On today’s episode of You Asked: Sony’s new Bravia partnership with TCL raises big questions about pricing, quality and privacy. We explain what it means if a new QD-OLED is coming to market this year and how anti-glare screens actually work in a dark room.
Sony and the new Bravia Inc
@charltonium4083 asks: Here’s a concern that isn’t discussed in the video or comments: Which country will have primary jurisdiction for the new Bravia Inc.? Will it be China (TCL) or Japan (Sony)? Back in 2020, Homeland Security discovered that TCL may be directly sponsored by the CCP and that the TVs have backdoors that allow the government to manipulate data (and thus spy on customers). This has also been a bigger problem with other companies like TikTok and DJI, although they have been a little more publicized, so much so that the US has repeatedly threatened to ban all DJI products. If TCL owns 51% of the new Bravia Inc., especially in the manufacturing and business areas, does that mean that it also has all the customer data and that the CCP could have more opportunities to spy on customers through the new Bravia TVs in the future? I would be far less concerned if the customer data was actually processed by Sony (under the jurisdiction of Japan).
OK, this is a pretty tricky question with, to say the least, implicit bias. But we will go into everything.
First, Bravia Inc. will be based in Tokyo, Japan, within Sony’s headquarters. So that’s where the business will be. Manufacturing will likely take place where TCL has its larger facilities, such as China, Mexico and Vietnam. One of their biggest advantages is large production facilities that keep efficiency high and prices low.
As for your spying concerns, you may be surprised to know that just last month, in March 2026, a Texas judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Texas Attorney General that accused TCL of tracking user habits without consent and selling that data to advertisers. While our online privacy remains an ongoing problem, TCL and Sony probably shouldn’t be a major concern. Personally I’m more worried about Meta, Google, Amazon and hundreds of phone apps that have more access than a smart TV.
In any case, make sure you use the Internet safely. Read the Terms of Use when you register. Understand where your data goes, who it can be sold to, and how to limit tracking of your data with VPNs, ad blockers, and other tools.
Manufacturing and pricing strategy
@theGovnr1 asks: In my opinion the new products will have Sony’s technology and design but will be manufactured by TCL.
And that is my opinion too. I think the goal is to make manufacturing cheaper. There are several outstanding Bravia brand TVs on the market, and most would tell you that their picture quality is best in class. But if I’m not mistaken, they lag behind Samsung, LG, TCL and Hisense in total sales, probably due to price. So if TCL taking over manufacturing lowers the price while maintaining the image processing technology that makes Sony what it is, that’s a win.
Only time will tell, and until the day comes when we can test a Bravia TV made by TCL, there’s not really much anyone can do to change their minds. Based on the comments, many of you have clearly decided that this is not for the better and the Bravia brand is doomed. Hopefully you’re wrong, because then we can all get Sony-level TVs for less money.
Preview of Sony’s OLED series
@1.doubleyou asks: Will there be a new QD-OLED TV from Sony this year?
I lean towards no for several reasons. Firstly, they invest a lot of resources and marketing into releasing their True RGB Mini LED TV. And secondly, they staggered their big TV updates every two years.
In 2023 we got the A95L QD-OLED. In 2024 we got the Bravia 9, their flagship mini LED TV. Then in 2025, the Bravia 8 Mark II became the successor to the A95L in the QD-OLED department. And this year, we’ll likely hear more details about this True RGB TV, which will take over the flagship mini-LED role from the Bravia 9, sooner rather than later.
Not to mention, due to the TCL merger, there may have to be some adjustments to how Sony’s OLEDs are manufactured before we get a new one.
Do anti-reflective televisions fail in dark rooms?
@CoolVibe-w5f has a Samsung question regarding their anti-glare screens: How do the blacks look in a dark room compared to a glossy screen? From what I’ve read, the blacks aren’t quite 100 percent, especially next to a glossy screen.
A wise person once said: You can’t believe everything you read on the internet. From what I’ve seen, whether you take it or leave it, there is little to no difference in a dark room. If the only light emitted in the room comes from the TV, you will see pure black. I’m confident about that, and Samsung is clearly confident that they’ll continue to expand the anti-glare panel to more TVs.
This year it’s included in both the S95H and S90H. Earlier S90 models still had the glossy screen. The anti-glare panel is also included in several mini LED TVs.
I don’t think they would continue to focus on the technology if they weren’t confident that it delivers a viewing experience that rivals the best from Sony and LG. We made a video a while back where we placed the Samsung S95D next to LG’s flagship OLED in a dark room to show the difference. And I’ve seen others put their 2025 models, the S95F and S90F, side by side and it’s very difficult to tell the difference, if you can tell one at all.
