Sony X75WL vs Sony BRAVIA 7 II

The luminance chart for the Sony X75WL revealed a peak brightness of just 350 nits, which is underwhelming for an HDR-capable display. This limited brightness means that HDR scenes lack the depth and impactful highlights expected for immersive viewing. Additionally, the subpar coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut results in a less vibrant colour representation, negatively impacting the overall quality of HDR content. The combination of insufficient brightness and poor colour gamut coverage significantly diminishes the intended HDR effect, making this model a less compelling choice for those prioritising HDR performance.

The Sony Bravia 7 II handles HDR very well and, above all, is simply a bright TV. In the proper "Professional" viewing mode we measured about 2000 nits of peak brightness, so the panel's capabilities are really substantial. Of course, with Mini-LEDs the result on a test pattern is only part of the story, because a lot depends on how the TV controls the backlight in real scenes. And here Sony's algorithms perform really well. Depending on the scene, the brightness we measured in movies ranged from around 1100 up to 1700 nits. That's already a level at which HDR has the proper punch and bright effects can really impress. It's not perfect in every situation, though. With small bright elements on a very dark background the Bravia 7 II clearly prioritizes maintaining good black levels, which can cause their brightness to drop to around 500 nits. It still looks good, but you can see the TV doesn't always operate without compromises.

Colors

The second thing that has a huge impact on the HDR effect is, of course, color. And this is where True RGB technology was supposed to bring one of the biggest changes. Looking at the panel's raw capabilities, the Bravia 7 II performs very well. We measured about 98% DCI‑P3 coverage and 88% BT.2020, so the potential to display highly saturated colors is really large. However, in RGB TVs the situation is a bit more complex. When we performed the same measurements with a movie background applied, the gamut coverage dropped to about 92% DCI‑P3 and 78% BT.2020. Those are still good figures, especially for an RGB Mini-LED TV, but they clearly show that the final result largely depends on how the algorithms control the three backlight colors. In most scenes the Bravia 7 II handles this well and colors retain high saturation. The biggest differences are seen in shades of blue, where samples start to deviate more noticeably from the reference values and coverage is weaker than for the other primary colors. So True RGB does offer real additional possibilities here, but like with brightness, much depends on what is actually happening on the screen.

Colour reproduction tests on the X75WL model, conducted in movie mode, reveal strengths and weaknesses. While movie mode offers some of the best image settings, it is not flawless. One of the most significant issues with the X75WL is the white balance, particularly for HD and 4K HDR content, where a blue hue dominates the image. This results in a noticeably cold tone throughout. The colour checker confirms these discrepancies, showing a clear shift towards cooler shades.

Regarding brightness, the contrast gamma level is generally acceptable, but the EOTF curve presents more challenges. There are noticeable problems with maintaining consistent brightness, with the image sometimes appearing too washed out or too dim. These issues affect the overall visual experience and hinder the accurate perception of content.

To evaluate the out-of-the-box colors we chose Professional mode, because it performs best among the available settings. It's not perfect, though. In SDR the white balance leans slightly toward magenta, so some scenes look a bit warmer and less neutral than they should. A bigger issue is the gamma, which sits closer to 2.5 than 2.4. That makes the image a bit too dark in places, especially in the midtones. In HDR the situation is better. As brightness increases there is a bit too much red, but it's not a fault that stands out during viewing. Overall, Professional mode is a good starting point, although you can get a little more out of it with calibration.

The X75WL is one of those cases where image calibration may not lead to a dramatic transformation, but it does offer a notable improvement in colour perception. The white balance for HD and 4K content, has been significantly enhanced, eliminating the strong dominance of cooler tones. The gamma chart also appears more stable, resulting in better image quality overall. However, the main issue remains the EOTF curve, which controls brightness in 4K content. Due to the technological limitations of the television (such as the IPS panel and the absence of local dimming), a significant improvement is difficult to achieve, as the model’s capabilities are constrained. Despite these limitations, the tonality of the image has been substantially improved.

After calibration the Bravia 7 II can look significantly better. First of all, we managed to set the white balance very well, both in SDR and HDR. Gamma can also be improved, and after correction it runs very close to the reference value. For most users, those changes will have the biggest impact on the picture. There is, however, a limitation when it comes to colors. On the Bravia 7 II Sony does not provide access to a classic CMS that would let us adjust individual hues separately. A lot is therefore left in the hands of the algorithms controlling the True RGB backlight. If the TV reproduces a specific color inaccurately, we are not always able to do anything about it. In our measurements this is most evident with some reds and blues, where errors can still be quite large. That does not, however, diminish the value of calibration. Correctly setting the white point and gamma strongly affects the overall image, so even without the ability to precisely tweak every color the difference compared with the factory settings is noticeable.

The X75WL struggles with low-quality tonal transitions. The lack of any function to improve tonal gradation results in noticeable imperfections in colour transitions, which detracts from the overall image quality. However, the digital processing is commendable, with the image displayed without overscan, and relatively sharp presentation. This added sharpness may appeal to some users, though it does not compensate for the tonal transition issues.

Upscaling and digital processing are among the Bravia 7 II's strongest assets and one of Sony's biggest advantages over the competition. Sony has handled digital image processing well for years, and it shows here too. Above all, the "Smooth Gradation" function works very well; it can smooth weak tonal transitions in lower-quality content. It's safest to set it to Low, but we'd comfortably recommend Medium as well. The effect is stronger then, and the TV still handles details very delicately. Some fine detail may be slightly smoothed, but Sony does it much more subtly than many other brands. The upscaling itself also performs very well. Lower-resolution sources are well upscaled to 4K; the picture looks clean and retains a lot of detail. Of course the TV won't magically turn native HD material into true 4K, but the Bravia 7 II does a very good job with what can be extracted from such a source.

The X75WL features a 60 Hz panel, making it more suited for movie-watching than high-speed gaming. It is equipped with a motion smoother function called Motionflow, which allows users to adjust picture fluidity on a 10-point scale. This function adds intermediate frames, improving motion smoothness and creating a more cinematic effect by reducing choppiness. Additionally, the clarity adjustment helps reduce motion blur, making it particularly beneficial for fast-paced scenes like sports or dynamic action sequences in films. With these settings, users can fine-tune the fluidity and sharpness of motion to their preferences.

The Bravia 7 II uses a 120 Hz panel, so in terms of motion smoothness it delivers everything you’d expect from a TV in this class. With sports or games at 120 fps the picture is appropriately smooth, and for movies Sony provides an advanced motion smoothing feature. You can adjust the level of interpolation separately and decide whether you want to keep a more cinematic motion or achieve noticeably smoother motion. The issue of motion blur is a bit worse. The VA panel used isn’t among the fastest, and you can notice a slight trail behind moving objects, especially on darker backgrounds. It’s not at a level that will be highly distracting during normal viewing, but last year’s Bravia 7 performed better in this respect and had a noticeably faster panel.

The X75WL is not the best television for gamers, as it lacks some key features that more demanding users expect. While it includes the Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) and a basic Game Bar, these are not sufficient for a truly immersive gaming experience. In this price range, features like VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) and a 120 Hz refresh rate—at least in Full HD—have become standard, but unfortunately, these are missing in the X75WL. This is a significant drawback for Sony, as the competition offers more advanced gaming features at a similar price.

The Bravia 7 II essentially has everything you'd expect from a good console TV today. It supports 4K at 120 Hz, VRR from 48 to 120 Hz, and ALLM, so when you start a game the TV automatically switches to low-latency mode. There's also a properly working HGiG, which means that after setting up HDR on the console the TV won't try to further brighten the image on its own. Just remember to turn off tone mapping in the TV's menu. Dolby Vision in game mode is another plus, especially for Xbox owners. Sony also includes its own Game Menu. From it you can quickly view key signal information, check VRR, or change gaming settings without digging through the TV's entire menu. The only thing missing from the feature list is support for 1440p at 120 Hz.

Our biggest complaint is not really with the features themselves, but with the connectors. The Bravia 7 II has four HDMI ports, but only two of them support full HDMI 2.1 at 48 Gbps. One of those is also an eARC port. So if you connect a soundbar or AV receiver via HDMI, in practice you have only one full HDMI 2.1 port left for a console or PC. With a single console that's fine, but with a PS5, an Xbox, and an audio setup it starts to get tight. That's hard to justify from Sony. Two HDMI 2.1 ports might be acceptable in cheaper TVs, but in a model of this class, especially in 2026, we'd expect all four ports to be HDMI 2.1.