Sony Bravia 3 II review: The Sony Bravia 3 II TV accomplished a feat my parents still dream of: keeping me away from my smartphone for hours at a time. It meets my need for round-the-clock entertainment without having to resort to bells and whistles. Sony’s new TV is just a 55-inch Direct LED smart TV with two built-in 20W speakers and no bells and whistles. From a bird’s-eye view, the execution feels similar to something commonly seen in Toyota vehicles, delivering a premium experience through refinement rather than complex hardware. While this approach has made my daily entertainment routine feel smooth sailing, there have been some bumps along the way. To see how my month-long test of the Sony Bravia 3 II TV went, let’s take a closer look at the TV:
Display: A vibrant panel with impressive consistency
Movies and TV series:
The Bravia 3 II TV captures exactly what it was designed to do: provide an entertainment experience powered by the display. To test its color production, I binge-watched eight episodes spider black The series features full color in “true tones” rather than the expected black and white. Needless to say, the Bravia 3 II TV performs very well. It perfectly captures the series’ goofy and vibrant visuals without oversaturating it.
Because the show uses Dolby Atmos for its HDR transfer, the TV presents each scene with razor-sharp clarity, making each frame look like a detailed painting. This is especially evident in the close-ups spider black, I could easily see the unique texture of his suit.
While the Bravia 3 II TV excels at handling HDR content, it also pays equal attention to detail with SDR content. As an anime fan, I watch countless anime series with Crunchyroll as my primary streaming service. While Crunchyroll only offers 4K HDR for a handful of series, all of my recent favorite series fall into the SDR camp. Even so, I’m still excited to complete my watch list. me at that time Reincarnated as a slime series, or Tensura In short, during my viewing, especially when Kagurazaka Yuki Found to be under mind control.
To bring clarity to the scene, the image features a striking purple background with vibrant particle effects surrounding the characters. Despite the complexity of the scene, the Bravia 3 II TV balances dark and light areas well, making every visual element stand out
All of these moments highlight the progress Sony has made with its new XR processor, allowing it to render color and visual effects with stunning consistency.
gamble:
In addition to watching movies, playing games on the Bravia 3 II TV is also a pleasure. First off, this TV has four HDMI 2.1 ports, which is a big step up from its predecessor (which only had one). Therefore, any console (including PS5) can use ALLM and VRR to output games at 4K 120 fps, regardless of which port is used.
Speaking of PS5, the Bravia 3 II TV is packed with thoughtful features designed to enhance the gaming experience on Sony’s proprietary console. For example, the TV allows me to use the remote to control various PS5 functions, whether it’s switching between apps, adjusting settings, or fast-forwarding shows on streaming services.
In addition to these convenient features, Sony has built a dedicated Game Mode into the Bravia 3 II TV that automatically optimizes the display and audio settings for games when connected to the PS5. This mode also includes a set of gaming-centric tools designed to improve visibility and responsiveness in demanding games. The most useful of these is the black equalizer. As far as I’m concerned, this feature brightens up the darkest areas of the game Notorious: Second son, Helps me spot enemies quickly without ruining highlights.
However, I am with Notorious: Second Son It also exposed one of the shortcomings of television. As far as backgrounds go, the game’s entire environment, from the sky to the buildings and roads, features a bold sepia-toned aesthetic. When I looked at one of the frames from an off-axis angle, I noticed that the warm tones on the building’s ledges suddenly changed to a light pink, indicating a color change. I suspect the sepia tone is noticeable throughout Notorious: Second Son Even slight color changes become easier to spot.
brightness
The more time I spent watching movies and playing games, the more I noticed that the Bravia 3 II TV provided a clearer viewing experience, even in poor indoor lighting. For context, TVs have built-in ambient light sensors that automatically adjust brightness to match lighting conditions.
During my testing, I was able to comfortably watch content even with every light in the hall on, including chandeliers and ceiling lights, which shows that Sony truly cares about delivering an enjoyable experience even in harsh conditions like parties.
Audio: Clear and loud, but with light bass
The Bravia 3 II excels in terms of display, but the audio quality struggles to live up to that standard. To be clear, the TV delivers room-filling audio at 50% volume, with rich highs and mids. It even makes dialogue clearer in action-heavy scenes. That said, the Bravia 3 II TV struggles to handle low-end audio, so it doesn’t do as well at delivering impactful experiences associated with SFX, such as explosions.
Beyond that, the TV’s sound settings aren’t well tuned for a pleasant audio experience out of the box. After many attempts, here are the adjustments that worked in my favor:
That being said, Sony also provides a dedicated equalizer for the Bravia 3 II TV, allowing audiophiles to fine-tune the sound exactly to their liking.
Design and build quality: Familiar design, refined execution
The Bravia 3 II TV’s design is instantly recognizable and reinforces what Sony truly believes in: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The reason I say this is that the chassis of this TV is similar to its predecessor. This means it has a premium build, narrower bezels around the display panel, and a slightly thicker back. To differentiate this TV from its predecessor, Sony flattened its arched TV stand to make it look more like a blade. Speaking of stands, the brand doesn’t ship a TV stand or wall mount with the Bravia 3 II TV, so you’ll need to order one once the TV arrives at your home.
My only issue with the Bravia 3 II TV’s design is the two HDMI 2.1 ports placed face down on the back, specifically the one that supports eARC. Therefore, users who plan to mount their TV on the wall should connect the required HDMI cables beforehand, as accessing these ports later may be inconvenient.
Remote control: convenient, comfortable and well-made
In addition to the Bravia 3 II TV itself, Sony’s attention to detail also shows in its included remote control. First, the brand is designed to better meet the needs of people with disabilities. The buttons on the remote are embossed rather than flush with the surface, making them easier to navigate even without looking.
The remote is even designed to fit comfortably in the palm of your hand without any discomfort during extended use. To minimize its impact on the environment, Sony built this remote using recycled plastic recovered from the marine environment.
Performance and software: Mostly smooth, with occasional hiccups
Bravia 3 II TV doesn’t like to be rushed. It takes a few minutes to fully wake up after powering on, providing the user with a brief but noticeable lesson in patience. Once up and running, however, the experience is mostly smooth. The TV runs Google TV, which gives users access to a vast library of apps via the Google Play Store. App launch, navigation, and content discovery felt pretty snappy during my time with it. That said, the interface isn’t entirely without its problems. I occasionally noticed slight stuttering, especially when switching between input sources, although these were brief and didn’t significantly affect the overall experience.
Connectivity: mostly smooth, occasionally confusing
In terms of connectivity, the Bravia 3 II TV supports built-in Chromecast and Apple AirPlay for wireless screen mirroring. However, my experience with these features has been somewhat inconsistent. During most of my testing, the TV was connected to my home Wi-Fi network, which has speeds of about 200 Mbps. Despite this, it never showed up as a cast destination on my MacBook or Android smartphone. Oddly enough, once I switched the TV to my phone’s 5G hotspot, it was instantly discoverable and cast perfectly. The exact cause is unknown, but the TV appears to be sensitive to certain network environments.
judgment
The Sony Bravia 3 II TV proves that refinement can be just as effective as reinvention. Its display is the highlight, delivering rich colors, crisp details, strong contrast and excellent brightness in HDR and SDR content. This TV is equally suited to gaming thanks to its four HDMI 2.1 ports and thoughtful PS5-centric features. That said, the Bravia 3 II TV isn’t without its flaws. The speakers lack punchy bass, while the software and casting experience suffer from occasional hiccups. Fortunately, these issues don’t detract from an otherwise excellent package. If picture quality is most important, this TV is an easy recommendation.
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