Name: Sony BRAVIA 3 II
Brand: Sony

A big screen makes an old TV episode bigger, including the blocks around moving faces and the soft edges of the original picture. Sony’s BRAVIA 3 II does some of its best work on that everyday material. How it looks with the lights out, or opposite a bright window, needs a more precise answer. Even the screen finish changes with size.

Picture Processing

4K LCD
XR Processor
Google TV

RTINGS tested the 65-inch set and found that it cleaned up blocky streams and enlarged lower-resolution material without obvious artificial edges. That helps with an ordinary cable channel or a favorite show that was never released in 4K. In a dark room, the same sample struggled to keep blacks deep and even. Processing can improve the incoming picture, but the backlight still lights a bright subtitle and its surroundings together. ¹

Screen Finish & Viewing Angles

50 & 55 inches: glossy
65 & 75 inches: matte
65-inch IPS test

The 65- and 75-inch screens have a matte finish. The 50- and 55-inch screens are glossy, so a window reflected in them is easier to see. RTINGS identifies a VA panel in the 50-inch and an IPS panel in the 65-inch set it tested. Expect deeper blacks on the 50-inch for a film watched straight on in a dark room. Its narrower viewing angle makes it a poorer fit for people at the ends of a wide sofa. The measured black levels and reflections apply to the 65-inch sample. ¹ Before choosing a size, check where the room’s brightest window will appear from your usual seat.

Gaming & HDMI

120Hz native refresh
Variable refresh rate
Four HDMI inputs

Sony supports a 4K signal at 120Hz on all four inputs. With a compatible TV audio system occupying the return-audio port, two consoles and a PC can stay plugged into the other three. Variable refresh can match the TV to a game whose frame rate fluctuates. This is useful for a changing frame rate even if the game never reaches 120 frames per second.

Smart TV & Audio

Google TV
Chromecast & AirPlay
55-inch speaker output: 20 W

The BRAVIA runs Google TV with Chromecast built in and also supports Apple AirPlay. That lets guests send a compatible video from either phone platform without taking an HDMI socket. Sony rates the speakers in the 55-inch model at 20 watts total. Sound from the internal apps can go to a receiver or bar over eARC.

Size & Installation

55-inch set with stand: 30.1 lb
Stand depth: 10.25 in
VESA: 300 × 300 mm

The 55-inch set is 48.25 inches wide. On its supplied stand it is 30.63 inches high and 10.25 inches deep, a useful check for a shallow media cabinet. It weighs 30.1 pounds with the stand. The mounting holes on this size are 300 × 300 mm apart. Sony also lists larger standard and club models, so check the complete model code when reusing a bracket.

Alternatives

If most of your viewing is a film after the lights go out, RTINGS found the locally dimmed TCL QM6K delivered deeper blacks and more distinct bright highlights. ¹ A household mainly watching daytime TV and mixed-quality video has more to gain from Sony’s processing.

Verdict

Choose the BRAVIA 3 II for the channels and sources you watch most. Treat size and finish as a pair when ordering, especially if you’ve seen a different size in a showroom.

Sony BRAVIA 3 II review

Pros

Cons