The verdict
The Sony Bravia 8 is the cinephile's pick — Sony's XR Processor handles motion, color, and upscaling better than any rival, and the Acoustic Surface Audio+ sounds noticeably better than the flat-panel speakers on LG and Samsung. What Hi-Fi loved it at 5/5, PCMag more guarded at 3.5/5 citing price. Pick it over the LG C4 if film reproduction matters more to you than brightness, and if two HDMI 2.1 ports are enough for your console setup.
Strengths
- +Sony's XR Processor is widely considered the best motion and color handling in OLED — reference-grade for film watching
- +Google TV platform with native Apple TV, Netflix IMAX Enhanced, and PlayStation-optimized gaming modes
- +Acoustic Surface Audio+ uses the panel itself as a speaker — audio appears to come from on-screen subjects
- +Excellent upscaling from SDR/HD sources due to Sony's experience with pro video equipment
- +Dolby Vision + Dolby Atmos, IMAX Enhanced
Watch-outs
- −Peak brightness trails the LG G4 and Samsung S95D — Sony chose a WOLED panel tuned for accuracy over sheer brightness
- −Only 2 HDMI 2.1 ports (vs LG's 4) — a limit for multi-console setups
- −Gets expensive quickly; PCMag 3.5/5 cited price-to-features ratio as the main complaint
Rating sources
Our 4.2 score is the average of these published ratings. More about methodology.
