Sony Bravia 9 II

The Sony Bravia 9 II is the most technically ambitious TV on this list and, for the right buyer, the most rewarding — it's also the clearest example of a set whose weaknesses are worth stating plainly rather than glossing over. Its True RGB Mini-LED backlight measured 3,990 nits on a 10% window in Professional Mode during TechRadar's early testing, with roughly 827 nits sustained full-screen, figures that are independently measured rather than manufacturer-claimed, unlike several rivals on this list. Sony doesn't publish an official zone count, but backlight teardown analysis estimates roughly 1,530 zones, contributing to a 9.6 dimming score — third-best on this list, behind only the TCL QM9K's perfect 10 and the Hisense U8QG's 9.8. Where the Bravia 9 II falls down hard is gaming: a 120Hz panel and just two HDMI 2.1 ports, at a $3,599.99 price point, is a genuinely weak spec sheet next to the Samsung QN90F's four full-bandwidth ports and 165Hz support, or even the Hisense UR9's three ports plus DisplayPort at $1,600 less. It does support 4K/120, VRR, ALLM and PS5 auto HDR tone mapping, so a single current-gen console will run well — but this is not a multi-console or PC-gaming TV, and its 1.0 gaming score, the lowest on this entire list, reflects that honestly. What you're paying for instead is reference-grade picture and sound: a redesigned Acoustic Multi-Audio+ system with up-firing beam tweeters, frame tweeters, dual midrange drivers and dual subwoofers delivers some of the best built-in audio here, and the True RGB color volume genuinely exceeds any white-LED mini-LED TV on this list, including the QM9K. On sale since June 3 but still MSRP-level, and new enough that independent measurement suites are still emerging, this is a considered home-theater purchase, not a general living-room upgrade.