Sony Unveils $31,000 Bravia TV Ahead Of TCL Joint Venture

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.

Sony Group Corp. (NYSE:SONY) is making a major premium TV push just as its storied home theater business moves toward a new chapter with TCL Electronics. The company unveiled the Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II, with prices starting at $3,600 and $1,600, respectively, and both models are now available for preorder ahead of June shipments. Sony also introduced the Bravia Theater Trio, a $2,200 surround sound speaker system that puts the company deeper into competition with Sonos (NASDAQ:SONO), Samsung Electronics (SSNLF), and other premium audio players.

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The setup could matter for investors because these may be Sony's final high-end TVs before its home entertainment unit is absorbed into a new joint venture with TCL next year. TCL agreed earlier this year to pay 75.4 billion yen, or $473 million, for a 51% stake in the new entity, which will include Sony's Bravia TV business. The joint venture is expected to formally launch in April 2027, keep producing TVs under the Sony and Bravia names, and integrate TCL's display technology. That leaves investors and home theater buyers watching whether Sony's long-running strengths in picture processing, sound technology, and design philosophy remain central after the transition.

The Bravia 9 II is aimed squarely at the premium home theater buyer, starting at $3,600 for a 65-inch model and reaching $31,000 for a 115-inch version. Its True RGB LCD panel uses individually controlled red, green, and blue LEDs, a setup designed to improve color purity, brightness, and viewing angles compared with Sony's past TVs. The Bravia 7 II brings the same underlying True RGB technology at a lower entry point, starting at 50 inches and reaching $9,000 for a 98-inch model, though it does not include the 9 II's anti-glare panel or Mirage Stand. Sony's Bravia Theater Trio adds another premium angle, pairing a center soundbar with dedicated front-left and front-right speakers in a configuration that could offer a wider soundstage and clearer dialogue than more conventional soundbar systems.

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