Sony Bravia 9 Mini-Led Review (Long-term): The OLED Killer?

2024 was an exciting year for premium TVs. LG is pushing the boundaries of OLED with its G4 series and new MLA (Micro Lens Array) tech. Samsung is doubling down on its Neo QLED lineup and rolling out its brightest QD-OLED panels to date. In this fiercely competitive flagship arena, Sony’s answer is the BRAVIA 9 (XR90) — a no-compromise Mini LED TV that blends bleeding-edge hardware with Sony’s hallmark image processing.

Sony was so confident about its BRAVIA 9, backed by XR Backlight Master Drive, that it compared it to this $40,000 reference monitor, which was often used by top Hollywood and Indian cinema directors last year. The TV comes with a refined local dimming algorithm and an updated panel that can reach up to 2800 nits of peak brightness in its most accurate picture mode. That’s brighter than almost anything in its class, OLED or otherwise.

But Sony isn’t alone in chasing Mini LED perfection. Samsung’s QN90D and LG’s QNED99 are also gunning for the crown, often at slightly lower price points — making the BRAVIA 9’s ₹449,990 tag a bit premium.

Is this the best LCD TV Sony has ever built? Is the Sony Bravia 9 the best Mini LED TV you can buy right now? Let’s address that in this long-term review:

Sony Bravia 9 Review: Design & Build

There’s no mistaking the Sony BRAVIA 9 (XR90) for anything less than a flagship TV. From the moment you unbox it—or rather, attempt to, since it tips the scales at a hefty 42.3 kg—its elegance sets the tone for everything it delivers on screen.

Sony calls it the “One Slate” design. The nearly bezel-less panel is framed by a slim gunmetal edge that feels every bit as premium as it looks. The top left and right sides are bordered by a clean, dark metallic band, and at the bottom, there’s a slightly thicker bezel without feeling bulky.

Turn around the TV, and the back design reveals a grid of subtle black squares across the plastic panel, similar to what we have seen before in Sony TVs. As you’d expect from a premium 2025 Mini LED TV, all connections are smartly side-facing, neatly tucked behind a detachable snap-on panel. Thank you, Sony, for not ignoring cable management.

Sony gives you two setup options: stand feet or wall-mounting. The stand feet can be placed either wide at the ends of the panel or centred for smaller surfaces. You also have the option to position them high or low, depending on whether you plan to place a soundbar underneath.

Wall mounting is clean and minimal—but a heads-up: In India, wall mount installation costs ₹1,000, while tabletop setup costs ₹2,500. Sony’s engineers will handle the installation, but you’ll want to make that choice when scheduling.If you’re looking at the Sony BRAVIA 9 and wondering what ports it offers, here’s a full breakdown. All ports are neatly arranged in a side-facing layout behind a snap-on plastic panel, making wall-mounting or cable hiding super simple. It’s one of the best implementations for cable management, so well done, Sony.

Sony Bravia 9 Review: Connectivity, I/O & Remote

If you’re looking at the Sony BRAVIA 9 and wondering what ports it offers, here’s a full breakdown. All ports are neatly arranged in a side-facing layout behind a snap-on plastic panel, making wall-mounting or cable hiding super simple. It’s one of the best implementations for cable management, so well done, Sony.

Sony BRAVIA 9 Port List (2024 Model – XR90):

• 4x HDMI ports
  • HDMI 3: Supports eARC for soundbar or AV receiver
  • HDMI 3 & HDMI 4: Full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1, capable of:
    • 4K at 120Hz
    • Variable Refresh Rate (VRR)
    • Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)
  • HDMI 1 & HDMI 2: Standard HDMI 2.0
• 2x USB ports
• Optical Audio Out / S-Center Speaker In combo
• Ethernet LAN port
• RS-232C for automation and custom control setups
• IR In
• Coaxial antenna input
• Physical mic on/off switch for far-field voice controls

Here’s the part that might frustrate PS5 or Xbox Series X gamers: despite being a premium flagship TV, the Sony BRAVIA 9 only includes two HDMI 2.1 ports. That means:

• If you’re using HDMI 3 for eARC (for your soundbar or AV receiver),
• You’re left with just one HDMI 2.1 port for next-gen gaming.

In contrast, LG and Samsung 2024 flagship TVs offer four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports, giving gamers more flexibility with consoles, media players, and high-end receivers.

That said, the BRAVIA 9 does support all major gaming features:

• 4K 120Hz gameplay
• VRR and ALLM
• Low input lag performance

So if you’re using only one console and a soundbar, you’re covered — but if you have both PlayStation 5 and Xbox X gaming console or advanced AV setups may find the port count limiting.

Sony bundles an Eco Remote with the Bravia 9. The Eco Remote is made using recycled post-consumer plastic and drops traditional batteries in favour of USB-C recharging. Although it’s still a step behind Samsung’s solar-powered remotes, it feels more sturdy and comfortable in the hand. You’ll find backlit buttons, which are practical and useful, especially in dim lighting.

Sony Bravia 9 Review: Hardware and Software

The Sony BRAVIA 9 (XR90) is one of the best Mini LED TVs of 2024. This flagship Mini LED TV gets Sony’s proprietary XR Backlight Master Drive, which uses a 22-bit driver system to control thousands of mini LEDs. This resulted in a massive 325% increase in local dimming zones over last year’s X95L.

Sony uses its latest-gen XR Cognitive Processor as a brain for image and motion handling. It uses XR Clear Image for 4K upscaling that preserves texture and sharpness and XR Motion Clarity for smoothing fast action scenes without the dreaded soap opera effect. There’s scene-based tone mapping that analyzes and optimizes in real-time, frame by frame.

This TV doesn’t just look good—it feels fast, too. Boot time is quick, apps load nearly instantly, and switching between Netflix, YouTube, or Sony LIV is buttery smooth. The Google TV interface has been polished to near-perfection here, and 32GB of onboard storage means plenty of room for apps, games, or system updates.

Also, it listens. The far-field microphones built into the BRAVIA 9 are snappy and accurate with Google Assistant voice commands. Ask it to play Reacher and it launched Prime Videos.

Sony Bravia 9 Review: Picture Quality

Over the last decade, OLED has usually been awarded the best TV of the year, not just at the Smartprix People’s Choice awards but also on various global forums. This year, Sony changed that notion and managed to win Best TV of 2024 at the Smartprix awards based on its performance.  

The Sony BRAVIA 9 (XR90) flagship Mini LED TV for 2024 is not just bright — it’s smart, surgically precise, and tuned with intent. For the first time, I found myself watching it and forgetting it wasn’t OLED. That’s not something I say lightly.

Sony’s XR Backlight Master Drive is doing real work here. It’s paired with a local dimming algorithm that flexes some of the most intelligent zone control we’ve seen in a consumer-grade LED. The result is deep, fluid blacks and highlight detail that practically sparkles — all without the harsh haloing or light bleed that usually gives LCDs away in dark rooms.

You can see this in scenes from Culinary Class Wars. Food plates looked stunning in pitch-black backgrounds.

HDR? Simply fantastic. Specular highlights punch hard, blacks stay clean, and mid-tones carry nuance and texture. Check out the scene n when watching Top Gun: Maverick Sequence where Tom Cruise sees admiral Cain for the first time; the TV showcases its HDR provinces when light seeps through window blinds and falls on Cain’s face.

Dirty screen effect (DSE), no obvious banding, and only the lightest touch of gradation issues in compressed content — which, let’s face it, plagues nearly every TV.

Sony’s processing pedigree hasn’t skipped a beat. Powered by the XR Cognitive Processor, the BRAVIA 9 aces motion processing with Judder-free 24fps playback and also Stutter-free 50Hz broadcast performance.

Even watching old sitcoms like Friends and mythological series like Raman and Sagar’s Ramayana, the TV did amazingly well in upscaling 1080p and fewer signals. Upscaling it to 4K was clean with no forced edge enhancement or ringing. Sony’s XR Clear Image algorithm enhances and preserves colour tone mapping, which feels subtle and cinematic.

Smooth motion, with a granular MotionFlow menu that lets you avoid the Soap Opera Effect when fine-tuning. I used the Frame interpolation feature when watching sports. Be cautious, though. If you crank it up too high, you’ll invite artefacts and weird motion breaks.

If you want the most accurate colours, you can use Braiva 9’s Professional Mode. It is one of the most precise out-of-the-box colour profiles on any TV launched in 2024. Sony showcased us a demo comparing it to their most expansive reference monitor, which costs $40,000. It appeared accurate—with stunning colour, highlight detail, and mid-tone depth.

No TV is perfect, so the BRAVIA 9 also has a couple of issues. The viewing angles aren’t the best in the business. Move off-axis, and you’ll see slight gamma shifts, desaturation, and blooming around bright objects.

Sony’s BRAVIA 9 (XR90) almost matches OLED in black levels while beating them in terms of brightness and image fidelity. With elite local dimming, spectacular HDR rendering, near-OLED dark room chops, and top-tier processing, this is the best Mini LED TV Sony has ever made.

Sony Bravia 9 Review: Gaming

Sony’s BRAVIA 9 is a capable gaming TV, especially if you own a PlayStation 5. Thanks to its native 120Hz refresh rate, the Bravia 9 checks all the key boxes for serious gamers: VRR, ALLM, low input lag, and even support for 4K Dolby Vision gaming (something not all high-end TVs can boast yet).

One of the biggest perks of pairing a PS5 with a Bravia 9 is that it activates Auto HDR Tone Mapping and Auto Genre Picture Mode automatically — no menu-diving or manual tweaking required.

Sony’s Game Menu is straightforward and responsive.  It provides essential tools like Black Equalizer and customizable crosshairs, allowing for quick in-game adjustments.

And yes, games like Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Black Myth: Wukong and God of War Ragnarök are absolutely gorgeous here. I tested them at 4K with HDR and VRR enabled, hitting frame rates up to 120Hz, and I never once saw stutter, screen tearing, or lag-induced weirdness.

Sony Bravia 9 Review: Audio

The Sony BRAVIA 9 (XR90) has one of the best audio performances we have heard on any 2024 TV—and yes, it’s actually good enough. However, it is not comparable to a soundbar.

Thanks to Acoustic Multi-Audio+, the sound feels like it’s coming from the screen itself. Beam tweeters handle overhead effects, frame tweeters add width, and subwoofers bring real punch. It’s a full 2.2.2-channel setup with Dolby Atmos and DTS support, and the result is a wide, decent soundstage with crisp dialogue.

Sony continues to offer Acoustic Center Sync, which lets you use the TV as a centre channel when connected to a compatible Bravia Theater Bar via an S-Center cable. I tested it with the Theater Bar 9 + SW3 sub, and the integration was seamless and cinematic.

There’s even Voice Zoom 3, which can boost dialogue when paired with external speakers — helpful for talk-heavy content or late-night viewing.

Sony Bravia 9 vs Rivals (Comparison)

Review Verdict: Should You Buy the Sony Bravia 9?

The Sony Bravia 9 (XR90) is a best Mini LED TV you can buy today, offering exceptional picture and audio quality. Its seamless PS5 integration and smart Google TV interface add to its appeal. However, its premium price and limited HDMI 2.1 ports may deter some buyers. If cinematic performance and excellent audio are priorities, the Bravia 9 is a leading choice. But for wider viewing angles or more HDMI flexibility, OLED or QD-OLED might be preferable. This is one of the best Mini LED TVs available in India as of April 2025.

Smartprix ⭐ Rating: 8.1 out of 10

• Design and Build: 8/10
• SDR Performance: 8/10
• HDR Performance: 8/10
• Upscaling: 8/10
• Gaming: 9/10
• Audio: 8/10
• Software: 8/10
• Remote: 8.2/10

First reviewed in April 2025.