Sony Bravia 2 II Led 43" (2026) + Sony HT-SF150

I find the Bravia 2 II to be a particularly surprising TV. For instance, the LED screen is brighter than I had expected beforehand, and thanks to the anti-reflective coating, I am hardly bothered by ambient light. Additionally, the TV has a 50Hz refresh rate, yet I still watch smooth movements and action. Unfortunately, the TV lacks local dimming, and dark scenes are less realistic.

Surprisingly bright LED screen The Bravia 2 II features a standard LED LCD screen, without local dimming. Behind this 4K screen are LED lights that illuminate the pixels in the image, but without dimming zones. With most TVs, this means the screen is not bright enough for a brightly lit room, and you miss details in dark scenes, especially during the day. The Bravia 2 II largely breaks this trend. You notice that dark scenes are less vivid and black often appears somewhat grayish, but at the same time, the TV is surprisingly bright. This allows me to watch a movie or series without any problems, regardless of how much light is shining in the room. Hardly any reflections This television performs well not only in a well-lit room due to its high brightness. The Bravia 2 II also features an anti-reflective coating over the screen that blocks a lot of ambient light. Because of this, I recommend the TV if you enjoy watching TV programs during the day or if you like watching a sports match with many friends. You won't see any distracting light sources on the screen, whether you are sitting directly in front of the TV or looking at the screen from an angle.

Smooth images Despite the 50Hz refresh rate, the Bravia 2 II displays smooth images in many different types of content. For instance, I don't miss a single detail in busy movie scenes and I can see exactly who wins the photo finish in an exciting race. With 4 HDMI 2.0 connections, the TV is primarily intended for TV programs, movies, and series. You also watch smooth motion in single-player games, but for online games, the refresh rate might fall a bit short. That is where a 100Hz TV really makes the difference.

We are reasonably pleased with this Sony Bravia TV. The first thing is how beautiful the picture is. Everything looks sharp, clear, and colorful. Whether you are watching a movie, playing a game, or just watching TV, the image looks good. The nature documentaries in 4K are particularly stunning.

The sound also stands out positively. Voices are easy to understand and the sound is nice and full. However, we were unable to get the ARC function via HDMI to work properly with our Dolby system. This might be due to our setup, but it takes more time and effort than we had expected. Although the sound is still very good without external Dolby.

We find setting up the TV a bit less pleasant. To use everything, we have to use or create multiple accounts. We also find Google TV quite cluttered by default, with many apps and services that we don't use. Fortunately, you can customize the home screen to your own taste later.

During use, we encountered a few minor issues. The TV turns on automatically when an HDMI device is switched on, but does not always select the correct input. The TV also sometimes turns off when we switch off a device while watching via another source. We haven't yet found a way to disable this.

The Bravia app doesn't always work very well for us. The connection to the TV drops regularly, causing us to reach for the remote control often. The connection with our smart home, on the other hand, works fine, and the voice control does what it's supposed to do. We find the two included remotes a bit excessive; one would have been enough for us.

All in all, we think this is a nice television with a beautiful picture and good sound. If Sony makes the setup and operation a bit simpler and better, that would be even better as far as we are concerned. Hopefully, an update for the controls will be released.

We have had the Sony Bravia for a few weeks now, and we can definitely say that it is a television that impresses, especially during use. The picture quality is truly superb. Whether we were watching a movie, playing a PS4 game, or just watching a TV program (via NLziet), the image was sharp, clear, and full of color. Non-4K images also look good. But a nature documentary in 4K is truly amazing.

The sound is also excellent. Voices in conversations are clearly understandable, and the sound is full during action sequences or in a game. Unfortunately, however, we were unable to get the ARC function working properly via HDMI with our Dolby system. This might be due to our specific setup, but it took more time than expected. The TV's sound, on the other hand, certainly makes a good impression.

Not everything is equally pleasing. For example, the initial setup. We found that quite cumbersome. To use all the functions, we had to create multiple accounts or log in. Google TV also feels a bit overwhelming at first. For instance, it features many apps and streaming services that we do not use. Fortunately, you can customize the home screen to your liking later on. However, it does take some effort. Installing apps to your liking is quick after a full installation, and finding them works well.

During use, we noticed a few minor points that we didn't like. The television switches on automatically as soon as an HDMI device is turned on, but does not always select the correct HDMI source. Additionally, the TV sometimes turned off completely when we switched off an HDMI device, even though we had already switched to Google TV. We have not yet been able to discover if this can be adjusted via a setting.

A plus point is that functions such as power settings, sound settings, and channel/input selection are quickly accessible. This allows you to switch to your favorite setting quickly.

The Bravia app worked inconsistently for us and regularly loses connection with the television. Ultimately, we therefore mainly use the remote control and our smart home. That connection with our smart home, however, went smoothly, and voice control also works well. We haven't actually used the second included remote control yet. All in all, we consider the Sony Bravia a beautiful television with excellent picture and sound quality. If Sony makes the installation and especially the operation a bit simpler, this would be an even more complete package as far as we are concerned.