Sky Glass Gen 2 review: There’s finally a better way to watch TV without a dish

caused a fair amount of hype and intrigue when it launched its first . The idea sounded like a game changer – a TV with Sky streaming box built in – with users getting everything they needed to watch telly in one neatly packaged device and without the need for a dish to be drilled into the chimney.

Sadly, when it first arrived in homes, it was met with some lacklustre reviews from both consumers and tech experts, with Express.co.uk saying .

The criticism was mainly aimed at the 4K display lacking punch and some odd software quirks that didn’t always make finding content intuitive or easy.

The omission of a hard drive for storing physical recordings – like that found on Sky Q – also meant getting used to a new way to view shows and movies (that had already aired on live TV) via Sky’s online Playlists function.

To be fair to Sky, its first Glass TV has got better and better over time thanks to endless software updates which not only boosted the screen performance but also added new features, improved the overall user interface and addressed the time lag when watching live sports.

Now, in a bid to improve things further and make its internet-connected telly seem more tempting, the firm is back with a rebooted telly that’s simply called .

So, has this new television ironed out some of the original issues, and is it time to ditch your Samsung and LG screens and switch to Sky?

Express.co.uk has been putting Sky Glass Gen 2 to the test, and here’s what we think of it.

Yes, the screen is better

One of our biggest gripes with the first Sky Glass gogglebox was its picture performance, which simply couldn’t match that of its more established rivals.

Thankfully, Sky Glass Gen 2 is definitely an improvement. Its new 4K Quantum Dot QLED display and advanced High Dynamic Range (HDR) offer visuals that appear much brighter, sharper and packed with more detail.

Colours are also more vibrant on this new panel, blacks are richer, and it’s genuinely a nice screen to binge-watch boxsets and watch live TV on.

There are also plenty of settings to help you pick the right viewing mode – including a eye-popping “extra-vivid” option – or you can let Sky Glass Gen 2 adapt things automatically using the “auto” mode.

For most people, this screen will be just fine, but it still can’t compete with more expensive OLED panels.

Sky says it’s launching a cheaper later this year so why not also bring an OLED-packed Sky Glass “Pro” to the range as well?

The other thing to note is that Sky has also kept the refresh rate at just 60Hz, which won’t bother your boxsets but might annoy gamers who want the ultimate Call of Duty experience.

Glass Gen 2 is not a bad TV; in fact, it’s a very decent option with a wider viewing angle to ensure everyone in the room gets a decent image.

It just still can’t beat going for an OLED TV.

It sounds very good

Along with getting better visuals, Sky has also pumped up the audio on Glass Gen 2 with the seven speakers tucked inside this device offering some impressive sound.

There’s still a soundbar under the screen and it gets an up-firing boombox and dual subwoofer as well. Plus, there is enhanced Dolby Atmos thrown in for good measure. Will Sky Glass beat speakers such as the Sonos Arc or a full surround system? Definitely not, but that audio technology can cost thousands.

What Sky Glass Gen 2 does well is boost the experience of movies, football action and a boxset binge without needing any other accessories.

It also offers numerous options in the settings that can boost the bass or make the voices of actors easier to hear via an “enhanced speech quality” mode.

It’s without doubt one of the best-sounding TVs for the price, and it also cuts down on the clutter and cables when installing separate audio systems.

It’s a little bit lighter and easier to set up

Unless you were built like the Hulk, shifting the original Sky Glass TV around your home was not easy, as it felt like it was made from concrete. The new model is still very chunky and you’ll need two people to move it from room to room but some weight (around 5kg) has been removed.

Sky has also made it ridiculously easy to set up. Just take it out of the box and snap it to its stand – there are no screws or annoying instructions to follow.

Then it’s just a question of switching it on and typing in your Wi-Fi code. From delivery to sitting down to your first movie it takes no more than five minutes—it really is that quick.

Sky UI leads the pack

One of the best things about Sky Glass is its beautiful user interface. It’s been leading the pack for some time and Sky’s constant updates have made it better and better. It’s easy to find things to watch on both live and demand platforms thanks to quick menus and rails with things you might like to watch.

Because it links up to all of your streaming accounts you get recommendations and instant ways to view and resume content from services such as Disney+, Netflix and more.

Everything is displayed with rich and colourful graphics. It’s fast to flick through TV guides and launch apps, and there’s very good voice search. That means you can say, “find me films that star Tom Cruise” and Glass will list everything that’s available in a flash.

There is even a game section included where you can play free titles such as Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Crossy Road and Wheel of Fortune.

The only thing you can’t do is rearrange the rails or order of where things appear – that might be a nice option to add in the future,

What about recordings?

There’s still no hard disk inside Sky Glass and that means relying on Sky’s Playlist function which uses online players and cloud recordings to store content for you.

Playlists have definitely got better, especially as each member of the family now gets their own profile which stores shows specific to them, so parents won’t see endless cartoons when they head to their profile and kids won’t see things that might be inappropriate for them.

Things we have set to “record” have all appeared in Playlists without any issues but it’s still nowhere near as easy to use or intuitive as the real recording feature of Sky Q.

For example, you have to sign in to all the online players to watch things on BBC, ITV, and Channel 4, which is a bit of a hassle.

You can’t skip through adverts unless you pay extra and if you set a show such as Great British Menu to record you’ll suddenly see every episode that’s ever been available.

You can’t ever delete what you don’t want or what you’ve watched before.

Of course, using the cloud in this way means your Sky Glass will never run out of space and you can easily find endless episodes of your favourite shows.

It just still doesn’t seem as easy as recording a specific show, which can then be removed after it’s been watched.

With Glass, you lose the advantage Sky Q has of never losing what you’ve stored.

If you add a movie to Playlists on Sky Glass Gen 2 or want to keep an episode of Match of the Day, it only stays saved on your telly while the online version is available. Once it’s gone, it’s gone!

Same remote, but that’s OK

The remote on Glass Gen 2 has not been changed, but that’s no bad thing; it’s still a good accessory that does all you need it to.

It’s nice to hold, is simple to use and doesn’t overcomplicate things with needless buttons. It also comes colour-matched to the model you choose so if you buy the Volcanic Grey versions you’ll get a dark remote, opt for the Arctic Silver and the remote arrives in the same shade.

It also has an in-built alarm you can activate via the TV with your voice should it get lost and quick keys can add shows to Playlists, launch settings and activate voice search.

Sky still keeps you locked in

Sky advertises Glass Gen 2 from £14 per month (over four years) but that’s not the real cost. To get the most out of the screen you’re going to need to pay Sky at least £29 per month for access to all of its services.

When you start adding 4K compatibility, advert skipping, Sky Cinema and Sky Sports, you could face a bill of over £80 per month – ouch!

Of course, Sky’s library of content can’t be matched – just be aware that you will pay a hefty price for full access to it.

It’s worth noting that you can buy Sky Glass outright and not pay a monthly fee for the screen. The prices are below, just don’t forget that the cost stated does not include any premium content.

Sky Glass 43-inch • £699

Sky Glass 55-inch • £949

Sky Glass 65-inch • £1,199

Watch out for the lag

Sky Glass Gen 2 uses your broadband to beam shows to the big screen and as long as you have speeds of around 50Mbps you should find no issues watching things in 4K without any stuttering.

The only thing to be aware of is that streaming is a bit behind full live broadcasts. Sky has reduced this latency but during our tests Sky Glass Gen 2 was still around 20 seconds behind Sky Q when watching the Premier League.

It’s a bit annoying especially if your friends are all messaging you about a winning strike and you’ve not seen it yet.

Sky Glass Gen 2 verdict

Sky Glass was already getting better, and Gen 2 feels like another big improvement over the original TV. The screen is much better, the sound is very good, and its market-leading user interface means you’ll never have trouble finding things to watch.

It’s also ludicrously simple to set up and looks very neat, thanks to only needing one cable to work—there are no set-top boxes or audio devices cluttering things up.

Is Sky Glass Gen 2 perfect? Definitely not, as we have some niggles with its sheer size, lack of physical recordings, lag when watching live content and the fact it still can’t match OLED screen quality.

It can also get pretty expensive, and you will be tied to Sky to get the best experience.

That said, if you want easy access to the best premium content in the UK and fancy a TV that’s easy to use, simple to install and offers decent sound and picture quality without endless accessories, Sky Glass Gen 2 is now a solid option and much more tempting than before.

It really is a great all-in-one system that now packs a much better punch. Just be aware of its downfalls and make sure you are happy to be locked into a Sky deal for years to come.