Review: Sony Bravia 5 Mini-LED TV

Mini-LED TVs are cheaper than ever; you can get a very decent TCL or Hisense model for well south of a thousand bucks. So why would you pay more for a Sony with similar specs? The new Bravia 5 QLED has a wide array of dimming zones and identical processing to Sony’s top models, in addition to supporting Nvidia G-Sync for gaming.

Great processing and some pretty sweet Sony-exclusive streaming software mean that the Bravia 5 is actually a very competitive TV for a thousand bucks, even if it doesn’t quite beat similarly priced OLEDs on sale. It’s not the best value you’ll find, but Sony is known for quality, and you get what you pay for.

If you've been looking for a new screen, especially a large one, and you like watching movies on discs or via your own media server, this Sony model might be the one for you.

Being Bravia

Photograph: Parker Hall

Whether it’s headphones, TVs, or a Walkman, it doesn’t matter what you buy from Sony: You can expect a shockingly convoluted naming system. Sony has now decided all its TVs should be Bravias. The new Sony Bravia 5 replaces the old Sony Bravia X90L, where it sits between the Bravia 2 II (yep) and the Bravia 3, and below the Bravia 7 and 9 QLED models. Don’t bother worrying about the Bravia 8 II, which is an OLED.

This screen looks like the vast majority of modern TVs, with thin bezels, two relatively center-mounted legs (good for smaller TV stands), and 4 HDMI inputs (two HDMI 2.1) on the left-hand side of the display. Setup was made especially easy by the fact that the legs click into the bottom of the screen without the need for a screwdriver. This is the type of elegant design choice you expect from a Sony TV, as opposed to more affordable brands.

One thing I’m not in love with is the remote. It’s a boring hunk of plastic without the solar charging of Samsung’s, the point-and-shoot ability of LG’s, and the backlight of TCL’s. It has nice rubbery buttons, but I do miss a backlit remote in dark rooms, and I hate AAA batteries.

Photograph: Parker Hall

The Bravia 5 comes with Google TV, which ties with Roku for me when it comes to the best TV OS these days. As an Android phone user and someone who uses Google for everything—inside of work and out—it’s really nice to just quickly log in with a QR code and have everything set itself up. I also really love that Google TVs can be made to show recent Google Photos of loved ones when in standby mode. It’s nice to see a picture of my wife or daughter while I am messing around with boxes in my review space, and I imagine it wouldn’t get old in my actual living room.

The TV has AirPlay and Chromecast built in, so casting from any phone is easy. I used it to watch the F1 finale on F1 TV with great ease and effect.

High-End Processing for the Mid Tier

Processing, as I mentioned, is the key reason to choose Sony over other makers. It has some of the finest image processing and upscaling on the market, and this model shares the same XR chip as even its highest-end TVs. That means that despite display differences, you still get the same insane picture processing as the prettiest TVs on the market, not a dumbed-down version.

You also get access to Sony Pictures Core streaming software, which allows you to stream Sony’s library of films at full lossless bit rates akin to 4K Blu-ray discs (and sometimes better than). You get five free films with the purchase of a Sony TV, and you can also purchase more films or rent films after the five run out. I used it to watch Spider-Man: No Way Home, and it looked as good as anything I’ve seen from my Panasonic 4K Blu-ray player.

Speaking of 4K Blu-rays, this TV really showed off its excellent processing when in Movie mode and watching a recently acquired copy of Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. The gorgeous use of light and shadow was presented without aggressive blooming, and the colors looked deep and well-saturated. A scene where the two leads face the Golden Gate Bridge looks particularly like a painting on this screen, praise that belongs to the XR chip and Sony’s excellent use of multi-zone, mini-LED backlighting.

Photograph: Parker Hall

Streaming apps delivered still-great quality, and it also did well in darker scenes from Apple TV’s Pluribus, and in Sport mode when streaming F1. Colors were vivid, and the TV’s 120-Hz refresh rate was on full display, but not quite as heavily as when I plugged in Sony’s PlayStation 5 Pro. Gran Turismo looks smooth and realistic in Gaming mode, with the variable refresh rate helping everything stay smooth, even when doing hard-to-process things like wet races in shiny cars.

This screen is available in a wide variety of sizes, from 55 inches all the way up to a gargantuan 98 inches (enjoy hanging that on the wall), and I imagine the higher sizes are likely where a lot of folks will shop for this model rather than a significantly pricier option in Bravias 7, 8, or 9.

Competitors include the TCL QM6K, Hisense U8QG, and Samsung QN80F. The TCL is cheaper, looks brighter, and has an equally usable interface. The Sony has better, more natural processing. The Hisense is a bit harsher-looking but does awesome in the brightest rooms, making it a great choice for anyone who doesn’t want or need Sony Pictures Core and watches more casually. Samsung has amazing mini-LED quantum dot panels, but an annoying interface and no Dolby Vision support.

Sony is clearly a premium choice in this category for processing, but given that it does cost a fair amount more than the competition and the screen isn't as bright, it is worth asking yourself: How often do I plan on watching high-end content on this TV?

If you’ve been growing your digital media, Plex server, or 4K Blu-ray collection, the Sony might be the better buy. If not, more affordable brands with equally great streaming apps (and nearly identical displays) might work great, especially in brighter rooms.