I’ve lived with Sky Glass for a month – is Sky’s 2025 dish-free solution best?

A couple of years ago, Sky shook up its whole offering by introducing Sky Glass: an all-in-one TV solution that could deliver the core Sky experience to your home – but without the need for any dish installation.

For 2025 there's been a refresh, Sky Glass Gen 2 as it's called, which I've been living with for a month for this review. I'll just call it Sky Glass (with or without mention of '2025') from here on out, though, as you can no longer purchase the original system – that's had its time, so it's on with the new-and-improved product.

Sky Glass was radical: as you can effectively 'lease' the system, there's a monthly cost, no big up-front payment (unless that's your preference) as per the best TVs, and you can pick and choose which channel 'packs' you add on to the package too.

Sky Glass 2025 is the very same idea, just with improved picture and sound, meaning all you need is a good enough Wi-Fi connection and off you go. However, if you already own one of the best OLED TVs or similar, then you might prefer to opt for Sky Q or a Sky Stream instead – and forego the all-in-one TV package prospect.

How much does Sky Glass cost?

Sky Glass 2025 comes in three sizes: 43-inch (from £14 per month), 55-inch (on review; from £19 per month), and 65-inch (from £24 per month). That's a couple of quid per month more than the 2022 prices, but it's no price hike – if you'd purchased the original system just before Gen 2 arrived you'd be paying the same.

Those 'from' prices are for the 48-month packages – and there's a £20 flat fee up front for delivery and setup too, irrelevant of the size you choose – as 24-month packages come in at £28, £38, £48 per month for the small, medium and large screen sizes respectively.

Don't want to pay monthly? You can buy outright (and forego the £20 setup fee) for £699 (43-inch), £949 (55-inch), or £1199 (65-inch) if that better suits your needs. Whichever path you take, whether outright or per month, you needn't send the TV back after the term – it's yours.

Of course those prices can increase significantly, depending on what you add on. You’ll have to pay for the TV service nonetheless – which starts from £26 per month for Sky Ultimate TV – with other services such as the Sky Ultra HDR and Dolby Atmos pack, Sky Cinema, Sky Sports, and Sky Kids, potentially adding to your entertainment bill.

Is Sky Glass easy to set up?

Once you have decided what you want, however, Sky Glass is super easy to order, receive, and have set up. By which I don't mean you need to build it – the delivery team does that in situ for you, and even takes the box away. No faff, no mess, no bother.

It's important to have your Sky account ready, so you can easily sign in, and know that your internet setup is decent enough to handle requirements. Sky recommends no less than 25Mbps, which should be achievable for most – but check www.speedtest.net to ensure you're getting that. If not, Sky does also offer broadband packages.

While the original Sky Glass was a more fussy install, involving tools and whatnot – not that you needed to worry about that part as the purchaser, it was still set up for you in situ – the Gen 2 Sky Glass is basically plug and play.

It's been redesigned for a tool-free assembly, with a metal stand into which the TV slots onto, with two metal 'pegs' disappearing into the telly's body and locking everything into place. It's a very elegant solution indeed.

What's new in Sky Glass 2025?

I first received the 2025 Sky Glass in the middle of February, so I'm a month into ownership at the time of writing. I wrote back then about the three big features that immediately stand out as upgrades.

What I wrote then remains true now: the latest Sky Glass delivers better anti-reflection, features an improved panel with greater brightness, plus improved sound thanks to a redesigned integrated system with extra speakers.

Add the new easy-to-assemble design and it's a smart-looking system. It's available in Arctic Silver, Volcanic Grey, or Atlantic Blue, delivering a new and more simplified colour palette of offerings. I've got the blue finish, as you can see from my review pictures.

So the new Sky Glass is clearly a better system. But do keep in mind that this isn't the best-of-best picture quality that can be found on the market. That's not really its point – in my view Sky Glass is all about ease of access and simplification of payments. Which will suit many prospective buyers perfectly.

Is Sky Glass easy to use?

Sky Glass is a doddle to use. It comes with an included separate remote, so you can easily find your favourites in the electronic programme guide (EPG), which is neatly arranged for navigation. Or select your most-watched apps right from the interface with ease – there are no restrictions here (from Netflix to BBC iPlayer, you're covered).

At its simplest that's all you need to worry about: the TV itself. But there are three HDMI ports to the rear, should you wish to plug in additional A/V items, such as a games console. These are HDMI 2.1 specified, but you can't benefit from frame rates higher than 60Hz, oddly, as the panel doesn't support this. So higher-end gamers take note.

But you really ought to think about whether Glass will be the best Sky solution for you. If you have a quality TV, for example, then a Sky Stream can slot into its HDMI port to deliver content that way – and this'll cost you less overall, too.

The other thing to consider is recording shows – this isn't something Sky Glass offers, as there's no in-built storage. If that's an essential for you then Sky Q is what you seek – but that will cost you more accordingly.

But if Sky Glass does best suit your needs in 2025 then it's certainly no slouch. You can set it up to be 'always alert' via 'Wake Using Motion', switching on when you enter the room, or put it into a more dormant state (my preference, albeit it's slower to load – there are various auto-standby adjustment options though).

There's even voice activation and control, so you can talk to the set – which can be a nice shortcut for accessing content, if you prefer. Excuses to verbally shout at the set include built-in games, or those times when you forget your four-digit PIN (required for age-rated content to be viewed).

Is Sky Glass picture quality any good?

The original Sky Glass never had the best picture quality. But, as I say, that was part and parcel of a more affordable package – it wasn't trying to rival tellies costing several grand, it was designed to easily slot into your life and be convenient. And, of course, dish-free.

The new Sky Glass certainly improves the picture quality, thanks to a new panel. But it's still not the best-of-best panel type – this is no OLED TV, after all, it's a QLED (that's Quantum Dot LED backlit) with some inherent black-level weaknesses and backlighting blooms, if you're the pixel-peeping type to go and look for them.

But here's the thing: I don't think most Sky Glass owners will look nor care much about such details. If you do, then go buy a pricier standalone TV and plug in a Stream or Sky Q – as there's something for everyone across the range.

That said, I've been perfectly happy with the 2025 Sky Glass picture quality. It caters for 4K content where available, including high dynamic range (HDR) feeds – HDR10 and Dolby Vision are supported – for extra punch and contrast. And QLED means rich colours, which is certainly true from my viewing.

I'm using this Sky Glass as a second screen in the kitchen, where a large bay window douses it in light – but it's bright enough to cut through this without issue. Furthermore, thanks to an anti-reflective coating, this panel is good in dark conditions too, where additional ambient lighting can otherwise be bothersome. It's nicely diffused here, which is really handy.

You'll want to face the panel more-or-less front-on, though, as it's not a fan of steep angles – where contrast really falls off and colour becomes muted – so keep this in mind when placing the set. Not that most people will be watching at 45-degrees, of course!

Do I need a soundbar with Sky Glass?

Sky Glass is a pretty chunky system, as you can see from my pictures, but that's because the integrated soundbar needs that space – and it sounds great straight out of the box.

With Dolby Atmos compatibility, this integrated system can deliver pseudo surround sound with a much greater height effect than the original model. It's a decent, wide-yet-tall soundstaging that means you'll never need to buy one of the best soundbars separately.

If you think this will be a little bit too much for your needs, then later in 2025 the Sky Glass Air will also launch. This will ditch the soundbar and cost even less – which I think will be the perfect 'second room' solution for many people.

While the sound quality is satisfying – and there's a good dose of bass thanks to dual woofers in that system – I have had a sometimes problematic issue with lipsync. Sometimes (though rarely) channels' visual streams can slip out of sync with the audio aspect – and my internet hits around 500Mbps, so it's nothing to do with that.

Sky Glass review: Verdict

Sky Glass will be the ideal TV for some people. Delivered and set up for you, without major up-front costs, it provides easy access to your chosen Sky content – all via Wi-Fi and without the need for a dish on the side of your house.

In the same breath, however, Sky Glass won't be the ideal TV for everyone. The panel isn't going to see off the best TVs when it comes to picture perfection, but it's absolutely an improvement over the original. But with other Sky offerings – Stream and Q – you still have access points that may suit your needs better.

Sky Glass is still radical: it shook up how Sky did business years back, opening the door to a potentially wider audience. The second hardware release isn't as radical a step, and there's still room for a higher-end OLED offering for those in pursuit of picture perfection. But for those who want the convenience factor, Sky Glass delivers on the good stuff.

Also Consider

Sky is a great access point for certain content – especially sport – which is why many choose to pay a premium for the service's channels.

If that's not you, however, then a cheap TV with Freeview Play ought to serve your needs, supplemented with subscriptions to the best streaming services. The TCL C645K is one such example, available from 50- to 75-inch sizes, with current pricing visible below:

If you've got a bit more cash to hand, however, and are considering a quality OLED, then the 55-inch LG C4 (it's a year older than current) is far superior in image quality and, on offer, comparable to Sky Glass 55-inch too. There are also 42-, 65-, and 77-inch models to consider, if that suits better, with pricing explored below:

If Sky is still very much in your interests, however, but you have a decent TV, then a Sky Stream could suit you – simply plug it into the back of your existing set.

Alternatively, at the top end, Sky Q delivers the utmost quality, multiple outputs, and the ability to record – but you will need a dish install for live channels, which is a major consideration.