We gave it an Award, but I wouldn't buy the Sony Bravia 8 on Cyber Monday

The 65-inch LG C4 photographed on a wooden stand with an image of a golf course on the screen

(Image credit: Future / Netflix, Full Swing)

In normal times, the Sony Bravia 8 is the best performance-per-pound TV around. That's why we proclaimed it the TV Product of the Year in the 2024 What Hi-Fi? Awards. It's been discounted for Cyber Monday, too, so you would imagine that it's pretty much a no-brainer of a purchase, right?

Umm, not for me, actually.

I love the Bravia 8. I was involved in the review and the decision to give it an Award. But it's still not the TV I would buy today. I would buy the LG C4, the 65-inch version of which is down to just £1495 at Amazon.

So why would I personally go against 'our' advice? Two reasons: price and gaming.

While the 65-inch LG C4 is £1495 right now, the best price for the 65-inch Sony Bravia 8 is currently £1799 at Sevenoaks. I could do a lot with that £304 of 'change'. If I didn't already have a Sony HT-A9 sound system, I could buy a Sonos Beam Gen 2, which is, by absolute coincidence, down to £304 at Amazon. A C4 and a Dolby Atmos soundbar for the same price as a solo Bravia 8 is really compelling.

And then there's the gaming bit. The Bravia 8 is a really good TV for gaming, but the C4 is better, not least because it has four HDMI 2.1 sockets to the Sony's two. As an owner of both the PS5 and Xbox Series X, plus a Dolby Atmos sound system that uses HDMI eARC, two HDMI 2.1 sockets simply isn't enough.

I really like the LG C4's HGiG mode, too, which makes it an absolute doddle to get greater accuracy with many HDR games.

And it's not as if the Bravia 8 absolutely smashes the C4 in other regards. The two TVs are pretty closely matched overall, with the Sony model just edging it in terms of picture quality. It's fair to say the Bravia 8 sounds quite a lot better, but if you're adding an external audio system, as I would be, this isn't really a consideration.

To reiterate, the Bravia 8 is a brilliant TV and a great pick for many people, but this Cyber Monday I would personally pick up the cheaper, more gaming-focused LG C4.

MORE:

Here are all of the best Cyber Monday deals

And these are the best Cyber Monday TV deals

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Tom Parsons has been writing about TV, AV and hi-fi products (not to mention plenty of other 'gadgets' and even cars) for over 15 years. He began his career as What Hi-Fi?'s Staff Writer and is now the TV and AV Editor. In between, he worked as Reviews Editor and then Deputy Editor at Stuff, and over the years has had his work featured in publications such as T3, The Telegraph and Louder. He's also appeared on BBC News, BBC World Service, BBC Radio 4 and Sky Swipe. In his spare time Tom is a runner and gamer.