The Sony Bravia 8 II launched to wide acclaim earlier this year – but Sony hasn't forgotten about its predecessor, the Sony Bravia 8.
Rather than let the model gather dust, the Japanese tech giant is launching a new, budget version: the Bravia 8A OLED TV.
The bad news? The Sony Bravia 8A is the same as the original Bravia 8, but with two downgrades: the remote does not come with a backlight, and you only get 5 credits and 12 months of streaming for Sony Pictures Core, rather than the 12 credits and 24 months of the Bravia 8.
The good news? The Bravia 8A has just had £700 slashed off the launch price. This makes it a good £200 cheaper than the Bravia 8 right now. Just be aware that the launch date is 25th November!
While we have not yet tested the upcoming Sony Bravia 8A, we have reviewed – and were very impressed by – the near-identical Sony Bravia 8.
The Sony Bravia 8 – and by extension the 8A – produces an incredibly bright and sharp image, with best-in-class motion handling as illustrated by a screening of Blade Runner 2049.
"Watching Ryan Gosling’s character fly into a dusty protein farm, motion handling is beautiful and we don’t see any artefacts as his car zooms over the landscape and a recon drone examines the scene," our review reads. "Dark areas retain oodles of detail, with every crinkle in the sofa in Dave Bautista's home being apparent."
The Sony Bravia 8/8A also has surprisingly good audio for a built-in TV speaker system, offering control and spaciousness even at high volumes. Perfect for anyone yet to invest in a soundbar or surround sound.
Two of the four HDMI inputs support 4K/120Hz signals for the gamers out there, while the Google TV OS has the full suite of apps – including international heavy-hitters Netflix, Disney Plus, Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime Video as well as terrestrial favourites BBC iPlayer, ITV X, Channel 4 and Channel 5.
HDR10, Dolby Vision and HLG are all supported, as well as an IMAX Enhanced picture mode, though cinephiles will note that HDR10+ is missing.
So long as you don't mind fumbling in the dark for the remote occasionally, the Sony Bravia 8A is an excellent variant with the same AV performance as the five-star Bravia 8. Be one of the first to own this model with £700 off at Sevenoaks.
MORE:
Check out our full Sony Bravia 8 review
Do also consider the LG C5
And here are all of the best OLED TVs available right now
