Sony BRAVIA 8 65"

The Sony BRAVIA 8 65 Inch has killer audio at the 86th percentile but picture quality that lands at a disappointing 36th percentile. The USD 2,696 to USD 4,698 price spread is hard to justify. Only worth it if sound matters more than picture and you find it at the low end.

The XR Processor does its thing, and the OLED panel keeps blacks inky. But the numbers don't lie. Display quality is middle of the pack at the 54th percentile, and HDR lands at 64th, which is fine but not the showstopper you'd expect from a Sony OLED. Gaming hits the 70th percentile, so the 120Hz panel and HDMI 2.1 are pulling their weight, but it's not leading the pack. Connectivity is a weak spot at the 34th percentile, which feels stingy for a premium TV. The audio, though, is where this thing shines. The 2.1 channel setup with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support punches well above its weight class.

Stacked against the LG C5 OLED55C5PUA, the BRAVIA 8 loses on picture quality but wins on audio. The Samsung Neo QLED QN75QN990FFXZA is a different beast entirely, Mini LED with way more brightness, but you'll pay for it. The Hisense U8 Series 100U8QG and TCL QM6K Series 55QM6K both offer better value for the money, especially if you care about picture over sound. The Roku Pro Series 55R8C5 is the budget pick, but it's not in the same conversation for audio or build quality.

At USD 2,696 on the cheaper Amazon listing, this TV is a tough sell. You're paying Sony OLED money for picture quality that lands in the bottom half of our database. The audio is great, but you can buy a separate soundbar for less than the price difference between this and a better-performing panel. If you can snag it at the low end of that USD 2,696 to USD 4,698 range, it's more palatable. At the high end, absolutely not.

The Sony BRAVIA 8 65 Inch is a bit of a mixed bag, and the spec sheet tells the story. It's an OLED with Dolby Vision, 120Hz, and Google TV, so the bones are solid. But our database shows picture quality sitting at the 36th percentile, which is rough for a Sony at this size. The audio is the real standout here, landing at the 86th percentile. That 2.1 channel setup with 360 Spatial Sound Mapping does some heavy lifting.

And then there's the price. USD 2,696 to USD 4,698 across two listings. That's a USD 2,002 spread, which is wild. You could buy a decent laptop with the difference. The cheaper listing on Amazon is the one to watch if you're set on this TV.

Skip this if you care about picture quality first. The 36th percentile ranking is a real letdown for a Sony OLED, and you can get better panels from LG or even TCL for less money. Also skip it if you need lots of ports, since connectivity is a weak spot at the 34th percentile.

Buy this if you want a TV that sounds great out of the box and you're already in the Sony ecosystem. The audio is genuinely impressive, and the Google TV interface is clean. But if picture quality is your top priority, look elsewhere. There are better panels for less money.