Why you can trust TechRadar
We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
Sky Glass Gen 2 review: two minute review
The Sky Glass Gen 2 has landed four years after the original model shook up the TV scene, and it’s packed full of upgrades and improvements over its predecessor. I’m talking additional dimming zones to improve contrast, revamped sound, and cranked up brightness – yep, Sky has seemingly listened to its critics. But do these adjustments make the Sky Glass Gen 2 worth considering in a highly competitive market?
Well, if you’re an existing Sky customer, the Sky Glass Gen 2 is undoubtedly an easier sell. Arguably, the defining benefit of this set is that you get access to Sky TV without the need for a dish or any extra boxes – this thing runs entirely via your home network.
So yes, you’ll need to be paying for at least some packages, like Sky Ultimate TV, Sky Sports or Sky Cinema – that is if you want the ultimate Sky Glass experience. And you’ll also want network speeds of at least 25Mbps for 4K streaming.
As well as broadcast TV, the Sky Glass Gen 2 is a hub for the key streaming services and apps, meaning you don’t need to plug in an Amazon Fire Stick or anything to watch your favourite shows on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video.
But there’s even more bundled into this display. The Glass 2 has an integrated 3.1.2 channel soundbar with Dolby Atmos, meaning you’ll get impactful bass, clear dialogue and relatively immersive sound from the get-go. Its identity as an all-in-one package really helps the Sky Glass Gen 2 stand out, even among the best TVs.
But at this stage, I’m sure you’re wondering if this thing looks any good, right? Well great news, it’s a very solid performer across the board. Like the original Sky Glass, the Gen 2 uses a QLED display, but some of those aforementioned upgrades – such as using more dimming zones for deeper blacks, and higher brightness for more eye-popping colours – are most welcome.
You’re still certainly not going to get those rich, inky black levels that the best OLED TVs can serve up, but they’re still pretty impressive. Contrast is solid too and colours look both accurate and vibrant, particularly when viewing Dolby Vision content.
On top of that, you get more picture modes, with options including Vivid, Extra Vivid, Entertainment, Sports and more. Unfortunately, more advanced settings are hidden in a menu at the very bottom of the home menu, which takes a while to scroll to, but that issue’s hardly a dealbreaker for the average viewer.
Something that did disappoint me about this TV, however, is its lack of gaming features. The TV will auto-adjust into a game mode and activate auto low latency mode (ALLM) when it receives a signal from your console, but that’s about it.
There’s no menu for tweaking gaming settings and, worse, the display is capped at 60Hz. That’s going to be a big issue for gamers who want access to 120fps gameplay and options like VRR. Still, the Glass Gen 2 does perform well when playing games in 4K at 60fps, so if you don’t need peak performance, you’ll be more than fine with this set.
And I don’t want to be too picky, because there really is a lot to love about the Sky Glass Gen 2. For instance, it’s exceptionally easy to piece together and set up – you don’t need to mess around with fiddly screws. Plus, it’s got a really solid feel to it, with a thicker, more durable profile than many of the ultra-slim displays around in 2025. Some may yearn for a more discreet form factor, though, something you’re not getting – at least in part – due to the integrated soundbar.
The Sky Glass Gen 2 is priced the same as the original model at launch, with the 65-inch model I tested coming in at £1,199. Of course, that’s still not cheap by any means, but few other TVs offer such all-round convenience.
And as a result, I can happily recommend the Sky Glass Gen 2. With rejuvenated picture quality, strong audio performance and fantastic ease-of-use, this is a TV that many – especially Sky customers – will find hard to resist. However, anyone frustrated by this display’s 60Hz refresh rate should check out our guide to the best gaming TVs.
Sky Glass Gen 2 review: prices & release date
- Launched in February 2025
- 43-inch: £699
- 55-inch: £949
- 65-inch: £1,199
The Sky Glass Gen 2 launched in February 2025, over four years after the release of the original Glass TV. This set’s price will vary depending on the size that you want: £699 for the 43-inch; £949 for the 55-inch; and £1,199 for the 65-inch.
You can either purchase the TV with one upfront payment, or via multiple monthly instalments. It’s worth noting that these prices are the same as the original Sky Glass, which is a big plus given the numerous improvements you’re getting with the Gen 2 model. But still, there’s no upgrade plan available to get this new model for less if you own the original.
As well as coming in three sizes, you can also grab the Glass Gen 2 in three different colours. You can choose between Arctic Silver, Atlantic Blue, or the variant I tested: Volcanic Grey. The colour you select should have no influence on the price you pay.
It’s worth bearing in mind that buying the Sky Glass on its own will give you a pretty restricted user experience. You’ll have to pay a subscription fee for a number of Sky TV products in order to experience the Glass Gen 2 at its absolute best. For instance, I made use of content packs like Sky Sports and Sky Cinema, as well as upgrade packages including UHD & Dolby Atmos, and Ad Skipping.
In the Benchmarking results below, I’ve compared the Glass Gen 2 to the Samsung QN90D and the Hisense U7N. These two are in a similar ballpark price-wise, but arguably better value for money, delivering 120Hz gaming, excellent picture quality and more HDMI ports. But more on that later.
Sky Glass Gen 2 review: specs
|
Screen type |
QLED |
|
Refresh rate |
60Hz |
|
HDR support |
Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG |
|
Audio support |
Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital+ |
|
Smart TV |
Sky |
|
HDMI ports |
3x HDMI 2.1 |
Sky Glass Gen 2 review: benchmark results
There is no Standard mode on the Sky Glass Gen 2, which we use for some of our SDR and HDR brightness measurements. The figures you see for ‘Standard’ picture mode on the Sky Glass Gen 2 were instead taken using its Vivid configuration. In addition, the Game picture mode is only activated when an ALLM signal is detected from a console, which our dedicated input lag tester doesn’t provide – so we were unable to take the input lag measurement with Game mode active. I’ve provided the measurement we were able to take in Vivid mode, though.
Sky Glass Gen 2 review: features
- Adept voice controls
- Auto-switching picture modes
- Three HDMI 2.1 ports (but no 4K 120Hz support)
When it comes to features, the Sky Glass Gen 2 keeps things pretty minimalistic, but that’s not to its detriment. Actually, its position as an all-in-one hub for Sky TV customers is its crowning achievement. There’s no dish installation required, just get setup and you have everything you need, be it broadcast TV, streaming services or recordings of your favourite shows.
It’s pretty easy to make this set your own, too. Just press the ‘…’ button on the included Sky TV remote and you’ll get access to a bunch of settings, including various picture and audio modes.
In picture settings, you can find an Auto feature that switches between the numerous modes depending on the content you engage with. For instance, you’ll enter Movie mode when viewing a film on Netflix, or Sports mode when watching the Premier League on Sky Sports.
Alternatively, you can pick a picture type manually, with various options such as Vivid, Extra Vivid and Entertainment at your disposal. Notably, if you view Dolby Vision content, you’re locked in to related modes – there’s only a Bright or Dark mode to pick between.
As for audio settings, you can choose a couple of options: Night Mode and Enhance Speech Quality. Both work nicely, with the first reducing volume and sudden noises and the second sharpening clarity of vocals. I never really felt the need to tap into these, as vocal clarity is plenty good enough by default.
There are more expert settings for custom picture and audio calibration in a menu that’s lodged at the bottom of the home screen – think auto-backlight adjust, EQ options and more. Unfortunately, this can’t simply be accessed via a button on the remote, but we’ll drill into that a little more later.
Some features are locked unless you activate ‘Enhanced’ setup, either when setting the TV up or via advanced settings. And these are pretty cool, I have to admit. With Enhanced on, the Glass Gen 2 can detect motion in the room and turn on to greet you. You can also wake the TV up by saying ‘Hello, Sky’ or ‘Hello, Glass’, which I did at every given opportunity. You may experience some delay before the Glass powers on, but you’re unlikely to be left waiting more than a few seconds.
Voice controls can be used via the TV’s built-in mic, or the included remote and can make navigation a whole lot easier. For instance, I was able to open the TV’s various apps, or ask to view content like ‘thrillers’ or ‘live sport’. It’s worth pointing out, though, that not all apps support voice commands internally – for example, I wasn’t able to say ‘play songs by Ginger Root’ to any effect.
Finally, this TV has three HDMI 2.1 ports, with one serving as an eARC slot if you’re hoping to hook up an external soundbar system. Don’t get too excited about them being HDMI 2.1, though – the Glass Gen 2 doesn’t support 120Hz gaming or variable refresh rates.
Other missing features include HDR10+ support and DTS support. Neither is a dealbreaker for a TV made with streaming in mind, but there are similarly priced competitors that do offer them.
Sky Glass Gen 2 review: picture quality
- QLED display with improved brightness
- Good contrast and colour accuracy
- Solid yet imperfect blacks
When the original Sky Glass model launched in 2021, it was often criticised for its not-so-perfect picture quality, unimpressive brightness and imperfect HDR performance. But Sky has worked to make good on the past model’s woes, with the Glass Gen 2 offering up a wide array of display-related improvements.
Of course, Sky hasn’t done anything drastic here – you’re still getting a QLED display that won’t be capable of incredibly deep blacks and unparalleled contrast. But still, there’s upgraded brightness, additional dimming zones and wider viewing angles.
On brightness specifically, we measured the original Sky Glass as reaching peak HDR brightness of 425 nits, in a 10 per cent measurement window – this model performed far better, coming in at 1,055 nits. What a boost!
The Sky Glass Gen 2 is capable of delivering 4K content and is compatible with Dolby Vision – as you’d expect, that helps to take movies to the next level. When watching Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron (dubbed, of course, for that mesmerising Robert Pattinson performance), green forestry appeared rich and detailed. Vibrant colours, like intense oranges within a flame-engulfed scene, never looked oversaturated in Movie mode, either.
While viewing some reference material from the Spears & Munsil UHD Benchmark 4K Blu-ray in its HDR10 format, contrast was typically good too, with bright artificial lights beaming from skyscrapers nicely defined against the night sky. I should mention, however, that there was a slightly grey tint to what is meant to be a deep black sky – perhaps to be expected from a QLED in this price range.
Another small issue I realised when navigating through our Blu-ray player’s menu is a bit of backlight blooming around highlights – something that the best OLED TVs can keep to a mind-blowing minimum. This rarely interfered in my general viewing enjoyment, though, and if you’re more of a casual viewer, a bit of blooming is unlikely to ruin everyday watching.
The Sky Glass Gen 2 brings more viewing modes to the table, but in honesty, I kept things pretty simple for much of my testing. Options such as Extra Vivid, for instance, are far too saturated and bright – even Vivid was a little much for me.
If you’re watching non-Dolby Vision content, I suggest using Movie for films and Sports for… well you get the idea. The Auto mode will select these for you on its own, though, so there’s little to no need to change things up. With Dolby Vision and HDR viewing, you can swap between Bright and Dark modes, but I opted to stay in Bright to enjoy more eye-catching colours.
Lower-quality content looks very solid on the Sky Glass Gen 2 as well. For instance, I tuned into The Batman in HD via Netflix and though elements like hair strands and markings on clothing weren’t ultra-crisp, the general picture was clear, skin tones looked true-to-life and black levels were deep enough to match the movie’s dingy, moody vibe.
Broadcast content could be a bit of a mixed bag, however. Of course, much of this is going to be dependent on your network speed. For transparency’s sake, I’m working with just over 70Mbps download speeds at home, where I conducted the bulk of testing for the Glass Gen 2, before moving to our TV testing room for benchmark measurements.
I sometimes found that picture quality looked restrained for a couple of seconds after changing the channel. However, this would only last for a second or two before sharpening, meaning it wasn’t too much of an issue. And motion was up-to-scratch, with intense on-court exchanges on Sky Sports Tennis coming through without too much blurring or disruption.
Finally, I had the Sky Glass Gen 2 installed next to a window in my medium-sized living room and found that it coped with light reflections decently. It’s a bright enough display to deal with low or medium levels of inflowing sunshine, but don’t expect perfect nixing of excess light.
For instance, after we transferred the TV to our dedicated testing facility, overhead lights caused a bit of screen glare, which was especially noticeable during darker scenes. Some higher-end options among the best mini-LED TVs may have better anti-glare layers, but the Sky Glass 2’s performance was pretty typical.
- Picture quality score: 4/5
Sky Glass Gen 2 review: sound quality
- Inbuilt Dolby Atmos soundbar system
- Much deeper bass and clearer mids than most TVs offer
- But still can’t compete with a top-class soundbar
OK, I’ve reviewed a whole bunch of soundbars, speakers, headphones and more here at TechRadar, so sound is something I’m often pretty picky about. I rarely expect TV audio to impress me – a lot of modern sets are super-slim and quite literally leave little room for high-calibre audio capabilities. But the Sky Glass Gen 2 is a little different.
That’s because this TV has its own soundbar system built-in, laid out in a 3.1.2 Dolby Atmos configuration. That means you’re getting: three outward-firing speakers; a pair woofers for bass output; and a pair of upward-firing speakers for more vertical, immersive sound. This setup is ideal for those who don’t have the space for one of the best soundbars, or who want to save a precious HDMI slot.
But how good does the built-in soundbar system sound exactly? Well, pretty good. Compared to most mid-range TVs, you’re getting fantastic width and expansiveness, dynamic bass response, and clear dialogue. For instance, I tried watching The Batman, which harnesses the powers of Dolby Atmos and during one scene with bats flying towards me, I almost jumped back on my sofa, sensing excellent directionality.
Similarly, during a scene in which Bruce Wayne whizzes through Gotham on his bike, the TV tracked his movement well, really immersing me in the on-screen action. Also, Nirvana’s Something in the Way drones throughout this section and thankfully, the song sounded nicely weighted against other sonic elements, never sounding muddied or convoluted in the mix – an admirable feat in its own right.
I would advise against using this TV as a source for standalone music listening, though. When listening to Roundabout – 2024 Remaster by Yes, there was a lack of instrument separation and attention to detail, meaning the all-action, funk-infused track lacked its bite. Bass also didn’t have the depth needed for dance tunes like Favorita by kryptogram, which was a touch thin in the low end, resulting in a not-so-punchy sound profile.
You’ll often have to splash a fair amount of cash to get a musically talented soundbar, so I wasn’t expecting any wonders from Sky’s inbuilt one. You’ll still get clear, relatively controlled music from the Sky Glass Gen 2, but you’ll fare better with some of the best Bluetooth speakers, for instance, when pumping out your favourite tracks.
And ultimately, the Glass 2 performs very nicely for Movies and TV shows. Even the Universal Studios fanfare sounded impactful and daunting – especially when compared to my typical TV, the Hisense U7K.
- Sound quality score: 4.5/5
Sky Glass Gen 2 review: design
- Bulkier than some TVs due to built-in soundbar
- Incredibly easy to put together
- Neat backlit remote
As I mentioned in the sound quality section, this TV includes a built-in soundbar, so naturally, it’s a bit bulkier than a lot of QLED TVs. For reference, I tested the 65-inch variant and it was significantly chunkier than my Hisense U7K – but that was fine by me. It may not be the sexiest TV on the market, but it does give the Glass Gen 2 a durable edge and its blocky appearance felt charming in its own right.
But for me, the best part of this TV’s design is its exceptionally straightforward setup process. I never got my hands on the original Sky Glass, but I know that the build process has been considerably refined. All you have to do is this: unbox the TV and its stand; place the stand on a flat surface and slide the pegs into it, no screwdrivers required; then, insert the pegs into holes on the base of the TV. Really, that’s it. The Glass Gen 2 is probably the easiest TV I’ve ever put together and that’s a big plus.
But I have more praise! The positioning of ports on the TV is highly convenient, with each of the three HDMI ports lined up alongside a USB-C, USB-A, Ethernet and aerial slot. The latter can be used as backup for broadcast TV, in the case that your network fails.
Equally, the included remote is highly practical and responsive. It has backlit buttons – a nice touch for night-time or low-light viewing. And it’s well-sized, avoiding a swathe of buttons for different apps that some may not even want to use. Instead, you can use the remote’s or TV’s mic to dictate which apps you’d like to visit. Alternatively, simply navigate to Netflix, Disney+ and the like via the Home menu.
Sky Glass Gen 2 review: smart TV & menus
- Sky user interface is sleek
- But some settings are hidden away
- Responsive all-in-one hub
If you’ve got a Sky Q box or have seen the Sky Stream in action, the Glass Gen 2’s user interface is going to look very familiar to you. If you’ve purchased subscriptions to Sky channels, you’ll get all of those, Freeview and more at the top of the home menu, with sections like ‘Sport’, ‘News’ and the like in place to split up content. Below that, you can find various streaming apps, games and content from your active HDMI sources.
It really doesn’t get more straightforward than this – you’ve got everything you need in one place. Navigating is responsive, the menus are attractive and you can even personalise them to display channels from your favourites list.
A potential hold up for some, though, is that the competence of the Sky Glass Gen 2 is going to depend quite heavily on your network’s capabilities. I don’t have the most amazing connectivity at home, with average download speeds of about 70Mbps. But that was enough for me to use the Glass Gen 2 with little in the way of delays and loading times.
If you have speeds below 25Mbps, however, this TV might not be for you – that’s the minimum Sky recommends for 4K streaming.
The only real criticism I have of the Glass Gen 2’s interface is the positioning of advanced settings. If you want to switch between Bright and Dark mode for Dolby Vision content or drill into more specifics around your TV’s calibration, you have to sift through the entire home screen before you can reach the relevant menu.
This is a bit of a bizarre choice, given most TVs will let you adjust such features with a single button click.
- Smart TV & menus score: 4/5
Sky Glass Gen 2 review: Gaming
- 60Hz max refresh rate is a shame
- Automatic game mode and ALLM activation
- Lacks dedicated gaming settings
Now, I’ve been awfully positive about the Sky Glass Gen 2 so far, but I fear it’s time to burst its bubble. Well, just a bit. Without a doubt, the weakest part of the Sky Glass Gen 2’s arsenal is its gaming capabilities.
That’s down to one crucial flaw – the display’s 60Hz limit. So, even though you’re getting three HDMI 2.1 ports with the Glass Gen 2, none of these will support 120Hz refresh rates. For some gamers, that’s going to be a total deal-breaker. A lot of next-gen consoles, be that the PS5, Xbox Series X, or Nintendo Switch 2, have games that can run at 120fps, which won’t be available to you with the Glass Gen 2. Instead, you’ll have to settle for 4K 60fps gaming.
Now don’t get me wrong, that’s going to be enough for a large portion of players and a lot of games. A large proportion of next-gen titles, even those on the PS5, for instance, can’t hit that 120fps mark.
However, many of those games can take advantage of variable refresh rates, to help provide more graphical wizardry without screen tearing, and that’s missing here too. Assuming you have this TV for the next four to five years (and Sky will sell it to you with a four-year payment contract), I’d hope for better future-proofing.
Anyway, I’m happy to report that what is here works well. I played a few games, such as Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth on PS5 and motion was still very good. The TV showed even the most action-packed sequences with ease, with no sign of a worse image from being in Game mode.
I’d perhaps have liked a dedicated set of options for gaming, like my Hisense U7K offers. Sure, the Game picture mode auto-triggered when the Glass Gen 2 receives a signal from your console, but many TVs let you tweak how you balance responsiveness with image quality, depending on the genre you’re playing.
Sky Glass Gen 2 review: value
- You can get a better display at this price-point
- But the convenience of the Glass Gen 2 is unbeatable
- Maintains pricing of original Glass, but much improved
Let’s be honest – the Sky Glass Gen 2 is not exactly cheap when you compare it to other non-mini-LED QLED TVs on the market. This model will set you back £1,199 if you’re going for the 65-inch model that I tested – and that’s before you add on subscriptions for Sky TV, Sky Sports, UHD & Dolby Atmos access… I could go on.
Cheaper 65-inch rivals include the TCL C805, which could be yours for less than £800 or sometimes less than £700 when on sale. And this set includes 4K 144Hz refresh rate and VRR for gamers – pretty impressive.
Having said that, few sets can compete with the Glass Gen 2 on convenience. Everything – quite literally – you need is here, in one package. TV, streaming services, multi-channel sound, you name it. That’s not to mention the fact that it’s ultra-easy to set up and everything you need to watch TV is pre-loaded, which is the real draw of this thing.
And even though the price isn’t the lowest, you are able to pay for this on a mobile contract-esque plan, in either 24 or 48 monthly payments. In addition, I’ll give credit where it’s due, the fact that Sky has kept the price of this much-improved Glass model the same as the original Sky Glass at launch is a huge positive, given overall inflation during that time.
Should I buy the Sky Glass Gen 2?
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
Features |
Very good smart features, solid picture and audio settings, but lacking a fair few features offered by the competition. |
3.5/5 |
|
Picture quality |
Improved brightness, vivid colours, solid yet imperfect blacks. |
4/5 |
|
Sound quality |
Impressive spatial impression, solid bass output, clear dialogue. |
4.5/5 |
|
Design |
A little chunky due to the soundbar but high build quality and neat remote. |
4.5/5 |
|
Smart TV & menus |
Attractive, convenient and responsive UI, advanced settings hard to reach. |
4/5 |
|
Gaming |
Competent when use with ALLM devices, but hurt by no manual Game mode, VRR or 120Hz support. |
2.5/5 |
|
Value |
Cheaper options out there, but few can compete as an all-in-one package. |
4/5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Sky Glass Gen 2: also consider
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Sky Glass Gen 2 |
Samsung QN90D |
Hisense U7N |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Price (65-inch) |
£1,199 |
£1,299 |
£999 |
|
Screen type |
QLED |
QLED with mini-LED |
QLED with mini-LED |
|
Refresh rate |
60Hz |
144Hz |
144Hz |
|
HDR support |
Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG |
Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, HLG |
Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, HLG |
|
Smart TV |
Sky |
Tizen |
VIDAA |
|
HDMI ports |
3x HDMI 2.1 |
4x HDMI 2.1 |
2x HDMI 2.1; 2x HDMI 2.0 |
How I tested the Sky Glass Gen 2
- Tested over a period exceeding two weeks
- Tested with both SDR and HDR sources
- Took measurements using Portrait Displays’ Calman colour calibration software
I spent more than two weeks with the Sky Glass Gen 2, testing out its numerous features and watching a whole lot of content, both analytically and casually.
When critically viewing, I used reference scenes from movies and TV shows to assess factors like black levels, motion, colour accuracy, contrast and brightness. To do this, I viewed Dolby Vision, HDR and SDR content across streaming services, broadcast and 4K Blu-ray. When viewing content via the latter method, I used the excellent Panasonic DP-UB820 4K Blu-ray player.
On top of this, I took measurements using a colorimeter, test pattern generator and Portrait Displays’ Calman colour calibration software.
I first took measurements of the Glass Gen 2’s brightness using both HDR and SDR white window patterns, ranging in size from 1-100%. Then, I tested the TV’s greyscale and colour accuracy, taking an average of Delta-E values (the margin of error between the test pattern source and what’s shown on screen), where we’re typically hoping for a result below 3. I also tested the Glass Gen 2’s coverage of the UHDA-P3 and BT.2020 colour spaces.
Finally, I used a Leo Bodnar 4K HDMI Input lag Tester to test the Glass Gen 2’s input lag in milliseconds. But if you want to know more, you can read an in-depth overview of how we test TVs at TechRadar at that link.
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vEHkU2TyPPHwrmxFiJnbEN.jpg
Source link
harry.padoan@futurenet.com (Harry Padoan)
