Best TV Buying Guide: Welcome to What Hi-Fi?'s round-up of the best TVs you can buy in 2023.
Picking a new TV is a tricky task these days. Not only are there more sets to choose from than ever before, but the industry as a whole is also going through a series of huge changes.
Over the past year we’ve seen an influx of new technologies hit the shelves. These have included more mainstream and affordable 8K TVs, which are much higher resolution than older models, plus new panel technologies such as QD-OLED, which combines self-emissive OLEDs with colour-boosting Quantum Dots, and Micro LED, which aims to radically improve the brightness and contrast of backlit TVs.
To add even more complexity – based on what we’ve seen at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show ( CES ) in Las Vegas – 2023’s going to be another very busy year, with both Samsung and LG looking set to launch OLED TVs that are radically brighter than anything we’ve seen before.
The sheer pace of innovation is great, but it can also make picking the right TV for your specific needs and budget a little tricky.
On top of that, while there are many amazing TVs on the market, based on our experience testing them, there’s an equal number that simply aren’t worth your time or money. That’s why we’ve created this handy buying guide detailing the best TVs we’ve tested that you can buy right now.
Every set on this list has been properly reviewed by What Hi-Fi?’s team of product experts in our specially made testing rooms. In them, we run every TV through a stringent review process to gauge everything from their general picture quality and HDR performance to their audio and smart capabilities, so you can trust our buying advice.
This is also why you won’t see any newly unveiled sets from CES 2023 on the list yet. For us to recommend them, we have to have tested them.
Towards the bottom of this page, below the specific TV recommendations, you will also find our dedicated guide to choosing the right TV , but here's the abridged version.
How to choose the best TV for you
Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test .
There's a huge amount to consider when choosing a new TV, but the biggest things are the money and space that you have available.
Size really does matter with TVs. Are you looking for a cinema-like experience in your lounge? Then you need to get the biggest TV you can afford. If your budget is limited, it might even be worth sacrificing a little bit of picture quality and next-gen display tech for a few extra inches of screen real estate.
Alternatively, you might have a specific size of TV in mind and an appetite for the best picture quality available. In that case, you need to prioritise the display technology.
Without a doubt, OLED has become the premium TV technology of choice, thanks to its perfect blacks, extraordinary contrast and exceptional viewing angles. QLED, which combines LED (or Mini LED) backlighting with ultra-vibrant Quantum Dots, is a strong alternative, though, largely thanks to being capable of greater brightness and punchier colours. Standard LCD TVs (often, confusingly, sold as 'LED' TVs on account of their LED backlights) are more variable in overall quality but, if you shop carefully, can offer excellent bang for your buck.
Are you planning to combine your new TV with a dedicated sound system? You probably should, because most TVs sound passable at best, even at the high-end. But if you are determined to keep things neat and rely on the in-built speakers, check our reviews to make sure that they are good – there's no point in a great picture if the accompanying sound is rubbish.
If you are a gamer, it's also worth considering the next-gen gaming features of your prospective new TV. Xbox Series X and PS5 gamers can gain a competitive advantage on certain games if their TV supports 4K 120Hz , while VRR support can result in a smoother gameplay experience. ALLM , meanwhile, simply ensures that you automatically get the best visual experience from both games and movies / TV shows. If you are a more casual gamer or not a gamer at all, you can pretty much disregard these features, and it's likely that doing so will save you a lot of cash.
The best TVs you can buy
LG unveiled the G3 at CES 2023 in January , but with it yet to ship and us w to get it in our test rooms we can't recommend it just yet. While we wait to test the new line the C2 is the set we'd recommend to most people.
While there are certainly reasons that you might want to opt for a rival, LG's OLEDs have been the go-to premium TV of choice for most people for years now. That means there is huge anticipation for each year's new models – particularly those in the C-series, which have typically been the sweet spot between performance, features and price.
That said, last year saw a picture quality gap emerge between the C-series and the brighter G-series. There is a gap this year, too; this year’s C2 has the ‘Brightness Booster’ technology of last year’s G1, while the new G2 takes things to ‘Brightness Booster Max’ levels.
Having put both the G2 and C2 through their paces (and at a variety of sizes), we are happy to proclaim that while the G2 certainly justifies its position at the top of LG’s 2022 OLED range, the C2 is still the model that most people should buy.
While not as bright as the G2, the new C2 is brighter than all of last year's LG OLEDs. There is noticeably more punch to the whole image, which pops much more effectively, and there is significantly greater contrast and dark detail. Crucially, there’s no downside, either. There is nothing artificial to the image – it’s lifted, but naturally, with no detriment to the colours or black depth.
The C2’s punchier, more attacking delivery is a definite improvement over the C1, too, although there is also a slight rattle from the speaker cabinet when the set is challenged by very deep bass, which is a bit of a shame.
As is now expected of LG's premium OLEDs, the feature set is practically flawless, particularly where next-gen gaming is concerned.
Those with seriously discerning tastes and the budget with which to satisfy them will find it worth levelling up to the G2 or Sony’s A95K, but the C2 is the current performance-per-pound champ of 2022.
We've now tested the C2 at 42-inch, 65-inch and 77-inch sizes, and each version has been Award-winningly exceptional – even the 42-inch version which, along with the 48-inch model, goes a little less bright than the larger variants. You can read the full reviews and unlock the lowest prices for each version by clicking below.
Read the full LG OLED42C2 review
Read the full LG OLED65C2 review
Read the full LG OLED77C2 review
Look up ‘unassuming’ in the dictionary and you will probably find a picture of the Samsung UE43AU7100. This 43-inch LCD TV doesn’t flaunt a particularly flamboyant design, doesn’t sell for a particularly outrageous price – either high or low – and its features list is certainly no Lord Of The Rings -style epic.
You don’t have to spend long in the UE43AU7100’s company, though, to realise that a TV doesn’t have to be an extrovert to stand out from the crowd. Solid processing and a thoughtful, balanced picture that actually seems to have had some care and attention lavished on it can be more than enough.
While inevitably for its money it is not without its limitations, the UE43AU7100 delivers an impressively balanced, consistent and immersive picture. Particularly great to see at this price point is how deep its blacks are. Dark elements of mixed light and dark images enjoy rich and deep black tones, while full-on dark scenes appear with startlingly little of that grey or blue wash over them that so often blights such scenes on relatively affordable LCD TVs.
Good black levels are often accompanied by good colour, and so it proves – mostly – with the UE43AU7100. Colour blends are delivered with impressive subtlety and practically no ‘banding’. And while the set isn’t bright enough to drive colours off the screen with particularly spectacular volumes, there is still an agreeable sense of daylight lustre to the tones of sun-drenched HDR woods, vibrant blue skies and busy city streets.
The UE43AU7100 even proves a little more tolerant of wide viewing angles than most budget LCD TVs, wrapping up a picture performance that trades showiness and aggression for immersiveness and consistency in a way we wholeheartedly endorse.
The AU7100's sound is only passable, with a lack of volume and projection that makes for a presentation without much impact. That said, while it's hardly cinematic, the presentation is certainly good enough for everyday TV-viewing – just don't expect a rousing rendition of action movie soundtracks.
Ultimately, while the UE43AU7100 certainly can't hold a candle to a top OLED or QLED, it's superb for its size and price.
Read the full Samsung UE43AU7100 review
In recent years, Philips has won plaudits for producing market-leading OLED TVs at aggressively low prices. In truth, these OLED TVs have been priced significantly lower than the performances have justified, and every year we half expect the company to ask for more money for its new models.
That time may yet come, but it’s thankfully not now: the 48OLED807 continues the trend by significantly outperforming its price tag.
While it still takes a little more effort than it should to get the OLED807 performing at its best, it’s effort that’s well worth making. On picture performance terms it’s right up there with the very best in class, surpassing them in areas such as punch, sharpness and shadow detail, and yet it costs a fair bit less and is likely to do so all the way through its lifespan.
Those chasing even more substantial gaming tech specs and a more hassle-free experience will be better served by an LG C2, but if you’re prepared to make a little bit of effort, the OLED807 will reward you with an exceptional performance.
Read the full Philips 48OLED807 review
It’s not often that a TV manages to genuinely surprise our team of experts, but the Panasonic TX-65LZ2000B has done just that.
The TV is 2022’s flagship from Panasonic and a direct rival to the Sony A95K QD-OLED (£2899 / $3000 / AU$4995) and the Europe-only Philips OLED937 (£2899).
The unit aims to offer buyers the same true-to-the-director’s vision picture quality that Panasonic’s TVs have become famous for, while also adding improved Dolby Atmos audio – an area past Panasonic flagships, such as the HZ2000 we tested in 2020, struggled to compete in with our testing revealing a lack of clarity and excitement to its sound.
Having put it through its paces in our test rooms we can confirm it is the TV to get if you care about getting the most authentic picture possible when watching movies.
It doesn’t run quite as bright as the competing Sony A95K, but it delivers “as the director intended it” image quality in all our tests. Everything from Blade Runner 2049 and No Time to Die, to TV shows such as The Book of Boba Fett and Slow Horses look perfectly accurate - skin tones in particular look wonderfully natural and convincing.
The only minor issues we have with the TX-65LZ2000B stem from the fact it still features a miserly two HDMI 2.1 ports and its audio performance isn’t the best you’ll find at this price, despite excellent work by Panasonic improving on the older HZ2000.
The fact it only features two HDMI 2.1 sockets makes it a less appealing choice to cinephiles who want to game on their consoles as well as watch movies, with both the new Xbox Series X/S and PS5 needing the connectivity to use all their features.
The sound, while much more precise and exciting than Panasonic’s 2020 offering, also struggles with particularly low-end heavy audio. Watching The Batman and Blade Runner an audible buzz/minor distortion creeps in on occasion. This isn’t an issue on its direct rival, the Sony A95K, which deals with the same scenes without complaint.
Read the full Panasonic TX-65LZ2000B review
On paper, the Panasonic TX-55LZ980B is arguably the least interesting of the Japanese brand’s 2022 OLED TV range. After all, as Panasonic’s second most affordable 55-inch model from last year, it doesn’t benefit from the fancy brightness-boosting panel technologies found higher up Panasonic’s range, or the new QD-OLED technology that’s turned up to dramatic effect in the latest TV ranges of Sony and Samsung.
The LZ980 does, though, still benefit from Panasonic’s redoubtable premium image processing system, as well as the brand’s ongoing obsession with trying to deliver images that get as close as possible to the way their creators intended them to look.
It ekes every last drop of performance out of its panel so successfully that on picture performance it actually outperforms, at least in some key ways, some of those more expensive rivals. It produces open, clean and clear sound, too, and two of its HDMI sockets support advanced gaming features such as 4K/120Hz and VRR.
Read the full Panasonic TX-55LZ980B review
QD-OLED, which is (broadly speaking) designed to blend the best qualities of both OLED and QLED, is finally here in the form of Sony’s A95K.
OLED has become the premium TV technology of choice thanks to its perfect blacks, pixel-level contrast control, near-perfect viewing angles, super-thin designs and increasingly aggressive pricing, and QD-OLED is expected to overcome its main limitation – brightness.
If you are therefore expecting the A95K to be vastly brighter than the best standard OLED TVs, you might be slightly disappointed. Side by side with LG's G2 (the brightest standard OLED available) there is little to choose between the two in terms of peak brightness.
But while the A95K isn't brighter than the brightest traditional OLED TV, it does deliver better bright highlights with subtle shades and colours that its non-QD-OLED rivals miss.
In less cultured hands, the added colour vibrancy of QD-OLED’s Quantum Dots could lead to exaggerated vibrancy, but Sony’s careful, authenticity-led approach means the A95K is balanced and natural, and the fine detail, sharpness and three-dimensionality that its flagship 2021 OLEDs exhibited remains.
The bundled Bravia CAM – a camera that magnetically attaches to the rear of the set and peeks over the top of the screen – isn't terribly useful now and possibly never will be, but for picture quality the A95K is a star. It sounds great by TV standards too, thanks to its bespoke Acoustic Surface Audio+ technology, which utilises actuators that imperceptibly vibrate the whole screen to make sound.
In short, for movies and TV shows, in SDR and HDR and at all resolutions, the Sony A95K is exceptional. Hardcore gamers, particularly those on Xbox Series X, will still be better served by an LG G2, which has more HDMI 2.1 sockets, a Dolby Vision game mode and an HGiG setting, but for everyone else this is, albeit by a relatively slim margin, the new gold standard.
Read the full Sony XR-55A95K review
For reasons unknown, Sony didn’t launch a new 48-inch OLED TV last year. Instead, 2020’s A9 (A9S in the US) was tasked with holding the fort against increasingly large ranks of rivals for almost two years.
Thankfully, relief is finally at hand in the form of the Sony XR-48A90K – Sony’s flagship OLED for those who don’t have the space for its new A95K QD-OLED (above), which isn’t available below 55 inches.
Has the A90K been worth the wait? And does it deliver a true flagship performance? It’s a resounding yes to both questions.
The 48-inch Sony A90K OLED is a force to be reckoned with. It might not quite have the flawless gaming feature set of an LG OLED, but it’s close, and a very good gaming TV in its own right, particularly if you’re a PS5 player.
Where the A90K is almost flawless is in its picture quality. We have never before tested a TV this size that’s this good, and while we are yet to test the new 48-inch LG C2, it’s really going to have to go some to beat this Sony on pure picture quality.
Read the full Sony XR-48A90K review
While not a change that all buyers appreciated, LG decided in 2021 that its premium G-series OLED TVs needed more than just a fancier design to make them a compelling step-up alternative to the brand’s all-conquering C series.
So 2021’s G1 benefited from a new, higher brightness ‘Evo’ panel that the C1 did not get – and instantly did a much better job of justifying its higher price.
LG has continued this approach last year: while the C2 does now have an Evo panel, the G2 boasts a new heat sink element that allows it to be driven even harder – or brighter, in other words – than its predecessor.
In short, if you want the best LG 4K OLED TV that's available right now, this is it.
The OLED65G2 is easily LG’s best OLED TV yet. Its sound is a solid improvement over LG’s 2021 built-in audio, while the extra brightness it achieves thanks to its new heat sink and accompanying new processor delivers nothing but positives, enriching everything from basic HD SDR to sparkling 4K HDR and the finest graphical wares of the latest gaming consoles and PCs. All without anything looking forced or like ‘brightness for brightness's sake’.
The extent of the improvements over the new C2 panel is more gentle than dramatic, perhaps raising questions for many about whether the OLED65G2 is worth £600 more than the OLED65C2. The cost issue is even more worthy of thought if you are not wall-mounting and will therefore need to budget for the optional stand.
While not truly extreme, though, the OLED65G2’s advantages are not only easy for anyone to see, but also, crucially, they lift pretty much every image frame to a higher level. So if you are an enthusiast who just can’t rest unless you know you are getting the best home cinema experience available, the OLED65G2 is going to be seriously hard to resist.
Read the full LG OLED65G2 review
In any sane AV world, we would be lauding the Samsung S95B as the world’s first Quantum Dot OLED TV. After all, Samsung basically invented the technology. Yet in the end it was actually Sony that gave us our first QD-OLED TV in the glorious form of the A95K.
Samsung has marked the arrival of its first QD OLED TV with quite the design statement. The S95B really is incredibly thin over the vast majority of its rear – just a couple of millimetres deep, in fact.
Connectivity is impressive. In particular, all four of the provided HDMI ports are true 2.1 affairs that are able to handle 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM, and there's an HGiG mode for better HDR accuracy with games. Dolby Vision isn't supported. of course, for gaming or for movie content.
The S95B boasts phenomenal contrast. On the one hand it instantly delivers the sort of immaculate, ultra-deep blacks long associated with the best of the OLED world, while on the other it delivers levels of brightness – both in small highlights and, even more noticeably, across the whole screen – that we haven’t seen before on any regular OLED TV. Including LG’s brilliant new G2 series. It 'pops' more than the Sony A95K, too.
Basically Samsung, as usual, seems more prepared than its rivals to take the brakes off, and while that means it's not quite as subtle or accurate as the best sets here (skin tones in particular look a bit off at times), it does provide unparalleled thrills. It sounds surprisingly decent, too, given the super-thin chassis, though bass is rather lacking and you would be wise to partner a picture this good with sound that matches via a soundbar or home cinema system.
Read the full Samsung QE65S95B review
While LCD is no longer Samsung’s only TV technology, the brand clearly still puts it at the heart of its TV world. So much so that Samsung’s 2022 flagship LCD TVs are positioned higher in the brand’s range than its new QD-OLED model.
Also, more usefully for the mainstream TV market, Samsung’s ongoing LED backlighting focus sees it prepared to extend its uncompromising LCD approach down to even relatively small screen sizes, such as the 50-inch QE50QN90B.
While a certain type of AV fan will always be drawn to the greater light stability and pixel-level light control you get with OLED TVs, the QE50QN90B’s combination of higher HDR-friendly brightness, peerless (by LCD standards) light controls and impressive image flexibility ensures it has more than enough charms of its own to make a convincing case for itself. Especially for people looking for a TV able to take on a bright room environment.
Read the full Samsung QE50QN90B review
Samsung’s second generation of Mini LED TVs, as represented here by the QN95B, arrives with the weight of serious expectation on its shoulders. Can it improve on the already high standards we saw in 2021? And does it hold its own against the ever-swelling ranks of premium OLED-based opposition? It's a resounding yes on both counts.
The QN95B produces the finest picture quality we’ve ever seen from a 4K LCD TV. In fact, if you’re into the sort of brightness levels and colour volumes that are currently exclusively the domain of high-end LCD TVs, it’s the finest picture quality of any TV, period.
The set also looks beautiful, it has a standalone OneConnect box for connections that can be attached to or detached from the TV as desired, gaming features are plentiful, sound is decent and the operating system, while less user-friendly than before, is second-to-none for streaming service apps.
So while we remain rather baffled at this point by Samsung’s oddly noncommittal approach to its new and very impressive QD-OLED TV above, on the evidence of the QN95B it’s easy to see why it has no intention of quitting on Mini LED any time soon.
Read the full Samsung QE65QN95B review
The QN900B is Samsung’s flagship TV for 2022. A situation it justifies in all sorts of ways, but most notably with an 8K resolution, a premium metallic design that features speakers built into its edges, a high-end implementation of Samsung’s Mini LED backlighting technology, and specialist AI-supported picture processing.
Samsung has thrown a confusing spanner in the works once again by making its latest 8K high-end TV even better, by a margin, than its excellent 4K flagship for 2022 (the QN95B above). In fact, the QN900B is a truly spectacular viewing experience that continues what feels like an annual Samsung theme of redefining what we consider LCD TVs to be capable of.
The lack of actual 8K content remains a serious issue, of course, but the QN900B makes 4K look sharper and more detailed than it does from any native 4K TV, putting its extra pixels to good use even in the pre-8K age. It goes brighter than any other TV we've tested, too.
Add the usual Samsung gaming features and streaming smarts, plus a truly gorgeous design, and you've got a TV worthy of serious consideration regardless of whether native 8K content ever materialises.
Read the full Samsung QE75QN900B review
In a world of ever larger TVs, the 48-inch OLED remains a beacon of hope for those with more modest needs.
You might have a smaller living space, or want a great gaming TV, a screen for the bedroom or perhaps the 48-inch option is a compromise with your less AV-enthusiastic housemate. Whatever the situation, the 48-inch OLED is an excellent choice, and the Philips 48OLED806 is the best 48-inch OLED we've tested.
It takes more effort than most to find the best picture settings, and the default picture presets offered for each signal type are often less than ideal, but with a bit of tweaking the OLED806 can be made to look both very accurate and supremely sharp and punchy. The performance is further enhanced by the beautiful Ambilight technology, which extends the onscreen action to the wall around the TV in the form of coloured light.
Gamers are also well served by the OLED806, which has two 48Gbps HDMI 2.1 sockets that support 4K@120Hz, VRR and ALLM. Input lag is very low, at around 14ms, and there is an HGiG picture setting for more accurate HDR tone mapping.
While we would certainly suggest taking advantage of the eARC/ARC functionality by adding a separate soundbar or AV receiver, the Philips OLED806 does sound decent by TV standards, producing a more detailed and dynamic sound than most (though not Sony's A80J or A90J).
All told, the 48OLED806 is a superb TV choice, and the 65-inch version is brilliant, too – you can read the full review of either model by clicking below.
Read the full Philips 48OLED806 review
Read the full Philips 65OLED806 review
We rate products on a performance-per-pound basis. That has always been the What Hi-Fi? way. We are not looking simply for the absolute best product in each category, as that would invariably involve recommending one of the most expensive products in each category; we are looking for the best bang for your buck. The product that best balances performance, features and price.
On that metric, the A80J is a stunner. This step-down model in Sony’s 2021 OLED range certainly isn’t quite as good as its flagship sibling but, by offering most of what makes the A90J great at a much more competitive price, it has turned out to be one of the very best TVs you can buy.
While not quite as bright and punchy as its flagship sibling, it's not far off, and that means it is still capable of producing more impactful highlights than rivals such as the LG C1. It is just as sharp and detailed as the A90J, too, which makes it an incredibly crisp and three-dimensional performer. What is most impressive is how the A80J combines the spectacular with the natural and authentic – no other TV available right now, bar the A90J, delivers on creative intent as faithfully.
The A80J has a 30W Acoustic Surface Audio+ sound system, which uses actuators to vibrate the screen in order to create sound. It means the audio is tied to visuals in a way that TVs from other manufacturers can't match. The sound is also weightier and more spacious than that produced by similarly priced rivals, and there is impressive punch and dynamic range on offer, too.
In the UK, there is also a variant of the A80J called the A84J. This version has a microphone integrated into its bezel for completely hands-free voice-control (the A80J has only a remote-mounted mic), plus a feature called Rich Colour Enhancer, which adds a tiny bit of extra richness to colours. Otherwise, the sets are identical and equally brilliant.
Read the full Sony XR-55A80J review
While Sony’s OLEDs are highly regarded, it is typically hard to justify buying one over a rival LG. Historically, the Sony has a more authentic picture and better sound but is also a step behind on features and usability – and at least a level or two more expensive.
But what if Sony could produce a TV with most of those previously missing features, a more satisfying user experience, and a unique high-quality movie streaming app, all while raising the picture and sound quality to even greater heights? That's exactly what the company's done with the A90J.
In performance terms, the Sony A90J is an absolute stunner. It took OLED picture performance to new, thrilling levels when it launched in 2021, while maintaining the authenticity for which Sony is justifiably renowned. It also sounds significantly better than all of the other TVs you are likely to be considering. The new Google TV operating system means the user experience is better than that of any pre-2021 Sony TV, too, and the exclusive Bravia Core streaming service is a genuine value-added feature.
Do check out the A80J at the top of this before handing over your money, as it offers much of (but not all) the A90J's excellence at a significantly lower price. However, if your pockets are deep and your tastes discerning, you won't regret spending the extra on this flagship beauty, which we have now tested in both its 55-inch and 65-inch guises.
Read the full Sony XR-55A90J review
Read the full Sony XR-65A90J review
Samsung’s first flush of Neo QLED TVs has been nothing short of revolutionary to date. The extra-fine level of lighting control that mini LED brings has put LCD’s high peak brightness to sophisticated use. It has added a care with contrast that has led to a more nuanced on-screen image, with a more solid, three-dimensional depth than ever before. We have every reason to expect the same from the QN94A.
‘QN94A’ seems a bit of a strange model number; is to indicate that there is only a small difference between it and Samsung’s top 4K TV for the year, the QN95A (below). The QN94A TV is identical apart from missing out on the One Connect box – a discrete (and discreet) box that houses all of the QN95A's connections, including power.
The difference in price between the QN94A and QN95A isn’t huge, but if you are not interested in the One Connect box and are content with just one HDMI 2.1-certified socket, it is worth saving that little bit of money. Picture quality is excellent regardless of which you choose and the sound isn’t bad at all. An OLED might look better in some scenes but there is something quite addictive about the brightness of this set. Its super-contrasty and punchy HDR delivery is ever so more-ish.
There is still no Dolby Vision support but you will be getting so much from HDR10 alone that it will hardly be on your mind. This is a great TV and a terrific buy at this price.
As well as the 55-inch model, we have also now tested the 65-inch version of the QN94A, and it's just as good. It is also available in 50-inch, 75-inch and 85-inch sizes.
Read the full Samsung QE55QN94A review
Read the full Samsung QE65QN94A review
The Philips 65OLED986 has a single, very bold aim – simply to be the ultimate TV. To that end, it takes last year’s Award-winning OLED806 and adds an extra picture processor, a brighter OLED panel, and a B&W speaker system consisting of Continuum-cone drivers and a Nautilus-tube tweeter.
The idea here is that the OLED986 is capable of replacing not only your existing TV, but also a hi-fi, and while we wouldn't go quite as far as to recommend that, it is certainly the best-sounding, most musical TV we have tested.
On top of that, the OLED986 also boasts the best picture performance you can currently buy, taking the awesome performance of the OLED806 and adding extra brightness, punch, solidity and shading subtlety.
So if the Philips 65OLED986 is the TV with the best sound and best picture, why is it not at the top of this list? Because its very high price and floor-standing design make it the epitome of a niche product. Almost every TV-buyer will be better served by one of the other models listed here, but if you do have the money and the space, and you want the very best, this is currently it.
Read the full Philips 65OLED986 review
TCL’s Roku TVs have finally arrived in the UK and the TCL 55RP620K is at the tip of the AV spear. It’s a 4K HDR TV that sits firmly in the affordable category of TVs, but don’t be fooled into expecting something that is feature-light. This is a Roku TV and they are nothing if not smart.
Until now, the only Roku TVs available in the UK have been from Hisense, and they have certainly been good, with two five-star reviews on the bounce. The 55-inch TCL 55RP620K offers something one step closer to mid-range, though, with a greater bit-depth in terms of colour processing and Dolby Vision support too.
It's certainly not the TV equivalent of fine dining, but the RP620K is much better than its low price suggests. For those after an app-happy and exceedingly user-friendly experience, and a good panel size without having to spend too much, this TV from TCL and Roku is a winning combination.
Read the full TCL 55RP620K review
How we test TVs
How we test TVs
Testing a TV is a long and complex process because a modern TV simply does so much. Not only does it need to handle a variety of content resolutions – standard-def, 1080p, 4K and sometimes 8K – and both standard dynamic range and high dynamic range (the latter in a number of formats), all of which need to be specifically tested, it also has a sound system with various advanced settings and a full smart platform. A TV is an all-in-one device in the best sense, but that also makes it a challenging review proposition.
As part of our testing process we manually check that every major app – from Netflix to All 4, Prime Video to Spotify – is not only present, but also outputting in the video and sound formats that it should. Just because there's a Disney+ app doesn't necessarily mean it's working in Dolby Vision and/or Dolby Atmos . In fact, in many recent cases it hasn't been.
We also connect both a PS5 and Xbox Series X in order to establish which advanced gaming features are and aren't supported, and on which of the TV's HDMI ports. Is 4K 120Hz supported? How about VRR? Is there a Dolby Vision game mode? Is there an HGiG preset for more accurate HDR tone mapping? We check all of these things, and measure input lag using a Leo Bodnar device.
We then test the TV's picture quality using a huge variety of content, from old DVDs to the latest 4K Blu-rays and plenty of streamed movies and TV shows in between. Every TV is tested against the best model at its price and size – we have a stockroom packed full of Award-winners for this very purpose.
We don't accept the out-of-the-box settings that a TV comes in either. While we intentionally don't go down the route of professional calibration (you shouldn't have to have your TV professionally calibrated in order to get the best out of it), we do spend hours adjusting settings using a mixture of test patterns and real-world content until we are sure we're getting the most out of a TV so that it has the best chance to shine.
While we almost always advise that a new TV is combined with a dedicated sound system such as a soundbar or AV amplifier , many people still prefer to stick with their flatscreen's built-in speakers, so we thoroughly test these too, using a wide variety of movie and music content and with great attention spent to the TV's many processing modes and individual settings.
We have state-of-the-art testing facilities in Bath and Reading, where our team of expert reviewers do all of our testing. This gives us complete control over the testing process, ensuring consistency. What's more, all review verdicts are agreed upon by the team as a whole rather than an individual reviewer, again helping to ensure consistency and avoid any personal preference.
The What Hi-Fi? team has more than 100 years experience of reviewing, testing and writing about consumer electronics.
From all of our reviews, we choose the best products to feature in our Best Buys. That's why if you take the plunge and buy one of the products recommended below, or on any other Best Buy page, you can be assured you are getting a What Hi-Fi? approved product.
How to choose a TV
What size TV should you buy?
While it might be tempting to think that bigger is better, the size of set that’s right for you is closely dependent on how close to the screen you’ll be sitting, and the resolution of the source material you’re watching.
Luckily, an organisation called SMPTE (which stands for the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) has published detailed guidelines on exactly how far you should sit in order to optimise the performance of your TV.
If you’re sitting the correct distance from your TV, you’ll see lots of detail, good edge definition and smooth, clean motion, but if you’re sitting too close to the screen, then you’re going to see more picture noise and artefacts.
On the other hand, sit too far away from the TV and you’ll struggle to pick up all the picture detail your TV has to offer.
The following distances are a good place to start:
- 65in - minimum 2.5m (Full HD) or 2.1m (4K)
- 50-52in - minimum 2.2m (Full HD) or 1.7m (4K)
- 46in - minimum 1.9m (Full HD) or 1.5m (4K)
- 40-42in - minimum 1.7m (Full HD) or 1.3m (4K)
- 32in - minimum 1.3m (Full HD)
Should you buy a 4K or Full HD TV?
This question is pretty much moot now, as the vast majority of TVs are now 4K. It's actually rather hard to find Full HD (1080p) models, even at relatively small sizes.
If you're buying a TV below 32 inches and can save a lot of money on a Full HD model, by all means go for it (4K won't be a huge benefit at that sort of size anyway), but otherwise 4K is both worthwhile and, in all likelihood, your only option.
Should you buy an 8K TV?
You can now buy 8K TVs from a number of brands, including Samsung, LG and Sony. It's arguably Samsung that has lead the way, and our favourite 8K TV so far is the excellent QE75QN900A.
It's important to note, though, that almost no native 8K content is available. If you buy an 8K TV and want to show of its ridiculously high resolution, you'll have to do so using nature, scenery and space footage from YouTube. At this stage, no streaming services have even hinted at launching 8K content, and it seems unlikely that an 8K disc format will ever materialise.
For those reasons, it's hard to recommend that most people pay the extra for an 8K TV at this stage. That said, if you've got deep pockets and want to be as ready as possible for the potential 8K content of the future, there's no real harm in going for an 8K TV now, particularly as models such as the Samsung QN900A make current 4K content look better than ever.
Should you buy an HDR TV?
High Dynamic Range is without a doubt a much bigger deal than 8K, and certainly something you should consider before buying your next TV.
Essentially, the higher the dynamic range (brightness and colours), the more lifelike the picture. HDR offers greater subtlety and depth of gradations of colours, plus stronger contrast.
There are various types of HDR out there, and with different TV brands backing different variants, it can be a minefield trying to find the best option. Allow us to explain.
First up is HDR10, which is essentially the core HDR format that every HDR TV should support.
HDR10 is a static HDR format that applies the HDR values on a scene-by-scene basis (i.e. whenever the camera cuts to a new scene). Dolby Vision , on the other hand, applies this image information (called metadata) on a frame-by-frame basis. This dynamic form of HDR, when implemented properly, has the potential to improve upon the standard HDR10 presentation.
HDR10+ is a rival format to Dolby Vision. Created by Samsung, it also uses dynamic metadata but, whereas Dolby Vision is licensed, HDR10+ is a free, open format that any company can deploy as it sees fit.
Of these two 'dynamic' HDR formats, Dolby Vision is by far the most prevalent, both in terms of TVs and content, and if you have to choose between one and the other, that's the one we'd recommend. That said, you can now buy TVs from the likes of Philips and Panasonic that support both Dolby Vision and HDR10+.
Finally in our rundown of HDR formats is HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma), which was developed specifically for broadcasting by the BBC and Japan's NHK. It's used to deliver all of the HDR content offered by the BBC and Sky, so can be considered very important. Luckily, it's now almost as common as standard HDR10 in TV spec lists, so you should have little problem finding a model that supports it.
What inputs and outputs does your TV need?
These days, it's all about HDMI, which is used to connect everything from set-top boxes to video streamers, Blu-ray players to games consoles. Thanks to ARC/eARC (Audio Return Channel / Enhanced Audio Return Channel), a single HDMI connection can even be used to output sound to an AV receiver or soundbar at the same time as it receives a video signal.
Currently, three HDMI connections is standard on budget and mid-range TVs, while four is the norm for premium models.
The specification of the HDMI connections tends to differ depending on the price of the TV, too, with premium models now commonly getting at least one or two HDMI 2.1 sockets. These have greater bandwidth than their HDMI 2.0 counterparts and can support advanced formats such as 4K@120Hz and 8K@60Hz. Fancy gaming features such as Auto Low Latency Mode and Variable Refresh Rate are often supported via HDMI 2.1 sockets, too, though not always. It's sensible to check the specs thoroughly if there are particular features you're after.
After HDMIs, USB ports are the most abundant on modern TVs. You can use these to keep devices charged (often particularly useful for stick- or dongle-style streamers), and some TVs allow the connection of flash drives and hard drives for the recording of live TV content.
On the subject of live TV, you can expect practically every TV to have an aerial socket via which it can receive Freeview broadcasts, but many also have a satellite connection. Be warned, though; the presence of a satellite connection doesn't guarantee that there's a Freesat tuner on board. Without one, you'll receive only a patchy and disorganised selection of satellite TV channels.
Other useful connections include optical and stereo outputs, which can be used in lieu of HDMI ARC to connect legacy audio equipment. Headphone outputs are still fairly common, too, though Bluetooth is also supported by most TVs now and Samsung TVs in fact now feature the latter but not the former.
Lastly, while some TVs feature composite inputs (often via an adapter), most – even at the budget end – have phased out legacy connections such as SCART. So those clinging on to old video cassette recorders, for example, should be aware of that.
Which TV smart features and streaming apps do you need?
As with 4K, it's now hard to buy a TV that doesn't have a smart platform packed with streaming apps. Almost every TV will have Netflix and Amazon Prime Video on board, and Disney+ is fast approaching a similar level of ubiquity. Apple TV (which is great for pay-as-you-go movies as well as the Apple TV+ subscription service) is becoming increasingly common, too.
You'd have thought that BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, All 4 and My5 would be present on every TV available in the UK, but there always seems to be one brand that's lacking (it was LG in 2020 and Sony in 2021) so do check before you buy if any of those are important to you.
Other apps that are less common but potentially worth looking out for include BT Sport, Now, Britbox, and music apps such as Spotify and Tidal.
Should you buy an OLED, QLED or LCD TV?
LCD TVs, which require a backlight usually made up of white LEDs to show a picture on the LCD panel, are available in a wide variety of screen sizes and, thanks in part to the technology's low cost of production, at affordable prices.
OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) is a panel technology that uses self-emissive particles – so there's no need for a backlight. This allows OLED TVs to be unbelievably slim, while also offering convincing pitch-dark blacks, strong contrast and superb viewing angles. LG, Sony, Panasonic and Philips are the big brands with OLED TVs in their line-ups and, broadly speaking, they're excellent.
QLED (Quantum-dot Light-Emitting Diode), meanwhile, is Samsung’s response to OLED. A QLED TV is an LCD TV but with a quantum dot coating over the backlight. However, the quantum dots (tiny semiconductor particles) in current QLEDs do not emit their own light. So QLED TVs, like conventional LCDs, rely on a backlight. The advantages of a QLED TV? You tend to get brilliantly vibrant colours, plus bright, sharp and crisply detailed images. Samsung's QLEDs have got better and better over the years, existing as a fine alternative to OLEDs TVs. Interestingly, though, Samsung has now launched its own range of OLED (QD-OLED) TVs.
Useful links
- Looking for a bargain? Here are the best cheap TVs
- Hardcore gamer? These are the very best gaming TVs
- Need a certain size? We've rounded-up the best 55-inch TVs
- Need something bigger? What about the best 65-inch TVs
- Want a future-proof TV? Here are the best 8K TVs
