Sony has officially entered the RGB LED TV race with the Bravia 7 II, a television that aims to bridge the gap between traditional LED performance and the contrast of OLED. The first wave of RGB LED TVs is fighting for dominance, needing to outshine OLED in brightness and color while also justifying their significantly higher price tags compared to standard LED sets. The Bravia 7 II, alongside the flagship Bravia 9 II, pairs RGB backlighting with Sony's renowned image processing to deliver a picture that is both vibrant and accurate.
What is RGB LED Technology?
Unlike conventional LED TVs that use a field of all-blue or all-white LEDs as a backlight, RGB LED TVs employ individual red, green, and blue LEDs. This allows the television to generate a wider range of colors at higher brightness levels without relying as heavily on the color filter. Each LED can be driven independently, giving the TV fine control over the color mix within each local dimming zone. The result is the potential for richer, more saturated colors and superior luminance in HDR content.
However, the technology is not without its challenges. The biggest potential drawback is color crosstalk, where light from one color LED bleeds into adjacent pixels of a different intended color. For instance, if a zone is mostly red, the backlight produces red light, and the color filter is then tasked with carving out correct shades for other pixels in that zone. This can cause unintended tints, especially on lighter colors or white areas. Sony's engineers have worked to mitigate this through advanced processing algorithms, and in practice, the issue proves to be minimal outside of test patterns.
Performance and Color Accuracy
In standard viewing, the Bravia 7 II delivers a beautiful picture. Using the Professional picture mode, colors are remarkably accurate out of the box, with only a slight oversaturation in red and a minor brightness shift in lighter grays in HDR. The television can reach approximately 2,200 nits of peak brightness, which is more than sufficient for most living rooms, although it does not match the extremely high brightness of some competitors like the TCL X11L or last year's LG G5 OLED.
One of the standout benefits of RGB backlighting is the ability to display more colors within the BT.2020 color space. In testing, the Sony achieved 88 percent of BT.2020 coverage. While content mastered in this wide gamut is still limited, scenes from nature documentaries like Planet Earth II look stunningly vibrant—lush green jungles and shimmering bird feathers pop off the screen. For most movies and TV shows, which are mastered in the smaller P3 gamut, the extra color capability offers little practical advantage.
Color crosstalk, while detectable in controlled test patterns, was rarely visible in real-world content. Only during specific, static UI elements—such as the blue Apple TV app tile slightly tinting adjacent white text—was it noticeable. During movies like Star Wars: The Last Jedi or Mad Max: Fury Road, no crosstalk distracted from the viewing experience. Sony even includes a menu option to switch the backlight from color to white light, which eliminates crosstalk but drops BT.2020 coverage to 73 percent—a feature with limited practical use.
Design and Features
The Bravia 7 II incorporates some innovative design choices. The pedestal stand features a lenticular screen cover that visually hides cables running behind it while allowing transparency. This is a clever solution for cable management that adds a touch of modernity. The remote is battery-powered, light, and easy to use, though it lacks a backlight.
However, two notable downsides persist. First, only two of the four HDMI inputs support 4K at 120Hz, and one of those is the eARC port. In 2026, with multiple game consoles and PCs needing high refresh rates, this is a limitation compared to rivals that offer full 4K/120Hz support across all inputs. Second, the screen is quite reflective; despite not causing as severe a rainbow effect as some competitors, it does not actively reduce glare. The more expensive Bravia 9 II offers a non-glare panel for brighter rooms.
Pricing and Competition
Sony has always commanded a premium, and the Bravia 7 II is no exception. The 65-inch model is priced at $2,600, which is $600 more than the Hisense UR9 and $500 more than the Samsung R85H. The extra cost is justified by superior color accuracy and processing, but the price gap remains significant. For those who can control ambient light, an OLED like the LG C6 may still be the better choice for its pixel-level contrast. Ultimately, the Bravia 7 II is an excellent television that proves RGB LED technology can deliver serious performance, especially when paired with Sony's processing. The concerns over color crosstalk are largely a non-issue for everyday viewing, making this TV a strong contender in the high-end LCD market.
Source: The Verge News