Sky Glass Air review: A very smart TV that’s almost a blockbuster hit

Sky has been offering UK homes its broadband-powered Sky Glass TV for a while. In fact, the original model was first launched all the way back in 2021. It’s a flatscreen TV with channels and streaming services built in that runs over Wi-Fi, removing the need for a set-top box or a satellite dish. Since then, the telly provider has released a rebooted version which, as you can read in our full Sky Glass 2 review, is a massive improvement over its predecessor thanks to a better screen and upgrade to the in-built soundbar.

It starts from £29 per month, which includes access to some premium channels and Netflix. However, prices can rise to over £70 if you start adding extras such as Sky Sports, 4K access and advert skipping. If that all sounds a bit steep but you like the sound of Sky Glass, there is now another option.

Sky Glass Air has recently gone on sale and claims to offer a similar experience to Glass 2 but at a much cheaper price. In fact, you can take delivery of Glass Air and pay just £6 per month for the privilege.

So, does that cheaper cost mean bargain basement features? I’ve been testing out Glass Air for the past couple of months, and despite a few hiccups along the way, it’s definitely not a bad TV.

Perhaps one of the best things about this internet-connected screen is the setup. I honestly had my 43-inch version (it’s also available in 55-inch and 65-inch sizes) working within 10 minutes of it being delivered.

You lift the TV out of the box, pop two metal pins in the stand and slot the screen into place. There are no screws, Allen keys or tools needed to get things up and running. It really is that easy.

Once plugged in, it’s just a question of following the on-screen instructions and linking the Glass Air to your Wi-Fi.

Like all of Sky’s new products, the Air telly doesn’t need a dish to work with content beamed to the 4K HDR Quantum Dot screen using the web instead.

This has its benefits, as it offers a more seamless way to view live and on-demand content, streaming app integration is better and there is no need to wait for an engineer to visit and install a dish on the roof.

It does, however, also have some downsides. Unlike older products such as Sky Q, it cannot record content onto a physical hard drive, and if the web connection around the home is not stable, you may experience some annoying stuttering.

I have excellent 300Mbps speeds in my property – thanks to a Wi-Fi mesh network – but I’ve still had the odd time when Sky Glass Air won’t connect or starts glitching. To be fair to Sky, this hasn’t been a constant issue, but when it happens, it’s really annoying and has left me with no option but to turn off the screen and restart things.

I’d recommend checking that the room you are placing Sky Glass Air in has decent Wi-Fi, or you could face some buffering nightmares.

Unlike Sky Glass Gen 2, there’s no in-built soundbar in Glass Air. You do get some speakers in the back of the case but they aren’t very good and that might mean plugging in a soundbar.

Here is where I hit another snag as my Q Acoustics sound base just did not like being plumbed into the Air. To be clear, this speaker is pretty old, and I did try a newer Sonos Arc speaker, which worked fine, but it’s still odd that the Air would not play ball. Sky is confident that all newer soundbars are compatible so maybe I just got unlucky. I clearly have some gripes about this TV, but I’ve also been pleasantly surprised. The screen is actually really good and offers plenty of punchy colours and pin-sharp visuals.

It looks premium thanks to a choice of shades, the Sea Green is a particularly nice, and it also ships with Sky’s excellent voice remote which features backlit buttons and easy access to voice controls.

The user interface is not only simple to navigate but also outshines its rivals, with graphics that pop from the homepage and plenty of ways to find new and favourite content.

You get personalised recommendations, full access to things to watch on popular streaming services such as Netflix and Sky’s new Playlist function.

This allows you to add shows, sports, and movies to be watched at a later date. It doesn’t physically record this content but uses the cloud and other online players to offer instant access after things have been aired.

When Sky first showed off this Playlists system, I really wasn’t a fan as it felt overcomplicated and hard to navigate.

However, it’s been tweaked and improved since the original launch, and it’s now much harder to fault.

The only complaint I still have is that once the on-demand file is gone there’s no way to tune in. A good example of this is Match of the Day. Record this show on Sky Q and it’s yours until you hit the delete button. Save it on Sky Glass Air and it will vanish within a couple of weeks as it’s removed from BBC iPlayer.

Now, we have to talk about the price. Sky offers Glass Air for £6 per month, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Start adding extra things to watch, 4K viewing and advert skipping, and you could end up with a bill in excess of £60 per month.

Here’s a quick breakdown of all the extras.

• Sky Glass Air £6 per month

• Sky Essentials TV + £15

• Sky Ultimate TV + £7

• Sky Sports + £20

• Sky Cinema + £10

• 4K viewing + £6

• Advert skiing + £5

TOTAL PRICE £69 per month or £828 per year.

So, should you buy Sky Glass Air?

This really isn’t a bad TV. In fact, it’s actually a very good TV. The screen is punchy and offers some pretty impressive visuals. It’s easy to set up, doesn’t need a dish, and looks very swish when placed in your living room.

The user interface is market-leading, and its integration with all the most popular streaming apps makes watching content across numerous platforms completely seamless.

You can also pause and rewind live TV, store content to view later, and find things to tune into via the voice remote. That’s all good stuff, but Sky Glass Air has its issues.

I’ve had problems with it connecting to the web, you can’t physically store recordings, the sound is less than impressive, and, despite its low starting price, it can get very expensive to own.

If you are after an easy – and cheaper – solution to watch premium TV without the need for satellite dishes, set-top boxes and Fire TV Sticks, the Glass Air is a solid solution.

You can also take delivery of it on that monthly plan, which makes it feel far more affordable.

So, yes, Sky Glass Air has plenty going for it.

However, I still can’t help thinking you might be better off just buying a TV from Samsung, Sony or LG in the upcoming Black Friday sales and plugging in a Sky Stream box instead.

You read our full Sky Stream review here.