The Sony BRAVIA 3 is an entry-level model in Sony's 2024 TV lineup. It's a pretty basic 60Hz TV and doesn't have features like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, VRR, or local dimming, but it still has some features like black frame insertion, Auto Low Latency Mode, and Dolby Vision. You also get access to the Sony Pictures Core streaming service, which promises high-quality streams that rival the picture quality you get from 4k Blu-rays. The TV is powered by Sony's 4K HDR Processor X1™ and runs the popular Google TV smart interface. It has a built-in 20W 2.0 channel speaker system and supports Dolby Atmos and DTS audio. We bought and tested the 75-inch model, but it's available in six sizes: 43, 50, 55, 65, 75, and 85 inches.
Our Verdict
The Sony BRAVIA 3 is sub-par for mixed usage. It's not a very good option to pair with your modern gaming console or PC since it lacks modern gaming features; you're limited to 4k @ 60Hz without VRR, with slow pixel transitions. The TV's terrible black levels mean blacks look gray all the time, so it doesn't look good when used in a home theater setup. While it has okay SDR brightness, enough to overcome glare in a room with some ambient lighting, it has poor direct reflection handling, so try to avoid placing lights directly opposite the screen. Fortunately, its good image processing makes it suitable for watching sports, as it cleans up SD or low-quality feeds well, and its wide viewing angle makes it a great choice for a wide seating arrangement.
- Very good image processing for low-resolution and low-quality content.
- Wide viewing angle means it's suitable for use in a group setting.
Bright enough in SDR for use in a well-lit room.
Extremely accurate in SDR.
Terrible black levels means blacks look gray at all times.
- Limited to 60Hz refresh rate and no modern gaming features.
- Lacks the HDR brightness needed for impactful highlights.
Poor direct reflection handling leads to distracting glare in bright rooms.
Slow pixel transitions lead to blurry motion.
The Sony BRAVIA 3 is a disappointing option for a home theater setup. It doesn't have the black levels necessary to provide an immersive HDR experience, as blacks are always raised, and this is especially noticeable in a dark home theater room. It's also dim in HDR, with only passable HDR color volume, so HDR highlights don't pop. Still, its processing is quite good, as it cleans up macro-blocking from low-bitrate content well and does a very good job when upscaling low-resolution content, like from DVDs. There's also little banding in HDR gradients. Its PQ EOTF tracking is decent; blacks and shadows are noticeably raised thanks to the TV's terrible black levels, but aside from that, it follows the curve closely. There's not very much stutter, so slow camera movements look pretty smooth. However, it doesn't remove judder from 60Hz sources or from the built-in apps.
- Very good image processing for low-resolution and low-quality content.
Terrible black levels means blacks look gray at all times.
- Lacks the HDR brightness needed for impactful highlights.
Doesn't remove judder from the internal apps or 60Hz sources.
The Sony BRAVIA 3 delivers an alright bright-room viewing experience. It's bright enough in SDR to overcome some glare in a well-lit room, but its direct reflection handling is poor, so direct light sources are distracting. At least its color volume is decent in SDR, with fantastic color accuracy, so the TV is colorful enough in SDR to satisfy most people. The TV's darker colors do lose some color saturation in well-lit rooms, but as the TV isn't extremely vibrant to begin with, you won't notice it. Its black levels, however, barely go down in well-lit contexts, but, again, since they're poor to begin with, they still look raised and washed out in most content.
Bright enough in SDR for use in a well-lit room.
Extremely accurate in SDR.
Poor direct reflection handling leads to distracting glare in bright rooms.
The Sony BRAVIA 3 is decent for watching sports, especially due to its wide viewing angle, so it's a good option for watching the game with a group of friends since the image doesn't drastically degrade when viewed from the sides of the screen. It also has good image processing, so it upscales low-resolution content well, such as SD broadcasts on cable. It cleans up streaming artifacts very well too, so those of you watching sports through a streaming app also get a clean-looking image. Its SDR color volume is decent, and it's also extremely accurate, so your favorite teams' jerseys look colorful enough, as well as look exactly like you remember them. Just try to avoid placing the TV in bright rooms, as its reflection handling isn't good enough to deal with lamps or windows placed directly opposite the screen. Finally, there's some visible motion blur, but the TV doesn't suffer from any major artifacts around the edges of players and objects, so motion clarity is decent overall.
- Very good image processing for low-resolution and low-quality content.
- Wide viewing angle means it's suitable for use in a group setting.
Bright enough in SDR for use in a well-lit room.
Extremely accurate in SDR.
Does a great job of avoiding any severe transition artifacts.
Poor direct reflection handling leads to distracting glare in bright rooms.
Slow pixel transitions lead to blurry motion.
The Sony BRAVIA 3 is inadequate for playing video games. Unfortunately, it doesn't have modern gaming features like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, 4k @ 120Hz, or VRR, so it's not a good option if you're looking to get the most out of your PS5, Xbox Series X|S, or gaming PC. The TV's pixel transitions are slow across the board, so there's noticeable blur behind fast motion. Fortunately, the TV does have low input lag at 60Hz, so you'll still get a somewhat responsive gaming experience. When it comes to image quality, the TV's not bright enough in HDR to offer an immersive HDR gaming experience, as it has terrible black levels.
Low input lag at 60Hz.
Terrible black levels means blacks look gray at all times.
- Limited to 60Hz refresh rate and no modern gaming features.
- Lacks the HDR brightness needed for impactful highlights.
Slow pixel transitions lead to blurry motion.
The Sony BRAVIA 3's brightness performance is mediocre. Its SDR brightness is okay, but the TV is dim in HDR, so highlights don't pop, leading to a lackluster HDR viewing experience.
Bright enough in SDR for use in a well-lit room.
- Lacks the HDR brightness needed for impactful highlights.
The Sony BRAVIA 3 has terrible black levels. The TV doesn't have local dimming, so blacks look blueish and cloudy at all times, even with its passable black uniformity.
Terrible black levels means blacks look gray at all times.
The Sony BRAVIA 3 has decent color performance overall. Its color volume is passable in HDR but decent in SDR; it's colorful enough for most people, but it's not exceptionally vibrant. Its color accuracy in HDR is okay, so purists won't be satisfied, but everyone else will. Thankfully, its color accuracy in SDR is truly fantastic, so it's at its best when paired with SDR content from streaming services or physical media.
Extremely accurate in SDR.
The Sony BRAVIA 3 has adequate motion handling when watching movies, shows, and sports. The biggest downside is that it doesn't remove judder from the internal apps or from 60Hz sources, so you have to use a modern streaming device like the Apple TV with the 'Match Frame Rate' featured enabled to get a judder-free experience. Fortunately, the TV doesn't suffer from any micro-judder, and stutter in slow-moving shots is minimal. The TV's slow response time leads to visible motion blur, especially in fast-paced scenes and sports, but there are only subtle artifacts around the edges of fast-moving objects and people, so motion clarity is decent.
No micro-judder from any source.
Does a great job of avoiding any severe transition artifacts.
Slow pixel transitions lead to blurry motion.
Doesn't remove judder from the internal apps or 60Hz sources.
The Sony BRAVIA 3's responsiveness in Game Mode is inadequate. It doesn't support VRR, so you do see screen-tearing. Although the TV's input lag at 60Hz is low enough for a responsive feel, it doesn't support 120Hz and above, limiting the TV's usability for those who seek a truly responsive gaming experience. Plus, the TV's pixel transitions are slow across the board, resulting in visible motion blur.
Low input lag at 60Hz.
- Limited to 60Hz refresh rate and no modern gaming features.
Slow pixel transitions lead to blurry motion.
Note: We're in the process of improving our tests related to image processing, but this score will give you a general idea of how a model performs overall with its image processing capabilities.
The Sony BRAVIA 3's image processing is good overall. It cleans up macro-blocking from low-bitrate content quite well and does a very good job when upscaling low-resolution content, like from DVDs. There's also little banding in HDR gradients, although there is some if you look closely. Its PQ EOTF tracking is decent; blacks and shadows are noticeably raised, leading to gray-looking blacks, but aside from that, it follows the curve closely.
- Very good image processing for low-resolution and low-quality content.
Performance Usages
Changelog
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Updated Mar 17, 2026:
We added text to our new Cinematic Motion Handling performance usage and our new Transition Artifacts and Stutter Reduction Via Interpolation test sections after converting the review to TV 2.2.
- Updated Mar 10, 2026: This review has been updated to TV 2.2. We've added new sections for Transition Artifacts and Stutter Reduction Via Interpolation, and updated the way we test Stutter. Additionally, we removed the 'Broken' disclaimer from our Motion Handling usage.
- Updated Feb 05, 2026: We added text to the new Micro-Judder section and refreshed the text in the updated Judder and Response Time Stutter sections after converting the review to TV 2.1.
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Updated Nov 05, 2025:
Mentioned the newly reviewed Sony BRAVIA 5 98 in the Style section.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We bought and tested the 75-inch Sony BRAVIA 3, and the results are also valid for the 43-inch and 55-inch models. There are reports that the 50-inch, 65-inch, and 85-inch models use a VA panel, so we expect those to have better contrast and a worse viewing angle. The type of panel used may vary between regions, so this information is only valid for the North American models.
Costco has variants of the 55, 65, 75, and 85-inch sizes with slightly different model codes. These variants perform the same but come with an extended warranty, an extended trial for the Sony Pictures Core streaming service, and a backlit remote.
| Size | US Model | Costco Variant | Panel Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43" | K-43S30 | - | IPS |
| 50" | K-50S30 | - | VA |
| 55" | K-55S30 | K55S30CB | IPS |
| 65" | K-65S30 | K65S30CB | VA |
| 75" | K-75S30 | K75S30CB | IPS |
| 85" | K-85S30 | K85S30CB | VA |
Our unit was manufactured in April 2024.
Popular TV Comparisons
The Sony BRAVIA 3 is an unremarkable TV. It doesn't do anything that separates it from the crowd of other entry-level models. It doesn't have a local dimming feature, and its black levels are terrible, so blacks are gray most of the time, and HDR content isn't very impactful. Its SDR brightness is decent enough to overcome some glare in a room with the lights on. However, its handling of direct reflections, such as from lights placed in front of the screen, limits its usefulness in a bright room. It's also very limited with modern gaming features, so it's not a good option if you're looking for a TV to pair with your modern console or gaming PC. If you don't need modern gaming features but still want a TV that looks good overall, you're better off buying a TV like the cheaper Hisense U6/U6N, as that TV has a local dimming feature that provides significantly better contrast. If you do need modern gaming features, you can even get the fully-featured Hisense U7N or the TCL QM7/QM751G QLED for around the same cost as the BRAVIA 3.
For more options, check out our recommendations for the best TVs under $1,000, the best 65-inch TVs, and the best TVs for gaming.
The Sony BRAVIA 3 is better than the Sony BRAVIA 2 II, but both TVs offer lackluster image quality. The BRAVIA 3 is brighter than the lower-end model, so it handles more glare in a bright room and offers a slightly more impactful HDR experience. The BRAVIA 3 also displays a wider range of colors, but outside of that, the TVs are incredibly similar.
The TCL QM6K is a significantly better TV than the Sony BRAVIA 3. The TCL delivers much better picture quality, with deeper, more uniform blacks, and much higher peak brightness. The TCL also features a full array local dimming feature, which significantly improves contrast, so bright highlights stand out better against the background, and HDR looks more realistic. Finally, the TCL is a much better gaming TV thanks to its higher refresh rate and VRR support.
The Sony BRAVIA 5 is a significantly better TV than its lower-end sibling, the Sony BRAVIA 3. The BRAVIA 5 delivers significantly better picture quality thanks to its higher contrast and full-array local dimming feature. This substantially improves the TV's dynamic range, so bright highlights in HDR stand out better and look more realistic. The BRAVIA 5 also boasts improved processing capabilities, which enable it to clean up low-quality and low-resolution content more effectively. Additionally, it supports more advanced gaming features like VRR and a 120Hz refresh rate.
The Samsung Q8F 2025 and the Sony BRAVIA 3 perform differently, and the best one depends on your needs. The Q8F has better gaming features, with a fast refresh rate, VRR support, and HDMI 2.1 bandwidth. The BRAVIA 3, on the other hand, delivers better picture quality thanks to its higher peak brightness and better colors. The BRAVIA 3 also has better picture processing, and it does a much better job cleaning up low-quality streaming sources.
We buy and test dozens of TVs yearly, taking an objective, data-driven approach to deliver results you can trust. Our testing process is complex, with hundreds of individual tests that take over a week to complete. Most of our tests use specially designed test patterns that mimic real content, but we also use the same sources you have at home to ensure our results match the real-world experience. We use two main tools for our testing: a Colorimetry Research CR-100 colorimeter and a CR-250 spectroradiometer.
Test Results
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