Compare: Haier K85F vs SONY BRAVIA 3 II (XR35M2)

The debut of the Haier brand in the European television market with the K85F model feels hurried, and after thorough testing, it seems almost unfinished. Analyzing this product leads us to a fundamental conclusion: its biggest problem is not the quality of the panel used. This, considering the price segment, is simply average, with the typical advantages of VA technology in the form of high contrast and equally typical disadvantages, such as poor viewing angles. What truly disqualifies this model as a home entertainment centre is the glaring lack of engineering refinement and, above all, software development. The list of shortcomings is long and starts from the very first contact with the device. Sloppy assembly, which could have been avoided during quality control, a poorly optimised and badly translated Google TV system, or annoying issues with basic functions like pairing the remote – all contribute to the picture of a product that seems to have been released to market without due diligence. The catastrophic image quality in HDR mode, resulting not only from low brightness but also from a complete lack of intelligent adaptation to the signal, only adds to this disappointing picture. However, it turns out that this model has a surprising second face. One needs to look at it not through the lens of a home television, but rather as a large and inexpensive display for special tasks. Then its shortcomings become less important, and unexpected advantages come to the fore: a fantastically working media player with USB, remarkable font readability from a PC, and access to a vast application database. In this role – as a screen in a conference room, hotel lobby, or simple advertising player – the Haier K85F performs surprisingly well. For the typical user looking for a reliable and simply well-functioning television for the living room in 2025, however, the Haier K85F is a proposal that is incredibly difficult to recommend with a clear conscience. It is a product full of contradictions, which fails in its primary, intended function on too many fronts.

The Sony Bravia 3 II is a TV that quickly reveals the idea the manufacturer had for this model. It's meant above all to be a sensible Bravia for gaming, and in that respect the changes are substantial. After all, Sony has fixed one of the biggest annoyances of its TVs, the presence of only two full-featured HDMI 2.1 ports. Here there are four, and that alone makes the Bravia 3 II a much more convenient choice for anyone who wants to connect a lot of gaming kit. Fortunately it doesn't stop at gaming. The 120 Hz panel performs very well for motion, motion blur is minimal, and the motion-smoothing systems work surprisingly effectively, at times even better than on Sony's top TVs. Sport is therefore another use where the Bravia 3 II feels right at home. On top of that there's Google TV with its full suite of apps and features, so in practical terms this is simply the Sony we've known for years.

The biggest problem with this model, however, is not the TV itself but its current price. The Bravia 3 II is today dangerously close in price to the Bravia 5, and when the extra cost for the higher model is only a few percent, choosing the lower series begins to lose its appeal. The Bravia 5 already offers full Mini-LED backlighting with local dimming, which is exactly what the Bravia 3 II most lacks for evening viewing and in HDR. That's why we view this model through the lens of price. The Bravia 3 II itself is a genuinely successful lower-mid-range TV and with the right pricing could easily be one of the more interesting choices for a gamer or a sports fan. However, if the gap to the Bravia 5 remains small, it will be hard to recommend it with full conviction.

Well then, let’s get to the point, which is how the Haier K85F handles black levels and contrast. The key information is that the television uses a VA panel, which has a significant impact on the image quality in dark scenes. It is precisely because of this that the contrast is really solid – our measurements showed values around 5000:1, which is much better than that of popular IPS panels.

However, one must remember that we are talking about equipment from the lower price range. Therefore, one cannot expect any advanced technologies, such as local dimming. The backlighting works across the entire surface of the screen all the time. How did this look during viewing? We took the film “Oblivion” with its cosmic landscapes for a test, and also checked classic black bars in other productions. The effect was quite decent. The black had good depth, but it was not perfectly pitch black – a subtle, navy blue glow could be seen, indicating that the panel's backlighting was still active.

The Bravia 3 II uses a VA panel, a solution that by nature delivers significantly better contrast than IPS or ADS panels. In our sample the native contrast ratio was around 5000:1, which is a pretty good result for a TV without local dimming. In practice that means blacks can look genuinely decent in a lightly lit room. Dark parts of the picture don't immediately go grey, and night scenes have noticeably more depth than on many IPS‑panel TVs. However, the poorer black level quality becomes apparent when you turn the lights off. The Bravia 3 II has no local dimming system, so the entire backlight behaves similarly regardless of what’s happening in a particular part of the image. In a dark room it's easy to see that blacks are no longer truly black but start to take on a dark navy cast. It's not a level that severely ruins the film-viewing experience, but during an evening viewing the difference compared with a Mini-LED TV, and even more so with an OLED TV, becomes very clear.

Let’s now turn to one of the hottest topics in the world of televisions, namely the quality of HDR effect. In the case of the Haier K85F model, we must unfortunately make it clear: if you are looking for equipment to watch content in a wide dynamic range, you should avoid this model at all costs. The main problem is its very low peak brightness, which during our tests barely reached 250 nits. To give you a better idea of what that means – such a value is fine for watching standard SDR content, but it is absolutely insufficient to showcase any real benefits of HDR. The image simply lacks the "power" to generate bright, striking highlights. All our measurements and tests on specialist patterns only confirmed this. As if that weren't enough, the television also struggles with colour reproduction. In this budget build, we won't find any technologies to expand the colour palette, such as quantum dot layers (marketed as "QLED"). As a result, the coverage of the DCI-P3 colour space, which is crucial for HDR materials, is only around 80%. In practice, this means that the image will not only be dark but also devoid of the vibrant, saturated colours that the director wanted to show us.

Bravia 3 II is certainly not a TV that tries to impress with brightness. In our measurements it reached about 450 nits, so it falls well short of the brightest models on the market. That does not mean HDR is just a paper feature. Compared with ordinary SDR material, the brightest elements of the image can already come through noticeably, and reflections, highlights and stronger exposures have a bit more energy and stand out better from the rest of the scene. This is most obvious in simpler shots where the screen displays many bright elements. Then the Bravia 3 II can give a hint of a higher dynamic-range picture. The problem only begins with more demanding content, where much greater brightness headroom is required. There the TV quickly shows its limitations and instead of powerful, striking HDR we get only a competently rendered picture.

Colours

Bravia 3 II uses a QLED-type panel, although technically it does not use a classic quantum dot layer. Instead Sony has used a solution based on PFS phosphor, which performs a very similar role: it allows more saturated reds and greens and thus enables a much wider colour gamut. In measurements DCI-P3 coverage was around 94%, and the very wide BT.2020 around 74.4%. These are good results for this class of hardware, which mean the Bravia 3 II has no problem reproducing sufficiently saturated colours in HDR content. Colours do not look washed out, and more intense hues can look genuinely attractive.

Well, how does the television perform with colours straight out of the box, without any interference from our side? The Haier K85F offers a full range of picture modes, such as Dynamic and Eco, but for anyone who wants to watch films according to the creators' intentions, only one really matters: Film mode. That is where we focused our tests, and unfortunately, its name has little to do with reality. The picture in the factory settings is very far from what we could call cinematic fidelity and requires numerous adjustments. Let's start with the white balance, which has a noticeable deficiency of red. In practice, this means that the entire image has a cool, bluish tint. The situation is even worse regarding brightness management, namely the gamma curve (for SDR) and EOTF (for HDR). Their graph resembles a real rollercoaster, which has a disastrous impact on the viewing experience. This results in unnatural dimming of SDR content, causing details in shadows to be lost, and in the case of HDR – excessive brightness, which further exacerbates the issue of clipping. Such a combination, namely too cool white combined with chaotic brightness and excessive blue saturation, results in significant errors in colour reproduction. Our measurements on the specialist ColorChecker chart revealed errors (Delta E) regularly reaching and exceeding values of 8-9. Put simply, errors above the threshold of 3 are already easily noticeable to the naked eye, so such a result means that the colours on the screen are simply heavily distorted.

In Professional mode the Bravia 3 II already delivers a fairly good level of colour reproduction straight out of the box. In SDR the most noticeable issue is a slightly low gamma, which makes the midtones a little brighter. White balance isn't perfect either; as brightness increases the blue and red components become slightly lacking, so whites can at times take on a marginally warmer, faintly greenish tint. These are not faults that immediately catch the eye when watching a film. Average error values hover around 3, so the factory setting can be regarded as quite good. The situation is similar in HDR. Here too there is a slight lack of the blue component, so the image is marginally warmer than the reference, but the difference is not large enough to significantly interfere with normal viewing.

Well, is there anything that can be done about this picture? Can professional calibration save the situation? The answer is both yes and no. It must be clearly stated that there are certain limitations we cannot overcome. The constraints of the design itself, meaning simply a poor panel and its narrow colour coverage, make it impossible to expect a reasonable HDR effect – we won't mislead you on that. The biggest beneficiary of our adjustments is undoubtedly the SDR mode, and it is indeed for watching such content, after calibration, that this television starts to make sense. We managed to somewhat tame the white balance. Although the television only offers basic 2-point adjustment (rather than precise 20-point), so it's not perfect, we successfully eliminated that unpleasant, cold "chill" in the picture. Above all, however, we noted a significant improvement in brightness management. The gamma curve, which previously resembled a rollercoaster, looks like an almost perfectly straight line after calibration. This is a sign that the television can finally display images without artificially dimming or brightening them. The conclusion is simple: even with such a cheap television, professional adjustment of the settings can achieve a lot and extract the maximum potential from it.

After calibration, there is particularly a lot to be gained from SDR content. The white balance was set almost perfectly, the gamma practically matches the reference value, and the average colour errors fell from around 3 to about 1. That is already a level at which differences from the reference image are, in practice, very difficult to detect. The Bravia 3 II therefore shows that, despite its position in Sony’s lineup, it has quite a lot of potential for precise picture calibration. Improvements are also visible in HDR, although here it is no longer possible to avoid all the limitations of the TV itself. After evening out the colours, it is easier to notice that the EOTF curve in film content runs slightly below the reference value in places, so the Bravia 3 II gently darkens part of the image. This is not an ideal solution from a reference point of view, but in this particular TV it also has its benefits. With no local dimming and average black levels, this behaviour slightly reduces the visibility of the backlight in darker scenes and helps maintain a stronger impression of contrast. So you could say Sony partly masks the limitations of the panel this way, instead of trying at all costs to stick to the reference luminance.

It’s time to address a matter that goes unnoticed by many, but can be very irritating to the discerning (and not just) eye. We are talking about the fluidity of tonal transitions, or how smoothly the screen displays transitions between very similar shades of a single colour – for example, on a clear blue sky. We must admit that in this category, the Haier K85F performs quite decently considering its price. In bright scenes, such as the aforementioned sky or vast landscapes in the film "The Martian", there are no strong, distinct bands. Indeed, if you look closely, you will notice minimal imperfections, but generally, the effect is more than satisfactory. However, the situation changes when darker scenes appear on the screen, such as murky corridors in games or night landscapes. Here, banding, or the posterisation effect, becomes much more visible. Transitions in shadows and greys are no longer as smooth and can irritate the more sensitive eye. It’s not a level that would completely disqualify the television, but it’s clear that this is an area where costs have been cut.

In terms of the smoothness of tonal transitions, the Bravia 3 II performs very well. In most of the scenes we watched it was hard to notice any problems with blending individual shades. Gradients remain smooth both in bright parts of the image, such as skies or sunsets, and in much more challenging, dark scenes. The only thing that may stand out in our photos, especially in the darkest scenes, is the unevenness of the backlight itself. This, however, is not related to colour gradation. It is rather a consequence of using a backlight without local dimming.

Let's move on to digital processing and image scaling, specifically how the Haier K85F handles lower resolution signals, such as those from standard television. Right from the start, we encounter an extremely annoying and completely incomprehensible issue – overscan that is enabled by default. This means that the television artificially enlarges the image, cropping its edges, and this happens on every source, even 1080p. To see the full frame, you have to dig through the screen settings each time and manually switch the format to "expand to 16:9". It's a detail, but it's devilishly frustrating. The very act of scaling content to 4K resolution can be summed up in one word: acceptable. And that's about it. The image processor does not strip details from the picture, nor does it generate jagged edges or other artifacts. It simply does its job, without any fireworks. It's alright, but nothing more. However, the biggest and most noticeable shortcoming in the digital processing section is the absence of a smooth tonal transition feature. This is an algorithm that could significantly reduce the annoying banding effect we mentioned earlier. Unfortunately, the manufacturer did not provide such a solution, condemning us to watch the imperfections of the panel and low-quality materials in full view.

The Bravia 3 II is Sony's first TV to use the new MediaTek Pentonic 800 chipset, and there are a few changes in image processing. Starting with the basics. The upscaling itself is adequate. The TV can sensibly pull up lower-resolution material and does not have a strong tendency to over-emphasise jagged edges or other source imperfections. With regular broadcast TV or weaker streaming material the picture therefore remains quite pleasing. We have more reservations about the digital image processing. In this model Sony has replaced the well-known "Smooth Gradation" function with a new setting called "Digital Noise Reduction". Its role is essentially very similar: it is supposed to smooth unpleasant tonal transitions and artefacts resulting from heavy signal compression. Unfortunately, this function performs noticeably worse than before. At the "High" setting (the only one that had any visible effect) the TV can smooth away too many elements of the image at once, causing film grain to disappear and the texture of objects or even skin to start looking unnatural. Worse still, the effect is not particularly stable. When a scene contains more motion, the function's effect clearly weakens and at times it looks as if the TV stops intervening in the picture altogether. For everyday viewing we therefore would not recommend using it at a high level. It can help on a static shot, but the price is often an excessive loss of detail.

The matrix in the K85F model operates at a native refresh rate of 60 Hz, which right from the start sets certain expectations regarding image fluidity. However, we must admit that we were very positively surprised when we found two separate sliders for motion control in the settings menu: one labelled as "Motion Blur Reduction" and the other "De-Judder". Such generosity in this price segment is an absolute rarity, as typically manufacturers offer at most one shared option. Unfortunately, our enthusiasm waned as quickly as it appeared. It soon became clear why Haier was so "generous" – the slider responsible for motion blur reduction is simply a dummy. Its adjustment brings absolutely no visible effect on the screen, so only one of the two options works.

Motion handling is definitely one of the Bravia 3 II's strongest points. The TV uses a 120Hz VA panel, a solution that, by nature, despite the high refresh rate, does not always cope well with motion blur. Here, however, Sony has managed to keep that problem very well under control. Fast-moving objects remain crisp, and the characteristic trails and blurring are reduced to a very low level, if not to zero. It is one of the least motion-blur-prone LCD TVs we have tested. Interestingly, in this respect the Bravia 3 II can even outperform the much more expensive True RGB flagship series, the Bravia 9 II.

Let's move on to features for gamers, although we must emphasise at the outset that this is more of a proposal for the "casual" ones. The manufacturer boasts in the specifications about the presence of HDMI 2.1 ports, which looks impressive on paper, but in reality, it is largely a marketing ploy. What good is a modern port if the heart of the television is a panel with a refresh rate of 60 Hz? It physically cannot display a signal at 120 frames per second, even at lower resolutions, which deprives the HDMI 2.1 port of its most significant advantage. It's a shame. (That’s why we mark it as HDMI 2.0 in our tests). Another curious peculiarity is the television's reaction to attempts to calibrate HDR from the console level. Changes to brightness settings cause very unnatural image behaviour, which might suggest an incorrect implementation of the HGiG standard. To be honest, however, one shouldn't worry too much about this, because as we've mentioned numerous times, we simply do not recommend using any HDR content on this screen. However, to avoid being too negative, the Haier K85F also has two significant and unexpected advantages. The first is the presence of ALLM, or Auto Low Latency Mode, which switches the television to low latency mode as soon as it detects a connected console. The second, even bigger surprise, is support for VRR, or Variable Refresh Rate. While it works within a very modest range of 48-60 Hz, its mere presence is commendable. As a result, the image in games can experience less "tearing," which significantly improves the gaming experience.

Sony Bravia 3 II is a very good TV for gamers, although not everything has been implemented exactly as we would like. The biggest change concerns the connectors. For the first time in a Sony TV we get as many as four full HDMI 2.1 ports with 48 Gb/s bandwidth, thanks to the new MediaTek Pentonic 800 chipset. That removes one of the issues that has plagued this manufacturer’s TVs for years. We can connect several devices at once and on each input use the device’s full capabilities, for example VRR or ALLM. There is also a simple Game Bar that lets you view key signal parameters and change a few useful settings, such as black level, when you want to improve visibility in darker parts of a game. However, there are two limitations worth knowing. The first is the lack of support for 1440p at 120 Hz. That will not be a problem for everyone, but people using that resolution on a console or PC, for example to get higher frame rates in certain games, will have to choose 1080p. We have more reservations about HGiG support. Sony does not allow you to disable the TV’s tone mapping on the Bravia 3 II, so the screen is always processing HDR content even when you would prefer to leave that task to the console. This is most obvious during HDR setup — the checkerboard pattern does not disappear at the point that corresponds to the TV’s actual capabilities. That does not mean HDR in games will look bad. You just need to approach the setup a little differently and, instead of relying on the pattern, manually set the peak brightness to around 450 nits. The issue can be worked around, but you should know about it before you start setting up the console.

We must, however, give Haier its due – there is one parameter in which this television absolutely shines and embarrasses many more expensive models. We are speaking about input lag, or signal delay. Our measurements showed an impressively low result of just 13 ms. This is a huge plus that makes gaming controls lightning-fast and incredibly responsive. In this regard, the K85F performs excellently.

In terms of input lag, the Bravia 3 II performs very well. With a 120 Hz signal the input lag is around 8 ms, while at 60 Hz it rises to about 14 ms, so in both cases the response to controls is very quick and during normal gameplay it would be hard to notice any delay. It's also worth noting the TV's behaviour in Dolby Vision Gaming mode on the Xbox. In that mode input lag remains practically the same, and until recently Sony often had a noticeable problem with this.

And what if you tried using this Haier as a monitor for your computer? Here, to our great surprise, the television performs remarkably well. For office work – it is ideal. This is all thanks to its proper support for what is known as chroma subsampling 4:4:4. In plain terms: every, even the smallest letter on the screen is sharp, without annoying coloured outlines or blurring. Of course, let's be straightforward – this is not equipment for PC gamers. 60 Hz is too little for them. But if you simply need a large screen for text work, browsing the internet, coding, or displaying presentations, the K85F will excel in this role. This is one of its strongest and, to be honest, most unexpected applications.

Interaction with a computer is generally good, although again not without a few reservations. The Bravia 3 II properly supports 4:4:4 chroma subsampling, so in typical use text and the system interface look sharp and legible. However, grey fonts are noticeable, with their vertical edges often markedly brighter than the horizontal ones. On a larger screen this is not particularly bothersome, but if someone is considering the smaller variant of the Bravia 3 II as a monitor for working with text, it is worth bearing in mind.

What bothers us more, however, is the lack of additional modes with higher refresh rates. It's not even about 144 or 165 Hz at 4K, but rather the ability to achieve smoother motion at Full HD. This solution is appearing increasingly in competitors' TVs (DLG 240Hz), while Sony still does not offer it, even in its pricier models. For most users, 4K at 120 Hz will of course be entirely sufficient, especially for consoles, but people who also use the TV as a gaming monitor for a PC may feel somewhat disappointed.

At almost the very end of the assessment of the panel itself, we left the viewing angles, which unfortunately are one of its biggest weaknesses. However, it must be honestly admitted that this is no surprise – it is simply a natural and commonly known characteristic of VA-type panels. In the specimen we tested, interestingly, the brightness of the image did not drop dramatically when we moved away from the centre of the screen. The real problem, however, lies in the colours, which start to fade instantly. A slight change in position on the sofa is enough for the colours to lose their saturation and become washed out. In this respect, the Haier K85F presents a rather mediocre level, typical for this technology.

Viewing angles are fairly typical for a VA panel, simply average and, for some, probably poor. The Bravia 3 II looks best when you sit directly in front of the screen. As you move to the side, colours start to lose saturation and blacks become increasingly grey. Unfortunately, that is the price you pay for this panel's high native contrast. Watching with two or three people should not be much of a problem, but on a wide sofa those sitting at the far ends will notice a clearly worse picture.

And how does the television perform in confrontation with daylight, for example in a brightly sunlit living room? Unfortunately, we do not have good news here. As we have already established, it is a television with relatively low brightness, which becomes a serious drawback when faced with sunlight. The situation is further worsened by the screen coating used. Instead of effectively suppressing reflections, its satin structure tends to unfavourably scatter them. In practice, this means that the reflection of a window or lamp turns into a large, blurred, milky halo, which degrades contrast and effectively hinders viewing. The conclusion is therefore clear: if the television is to be placed in a bright room, the K85F model will not be a good choice.

In daytime the Bravia 3 II performs quite respectably, although a lot depends on where you place the TV. The applied satin coating handles reflections adequately; it doesn't act like a mirror, but strong light sources, especially a window opposite the screen, can be distracting while watching. On the plus side, the VA panel means blacks retain quite good depth in daylight and the picture doesn't immediately go grey or become heavily washed out. The brightness of around 450 nits, which the Bravia 3 II can maintain regardless of how many bright elements are on the screen, also helps. For a typical living room this will be more than sufficient and the picture remains clear during the day. However, if the TV is to be placed in a very bright room with large windows and a lot of direct light, you can find models with a noticeably more effective coating and greater brightness reserve.

GoogleTV on Haier K85F

The heart of the television is the Google TV system, which in theory should be its huge advantage. Access to thousands of applications and a wealth of features are promises we are familiar with. Unfortunately, in Haier's execution, it is one of the worst implementations of this software we have encountered. The system runs painfully slowly, and the interface is notoriously unresponsive. However, the real nightmare is the incorrect and often downright comical translations of some menu options, making it difficult at times to understand what is even being referred to. To make matters worse, during our testing, we were unable to activate the AirPlay function, which simply did not work.

Classic features on Haier K85F

Let's move on to the classic features and connections, as this is where the story gets even more interesting. The rich array of ports is definitely a plus, including four HDMI ports and a rarely seen mini-jack headphone output. Unfortunately, the television does not offer either USB recording or PiP mode. However, the real ordeal begins with the remote control. Our first attempts to pair it via Bluetooth to activate radio frequency (RF) control and voice functions ended in total failure. After dozens of attempts, we were sure it was just a manufacturing defect. And here's the surprise: after a long struggle, we discovered that the remote could be paired, but it had to be done from the native Google TV settings, completely bypassing the non-functioning Haier overlay. This is a perfect example of how terrible software can ruin basic functionality. Oh, and one more thing. In the box... there weren't even any batteries for the remote.

Smart TV features: Google TV

The Bravia 3 II runs on Google TV and, in terms of capabilities, is one of the more feature-rich systems currently found in TVs. First and foremost there is access to a very large number of apps, so in addition to the most popular streaming platforms you can also find plenty of less obvious services without much trouble. Sony also supports AirPlay and Chromecast, making it very convenient to cast content from a smartphone. Voice search also performs well, powered by Gemini, which handles commands in multiple languages and can genuinely make using the TV easier. However, during our tests we encountered one problem: the Bravia 3 II would not correctly receive a display from a Windows 11 PC over Miracast. So if you plan to use the television as an external screen for a computer, the most reliable solution remains a connection via HDMI.

Traditional television features

Sony has not forgotten those who still primarily use regular broadcast television. The Bravia 3 II supports recording programmes to USB with the ability to schedule them via PVR, which is rare today, especially in cheaper models. There is also teletext and a clear channel guide, so in terms of basic TV functions we weren't really missing anything, except perhaps picture-in-picture (PiP). A curious touch is that two remote controls are included. The first is modern and simplified (non-backlit version), while the second is a classic design with a full numeric keypad. Although it may seem a little old-fashioned, viewers who watch a lot of traditional television might actually find it more convenient, for example when entering channel numbers.

After all our complaints about the unfinished software, the moment came when we experienced absolute shock. It turns out that in this buggy and slow-operating system there is a function hidden that works almost perfectly and puts industry veterans to shame. We are talking about the built-in media player for files from USB drives. It is a true multimedia powerhouse that played virtually every video format we threw at it – from the most popular to the completely niche. Haier, a newcomer in the TV market, has achieved something that many manufacturers with decades of experience have struggled with for years. Who knows, perhaps it was originally intended to be a reliable player for conference rooms? Regardless of its origin, the result is excellent!

The built-in player in the Bravia 3 II works really well and during our tests had no trouble with most popular video and audio formats. It's hard to point to anything that would force us to install an additional player or use an external device. The only exception might be films with subtitles saved in .txt format, which the TV does not support, but let's be honest, at this stage that would be nitpicking.

When it comes to sound, the review will unfortunately be very brief. The biggest advantage of the built-in speakers of the K85F is really just that they are there and produce sound. Other than that, the sound is completely flat, devoid of any bass, and simply anemic. Yes, on the TV's box, we will find the Dolby Atmos logo, but when faced with the physical capabilities of these drivers, it is a feature that exists only on paper. The verdict can, therefore, only be one: when planning to purchase this television, you should immediately add a soundbar to your budget.

In terms of sound the Bravia 3 II performs adequately, but it's hard to say much more about it. The speakers handle dialogue and regular television well, but they noticeably lack low-frequency response. The bass quickly loses energy, so with music, action films or games the sound feels rather light and lacks punch. That's of course nothing unusual for TVs in this class, but if you want a more impressive sound a soundbar is a highly recommended addition.

The supported audio formats are a much better story. The Bravia 3 II handles practically everything we might need, including Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio and DTS:X, formats increasingly ignored by other manufacturers. The TV can also pass them through to an external audio setup. The exception is Dolby Atmos encoded in Dolby TrueHD, which the built-in speakers cannot play back directly, but with a suitable soundbar or AV receiver this should not be a major issue.

Haier K85F vs SONY BRAVIA 3 II (XR35M2)

Advantages

Disadvantages

Our verdict

TV appearance

Where to buy

Contrast and black detail

HDR effect quality

Colours

Factory color reproduction

Color reproduction after calibration

Smoothness of tonal transitions

Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions

Blur and motion smoothness

Console compatibility and gaming features

Input lag

Compatibility with PC

Viewing angles

Daytime performance

Panel details

TV features

Classic features:

Smart features:

Sound connection options

Supported audio formats (external HDMI eARC audio):

Senior accessibility

GoogleTV on Haier K85F

Classic features on Haier K85F

Smart TV features: Google TV

Traditional television features

Apps

Playing files from USB

Sound

Sound Quality Test

Acoustic Measurements