Well, it only took until the day before the official Black Friday in Australia, but we’ve finally stumbled upon a sensational deal on the Sony Bravia 8, our favourite TV – and the best TV – of 2024. Right now, you can pick up the 65-inch model from Appliances Online for a reasonable AU$3,201 – a huge discount of AU$1,294. It’s worth noting that Appliances Online is mis-stating the RRP as AU$5,199 – we're not sure where this figure has come from, but per Sony's own store it’s actually AU$4,495.
** If you're visiting us from the UK, check out this new £200 discount on the 65-inch Sony Bravia 8 **
So, what exactly was it that earned the Sony Bravia 8 our coveted Product of the Year Award amid a sea of excellent OLED, QLED and Mini LED screens to be released this year? Its combination of picture quality, sound quality and overall perceived value.
It wasn’t an easy win – especially with the LG C4 also doing wonders for WOLED displays – but managed to secure it thanks to its exceptional handling of colour, resulting in images that look rich, natural and more in line with a creator’s intent. We were also astounded by the fact Sony somehow managed to eke out a smidge more brightness from the Bravia 8’s ‘standard’ OLED panel, yet its new processor manages so with ease.
As with Sony TVs that have come before, the Bravia 8’s built-in speaker system is one of the best you’re likely to come across. It uses the Japanese company’s Acoustic Surface Audio technology, which employs actuators to physically vibrate the screen (not that you’d be able to see it) which provides a truly immersive experience. It also does an admirable job of placing sound effects in a 3D soundstage when watching Dolby Atmos content.
Not many TVs are truly perfect, and the Bravia 8 is no different. Once again Sony has given us just two HDMI 2.1 inputs, as opposed to the four that can be found on similar LG and Samsung TVs. This will likely only really affect hardcore gamers, but it’s still a feature that we believe should be non-negotiable. We also prefer the operating systems on other TVs, as the Google TV system used in the Bravia 8 isn’t always the most intuitive.
These two niggles aside, the Sony Bravia 8 is near faultless.