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Sony Bravia Projector 7 : One minute review
The Sony Bravia Projector 7 (VPL-XW5100ES) joins Sony’s projector lineup following the Bravia Projector 9 and Bravia Projector 8. It’s the cheapest of the three but still comes in at a staggering $9,999 / £6,999 / AU$13,999. Compared to popular consumer projectors like the $2,999 Hisense C2 Ultra, that is a huge leap. But the Bravia Projector 7 is specialty hardware designed for die-hard cinema fans with plans for a robust home theater, and in that context, it’s fairly priced.
Like other higher-end examples of the best projectors, the Bravia Projector 7 is somewhat simple – it’s just a projector. There’s no Google TV or other streaming platform built in, and there’s no sound system or even audio output ports. The few ports the Bravia Projector 7 does have are a pair of 4K 120Hz-capable HDMI 2.1 inputs plus a smattering of ports used for custom installation.
Though it’s just a projector, it’s a truly excellent one. It has flexible optics with a wide zoom range as well as vertical and horizontal lens shift, making it easy to align the projection. The picture you’ll get on your screen is also stunning: bright, colorful, and with the deepest black levels I can recall seeing from a projector.
While I’d love to see a wider color gamut and support for more HDR formats, these never felt like more than minor shortcomings during my time with the Bravia Projector 7, which never failed to impress. If you’re considering a projector for a dedicated, high-end home theater, it should be on your list.
Sony Bravia Projector 7 review: Price & release date
- Release date: June 2025
- Price: $9,999 / £6,999 / AU$13,999
The Bravia Projector 7 launch trailed behind the Projector 8 and 9, and though its price also trails behind those models, it is decidedly a luxury home theater product. The Bravia Projector 7 comes in at $9,999 / £6,999 / AU$13,999.
Sony Bravia Projector 7 review: Specs
|
Screen sizes supported: |
90-130 inches |
|
Brightness (specified): |
2,200 Lumens |
|
HDR support: |
HDR10, HLG |
|
Optical technology: |
Laser SXRD (Silicon Crystal Reflective Display) |
|
Smart TV: |
N/A |
|
Connections: |
2x HDMI 2.1, Ethernet, USB-A, RS-232C, D-Sub 9-pin, 3.5mm (12V trigger) |
|
Dimensions (H x W x D): |
18.3 x 18.59 x 7.88 inches |
|
Weight: |
15.4 pounds (7kg) |
Sony Bravia Projector 7 review: Design & features
- Large footprint
- No audio capabilities or smart TV
- Flexible optics
The Bravia Projector 7 is a sizable home theater projector on the scale of the Epson LS12000 and BenQ W5800. This isn’t one of those compact lifestyle projectors, and it’s even larger than some of the ultra short throw projectors I’ve tested. The upside to this size is that the Bravia Projector 7 runs quietly, and it can still fit onto a (sizable) mantle or shelf at the back of a room, but it is better suited to ceiling mounting.
Thankfully, the Bravia Projector 7 is flexible about placement. The lens has a 1.6x zoom range, letting it shift from a modest throw ratio of 1.38 to a longer 2.21. It also has vertical and horizontal lens shift, offering 71% shifting vertically and 25% horizontally in either direction. You manually adjust focus and zoom using rings around the lens, and lens shift with a set of dials hidden under a small panel on the projector’s top.
In addition to these optical adjustments, the Bravia Projector 7 supports digital keystone, though for a projector of this caliber, it’s worth just ensuring proper alignment.
On one side, the Bravia Projector 7 includes several controls in case you misplace the remote control. There is also a series of ports, though most of these are for professional features, like networking and special triggers. Two HDMI 2.1 ports will accept a 4K 120Hz input, but these are for video input only. Neither offers eARC to pass on an audio signal. And with no other form of audio output, the projector doesn’t play well with streaming sticks or even some home theater PCs if they lack a quality audio output of their own.
The Bravia Projector 7 includes a large remote control with a fully backlit keypad. It includes buttons to access preset picture profiles, along with sharpness, brightness, and contrast. A large directional control is also built into the remote and includes a toggle to let the projector display a test pattern to help line up and focus the picture.
- Design & features score: 4/5
Sony Bravia Projector 7 review: Picture quality
- Bright and sharp picture
- Deep blacks
- Support for 4K 120Hz
Inside, the Bravia Projector 7 is built around a laser diode light source and features a native 4K SXRD optical system. While it’s still not quite on the level of triple-laser projectors for color gamut coverage, the picture is still simply stunning. As much as I’d love to see that extra bit of color, the quality is otherwise the best I’ve ever seen.
Blacks on the Bravia Projector 7 are simply exceptional. I can’t recall another projector I’ve seen that so thoroughly sank into darkness when displaying shadows. Letterbox bars presented by the Bravia Projector 7 looked so dim as to be indistinguishable from the surrounding walls, which were only illuminated by the light bouncing around the room from the projector itself during my evaluation. The Bravia Projector 7 has such good black levels that you will really want to invest in some light-absorbing materials or dark paint to reduce reflected room light’s impact on the picture.
The projector also gets bright enough for various uses in the daytime, even with daylight coming in through multiple windows. Cartoons, bright video games, and even web-browsing were all possible. You won’t want to watch darker content in this environment, though. But given this is a projector intended for a specialized viewing setup, I don’t think a few blackout curtains would be a tall order.
The Projector 7 uses Sony’s XR Processor for projector, and the resulting image is fantastically crisp, with the optics making even fine text appear clear from edge to edge. And that includes objects in motion. Panning shots looked fluid, avoiding stuttering and judder but also artifacts such as the soap opera effect that plagues many systems trying to smooth motion. The Bravia Projector 7 was also happy to game at 4K 120Hz, with smooth visuals and only faint ghosting, and its ALLM feature ensured any input lag was negligible.
Even though the HDR support doesn’t go beyond HDR10, the Projector 7’s XR Dynamic Tone Mapping provides features to enhance the look of HDR content, including three selectable tone mapping modes. An XR Deep Black feature also contributes by ensuring blacks look deep and highlights get maximum brightness punch. For example, when the earth ships decelerate as they approach Pandora in Avatar: The Way of Water, the picture looked simply stunning with the deep black of space contrasted with brilliant flames.
- Picture quality score: 4.5/5
Sony Bravia Projector 7 review: Value
- High price tag
- Price is still competitive for category
- Performance equivalent to competition
The Bravia Projector 7 is expensive, and you are only getting a display for the money with no speakers (or a way to output audio to speakers), and no smart platform for streaming. That may be a tough pill to swallow for some, but the Bravia Projector 7 isn’t meant for someone who wants anything less than a masterful home theater setup. And the display that you’re getting is a truly exceptional one.
There’s no getting past this being a big investment, both for the projector and for all the other elements you’ll need to make the most of the Sony Bravia Projector 7. And there are plenty of projectors that won’t look half bad next to the Bravia Projector 7 while being way less expensive.
So while it’s tough to say the Bravia Projector 7 is a great value, that still can’t undercut its greatness. And the truth is, the Bravia Projector 7 is still a bargain next to some, like the Epson QL7000, and it’s a comparably priced and worthy rival to the JVC DLA-NZ700.
Should I buy the Sony Bravia Projector 7?
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
Design and features |
Fairly huge, but it’s smartly designed, and the adjustable optics allow for positioning flexibility |
4/5 |
|
Picture quality |
The picture quality is absolutely brilliant, and I haven’t seen such a deep black from a projector before. Its ability to run at 4K 120Hz for gaming also adds to the experience |
4.5/5 |
|
Value |
It’s not cheap, but the picture is great and the price is comparable to some of the other dedicated home theater projector options out there |
3.5/5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Also consider
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Sony Bravia Projector 7 |
Epson Pro Cinema LS12000 |
Hisense C2 Ultra |
JVC DLA-NZ700 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Price: |
$9,999 |
$5,000 |
$2,999 |
$8.999 |
|
Screen sizes supported: |
90 to 130 inches |
50 to 130 inches |
65-300 inches |
30 to 150 inches |
|
Brightness (specified): |
2,400 lumens |
2,500 lumens |
3,000 lumens |
2,300 lumens |
|
HDR support |
HDR10, HLG |
HDR10, HDR10+, HLG |
Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HLG |
HDR10, HDR10+, HLG |
|
Optical technology: |
Laser SXRD |
Laser 3LCD |
RGB Laser DLP |
Laser D-ILA |
|
Smart TV: |
n/a |
n/a |
Vidaa OS |
n/a |
|
Connections: |
2x HDMI 2.1 |
2x HDMI 2.1 (1 with eARC) |
2x HDMI 2.1 (1 with eARC) |
2x HDMI 2.0 |
How I tested the Sony Bravia Projector 7
- Tested at home in multiple, real-world viewing conditions
- Presented the display with a variety of media and formats
- I have tested numerous projectors and displays over the last half-decade
I tested the Sony Bravia Projector 7 at home, in real-world conditions. This saw it faced with ambient light coming in from numerous windows, and in-room lighting,. The projector was tested both against a bare, white wall and an Akia Screens CineWhite screen. It was presented with streamed content, HDR and non-HDR, and PC gameplay.
My testing evaluates the projector’s performance with respect to its price and competition from other models I and colleagues at TechRadar have tested.
I have been testing projectors since 2021 and displays for even longer.
Read the full article here
