Quick Summary
Sony stopped selling its Bravia Projector 8 and 9 in the UK and EU due to sanctions against Russia, but they’re coming back.
The previously unavailable Bravia Projector 7 is coming too.
Sony made a surprising announcement about its flagship Bravia projectors in March – it withdrew them from sale in the UK and EU.
However, just as home cinema fans started to look for the best projectors elsewhere, they’re back. And the UK is getting an extra model too.
The initial problem was simple: Sony was complying with EU sanctions.
Ongoing trade restrictions against Russia over the invasion of Ukraine means that companies can’t use certain suppliers if they want to sell in EU countries. It seems Sony’s supply chain for its projectors were affected.
Now though, the EU has seemingly relaxed its restrictions enough for Sony to reintroduce its projectors into member states, and they’re coming back to the UK too.
And that’s not all: the UK is getting a high-end projector that wasn’t previously intended for sale in the country.
Sony Bravia Projectors in the UK and EU: what’s happening?
For UK buyers, the sanctions meant that the Sony Bravia Projector 8 and Sony Bravia Projector 9 were unavailable (even though the UK is not in the EU anymore). However, both models will now return, and the UK will also get the Bravia Projector 7.
The Bravia Projector 7 was launched after Sony exited the UK and EU projector markets, so we didn’t think it would come here. Sony says that the Projector 7 is going to go on sale in both markets, and that’s good news: it has the same XR processor as the more expensive Projector 8 and Projector 9, delivers native 4K and has 2,200 lumens of brightness.
It’s particularly good for gaming too, thanks to its HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K, 120Hz and auto low latency mode.
We don’t yet know the price of the Sony Bravia Projector 7, but its predecessor – the VPL-XW5000 –was £5,999 / $5,999 / AUS$9,990 / about €7,100.
The new model is expected to cost a little more, although it’ll still be significantly cheaper than the £16K Bravia Projector 8 and £26K Bravia Projector 9 when it goes on sale later this summer.
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