Michał Wołoszyn
The manufacturer claims this will be the best RGB Mini-LED television of 2026. And you know what? I'm inclined to believe it. We're talking about True RGB – a new flagship line from Sony. The Japanese invited us behind closed doors for a special showcase in the UK, from where we brought back some interesting tidbits. We checked how these screens stack up against the competition and what this "true" RGB is really all about.
What is RGB Mini-LED technology?
If you haven't been keeping up with the latest news, here's a quick explanation. In classic Mini-LED, the light-emitting diodes are white. In RGB Mini-LED, the diodes are three-coloured, creating colours at the backlighting level, without the need for additional filters or quantum dots (QLED).
In theory, it sounds beautiful: higher brightness, more saturated colours, and better viewing angles. In practice? We've already tested such TVs from other brands and the results have varied. On complex images, the backlighting can get lost, diodes start shining white, and the magic of saturated colours simply fades away. Additionally, tricolour diodes take up more space, which can affect the number of dimming zones, and consequently we end up with poorer blacks.
“True RGB” according to Sony
Sony approaches this topic as a veteran. The Japanese reminded us at the event that they worked on this solution 20 years ago (with the QUALIA 005 model). For over 2 decades, engineers have focused on the most challenging task: controlling the LEDs. This is meant to be their greatest advantage.
Sony uses its own drivers to precisely manage each LED. For a television to earn the “True RGB” label, it must meet two conditions:
Independent control of three components – the system must continuously monitor the hue and brightness of the red, green, and blue components, adjusting them to the image. There is no room for switching to a standard "white" Mini-LED mode during challenging scenes.
Physical LEDs, not tricks: They must be separate, real sources of light. Some competitors in the market cheat even when creating red using phosphor. Although solutions with phosphor are generally not bad, Sony distances itself from “half measures.”
This is important because the naming of this technology is becoming complicated due to the designations used by the competition (e.g. Micro RGB, RGB MiniLED or Micro RGB evo / Mini RGB). The identifier "True RGB" is intended to clearly indicate the fulfilment of both of the aforementioned assumptions.
Sony Bravia 9 II in action
At the showcase, Sony was unafraid of direct comparisons. They pitted the new model BRAVIA 9 II against the 2-year-old Bravia 9 and a professional studio monitor costing a mere 170 thousand złoty (BVM-HX3110), which serves as a reference in our newsroom.
Colours and Brightness - Bravia 9 II
The new Bravia 9 II generates an astounding volume of colours. The colours are purer and brighter. Engineers nodded in agreement when the brightness of 4000 nits was mentioned (unofficially) – if this is confirmed, LCD technology will reach an unprecedented level.
OLED vs RGB Mini-LED
Next to it is the flagship OLED (BRAVIA 8 II). OLED still wins in black levels during dark scenes, but with full, bright screens, the new nine simply outclasses it in brightness.
Viewing Angles
The improvement in viewing angles came as a surprise. Despite using a VA panel (similar to last year's model), the nature of the RGB backlighting means that the light adjusts its colour to match the displayed element. The drops in saturation at an angle are less pronounced, and a slight halo around objects is perceived by the human eye as more colour-consistent.
Sony True RGB 2026
This year, Sony isn't refreshing its mid-range or OLEDs (the BRAVIA 8 II and BRAVIA 5 models will stay with us for another year). All the work this year has gone into new technology. We'll see two RGB Mini-LED models: BRAVIA 9 II and the cheaper BRAVIA 7 II.
Appearance: New Central Stand
Instead of side legs, we now have a central base with an element resembling ribbed glass (a nice "floating" effect above the cabinet and diffusing light). The frames are now slimmer and black, rather than silver.
Sizes and Coatings of Screens
BRAVIA 9 II received a matte coating that brilliantly suppresses light reflections without distorting colours. There's also a gigantic size of 115 inches, but be aware – that coating is satin, not matte.
BRAVIA 7 II is set to be the most versatile (sizes from 50 to 98 inches). The finish is slightly less "prestigious," and onboard we will probably find fewer RGB LEDs than in the flagship nine.
Gaming and... a hiccup with ports?
In the specifications of the flagship BRAVIA 7 II and BRAVIA 9 II models, the maximum refresh rate caps at 120 Hz. At first glance, looking at the specifications of the competition, which is already racing towards numbers like 144 Hz, 240 Hz, or even 330 Hz, this may seem modest. However, in practice, it’s important to remember that for console gamers (PS5, Xbox Series X) this is more than sufficient, as the current generation of consoles doesn’t generate more than 120 frames per second anyway. Higher refresh rate values are only truly significant when you connect a PC to the television.
However, the issue of connector equipment raises much greater controversy. In the top, flagship models we saw at the event, only two of the four available HDMI ports were marked as standard 2.1. This means that if you own two next-gen consoles and, for example, a soundbar that requires connection via the eARC port, you will lack proper sockets to handle the highest quality signal.
What is absurd is that the budget model, positioned much lower, the BRAVIA 3 II, is said to offer a full four sockets in HDMI 2.1 standard. It's hard to find a logical explanation for the decision where a customer paying a significant amount for a flagship product gets fewer 2.1 ports than someone choosing the basic model. During the presentation itself, Sony engineers also couldn't provide us with a specific answer as to why this configuration exists in these models.
Cheap TVs: BRAVIA 3 II and BRAVIA 2 II
There were also budget models on display BRAVIA 3 II and BRAVIA 2 II. These are basic screens without local dimming. An interesting fact is that the BRAVIA 3 II is set to be Sony's cheapest 120 Hz TV, tailored for gamers. We will see, however, how it competes price-wise against aggressive Chinese competition with Mini-LEDs.
Audio News: The End of Ready-Made Sets?
Sony showcased a lot of audio equipment at the presentation, highlighting one main trend – the manufacturer is completely shifting to modular systems instead of rigid, ready-made sets. Changes are starting with the televisions themselves. The BRAVIA 7 II and 9 II models have received a redesigned audio system with additional drivers on the back of the casing, which is intended to provide better space and sound that keeps up with the image.
When it comes to external equipment, the most important novelty is the Trio system. It is a completely new design consisting of a small central speaker (in the form of a mini soundbar) and two side columns. The whole setup was created with expansion in mind – depending on needs and budget, a wireless subwoofer and rear satellite speakers can be purchased at any time.
In a similar direction, the new products from the Bar and Theatre series have been presented. Sony is moving away from packing soundbars and subwoofers into one box. You buy just the soundbar, and you choose the rest of the bass or surround components yourself from the manufacturer's offering. Of course, there are also ready-made sets available, but the vast majority are indeed "modular".
True RGB: The best LCD TVs of the last decade?
If the manufacturer's claims and what we saw at the closed-door presentation (which we can't discuss at this moment) indeed hold true in practice, then the new BRAVIA 9 II has a huge chance of becoming the best LCD TV of recent years. The question is whether the engineers' announcements and the demo conditions will translate into the reality you will encounter in your own homes. Of course, we will verify this in our independent tests, which will soon be featured on our site.
