It's interesting how things change: while Sony used to utilise the world's largest technology show, CES, to announce a mass of new products, for CES 2024 it quietly revealed a new XR headset for creators and ultimately recapped its recent successes, while teasing some future TV shows and movies. But there were no new Sony TVs to be seen anywhere.
At least not on the show floor at CES. Instead, behind closed doors at a separate meeting space, Sony showed me a new TV technology that promises to make its Mini LED sets of the future extra bright. Which, considering the Sony X95L was already such a masterclass – scoring the coveted 5 stars in T3's award – can only spell positive things for a future generation (potentially even the next generation, though Sony remained very tight-lipped about its product roadmap).
So just what did I get to see? The prototype screen I saw is a full 50% brighter than the X95L's equivalent, with three times the number of dimming zones, and the Mini LED panel uses a new 22-bit LED driver – that being the crucial difference in obtaining greater performance and therefore brightness from this latest technology.
Not that Sony is saying exactly where this technology is going to show up first, but with my best guess hat on I'd assume that an X95M (if the 'M' letter is used for 2024 models – if such models even come to exist this year) would be the order of the day. And if 2023's launch cycle was anything to go by then the full Sony TV range (explored here) could see a 2024 update come March time.
In the gallery of images embedded above – provided directly from Sony, as no cameras were permitted for own capture – you can see the new Mini LED panel's backlight in action compared to a competitor model. As you can see, those zones are much more tightly controlled (right side versus left), which permits them to exhibit greater brightness where it matters.
It's not a typical demonstration – usually brands like to show off showreels to highlight peak brightness and colour pop – but was a very effective way to see in real-time just how this new Sony technology could genuinely mean brighter Mini LED in the not-too-distant future.
And with so much competition and innovation in the TV space right now (from Samsung S95D to LG OLED M4 – the QD-OLED and wireless OLED models also revealed at CES 2024) I can confidently say that Sony is going to hold its own as and when (and if) this new Mini LED panel makes it to market as a real model. Here's hoping it'll hold a competitive price too to further add appeal. Until then, however, the X95L, is still a mighty tempting option...
