Sky Glass gen 2 review: A step up in sound and picture quality

Set-up and design

First thing first – the Sky Glass gen 2 is still extremely heavy. While it’s actually lighter than the first-generation Sky Glass – almost 5kg lighter – unboxing and setting it up is still a mission. It needs two people just to unwrap, lift it out of the box and place it onto the stand and my TV unit.

Comparable mid-range TVs, such as the Samsung DU6900 series, weigh 10kg less than the Sky Glass, though it’s maybe not exactly a fair comparison, given the Sky Glass gen 2 has a premium metal chassis and a built-in soundbar, which obviously adds a lot of heft. Still, it’s something to consider if weight is a huge priority for you. If it is, then you’ll be pleased to hear that Sky is set to launch the Sky Glass air later this year, a lighter version without the integrated soundbar. That should make it easier to pick up and move around when setting up.

But while the setup process is still a two-person job, the new stand has a much better design and is at least easier to install. There are no fiddly screws required anymore. You just slot it in and go. It’s still superbly stable and looks the part. The only bad thing is that the Sky Glass no longer comes with a wall mount; this costs an extra ?99 and needs to be bought at the time of purchase. It’s not something I reviewed, but its telescopic design apparently makes it easier to get the perfect angle.

The Sky Glass gen 2 is still pretty chunky, but not absurdly so, and the aluminium chassis, painted in the colour of your choice helps it stand out. Sky’s also got rid of the green and pink colourways, replacing them with just volcanic grey, arctic silver and Atlantic blue. The removal of the pink and green options also makes sense – those were always niche choices.

While the soundbar still sits seamlessly at the bottom, it looks much more sleek compared to the previous generation. The speaker fabric grill is now colour-matched to the frame, so it looks like it’s one single unit, rather than something plopped onto the bottom.

On the rear, you’ve got the same three HDMI ports, including an HDMI eARC port for connecting to an external sound system, as well as a USB-C and USB-A port. There’s also an ethernet port and an aerial input for regular terrestrial TV – handy if your broadband ever goes down because you’ll still be able to access the TV without Wi-Fi. There aren’t too many controls on the TV itself. On the right-hand side, you’ve got a power button and a microphone mute button – in case you ever want to stop your TV from listening for voice commands. The remote is the same as the previous generation, but it’s nice that it’s also colour-matched.

Set-up is a doddle. As soon as you plug in, you connect the TV to the wifi and it’ll automatically connect to your Sky account, presenting all the content packages and channels you need from the moment you get started. You’ll also be asked whether you want to use the default settings or the enhanced experience. The latter will turn on voice commands and the TV’s motion sensor, switching on whenever the TV detects you’re in the room. It’s pretty smart, though does get annoying if you’re just popping in to pick up your phone off the couch.

Performance and features

With set-up complete, how does it actually perform? Sky Glass gen 2 runs on the newly rebranded Sky OS (previously Entertainment OS), and this time, it’s powered by an upgraded proprietary processor and SoC (system on a chip). Sky hasn’t revealed the exact specs, but the difference is immediately noticeable. Navigation is much snappier, menus load faster and the sluggish scrolling that occasionally plagued the first-generation model is gone. Everything feels far more fluid now.

I’ve always enjoyed Sky’s OS. It’s clean, modern and feels genuinely intuitive. It surfaces content that actually feels relevant rather than just throwing everything at you. At the top, you’ve got a selection of top picks for you, then a carousel featuring your playlist (which is basically stuff you’ve favourited to watch later), recommended movies, TV shows, kids, sports and more. Below that, you’ve got your TV guide, carousels featuring recommended content, as well as all the streaming apps, games and settings. It’s so simple to dip in and out of menus, and it’s just a lot faster on the new gen 2.

The only thing most new Sky Glass users will need to get to grips with is the playlist. While it doesn’t have native recording, adding something to your playlist will send it directly there. Once you head into your playlist, you’ll be able to see a carousel of content that you can watch back, organised by category.

The catch here is that, unlike Sky Q, it’s all streamed via apps instead of being held on-device. If you’ve added The Traitors on BBC One to your playlist, you’ll be taken to BBC iPlayer to resume or start watching the show. If you’ve added Love Island to your Playlist, you’ll be taken to the ITVX app to watch the show. You get the picture.

Another really nice feature is auto-enhance. Sky works out what you're watching and adjusts the picture and sound to match what’s on TV. Basically, everything on the Sky Glass gen 2 in terms of software is exactly the same, you’ll still get the same experience on both tellies.

And while this isn’t an exclusive feature of Sky Glass gen 2, one of the biggest issues with Sky’s over-wifi system has always been the significant broadcast delay compared to traditional terrestrial or satellite TV. This was particularly frustrating when watching live sports, as goal notifications on my phone would often spoil the action before I even saw it on-screen.

Sky’s low-latency channels significantly reduce the delay in live broadcasts, bringing the lag much closer to traditional satellite feeds. It’s not quite Sky Q-speeds, but it’s much better.

The far-field microphones aren’t bad, but you have to speak somewhat slowly, and you often have to pause briefly after saying “Hello Sky” to give your command – it reminds us a little bit of how Siri or Alexa used to work when it was first rolled out. But it’s really nice being able to just talk out loud to control the TV (though you can hold down a microphone button on the remote as well) to give commands.

I also wish the TV worked more like a smart speaker. Sky wants to be the centrepiece of the living room after all, so it would be great if it could set timers, answer questions or play music without having to jump into the Spotify app. If Sky isn’t interested in developing its own smart assistant, better integration with Alexa or Google Assistant would be a nice compromise.

Right now, Alexa support is limited to an Alexa Skill. You can use it to control the TV, but not much else. It’s honestly a bit of a missed opportunity. Amazon’s Omni Fire TV, for example, can play music, answer questions, set timers and more, even when the screen is off. The far-field microphones in the Sky Glass still just make it a glorified voice remote.

While it’s unlikely Sky will integrate Alexa more deeply into the TV, given Amazon now has its own Fire TV with Alexa integrated, it should really consider improving its overall smarts as an intelligent home hub – it doesn’t need fancy AI features like Alexa+, but some kind of voice assistant support would be nice.

Picture quality

Most of the improvements in Sky Glass gen 2 happen under the hood, refining both the display and sound system. While it still boasts a Quantum Dot 4K panel, the brightness has been noticeably boosted, making HDR content pop more than before. Highlights are brighter, contrast is more accurate and colours feel more vibrant without looking oversaturated. Dolby Vision and HDR10 content now feels richer, especially in darker scenes, which was a weak spot on the previous model

Watching Dune: Part Two on Prime Video in Dolby Vision, the improvements were obvious. The sandy landscapes looked crisper, the contrast between the blinding Arrakis sun and the deep shadows inside the Fremen caves felt more pronounced and the overall image had more depth.

Sky has also improved local dimming, adding more dimming zones to enhance contrast and detail in darker scenes. Blacks appear deeper and more refined, reducing the slight greyness that was an issue on the first-generation Sky Glass – shadows have more detail, and brighter moments don’t bleed into the darker ones as much as before. Viewing angles have also been widened, so the picture now holds up much better when watching from the sides.

Motion handling has also been improved, particularly with sports. Watching Premier League football in UHD, players' movements felt smoother, with fewer visible stutters during the action, the grass looked greener and it all felt brighter and overall just more colourful.

There are also some new picture presets. Auto mode dynamically adjusts settings based on what you're watching, while entertainment mode offers a balanced, default look. I’m a big fan of the vivid mode, which boosted saturation without making everything look unnatural. The extra-vivid preset took it to another level, pushing brightness and colours to their limits – great for Inside Out 2, but slightly too intense for most live-action content.

Of course, it’s still not as good as a high-end OLED or mini-LED display when it comes to deep blacks and precise contrast control. Darker scenes, like the night-time sequences in Severance, still have a slight greyness to them rather than true inky blacks, and while HDR has improved, it doesn’t quite reach the same level of peak brightness as top-tier TVs from LG or Samsung.

It’s a real shame that it still only has a 60Hz refresh rate, so gamers won’t see buttery smooth action, and I would’ve loved to have seen an OLED panel on its second-generation model. Alas, it’s still only QLED.

Sound

One of the biggest advantages of Sky Glass is its built-in soundbar. With TVs getting thinner, manufacturers are struggling to fit in decent speakers, which is why you’re probably always turning up the volume just to hear dialogue properly. Unlike most TVs, where speakers are hidden at the back, Sky Glass places the soundbar front and centre, right below the screen. It eliminates the need for a separate one.

Sky Glass gen 2 now features three front-firing speakers, a dual subwoofer for better bass and two dedicated up-firing speakers for more height. And yes, while the bass is improved, my Sonos Arc still provides deeper, more room-filling bass. That said, the soundstage on Sky Glass gen 2 is big, powerful and well-balanced.

Watching Dolby Atmos films, I was genuinely impressed. In The Invisible Man, the rain scenes were mind-blowing. It genuinely sounded like the downpour was happening in the room, with raindrops seeming to hit from above and around me, rather than just coming from the TV itself. The up-firing speakers also made a difference in action-heavy films. In Top Gun: Maverick, the roar of jets didn’t just sound wide, it felt like they were moving over and past me, giving a real sense of height.

Though height has been improved, the system still lacks depth. There’s plenty of volume, but it all still feels a little two-dimensional. The sound tends to push forward rather than wrap around you, so it doesn’t quite envelop you from all directions. Dialogue, however, comes across crystal clear.

For a built-in TV audio system, Sky Glass gen 2 is one of the best out there, but it’s not quite a replacement for a true surround sound setup. While a dedicated high-end soundbar will still outperform it, for most people, it completely removes the need for extra speakers. It’s loud, clear and fairly immersive.

Pricing

One of my biggest gripes with the first Sky Glass (and Sky Stream) was the pricing structure, and that still applies here. Like before, you can buy the Sky Glass gen 2 outright or opt for a monthly plan.

The base 43in model starts at ?14 per month (over 48 months) or ?699 outright. The 55in at ?19 per month (?949 outright) and the 65in starts from ?24 per month (?1,199 outright), but that doesn’t include the mandatory Sky package, which starts at ?15 per month, meaning the actual minimum cost of ownership is much higher than just the price of the TV itself.

Then there’s the add-ons. If you want Ultra HD & Dolby Atmos, it’s an extra ?6 per month. Want ad-skipping? That’s another ?5 per month. Netflix is bundled into the base package, but you’ll need to pay more for 4K streaming or multiple screens. And if you want Sky’s full content selection, including cinema and sports, the monthly bill quickly skyrockets well beyond what you’d pay for a standard TV and a streaming stick (or the Sky Stream box partnered with your current TV).

That said, Sky Glass still works out a lot cheaper than Sky Q. You’ll have to pay up to ?99 for set-up and up to ?65 for installation for Sky Q. With Sky Glass, you just pay a ?20 installation fee. Sky Q packages tend to be more expensive as well. To access UHD content on Sky Q, you need both the HD pack (?9 per month) and the ultra HD pack (?4 per month) – much more than the Sky Glass’ Ultra HD and Dolby Atmos pack for ?6 per month.