Under its "Cinema is Coming Home" banner, Sony today launched its first LCD TVs with 'True RGB' backlights for even better color reproduction in sizes up to 115 inches.

It has been more than a year since FlatpanelsHD first saw and examined Sony's next-gen RGB LED backlighting technology for LCD TVs in Tokyo, Japan. At the time, we described the hand-built prototype as "stunning".

In the meantime, Hisense, LG, Samsung, Philips and TCL have all introduced LCD TVs with RGB LED in some form, although most of these products are still not widely available. Some TV makers position it as the next step beyond miniLED, while others promote competing technologies such as OLED or 'SQD-miniLED' as their flagship.

Sony follows a two-track, two-year strategy, having launched its QD-OLED flagship (Bravia 8 II) last year. This year, it is the turn of a new LCD flagship:

Here is Bravia 9 II, the successor to 2024's Bravia 9.


True RGB in Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II
Bravia 9 II features Sony's most advanced RGB LED backlight, where red, green and blue LEDs are driven independently by an 'RGB Backlight Master Drive Pro' processor. Sony calls this 'True RGB'.

Bravia 9 II uses a VA LCD panel (likely WHVA) with wider viewing angles and a matte screen film in 65, 75 and 85 inches. For the first time, Sony will also launch a massive 115-inch Bravia 9 II, though without the matte screen and with a different stand design.

The less expensive Bravia 7 II features a scaled-down version of 'True RGB', still with individually controlled red, green and blue LEDs powered by the same processor and the same LCD panel – just without the matte screen. It will be available in 50, 55, 65, 75, 85 and 98 inches.


Both models run Google TV and include both common and Sony-specific features from previous generations, including PS5 features, Sony Pictures Core (formerly Bravia Core), HDMI 2.1, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, IMAX Enhanced, Acoustic Multi-Audio+ and Voice Zoom 3. Some new audio features were also introduced and are covered separately here. They now also with a rechargeable, backlit remote.

Sony's True RGB name, which has been in development since 2021 during covid-19, refers in part to competing RGB LED systems that do not always use individual red, green and blue LEDs or do not control them independently. Sony actually introduced the first LCD TV with an RGB backlight way back in 2004, but at that time there were no local dimming zones or individually controlled RGB LEDs – only white light.

The main advantage of RGB LED, including Sony's True RGB, is the ability to reproduce purer colors closer to the BT.2020 color space, which underpins modern HDR standards including Dolby Vision and HDR10+. We covered this in detail in our in-depth 2025 article, so we will not repeat it here.


At its launch event, Sony also argued that while some competitors refer to their RGB systems as 'micro', rather than 'mini', Sony's solution is effectively just as small, but just does not carry the micro moniker. What matters more, according to Sony, is the spacing between LEDs.

- "Sony has been advancing LED control for over 20 years from our first independent RGB light sources in the Qualia 005 (2004) through our flagship Backlight Master Drive premiering in 2016," said Yoshihiro Ono, Head of Home Entertainment, Sony. "Our new True RGB represents a breakthrough that combines the precision of individually controlled RGB LEDs with the best aspects of both Mini LED and OLED, giving viewers purer color, higher brightness, and picture accuracy that holds up in any room."

Alright, so how about actual picture performance?


First look at True RGB
In addition to the prototype shown in late 2024, FlatpanelsHD has had the opportunity to examine the final Bravia 9 II. In a comparison against Bravia 9 (2024 miniLED) and Bravia 8 II (2025 QD-OLED), Bravia 9 II (RGB LED) clearly delivered more saturated colors when called upon, using a BVM-HX3110 mastering monitor as reference – the same monitor used in many film studios.

Sony would not confirm exact brightness figures for Bravia 9 II, but more than indicated that it approaches the same 4000 nits as the HX3110 reference. In some of the brightest demo scenes, it closely matched the monitor's peak brightness, including a Sony Pictures internal 4000-nit demo clip from the film Alpha.

 Also read: Sony sets its sights on 4000 nits as HDR's next frontier

Sony informed us that Bravia 9 II is roughly twice as bright as Bravia 7 II, suggesting that the latter hits 2000 nits peak brightness.

There is a slight irony here: Both the Bravia 9 II and the QD-OLED Bravia 8 II achieve wider BT.2020 color gamut coverage than the HX3110 reference monitor. Over the last decade, consumer TVs and monitors have advanced so dramatically that they have not only become exceptionally good, they have also surpassed cinemas in most key areas of visual technology.


Bravia 9 II also showed reduced color banding and improved dark grey gradation in Sony's demos. Another demo highlighted improved energy efficiency of RGB LED, enabling either lower power consumption or higher peak brightness at the same power level. A third demonstrated wider viewing angles. Overall, Bravia 9 II looks very promising, with higher color volume thanks to both increased brightness and wider BT.2020 coverage, and a clear improvement over 2024's Bravia 9 – although the Bravia 8 II QD-OLED still outperforms it in some areas.

The matte screen effectively suppresses direct reflections, but it can also slightly reduce highlight intensity and perceived sparkle (see fourth photo below). We will need to test it in a real-world environment before drawing conclusions.


Back in 2024, on the hand-built 75-inch prototype, we counted 3840 dimming zones. However, Sony has seemingly downscaled its RGB LED structure somewhat for the final Bravia 9 II. On the exposed True RGB backlight of the final 65-inch model, FlatpanelsHD counted 60 RGB LEDs vertically and 102 horizontally, with each dimming zone controlling four RGB LEDs, resulting in exactly 1530 dimming zones (4590 RGB zones), compared to 1512 dimming zones on 2024's Bravia 9.

As always, the number of dimming zones remains one of the key determinants of LCD picture quality, although Sony is right to argue that driving algorithms also play a crucial role.


Only two HDMI 2.1, no Dolby Vision 2
While Sony has upgraded the backlight in both Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II, it has not upgraded the underlying hardware platform, which still appears to be the aging MediaTek Pentonic 1000 SoC.

As a result, both models still feature only two HDMI 2.1 ports and two HDMI 2.0 ports, instead of four HDMI 2.1 ports as seen on the new mid-range Sony Bravia 3 II, which has been upgraded to the Pentonic 800, and many TV models from competitors. Sony explained to FlatpanelsHD that this decision is tied to the RGB LED development process, which has relied on the existing chipset, but it is nevertheless a disappointment for buyers.

Another consequence of this decision is that Sony cannot support Dolby Vision 2 at this time. In comments to FlatpanelsHD, Sony emphasized that it is neither for nor against Dolby Vision 2, but in 2026 it will continue to support standard Dolby Vision.

One final note on Sony's TV lineup in 2026; there will no longer be a 77-inch QD-OLED, as the Bravia 8 II remains limited to 55 and 65 inches. The 77-inch A95L has been discontinued and is only available while stock lasts. There is no 83-inch WOLED either, as 2023's A80L was the last model in that size. Both Bravia 8 (WOLED) and Bravia 8 II (QD-OLED) carry over into 2026. It remains to be seen what happens after April 2027, when the TCL and Sony joint venture begins operations.

Pre-orders for both Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II start today, May 27. See the table below for specifications in the TV Database and pricing.


2026 Sony TV models
 Flatpanels