Sky Glass Gen 2 one year on: is it still worth it? | Daily Reports Online
I’ve had the Sky Glass Gen 2 TV setup in my living room since April of last year. To begin with, I wasn’t quite sure whether I was going to get on with Sky’s flagship TV. It was quite different from a lot of TVs in its price range, boasting a relatively chunky build, a unique OS, and I’d be swapping my trusty soundbar for its built-in Dolby Atmos sound system.
For the uninitiated, Sky Glass models provide a captivating proposition for Sky customers. It acts as an all-in-one TV hub, with access to live channels over your network connection (rather than a satellite or aerial), various streaming and smart apps, and more.
So would I recommend buying the Sky Glass Gen 2 instead of one of the best OLED TVs or best mini LED TVs in its price range? I’ll take you through my experience as a user, break down its picture and audio performance, and tell you whether I think it’s truly worth the asking price.
Latest Videos FromTechRadar
The user experience: how does the Sky Glass Gen 2 stack up after a year?
Let’s start by talking about the user experience you get with the Sky Glass Gen 2.
As I said, it aims to serve as an all-in-one hub for Sky customers, and in my view, it pulls this off with ease. The user interface is laid out in a simple and practical way, making it seamless to scroll through each channel, access a comprehensive TV guide, tap into apps like Netflix and HBO Max, and switch between various sources.
The crowning achievement of the Sky Glass Gen 2’s experience, though, is its voice control. I’m not usually a big fan of these — I’ve never really got on with Alexa for controlling devices, or Bixby on Samsung phones, for instance.
But Sky nails it on its Glass TVs. You can either say ‘hello Sky’ or press the mic button on the remote control, and ask for specific apps or channels, or even issue a more general command such as ‘show me movies with cats’. I always find that I get accurate, helpful results, and I rarely experience accidental triggers of voice controls or irrelevant answers.
The interface also looks really clean, and accessing settings is quick and seamless. Just press the ‘…’ button, and you can swiftly alter picture mode, sound settings, toggle speech enhancement, and more.
More generally, I just find Sky’s OS to be a lot more user-friendly than a lot of its rivals, such as VIDAA OS on my Hisense TV or even Google TV on TCL models I’ve tested. Sky’s OS just feels sleeker, more organised, and its pin-point voice controls make everyday viewing feel much more seamless.
Other than the occasional plug for a Sky exclusive, there’s also little in the way of ads — something the aforementioned rivals push onto the home screen more than I’d like.
Did you know TechRadar now has membership?
Become a TechRadar Insider by simply clicking ‘Join Now’ at the top of this page. Have a question? Please email [email protected]
One issue I’d previously had was that advanced settings were buried deep within the main menu, but Sky has updated this, making them accessible via the ‘…’ button as well. This means I can easily change network settings, alter viewing preferences, and make advanced picture adjustments (such as changing Dolby Vision or HDR picture modes).
I’ve also found that having TV channels available through my home network is a big plus. The quality of broadcasts is excellent (more on that later), and I’ve experienced very few network issues during my time with the TV — you need 25Mbps download speeds to get 4K streaming, which is no problem in a city. But if you ever do encounter issues, there’s an option to fall back on an aerial connection, which is always handy.
This isn’t to say I’ve experienced no hiccups whatsoever. On occasion, some channels have failed to load, and apps haven’t displayed on the main menu. But this has been a very rare thing, and has always been fixable by unplugging the TV to restart it.
Something else that I love about the Sky Glass Gen 2, is that you get bundled subscriptions to select streaming apps, such as Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, and Hayu — so long as you have a Sky Ultimate TV subscription, which is £24 per month.
That’s an exceptional deal, and has opened up a lot of shows and movies that I’d previously missed out on. Sure, it’s the standard (with ads) subscription for these services, but as someone who typically buys 4K Blu-ray if I want the best viewing experiences for things I really cherish, that’s fine by me for everything else.
Finally, I have to say that the Sky Glass Gen 2 is extremely easy to set up and get started with. It comes with plastic feet that slot into the TV without needing to mess around with screws or fiddly stands.
Picture & audio quality: a solid all-round performer
Right, so the user experience is great on the Sky Glass Gen 2, but how does it perform when it comes to picture and audio?
First things first, it’s important to understand the tech inside this model. It’s a QLED TV that harnesses the power of local dimming to create a vibrant picture with solid black levels to match. The Glass Gen 2 added more dimming zones, greatly boosts brightness, and provides wider viewing angles than its predecessor, and the results are pretty good overall.
Are you going to get the inky blacks and eye-popping colors that a TV like the LG B6 can deliver? No, but as a QLED model, the Sky Glass Gen 2 still really impressed me, and it’s brighter than LG’s model, making it good for well-lit living rooms.
I’d consider its picture to be competitive against similarly priced mini-LED options from the likes of Hisense and TCL most of the year around — though in the sales or on Black Friday, you might be able to get a more premium TV from those models for a similar price, which might edge the Glass 2 out.
The Glass Gen 2 supplies good contrast and color accuracy, decent black levels, and impressive motion-handling, making it a versatile option for all kinds of content. Whether I’m watching a blockbuster Premier League match, indulging in the quality of the best 4K Blu-ray players, or just watching a YouTube video, the Sky Glass Gen 2 is able to give me the vibrant colors and detailed picture that I need.
You get Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG support, meaning you can enjoy most video content at its best, although it’s worth noting that there’s no HDR10+.
My main gripe with the Sky Glass Gen 2, performance wise, is its restrictive 60Hz refresh rate. As a keen gamer, this means I’m unable to play titles that offer 120fps gameplay at the peak of their powers.
Don’t get me wrong, 4K 60fps is good enough for the vast majority of my favorite PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2 titles, but if you want advanced gaming settings and buttery 120Hz refresh rates, you may want to look elsewhere.
On the audio side, things get really interesting, though. The TV has a Dolby Atmos soundbar system built-in, which uses a 3.1.2 channel configuration. This means you get: three outward-firing speakers; a pair of woofers for bass output; and a pair of upward-firing speakers for more vertical, immersive sound.
If you’ve not got room for a standalone soundbar, or you don’t want to spend more on one, then it’s a practical solution without question. It offers much deeper bass and clearer dialogue than you’d expect from most TVs’ built-in speakers. The system also whips up relatively expansive sound, ideal for movies with striking Dolby Atmos effects.
But in honesty, the built-in sound system can’t compete with a top-class soundbar. If you want rippling bass, crystal clear mids, and expressive highs — and if you want fantastic music playback to boot — I’d still recommend investing in one of the best soundbars, such as the Samsung HW-Q800F, or a larger surround sound option like the JBL Bar 1300MK2.
One unintentional benefit of the built-in system is that it provides some height below the screen to easily slot in your own soundbar, if you do want an upgrade. For example, I have the spectacular Marshall Heston 120 sitting in front of it, with plenty of space between the bottom of the screen and the soundbar.
Wrapping up: is the Glass worth the cash?
So, is the Sky Glass Gen 2 worth picking over rivals from the likes of LG, Samsung, and Sony? For me, the answer is yes — it offers reliable performance, intuitive functionality, and serves as a great hub for Sky TV and streaming services.
OK, if your number one concern is getting the best picture quality possible, and you’re happy with a Sky box (including the Sky Stream, which has the same core software as the Glass 2, though isn’t quite as snappy), then there are some cheaper OLEDs and mini-LED TVs that outperform the Glass Gen 2.
But if you want an accomplished entertainment hub that still performs well across the board, and even comes with a built-in sound system, then the Sky Glass Gen 2 is well worth the outlay. Sky’s trick here is that it says this is an all-in-one system, needing just one cable to get started, and I think it achieves that.
The Sky Glass Gen 2 costs £699 for the 43-inch version, £949 for the 55-inch, and £1,199 for the 65-inch model. For reference, I own the latter, and I think it certainly earns its price, all things considered.
It’s also worth noting that the Sky TVs have flexible purchase structures — you can buy them outright or pay for them via monthly installments, which in itself can be a big plus.
However, one thing to consider is that purchasing the TV on its own will result in a fairly restrictive user experience. You’ll have to pay a subscription fee for a number of Sky TV products — such as Sky Sports, Sky Cinema, UHD & Dolby Atmos, and Ad Skipping — to get the best out of your Sky Glass, and these costs can really add up.
But if you’re all in on the Sky experience, or if you’re an existing customer, I think the Glass Gen 2 is a great TV all things considered, and after more than a year with it, I have no intention of substituting it out.
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.
