By The Sky Glass Gen 2 has a brighter 4K HDR display, a built-in seven-speaker Dolby Atmos soundbar, and Sky OS functionality.
Sky has just released their next-generation TV, the Sky Glass Gen 2. Compared to their original Sky Glass, it has a brighter 4K HDR display and a more powerful seven-speaker Dolby Atmos soundbar. It’s also powered by Sky OS, which brings your entertainment together in one place with clever features like personalised playlists and voice control.
In this article, we’ll review the new Sky Glass Gen 2, including all of the features available and how it compares to the original Sky Glass.
Contents
4K HDR Display
On the second-generation Sky Glass, you’ll now find a brighter display with improvements to both the contrast and picture detail. It’s a 4K HDR screen that uses Quantum Dot LCD technology. According to Sky, the viewing angles have also been improved on the Sky Glass Gen 2.
To cater for a range of requirements, you can buy the Sky Glass Gen 2 in three different sizes. This is based on the size of the screen, and you can choose the model that’s best suited to the size of your room:
- 43-inches (Small): Recommended viewing distance of 1.7m.
- 55-inches (Medium): Recommended viewing distance of 2.3m.
- 65-inches (Large): Recommended viewing distance of 2.7m.
Whichever model you choose, the screen is capable of displaying more than a billion different colours. Support for High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology is delivered through the HLG, HDR10 and Dolby Vision standards.
To save power, there’s an automatic standby feature on Sky Glass which uses motion detection. For instance, it can save power by turning off the screen when nobody has been inside the room for more than an hour.
Another highlight is the Auto-Enhance feature on Sky Glass Gen 2, which will automatically optimise the picture & sound settings on your TV. It does this by adjusting the settings automatically, based on what you’re watching. It also adapts, based on the environment around you and the light levels in the room. If you want the additional control, there are manual settings available such as Entertainment, Movies, Sport, Vivid, Extra Vivid, and more.
Built-In Soundbar
Another area where Sky has chosen to distinguish the Sky Glass Gen 2 from other TVs on the market is with the powerful built-in Dolby Atmos soundbar.
For background, most other TVs on the market today have only basic stereo speakers, giving a total sound output of about 20W. Although it’s fine for basic watching, it leaves a lot to be desired, especially when you’re watching movies or sports on TV. To work around this, many people will then choose to buy a separate audio system, which comes with additional costs, extra wires, the need for more space, and extra hassle for installation.
On the Sky Glass Gen 2, you’ll get a powerful surround sound system that’s built-in directly to the TV. In total, this has seven built-in speakers (increased from the six speakers on the original Sky Glass TV). They’ll work together to project 360º surround sound through your living room, with a Dolby Atmos 3.1.2 configuration (there are 3 outwards-firing speakers, 2 central subwoofers with a passive radiator, and 2 upwards-firing speakers). In total, that’s up to 250W of sound output, immersing you in the middle of action, whether you’re the latest film or game.
Software & Operating System
Nowadays, the software is another really important aspect of choosing a smart TV. That’s because it’s something that you’ll interact with every single day, and it’s where you’ll find all of the clever features that make your life a little bit easier.
It’s in this area that you’ll find another key selling point of the Sky Glass Gen 2 as it’s now the only TV available to have Sky’s smart TV operating system built-in. This is known as Sky OS (the new name for Entertainment OS). In fact, Sky is probably uniquely positioned in this area, given their partnerships with content providers, and with their background in offering consumer TV services over a number of decades.
There are a number of key benefits to using Sky OS:
- You’ll be able to access all of your favourite channels & apps in one place. As well as your live TV channels, you’ll be able to access your favourite apps on the TV. This includes catch-up services like BBC iPlayer and ITVX, as well as streaming services like Netflix and Discovery+. You’ll even get Netflix and Discovery+ included at no extra cost, as part of your subscription if you’re a Sky TV customer.
- Everything is streamed over WiFi, so there’s no need for a satellite dish or aerial. It’s the ultimate hassle-free way of watching TV: you simply need to plug it in and then connect it to your WiFi network to start watching. There are no engineer visits, and no need to have lots of unwieldy cables going around your home. You can simply watch from any room, where WiFi is available.
- Your content appears in ‘rails’, so there’s no need for channel hopping & app hopping. On Sky Glass, the content from your favourite channels and apps will appear on a number of home screen ‘rails’. This makes it really easy to access the shows you want to watch, and to resume programmes and series that you’ve already started to watch. Because it’s all available on one screen, you shouldn’t need to hop in and out of different apps all the time. You can also search across your connected channels and apps in one place.
Recommendations appear in one place, so you can always find something new to watch. Based on your watching history, Sky Glass gives you personalised recommendations which are taken from across your connected channels and apps. It doesn’t matter whether it’s on Netflix, Discovery+, or Sky Atlantic – you’ll see the recommendations all together in one place.- You can create personalised playlists. On Sky Glass, you can easily create a playlist of things you’d like to watch (just press the Playlist ‘+’ button on your remote control). When you come back to watch it later on, it will then fetch the programme for you from whichever on-demand service or streaming service it’s on. Generally, this is more convenient than making your own recordings as it’s a fully cloud-based solution with no storage limits and no recording clashes.
Compared to other smart TVs, another thing we really like about Sky OS is the fact that it’s being continually improved through updates. In fact, Sky says they’ve pushed more than 500 updates to the original Sky Glass TV since it launched in 2021. That’s a really impressive stream of updates, given that many other smart TVs get forgotten about shortly after launch. Sky says they’ll continue updating the software for the original Sky Glass, even with the release of the new Sky Glass Gen 2.
If there’s one limitation that we need to point out, it’s the fact that you can’t really use Sky Glass for controlling your smart home devices. That’s because it’s a totally separate system to smart home systems like Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit. As such, if you’re looking for a smart home ‘hub’ where you’re able to control your central heating and home lights, this isn’t something that you’re able to do with Sky Glass at this point.
Voice Control
The Sky Glass Gen 2 has built-in voice control functionality. It works a little bit like Alexa or Siri – you just say “Hello Sky” and then what you’d like to watch. It’s handy and it saves time as there’s no need to remember which channel or app each programme is on – the voice assistant will just find it for you. You can even search for new things to watch, based on genre, the name of an actor, and more.
There’s a far-field microphone that’s built-in to the Sky Glass TV, giving you full hands-free control even on the other side of the room. Alternatively, if you prefer, you can disable this microphone through a ‘mute’ button on the side of the TV and you can use the manual voice control button on the remote control instead.
Design
The ethos of Sky Glass is that it gives you everything you need in one simple package. This means there’s no need for a separate box or dish with Sky Glass. In addition, there’s no need for a separate soundbar as you already have one that’s built into the TV. Altogether, this greatly simplifies your set-up, meaning you only need the one cable for power to your TV.
Because there’s quite a lot of stuff built into Sky Glass, it isn’t the lightest or most portable TV around. The weight of the Sky Glass Gen 2 ranges from 14.7kg (for the 43-inch model), up to 30.3kg (for the 65-inch model). However, it’s certainly a well-built TV, with a solid aluminium construction and with a sleeker design compared to the original Sky Glass.
You can get the Sky Glass Gen 2 in three different colours: Volcanic Grey, Arctic Silver, and Atlantic Blue. This comes with a remote control that’s colour-matched to the TV, as well as a matching fascia for the speaker in the same colour.
One of the improvements compared to the original Sky Glass TV is the newer simplified TV stand. It’s now easier to assemble without the need for any tools. There’s also a wall mount option which is available for an extra £99. This can help to save space in your living room and it’s also an adjustable mount so you can easily tilt or swivel your TV.
Technical Specifications
The following table shows a side-by-side comparison of the technical specifications of Sky Glass Gen 1 and Gen 2:
| Sky Glass Gen 1 | Sky Glass Gen 2 | |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
| Display | ||
| Screen Size: | Small 43″ Medium 55″ Large 65″ |
|
| Resolution: | 4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) | |
| HDR: | Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG | |
| Technology: | UHD Quantum Dot | UHD Quantum Dot display, VA LCD |
| Luminance Boost: | Yes | Yes, with “Burst” technology to further boost luminance |
| Backlight / LEDs: | 160 / 312 / 448 | (FALD) 180 / 336 / 480 |
| Dimmable Zones: | 40 / 78 / 112 | 60 / 112 / 160 |
| Full Screen Brightness: | 766 / 827 / 837 nits | 800 / 1300 / 1700 nits |
| Contrast Ratio: | 4500:1 / 5500:1 / 6000:1 | 5000:1 / 7000:1 / 8000:1 |
| Refresh Rate: | 60Hz | |
| Audio | ||
| Speakers: |
6 total:
|
7 total:
|
| Audio Format: | Dolby Atmos 3.1.2 surround | |
| Sound Output: | Up to 215W | Up to 250W |
| Design | ||
| Colours: |
|
|
| Weight: | 19kg / 28kg / 35kg | 14.7kg / 21.9kg / 30.3kg |
| Includes Remote: | Yes | Yes, colour matched |
Price
You can buy the Sky Glass Gen 2 from Sky’s website. It’s now available for £699 (for the 43-inch model), £949 (for the 55-inch model), and £1199 (for the 65-inch model).
To go with your Sky Glass Gen 2, you can now get a Sky Essential TV subscription for £15 per month, which includes Sky Atlantic, Netflix and Discovery+. There’s also an exclusive offer available on Ultimate TV, which includes over 35 more channels. Until the 16th April 2025, it’s available through this link for just £20 per month.
More Information
For more information about the Sky Glass Gen 2, see Sky’s official website.
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