I Replaced My Samsung Oled Tv With This Sony Mini Led Model For A Week - And Didn't Regret It

Sony Bravia 5 TV (98-inch)

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Enhanced color, contrast, and clarity make this TV unrecorded up to its hype.
• It handily delivers upscaled HDR contented and high-speed footage.
• A soundbar will complement its size, and its off-angle viewing tin beryllium little than perfect.

Sony precocious sent america nan 2025 Bravia 5 TV, this 1 pinch a 98-inch surface and weighing successful astatine 158 pounds. It goes without saying that this TV is simply a beast -- an costly one. And nan Bravia 5 is not moreover considered nan company's flagship exemplary (you tin look to nan Bravia 8 II for that). But this TV is impressive, and aft testing it for a week, I'll explicate why.

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The Bravia 5 is simply a Google TV, truthful mounting up nan UI was reasonably easy utilizing nan distant and nan Google Home app connected my phone. But beryllium prepared for a bid of screens requiring you to cheque boxes for privateness disclaimers. The era of streaming contented has go very complicated.

Otherwise, nan interface is intuitive, offering speedy entree to a immense action of streaming services, apps, and sound power capabilities via Google Assistant. The personalization features are besides a positive for helping you observe caller content.

This behemoth of a show comes pinch a comparatively mini distant control. It's slender and lightweight, and if you person fat fingers for illustration me, you mightiness accidentally property enter when you meant to property a navigation button. 

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I admit nan downsizing of remotes crossed astir brands these days. Yet contempt each nan streamlining, Sony (and astir others) insist connected including dedicated app buttons. You know, for Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, and immoderate different platforms nan shaper contracts with. These buttons return up a batch of existent property and make nan distant look almost "disposable" because brands get bought, sold, and sometimes alteration names.

For example, I person a Roku TV pinch a Vudu button. Who aliases what is Vudu? That level still exists, but it's now known arsenic Fandango Media (a associated task betwixt NBC Universal and Warner Bros.).

I don't mean to make an illustration of Sony; its engineers are simply abiding by nan existent trend. Yet, I haven't met anyone who says they usage these dedicated app buttons. When you person a smartly designed location screen, you don't request them. 

Adam Breeden/ZDNET

That is 1 of my 2 peevish critiques of nan Sony Bravia 5. Second is nan truth that this distant is not backlit. Come on, Sony. If I'm buying a $6,000 TV, I envision a location cinema acquisition successful nan acheronian (just for illustration successful a movie theatre). This intends I don't want to move connected my telephone to purpose a ray root astatine nan "magic wand" conscionable truthful I tin region nan point erstwhile my DoorDash bid arrives. To me, backlighting connected remotes seems for illustration a elemental inquire for thing supra a fund exemplary television.

Apologies for my digressionary rant connected distant power design. Despite these insignificant gripes, it became clear to maine that nan Bravia 5 has plentifulness to outcry about.

Also: The adjacent large HDMI leap has arrived - really nan 2.2 modular is shaking things up

For 1 thing, Sony's prowess successful show exertion is impressive. Its proprietary Cognitive Processor XR upscales images beautifully, ensuring mobility is slippery soft pinch minimal blur. From fast-paced action scenes successful nan 2023 Mission: Impossible rendition to 2025 NBA highlights, nan Bravia 5 delivered 4K solution pinch exceptional clarity, vibrant colors, and awesome contrast. HDR contented genuinely pops, showcasing heavy blacks and superb highlights.

While 4K contented looks phenomenal, lower-resolution contented (like older cablegram broadcasts) tends to uncover imperfections much noticeably connected specified a ample screen, moreover pinch nan XR processor's fantabulous upscaling.

Adam Breeden/ZDNET

The Sony Bravia 5 tin show up to a 120Hz refresh complaint pinch VRR and ALLM enabled, which intends nan TV dynamically adjusts to lucifer nan framework complaint of nan contented being displayed. This is particularly bully news for gamers. With those kinds of specs, playing Fortnite on a show of this size is an electrifying experience. The Bravia 5 showed nary motion of surface tearing, pinch exquisitely responsive gameplay. 

Also: The champion Sony TVs of 2025: Expert tested and reviewed

Already impressed by nan images connected this behemoth TV, I ran a fewer tests astatine nan laboratory for soiled surface effect, burn-in, and blooming. I clocked nary degradation, moreover adjacent to nan edges. The colour trial was consistent; nan subtitle trial yielded nary visible blooming, and nan scrolling matter mobility was liquid. 

Having said that, viewing nan Bravia 5 from broadside angles was not nan best. It's adjacent to presume that, pinch nan aforesaid build and exertion successful a smaller Bravia 5, this would besides beryllium nan case. With a 98-inch screen, though, you astir apt won't get galore complaints from personification sitting connected nan acold separator of your couch. And while Sony TVs mostly grip reflections well, a surface this ample tin still beryllium susceptible to glare successful brightly lit rooms, truthful strategical placement and ray power are important factors. (You mightiness see getting immoderate blackout curtains.)

Also: I changed 12 settings connected my Apple TV to instantly amended nan performance

This Mini LED TV bears a highest brightness of astir 800 nits. That isn't eye-popping OLED-level brightness, but successful a acheronian room, you mightiness want to little nan brightness connected a Bravia 5 to forestall oculus strain. Trust me, nan TV is plentifulness bright, and it tin accommodate seating from immoderate conceivable location theater.

Adam Breeden/ZDNET

What astir sound? This tech is not unsocial to Sony, but its Acoustic Multi-Audio strategy deserves props. It uses actuators to vibrate nan surface itself to nutrient sound. This cohesion betwixt audio and ocular elements appears to emanate straight from nan action connected screen, making immoderate segment from DC aliases Marvel movies hyperrealistic and immersive. 

For nan eventual audio experience, though, nan Sony Bravia 5 could usage a companion soundbar to information things out. Again, if you're investing this overmuch successful a elephantine screen, past your fund mightiness not beryllium excessively acold stretched to instal a broad situation sound strategy arsenic well.

Also: This is nan soundbar I urge for profoundly immersive audio - and now it's $300 off

The Bravia 5 has an awesome array of connectivity options, including Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 connected nan wireless side, and respective beingness ports. I really for illustration really Sony included an infographic sheet (of sorts) correct adjacent to each larboard to make it clear which cables spell where. It comes pinch 4 HDMI ports -- 1 of them eARC (for that soundbar you should buy), different being 4K astatine 120Hz (for your online gaming needs).

Adam Breeden/ZDNET

ZDNET's buying advice

The 98-inch Sony Bravia 5 is simply a formidable portion of location intermezo technology. Its stunning image quality, immersive scale, and fantabulous smart features make it a dream show for immoderate cinephile aliases gaming enthusiast.

Grand proportions notwithstanding, Sony's value will radiance done connected immoderate smaller-sized Bravia 5 screen. This 1 runs for astir $5,999, whereas you tin get an 85-inch Bravia 5 for little than half that value aliases a 75-inch for one-third nan cost. 

Even if it's not astir nan money, not each location tin accommodate a colossal 98-inch panel. So, if your home's parameters aren't suitable for thing this big, you'll arguably beryllium getting a amended worth by downsizing a measurement aliases 2 connected surface size.  

If you person nan fund and space, nan Bravia 5 delivers connected its committedness of a magnificent viewing experience. And if you're seeking nan eventual location cinema experience, brace this TV pinch a high-end soundbar to lucifer nan ocular grandeur pinch arsenic powerful and nuanced audio.

How we trial TVs

While testing and researching nan TVs featured connected this list, I and different ZDNET experts kept these criteria successful mind:

• Price: Not each budgets are created equal. And if you're moving pinch a constricted budget, that shouldn't mean you person to settee for a sub-par TV.
• Screen size: The astir important facet to consider, aft price, erstwhile shopping for a caller TV is whether aliases not it will fresh into your space.
• Picture and audio quality: A caller TV doesn't mean much, moreover if it costs an limb and a leg, if it doesn't supply a awesome image and clear audio. The champion TVs we trial person often been ensured to support various HDR codecs, including HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, arsenic good arsenic enhanced audio package for illustration Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital Plus, and object-tracking sound.

For a much elaborate look, cheque out our extended TV testing methodology.