Sony BRAVIA 9 65"

The Sony BRAVIA 9 is an absolute monster of brightness with shockingly good built-in sound. It's perfect for bright rooms, but the gaming performance is mediocre and the price is sky-high. If you don't need to fight the sun, you can get a better all-around TV for less.

This set is a light cannon. The XR Backlight Master Drive pushes peak brightness to levels that embarrass most OLEDs, making it a killer choice for sun-drenched living rooms. Colors from the QLED panel and XR Triluminos Pro are accurate and vibrant, landing in the 80th percentile for picture quality in our database. The audio is a genuine standout too. The upward-firing speakers and 360 Spatial Sound create a soundstage that's well above average, hitting the 84th percentile. But the gaming performance is a weak spot, sitting at the 38th percentile. Input lag and feature support just don't match the premium price tag, and the HDR tone mapping, while bright, isn't the most nuanced we've seen.

Stacked against the LG G5 OLED, the BRAVIA 9 wins on sheer brightness and loses on perfect blacks and gaming features. The Samsung Neo QLED QN990FF is a more direct rival, often matching the Sony's brightness with a snappier smart system, though Sony's audio and motion handling usually edge it out. Then you've got value monsters like the Hisense U8 and TCL QM7K. They'll get you 80% of this picture quality for less than half the price. The Sony is undeniably more refined, but that gap is shrinking fast.

Value is a tricky word when a 65-inch TV costs $3,146. You're paying a massive premium for that best-in-class brightness and Sony's processing magic. If you have a brutally bright room and refuse to close the blinds, this TV solves a real problem that OLEDs can't touch. For everyone else, you're shelling out for a very specific party trick. The audio is a nice bonus that might save you from buying a soundbar, but the mediocre gaming and smart TV scores make the overall package feel a bit lopsided for the money.

Sony's BRAVIA 9 is basically their victory lap for Mini-LED. They packed in thousands of tiny LEDs and paired them with a backlight system that chases contrast like a dog after a squirrel. The result is the brightest 4K picture they've ever shipped, and it shows. HDR highlights pop with an intensity that'll make you squint, and colors look rich without veering into cartoon territory.

But here's the thing: it's a 65-inch TV that costs over three grand and still runs Google TV. The smart platform is fine, just not as snappy as we'd like at this price. And while the picture is stunning for bright-room viewing, the gaming chops are surprisingly middle-of-the-road. If you're a serious gamer, you'll want to keep reading.

Hardcore gamers should look elsewhere. The input lag and gaming feature set are disappointing for a TV at this price, and you'll get a much smoother experience from a dedicated gaming display or a top-tier LG OLED. Also, if your room is light-controlled, an OLED will give you better contrast and a more cinematic image for less money.

Buy this if you have a painfully bright viewing room and want the most impactful HDR picture on the market without worrying about OLED burn-in. It's a statement piece for sports and daytime movie watching. The built-in sound is a legitimate step above most thin TVs, which sweetens the deal. Just know you're sacrificing gaming prowess and some smart TV polish to get that brilliant, searing image.