provides broad app support
The compromises
- Expensive beside excellent LG and Samsung alternatives
- Only two modern sockets, one shared with soundbar connection
- Not the strongest choice for a very bright room
Buy it—or leave it?
- Films and high-quality drama matter most
- You want better built-in sound
- Natural processing matters more than maximum brightness
- You have multiple modern consoles and an soundbar connection soundbar
- The room is extremely bright
- Value for money matters more than premium refinement
What would you like to do now?
Choose the route that matches how confident you feel. The free review stays free whichever route you choose.
Check today’s price
£2,399 for 65 inches
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Open any section for the detail behind our verdict.
01Films and television
Sony's strength is making material look believable. Motion in films remains controlled, faces avoid exaggerated colour and lower-quality broadcasts are cleaned without looking artificial. a widely used film-picture format support is included, unlike Samsung's premium televisions.
02Sound
Actuators vibrate the screen so voices appear to come from the picture rather than a speaker below it. Bass remains limited by the thin cabinet, but many buyers will find ordinary television and drama clear enough without immediately adding a soundbar.
03Gaming and connections
high-detail extra-smooth gaming, automatic smoothing for games and quick-response modes work well, but only two sockets provide the full feature set and one is also used for soundbar connection. A PlayStation, Xbox and sound system therefore need a switch, receiver or compromise.
Price and value
The matched 65-inch Bravia 8 II was £2,399 with the displayed retailer promotion when we checked on 17 August 2026. That exact size is used for its budget tier and value score. It remains expensive, although buyers who would otherwise add a mid-range soundbar can include the stronger built-in audio in the calculation.
Price last checked 17 August 2026This price check is more than two weeks old. Use the retailer link for the latest price; this review is temporarily excluded from the buying finder until the price is refreshed.
Who will notice the difference?
Film nights
Natural colour, motion and strong contrast in dark scenes make this the ideal setting.
Television without a soundbar
Screen-based audio keeps dialogue unusually clear and connected to the picture.
Two consoles plus soundbar connection audio
The limited connection 2.1 allocation creates an avoidable connection problem.
What else should you consider?
£2,399 · LG's C5 offers four gaming-ready sockets for much less, Samsung's QN90F is brighter and TCL is the value option. Sony justifies its premium through film processing, motion and sound rather than headline brightness.
Our review process
This research-based review uses Sony's format and connection listed features plus independent picture, sound and gaming testing. The value assessment credits the better-than-average built-in sound while still deducting for the limited connection 2.1 layout.
Read our editorial standards