Sony Bravia 3 4K HDR TV Review

K-85S30 60Hz Google Smart LED TV

Intro

The Bravia 3 is Sony’s entry-level 4K TV for 2024. It’s available in 43”, 50”, 55”, 65”, 75” and 85” screen sizes. The 85” model is the focus of this review. Straight out of the box, this 85-inch behemoth is designed for an immersive viewing experience.

Design and Features

The Bravia 3 is a basic 4K TV with a modern yet minimalist design. The bezels are made of plastic and are relatively thin, so your focus stays on the screen. The rear panel is also made of plastic. The Bravia 3 has decent build quality, although it still felt and appeared a bit cheaply made. The TV’s metal stand is sturdy and well-built and provides good support for a TV of this size while keeping the panel wobble to a minimum.

The Bravia 3’s entry-level status limits the number of features available when compared to its upper-class counterparts, the Bravia 7 and Bravia 9. Nevertheless, the Bravia 3 still has the necessary features to deliver solid picture quality starting with Sony’s 4K HDR Processor X1. This processor intelligently enhances every scene in real time boosting color, contrast, and clarity. Small picture detail elements from the texture of an actor’s skin to the intricate details in a landscape were well defined.

Additionally, Sony’s 4K HDR Processor X1 does a great job of upscaling lower-resolution content. This means that picture images will still look great even if you’re watching something that isn’t in 4K.

Another notable feature is Sony’s Triluminos Pro color technology which allows for natural, realistic, and accurate color rendering.

For panel illumination, the Bravia 3 uses direct LED backlighting. There is no local dimming feature which would have provided precise control over the TV’s LED zones as well as delivering brighter picture images and a better contrast ratio.

The Bravia 3 has different panel types either VA or IPS depending on panel size. Panel variants are: 43″ IPS, 50″ VA, 55″ IPS,  65″ VA, 75″ IPS, 85″ VA.

VA panels provide better contrast and black levels in picture images, whereas IPS panels suffer from inadequate contrast and black levels. On the other hand, IPS panels have very good wide-angle viewing when compared to VA panels which tend to have inadequate wide viewing angles. So there will be trade-offs depending on which panel type you choose.

Feature highlights:

• 4K HDR Processor X1 intelligently enhances every scene in real-time boosting color, contrast, and clarity
• 4K X-Reality PRO upscales non-4 K picture images to near 4K quality
• Direct LED backlighting (no local dimming)
• Triluminos Pro, see over a billion accurate colors for lifelike picture quality that is vivid and bright
• Google TV OS and Google Assistant built-in: Get access to all your favorite streaming apps in one place with Google TV. And with Google Assistant, simply use your voice to search and ask questions. Easily stream to your smart TV with support for AirPlay 2 and Chromecast built-in
• Voice remote
• X-Balanced speakers and support for Dolby Atmos
• Support of Dolby Vision
• Motionflow XR 240 technology for motion blur reduction allows for smooth and clear action
• Features for PlayStation 5: Take your PS5 gaming to the next level with exclusive features – Auto HDR Tone Mapping and Auto Genre Picture Mode – that optimize picture quality for gaming and streaming. Game Menu puts all your gaming picture settings and exclusive assist features in one place

Connectivity

• 4 HDMI 2.0 inputs – all inputs are HDCP 2.2 compatible | HDMI 3 input supports enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC)
• 1 RF input for antenna, cable, satellite
• 1 Digital optical audio output
• 1 Ethernet input
• 2 USB inputs (one USB 3.0)
• Tri-band Wi-Fi support – 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz | a/b/g/n/ac/ax
• 5.3 Bluetooth wireless audio streaming to a compatible speaker or set of headphones
• ATSC 3.0 NEXTGEN TV tuner for over-the-air 4K broadcast

Performance

The Bravia 3 produced sharp and refined 4K picture images. Picture detail and clarity were very good with no picture artifacts thanks to Sony’s excellent video processing.

Sony’s Triluminos Pro color technology delivered impressive out-of-box SDR and HDR color accuracy while providing a wide color gamut and good color volume for a more vibrant color palette. Overall, the color presentation provided a visually natural and realistic viewing experience.

Contrast and black levels: The 85-inch Bravia 3 produced good contrast which in turn provided deep black levels with content that required this level of performance thanks to its VA panel. However, contrast and black levels would have been even better if the panel used local dimming. Furthermore, remember the models that use IPS panels will produce lackluster contrast and black levels.

Motion handling: Even though the Bravia 3 has a 60-hertz panel, I didn’t experience any motion blur while watching fast action content. Motion remained clear and smooth.

HDR and SDR performance: The Bravia 3 has okay HDR (High Dynamic Range) performance due to its below-optimal HDR peak brightness output, which means It doesn’t have enough high peak brightness output to allow highlights to stand out for an otherwise impressive HDR viewing experience.

SDR (Standard Dynamic Range), on the other hand, has good peak brightness output for watching all standard dynamic range content even in a well-lit room and does a decent job resisting screen glare in a room with lights on.

*HDR peak brightness: 10% window 469 nits

*SDR peak brightness: 10% window 451 nits

Video gaming: The Bravia 3 is a good TV for basic gaming. It has A-L-L-M or Auto Low Latency Mode for very low input lag allowing for smooth command execution with no lag between the gaming controller and on-screen action. But for gamers who desire advanced gaming features such as VRR or variable refresh rate and 4K at 120-hertz, you will have to search elsewhere since the Bravia 3 doesn’t have support for HDMI 2.1 or a 120Hz panel.

The Bravia 3’s shortcomings: While the Bravia 3 delivers good overall picture quality, it does, however, have its limitations. First, as mentioned earlier, is its lack of high HDR peak brightness output. Additionally, it doesn’t have local dimming, no HDMI 2.1 support, and no VRR support. It only has a 60-hertz panel and doesn’t have good wide-angle viewing performance due to the 85-inch model’s use of an IPS panel.

Conclusion

The Sony Bravia 3 is a decent entry-level 4K TV with basic features that should satisfy most people who aren’t concerned about having the best in-picture quality in addition to not having all the latest bells and whistles. Furthermore, if you don’t have a problem with the TV’s shortcomings; then you may want to consider the Sony Bravia 3.

Check out HDTVs and More’ YouTube video review for the Bravia 3 here…

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