Should I buy Sky Glass?

Choosing the best TV is hard: so many different models from different companies, all with slightly different pros and cons.

Earlier this year, Sky made the job even harder by introducing Sky Glass, its first TV that comes with all of the great Sky features (plus the best streaming services) built straight in – no box or satellite dish required.

Sky has dominated the UK paid TV market for the past decade or more for a simple reason: it offers really good services for a (fairly) reasonable price, especially if you love watching sports.

There's a lot to love about Sky Glass, but should I buy it? Let's find out.

Why I should buy Sky Glass

Sky Glass is, first and foremost, a really great TV. As we found in our Sky Glass review, the 4K display and sound system are excellent, easily rivalling other top-end TVs on the market from Samsung, LG, and so on. 

Setup is completely fuss-free and the UI is incredibly easy to use, partly because everyone has used a Sky TV in the past and partly because Sky has thought through how people will actually use Glass. 

Voice control in the remote is present and correct, meaning you can avoid fiddling with loads of buttons. And, of course, the content available on Sky, especially when you factor in the built-in streaming services, is seriously impressive. 

Six speakers and a subwoofer come as standard, meaning you might be able to avoid getting one of the best soundbars (although we do recommend one for audiophiles). Dolby Atmos is supported, too, which is a nice touch if you have a Sky Cinema subscription.

Glass comes in five colours – white, pink, green, blue, and black – and we thought all of them looked sleek and stylish. Most importantly, they'll fit with the decor and colour scheme of your living room (or bedroom or wherever) with ease.

The main USP for Glass is the convenience: everything is built straight into the box. It's like buying an iMac over a computer tower and monitor; everything fits together that much better.

Why I shouldn't buy Sky Glass

So, why wouldn't you buy Sky Glass then?

For one thing, the TV itself is very big and heavy, especially if you go for one of the 55-inch or 65-inch models. (The base 43-inch is fairly reasonable.) Because Sky has spent so much time cramming in excellent speakers, the physical unit is quite bulky.

This might not bother you – it is, after all, a TV that you will leave in place for a while – but it's definitely something to consider, especially as other TVs get thinner and thinner each year.

The other dimension is price. Sky offers a really generous range of options (24 months, 48 months, upfront) and the TVs themselves are reasonably priced at £649 for the 43-inch, £849 for 55-inch, and £1,049 for the 65-inch. Maybe a tad expensive but nothing scandalous for a 4K TV with great speakers.

But you need to factor in the price of Sky TV and its associated add-ons. Add on Ultra HDR, Dolby Atmos, Cinema, Sports, Entertainment, Netflix, multi-room... Things will start to get quite expensive.

It's not a dealbreaker by any means, but, as we say, something to think about when you're choosing whether to get Sky Glass or not.

Conclusion 

There's a lot to think about when it comes to Sky Glass. 

A really sturdy, high quality TV with 4K and great speakers, available on a bunch of different payment plans, which can get quite expensive if you tick all the boxes on Sky's website. 

Price might not be an issue, of course – if so, we recommend looking at our list of the best 8K TVs – but it is definitely something to consider. You'd likely be able to get a similarly great TV, plus a soundbar, for a similar price if you don't want Sky's TV offerings. 

Overall, we think Sky Glass is worth it if you're an existing Sky customer looking to upgrade or are looking for a new TV and want Sky but not the Sky Q box. 

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