Sony A95L vs Sony Bravia 8 MK2

Sony A95L offers an incredible HDR effect, achieving an impressive brightness level of 1500 nits in scenes such as those from Life of Pi and Sicario 2. These results are truly remarkable – the bright elements in these films practically come alive on the screen, providing the viewer with immersive visual experiences. The only thing to note is minor issues with maintaining brightness in the scene from The Meg, where the entire scene is flooded with light. However, this is a natural effect associated with OLED technology. A big plus also goes to the wide coverage of the BT.2020 colour palette at 89%, which places A95L Sony among the top TVs in terms of colour reproduction. All of this is made possible by the QD-OLED panel from Samsung Displays.

Thanks to the new QD-OLED panel, the Sony Bravia 8 II can achieve astronomically high brightness levels of around 2000 nits, translating to near-reference quality in films and series recorded in HDR format. In test materials such as Life of Pi and Sicario 2, the effect is absolutely stunning – details in bright parts of the image remain perfectly visible, and night scenes captivate with depth and contrast. However, it’s not perfect. Compared to its most formidable competitors, the Bravia 8 II shows a noticeable drop in brightness during full-screen, very bright scenes. When comparing peak luminance with 100% white brightness in HDR mode, the Bravia 8 II can appear two or three times dimmer than LG G5 or Samsung S95F models. This was particularly evident in a scene from the film The Meg – the screen became noticeably darker than in competitors' televisions. Despite this flaw, the Bravia 8 II's results still place it at the forefront of the market. It deserves praise for its absolutely top-notch colour gamut coverage – nearly 100% DCI-P3 and close to 90% BT.2020. These parameters allow full potential extraction from HDR content and provide a cinematic experience in the comfort of your home.

The best factory mode for colour reproduction on the Sony A95L is IMAX Enhanced. This mode seems well-calibrated at first glance, but upon closer analysis, several areas for improvement become apparent. Firstly, the white balance for both SDR and 4K HDR content is marred by an excess of blue and red hues, leading to a subtle pink tint, particularly noticeable on neutral tones. As a result, skin tones are skewed, affecting the realism of the displayed image. This is clearly visible in the comparison photo below. Additionally, the Colour Checker test confirms the presence of these errors – the colour samples often deviate from their reference values, indicating some inaccuracies in the factory colour reproduction of the A95L Sony. The maximum deltaE error values reach up to 5.8, which is a clear indicator that colours are not always reproduced as accurately as they should be.

Regarding brightness characteristics, the gamma for HD/SDR content is generally quite good, maintaining an appropriate balance between brightness and contrast. Unfortunately, a significant jump is visible at the end of the graph, leading to a strong brightening of the image when the screen is fully flooded with white. This can make scenes with very bright backgrounds, such as snowy landscapes or intense daylight, appear too glaring and lose detail. For HDR content, the EOTF curve, which controls luminance, is slightly elevated compared to reference values. This, in turn, causes the image to be somewhat brighter than it should be, which can affect the perception of more subtle details in the darker areas of the frame.

Right out of the box, the Bravia 8 II performs really well. In the best IMAX® Enhanced mode, the TV manages to render colours in a pleasant and natural way, although "well" doesn’t mean "best in class" here. The white balance definitely requires adjustment – skin tones tend to lean towards slightly pink/cool tones, both in SDR and HDR content. We also noticed that the EOTF curve characteristics show a tendency to brighten the darkest parts of the image. This is likely due to the manufacturer's desire to highlight as many details as possible, even in deep shadows. Is this a good approach? It's hard to say definitively, but we know one thing – it's not an ideal solution.

Sony A95L offers excellent tools for professional screen calibration, allowing you to maximise the potential of the IMAX Enhanced mode. We used them to achieve an image quality that satisfies even the most demanding viewers. After calibration, the white balance for both 4K HDR and SDR content looks simply fantastic – nearly perfect. The Colour Checker test confirmed that deltaE errors do not exceed a value of "2", which means that colour reproduction is extremely accurate, and any deviations are practically imperceptible to the human eye.

The calibration also brought a significant improvement in brightness – gamma is now perfectly balanced, eliminating the previous problem of excessive brightening in scenes with very bright backgrounds. Thanks to this, even the brightest moments, such as snowy landscapes or intense daytime scenes, appear natural, without the risk of blown-out highlights. The EOTF curve, responsible for controlling luminance in HDR content, has also been improved – it now reaches reference levels in both synthetic tests and practical movie watching.

As a result of the calibration, A95L Sony provides an excellent experience, whether you are watching regular TV content or your favourite films. Every detail is reproduced exactly as the creators intended – without unnecessary brightenings, with perfectly rendered colours and appropriate depth. This shows that this television, after professional tuning, can compete with the best screens on the market, offering an image that truly impresses.

After calibration, the excessive cooling of the image caused by an overly strong boost in blue colour was primarily eliminated. The reds became deeper, and the skin tones took on a natural, healthy appearance. The actors, who previously seemed "cold," now look much livelier and more convincing on screen. However, one thing hasn't changed – the analysis of the EOTF curve still shows that the Bravia 8 II has a tendency to brighten the darkest parts of the image. It's hard to say whether this is a deliberate effect by the manufacturer or a consequence of the panel's design and software. In practice, this means that scenes that the creators wanted to leave in deep darkness can reveal more details than intended. Despite this, the reception of the image after calibration is clearly better – the warm, natural tones and realistic skin shades make viewing on the Bravia 8 II simply more pleasant to the eye.

The tonal transition smoothing function in Sony A95L works really well and is worth noting. We recommend setting it to "Medium" level, as this value achieves an ideal compromise – no artifacts appear, and the image looks incredibly natural and pleasing to the eye. This ensures that transitions between different shades are smooth while maintaining scene detail, which further enhances viewing comfort.

When it comes to upscaling, you can see the full power of the XR processor here. Sony A95L handled our test material featuring a model exceptionally well – the image is remarkably clear, there are no excessive jagged edges, and the background details are perfectly preserved. The XR processor effectively improves low resolution, providing very good results that allow you to enjoy content in nearly high quality, even if its source is not perfect.

Upscaling and digital image processing are a true showcase of the capabilities of the Bravia 8 II. Sony has long been regarded as a master in this field, and here it only confirms its reputation. The proprietary XR processor can extract nearly the maximum from lower resolution materials – whether it's TV or an old movie from a DVD, the image appears clearer, with more detail and better depth. Sure, if we feed it exceptionally poor-quality material (like our archival photo with the Model), it won't work miracles, but in everyday viewing, it’s hard to find fault.

The gentle gradation feature also performs excellently. In the “Medium” setting, it effectively smooths tonal transitions, eliminating stripes on colourful and grey gradients, while not destroying film grain or fine image details. It’s this balance between delicacy and effectiveness that keeps Sony TVs among the best on the market in this category.

Sony A95L is a television that should satisfy both gamers and movie enthusiasts. When it comes to watching films, this model is equipped with Motionflow technology, which allows you to precisely adjust whether you want the image to be more "framey," like in traditional cinema, or exceptionally smooth, like in cinema TVs. The "Smoothness" slider allows you to control the level of fluidity – from subtle changes to more noticeable effects, while the "Clarity" slider reduces flicker and artifacts, helping to achieve more natural and clear movement. When it comes to gaming and watching sports, the A95L Sony offers a refresh rate of 120 Hz, making every dynamic action look incredibly smooth. Gamers will appreciate the lack of blur, and sports fans will see every movement in full clarity. Overall, the television performs excellently – both with fast-paced gameplay and emotionally charged film sequences.

Motion fluidity is practically a closed topic in the case of the Bravia 8 II. The OLED with 120 Hz refresh rate naturally provides a very clean, clear image in dynamic scenes, so it's hard to complain about anything here. However, one of the best smoothing systems on the market deserves particular praise. They allow for precise adjustment of movie fluidity to personal preferences – from gentle smoothing to an almost "theatrical" effect – without the risk of artificial jumps, image tearing, or annoying artifacts. It's one of those features that will be appreciated both during movie screenings and while watching sports.

Sony A95L is a television that will truly satisfy gamers, thanks to several key features that set it apart from the competition. To begin with, the 120 Hz refresh rate – this is something that anyone who loves fast-paced action games, racing, or dynamic shooters will appreciate. This makes the image exceptionally smooth, and gameplay more satisfying, without annoying stutters. The A95L Sony also has an ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) feature, which automatically activates low-latency mode when we start up a console. What does this mean? Primarily, faster reactions on screen, which in games where every second counts, is simply invaluable. Added to that is VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), which ensures that the image refresh rate adapts to the number of frames generated by the console. The effect? No tearing of the image, and everything looks smooth and cohesive – even with varying FPS.

It's worth mentioning the support for Dolby Vision with low input lag in games – something we don't often see in televisions, but here it is included. As a result, the image in HDR-compatible games is incredibly vibrant, with vivid colors and excellent contrast. Both the brightest and darkest details are visible, making everything look just as the game developers intended. And there's also the "Game Bar" – a small but very practical convenience. It gives us all the essential gaming-related settings at our fingertips, such as VRR and lag information. There's no need to interrupt gameplay to adjust settings – everything is at hand.

However, it's important to note that the A95L offers only two full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports, one of which is allocated for eARC. This could be somewhat limiting if we plan to connect multiple devices – for example, a next-gen console and a soundbar simultaneously. In such cases, eARC occupying one of those ports may be a bit problematic, blocking the option to connect a second console.

Sony has really done its homework from previous years and in the Bravia 8 II, it has prepared a package of features for gamers that is hard to describe as anything other than "almost perfect". We have everything you’d expect from equipment of this class – VRR, ALLM, Dolby Vision Gaming mode, HGiG, and even a handy Game Bar that allows you to quickly check parameters and change settings without leaving the game. It's also worth noting how smoothly and seamlessly these features work – no delays, no strange stutter. You simply turn on the game and everything looks as it should. Unfortunately, there are a few "buts". The manufacturer still provides us with only two full bandwidth HDMI ports, so if someone has a console, a PC, and another device like a Soundbar connected via eARC, the fun begins with plugging and unplugging cables. It's also surprising that there's no support for 1440p at 120 Hz – particularly important for Xbox gamers. Overall though – this is one of those TVs that can comfortably be placed in the centre of a gaming lounge and enjoyed without major compromises.