Best Panasonic TVs Buying Guide: Welcome to What Hi-Fi?'s round-up of the best Panasonic TVs you can buy in 2022.
Panasonic has been no stranger to What Hi-Fi? TV Awards over the years, having produced some of the best TVs going at all sizes, from 40 inches right up to big-screen lounge fillers. So what should you look for when picking the best Panasonic TV? And where can you find the best Panasonic TV deals? Stick with us and we'll guide you through the buying process...
How to choose the best Panasonic TV for you
Screen size is the most obvious consideration. Measure how much space you've got, and check out the full dimensions of your chosen set before spending any money. Some have slimmer bezels than others, which makes a real difference when squeezing into a tight space.
Do you want 4K? The picture quality has four times as many pixels as HD, making for sharper, crisper visuals. But if you only ever watch terrestrial, 4K won't be much use for a while yet.
The same goes for HDR. This enhances the difference between the light and dark parts of the picture, with more gradual steps in between. The result? Better contrast, which adds depth to the image, and makes it look more lifelike. Again, you'll need a streaming service like Netflix or Amazon Prime Video (or a 4K Blu-ray with HDR) to take advantage.
Right, time to take a closer look at the best Panasonic TVs 2022...
- Shop today's best TV deals
The JZ1500B is an excellent TV that makes Panasonic’s top picture performance more affordable than ever before. Its rich but natural colours are a particular highlight, and it's brilliantly detailed and sharp, with excellent motion handling to boot.
Swivel stands have rather gone out of fashion as the near-perfect viewing angles of an OLED TV make swivelling unnecessary, but the JZ1500B’s stand gives it a compact footprint and provides plenty of room for a soundbar. (Sound from the built-in speakers is broadly good but you'd be wise to budget for a soundbar).
The TV supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10+ HDR standards, which is nice to see. It uses the 6.0 version of Panasonic's My Home Screen operating system which is supremely responsive but lacks a few apps (Disney+, Apple TV, Now and BT Sport were missing in the UK, last time we checked).
All told, this is solid buy and the best Panasonic TV available right now.
We tested the JZ1500B in its 55-inch size. It's also available as a 48-inch and 65-inch model. We've not yet reviewed those versions but you'll see the latest, lowest prices for them below.
Read the full Panasonic TX-55JZ1500B review
The JX850 series sits quite high up in Panasonic’s current UK LCD range – just one rung down from the flagship JX940 series, in fact. As you’d expect, it’s packed with features.
There are plenty of cheaper 40-inch TVs, but this Panasonic is aiming for a high-end audience. Picture quality is above par for an LCD TV, with vivid colours and dark picture areas that remain largely free of the sort of noise lesser TVs can exhibit.The TV can also decode Dolby Atmos itself, but the set’s 2 x 10W speaker system will clearly be limited in what it can do with such channel-rich soundtracks.
Panasonic’s excellent policy of supporting all the key HDR formats: HLG, HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. This means that the TV can play the best version of almost any HDR source you feed it. it’s a little disappointing to find this set's three HDMIs don’t support 4K at 120Hz or VRR for gaming.
Assuming you don't own a next-gen console, the JX850 is a real treat. A great buy at the price.
Read the full Panasonic TX-40JX850B review
The Panasonic TX-65HX940 was originally released in 2020, but you can still track one down online. It's blessed with much of the company's top TV tech for that year, including the HCX Pro Intelligent processor, a 100Hz screen refresh rate, and Panasonic’s Local Dimming Intelligent Pro technology. It also supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10+ types of HDR, so you can be sure you're viewing the best available format regardless of streaming service or disc.
It's a tidy and decent-looking set, and has all the ports you could need. But as with the models above, some apps are lacking. It only takes a relatively small outlay on a media streamer to fix this, but that really shouldn't be necessary.
Picture quality is impressive, but it takes a lot of time to fine-tune it to reach its full potential. That will undoubtedly put off some buyers. Even the preset modes don't really do it justice.
But if you have the patience, this 2020 model remains one of the best Panasonic TVs you can buy in 2022. There's tons of detail, excellent motion processing and strong dark detail. Settle in for a calibration session, and you'll be richly rewarded.
Read the full Panasonic TX-65HX940B review
How we test TVs
Here at What Hi-Fi? we review hundreds of products every year – and that includes many of the best Sony TVs. So how do we come to our review verdicts? And why can you trust them?
We have state-of-the-art testing facilities in London, 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.
All products are tested in comparison with rival products in the same price category, and 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're getting a What Hi-Fi? approved product.
- Our pick of the best LG TVs available
- And the best Sony TVs
