Amid all the excitement surrounding Sony’s announcement of its flagship Bravia 9 TVs for 2024, complete with their groundbreaking new brightness-boosting mini LED backlight technology, there was a surprise disappointment in store for AV fans in Europe when it was revealed that the 65-inch Bravia 9 was only going to be launched in the U.S. Anyone wanting to buy a Bravia 9 in Europe—including the U.K.—was only going to be able to get their hands on the 75 and 85-inch Bravia 9 models.
This might not sound like too bad a thing on the surface; after all, a premium TV range like the Bravia 9s with their advanced Mini LED lighting and unprecedented local dimming system are surely going to be at their home theater best when showing what they can do on the biggest screen sizes possible. The only problem with this argument, though, is that the Bravia 9s have a premium price tag to go with their flagship status—so taking away the 65-inch model put the price of Bravia 9 entry simply beyond the reach of many potential buyers.
Many technology journalists at the time were puzzled by the decision, while European AV consumers were so frustrated by the lack of access to the 65-inch Bravia 9 (no definitive explanation was given for the missing screen sizes beyond general “market differences”) that a petition was started on change.org to try and persuade Sony to change its mind.
Well, it seems that Sony was listening. For today it has announced that it is now going to be adding the 65-inch Bravia 9 to its range across Europe after all.
Whatever issues might have been behind the 65-inch Bravia 9’s initial European absence seem to still be causing a wrinkle or two, as according to Sony’s announcement the model is not scheduled to arrive on European shores until November. Sony has also not confirmed the 65-inch Bravia 9’s final UK/Europe pricing at the time of writing; hopefully it will appear later today when the set is added to Sony’s websites, at which point I will update this story right away.
In the US, though, the 65-inch Bravia 9 (AKA the K-65XR90) currently goes for $2,999.99, while the 75-inch goes for $3,499.99. So it seems certain that the 65-inch model in Europe will do as hoped and give consumers there the cheaper way to access the Bravia 9 technology so many have been hoping for.
I’ve written at length before about why the Bravia 9 is no ordinary TV. Check out this initial explanation of the technology behind it, and this “first look” at the finished TV. But briefly, the Bravia 9s use new XR Backlight Master Drive technology that combines extremely high peak brightness with ultra-precise backlight control, complete with thousands of separate mini-LED dimming zones, to deliver unprecedented contrast in a bid to keep pace with the new high dynamic range mastering potential opened up by Sony Professional’s new HX3110 mastering monitor.
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