Sony’s new Bravia 5 model combines advanced mini-LED backlighting, professional-grade processing, and gaming features in a more approachable 65-inch package, offering a significant upgrade over previous mid-range TVs.
Sony’s Bravia 5 suggests the company has finally found a convincing way to bring its picture-processing strengths to a more approachable price tier. The 65-inch model combines mini-LED backlighting, local dimming and a 120Hz panel with Google TV, and the result is a set that looks far closer to Sony’s higher-end screens than past mid-range efforts did. TechRadar’s testing found strong contrast, vivid but controlled colour, and very limited blooming, while the sound was clean and unusually detailed for an integrated TV speaker system.
The display hardware is central to that improvement. RTINGS says the Bravia 5 uses mini-LED backlighting with significantly more dimming zones than its predecessor, and TechRadar’s own count put the 65-inch set at 240 zones. That matters because it allows the TV to hold bright highlights against dark backgrounds with less obvious haloing. TechRadar measured peak HDR brightness at nearly 900 nits on a 10 per cent window, alongside around 595 nits on a full-field HDR pattern, which helps explain why the set looks strong in both dark scenes and brighter living rooms.
Sony’s image processing remains a major part of the appeal. The Bravia 5 uses the company’s XR processor and still leans on Sony’s studio-facing calibration approach, including presets aimed at matching professional mastering monitors. TechRadar found the Professional mode particularly accurate, with errors well below the point at which most viewers would notice them. The review also noted that the set does not offer Filmmaker Mode or HDR10+, but it does support Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG, and Sony continues to push some SDR content into HDR on selected presets.
Gaming support is solid, if not class-leading. Two of the four HDMI ports carry full HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, enabling 4K at 120Hz, variable refresh rate and auto low latency mode. RTINGS also points to G-SYNC and HDMI Forum VRR support on those ports. Sony’s PlayStation 5-specific features remain a clear advantage, including Auto HDR Tone Mapping, and TechRadar said that the TV felt responsive enough for modern console and PC play, even if some rivals now offer broader feature sets across more HDMI inputs.
The Bravia 5 is not cheap in absolute terms, particularly at 65 inches, and that affects its value argument. TechRadar noted that TCL’s aggressively priced C7K undercuts it by a wide margin, while still offering a bright mini-LED picture and stronger gaming specification in some areas. Even so, the Sony counters with better balance, more refined processing and a more polished all-round experience. For buyers who want a mid-range TV that still feels distinctly premium, the Bravia 5 is a significant step forward for Sony.
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