Intel's GPU D-series sets a new GPU memory record with 480GB of LPDDR5X
Intel chose LPDDR5X instead of GDDR7 for its high-capacity AI accelerator
The D-series supports models containing up to 300 billion parameters
At the recent Open Compute Project Global Summit, Intel unveiled a graphics processor with up to 480GB of memory, an unusually large capacity designed for demanding AI inference workloads.
The GPU, called Intel GPU D-series and previously known by its Crescent Island codename, also hosts specialized computing hardware.
The Intel D-series has now dethroned Nvidia's Blackwell Ultra B300, which offers 288GB of HBM3e memory, as the data center GPU with the highest memory capacity.
Intel prioritizes memory capacity
Rather than using GDDR7 memory associated with modern graphics cards, Intel has chosen LPDDR5X, a memory technology commonly found in laptops and other power-conscious devices.
The configuration suggests that Intel is prioritizing memory capacity and power efficiency for AI inference instead of designing a conventional gaming graphics card.
Intel says the accelerator can support large language models containing up to 300 billion parameters on one card, while an eight-GPU system can accommodate models exceeding one trillion parameters.
These capabilities are intended for lengthy prompts, simultaneous inference requests, enterprise AI services, and robotics applications requiring responsive processing.
“Inference is becoming the defining AI workload, and enterprises need infrastructure that delivers the right performance at the right cost,” said Anil Nanduri, vice president, AI Products & GTM, Intel Data Center Group.
“With Intel GPU D-series, we're focused on making high-capacity inference practical to deploy and economical to scale.”
The 480GB capacity is particularly relevant when AI systems must keep substantial model weights and associated data accessible during inference.
However, memory capacity alone does not establish how quickly a GPU will serve requests, since performance also depends on bandwidth, computing resources, software, and workload characteristics.
Intel rates the D-series at 1.3 petaflops for FP8 computation, a numerical format commonly used to accelerate AI operations while reducing memory requirements compared with higher-precision formats.
Its 1.5TB/s memory bandwidth provides a separate measure of how quickly data can move between memory and the processor.
Intel wants the accelerator to fit existing data centers
The company specifies a 350W power envelope and a standard PCIe form factor, alongside air cooling and software compatibility across its GPU platforms.
These characteristics are intended to simplify deployment in existing data centers without requiring specialized cooling arrangements or entirely new rack infrastructure.
Intel also plans to connect the accelerator with its Xeon processors, allowing CPUs to coordinate tasks, manage data movement, and handle workloads that do not require GPU acceleration.
This approach addresses AI systems increasingly built around multiple stages, including retrieval, reasoning, orchestration, external tools, and execution.
“Open models are expanding the options enterprises have for deploying AI,” said Nicolas Dubé, corporate vice president, Data Center Systems and Solutions Group, Intel.
“To realize their full potential, organizations need infrastructure that can match different workloads with the right intelligence, right compute resources and right economics. That's what we mean by 'put every prompt in its place.”
As of the time of writing, Intel has not revealed the public retail price or a specific general-availability date for the GPU D-series.
Zotac Magnus One Ultra’s Core Ultra 7 265 delivers 20 cores and speeds of up to 5.3 GHz
Nvidia rates the desktop RTX 5080 at 1,801 AI TOPS for artificial intelligence workloads
The desktop GPU features 10,752 CUDA cores, 336 Tensor cores, and 84 RT cores
Zotac has released a compact desktop computer built around Nvidia's GeForce RTX 5080, with barebones pricing starting at approximately ~ $2,640 in Japan.
The Magnus One Ultra EU275080C combines a desktop graphics card with Intel's Core Ultra 7 265 processor inside an 11.46L enclosure.
The 20-core processor runs at 2.4GHz and boosts up to 5.3GHz, and Zotac says the device is one of the smallest PC to pair a desktop RTX 5080 with a desktop Intel Core Ultra chip.
Desktop RTX 5080 power comes in a compact enclosure
The system uses Nvidia’s Blackwell architecture and supports DLSS 4.5 with Multi-Frame Generation, ray tracing, 4K gaming and local artificial intelligence workloads.
Its desktop RTX 5080 includes 16GB of GDDR7 memory, distinguishing it from compact computers that rely on integrated graphics or mobile GPUs.
The memory runs on a 256-bit bus with 960GB/s of bandwidth, alongside 10,752 CUDA cores, 336 Tensor cores and 84 RT cores.
Nvidia rates the GPU at 1,801 AI TOPS, and it is considered to be about 33% ahead of the RTX 4080 in games.
Nvidia also sells laptop RTX 5080 graphics hardware, but those mobile components are not equivalent to the desktop version.
Zotac fits the hardware inside a chassis measuring 126 x 365.5 x 249 mm, with a total weight of approximately 6.34 kg.
An 850W power supply supports the configuration, while the system offers two memory slots accommodating compatible DDR5 modules and a maximum capacity of 96GB.
The GPU’s 360W rating takes about 42% of that supply, and memory is rated at DDR5-6400 for CSODIMM and 5600 for SODIMM.
Storage expansion comes through two M.2 slots, supporting PCIe 5.0 x4 and PCIe 4.0 x4 connections respectively.
The connectivity options include Thunderbolt 4, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 and eight USB connections (four USB 3.2 Gen 2, four USB 3.2 Gen 1) for peripherals and external devices.
Display outputs comprise three DisplayPort 2.1b connectors, one HDMI 2.1b port, one HDMI 2.0 connection, and a DisplayPort-compatible Thunderbolt 4 port.
Together, these connectors support up to six total displays — or four simultaneous 4K displays driven directly by the dedicated graphics card.
With compatible displays and Display Stream Compression, DisplayPort 2.1b supports configurations reaching 4K at 480Hz or 8K at 165Hz.
The HDMI 2.1b output supports up to 4K at 480Hz or 8K at 120Hz, depending on the connected display and configuration.
Network connectivity includes one 5Gbps Ethernet port and one 1Gbps Ethernet connection, alongside a UHS-II SD card reader and audio inputs.
Barebones pricing leaves buyers to configure the system
Zotac lists several configurations, with Japanese direct-sale prices ranging from ¥418,000 (~$2,647) to ¥750,200 (~$4,750) depending on memory, storage, and operating system.
The entry-level package excludes all three, which means that users interested in this model will have to separately purchase the memory, storage and OS.
A version with 16GB of memory and a 1TB SSD costs ¥522,500 (~$3,309) with Windows 11 Pro installed.
The model with 32GB or 64GB of RAM and a 1TB drive costs ¥561,000 (~$3,552) and ¥654,500 (~$4,144), respectively, while the highest-priced option includes 96GB of memory for ¥750,200 (~$4,750).
There is also a Windows version of the Zotac Magnus One Ultra that comes with 32GB of RAM and two 1TB SSDs and costs ¥588,500 (~$3,727).
Microsoft will make Maia its main inference engine at multi-gigawatt scale, following Google and Amazon into in-house silicon
Microsoft's upcoming Maia 300 trades a modest 36% compute gain for 2.5x Maia 200's memory bandwidth, betting on memory-bound decode, with production in 2027
Hyperscalers supply just over half of Nvidia's data center revenue at a 75% gross margin, so each move to in-house chips affects not only its pricing power but the chip industry's sustainability as a whole
In 2024, Microsoft told the European Commission that Google was the only company vertically integrated at every AI layer, from chips to a mobile app store, and that "everybody else must rely on partnerships to innovate and compete."
Now, it has revealed plans to follow the same route without breaking a sweat.
In an Official Microsoft Blog post, Scott Guthrie, executive vice president of Cloud + AI, said Microsoft will scale its Azure Maia accelerators to multi-gigawatt deployments starting in 2027 and make Maia the primary inference system for Microsoft's products and services.
The vehicle of its choice is Maia 300, which Rani Borkar, president of Azure Hardware Systems and Infrastructure, and Saurabh Dighe, corporate vice president of systems planning and architecture, detail in an architecture deep dive.
Feeding the beast, not growing it, as it takes the Google route
The move is a pointed statement from one of Nvidia's biggest customers, and it lands as bubble worries grow louder. Gartner forecast this week that AI providers will spend nearly $1 trillion on infrastructure in 2026 alone, and that AI revenue won't cover the build-out profitably until at least 2032.
If the largest buyers of AI hardware stop paying Nvidia's margins for the work they do most, the most richly valued part of that build-out starts to look exposed. Whether Maia 300 is the final catalyst for such a move, though, is a harder case to make.
Maia 300 moves from Maia 200's single die to a multi-chiplet package, with compute on TSMC's N2P process and memory-controller and I/O functions split onto separate dies. Eight HBM4 stacks deliver 288GB at 18TB/s per accelerator, against 216GB at 7.1TB/s for Maia 200, according to StorageReview's breakdown of Microsoft's spec sheet.
Microsoft hasn't abandoned compute so much as rebalanced around memory. In decode, the token-by-token phase that dominates long reasoning chains and agent loops, accelerators spend much of their time waiting on data rather than doing arithmetic.
The Maia 300 tries to close that gap by keeping data near the compute that uses it, through a non-uniform memory layout across chiplets, software-managed on-die SRAM, and narrower number formats, including an enhanced MXFP4 and sub-3-bit storage formats, with hardware conversion between them. The Maia 300 announces something the rest of the industry already knew, albeit more subtly: Custom silicon is no longer a side project for hyperscalers.
Google, the company Microsoft singled out two years ago, began recognizing revenue from TPU system sales delivered to customer data centers in the second quarter, CFO Anat Ashkenazi said on Alphabet's July earnings call, while CEO Sundar Pichai said the company is "seeing strong demand for TPUs as standalone systems from other customers."
It isn't the only one either; Anthropic has lined up 3.5GW of TPU capacity through Broadcom for 2027, on top of an earlier deal for up to a million TPUs, and Meta was reported in 2025 to be in talks to rent-cum-purchase them. Amazon has gone the same way. CEO Andy Jassy said in April 2026 that Amazon's chip business, spanning Trainium, Graviton and Nitro, had passed a $20 billion annual revenue run rate and was now "one of the top three data center chip businesses in the world." OpenAI, meanwhile, has lifted the lid on its own Jalapeño accelerator.
Nvidia's margins: the AI holy grail?
The incentive is plain from Nvidia's own results. In the quarter to July 2026, the company reported $96.2 billion in revenue, $89 billion of it from data centers, at a 75% gross margin. CFO Colette Kress put hyperscale revenue at $49 billion on the earnings call, meaning a little over half of Nvidia's data center business comes from a small group of buyers, the biggest of which now design their own accelerators.
Every inference workload that moves in-house is one where that buyer pays closer to manufacturing cost instead of Nvidia's margin. Microsoft told investors in July that Maia 200 was up to 40% cheaper to operate than Nvidia's latest chips on OpenAI and Microsoft models.
It did, however, fail to name a particular GPU it called a "leading GPU-based system," an important distinction given Nvidia's focus on efficiency via Vera Rubin, which OpenAI even refused to compare against outright.
The reveal didn't move stocks much; on Monday, Nvidia shares closed down 1.29% after the reveal, while Microsoft's rose 1.14%, and Microsoft's opaqueness about efficiency gains may be one reason.
The other reason is equally important: Evercore ISI analysts estimate Maia will account for only about 10% of Microsoft's AI chip spending by the first quarter of 2027, CNBC reported, and Nvidia has guided to $108 billion in revenue for the current quarter.
Scale is arguably an ongoing constraint, however; at 167 kW per rack, a gigawatt of rack power is roughly 6,000 Maia 300 racks, or about 575,000 accelerators, before cooling and facility overheads.
Going the Google route hasn't stopped anyone buying from Nvidia either. Amazon, with its "top three" chip business, is still set to take more than 3 million Nvidia GPUs by mid-2028.
Alphabet, which now sells its own TPUs, raised its 2026 capex guidance to between $195 billion and $205 billion in July, lists Vera Rubin alongside its own TPUs, and Ashkenazi said it is "still in a supply constraint environment."
Microsoft keeps Nvidia and AMD for training, and Satya Nadella said earlier in 2026 that "because we can vertically integrate doesn't mean we just only vertically integrate."
Jensen Huang's answer to the custom silicon question on Nvidia's August call could have been written about Maia: "Whereas many of these XPUs are inference-specific chips for one cloud or one service, NVIDIA is a platform." Microsoft's counter-bet is somewhat different: one cloud is big enough.
The deeper problem for the pin theory is that custom silicon changes who collects the margin, not how much gets spent. Gartner warns that the industry needs about $8.5 trillion in revenue between 2026 and 2030 to earn a reasonable return on its build-out, versus no more than $3.6 trillion it expects AI to generate. Microsoft isn't responding by building less; it is planning gigawatts more, and cheaper tokens arguably help close that revenue gap rather than widen it.
Some of what Microsoft saves will also flow elsewhere in the supply chain. Maia 300's pitch rests on HBM4, the same constrained memory Nvidia's Rubin uses at the same 288GB per package, and its compute dies come from TSMC, which supplies everyone.
Google's TPUs are developed and supplied under a long-term agreement with Broadcom, whose CEO Hock Tan said that "many investors in AI don't understand what they're putting their money into," and who expects chip shortages to ease only around 2028 or 2029. Nvidia isn't sitting idle either; it already paid $20 billion to license Groq's SRAM decode technology, a sign it sees the same inference threat coming.
Until production silicon ships and someone outside Microsoft can measure it, Maia 300 is a well-argued design whose most important numbers are ones that only Microsoft has seen, and a reminder that the biggest threat to Nvidia's margins may be its best customers rather than its rivals.
RGB TVs, called ‘True RGB LED’ here by Sony, are still in their infancy, with RGB regularly touted as the technology that will topple OLED at the top of the TV mountain — and of the few I’ve tested so far, the Sony Bravia 9 II is the one that comes closest to succeeding. It takes everything I liked about the step-down Sony Bravia 7 II (also True RGB LED) and levels it up, including picture quality, sound and gaming performance, all of which are up there with the best TVs of 2026.
The Bravia 9 II’s picture quality is its crowning achievement. It delivers vibrant yet accurate-looking colors which make movies pop, fluid motion that’s great for sports and, with its anti-glare matte screen, it’s perfect for bright-room viewing too. Its most impressive elements, though, are its contrast and reproduction of dark tones, which are arguably the best I’ve seen from a backlit TV — if this is what RGB is capable of now, then expect it to rival the very best OLED TVs. While viewing angles could still be better, and some blooming exists, this is an excellent backlit TV.
The Bravia 9 II’s built-in sound is strong overall. Its speakers deliver remarkable detail, with a good sense of space that fills a room more than most TV speakers, and it delivers clear speech. I did find its bass and low-end lacking however, and it didn’t deliver the power I expected; so while the speakers are good enough that you don’t necessarily need one of the best soundbars, cinephiles may want to invest.
Gaming is another of the Bravia 9 II’s strong suits. It comes with a comprehensive set of features, (though sadly only has two HDMI 2.1 ports out of its four HDMIs available), and delivers great overall performance that handles even the fastest-paced games well.
The Bravia 9 II’s major downside is its price. At $3,599 / £3,499 / AU$5,995 for the 65-inch model I tested, this is one of the most expensive TVs on the market, at around a full $500 / £500 / AU$750-1000 dollars more than both rival OLEDs and other RGB TVs. And prices are unlikely to drop, as Sony doesn’t often discount its TVs, so if you’re looking for the best value you may want to go elsewhere, despite this TV’s excellent performance.
Sony Bravia 9 II review: Prices & release date
The Bravia 9 II's colors are one its real strengths (Image credit: Future)
Release date: August 2026
65-inch: $3,599.99 / £3,499.99 / AU$5,995
75-inch: $4,599.99 / £4,299.99 / AU$7,495
85-inch: $6,499.99 / £5,499.99 / AU$9,995
115-inch: $30,999.99 / £22,999.99 / AU$44,995
The Bravia 9 II is Sony’s flagship RGB LED TV for 2026, sitting above the Sony Bravia 7 II. It’s available in 65, 75, 85 and 115-inch sizes. The 65-inch model I tested launched for $3,599.99 / £3,499.99 / AU$5,995, putting it at the premium end of the market.
At the time of writing (October 2026), the Bravia 9 II’s prices remain unchanged in the US and UK, but in Australia prices have dropped across the 65-85-inch sizes, with the 65-inch now available for AU$4,795.
Sony Bravia 9 II review: Specs
Screen type:
RGB LED
Refresh rate:
120Hz
HDR support:
Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG
Audio support:
Dolby Atmos, DTS:X
Smart TV:
Google TV
HDMI ports:
4 (2x HDMI 2.1)
Built-in tuner:
ATSC 1.0 (US)
Sony Bravia 9 II review: Benchmark results
1 / 4
Brightness Measurements
Taken using a colorimeter and test pattern generator. Click the test name for measurements and select the chosen test from the dropdown menu.
Sony Bravia 9 II
HDR Filmmaker Mode (10% window)
4416
HDR Filmmaker Mode (Fullscreen)
974
Samsung R95H
HDR Filmmaker Mode (10% window)
1977
HDR Filmmaker Mode (Fullscreen)
612
Sony Bravia 7 II
HDR Filmmaker Mode (10% window)
1114
HDR Filmmaker Mode (Fullscreen)
829
01,5003,0004,5006,000
nits
HDR Filmmaker mode Data
Product
HDR Filmmaker Mode (10% window) (nits)
HDR Filmmaker Mode (Fullscreen) (nits)
Sony Bravia 9 II
4416
974
Samsung R95H
1977
612
Sony Bravia 7 II
1114
829
Sony Bravia 9 II
HDR Standard Mode (10% window)
4044
HDR Standard Mode (Fullscreen)
903
Samsung R95H
HDR Standard Mode (10% window)
2066
HDR Standard Mode (Fullscreen)
600
Sony Bravia 7 II
HDR Standard Mode (10% window)
1295
HDR Standard Mode (Fullscreen)
788
01,5003,0004,5006,000
nits
HDR Standard Data
Product
HDR Standard Mode (10% window) (nits)
HDR Standard Mode (Fullscreen) (nits)
Sony Bravia 9 II
4044
903
Samsung R95H
2066
600
Sony Bravia 7 II
1295
788
Sony Bravia 9 II
SDR Filmmaker Mode (10% window)
105
SDR Filmmaker Mode (Fullscreen)
110
Samsung R95H
SDR Filmmaker Mode (10% window)
115
SDR Filmmaker Mode (Fullscreen)
185
Sony Bravia 7 II
SDR Filmmaker Mode (10% window)
90
SDR Filmmaker Mode (Fullscreen)
94
050100150200
nits
SDR Filmmaker Mode Data
Product
SDR Filmmaker Mode (10% window) (nits)
SDR Filmmaker Mode (Fullscreen) (nits)
Sony Bravia 9 II
105
110
Samsung R95H
115
185
Sony Bravia 7 II
90
94
Sony Bravia 9 II
SDR Standard Mode (10% window)
821
SDR Standard Mode (Fullscreen)
703
Samsung R95H
SDR Standard Mode (10% window)
413
SDR Standard Mode (Fullscreen)
187
Sony Bravia 7 II
SDR Standard Mode (10% window)
608
SDR Standard Mode (Fullscreen)
476
02505007501,000
nits
SDR Standard Data
Product
SDR Standard Mode (10% window) (nits)
SDR Standard Mode (Fullscreen) (nits)
Sony Bravia 9 II
821
703
Samsung R95H
413
187
Sony Bravia 7 II
608
476
HDR color gamut
Closer to 100% is better. Taken using a colorimeter and test pattern generator.
Sony Bravia 9 II
UHDA-P3
95.6
BT.2020
88.4
Samsung R95H
UHDA-P3
148
BT.2020
94.1
Sony Bravia 7 II
UHDA-P3
99.2
BT.2020
87.7
037.575112.5150
HDR Filmmaker mode Data
Product
UHDA-P3 ()
BT.2020 ()
Sony Bravia 9 II
95.6
88.4
Samsung R95H
148
94.1
Sony Bravia 7 II
99.2
87.7
Picture accuracy
A lower score is better. Taken using a colorimeter and test pattern generator.
Delta-E
Sony Bravia 9 II
5.3
Samsung R95H
3.7
Sony Bravia 7 II
6.5
01234567
Delta-E Data
Product
Value
Sony Bravia 9 II
5.3
Samsung R95H
3.7
Sony Bravia 7 II
6.5
Input lag
Lower is better. Taken using a Leo Bodnar 4K HDMI Video Signal Lag Tester.
Sony Bravia 9 II
4K 60Hz
9.8
1080p 120Hz
5.2
Samsung R95H
4K 60Hz
11.7
1080p 120Hz
9.4
Sony Bravia 7 II
4K 60Hz
10.4
1080p 120Hz
5.7
03.757.511.2515
ms
HDR Filmmaker mode Data
Product
4K 60Hz (ms)
1080p 120Hz (ms)
Sony Bravia 9 II
9.8
5.2
Samsung R95H
11.7
9.4
Sony Bravia 7 II
10.4
5.7
The above EOTF graphs show the accuracy of the Sony Bravia 9 II for hitting different HDR brightness levels in grayscale. The closer to the yellow line, the more accurate a TV is. As with all our tests, these results are out of the box, without calibration, to demonstrate the performance most people will see. As you can see, the Bravia 9 II did very well when set to Professional modeFutureWhile Cinema mode is the preferred picture mode for brighter rooms and scenes, the EOTF graphs show the Bravia 9 II loses accuracy in the 40-80% brightness range, but does well with blacksFutureSpectral power distribution refers to the intensity of light that a source will display at various wavelengths of color. It can reveal how accurate a source can show color at different light levels, and can be instructive to understand how a TV is handling color. The Bravia 9 II scored well in Professional mode FutureIn the Bravia 9 II's Cinema mode results were again excellent, with more distinct reds compared to Professional mode Future
Sony Bravia 9 II review: Features
The Bravia 9 II has a good range of ports, but only two of its HDMI ports are 2.1 (Image credit: Future)
RGB LED panel
XR processor with AI features
Google TV interface
The Bravia 9 II uses an RGB mini-LED panel (dubbed True RGB LED by Sony), which uses red, green and blue mini-LEDs, rather than the standard white you’ll find in regular mini-LED panels, to boost color reproduction.
It uses Sony’s XR Processor, which powers several AI picture features such as XR Clear Image AI for upscaling, as well as XR Motion Clarity, which analyzes movement on screen to produce a clearer, judder-free image.
In terms of HDR support, the Bravia 9 II supports Dolby Vision, but there’s no support for HDR10+. If you’re looking for a TV that supports both you’ll need to look at Hisense, TCL and Philips models. The Bravia 9 II also supports IMAX Enhanced content.
For audio, the Bravia 9 II has an 80W speaker system, consisting of two tweeters, two full-range speakers, two subwoofers and two beam tweeters. Several audio features, such as Voice Zoom 3, Auto Calibration and Acoustic Multi-Audio+, are included. There’s support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X formats too.
The Bravia 9 II has two fully-specced HDMI 2.1 ports set for gaming, with 4K 120Hz, VRR and ALLM support. Perfect For PS5 features are also present, including Auto HDR Tone Mapping and Auto Genre Picture Mode.
Like all Sony TVs, the Bravia 9 II uses Google TV as its smart TV interface. This gives you access to all major apps such as Netflix, Prime Video and Disney Plus, and, in the UK, BBC iPlayer and ITVX. Google TV with Gemini is included, which can be controlled hands-free and recommend content.
Features score: 4.5 / 5
Sony Bravia 9 II review: Picture quality
Movies like The Super Mario Galaxy Movie are great for showcasing the Bravia 9 II's vibrant colors (Image credit: Nintendo / Universal Pictures / Future )
Excellent color reproduction
Accurate, OLED-level blacks
Some mild blooming off-axis
The Bravia 9 II’s measured brightness is fantastic. In Cinema and Professional mode (the latter is the closest to Filmmaker Mode) it hit 4,180 nits and 4,416 nits peak HDR brightness respectively. This puts it at double what rival flagship RGB TVs like the Samsung R95H hit (1,977 nits in its own Filmmaker Mode).
It also delivers superb fullscreen brightness, hitting 974 nits HDR brightness in Cinema and Professional modes. It even delivers big SDR numbers, hitting 703 nits fullscreen SDR brightness in Standard and 656 nits in Cinema, making it a great choice for broadcast TV in bright rooms.
Speaking of bright rooms, the Bravia 9 II demonstrates much better handling of mirror-like reflections than the step-down Sony Bravia 7 II, which I found quite reflective in our testing lab. When I viewed the Bravia 9 II and Samsung R95H side-by-side, the Bravia 9 II’s own matte screen was seriously effective.
The Bravia 9 II did a good job of upscaling SDR/HD content. Watching videos on YouTube, textures did look sharper, and although it wasn’t to a 4K-level, it was improved. Watching HD movies like Fight Club on Disney Plus, textures looked crisp and contrast was improved.
The Bravia 9 II, also demonstrated excellent picture quality with 4K Blu-ray reference discs. Its color reproduction during The Super Mario Galaxy Movie was gorgeous, with deep, rich colors that really popped on-screen. Any time the Lumas appeared, they had a sense of depth to them, thanks to how bold their colors were.
Even in live-action movies like Speed Racer, the Bravia 9 II demonstrates its superb colors (Image credit: Warner Bros / Future )
Colors in live-action content looked similarly great. In Speed Racer, the bold aesthetic of the Racer family home, with orange doors, green and purple walls and yellow furnishings, not only looked vivid to suit the movie’s cartoon-ish nature, but also had a nice accuracy to them.
The Bravia 9 II’s HDR color gamut results were fantastic overall. It clocked 98.6% UHDA-P3 coverage, a number consistent with other mini-LED and OLED TVs, but most impressive was its 86.7% BT.2020 coverage. While I’ve tested higher on some RGB TVs, this puts the Bravia 9 II in line with QD-OLED models.
The Bravia 9 II has excellent contrast, perfect for movies like The Batman. Even in bright conditions, the movie looks great on this TV (Image credit: Warner Bros / Future )
Another area where the Bravia 9 II impressed was its contrast and black-tone reproduction. In The Batman, as Bruce works in the Batcave, the monitors on his desk were bright, and contrasted well with the dark tones in the surrounding walls and crevices. The Bravia 9 II’s peak brightness meant HDR highlights, such as overhead lamps, really dazzled on screen, and this didn’t come at the expense of dark tones.
In Project Hail Mary, scenes of space demonstrated just how good the Bravia 9 II’s black levels were, especially for a backlit-TV. In theory, OLED has an advantage when it comes to reproducing deep blacks, in that it uses individually controlled pixels, but I found that the Bravia 9 II rivalled most OLEDs. Not only were black levels deep, but there were few signs of blooming when viewing head-on, with the Bravia 9 II showing superb backlight control.
It’s no surprise that the Bravia 9 II’s black tones were good, as when I measured its out-of-the-box grayscale accuracy, it hit a staggering 0.92 in Cinema mode. Anything below 3 is indiscernible to the human eye, and a number like this rivals most OLEDs.
The Bravia 9 II delivers great motion as well. Watching soccer with the TV set to Standard mode, it was able to handle the fast-paced action with minimal signs of judder, though it’s best to set the motion settings to Custom and set Smoothness and Clearness to 1, as at the full 2 the TV could sometimes be aggressive with its processing. For movies, with the TV set to Cinema, action always looked smooth. Watching Speed Racer, the Bravia 9 II handled the swerving cars, and even the commentators panning across the screen, well.
It wasn’t all plain sailing for the Bravia 9 II, however. Viewed off-center, signs of blooming crept back in, with halos of light appearing around bright objects on dark backgrounds. Although there was still significantly less blooming than you’d find on other mini-LEDs, OLED still takes the crown for off-angle viewing.
Picture quality score: 5 / 5
Sony Bravia 9 II review: Sound quality
The Bravia 9 II has very good built-in soundFutureThe Bravia 9 II forgoes more traditional sound modes for deeper sound settings, such as an EQ (pictured)Future
Excellent detail
Great virtual surround-sound processing
Bass could be better
Sony’s TVs are often among the very best for built-in sound, so I had high expectations for the Bravia 9 II and spoiler alert, it mostly lived up to them. The Bravia 9 II 65-inch I tested uses a multi-speaker array consisting of two beam tweeters, two frame tweeters, two mid-range drivers and two subwoofers.
Watching the Penguin/Batmobile chase from The Batman, I was impressed most of all by the Bravia 9 II’s detail. As the Batmobile glides in and out of traffic, there were lots of effects I’d not been able to hear when watching the movie on other TVs, such as the creaking of tall lorries, the wind whipping past the Batmobile as debris fell around it, and the clattering of metal. The same was true with effects you’d hear in height channels, such as rain, which wasn’t crystal clear, but was still audible — no mean feat for TV speakers.
The Bravia 9 II also showcased very good virtual spatial sound, with the sound extending beyond the screen to create a somewhat immersive experience. Speech was also clear throughout, with the Penguin’s shouting audible even amid the chaos of the scene.
One area where the Bravia 9 II is lacking, however, is its bass. For such a large-framed TV with two subwoofers, I expected more punch in the lower tone range. The Batmobile’s engines had some heft to them, but it didn’t have the rumble I was looking for. This isn’t uncommon for a TV, but I was surprised that in this case it was one of Sony’s models that was lacking.
Sound quality score: 4.5 / 5
Sony Bravia 9 II review: Design
The Bravia 9 II feels premium, with a weighty pedestal stand and build FutureIts anti-glare screen is effective at eliminating mirror-like reflections Future
Sturdy but weighty build
Thicker than other TVs
Looks premium
Like several other RGB models I’ve tested, the Bravia 9 II is bulkier than a lot of other TVs. The Bravia 9 II’s frame is chunkier and deeper than you’d expect for a modern TV, so this is something to bear in mind if you’re going to be fitting it into a tight space. It’s weighty as well — this 65-inch TV is easily one of the heaviest I’ve set up.
That said, the Bravia 9 II still looks like a premium TV, with a central pedestal stand consisting of three metal components that feel and look appropriate for a TV of this price. The stand also comes with a clear bit of plastic that can be attached to the rear of the stand to create what the brand calls a ‘mirage effect’, where the stand seemingly disappears when viewed head-on, to give the TV a floating effect.
The Bravia 9 II’s supplied remote is perfectly serviceable, with shortcut buttons to major apps like Netflix and buttons laid out in a standard format. However, it feels lightweight and cheap, which is disappointing for a TV in this price range. It does however use USB-C charging, similar to Samsung and Hisense’s remotes, which is a nice touch.
Design score: 4 / 5
Sony Bravia 9 II review: Smart TV & menus
Google TV is a decent smart TV platform, but the banner ads on its home page (pictured) can be very distracting (Image credit: Future)
Google TV interface
Tons of picture settings
Google home page quite cluttered
The Bravia 9 II uses Google TV as its smart TV platform, with access to major apps including Netflix and Disney Plus, and, in the UK, to major UK apps like BBC iPlayer and ITVX. There’s also the option of hands-free control via Google Assistant, and the TV is compatible with Google Cast, Alexa and Apple Airplay2.
Google TV’s home page is a good hub for recommending relevant content, as well making content you’re watching easy to find, particularly on YouTube. One issue with the home page, which Google TV has had for a while, is that its large banner ads can make the screen look cluttered, and push your apps further down the screen.
The Bravia 9 II has a comprehensive suite of settings, especially for adjusting the picture. There are plentiful settings to enable you to tailor the picture to your liking, and while some of these are a little hidden (the ambient light sensor is in a totally separate menu for example), the menus are mostly easy to navigate and use. While I don’t find Google TV as aesthetically pleasing or easy to use as LG’s webOS, Samsung’s One UI Tizen, or Roku, it’s a perfectly fine smart TV system.
Smart TV & menus score: 4 / 5
Sony Bravia 9 II review: Gaming
The Bravia 9 II is great for gaming, with brilliant response times (Image credit: Future)
9.8ms input lag time
Good performance overall
Only two HDMI 2.1 ports
The Bravia 9 II has a good array of gaming features, supporting 4K 120Hz, VRR, Dolby Vision gaming and ALLM, as well as Perfect for PS5 features including Auto HDR Tone Mapping. Sadly, only two of its four HDMI ports are 2.1 compatible for gaming, which is still a step behind a lot of other rival TVs from LG, Samsung, Hisense, and TCL.
I measured the Bravia 9 II’s input lag at 9.8ms (4K 60Hz), which is a nice improvement over other Sony TVs I’ve tested, including the brand’s Bravia 8 II flagship OLED, which registered 16.8ms (also in 4K 60Hz).
Actual gameplay on the Bravia 9 II is very smooth. When I played Battlefield V, movement felt fluid and responsive, with the Bravia 9 II showing no judder during a chaotic desert mission where I dodged enemy fire while jumping in and out of vehicles. I did notice that during some particularly fast-paced action, where I sprinted across the battlefield, there was a slight blurring of finer details, but overall the game looked great, with the Bravia 9 II’s excellent picture quality for movies translating over to games.
Gaming score: 4.5 / 5
Sony Bravia 9 II review: Value
The Bravia 9 II's supplied remote has everything you need, but feels cheap for a TV at this price (Image credit: Future)
Premium price
Pricier than rival RGBs and OLEDs
Great performance for the money
There’s no denying that the Bravia 9 II is a premium-priced TV. It sits at the top end of the market and is pricier than most, if not all, of its major rivals. The 65-inch model I tested costs $3,599 / £3,499 / AU$5,999, which is pricier than a flagship OLED like the LG G6, the 65-inch model of which costs $2,499 / £2,699 / AU$4,999. It’s pricier than even the Samsung R95H, that brand’s flagship RGB TV, with its 65-inch costing $2,799 / £2,899 / AU$4,499.
Both those rival TVs have more features than the Bravia 9 II, especially for gaming, and they deliver very good performance in their own right. That being said, the Bravia 9 II is easily the most impressive RGB TV I’ve tested, delivering superb performance that exceeded my expectations. It’s just a shame that you’re paying a premium for that performance — and based on Sony’s history when it comes to pricing, it’s unlikely that the Bravia 9 II’s price will fall into line with competitors.
Value score: 3.5 / 5
Should you buy the Sony Bravia 9 II?
The Bravia 9 II's black tones are one of its most impressive features (Image credit: Future)
Sony Bravia 9 II
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Features
Impressive anti-glare screen, RGB panel and good gaming features
4.5/5
Picture quality
Stunning colors, impressive contrast and black tones, excellent backlight control and reflection handling. Some blooming when viewed off-center
5/5
Sound quality
Very good overall sound quality with exceptional detail and accuracy, along with a wide soundstage, but bass is lacking.
4.5/5
Design
Premium build with sturdy feel, but thicker and weightier than a lot of other TVs
4.5/5
Smart TV and menus
Google TV has good app recommendations, but banner ads are distracting. Good amount of picture settings; sound settings could be confusing for some
4/5
Gaming
Fantastic gaming performance with a good array of features, but only two HDMI 2.1 ports.
4.5/5
Value
Pricier than most rival RGB and OLED TVs, and beyond the budgets of many potential buyers. Very good performance for the price, however
3.5/5
Buy it if...
You want superb picture quality The Bravia 9 II's rich, gorgeous colors, excellent contrast, OLED-level blacks and impressive backlight control all combine to deliver a near-complete picture experience
You want a TV for bright rooms The Bravia 9 II's anti-glare screen eliminates mirror-like reflections effectively, which combined with its high brightness, makes it terrific for bright rooms
You want the best of RGB The Bravia 9 II is the best RGB TV I've tested so far, showing a real evolution of LED, backlit TVs that makes the tech competitive with OLED
Don't buy it if...
You're on a budget The Bravia 9 II is one of the pricier TVs on the market, with a higher price tag than most rival RGB and OLED TVs in the same sizes.
You have multiple game consoles The Bravia 9 II only comes with two HDMI 2.1 ports, meaning those with multiple consoles may want to look elsewhere.
You want to watch from an angle While the Bravia 9 II's backlight control is excellent, there is still some blooming present when viewed off-center. OLED is still the best for off-axis viewing
Also Consider
Sony Bravia 9 II
Samsung R95H
Sony Bravia 7 II
LG G6
Price (65-inch)
$3,599 / £3,499 / AU$5,995
$2,799 / £2,899 / AU$4,495
$2,599 / £2,299 / AU$3,299
$2,499 / £2,699 / AU$4,995
Screen type
RGB LED
Micro RGB
RGB LED
OLED
Refresh rate
120Hz
165Hz
120Hz
165Hz
HDR support
Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG
HDR10+, HDR10, HLG
Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG
Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG
Smart TV
Google TV
One UI Tizen
Google TV
webOS 26
HDMI ports
4 (2x HDMI 2.1)
4 x HDMI 2.1
4 (2x HDMI 2.1)
4x HDMI 2.1
Samsung R95H One of the Sony Bravia 9 II's main rivals, the Samsung R95H delivers bold colors, solid black levels and an effective anti-glare screen. The R95H is cheaper, and has a more comprehensive feature set for gaming too. That being said, the Bravia 9 II's picture and sound quality are better — but the price difference may be too great for some to ignore.
Sony Bravia 7 II The Bravia 7 II is the step-down model to the Bravia 9 II, and while the 7 II doesn't have the 9 II's full picture or sound quality, what it does deliver, at a much cheaper price, is very good indeed, showing what RGB is capable of at this price point. People with bright rooms may want to look elsewhere however, as the Bravia 7 II isn't great with reflections.
LG G6 LG's flagship OLED is cheaper than the Bravia 9 II, and has the same rich colors, fantastic contrast and black tones. It's even great for bright rooms, showing only minimal reflections. The G6 is also better for gaming, and comes at a cheaper price. OLED fans will want to pick this, while non-OLED fans may want to opt for the Bravia 9 II.
Tested using different SDR and HDR sources and in varying lighting conditions
Measurements taken using Portrait Displays' Calman color calibration software
After spending a few days establishing the Bravia 9 II's best pictures modes (Cinema for brighter rooms and HDR content, Professional for dark-room viewing, and Standard for sport and SDR TV), I watched reference movies and TV shows to test its picture and sound quality.
I used 4K Blu-rays to analyze its color, contrast, detail, motion and backlight control. I also used 4K Blu-rays to analyze its built-in sound quality, in particular using a scene from The Batman.
For gaming, I used an Xbox Series X and played Battlefield V.
Once these tests were complete, I took measurements using a Murideo Six G 8K test pattern generator, Jeti Spectral 15VA Spectroradiometer and Klein K-10A colorimeter (profiled together) and used Portrait Displays' Calman color calibration software to take said measurements.
Brightness measurements were taken using white window patterns in both SDR and HDR, noting results for windows 1-100% in size. These were taken in the TV's Professional, Cinema and Standard modes.
Next, I analyzed its HDR color gamut coverage using both the UHDA-P3 (the standard used to master 4K Blu-ray and digital cinema releases) and BT.2020 ( a wide color-gamut format) color spaces.
After this, I measured the Bravia 9 II's color and grayscale accuracy using the Delta-E averages, which measures the difference between the source test pattern and what's shown on screen.
Finally, I analyzed its input lag in both 4K 60Hz and 1080p 120Hz using a Leo Bodnar 4K HMDI Input Lag Tester.
