Sony's new TVs want to show you colours your current TV can't

There's a real movement this year to use RGB backlighting in high-end televisions, and despite its upcoming manufacturing changes, Sony wasn't going to miss out. So the company has just unveiled two new BRAVIA True RGB TVs, the BRAVIA 9 II and BRAVIA 7 II, both of which use Sony's RGB Backlight Master Drive Pro.

The key difference between these and a conventional LED TV comes down to the backlight. Most TVs use a white LED backlight and filter colour through the panel, which means colour accuracy tends to suffer as brightness climbs.

Sony's approach uses individually driven red, green, and blue LEDs, producing purer colour at the source before the image even reaches the panel.

The practical result is a TV that holds its colour quality in bright rooms. It also addresses one of the longstanding criticisms of LCD compared to OLED, where bright scenes can start to look washed out.

The BRAVIA 9 II is the flagship of the two. It adds Sony's Immersive Black Screen Pro, a new anti-glare and low-reflection screen surface developed in collaboration with Sony Pictures Entertainment, designed to deliver deep, accurate blacks even under harsh overhead lighting.

The 9 II also gets Contrast Booster 40 and Luminance Booster Pro for extra contrast at high brightness levels, plus improved up-firing tweeters for a more cinematic experience from the TV's built-in speakers.

The BRAVIA 7 II brings the same True RGB core to a wider range of screen sizes, from 50 to 98 inches, and is the more accessible point of entry into the range.

Both models run Google TV with Gemini integration, letting you search for content using natural language rather than hunting through menus.

"Our new True RGB represents a breakthrough that combines the precision of individually controlled RGB LEDs with the best aspects of both Mini LED and OLED, giving viewers purer colour, higher brightness, and picture accuracy that holds up in any room," said Michael Bell, Head of Home Entertainment Business Unit at Sony Australia.

Sony is also launching the BRAVIA Theatre Trio, a three-piece wireless theatre system designed to complement large-screen viewing.

It uses Sony's 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology to simulate up to 24 phantom speakers from a compact setup, supports Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and IMAX Enhanced, and was developed with input from Sony Pictures Entertainment sound creators.

The system can be expanded with optional rear speakers and subwoofers.

Sony's push into RGB backlit panels this year signals that RGB backlighting is fast becoming the spec to watch in premium televisions. We also saw the tech in TCL's 2026 TV lineup, as well as Samsung's 2026 MicroRGB models and LG's 2026 TV lineup. Hisense is also using RGB backlighting in its TVs.

Pricing and availability

The BRAVIA 7 II is the first to arrive in Australia, with the 65-inch model available in May for $3,999.

The 55-inch ($2,999), 75-inch ($5,499), and 85-inch ($7,499) follow in June, with the 50-inch ($2,699) arriving in July and the 98-inch ($12,999) available from August.

The BRAVIA 9 II lands in July across its 65-inch ($5,999), 75-inch ($7,499), and 85-inch ($9,999) sizes. The massive 115-inch model is a September release, priced at $44,999.

The BRAVIA Theatre Trio is priced at $2,999 and available from July.

All three products are available from Sony Australia.

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Nick Broughall

Nick Broughall is an award-winning technology journalist with 20+ years experience, previously Editor at Finder, Gizmodo and TechRadar. He founded BTTR Reviews and regularly contributes to News.com.au's Checkout section.