Sony BRAVIA 9 is undoubtedly a top-tier product, and there’s no "but" about it, as this is a fact, not a thesis. It’s evident everywhere you look how much effort the manufacturer has put into perfecting the dimming algorithms, which undoubtedly perform their role to every possible degree. Thanks to this, we can enjoy an incredibly deep black and an amazingly vivid image. And since we’re talking about the picture and backlighting, one cannot help but mention the quality of HDR effects, which will brighten the room, enveloping us in over 2000 nits of peak brightness. Such a result certainly looks impressive on paper, but you have to trust us that it’s even better in person. The manufacturer, known for its meticulous approach to image quality, has once again endeavoured to ensure that its television faithfully reproduces what the film director intended to convey, and it has succeeded brilliantly. The Sony Bravia 9 also offers an excellent user experience thanks to the Google TV system. The interface is intuitive, and with a rich library of apps, we have access to countless contents that we can tailor to our own preferences. The integration with Google Assistant allows for quick and convenient searching of favourite movies, shows, or music, as well as controlling other smart devices in the home. It’s these kinds of solutions that make using the television not just a pleasure but also simplifies daily life. Unfortunately, not everything is perfect. The Sony Bravia 9 still has room for improvement, particularly regarding the HDMI port configuration. Sony BRAVIA 9 has only two HDMI 2.1 ports, one of which is eARC, that is a port for a soundbar or home theatre system. For such an expensive piece of equipment, one might expect four full HDMI 2.1 ports, and the lack of Picture-in-Picture (PiP) functionality is also a drawback that can be annoying. Despite these shortcomings, it’s hard not to notice just how exceptional this equipment is. It’s the first LCD television that can truly compete with OLEDs. Infinite contrast, fantastic picture quality, zero compromises — Sony BRAVIA 9 is nearly perfect. Excellent picture, modern technologies, attention to detail make every viewing experience one you won’t forget.
Samsung QN900D is undoubtedly the top model for 2024. This television is equipped with Mini LED technology, which offers excellent picture quality – deep blacks and high brightness make films and high-resolution content look fantastic. When watching dynamic scenes in movies, the colours and details were exceptionally good – especially after calibration. HDR also delivers – bright elements have great detail levels, and colours are vibrant and natural. One of the strongest points of QN900D is the smooth motion. Supporting a refresh rate of 240 Hz at 4K resolution is rare in the market. Dynamic scenes in sports or games look incredibly smooth, with no trace of blurring. However, it’s worth adding that the full capabilities of this feature will mainly be utilised by advanced PC users. An input lag of 9 ms additionally ensures very responsive gameplay, which will surely please gamers. Tizen runs smoothly and offers access to all popular applications, such as Netflix, YouTube, or Disney+. Moreover, SmartThings features and support for AirPlay make it easy to connect the television with other devices in the home. This is a great solution if you value convenient control of your smart home. An additional feature is Ambient Mode – the television can blend into the living room decor by displaying decorative graphics. QN900D not only performs well but also looks great. Slim bezels, a central stand, and the One Connect module that allows cables to be hidden make the television present elegantly. If aesthetics are important to us, it will be hard to find something better. As a flagship model, QN900D is simply expensive. Unfortunately, the lack of agreement between Samsung and Dolby Vision may still be a significant downside. Especially when watching content on platforms that utilise this format. In the most demanding HDR scenes, it also happens that the contrast is not as perfect as one might expect. And what about 8K resolution? For now, it’s hard to find content that fully utilises it, unless we are technology enthusiasts of the future. Samsung QN900D is certainly a television for those seeking a top-tier device and are willing to pay for it. However, if we are looking for similar quality at a significantly lower price, it’s worth mentioning the equally good QN95D – it offers a similar picture quality, without the 8K resolution, which is still more of a curiosity than a standard.