Sony has sprung a surprise and also caused quite a bit of confusion with the launch of a new, previously unannounced OLED television. It’s supposed to be a lower cost version of one of its existing OLED models, though strangely, it actually costs more than the one it’s meant to undercut.
The Japanese company launched the new Sony Bravia 8A OLED TV very quietly, without so much as a press release or even a mention on social media, and it only came to our attention due to the diligent eyes of WhatHiFi, which spotted the new listing on various online retailers in the U.K.
The Sony Bravia 8A isn’t really a new model, but instead just a less-featured version of the existing Sony Bravia 8 OLED TV that debuted in 2024, and according to the company, its performance is identical to the older model.
WhatHiFi questioned Sony about the new TV, and it discovered that there are only two differences between the Bravia 8A and the older Bravia 8. The Bravia 8A comes with a standard remote control, instead of the backlit version packaged with the Bravia 8, and users will get just five credits, and 12 months of free streaming on Sony Pictures Core, which is the company’s video streaming service that’s exclusively available on Sony TVs.
The older Sony Bravia 8 gets 12 credits and 24 months of free streaming, so that suggests the Bravia 8A is a bit of a downgrade. Where it gets weird is that despite being not as good, the Bravia 8A actually costs more than the original Bravia 8.
It’s available in three sizes, with the 55-inch Bravia 8A now retailing for £1,799. That’s £300 more expensive than the Bravia 8, which currently costs just £1,499. The 65-inch Bravia 8A costs £2,399, versus just £1,999 for the equivalent Bravia 8 model. And the 77-inch Bravia 8A is priced at £3,339, versus just £2,899 for the same-sized Bravia 8.
When asked about this unusual discrepancy, Sony palmed off WhatHiFi with the excuse that the Bravia 8A currently costs more because it’s a “new model”. But of course, it isn’t really a new model at all, and it’s clearly not as good a deal as the standard, superior Bravia 8, which gets more streaming goodies and a better remote for a lower price.
You’d have to be pretty ignorant or uninformed to choose the Bravia 8A over the Bravia 8 right now, but Sony indicated that the current prices are only temporary and that they will be reduced. It didn’t specifically say so, but the implication is that the Bravia 8A will eventually be a bit cheaper than the Bravia 8. If and when that happens, it might actually be worth looking at.
It’s important to note that the new model is not a cheaper version of the new Sony Bravia 8 II OLED television that launched this year. The Bravia 8 came out one year earlier and it’s fitted with a standard WOLED panel from LG Display, rather than the QD-OLED panel found on the newer Bravia 8 II.
HDTVTest’s Vincent Teoh reviewed the Sony Bravia 8 II (see below) earlier this year, and talked about how the QD-OLED panel, paired with Sony’s XR Triluminos Max technology, delivers substantial improvements in brightness and colour volume compared to the Bravia 8, resulting in more vibrant details and punchier highlights while maintaining the perfect blacks OLED is renowned for. According to Sony, the Bravia 8 II is approximately 50% brighter.
The Sony Bravia 8 II was rated by independent expert judges as the overall winner of HDVTest’s Best TV of 2025 Shootout, surpassing flagship models such as Samsung’s S95F, LG’s G5 and Panasonic’s Z95B, and so if money is no object, it’s almost certainly going to be the better option if you’re specifically looking for a Sony TV.
The Sony Bravia 8 is, however, still a very good TV in its own right, and so it’s good to know that an even more affordable version of it is likely to be available soon. But as mentioned, you’ll probably want to wait until Sony adjusts its prices before pulling the trigger on any purchase.
