TechRadar Verdict
With its Bravia 5 series, Sony has at final learned ideas to rob its top fee TV abilities mainstream. Image efficiency is spectacular overall, with dauntless color, sturdy inequity and minimal dazzling, whereas its sound is detailed with masses of presence. Its ideal TV interface is versatile and straightforward to employ and whereas it be lacking the queer gaming feature, its ‘Very most fascinating For PlayStation 5’ feature goes some design to making up for this.
Pros
- +
Traditional Sony assemble
- +
Dazzling all-spherical efficiency
- +
Natty minimalistic assemble
Cons
- –
Viewing angles are restricted
- –
Lacks one or two gaming capabilities
- –
Occasional color breeze-united states of americain sad scenes
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Sony Bravia 5: Two-minute review
The Sony Bravia 5 is a mini-LED TV with crisp pictures, sturdy inequity and gargantuan gaming capabilities. It occupies that stage in Sony’s TV differ the put the emblem has historically struggled to retain its high standards. The Bravia 5, although, bucks this pattern in beautiful spectacular fashion.
The Sony Bravia 5 retains each and each mini-LED lighting and native dimming, for starters, apart from to an 120Hz panel to retain gamers entirely satisfied. Sony says the Bravia 5 LCD panels are peaceable made to the emblem’s Master Backlight Pressure in fashion too, and apart from they’re geared up with a full up-to-date model of the Google TV ideal machine.
There are ‘catches’ to this promising specification, pointless to claim. In enlighten, the Bravia 5 received’t revenue from as many dimming zones because the step up Bravia 7, or attain so grand brightness. Truly, although, the 65-scramble Bravia 5 (AKA the K65XR55) delivers grand much less of a step down from Sony’s mid-differ devices than anticipated basically based totally on previous Sony traces. Pictures are shiny, crisp, stuffed with inequity and good design much less compromised than outdated generations of the same stage of Sony TV would fill been.
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Add punchy, orderly and detailed audio to its gorgeous list abilities, and the Bravia 5 is the Sony rate TV we’ve continuously wanted.
Sony Bravia 5 review: Mark and free up date
- Originate Date: July 2025
- 55-scramble: $1,399.ninety nine / £1,299 / AU$1,999
- 65-scramble: $1,499.ninety nine / £1,499 / AU$2,299
- 75-scramble: $1,999.ninety nine / £1,799 / AU$2,899
- 85-scramble: $2,399.ninety nine / £2,299 / AU$3,899
- 98-scramble: $4,999.ninety nine / £4,499 (around AU$8,570)
While the Bravia 5 is inexpensive by Sony TV standards, $1,499.ninety nine / £1,499 / AU$2,299 will not be any longer low-rate for a 65-scramble TV.
The Bravia 5 retains grand extra of Sony’s mid-differ — and even top fee — TV DNA than anticipated basically based totally on equally positioned devices in outdated Sony ranges, although. Which ability that, it has as a minimum the doable to rob a transparent efficiency edge over extra life like competitors.
Sony Bravia 5 review: Specs
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Cover veil kind
Backlight Master Pressure VA mini-LED with native dimming
Sizes accessible
55, 65, 75, 85 and 98 inches
Refresh fee
120Hz
Resolution
4K
HDR improve
Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG
Audio improve
40W acoustic multi-audio speaker machine featuring twin full-differ (bass reflex) audio system and two ‘frame’ tweeters; Dolby Atmos and DTS:X decoding
Well-organized TV
Google TV (plus all predominant UK terrestrial broadcaster earn up apps for UK traders)
HDMI ports
4 (two full HDMI 2.1)
Sony Bravia 5 review: Benchmark outcomes
Sony Bravia 5 review: Functions
- Mini-LED lighting
- Voice lighting with native dimming
- Bravia XR processor
As I’ve hinted bigger than once already, the Sony Bravia 5 is packing grand extra feature heat than I may well fill anticipated it to, basically based totally on Sony TV ranges of the previous.
Right here is terribly staunch of the display veil veil hardware on the Bravia 5’s heart. Designated one amongst Sony’s Master Backlight Pressure panels, it’s miles illuminated by mini-LEDs pushed by a native dimming machine that, per my have counting efforts, operates across a convincing 240 zones. That’s 240 areas of the image which will be capable of receiving their very have gentle stage, fair of their neighbors, per the desires of the image.
The Bravia 5’s panel is a VA kind, too, which may peaceable extra beef up inequity (although possibly no longer viewing angles). Meanwhile, even this some distance down Sony’s differ, the emblem’s consistently spectacular XR processor is peaceable readily accessible to vitality the total constituent aspects of the TV’s pictures. On top of this, in desire to shedding down to 50/60Hz, the panel also maintains a native 120Hz refresh fee.
Meanwhile, its improve for high dynamic differ pictures extends to Dolby Vision, apart from to the extra in fashion HDR10 and HLG codecs. Sony may be irregular within the TV world for robotically making employ of an HDR upgrade to SDR sources on about a of its list presets. There’s no hobby from Sony, although, within the HDR10+ format designed as an open-source alternative to Dolby Vision.
The Bravia 5’s connections retain up with its step-up siblings. So that you simply salvage four HDMIs (although handiest two improve the TV’s full differ of gaming capabilities like VRR and ALLM), USB media playback improve, and wireless improve that involves Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3, constructed-in Chromecast, Apple Airplay, and Apple HomeKit.
Sony’s TV industry has long traded on its ‘from digital camera to TV’ product chain, and the likelihood of accuracy that this will lift. In interpret strange the Bravia 5’s Expert Mode atmosphere, as a minimum, can fill been tuned alongside one amongst Sony’s knowledgeable mastering monitors, and the put is geared up with a bunch of so-known as Calibrated modes designed to repeat as carefully as that you simply may seemingly agree with the mastering standards of the Top Video, Netflix and Sony Pictures Core video streaming providers and products.
Taking a peek a Bravia 5 entitles you to 10 free movies and 24 months of salvage entry to to Sony Pictures Core too, by the manner, total with its spellbinding high-bandwidth streaming speeds for enhanced list quality.
Further ‘third celebration’ endorsement finds the Bravia 5 earning an IMAX Enhanced badge, indicating that it has been deemed capable of doing justice to the special noise-limiting mastering processes and doable transferring component ratios linked to the IMAX Enhanced machine. IMAX Enhanced titles may be found on Sony Pictures Core and Disney+.
The Bravia 5’s audio setup is lovely potent by mid-differ TV standards. It affords two full differ Bass Reflex-assemble drivers and two separated tweeters getting 10W a share to instruct each and each Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks — the latter even involves the special tweaked model of DTS:X linked to IMAX Enhanced philosophize material.
- Functions ranking: 4.5 / 5
Sony Bravia 5 review: Image quality
- Spectacular brightness and gentle administration
- Daring nonetheless also natural coloration
- Proper 4K sharpness and pretty 4K upscaling
The Sony Bravia 5’s list quality staunch now adjustments the fortunes of this stage of Sony’s TV differ, leaning grand extra in direction of the Sony TVs above it than these below.
Particularly gargantuan to gape is how grand inequity the Bravia 5 retains for this stage of Sony’s differ. Shadowy colors be aware deep and strikingly consistent, exhibiting minimal points with backlight dazzling around gleaming objects or general areas of clouding. That is despite the fact the display veil veil is capable of hitting near to 900 nit brightness peaks on a 10% HDR window and sustaining an OLED-beating 595 nits with a full 100% HDR window.
Combining Sony’s backlight constructing and XR Processor, the Bravia 5 can retain extra intensely gleaming highlights against sad backdrops than you’d count on for its designate label, despite how restricted the clouding around such highlights is. This combination of gleaming stand-out objects and restricted clouding is terribly grand to attain with within the community dimmed TVs, yet the Bravia 5 makes it be aware straightforward.
Darkish scenes be aware trusty, too, within the sense that you simply never indubitably feel attentive to the unexpected brightness jumps or evident ‘handovers’ between varied dimming zones as gleaming objects hasten around a glum backdrop.
Many shows with sturdy inequity performances are continuously capable of fascinating color reproduction too — and this pattern continues with the Bravia 5. In its Traditional preset, it produces strikingly shiny, wealthy and dauntless tones (indubitably upgraded to HDR whenever you happen to’re watching an SDR source) that also indubitably feel balanced, stuffed with subtlety and nuance, and linked to source tones for basically the most share. They truthfully feel extra like amplifications of source philosophize material colors in desire to aggressive departures from them.
Unfortunately, the Bravia 5 pushes this amplification do design too some distance within the Vivid preset, which is simplest refrained from. However the Traditional atmosphere is an pretty gleaming room option, apart from to indubitably being gentle and balanced ample to extend as a glum room movie evening option in case your list tastes tend in direction of the gleaming and shiny.
In inequity to most varied TV producers, Sony does now not offer a Filmmaker Mode preset for AV fans who favor ‘because the director supposed’ viewing. Its Expert Mode, although, does beautiful grand the same factor, with an emphasis on making an strive to match the image as carefully as that you simply may seemingly envisage to Sony’s knowledgeable video mastering be aware.
Utilizing Portrait Cover’s Calman Closing utility, G1 signal generator and C6 HDR5000 colorimeter, the accuracy of the Bravia 5 Expert mode turned into straightforward ample to demonstate. Errors recorded in each and each SDR and HDR across the board came in at correctly underneath the 3.0 DeltaE 2000 common previous which errors may additionally change into seen to the human eye.
The Bravia 5’s Expert mode doesn’t glorious measure correctly. It also appears to be like to be like subjectively elegant, filled with the sophisticated texturing, immaculate color steadiness, and grand gentle administration for a lower mid-differ LCD TV. The benefits of Sony at final being ready to introduce a superior core panel in a TV on the Bravia 5’s stage are arguably at their most evident within the Expert preset, if truth be told, provided that this mode uses slightly few processing instruments to abet ‘enhance’ its look.
Inevitably, given it’s some distance from basically the most top fee TV in Sony’s differ, there are about a barriers to the Bravia 5’s list efficiency. Darkish scenes within the Expert mode be aware a little bit grayer than they operate in Traditional mode, and backlight dazzling around gleaming objects can change into extra noticeable whenever you happen to quiz the TV from an attitude. Strangely, obvious shades of red may be aware a little bit over-ripe right thru sad scenes, and a few sad shots also rob on a rather green undertone.
Sooner or later, about a of Sony’s preset selections don’t indubitably abet the Bravia 5’s pictures at all. Circulation processing handiest indubitably helps 24p movie sources if it’s switched to its Factual Cinema mode, as an illustration, with varied settings tending to generate undesirable digital facet effects or proceed away the image taking a be aware unnaturally tender. I’d also point out turning off the noise reduction capabilities, in particular with native 4K sources, to make sure the display veil veil’s spectacular native sharpness isn’t unnecessarily softened away.
The Bravia 5’s points are calm ample or straightforward ample to repair, although, that they don’t stop it from being an all-spherical pretty list performer for its cash.
- Image quality ranking: 4.5 / 5
Sony Bravia 5 review: Sound quality
- Spectacular clarity and detailing
- Sound doesn’t undergo with distortions
- Bass is a little bit lightweight
The Bravia 5’s sound joins its pictures in being impressively expressive and orderly, working interior the speaker’s barriers in desire to pushing things previous their breaking level as so many integrated TV sound systems are wont to retain out.
Even the brightest, shrillest treble sounds are produced without sounding skinny or brittle, whereas the mid-differ is orderly and beautiful vast, ready to tackle the ebbs and flows of even rather dense action scenes without sounding compelled, muddy or compressed.
It uses its four-speaker machine correctly to create a pretty tremendous soundstage, too — one which’s correctly populated with precisely placed, crisp nonetheless never overstated particulars.
My handiest criticism is that the Bravia 5 feels a little bit gentle within the bass department. Dinosaur footprints, rumbling space ships, meaty explosions and the like don’t hit with rather as grand heft as I’d like. On the same time, although, no longer even Hollywood’s most unsuitable bass moments trigger the Bravia 5’s audio system to succumb to distracting crackles or distortions.
- Sound quality ranking: 4 / 5
Sony Bravia 5 review: Create
- Multi-level foot attachment
- Recycled plastic some distance away administration
- Minimal frame
The Bravia 5’s assemble doesn’t indubitably feel like grand of a step-down at all from Sony’s Bravia 7 series. Its display veil veil frame is amazingly narrow, distracting scarcely at all from the pictures interior, and it also stays rather perfect across the relief for a lower mid-differ LCD TV.
Its ft be aware a little bit in fashion when hooked up to such an elegantly minimalistic display veil veil, possibly. However Sony has thoughtfully provided the design in which to join them either rather end collectively or out in direction of the TV’s backside corners, relying on the width of the furnishings you adore to hope to stand the TV on.
Fabricate quality is fascinating, too, and despite its slightly life like earn 22 situation in Sony’s most modern TV differ, it ships with two some distance away controls. The sleeker, extra original and additional feature-wealthy handset is made largely constituted of recycled plastic, as share of Sony’s wide-ranging attempts to do the TV production course of greener.
- Create ranking: 4 / 5
Sony Bravia 5 review: Well-organized TV & menus
- Google TV ideal machine
- YouView for full UK app protection
- No longer mandatory Bravia Cam
The Sony Bravia 5 runs basically the most modern Google TV machine thoroughly, fending off the sluggishness the machine every so often causes on much less highly efficient TVs. Google TV carries beautiful grand the total most favorite and stressful video streaming providers and products, and Sony has helpfully labored spherical Google TV’s blind situation via about a of the UK’s most favorite terrestrial broadcaster earn up providers and products by including the YouView app.
Google TV can peaceable indubitably feel a little bit overwhelming in its presentation and doesn’t indubitably feel as life like as some rival ideal systems via recommending philosophize material basically based totally to your viewing habits. The smarter of the 2 some distance away controls Sony affords, although, makes navigation of the menus indubitably feel straightforward. On top of this, you may seemingly salvage entry to a fascinating differ of capabilities and speak rather complex search instructions glorious by talking to the Bravia 5 by ability of the Google Assistant enlighten recognition machine.
You may even add in fashion gesture administration capabilities to the Bravia 5 whenever you happen to cough up £200 for one amongst Sony’s Bravia Cam accessories. This add-on digital camera can also detect your situation within the room and adjust the TV’s list and sound settings accordingly, apart from to issuing audio warnings if it detects anyone getting too end to the display veil veil. I’m no longer in my conception convinced Bravia CAM does ample to define its designate, nonetheless if the capabilities I’ve glorious described sound fascinating to you, then fill your boots!
- Well-organized TV & menus ranking: 4.5 / 5
Sony Bravia 5 review: Gaming
- 4K/120Hz improve
- VRR improve
- Very most fascinating For PlayStation 5 improve
The Sony Bravia 5 is rather, in desire to brilliantly, correctly specified as a gaming demonstrate. For occasion, whereas it does improve 4K sport feeds at 120Hz refresh charges, it handiest does so over two of its HDMIs, in desire to all four. It also doesn’t stretch the refresh fee improve to 144Hz and even 165Hz, like some rival TVs within the point out time operate.
Similarly, whereas the Bravia 5 helps variable refresh charges, that improve doesn’t lengthen to the AMD Freesync or Nvidia G-Sync systems. There’s improve for auto low latency mode switching, although, so the TV can robotically swap into its quickest responding list mode when a sport source is detected. While on this mode, the Bravia 5 takes glorious 13.3ms to render 60Hz gaming feeds.
There’s improve, too, for Sony’s spellbinding Very most fascinating For PlayStation 5 capabilities, comprising a PS5-enlighten model of computerized sport mode switching, and a extremely glorious machine the put a linked PS5 is able to uncover which Sony TV model it’s hooked up to, and robotically optimize its HDR output accordingly.
You may additionally call up a devoted gaming menu when the Bravia 5 is in Sport mode, containing knowledge on the sport feed and a few priceless gaming assistants. Sooner or later, the enlighten gaming abilities when the employ of one amongst the 2 wide-bandwidth HDMIs is terribly delectable. The TV’s shiny, exceptionally engaging and inequity-wealthy pictures present a ideal match for this day’s in most cases HDR and 4K graphics, whereas the short response time and VRR improve design gaming never feels gradual or laggy.
- Gaming ranking: 4 / 5
Sony Bravia 5 review: Price
No longer so design relief, spending $1,499.ninety nine / £1,499 / AU$2,299 to salvage a 65-scramble TV as fascinating and fill wealthy because the Sony Bravia 5 would fill felt like a gargantuan deal. No longer too long within the past, although, TCL in enlighten has enormously shifted the TV rate ‘window’, with its gleaming, shiny and gaming-pleasant 65-scramble C7K within the point out time going for glorious £779.
The Bravia 5 does offer extra precision and steadiness in its pictures than the TCL C7K, nonetheless the associated rate hole is mammoth ample to point out you may seemingly indubitably feel like keeping out for a varied offer on Sony’s model, or looking previous basically the most favorite electronics outlets for a much bigger deal.
- Price ranking: 3.5 / 5
Will fill to I aquire the Sony Bravia 5?
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Attributes
Notes
Ranking
Functions
With the exception of about a gaming barriers, the Bravia 5 is correctly featured for its cash.
4.5 / 5
Image quality
Animated, gleaming, engaging and inequity wealthy pictures showcase the presence of extra pretty Sony backlighting and video processing systems.
4.5 / 5
Sound quality
While bass heads may additionally desire for a little bit extra low frequency affect, the Bravia 5’s sound is orderly, punchy, detailed and surprisingly correctly staged.
4 / 5
Create
With its series of foot earn 22 situation, elegantly minimalist frame, slender frame and grand do quality, the Bravia 5 appears to be like to be like top fee ample to match its designate.
4 / 5
Well-organized TV and menus
Google TV runs stably and moderately slickly on the Bravia 5, making it straightforward to salvage entry to the wide array of philosophize material strategies it affords. The put up menus are correctly organised and graphically wealthy, too.
4.5 / 5
Gaming
Only two HDMIs improve the Bravia 5’s full array of gaming capabilities, and these capabilities don’t embody fully the entire lot some competitors offer. Nonetheless, the queer to Sony TVs Auto HDR ‘Very most fascinating For PlayStation 5’ feature is pretty, and the display veil veil feels responsive and immersive.
4 / 5
Price
While the Bravia 5 is correctly priced for a Sony TV that performs apart from to this one, opponents at this designate stage is brutal within the point out time.
3.5 / 5
Aquire it if…
You adore to fill that Sony list indubitably feel for much less
The Bravia 5 holds on to extra of the panel and processing prowess of extra top fee Sony TVs than you’d count on at this designate.
That you can fill a PlayStation 5
The Bravia 5’s Very most fascinating For PlayStation 5 capabilities allow a PS5 console to robotically feed it optimized HDR video games — a basically priceless feature provided that HDR gaming is peaceable in one thing of a ‘wild west’ stage within the point out time.
You adore to hope to assign apart your TV on a narrow share of furnishings
While the widest foot placement appears to be like to be like extra orderly, Sony affords the design in which to place the Bravia 5’s ft end collectively as correctly.
Create no longer aquire it if…
You may even be on a tight funds
Some competitors, most significantly TCL, promote gleaming, shiny 65-scramble TVs with fascinating gaming capabilities for substantially no longer up to the Bravia 5 costs.
That you can fill bigger than two top fee gaming sources
Only two of the Bravia 5’s HDMI ports improve the entire differ of reducing-edge gaming capabilities that this day’s gamers are procuring for (4K/120Hz and VRR).
You adore to fill a Filmmaker Mode and/or HDR10+ improve
When you happen to happen to be a right fan of Filmmaker Mode presets and the HDR10+ rival to Dolby Vision HDR, you may seemingly peaceable know that the Bravia 5 doesn’t improve either of these capabilities.
Sony Bravia 5 review: also rob into story
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Sony Bravia 5
TCL C7K
LG C5
Samsung QN90F
Mark (65-scramble)
$1,499.ninety nine / £1,499 / AU$2,299
$899.ninety nine / £779 / AU$2,295
$1,399.ninety nine / £1,599 / AU$2,699.ninety nine
$1,599.ninety nine / £1,399 / AU$2,899
Cover veil kind
Backlight Master Pressure VA mini-LED with native dimming
Mini-LED with native dimming
WRGB OLED
Mini-LED with native dimming
Refresh fee
120Hz 4K
144Hz (up to 288Hz at lower option)
144Hz
120Hz (up to 165Hz with Circulation Xcelerator abilities)
HDR improve
HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision
Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG
Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG
HDR10, HDR10+, HLG
Well-organized TV
Google TV (plus all predominant UK terrestrial broadcaster earn up apps for UK traders)
Google TV with YouView
WebOS 25
Tizen OS
HDMI ports
4 (two full HDMI 2.1)
4 (two HDMI 2.1)
4 x HDMI 2.1
4 x HDMI 2.1
TCL C7K
With its unsuitable brightness, surprisingly fascinating backlight administration and uncompromising gaming capabilities, the C7K has single-handedly rewritten the TV rate rulebook. While Sony’s put delivers a extra managed list, the C7K’s bang to your buck is loopy. And it helps all four key HDR codecs too. Read our full TCL C7K review.
LG C5
With LG’s 2026 OLED TV differ glorious arriving, on the time of writing you may seemingly aquire 2025’s C5 at a knock down designate. Every pixel in OLED TVs delivers its have color and gentle without compromising its neighbors, turning in gorgeous inequity. The C5 also delivers pretty gaming improve, and a few of basically the most right pictures around. Read our full LG C5 OLED TV review.
Samsung QN90F
Samsung’s flagship 4K mini-LED TV for 2025 may be peaceable around as we wait for the emblem’s 2026 devices, and it appears to be like to be like like sturdy rate at its most modern $1,599.ninety nine / £1,399 / AU$2,899 designate. Its spectacular pictures are joined by four full HDMI 2.1 ports, and an Object Monitoring Sound (OTS) machine that does a strikingly fascinating job of putting sound effects within the enlighten put on display veil veil. Read our full Samsung QN90F TV review.
How I tested the Sony Bravia 5
- Examined over three weeks
- Examined with 4K Blu-rays, a few streaming platforms and resolutions, Freeview HD publicizes, and HD Blu-rays
- Reviewed in each and each sad and gentle devoted take a look at room conditions, on its ft in each and each corner and mid wall positions
I tested the Sony Bravia 5 over a 3-week interval in a diversity of room conditions — including the employ of it as an odd residing room TV for bigger than a week.
I checked out streamed philosophize material at a diversity of resolutions from the total predominant video streaming platforms, including Sony’s queer Sony Pictures Core high-bandwidth providers and products. I also watched tuner channels and fed it a series of our on an odd basis used take a look at Blu-rays and 4K Blu-ray discs. Gaming turned into explored the employ of a PlayStation 5, an Xbox Sequence X and a gaming PC.
Aim checking out turned into performed the employ of Portrait Shows’ Calman Closing diagnosis utility, G1 signal generator, and C6 HDR5000 gentle meter.
- First reviewed: September 2026
- Read TechRadar’s opinions guarantee
AV Technology Contributor
John has been writing about home leisure abilities for bigger than Twenty years – an in particular spectacular feat pondering he peaceable claims to handiest be 35 years venerable (yeah, appropriate). In that time he’s reviewed a total bunch if no longer thousands of TVs, projectors and audio system, and spent frankly some distance too long sitting by himself in a glum room.
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