Best TV 2025: flagship OLEDs and affordable flatscreens tried and tested
The best TVs to pass through our test rooms that we can personally recommend

Buying a new TV isn’t something many people do very often, so picking one can be both exciting and a little bit daunting. With the help of this guide to the best TVs, though, you can minimise the latter and increase the former.
Below you will find the best TVs we’ve reviewed recently, from budget sets to break-the-bank luxury options. Each one has been fully tested by our team of expert reviewers, who have more years of TV-testing experience than they’d care to admit, with each one judged on its own merits but also how it compares to benchmark models in its size and price categories. That’s why we’re able to not only tell you which TVs are good, but which ones are the very best.
Full details on our TV testing process are available at the bottom of the page, but fundamentally we’re looking for a user-friendly TV that is able to produce a picture that matches what the director intended as closely as possible; has speakers that sound natural, clear and exciting; and packs in enough features to justify its price tag. If a TV ticks all of those boxes without charging too much, chances are you’ll find it below.
With all that out the way, let's get stuck into our top TV recommendations.
The quick list
You can see a quick breakdown of all the TVs in this list with a summary of what they do well and why we think they’re worth your money in the table below.
If you want more detail on a certain model, click its image to go to the in-depth entry, where we offer a more comprehensive breakdown of the specs, features and real-world performance.
Best TV overall
It's close, but unless you're a hardcore gamer, the new Sony Bravia 8 is the best performance-per-pound TV currently available.
Best cheap TV
Amazon's Omni QLED range offers loads of features for a low price – and a surprisingly sophisticated performance, too. At full price, it's very good – when discounted, it's amazing.
Best 42-inch TV / best gaming TV
The 42-inch LG C4 is the best all-round TV at its size and also an unbeatable gaming TV that combines great performance, specs and price.
Best 48-inch TV
The 48-inch version of the LG C4 can go slightly less bright than the larger models, but it's still comfortably the best TV in its class.
Best premium TV
Sony's second-generation QD-OLED is a very special TV that is super-bright and vibrant but still subtle and authentic. It sounds great by TV standards, too.
Best budget large TV UK
While it is of course limited in some ways, the P755K is extraordinarily good value for a 65-inch TV.
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Best budget large TV US
If you're a US buyer on a strict budget and still want a large, fully featured and competent TV, Amazon's Omni QLED is the way to go.
Recent updates
27th November 2024: Removed the LG Z3 from the also consider section and added the Panasonic Z95A and Samsung Q80D.
I'm What Hi-Fi?'s TV and AV Editor, and I've been testing TVs and home cinema products (as well as hi-fi kit and headphones) for over 17 years. I've always been a massive TV nerd and got into reviewing so I could find the best TVs and recommend them to others. I firmly believe that great quality shouldn't cost a fortune, so I get just as excited about great-value sets as I do the flagship models. Overall, I'm looking for a picture performance that delivers movies and TV shows as intended, a great gaming experience, an app-packed and intuitive operating system, and good sound – though I also believe that any great TV should be combined with a great, dedicated sound system.
The best TVs in 2025
Why you can trust What Hi-Fi?
Below, you can see our picks of the best TVs currently available. Every set has been tested by our team of product experts to ensure it delivers great performance and value, so you can trust our buying advice.
Best TV overall
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Released in 2023, Sony A80L absolutely smashed the competition and ran away with a What H-Fi? Award, but we honestly didn't think its successor, the Bravia 8, would achieve the same feat. That's because the LG C4, which we received for review earlier last year, massively upped the ante with a consummate all-round performance that we just didn't think the Sony could beat.
Oh, how mistaken we were. The Bravia 8 might not be a huge step up on the A80L, but so good was last year's model that the small upgrades for this year have ensured Sony has stayed on top.
The most valuable of these upgrades is to the colour balance. For all of its many strengths, the A80L had a slightly cool balance that made it look really crisp but lacking in cinematically authentic warmth. That is not the case with the Bravia 8, which is richer and more accurate in tone, and therefore delivers movies closer to how the creator intended.
That's not the only improvement, either. Sony has managed to squeeze a little more brightness out of the 'standard' (as in not MLA or QD) OLED panel without sacrificing realism or black depth. This increased contrast makes the picture look more exciting, but it also makes it look more solid and three-dimensional – a quality helped by Sony's clever processing, which very subtly sharpens foreground elements and softens the background.
Sony's Acoustic Surface Audio, which features actuators that imperceptibly vibrate the screen to make sound, not only ties the audio to the onscreen action in a way that standard TV sound systems can't match, it also manages to create a soundstage that stretches a surprisingly long way to the left, right and even above the screen. A soundbar will still be a big upgrade, particularly in terms of bass weight and depth, but for a step-down TV, the Bravia 8 sounds very good indeed.
The Google TV operating system isn't quite as nice to use as the latest versions of LG's webOS or Hisense's VIDAA, but it's intuitive enough and packed to the rafters with streaming apps. And while the TV has just two HDMI 2.1 sockets, which will be a frustration to hardcore gamers with multiple gaming machines (particularly those who want to use one of those sockets for an eARC sound system), the Bravia 8 is otherwise well-specced for gaming.
If you are one of those really serious gamers, you might want to go for the LG C4 instead, but for everyone else the Bravia 8 is the best TV you can currently buy.
Read the full Sony Bravia 8 review
Attributes | Notes | Rating |
---|---|---|
Picture | Punchy, crisp and three-dimensional, with an authentic cinematic warmth that its predecessor lacked | ★★★★★ |
Sound | By step-down TV standards, the Bravia 8 sounds excellent, combining directness with spaciousness and loads of detail | ★★★★★ |
Features | Google TV features every app you could need and gaming specs are very good – though there are just two HDMI 2.1 sockets | ★★★★☆ |
Best cheap TV
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
It’s fair to say that the standard of budget TVs has dropped significantly in recent years. Salvation is at hand, though, and from a slightly unlikely source – Amazon.
We first reviewed the 65-inch version of its Omni QLED range and discovered a TV with a surprisingly sophisticated performance to go with its surprisingly comprehensive feature set. It just missed out on five stars, but knowing how much variation there can be between different-sized versions of the ‘same’ TV, we decided to take a separate look at this 50-inch model – and we're glad we did.
This is a TV that's very good value at its full price of £650 / $530, but even so, you shouldn’t pay that much for it. That’s because it's frequently discounted by large amounts. We have seen it go as low as £400 / $350, but find it for anything under £500 / $500 and you've unearthed a bargain.
What makes the Omni QLED appear to be such a bargain is its specification, which includes a QLED panel with full-array local dimming, support for every current HDR format, gaming features such as VRR, ALLM and even Dolby Vision gaming, and the app-packed and user-friendly Fire OS operating system (which can be fully operated via Alexa, of course).
But what's most impressive about the Omni QLED is the considered and consistent nature of its performance. Too many budget TVs attempt to dazzle you despite not having the requisite ability and they end up looking awful as a result. The Omni QLED, on the other hand, works within its limitations; it's not going to knock your socks off but it gets all of the basics right and delivers a picture that's true to what the creator intended. It’s natural in a way that means you don’t question the delivery and instead focus purely on what you are watching, and that’s a more impressive feat than you might imagine, particularly at this level.
On the sound front, the Omni QLED is a simple stereo affair, and all the better for it. Instead of attempting fancy processing, it simply provides a clean, clear and direct audio performance that's ideal for general TV content. You're advised to add a soundbar for movies, though.
Read the full Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED review
Attributes | Notes | Rating |
---|---|---|
Picture | It's not up there with a flagship OLED, but for the money the picture is very impressive | ★★★★★ |
Sound | No fancy processing but the sound is clean, clear and direct | ★★★★☆ |
Features | QLED panel tech, numerous gaming features and an app-packed operating system | ★★★★☆ |
Whatever you do, don't buy the 43-inch version of the Amazon Omni QLED. Unlike the larger versions, the 43-inch model lacks local dimming, and Amazon doesn't appear to have tuned the picture to account for that. The result is a bright but pale picture with smeary motion.
Best gaming TV / best 42-inch TV
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
There was a time not that long ago when really good 42-inch TVs simply didn't exist. That changed when LG launched its first 42-inch OLED TVs, and the new C4 is its latest and greatest. In fact, it's not only our favourite all-round 42-inch TV, but it's also the best gaming TV you can currently buy.
Despite being very similar on paper to the 42-inch C3, the C4 is a surprisingly effectice upgrade with actual content. Smaller OLED TVs have always lacked the outright brightness of their larger siblings, but with the C4 models LG has closed the gap. The 42-inch C4 is beautifully punchy and dynamic, and the increased pixel density of the smaller display actually means it's even sharper than its bigger brothers.
The picture is really balanced, too, and easy to get the most out of. Pop it into Filmmaker Mode and you've instantly got an image that is fairly cinematically accurate and really enticing – though it is slightly cooler in balance than the larger models.
The webOS smart platform features far more ads than any TV operating system should, but it's also quick and intuitive, and it features the best selection of properly optimised streaming apps that you'll find anywhere.
For gaming, the 42-inch C4 is unbeatable. It's just about compact enough to work as a desktop-based gaming monitor, should you wish; it supports every gaming feature you might require (including 4K/144Hz, which its predecessor lacked); and it has four full-spec HDMI 2.1 sockets whereas most rivals have two at most.
The only real downside is poor audio, but that's par for the course with TVs this size. Accept that you will need to add a soundbar and the 42-inch C4 is a superb TV, whether you're a gamer or not.
Read the full LG OLED42C4 review
Attributes | Notes | Rating |
---|---|---|
Picture | Sharp, solid and detailed without exaggeration | ★★★★★ |
Sound | Weak, even by small TV standards | ★★★☆☆ |
Features | Great app selection and flawless gaming specs | ★★★★★ |
Best 48-inch TV
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
LG’s C-series has been a near-perfect intersection of performance, features and price for years, and not just compared with other LG OLEDs, but with TVs in general.
The 48-inch C4 looks different to both the 42-inch and 65-inch models that we have also tested. While the 42-inch model has desktop-friendly feet, this 48-inch version has the same compact pedestal stand as its larger siblings. That makes it less fussy about placement but does also make it a little harder to find space for a soundbar.
And while the 65-inch model boasts an astonishingly lightweight and minimalist chassis, much more of this 48-inch version's rear is covered by the plastic enclosure that contains the set's processing hardware, connections and speakers. That said, the 48-inch C3 is still only 4.7cm (1.9") thick at its chunkiest, which is pretty slim by modern TV standards.
Moving on to features, you simply won't find a better-specified TV at this size. While neither MLA nor QD-OLED technology have made it below 55 inches yet, the C4 uses the best 48-inch OLED panel currently available from sister company LG Display. What's more, LG has significantly boosted the brightness of its smaller OLEDs this year, so while this 48-inch C4 is still not quite as bright its larger sibling, the difference is smaller than ever before.
All four of the C4's HDMI sockets are 48Gbps 2.1-spec affairs that support 4K/120Hz (4K/144Hz if you have a powerful enough gaming PC), VRR and ALLM, and it supports Dolby Vision gaming and has a really well-implemented HGiG setting that makes it a doddle to get more accurate HDR with many modern games.
Like the larger models, the 48-inch C4 represents a surprisingly big improvement on the C3 model it replaces. That additional brightness equates to increased contrast, and that has benefits right across the picture, with greater perceived sharpness and a big dose of extra punch and dynamism. There's still plenty of subtlety too, though, and the C4 is particularly good right out of the box, requiring very little intervention to get looking its best.
It produces an image that’s really solid and has a three-dimensional feel, too. In fact, the increased pixel density of having a 4K resolution squeezed into a 48-inch space means this smaller C4 looks significantly sharper than its 65-inch sibling.
The sound is fine for everyday TV, in that it's fairly clear and pretty natural with voices, but it struggles in terms of spaciousness and weight, so it's not great for movie nights. Adding a soundbar is vital if you're able.
There are very few TVs that sound good, though, so that is certainly not unique to LG. Follow that advice and the 48-inch C4 is comfortably the best TV at its size.
Read the full LG OLED48C4 review
Attributes | Notes | Rating |
---|---|---|
Picture | Brighter display has benefits across the picture – this is the most impactful TV its size | ★★★★★ |
Sound | Fine for everyday TV but sadly lacking for movies | ★★★☆☆ |
Features | Four HDMI 2.1 sockets with every significant spec flawlessly implemented | ★★★★★ |
Best premium TV
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
The A95L is the successor to the A95K, arguably the best TV of 2023 if you don't take price into account. One of the two first