You asked: Sony’s next flagship, game mode issues, and big TVs

In today’s episode of You Asked: What’s on the way from Sony to replace the Bravia 9, and should you still be considering buying it in 2026 versus the latest competition? And why does image quality come into play in game mode?

What’s replacing the Sony Bravia 9 in 2026?

@willgatlin8229 asks: What’s replacing the Sony Bravia 9 in 2026?

That could be anything Sony has in its RGB backlit TV portfolio. The term killer OLED gets thrown around a lot, and who knows if this could fit that description, but I’d bet it will be among the top Mini LED options we see this year, possibly named Bravia 10.

Will it really match or come close to OLED black levels? We will see. But what gives me confidence is how much time Sony had to work on it.

In the last few years, they have interrupted their big releases. We saw the A95L QD-OLED in 2023, and they didn’t follow that up with their next QD-OLED until the Bravia 8 Mark TWO in 2025. Same with Mini LED. The Bravia 9 came back in 2024, and its successor won’t arrive until this year, 2026. And to be honest, given how much we’re constantly being slapped in the face with new things, I don’t mind. Not to mention, Sony TVs, and all high-end TVs, are so good that we DON’T need new releases in every category every year. But I think that would be boring.

Anyway, you are off topic. I think Sony was able to take their time, study the platform, and figure out how to make the Bravia 10 another banger. At least that’s what I hope. For now, however, the Bravia 9 is no slouch and remains one of the best TVs available. It is also more affordable than when it was released. If I’m in the market for a new TV and it fits my budget, it will be on my short list.

Why does the image quality drop in game mode

@tonygicz8 asks: Why do we lose image quality in game mode? I’ve tried everything and the colors come off a lot in other TV picture modes compared to game mode on a console or PC. I have a TCL QM6K.

So one of the things that makes the game mode worth playing is the fast input lag. You want to see what comes from a console or PC on TV as lightning fast as possible, especially for first-person shooters and online games. To do that and send the video signal faster, the TV slows down its image processing.

If you want the best in terms of colors and picture quality, the TV needs to do a lot of work to shine. But those precious milliseconds can be dangerous for gamers. What is dangerous is the sense of their character on the Internet.

If you don’t find an image that you like and maybe it’s cooler than you like, I would recommend that you make a few changes within the game mode yourself. You can adjust color by making changes to color temperature, hue and saturation within the calibration settings. You can also make some adjustments to brightness and contrast. Just make sure you don’t push things too far so you don’t get an image that’s too sharp, oversaturated and shiny.

Sometimes you will find that games have different modes that affect the image quality. Spiderman 2, for example, can be played faithfully or in performance mode. Fidelity gives you a more detailed picture that is clearer and some nuances in different areas in the game. Action mode, on the other hand, prioritizes frame-rate stability, which can make for smoother action scenes in combat and moving around town.

So whatever game you play, maybe check those settings with your console settings to see what will work best for you.

Choose between TCL, Hisense, and Sony TV

@JustStay16 asks: I’m trying to decide between the 85-inch TCL QM8K for $2,000, the 98-inch TCL QM7K for $2,500, or the 100-inch Hisense U8Q or the 85-inch Sony Bravia 9, both of which come in at $3,000. They said: Among these four, which one would you go with? I am sad. I want something bigger as I’m coming from a 77 inch LG CX. However, my concern with Hisense and TCL, especially at 98 inches, is the loss of image quality and detail. Are there any noticeable differences from those to the Bravia 9?

I think there is little noticeable difference when you put them all side by side. But on their own, they’re all great TV.

But speaking of what is noticeable, I am very concerned about you seeing the difference between 77 and 85. You mention wanting to go bigger, but will jumping to an 85-inch TV have the same impact as going to 98 or 100? Probably not.

As long as you still have the room and can handle a TV that dominates the space for its size, those big TVs are great fun, and I think you’ll enjoy them. I would say go with the Hisense U8QG. Its image quality, contrast and brightness are a step above the QM7K.

The only thing that gives me pause is that it’s from an OLED TV, and if so, I think the Bravia 9 comes close to that level of contrast and image processing.

If not, go big. You will be blown away by everything you see. And the U8QG standard TV does a great job of processing and upscaling. So even with that extra large size, you get a cleaner image.