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Tom's Guide
11 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
I'm a TV expert and I'm tired of the 'brightness war' — here's why it's overblown
If you knew nothing of the TV industry and were handed a stack of press releases, news articles and forum posts about the latest happenings in the business, you'd probably arrive at the following conclusion: the higher a TV's peak brightness, the better its overall performance. While it's true that brighter TVs tend to be higher-end models, one TV being brighter than another doesn't necessarily make it a better pick. It's easy to get swept up in the brightness wars. After all, brightness is a basic concept that most people understand, and having numbers to go with it adds a simple shorthand when comparing the best TVs from major brands. But folks that cover the industry — myself included — could do a better job talking about brightness, because while it's an important factor of TV performance, it's not the only factor. Here's why. A TV's peak brightness is most important for viewers whose living spaces are naturally bright — especially those who do most of their viewing during the day. Naturally, this is because the TV needs to compete with ambient light in order for the picture to retain its pop. And, when we use the word 'pop,' what we're really talking about is contrast. It's one of the cornerstones of picture quality, and understanding why is the first step in demystifying brightness's role in a TV's performance. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Contrast is the main ingredient in a visually appealing picture. Contrast describes the difference between the darkest parts of the picture and the brightest. A high-contrast picture delivers more depth, adding to realism. It's the main ingredient in a visually appealing picture. A TV that gets super bright, therefore, has a distinct advantage over a dimmer model. Its picture will hold up better during the day and it'll probably deliver a more cinematic presentation with the lights off. Take the Hisense U8QG. It's one of the brightest TVs I've ever seen. We clocked its peak highlight brightness at around 4,000 higher than the roughly 2,700 nits of brightness you'll find on the Sony Bravia 9, a rival Mini-LED TV that costs around $1,500 more than the U8QG, and much higher than the 700-nit display of TCL's entry-level QM6K Mini-LED TV. The brand-new Hisense U8QG is one of the brightest TVs we've tested this year, and the 55-inch version is already seeing massive discounts. It's one of Hisense's top TVs of 2025, and I highly recommend checking it out if you're looking to save some money on a high-performing Mini-LED TV. Unsurprisingly, I find that the Hisense U8QG is a better-performing TV than the low-end QM6K (and not just because it's several times brighter). What might surprise you, though, is that I find the Bravia 9 to be an overall better-looking TV than the U8QG despite its lower HDR brightness. This is because I find the Bravia 9's overall presentation to be better suited to my preferences. Both sets offer fantastic backlight control and a punchy, high-contrast picture, but Sony's superb processing and surgically accurate Professional picture mode make the Bravia 9 a better pick for my living room. The Bravia 9, Sony's flagship Mini-LED TV, doesn't get quite as bright as other TVs in its class, but for my money, it's the best Mini-LED TV for A/V enthusiasts who value a finely tuned, cinematic picture above all else. In addition, you might not even notice a difference in brightness between these two Mini-LED TVs. A jump from 700 to 2,700 nits is significant — less so from 2,700 to 4,000. So, while it's certainly nice for the U8QG to have all of that horsepower under the hood, there are limits to its perks. Until now, we've been examining brightness by way of LED displays, which lack the built-in benefits of OLED. All OLED displays — from the entry-level models to the best OLED TVs in the world — leverage self-lit pixels in lieu of LED backlights. Because their pixels can turn themselves on and off independently, OLEDs are the king of contrast. They offer perfect black levels and razor-sharp contrast control. As you might expect, this has a tremendous impact on picture quality. Namely, OLED TVs don't have to get as bright as LED TVs in order for our eyes to perceive them as being that bright. In other words, 800 nits of highlight brightness on an OLED TV looks much brighter than 800 nits on an LED TV, and it's all thanks to OLED's ability to get consistently is one of the reasons why sensibly priced, entry-level OLED TVs — like the LG B4 — tend to be much better performers than the numbers would indicate. The B4 is one of the most affordable LG OLEDs you can buy. Its relatively limited brightness is less of potential issue thanks to the self-emissive nature of OLED displays, but if you have a brighter-than-average living space during the day, you might want to spring for a brighter display. This also explains why top-shelf, flagship OLED TVs — like the Samsung S95F — benefit more from their sensational highlight brightness. In the case of the S95F, its 2,000-nit highlight brightness is what gives its picture a level of realism that's tough to replicate on a non-OLED display. But before you write off Mini-LED TVs completely, it's worth underscoring their primary benefit over OLED TVs: full-screen brightness. Until now, we've been discussing peak highlight brightness, which describes small, concentrated areas of the picture, like the shimmer along the edge of a samurai sword or dapples of sunlight on the ocean's is an altogether different measurement than how bright the entire picture is capable of getting. This is where ultra-bright Mini-LED TVs (like the aforementioned U8QG and Bravia 9) really shine. The vast majority of Mini-LED TVs demonstrate a higher average picture brightness across most content types. Even though the Samsung S95F OLED cracks the 2,000-nit marker and lands relatively closely to the Bravia 9's 2,700-nit notch, the Bravia 9 pumps out a much higher average picture brightness in HDR. In many ways, it's just as impressive as the S95F, but it's impressive in an altogether different way than Samsung's OLED. Yes, OLED TVs are getting brighter. In some cases, their highlights are even brighter than those of high-end Mini-LED TVs. But for the time being, the vast majority of Mini-LED TVs — particularly those in the mid-range-to-high-end price range — demonstrate a higher average picture brightness across most content types. Now that you have a better understanding of one of the primary differences between Mini-LED and OLED TVs, you are better equipped to shop for a new TV with confidence. Ultimately, here's what I suggest: If you're concerned about the amount of ambient light your next TV will have to compete with during daytime viewing, Mini-LED TVs are probably going to be better candidates for the job. That said, high-end OLED TVs like the Samsung S95F are fantastic at delivering a high-contrast, ultra-realistic picture. Top-tier Mini-LED TVs (like the Bravia 9) come remarkably close to achieving the same presentation, but the "OLED look" is still in a league of its own. If you're still on the fence, take a trip to your local brick-and-mortar shop and peep the differences in person. Whatever you do, don't treat peak brightness as the be-all, end-all performance metric. You can learn a lot about a TV from this measurement, but it doesn't tell the whole story.
Digital Trends
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
You Asked: Big OLED vs. Huge Mini-LED? Your WWDC 2025 Questions Answered!
On today's episode of You Asked: Should you pick the LG G4 or Sony Bravia 9 for a bright room? What were some of the biggest takeaways from Apple's jam-packed WWDC event? And one more fun debate: go with an 83-inch OLED or a 98-inch Mini LED TV? Sony Bravia 9 vs. LG G4: Best for bright rooms? @eskenor asks: Would you recommend the Sony Bravia 9 or LG G4 for a room with a decent amount of sunlight? That's a tough one. On one hand, the LG G4 is tremendous — one of the best TVs in the last two years and pretty close to perfect. But so is the Sony Bravia 9, which is about as good as it gets for a Mini LED TV, though it's not OLED. In most side-by-side comparisons, I'd say go with the LG for all the things OLED is known for: rich, pure color and unbeatable contrast. We tested its handling of glare and reflections pretty extensively when we compared it to the Samsung S95D and its glare-free panel. And yes, with a lot of light, you will get some unwanted reflections on the screen. Shining an LED studio light directly at the TV is extreme, but you get the point. Since the Sony is the brighter TV, the biggest difference will be in viewing HDR content in a bright room. The Bravia 9 can really push the highlights so they stand out, even with lots of ambient light. So that would be my pick between those two. However, I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't mention the Samsung S95D OLED as another option. We did a full video comparing it to the G4 in a well-lit room. Also, this year Samsung's QN90F, their top 4K Mini LED TV, has that same glare-free panel as the S95D. So you get the added brightness of Mini LED plus extra help for bright rooms. Big OLED vs. bigger mini-LED? @jnewbold asks: I currently have the C4 77-inch and love it, but I'm moving to a bigger place next year. Would you get an 83-inch C4 or a 98-inch QM8 for dark room 4K Blu-ray watching? I've been with OLED for a long time, but big is nice. I certainly agree — big is nice. And once you go big, it's hard to go back. But I'd say the same for OLED viewing. If you were coming from an average LED TV or even a Mini LED TV, I'd have no problem recommending the bigger 98-inch QM8. It's a phenomenal TV that gets better every year. It's great for bright rooms and sports, HDR looks great, and obviously, it's fun to watch movies and shows on a screen that size. I'm hyping it up so you don't think I'm about to dismiss a TV I'd love to own. In fact, we did almost this exact test last year: a 65-inch Sony A95L QD-OLED against a 98-inch TCL QM8. The takeaway was that bigger was more fun, at least from one perspective. But that was a difference of 33 inches — a huge size jump you can't ignore. If it's an 83-inch C4 next to the QM8, that's a tougher call. Given how much you've enjoyed OLED, I'd hate to see you step backward in image quality. Not to mention, dark room 4K Blu-ray viewing and OLED is a match made in home theater heaven. If you've invested in top-quality physical media, don't skimp on picture quality. Stick with the OLED and don't worry about the extra 15 inches — you probably won't miss it at all. WWDC Gareth Beavis, editorial director for Digital Trends is here to discuss WWDC 2025, what's happened this week, and the big changes to iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and a whole visual transformation across Apple's suite of operating systems. Liquid Glass Display: Love it or hate it? Number one is from Doyen Liriano, talking about iOS 26. The main change here is the new liquid glass display. For you conspiracy theorists out there: if anyone remembers 2010, Apple got an exclusive license for a new material called Liquid Metal, which was supposed to be revolutionary and more scratch resistant. It was used in golf clubs and was meant to elevate the way devices were made. It ended up being used just for the old SIM ejector tool, and that was about it. So I thought, is this finally the day it happens? But no — liquid glass is very different. It's quite a divisive change, so let's dive in and see what people thought. Dorian Liriano said on Instagram: This change doesn't seem major or impressive. I'm going to search for additional context because I'm either missing something or Apple is taking us for a ride. Jake Kamin said: To me I don't see it as groundbreaking as iOS 7. That was a completely new look from iOS 6, from skeumorphic to neumorphic. This is more or less the same just with a 'glassy' look. A neumorphic redesign but foundationally the same. Am I alone with this? I went along with this. Liquid glass is, basically as Jake says, quite similar to elements from iOS 17 and 18. When he talks about the jump from iOS 6 to 7, we saw a move from skeuomorphic design — making things look like real-world objects, like a notebook you could open with a ring binder — to a more flat, minimalist look. A digital notebook felt digital, not like a physical notebook in a digital world. So yes, there are changes to how things look. You've got clear mode alongside dark and light modes. Icons can be see-through on Mac. Some menus are translucent. In Safari, everything at the bottom is more rounded and things fade in. The dynamic island we saw on the iPhone 15 Pro Max shows how things shift and switch in context. That same mentality is at play here, with lots more dynamism. Another noticeable change is that the clock on the lock screen now extends up and down depending on the picture you choose. The phone is more context-aware, making your wallpaper feel more personal and fitting with your own edits. While these things aren't groundbreaking, they do refresh the look of your iPhone — which has been needed for quite some time, as Apple has run with the same software design for years. There have been some fun comments too. @abdul_basit_tahir said: They made Windows Vista? Can't argue with that — it does look a lot like the Windows Aero theme from Vista. @henshin587 said: I like this liquid glass style. I appreciate moving away from pure minimalism and adding visual flair, like highlights and subtle distortions in menus and icons. Very true. It does look different and gives the OS a new refresh. Yes, it echoes Microsoft's early 2000s style, but it still feels ripe for a redesign and helps unify the visual identity across devices. No, it's good. I think these are true quality-of-life changes. They're not massive. I do think we could do a little bit better from Apple, maybe with iOS 27, which I like. Then we'll see something a bit different because we do need to see a lot more from Apple Intelligence. Apple Intelligence: Where's the AI? Now let's jump on to that very quickly, because what's been amazing is Craig Federighi and Greg Joswiak have been interviewed. We've seen a lot of different outlets have had a chance to interview them and ask them about the delays to Apple Intelligence, and the changes to Siri that got the charm offensive going. This tells me one thing: they need to get the message out that Apple is not creating a chatbot. They said it last year and reiterated very strongly this year. When people think about AI, artificial intelligence, they think about ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity. The ability to chat to something and get feedback feels like what Siri should be. So the idea of an upgraded Siri feels like it should have been here by now. Apple was very clear: they don't want a chatbot. They want the phone to use generative AI to do things better for you. It's kind of doing that now. In my view, the way Google has integrated Gemini is very similar to how Apple has done Apple Intelligence so far. You've got things like visual intelligence, being able to see what's on screen and tell you more about it. Apple has done that again and upgraded it. It is using ChatGPT though, so people are asking: where's your own generative AI? Craig Federighi was very clear, saying they had version one and version two of this. Running version two is the deeper idea they want people to use. But version one is the one they've got working and pushed — and it's just not performing to the level they want. So they have to wait for version two, which is why there's a delay. They realized they had to pivot and are asking people to wait. Consumers won't wait for very long. If you look at Gemini on Pixel phones, it's not massive. You can use the Photos app, erase people, change things a bit. The image generators on device are very good on the Google Pixel, for instance, but not so great in the Image Playground. It's fine — it doesn't always work very well. Things like Genmoji in the new iOS 26, merging two emoji into one, haven't really won me over yet. It would take quite a big upgrade for me to feel like this is a good reason to use Apple Intelligence or buy the phone for that alone. There's nothing really there that compels me. Still, there are a few changes that I think will attract some people. But overall, Apple has a long way to go until the day you can hold down the Siri button and have a genuine experience like you can with ChatGPT. I don't think we're going to get that same level of excitement yet. Apple has said 2026 for Apple Intelligence. Let's see if it can hold that, because any later and it might fall too far behind in the race for having a smart device. We don't know what's going to happen with Jony Ive and OpenAI and this new AI device. It could be the next level of smartphone or something else entirely. If Apple is lagging in that race, we'll have to see what happens. Mac vs iPad: The blurred line So that brings me to the final thing I wanted to talk about: iPadOS 26. This is something we were very excited about and for good reason. Whereas iOS 26 is mostly visual flourishes and a few tweaks under the hood — nothing massive, if I'm honest — iPadOS 26 does seem to change things. It's blurring the line between macOS and iPadOS even more than before. When the iPhone first came out and started to have computing functions, people asked: is this replacing the Mac? Incredibly, Greg Joswiak said today, in response to the question 'How do people decide between buying a Mac or an iPad right now?' — without a hint of irony — that they should buy both. I'm not sure that's entirely true, especially with the cost-of-living crisis right now. Spending thousands of dollars on multiple devices that are becoming increasingly similar isn't realistic for everyone. With the new iPadOS 26, you can do so much more. You can resize windows, stack them on top of each other, lock them into thirds or halves of the screen, so it works much more like a computer. One of our writers did an amazing piece with first impressions of the beta, and his takeaway was this: would it be something that his mother or sister, who are light iPad users and don't have a separate computer, could actually use for real computing? His answer was yes, he thinks it will let them do proper computing on the go, which is what people wanted the iPad to do in the first place. I can see why it's happening now. Screens are bigger, resolutions are higher, and the power under the hood matches that of Macs. That's been true for a while, but now you can actually use it more like a Mac. Launch Date & Beta Details Finally, to answer the last two questions: what's the launch date and when are CarPlay and iPad updates coming? We don't know the exact launch date, but it's a safe bet that the new iOS will roll out alongside the new iPhones, which is almost always mid-September. So we can confidently say iOS will arrive around then, and the iPadOS update should come at the same time. CarPlay updates will come with iOS too. Also, public betas should be available soon, probably in the next month or so. Developer betas are out now, but I'd strongly recommend caution. Unless you have a spare device or you're fine with bugs, wait for the public beta. It'll be more stable and polished.
Digital Trends
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
Our favorite QLED TV has a massive price cut for Memorial Day
Sony launched a Memorial Day deal on the Bravia 9, a TV we labeled the best overall QLED in a ranking we released earlier this month. The ranking cited the TV's ability to shine even in bright rooms, and its accurate and deep colors. You can buy the 65-inch model of this TV for $2,300 at Amazon, Best Buy, or Sony itself. It's normally at least $3,000 (Sony's MSRP even goes up to $3,300), so you're saving a hefty chunk of change. Don't wait through the whole long weekend to snatch this up. Why you should buy the Sony Bravia 9 We didn't just list the Sony Bravia 9 as the best overall QLED TV — we also gave it 9 out of 10 stars in our review and listed it in our big roundup of the best TVs of 2025. Our review calls it, 'The best combination of OLED and mini-LED TV picture quality we've seen yet.' The Sony Bravia 9 uses Mini-LED tech to get high contrast that can almost rival OLED tech. You'll have inky blacks and bright colors, which will make watching dark shows like House of the Dragon enjoyable. In fact, Sony has said this is their brightest QLED ever. It also has an XR processor working behind the scenes to enhance every shot, including XR Motion Clarity. It supports HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision. The Bravia 9 has a refresh rate of 120Hz and four HDMI ports, including HDMI 2.1, making this a great TV for gaming. Since it's Sony, everything dovetails perfectly with a PS5. So why should you buy the 65-inch Sony Bravia 9 over Memorial Day weekend? Because it's a nearly perfect TV with a substantial price count. Don't hesitate with this one.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Yahoo
Sony's New RGB LEDs Could Give OLED a Run For Its Money
Sony has been demoing a new type of TV it calls General RGB LED Backlight Technology. The name is terrible, but the technology is very cool. It effectively replaces the existing blue LEDs in a mini-LED TV with RGB LEDs. This lets the backlight behind the pixels shine through the right color shade rather than relying on color filters or quantum dots. The end result is richer colors and a brighter overall picture than traditional mini-LEDs, potentially giving OLED a run for its money. The two main screen technologies available in mid to high-end TVs are mini-LED LCD and OLED. The former packs hundreds or even thousands of miniature LEDs behind an LCD panel, shining through as much light as and where it's needed. This is great for HDR highlights without blooming, though it's not perfect. OLED uses individual organic LEDs behind each pixel. They can be turned off individually, making for better contrast and even more nuanced HDR, but they don't get as bright. Sony's new RGB LED technology wants to find a better middle ground between the two. The new technology lacks the individual control of OLED, so it won't quite be as great for contrast or responsiveness. Still, RGB LEDs can produce color far better than traditional mini-LEDs, and according to The Verge, they get exceedingly bright, too. One example in a demonstration easily eclipsed the super-bright Sony Bravia 9 and output over 4,000 nits—that's the kind of numbers we normally only see in professional reference monitors. Sony's RGB LEDs are particularly strong at showcasing red tones, but match OLED in blues and greens. Credit: Sony Another major boon for this technology is its much better support for wider viewing angles. That's been a consistent weak spot for mini-LED for years now, where many TVs can lose saturation or develop a green tint at extreme angles. That's apparently no longer a problem with these RGB LEDs. While this is a Sony technology, don't expect it to only show up in Sony TVs. Indeed, Digital Trends looked at a Hisense TV built using this new RGB LED technology and found it equally impressive. It also highlighted how the new technology should scale better than traditional mini-LEDs, potentially leading to affordable TVs over the 77-inch wall where prices often get ridiculous. The site concludes that RGB LEDs may not be an OLED killer yet, but they could be in the long run. The rich colors occasionally challenge even what OLED can manage, all while offering stellar brightness and wide viewing angles. If RGB LEDs can just get a little faster for gaming, they could be the long-term replacement for OLED—just as OLED once eclipsed plasma. For more, our colleagues at PCMag have a deep dive on RGB LEDs.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Yahoo
Score this Sony flagship QLED before its $200 discount disappears
This article contains affiliate links; if you click such a link and make a purchase, Digital Trends and Yahoo Inc. may earn a commission. When it comes to noteworthy TV brands, Sony has been one of the most popular companies on the market for several decades. Unfortunately, premium picture and sound quality often mean higher prices, especially when we're talking about Sony. But that doesn't mean you won't find great sales on Sony screens now and then. As luck would have it, we came across this awesome promo earlier today: For a limited time, when you purchase the Sony 65-inch Bravia 9 4K QLED at Amazon, Best Buy, Sony, and a handful of other retailers, you'll only end up paying $2,800. The full MSRP on this model is $3,000. We tested this TV back in August, and reviewer Caleb Denison said the Sony Bravia 9 '[Is] the best combination of OLED and mini-LED TV picture quality we've seen yet.' BUY AT SONY BUY AT AMAZON BUY AT BEST BUY Mini-LED technology is the name of the game with the almighty Sony Bravia 9. The manufacturer claims this QLED has some of the smallest LEDs on the market, allowing the TV to dial in some of the most accurate local dimming we've ever seen on an LCD panel. Not only does this result in a nearly bloom-free picture when watching movies and shows in a dark room, but you'll also be treated to astonishing SDR brightness levels, making the Bravia 9 an excellent choice for brightly lit rooms, too. And thanks to Sony's experience in film and TV production, the Bravia 9 delivers a wide color gamut, terrific color volume, and top-shelf HDR performance. Thanks to HDMI 2.1 connectivity on ports 3 and 4, along with VRR and ALLM support, the Bravia 9 is a great TV for gaming, especially if you're a PlayStation devotee. Expect lightning-fast response times and low input lag when using the TV's Game Mode. When it comes to streaming apps, casting, and smart home management, the built-in Google TV OS is your all-in-one entertainment hub and Internet-of-Things command center. Save $200 when you purchase the Sony 65-inch Bravia 9 4K QLED today, and be sure to take a look at our lists of the best Sony TV deals, best QLED TV deals, and best Amazon deals for even more discounts on top tech! BUY AT SONY BUY AT AMAZON BUY AT BEST BUY
