We're already into August! Which means that most of 2026's hi-fi and home cinema launches are now out in the wild.

This includes the new Samsung S85H, which we only reviewed last week and is already in our deals coverage thanks to a tasty £241 discount.

That's not all, however, as the deals continue to be as scorching as the weather outside – there's a new lowest price (just about) on What Hi-Fi?'s favourite AirPods, as well as a truly unique Dolby Atmos soundbar from JBL.

Whatever the product is, you can be sure we've tried and tested it if it appears on this page. We review before we recommend, and every product here has earned at least four stars from our expert testing team.

So without further ado, here are this week's deals...

If you're after an entry-level OLED TV, then the Samsung S85H is one of the best we've tested. We anticipate it will go down further for Black Friday, but if you want to buy some of the latest 2026 tech now, the S85H offers a punchy, three-dimensional picture and impressive brightness for an OLED at this level. Use code SAMS10PERCENT to get this deal price.

The Focal Aria Evo X No3 have plenty of appeal, especially now they're cheaper than on Prime Day. The tall towers offer a refined, full-bodied sound, a classy, stylish appearance, and a price that has collapsed to its lowest-ever level.

The five-star Apple AirPods Pro 3 are our favourite AirPods, improving on the already impressive Pro 2 when it comes to sound quality and ANC especially. There are plenty of intuitive features too, including a built-in heartbeat monitor, live translation and the usual snappy connectivity with iOS devices.

Not sure if you want surround speakers taking up your living room space? The JBL Bar 1000MK2 comes with detachable surrounds that can snap back onto the soundbar if you'd prefer, or can even be taken into other rooms to act as a wireless speaker. Now at a new lowest price.

New to vinyl? Or just want an affordable Bluetooth turntable? Either way, we highly recommend the Sony PS-LX3BT. It's effortlessly easy to use, supremely affordable and produces an accomplished, enjoyable sound.

As the first TV with Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel technology, the LG G5 boasts a generational leap in performance. It's also a great choice for gamers thanks to four full-speed HDMI 2.1 inputs. Use the code LG200JL to save £200 on the price shown, and you can also claim back an extra 10% (£179) from LG after purchase. Ts&Cs here.

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Our pick of the best wireless headphones you can buy

And the best TVs for all budgets

Interested in the bigger picture? Here are the best projectors we have tested

As What Hi-Fi?'s resident deals writer, I am tasked with keeping abreast of the prices of several of the top products our experts recommend.

Especially products that are as good as the LG C6. LG’s latest step-down OLED is one of our favourite products of the year so far, thanks to a new processor that has squeezed out a brighter, richer and more refined performance.

And it has just hit a new lowest price courtesy of John Lewis. The 65-inch C6 can now be yours for £1889 if you use the discount code LGOLED1007, which will save you 10 per cent at checkout.

This is the first time the 65-inch LG C6 has broken through the £2000 barrier, saving you £611 off the £2500 price we tested it at only a few months ago. It’s even cheaper than it was at the Prime Day sales last month – you can see the full breakdown below:

65-inch LG C6 Price History

Price (£)

date

LG C6 65-inch

Price Data

Timestamp (date)	LG C6 65-inch (£)
1	2500
2	2166
3	2079
4	2099
5	2034
6	1889

However, a new lower price is hardly the biggest draw of the LG C6 – the star of the show may well be the new Alpha 11 Gen 3 processor. We don’t often get excited about processor upgrades, but this chip blesses the C6 with a brighter, richer and more refined picture than the C5, which itself was a five-star performer.

“Even in Filmmaker Mode, the C6’s extra brightness over the C5 is immediately obvious,” our LG C6 review reads. “Highlights are more intense, colours have a touch more richness and the overall image carries greater depth and dimensionality.”

Upscaling and remastering have been enhanced as well, while shading subtlety has also been improved.

As is customary with LG TVs, gaming specifications are flawless. Console gamers can enjoy a silky-smooth 4K/120Hz, while PC owners can go all the way up to 4K/165Hz on all four HDMI inputs. VRR, ALLM and Dolby Vision gaming are also included.

All the major streaming services are present and accounted for in the app-packed LG WebOS, with all apps well optimised and playing content in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos where applicable.

Talking of Dolby Vision, there is broad HDR support with HDR10 and HLG also supported – but be aware that HDR10+ is missing.

Audio is where LG OLEDs have traditionally tripped up, but we are delighted to report some improvements this time around. The overall delivery is more open and immersive than the C5, and while it won’t beat a dedicated sound system, the C6 actually sounds pretty good for a TV in its class.

A £611 saving already is not to be sniffed at – especially for an OLED as accomplished as the LG C6. For one of the year’s best TVs, consider the LG C6 for £1889 at John Lewis.

MORE:

Read our review of the LG C5

Read our impressions of the LG G6

Best TVs: flagship OLEDs and budget Mini LED sets tried and tested

It's been Home Cinema Week here at What Hi-Fi?, and we've been celebrating all things TV, projector and surround sound related.

Luckily, there's also been some great savings on home cinema kit we recommend – including several products we only reviewed this week.

Not that hi-fi has been left out, as we've seen some super speaker savings also to break things up.

As ever, these are all products that we have tried and tested ourselves, and the devices below have all earned at least four stars to warrant our recommendation.

We'll go into more detail below, but for now enjoy some savings:

We only reviewed the AWOL Vision Aetherion Max earlier this week, but it's already jumped to the top of the list of our favourite UST projectors. With outstanding picture quality, good built-in audio and an impressive feature set, it's actually quite a bargain at this price.

The Beosound A1 (2nd Gen) has been a long-time favourite here at What Hi-Fi?, thanks to its expansive sound, weighty bass and competent Alexa integration. It's a handsome devil too, with a high-quality build and finish.

We've long been fans of JBL's bulky but quite unbreakable Xtreme line, and the fifth generation is the best yet. The JBL Xtreme 5 offers an impressive sense of scale, excellent clarity, and punchy, expressive delivery as well as the usual solid build quality.

After a re-review of the LG G6 with the correct software, we were very impressed by its punchy picture quality, flawless gaming specifications and excellent app support. You can also claim an extra 10% (£256) cashback from LG after purchase if you wish – full Ts&Cs here.

Denon's flagship home cinema amplifier has a large price tag and an even larger chassis, but justifies it with rich, powerful and natural sound no matter what film we throw at it. Add in an exhaustive feature set and an intuitive set-up, and the Denon AVC-A1H amplifier is a stellar choice for home cinema fans with the budget.

The recently reviewed Q Acoustics 3050c 5.1 package excites and thrills with its agile, energetic sound and impressive bass. We wish the centre channel paired well with the rest of the system, but there is plenty to like about this nicely-designed 5.1 package.

MORE:

Our pick of the best wireless headphones you can buy

And the best TVs for all budgets

Interested in the bigger picture? Here are the best projectors we have tested

LG has announced a new picture mode for its TVs. Creator Original Picture Mode is described as an "industry-first picture setting for streaming", and essentially lets the filmmakers decide exactly how the picture should look. Think of it as a step on from Filmmaker Mode.

Because while Filmmaker Mode disables post-processing enhancements for a truer picture, the new mode lets the filmmakers decide parameters such as shadow detail, colour balance, noise reduction and motion handling. These will differ for each film, allowing content creators to have their movies look exactly as they would like.

At least, we think that's how it works. We have a few questions, and have contacted LG for answers – we'll update this story once we've heard back.

The mode is exclusive to Prime Video (and possibly only the Masters Of The Universe reboot, but that's one of the many questions we have posed to LG). It's only available on LG's 2026 OLED evo TVs: that's the W6, G6 and C6 series.

You can also launch Masters Of The Universe by saying "I have the power" into your LG Magic Remote for LG TVs running webOS 23 or later.

Masters Of The Universe has a 67 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

MORE:

I've crunched the numbers, and Filmmaker Mode uses less energy

Check out our list of the best TVs

Find out how to set up your TV

It's Home Cinema Week 2026 here at What Hi-Fi?, and we're celebrating our love for all things TV, projector and surround sound related.

One of our favourite TVs of the year has been the Samsung S99H, thanks to a stunning, contrast-rich picture and a feature set that blows most other TVs out of the water.

However, even the S99H lacks two key features found on LG's latest flagship, the G6: Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos Flexconnect. And the LG G6 is cheaper too – the 65-inch Samsung S99H is currently £2899, while the G6 is now down to £2564 at Richer Sounds.

That's quite the step down from the £3000 price we tested at! You can save even more if you're willing to claim cashback – purchase before 18th August and you can claim 10% (£256) cashback from LG. Full Ts&Cs are available here.

After a re-review of the LG following a major software update, we found the G6 to be an OLED of serious ability, as a viewing of Civil War next to its predecessor, the G5, showed.

"The flames in a burning night-time forest continue to offer an enthralling amount of extra detail as well as higher peaks, but, more crucially, characters’ skin tones look nicely realistic, retaining reds far better, to the point that the G5’s picture makes them look slightly jaundiced by comparison," our LG G6 review reads.

"Moving to a daytime scene in a military camp, "balanced" quickly becomes the word that best describes the G6. As a helicopter swoops into the camp over a forest, it's clear LG has backed away from its previous focus on aggressively pushing its TVs' peak brightness at all costs."

This picture quality comes courtesy of a Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel, which uses a ‘four-stack’ panel structure to help the OLED TV achieve higher peak and operating brightness levels while retaining colour volume and accuracy.

It's aided by a new Alpha 11 Gen 3 AI processor and its Hyper Radiant Colour Technology system, which enables higher peak brightness levels than the already dazzling LG G5.

Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG are all on board, though do note that HDR10+ is missing. We wouldn't worry too much though – Dolby Vision is far more widely adopted and supports a higher bit depth of up to 12-bit colour compared to HDR10+'s 10-bit standard.

Otherwise, the broader feature set is pretty much flawless. WebOS 26 supports pretty much every app you can think of, including Now, Apple TV, Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and more niche streaming options.

LG has long been one of our go-to brands for gaming, and the G6 is no different. All four HDMI 2.1 inputs offer up to 4K/165Hz gameplay with VRR, ALLM, and Dolby Vision Gaming HDR all supported.

LG OLEDs have struggled with audio in the past, but the G6 is a step in the right direction. It won't beat a dedicated sound system, but the G6 offers a noticeably fuller, more robust sound than its predecessors.

There's also support for Dolby Atmos Flexconnect, which allows the TV to automatically connect to compatible speakers and use the G6's built-in speakers as the central channel of a surround sound package. It's still relatively new technology, giving the G6 an element of future-proofing.

If you're looking for a new, feature-packed OLED, then the LG G6 is a compelling option. It offers a nuanced, accurate and ultimately immersive experience complete with flawless gaming specifications, now with £436 off at Richer Sounds.

MORE:

Here's our pick of the best TVs for every budget

Want a cheaper LG OLED? Check out our LG C6 review

For last year's model, head over to our LG G5 review

It has been quite a week for TV reviews here at What Hi-Fi?, with the arrival of Sony's new RGB Mini LED TVs causing much excitement in our test room.

This excitement has extended to the deals section, as both TVs are seeing generous discounts despite only just being reviewed.

They're not the only discounts available, however – there are five-star soundbar systems and JBL speakers on offer, while the LG G6 has also just been re-reviewed and is seeing a tasty saving.

These are all products that have been reviewed and rated by our expert testing team. They have to get at least four stars to earn our recommendation, so we only share deals on the best.

We'll go into more detail about why we like these products below, but for now, feel free to have a peruse:

The Sony Bravia 9 II is Sony's latest flagship, and one of the first TVs to use the new RGB Mini LED display technology. It's a breathtaking TV with colours that surpass every other TV we've ever tested, and is also exceptionally bright. Its sophisticated dimming system is also one of the best we've seen, but it can't quite beat the pixel-level control of OLED.

At better than half price, the Samsung S90F is exceptional value right now. The OLED TV is currently our top pick out of the best 50-inch TVs, thanks to its punchy picture, flawless gaming specifications and practical stand design.

The Sony Bravia 7 II is the Japanese company's step-down RGB Mini LED offering, with vibrant, natural colours and excellent depth and solidity for a backlit TV. Use the code SONY10PERCENT to get £200 off one of the best backlit TVs we have ever tested.

The Samsung HW-Q990H is the Korean brand's follow-up to an Awards winner, and the Dolby Atmos soundbar system doesn't disappoint. With a soundbar, two rear speakers and a very good subwoofer included, the Q990H is excellent at delivering an immersive, spacious sound with excellent height effects.

The JBL Authentics 300 may have retro looks, but it's a versatile speaker with seamless usability and a forthright, confident sound. Now at a new lowest price.

Now that we've tested the LG G6 with the correct, updated software, LG's latest flagship has now been awarded the full five stars. With punchy picture quality, flawless gaming specifications and excellent app support, this is a TV of serious ability.

MORE:

Our pick of the best wireless headphones you can buy

And the best TVs for all budgets

Interested in the bigger picture? Here are the best projectors we have tested

Premium TV brand Loewe has released its latest range of Antares 4K OLED TVs, boasting that the new premium sets combine "timeless design with genuine engineering innovation."

Loewe's Antares TV features OLED modules that the brand claims are individually calibrated before leaving the Loewe factory in Germany to deliver a "viewing experience that remains faithful to the filmmaker's intent."

The calibration comes instead of a next-gen panel, such as the Primary RGB Tandem OLED tech seen in the LG G6 or the QD-OLED in Samsung's S99H TV. These are rival next-gen OLED panel technologies that aim to boost picture quality in key metrics including peak brightness and colour accuracy.

Gamers will be pleased to hear that there is HDMI 2.1 connectivity with up to 144Hz VRR and ALLM. We're waiting for confirmation of exactly how many, however.

The TV features Loewe's os9 platform, which gives users access to most mainstream streaming services, including Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV. There's also voice control included with the set, so in theory, you can navigate to what you are looking for without flicking through the menus.

There's an optional Antares 80W soundbar you can add to the system as well, which delivers "greater depth and immersion". That will cost you an extra £300, though. You can also use the TV's built-in speakers or hook up a separate sound system.

You can customise the TV with the optional aluminium onlays, which come in Silver or Black. Plus, you can choose to mount the TV on the wall, a rotating floor stand or even a motorised rotation system that is controlled with a remote. That gives you a fair bit of flexibility, although you will have to factor in the extra costs.

There is a range of sizes from 42 to 65 inches. The cheapest option comes in at £2500 ($3370 / AU$4815) for the 42-inch model, and the largest size will cost a hefty £4000 (around $5390 / AU$7705).

That's certainly the high end of the OLED market, and even the flagship 65-inch LG C6 TV comes in at a more palatable £3000 / $3399 / AU$4999. Still, it might be a more appealing option for the premium buyer looking for ways to customise the screen to their space.

The Antares star is the brightest in the Scorpius constellation, so we are curious to see whether the TV will live up to its namesake and deliver a dazzling picture performance.

MORE:

Loewe's new premium LCD TVs save on space – but cost as much as an OLED

Check out the best TVs

And here is our review of the LG C6

When Sony officially unveiled its 2026 TV range, there was plenty of disappointment that it didn’t include a new OLED model – much of it from me.

These days, Sony tends to work on two-year lifecycles for its TVs, so I wasn’t expecting a successor to last year’s Bravia 8 II; but a replacement for 2024’s Bravia 8 seemed a fairly safe bet – as did a successor to the A90K, which is now an incredible four years old.

The omission prompted some (again, mostly me) to theorise that Sony had in fact turned its back on OLED entirely, and that the Bravia 8 II could be the brand’s last OLED model.

Last month, though, we reported on rumours that Sony was bracing to launch a brand-new OLED TV. And now, those rumours have been all but confirmed by the appearance of this new OLED set on several of Sony’s own websites.

The listings, first spotted by High Def News (thanks, The Walkman Blog), confirm that the new OLED is indeed the Bravia 6. And, if the name wasn’t a big enough hint, the TV’s tagline – “OLED essentials, now within reach” – also confirms that this is indeed an entry-level OLED TV.

Naturally, I’m disappointed that Sony isn’t launching a new flagship OLED at this stage, but if the Bravia 6 is indeed Sony’s most affordable OLED TV yet, as the tagline suggests, that’s rather exciting news in its own right.

Full tech specs are currently absent from the live pages (another suggestion that they have gone live earlier than planned), but there are some nuggets of information to be gleaned.

First, the TV is listed in sizes ranging from 48 inches to 83 inches. That’s a broader range than Sony typically offers for its OLED TVs, but it’s also highly suggestive of the Bravia 6 using LG Display’s new OLED SE panel, which is available in exactly those sizes and notably not in 42 inches.

While it’s not confirmed, we believe this is the panel that is already found in the LG B6, a set we will be reviewing very soon.

Another encouraging detail is that the Bravia 6 sports four HDMI 2.1 sockets. Gamers (myself included) have long lamented Sony’s models being limited to just two HDMI 2.1 sockets, with that limitation even being true of the new flagship Bravia 9 II, so this is very good news.

The listing also confirms that Dolby Vision is supported on the video side, and that Dolby Atmos and DTS:X are present on the audio side.

Unsurprisingly, like every other modern Bravia TV, the Bravia 6 also features the Google TV platform, which can be operated via voice control (though it’s not clear whether this is via a microphone built into the remote control or the TV itself).

We do know the TV includes ambient sensors, with the listing promising automatic picture adjustments based on room conditions.

None of the leaked listings includes pricing, so we don’t yet have any indication of where the Bravia 6 will sit in Sony’s range.

We don’t even know, in fact, whether the Bravia 6 will even come to the UK. Sony has a recent habit of releasing some models in certain regions but not others.

If it does launch the new model in the UK, there’s no guarantee that it will do so in all sizes: I note that Sony Hong Kong is listing the Bravia 6 in 48-, 55- and 65-inch sizes, while Sony Gabon is listing the 55-, 65-, 77- and 83-inch sizes.

We have approached Sony UK for comment. We don’t expect the company to confirm the Bravia 6 ahead of an official announcement, but with multiple regional Sony websites now listing the TV, that announcement surely can’t be far away.

Stay tuned for more on the Sony Bravia 6 as we get it.

MORE:

These are the best TVs you can buy right now

Will the Bravia 6 be good enough and cheap enough to hit our list of the best cheap TVs?

Buying a new TV is a major investment.

As a massive home cinema fan, I know I'm in a privileged position; I’m constantly surrounded by the latest flagship OLEDs, and it’s easy to become desensitised to the huge prices that are attached.

That is why I always try to stay grounded when offering buying advice – especially during massive sales events like Black Friday and Prime Day.

Take the LG C5, for example. This Award-winning set was an absolute steal during recent sales, with the 55-inch model plummeting to £989; a massive £910 saving. But even at a heavy discount, it's still a serious chunk of change.

It's easy to get swept up in the hype, but if a new screen isn't in your budget right now, the endless onslaught of deals can be frustrating.

Fear not. If you're craving an upgrade but need to eke out the lifespan of your current display, I’ve got a few tips to tide you over. These simple, free adjustments – ranging from a bit of late Spring cleaning to a deep dive into your picture settings – can make your old TV feel almost brand new.

1. Update your software

First and foremost, you should head to the settings menu within your TV's operating system. Under "about", "system", or "support" (depending on your model of TV), you should see an option to initiate a software update.

There may also be an option to switch auto-updates on, which I would recommend doing to ensure your TV is always up to date.

While it's not always a miracle cure, a software update can help to fix sluggish software, and you might find that your TV suddenly has new features and an updated look, and apps may run smoother too.

2. Clear your apps cache

Another software-related tip that can help speed up a chugging operating system is to clear your TV's applications cache.

Usually found within the apps section of your TV's settings menu (I recommend consulting your TV's manual or searching the model number online to find the setting), clearing your apps cache will declutter unnecessary stored files, which should result in quicker loading times, prevent crashes, and even free up space in your TV's internal storage.

The best part is that you shouldn't be logged out of your apps, and any settings you've changed will also remain.

This is a quick, easy trick that not many people will think to do, but it can help fix those annoying app niggles.

3. Clean that screen

Here's one I'm guilty of not doing enough.

It's simple science: your TV generates static electricity during use, which attracts dust and fibre in the air. That dust build-up becomes more visible over time, which, unsurprisingly, can impact the picture performance of your TV.

Now, if you're anything like me, you'll only have noticed that your TV has gradually been building up dust when the light hits it just right, and then you'll be immediately horrified at how you haven't noticed this sooner.

But fret not! Simply turn off your TV, let it cool down for a short while if you've been using it (especially if it's an OLED, which tends to run especially hot), and then gently wipe the screen with a clean microfibre cloth to clean it, without damaging the screen.

If you want to take things further and wish to give your TV screen more of a deep clean, then you can invest in a screen cleaning kit. We're partial to this Screen Mom set in the TV testing room. Just be sure to spray the cleaner onto the cloth to avoid streaks.

4. Take another look at your picture settings

Diving back into the picture settings can make the TV you've been using for years feel brand new.

Trying out a new picture mode, or tweaking simple settings such as motion, can unearth improvements that you may not have known your TV is capable of.

If you've left your TV in the standard picture mode after unboxing it years ago, then now is the time to try out the movie mode, or delve into Filmmaker Mode (or, if you're using a Sony TV, the professional picture mode) for a more cinematic experience.

Tweaking the motion settings can help to smooth out judder, but if you have it turned up to the maximum setting, then you might find that turning it down will make your TV look much more natural.

Feel free to take a trial-and-error approach here to find the best settings to suit you; most, if not all, TVs we've tested feature an option in the settings menu to reset the picture settings to default if you get a little bit too creative.

MORE:

Check out our picks for the best OLED TV

As well as the best cheap TVs

And read our full LG C6 65-inch OLED TV review

Prime Day (or should that be Prime Week?) may just be a memory now, but that doesn’t mean the savings have dried up.

Several discounts have stayed live long after the Prime curtain came down, while others have popped up out of the woodwork. And (this shouldn’t be right, surely?) some top Prime Day deals have somehow got even cheaper.

So if you’re looking to upgrade your home cinema for the final weeks of the World Cup or seeking a Bluetooth speaker for the next heatwave, we’ve got you covered.

These are all products we have reviewed and rated ourselves, and all have been awarded a full five stars. So you can buy with confidence.

It’s been a banner week this week, with several Award-winners and new 2026 releases up for grabs. Take a look yourself:

If you’re after powered speakers on a budget, then the Elac Debut ConneX DCB41 are our recommendation. They are full of features, with Bluetooth connectivity, a switchable stereo input/moving-magnet phono stage and HDMI, optical and USB inputs; but most importantly they also serve up a balanced, insightful sound.

Two of our favourite OLED TVs of 2026 are on sale this week! Up first is our mid-range pick, the LG C6, which is even cheaper than it was during Prime Day. This deal price includes the £40 cost of an AO Five-Star membership, which is needed to unlock the discount.

The JBL Charge 6 is our Product of the Year Bluetooth speaker, and we were astonished when it dropped to £100 over Prime Day. We were even more astonished, however, when it dropped even further this week, with the black finish now £96 at Amazon.

If you’re after a new flagship OLED, then the Samsung S99H is the one to beat this year. It has dazzlingly bright highlights, awesome contrast and excellent three-dimensional depth, making it perfect for the World Cup, GTA 6, or pretty much anything you plan to use it for. Unlock the deal price with the code TRADE250 and a £250 cashback offer from Samsung – full Ts&Cs can be found here.

The Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 7 + S excels where several Dolby Atmos soundbars fail, with the included subwoofer adding plenty of tight, agile bass. We reviewed this package only in April, and now it’s available with its first discount.

The Hisense AX5125H was one of the earliest deals we covered on Prime Day, and also one of the best. The fact you can get a Dolby Atmos soundbar system at this price is quite incredible. What’s more incredible is that it also sounds pretty good.

MORE:

Our pick of the best wireless headphones you can buy

And the best TVs for all budgets

Interested in the bigger picture? Here are the best projectors we have tested

There hasn't been a buzzword like Dolby Atmos in home cinema audio for some time.

We're happy to report, though, that Dolby Atmos is not just a buzzword, but one of the biggest home cinema developments of the last decade and an immersive experience that will surround you in a bubble of sound.

It's important, therefore, that you get a good Dolby Atmos system that can showcase the technology properly.

So we've rounded up some of the very best Dolby Atmos soundbars we've tested and currently recommend. There's a mix of everything here, from budget to premium, solo soundbars and multi-speaker systems.

And the best news? Many of them are still at their Prime Day sale prices.

These are all soundbars that we've reviewed and rated ourselves, so we can attest to their Atmos abilities. Every product below has earned at least four stars from our expert review team, with a smattering also winning a prestigious What Hi-Fi? Award.

Take a look at the Atmos offerings below – we'll go into detail about why we like them so much underneath.

We declared the Hisense AX5125H to be the Dolby Atmos bargain of the year in our review – and that bargain got even better with healthy price drops over Black Friday and Prime Day. The AX5125H offers amazing weight, scale and spaciousness for the money, and can still be picked up at its Prime Day price.

The Sonos Arc Ultra is our overall pick of the best soundbars, with terrific detail for a soundbar and a clean, precise, spacious and three-dimensional sound. If your budget stretches this far, it's our performance-per-pound soundbar choice.

The JBL Bar 1000MK2 is a Dolby Atmos soundbar with a difference – the surround speakers can magnetically attach to the main soundbar, be used as rear surrounds or taken into another room to be used as a wireless speaker. It sounds pretty good too, with a bold, bassy performance.

If your space and budget are limited, then the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) might be your soundbar of choice. It boasts impressively spacious movie sound that works just as well with music, and is the Dolby Atmos soundbar we recommend at this price point.

Yes, it has a premium price tag, but the KEF XIO has the premium performance to match. For the serious cinephiles out there who want the very best in sound, the KEF XIO is now available with a rare £200 cashback offer. Full details here.

For bassy bombast and room-filling sound, look no further than the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 6. With a wireless subwoofer included, this mid-range package isn't exactly subtle but comes with a weighty sound and a lot of kit for the money.

Our current soundbar Product of the Year, the Samsung HW-Q990F is our go-to recommendation for a package if your budget stretches this far. It's seen some steep drops since its £1699 test price, so is quite the bargain at well under £800.

For a cheap solo soundbar with Dolby Atmos, we'd recommend the Sony HT-S2000. This five-star soundbar is exceptional value for the money, offering a clear upgrade from your TV speakers and a simple plug-and-play functionality.

If you're a gamer with multiple consoles, then the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 might be for you. The dedicated HDMI 2.1 input supports 4K/120Hz signals, VRR and ALLM, while the sound is up there with the Sonos Arc Ultra, with superb clarity, detail and punch on offer.

MORE:

Looking for a bargain? Here are the best budget soundbars

Check out the latest and cheapest Sonos deals available now

And the best TVs for all budgets

LG has launched its latest moveable screen display to deliver “a more flexible and enjoyable entertainment experience”.

That comes in the form of the rather clunkily named StanbyME 2 Max (does anyone else have Ben E. King stuck in their head now?), which expands on the first iteration five years after it came out.

The idea is to take the screen with you from room to room, as it features a detachable display that can be mounted on a wheeled stand. You can use it in either portrait or landscape mode, and you can use the screen-mirroring function with your phone.

The previous model was available in 27 inches; the new version bumps that up a little to 32 inches. This display supports up to 4K resolution, 60Hz refresh rate, and Dolby Vision HDR.

There is also a built-in battery that offers up to 4.5 hours of use before needing to be plugged into the mains, so it should last for at least the runtime of Oppenheimer (and then the start of Barbie).

In terms of audio, there is Dolby Atmos support to provide “an enveloping soundscape with richer detail”. The system is also powered by LG’s Alpha 8 AI Processor Gen3, which uses AI to deliver a virtual 11.1.2-channel surround sound.

When not in use, it can display artwork from the LG Gallery+, which will possibly make it less of an eyesore.

We are still waiting on UK or Australian pricing, but it costs $1299 in the US (around £970 / AU$1870). That seems pretty steep for a 32-inch display, even if it can be wheeled around the house.

Whether it will be a practical portable addition to your home or just a bigger screen to doom scroll on remains to be seen, but we are certainly curious to find out.

MORE:

These are the best TVs

Check out the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

Here is our LG C6 OLED TV review

We're now out of the group stages of the FIFA World Cup – but there's still time to watch England's first knockout game on a glorious OLED.

The LG C6, which received a full five stars from our TV experts and is one of our favourite TVs of the year so far, is currently down to £2034 at AO.com.

This includes a £40 cost to join the AO Five Star annual membership, which is required to get this price saving. However, the membership also gets you free delivery and unpacking along with several other perks – just make sure to set a reminder to cancel before next year. More details here.

With Germany crashing out of the tournament already after losing to Paraguay, it's proving to be a World Cup full of surprises. One you'll likely want to watch on one of the best TVs available – so if you get an order in now, you'll still be able to watch most of the knockout stage on a shiny new 2026 display.

The LG C6 currently costs a fair bit more than its predecessor, the LG C5, which saw some rock-bottom Prime Day discounts and is the better choice if you're after value.

But if you're after the latest and greatest TV tech for the World Cup, then the LG C6 is the benchmark at this price level.

It offers several upgrades over the C5 thanks to the new Alpha 11 Gen 3 processor, which blesses the C6 with a brighter and richer performance, better upscaling and enhanced remastering.

"Even in Filmmaker Mode, the C6’s extra brightness over the C5 is immediately obvious," our LG C6 review reads. "Highlights are more intense, colours have a touch more richness and the overall image carries greater depth and dimensionality."

That extra brightness will come in handy for any viewing parties you have – it's comfortable to watch even with the lights on – and the rich colours will undoubtedly come in useful for bold kits and flushed skin tones. Motion is fluid and controlled too, so there's no fear of fast-paced goals becoming a smeary mess.

Should you wish to take a break with EA Sports FC – or perhaps you're thinking ahead for GTA 6 – then LG's unbeatable gaming specs return. Console gamers can enjoy a silky-smooth 4K/120Hz, while PC owners can go all the way up to 4K/165Hz on all four HDMI inputs, no less. VRR, ALLM and Dolby Vision gaming are also included.

All the major streaming services are accounted for on LG's WebOS, including the all-important BBC iPlayer and ITVX, all of which are well optimised and load quickly. There are new home shortcuts and personalised widgets too.

Audio has traditionally never been a strength of the LG C-series, but we're delighted to report some improvements this time round. The overall delivery is more open and immersive than their previous sets, ideal for creating a stadium atmosphere during matches, while Dolby Atmos effects are projected further away from the screen.

With five stars and a record-low price, the LG C6 is an easy recommendation for someone looking to buy one of the latest OLEDs – it's one of the best ways to watch the World Cup at home, especially with £466 off at AO.com.

MORE:

Read our review of the LG C5

These are the services you need to watch the remaining World Cup matches in 4K / HDR

Best TVs: flagship OLEDs and budget Mini LED sets tried and tested

Another Prime Day has been and is almost gone, with Amazon’s summer sales event set to end in a mere few hours.

It’s been a bit of a doozy this year – and there is still time to grab a bargain.

If you want to watch the rest of the World Cup in style, there are somehow still some LG C5 models in stock; and our top outdoor projector pick, the Anker Nebula Mars 3 Air, has also held its rock-bottom price since last week.

On the hi-fi side, we have been treated to a whopping £600 off the sensational Sonus Faber Omnia, as well as the first-ever discount on the Dali Oberon 5.

• View all the Prime Day deals at Amazon

These are all products that we have tested and reviewed ourselves, so you can be sure that this isn’t an impulse buy you’ll regret – everything here has earned at least four stars or more.

So while there’s still time, take a look at the remaining Prime Day deals:

Micro systems were all the rage once upon a time – and are once again for Prime Day. The Award-winning D-M41DAB is still a very convenient and affordable way to get into the world of hi-fi, offering DAB, CD playback, Bluetooth streaming and a remote control all in one package. But, most importantly, the sound quality is excellent too!

The Cambridge Audio AXA35 stereo amplifier looks and sounds great – and is also a bit of a bargain at this price. Save £50 and be rewarded with a confident sound with a particularly expressive midrange, as well as a strikingly elegant look.

Mixing sound and style effortlessly, the sensational Sonus Faber Omnia is beautifully finished, with wonderfully spacious, clear sound and support for all the popular streaming services. Now with £600 off.

If you’ve bought one of the best turntables this Prime Day, you’re going to want some records to go with it – or perhaps to simply add to your collection. HMV’s Vinyl Multibuy offers you three records for £66, including the likes of Romance by Fontaines D.C., Purple Rain by Prince and The Art of Loving by Olivia Dean.

At its current price, the LG C5 is leagues ahead of the competition when it comes to value for money. If you’re after an OLED this Prime Day, we strongly recommend considering this multi-Award-winning TV.

The Anker Nebula Mars 3 Air is our favourite portable projector should you wish to watch the remainder of the World Cup outside. It’s incredibly easy to set up, attractive and well-built and offers picture and sound quality that’s a cut above the competition.

The Amazon Ember QLED with Fire TV is Amazon’s latest QLED and a solid, affordable TV. It offers a sharp and detailed picture with minimal fuss, and was already good value even before the hefty £450 discount!

If you’re a beginner or keen on Bluetooth, then the Pro-Ject T1 Evo BT turntable is tough to beat. Easy to set up and use, it comes with a built-in phono stage and offers a smooth, fluid sound.

The Dali Oberon 5 have been superseded by the Sonik 5, but they have just received their first discount in years. At their current price, they are still remarkably accomplished floorstanders that will delight hi-fi fans hunting for new speakers capable of delivering a truly entertaining performance.

MORE:

Our pick of the best wireless headphones you can buy

And the best TVs for all budgets

Interested in the bigger picture? Here are the best projectors we have tested

I've been totally open about my love for the Sony Bravia 8 II. Not only is it the current What Hi-Fi? Awards TV of the year, it's also the TV I use at home.

Seeing as I've been reviewing TVs for almost 20 years, that hopefully says a lot.

The Bravia 8 II is also on sale right now, with the 65-inch version available for £2099 at Richer Sounds.

That's not the cheapest it's ever been (that would be £1979), but it's still a good price for what is an absolutely awesome TV.

If I were looking to buy a premium TV right now, though, it's the 65-inch LG C5 I would go for.

It's a step-down OLED rather than a flagship like the Bravia 8 II, but it's still an absolutely cracking all-rounder of a TV, and it's currently available for £1299 at Amazon.

That price difference is just too big to ignore.

In our review, we awarded the C5 five stars, praising it for delivering "excellent all-round performance" that punches well above its price.

It's one of those rare TVs that doesn't have any glaring weaknesses, making it an easy recommendation whether you're a movie buff, sports fan or gamer.

Picture quality is the obvious highlight. The C5 produces rich, vibrant colours without sacrificing authenticity, while its contrast is superb, delivering the deep blacks and bright highlights that OLED TVs are famous for.

It's also wonderfully sharp and detailed, with excellent motion handling that keeps everything from fast-paced football to blockbuster action films looking smooth and natural.

Gaming is another area where the LG excels. All four HDMI sockets support the full HDMI 2.1 specification, including 4K/165Hz, VRR and ALLM, making it one of the most comprehensively equipped gaming TVs around.

Now, let's be clear: the Sony Bravia 8 II is still the better TV. It's brighter, more vibrant and more refined, producing an even more cinematic and authentic picture. Its built-in sound system is also leagues ahead of the LG's, delivering audio that's fuller, weightier and more immersive than almost any other TV.

If money were no object, I'd still tell you to buy the Bravia 8 II.

But money almost always is an object. And when you're looking at an £800 price difference, the LG C5 becomes the smarter buy.

MORE:

Here are all of the best TVs and best TV deals available right now

And here are the best soundbars

We have entered the final day of Amazon’s Prime Day sales event – sales are set to cease at midnight.

While we have been carefully choosing which deals to recommend to you and which are best avoided, it’s time to determine which deals are Prime Day winners, and who has provided the biggest disappointments during the sales event.

We have seen loads of excellent AV deals, and some of them can genuinely save you hundreds, and in some cases a thousand, pounds. These are the deals that we think are genuinely worth investing in this Prime Day; they knock prices down to new lows and ensure you’re getting the maximum bang for your buck.

Some products, however, haven’t been discounted at all. One company even decided to raise the prices of its products this Prime Day. These are, unsurprisingly, the losers.

So let’s find out who our Prime Day champions are…

Winner: LG C5 OLED TV

If there’s one TV that has enjoyed some seriously impressive discounts, it’s LG’s Award-winning step-down OLED from last year. We have recently reviewed the five-star C6, and it’s a great TV, but we believe the heavily discounted C5 is the better buy this Prime Day.

We’ve seen the 42-inch model drop to as low as £611, though it seems to have bounced slightly back up to £623 at Amazon; all in all, still a considerable saving over the £1099 price we reviewed it at.

Stepping up to the 48-inch model will also grant you some serious savings, as it can be found for just £725 at Amazon, down from its original price of £1399.

However, the 55-inch model is looking like the sweet spot to us. This set has dropped to a staggering £969 at Amazon – we reviewed it at £1900, so you're essentially saving a grand here.

This versatile OLED TV will impress gamers and cinephiles alike, thanks to its four HDMI 2.1 sockets, VRR support, and LG’s Game Dashboard feature, as well as its detailed, contrast-rich, and balanced picture performance.

Winner: Dolby Atmos soundbars

If there was ever a time to invest in a Dolby Atmos soundbar, Prime Day is it. We are seeing major discounts attached to some of our favourite Award-winning models, meaning now is the ideal time to ditch your TV’s underwhelming built-in speakers.

The Sonos Beam Gen 2 has dropped from £449 to £337 at Peter Tyson, marking a £112 discount on the best entry-level Dolby Atmos soundbar. The Hisense AX5125H, which adds wireless surround speakers and a subwoofer to the mix, can now be snapped up for a truly impressive £199 at Richer Sounds.

For us, though, it’s the Samsung HW-Q990F at B&Q for £695 that really steals the show here. We have never seen it drop this low before.

That means our reigning Product of the Year winner is currently £1004 cheaper than the price when we reviewed it. And that makes this easily the best soundbar deal of Prime Day, and perhaps one of the best deals we have seen during the entire sales event.

Winner: 4K Blu-ray

Physical media is back!

Well, at least it is this Prime Day; we are seeing a few great deals on 4K Blu-ray. Could they be enough to tempt you away from streaming?

HMV’s 3 for £50 multibuy deal is a tempting choice for those looking to stock up on or start their collection, while Amazon seems to be the best place to buy single discs and box sets.

We are seeing savings on big franchise 4K box sets, including The Lord of the Rings, Mission: Impossible and John Wick, as well as deals on F1: The Movie, Interstellar, Sinners and plenty more.

If you’re sick of streaming, these deals will help you enjoy your favourite films with a greatly improved picture and sound experience, and of course you get to keep them for life.

Loser: Apple

How do you take the concept of Prime Day, and do the complete opposite? Simple: you raise the prices of your five-star hi-fi and home-cinema products.

Apple pulled a blinder in the middle of Prime Day by increasing the price of the Apple TV 4K in both its 64GB and 128GB + Ethernet configurations. We also saw the prices of the HomePod 2, HomePod Mini, and iPad Air rise sharply.

The 64GB version of Apple’s Award-winning streamer now costs £199 (up from £149 / $130 / AU$219); the 128GB model now costs £249 (originally £169 / $179 / $249).

Just to clarify, this is the same 2022 model that Apple is currently refusing to upgrade. In our original review (published back in 2022), we said that “the best video streamer just got better (and cheaper)”, but it looks like we’ll have to amend that line.

Thankfully, a few retailers haven’t caught on to Apple’s price hike yet, so you can still pick the Apple TV 4K up for its original launch price if you’re quick. Buying direct from Apple should be avoided at all costs while these retailers are offering the original prices.

Loser: 4K Blu-ray players

While the 4K Blu-ray format itself seems to be thriving this Prime Day, disc players haven’t enjoyed the same discounts.

Panasonic and Sony, practically the last bastions of the 4K Blu-ray player market, have opted to leave the prices of their respective disc spinners unchanged this Prime Day.

The Award-winning DP-UB820EB is currently sitting at £349, which is higher than the original £290 we reviewed it at thanks to a price increase a couple of years ago (we see where Apple got the inspiration from). Sony’s UBP-UX700K (which is essentially the same as the UBP-UX700), meanwhile, is a whopping £9 off at Amazon, down from its usual £249 price.

Our recommendation for anyone looking to pick up an affordable disc player this Prime Day is to consider the Panasonic DP-UB150EB, which is a fairly affordable 4K Blu-ray player at £159.

That is still £30 more than the price we originally reviewed it at, but price increases seem inevitable these days.

MORE:

Amazon Prime Day 2026: the 86 best deals on headphones, TVs, speakers, home cinema and more

Find the best OLED TV deals here

Check out our picks for the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

If you’re looking for a new OLED TV over Prime Day, you will be pleased to learn that the five-star LG C6 we christened “the firm’s finest step-down model to date” mere weeks ago has had its price slashed.

Right now you can grab a 55-inch LG C6 for £1427.98 at Amazon. That is a solid £371.02 saving on the TV’s launch price.

But, before you go rushing to grab one, I’d urge you to check out the even better deal I have spotted on the older LG C5. You can pick one up on Amazon for £906.09. That’s a solid £993.91 saving on its launch RRP and the best price we have seen for it.

Why pick the LG C5 when the C6 offers a performance upgrade? It’s a good question, especially when our reviewers reported:

“[The LG C6] is a big upgrade by C-series standards. We don’t typically get too excited about processor upgrades, but the Alpha 11 Gen 3 has forced a brighter and richer performance out of the same OLED EX panel technology, and improved upscaling and shading subtlety. The extra brightness and richness have benefits across the picture, resulting in a more enticing, dynamic and three-dimensional delivery.”

The answer comes down to another key metric we always factor into our buying advice: value for money.

Yes, the C6 offers improvements on the C5. But, having run the two head to head in our test rooms, we don’t think they currently justify the difference in price. £423 is a lot of money, especially during a cost of living crisis. Even if you do have the spare cash, we can think of a better investment that will fix both TVs’ biggest weakness: their middling audio.

Neither set offers good enough audio quality for a truly immersive home cinema experience. So, even if you do have the cash to buy the C6 right now, we still recommend investing in the LG C5 and then using the money you have saved to buy a decent Dolby Atmos soundbar.

If you pull the trigger now, the five-star Sony Bravia Theatre System 6 featured in our best Dolby Atmos soundbars guide is selling for £399 at Amazon (save £150) right now. It will match wonderfully with the LG C5.

That price will even leave you with enough cash to invest in a cold pint, or iced coffee, to help get through the heatwave…

MORE:

These are the best OLED TVs we have reviewed

Check out our Prime Day 2026 home cinema deals live hub

Our picks of the best 55-inch TVs

We've waited 13 agonising years for GTA VI to finally hit consoles.

After what's felt like a never-ending onslaught of leaks, delays, and speculation, we're officially less than six months away from what could be the biggest gaming launch in history.

While securing a copy is top priority – pre-orders start at midnight tonight – I'm taking the release of this hotly anticipated title as an excuse to level up my gaming setup, and what better time to do it than during Amazon Prime Day?

I've found the ideal gaming TV, a soundbar system that will put you in the centre of the action, and a console that should not only be powerful enough to handle GTA VI but also ensure that the high-resolution, neon-adorned streets of Vice City shine in glorious 4K.

Regarding the console, I recommend the Sony PS5 Pro. We haven't reviewed it yet, but its dedicated upscaling feature leads us to believe that it will offer extra headroom for the expected demanding graphical requirements of GTA VI.

As someone who has gamed on a PS5 since launch (including the superb GTA V remaster), and has also been eyeing up a PS5 Pro since Sony unveiled it back in 2024, seeing it drop in price this close to GTA VI's official pre-order date simply feels like the fates aligning.

As for the TV, I felt as though the LG C5 was a no-brainer. It's our current Award-winner in various categories, including "best gaming TV", and the 55-inch (which is the size we reviewed first and can thoroughly recommend) is currently £1000 off – that's a mind-blowing saving.

It sports four full bandwidth HDMI sockets that support up to 4K/144Hz (or 4K/120Hz with the PS5 Pro), and LG's Game Dashboard feature will be the perfect sidekick during your car chases and shootouts this November.

Finally, the Samsung HW-Q990F (another Award-winner, no less) is also enjoying an unbelievable discount of just over £1000. With Dolby Atmos on board (which the PS5 Pro supports for gaming now), it's bound to get you immersed in GTA VI's sprawling city, especially with planes and helicopters soaring overhead.

And with another HDMI 2.1 socket on board (bringing the total of this system to five), we could even bestow it with the title of "best gaming soundbar".

However, what makes it truly stand out is the incredible subwoofer, which should add some serious low-end punch to gunshots, explosions and car engines.

All of the components listed here work in tandem to also deliver a superb home cinema experience, meaning movies, TV shows and music will also benefit from this do-it-all system too.

And with Prime Day in full swing, you can expect to save a staggering £2080 in total; what's not to like?

MORE:

Find the best Amazon Prime Day home cinema deals here

Check out our picks for the best gaming TVs

As well as the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

Looking for a big new TV for Amazon Prime Day? Then I've got you covered.

65 inches is rapidly becoming the new standard TV size, offering a cinematic size without overwhelming your living room (or your eyeballs).

A 65-inch size has also become much more affordable over the years – now more than ever, with Prime Day in full swing.

• Shop the whole Amazon Prime Day sale

I've handpicked the highlights from the summer sales event, including several What Hi-Fi? favourites and even an Award winner or two. There's a bit of everything here, from great-value Mini LEDs to flagship OLEDs, but all are excellent TVs sure to enhance your living room.

These are all TVs that have been tried and tested here at What Hi-Fi?, and every set below has been awarded the full five stars. I'll go into more detail about why we like them so much below, with links to our in-depth reviews.

For now, though, let's get to the deals:

The TCL QM7K won a What Hi-Fi? Award at our most recent ceremony, partially for offering far more than it had any right to for the price. A Mini LED screen with 1008 dimming zones, Quantum Dot colour and a claimed 2600 nits of brightness are just some of the features you'll enjoy, now with $750 off.

The LG C5 is another What Hi-Fi? Award winner, taking home not one, not two, but three gongs – including best gaming TV, so it's an ideal choice for GTA 6. Whatever you use the C5 for, it will deliver a superbly detailed, contrast-rich picture, and it is the best value OLED in the Prime Day sales right now.

The TCL QM8K is a step-up model from its QM7K sibling, offering more dimming zones for better contrast control and a higher claimed brightness of 4500 nits. Combining brightness and punch with refinement and naturalism, it's a stunning TV that's even better value now that it's under $1,000.

We were recently bowled over by the new Samsung S99H, but last year's Samsung S95F is now available at an excellent discount. The five-star stunner boasts a stunningly bright, vibrant and sharp picture, four HDMI 2.1 sockets for gaming and one of the best-looking designs on the market.

The Sony Bravia 8 II is our reigning TV Product of the Year, and with good reason. Cinephiles in particular will love the stunning, authentic picture quality, but it's also one of the best-sounding OLEDs available and our go-to benchmark for testing TVs.

The Sony Bravia 8 is a tad older than the other TVs on this list, but still an excellent buy and now with a whopping 43% discount. Our 2024 TV Product of the Year, the Bravia 8 offers a balanced, immersive picture, good audio by TV standards and Sony's typically great motion handling.

MORE:

These are the best projectors out there

Check out the best TVs we have reviewed

And here are the five best OLED TVs

On Monday, I wrote about how tempted I was to buy the 42-inch LG C5, which had dropped to a record-low £649.

I already own what I consider to be the best OLED TV available – the awesome Sony Bravia 8 II – but, at that price, the C5 was well worth buying for use in my spare room, where it could perform gaming and work monitor duties, as well as the odd streaming binge.

But yesterday, I updated that story to point out that the price for the 42-inch had dropped to £623. The previous price that I had thought was unbeatable had been beaten.

And now, would you believe, it's been beaten again: the 42-inch LG C5 is down to just £611 at Amazon.

That's a nuts price for a TV this good.

At £611 from Amazon, the 42-inch LG C5 is one of those deals that feels almost too good to be true.

In our five-star review, we praised its wonderfully balanced OLED picture, excellent motion handling, natural colours and superb contrast, all of which combine to deliver a brilliantly engaging and authentic viewing experience.

It's also among the most comprehensively specified gaming TVs available, with four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 sockets supporting 4K/144Hz, VRR, ALLM and Dolby Vision gaming.

The sound is fairly ordinary, but that's a common weakness among TVs at any price and one that's easily fixed with one of the best budget soundbars.

Everything else about the C5 feels premium, making this deal particularly impressive. At £611, you're getting a TV that performs like a flagship for little more than the price of many mid-range rivals.

MORE:

Here are all the best TVs you can buy right now

And here are all of the best Amazon Prime Day TV deals

As a deals writer, I spend my days hunting down the best savings on What Hi-Fi? recommended products, whether that's the latest home cinema release, hi-fi separate or other AV tech.

For Prime Day, though, I didn't have to hunt very hard – we've been flooded with savings, and luckily, most of them have been rather good.

So to celebrate, I've put together a little visual collection of some of the best Prime Day deals so far from the worlds of hi-fi and home cinema.

As always, these are all deals on products that we have tested and rated ourselves, and our expert reviewers have given them at least four stars – or, in some cases, five stars and maybe even a What Hi-Fi? Award.

I'll go into detail down below, but for now, feast your eyes on these great Prime Day savings.

The LG C5 won multiple What Hi-Fi? Awards at our most recent ceremony, thanks to its excellent picture quality and incredible gaming specs. There are LG C5 deals on virtually every size, but we've highlighted the 42-inch model as it gives you an Award-winning LG OLED TV for only £623.

The Dali Oberon 5 are a bit long in the tooth now, but they're still remarkably accomplished floorstanders for anyone getting into hi-fi or working on a budget. This is the first decent discount we've seen on the speakers – our Editor-in-Chief has been waiting half a decade.

The Award-winning Hisense AX5125H gave us quite the shock when we tested it – despite its low price tag, the soundbar system produced a room-filling, sofa-shaking, exuberant sound with amazing scale and a convincing Dolby Atmos effect. Get it quick, as it was also on offer during Black Friday last year and promptly sold out.

The JBL Charge 6 is our current Product of the Year in the wireless speaker category, thanks to its expansive, detailed and clear sound from a portable design. It hasn't been this low in price since Black Friday and is the top Bluetooth speaker deal we'd recommend this Prime Day.

The Sony WH-1000XM5 may have been replaced by their successor, the XM6, but they had a long reign as one of our favourite wireless over-ear headphones and are still an excellent choice to this day – especially at this new lowest price.

If you're looking for more budget headphones, then it doesn't get much cheaper than the Earfun Air. They're only £23, and are five-star earbuds that still offer great value.

MORE:

Amazon Prime Day 2026 Live Q&A: personalised hi-fi and home cinema buying advice, direct from our experts

Prime Day 2026 Live: all the top TV, soundbar and projector deals handpicked by our home cinema experts

Prime Day 2026 Live: the best headphone, speaker and vinyl deals picked by our hi-fi experts

TVs are getting bigger, and bigger… and bigger.

Hisense and TCL have been selling 116-inch and 115-inch TVs for quite some time now – and both of those look fairly modest compa red with Samsung’s behemoth 130-inch RGB Micro LED TV, which was unveiled at CES 2026.

The sensibly sized living rooms of many British homes are simply not built for a TV of that size – and many will find a proper surround sound package to be a squeeze as well. So does that mean you simply can’t fit a home cinema system into your house?

Of course it doesn’t!

We have tested plenty of smaller TVs and soundbars with modest footprints; and what they lack in size, they make up for in performance.

In fact, I have built a complete system, which includes a 42-inch OLED TV from LG, a superb scaled-down Hisense soundbar package (which even supports Dolby Atmos), and a five-star Amazon streamer that is no bigger than your average chocolate bar.

All of these products are Award-winners and, thanks to Amazon Prime Day, they are now all hugely discounted. At launch, this set-up would have cost you £1418; thanks to some pretty astonishing Prime Day discounts, it can now be yours for just £862.

This trio of petite home-cinema gadgets strikes the three core pillars of any good home cinema setup: picture, sound, and content.

And if you are happy to use LG’s webOS software platform and don’t mind a slight decrease in picture and sound performance, you could ditch the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max entirely, saving you a further £40.

The 42-inch LG C5, a compact OLED TV, is the definition of small yet mighty. Sporting a panel that delivers inky blacks and perfect contrast with ease, the C5 is a superb choice for movies – it’s and our pick for the best gaming TV, too.

We applauded its sharp, warm and rich picture, which we felt was hugely cinematic despite the comparatively small screen size from the 55- and 65-inch sets we usually test.

Furthermore, its gaming features are second to none. With a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz – ideal for PC gamers and more than enough for console gamers – and four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 sockets. The smaller display also makes this a solid choice for dedicated gaming rooms, and it can even be used as an oversized desktop monitor.

The only area that the C5 stumbles in is sound. OLED TVs, in our experience, often disappoint when it comes to their built-in sound systems, and it’s no surprise that a TV this small doesn’t break the mould.

That’s where the Hisense AX5125H comes in. Tongue twister of a name aside, this soundbar system delivers proper surround sound at a price as modest as its footprint. The package includes a soundbar, subwoofer and two surround speakers, all of which pair wirelessly and with very little fuss out of the box.

We were surprised by its weight, scale, and spaciousness, which (much like the C5) far exceed its size. Dolby Atmos is supported with two dedicated upward-firing drivers on the main soundbar unit, and there’s even an HDMI 2.0 passthrough socket. (Maybe Sonos could learn a thing or two.)

The LG and Hisense make a great cinematic space-saving duo – and, in truth, you could leave it there. But by adding the heavily discounted, Award-winning Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max, you get a pretty big streaming upgrade.

Amazon’s top-tier Fire TV Stick delivers 4K streams with oodles of detail and natural colours, and with an extremely comprehensive selection of apps, you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to content.

If you’re looking longingly at our best TV deals and best soundbar deals pages, but think that you can’t get involved with the Prime Day sales due to a lack of space, then hopefully this petite (and massively discounted) home cinema setup has changed your mind.

MORE:

Check out the best Amazon Prime Day AV deals live

As well as the best Amazon Prime Day hi-fi deals

And find the best OLED TV deals here

We all love a bargain, which is why many of you may be looking for a stellar Prime Day deal on an LG C5.

And why not? The 42-inch LG C5, 48-inch LG C5 and 55-inch LG C5 all earned five-star ratings. The range also picked up not one, but three trophies during our latest What Hi-Fi? Awards.

And, while it has since been replaced by the five-star LG C6, having tested the two head-to-head in our viewing rooms, we can confirm the older C5 remains a very competitive performer and a valid option for any movie fan – especially when discounted.

At first glance, this is especially true right now, with pretty much every size of the LG C5 currently discounted. You can see a quick Cliff Notes of the best early Prime Day deals we’ve spotted on each below.

• Get the 42-inch LG C5 for £649 at Richer Sounds (save £750).
• Get the 48-inch LG C5 down to £759 at Richer Sounds (save £650)
• Get the 55-inch LG C5 down to £989 at Richer Sounds (save £910)
• Get the 65-inch LG C5 down to £1299 at Richer Sounds (save £1400)
• Get the 83-inch LG C5 down to £3052 at Richer Sounds (save £2480)

So, it’s a no-brainer, right? Time to click that magic checkout button and treat yourself to a shiny new OLED?

It would be all too easy to say yes, as those are solid prices on very good TVs. In fact, the 83-inch LG C5 deal is the best price we’ve seen on the giant OLED.

But, if you want my advice, I’d not pull the trigger yet, as I think the C5 will go down in price even further during Prime Day.

There are two simple reasons why. First, because while those are very good prices, outside of the 83-inch deal, we’ve seen all the other sizes slightly cheaper in the past. Not always by much, but £50 saved is a big deal for a lot of us right now, given the current cost of living crisis.

Second, because Prime Day tends to bring particularly impressive deals on C-series sets. Last year, we saw prices for the older C4 hit record lows across multiple sizes during Prime Day, and my instincts tell me the same will happen for the C5 this year.

Which is why, with Prime Day not even officially started, my advice right now is to wait and see what the actual event brings to the table. After all, you only have a few more hours to wait…

MORE:

Check out our Prime Day Home Cinema Deals Live Hub

We rank the best OLED TVs

Our picks of the best TVs money can buy

I am a very lucky guy: the best TV I've ever tested (and I've been reviewing TVs for 19 years) is also now the TV I use at home.

That TV is the Sony Bravia 8 II, and it really is as awesome to live with as I had expected.

• View all the Prime Day deals

Why, then, am I eyeing up another TV in the Amazon Prime Day sales?

Two reasons: I'd love to add an OLED to my spare room for gaming, and this deal is just too exceptional to pass up.

£623 at Amazon is just unbelievable for a TV this good, and it takes it from a super-premium option that would have to be your main TV, to a good price to pay for a second room TV.

My plan for this 42-inch OLED is to use it as a gaming TV and a monitor for work.

Its gaming specs are impeccable: four HDMI 2.1 sockets that all fully support 4K/144Hz, 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM; a superbly implemented HGIG mode for super-accurate HDR in games; and a Dolby Vision gaming mode.

It's great as a monitor, too, with neat, user-created software available that enables monitor-style features such as auto-wake.

Even if you've no interest in gaming or productivity, though, the 42-inch C5 is awesome for TV shows and movies, with a really balanced and authentic performance that makes full use of OLED's perfect blacks and pixel-level contrast control.

Other than the limp sound (which I recommend solving with one of the best budget soundbars), this TV is great at everything it does, and I think it's just irresistible at this price.

MORE:

Here are all the best TVs you can buy right now

And here are all of the best Amazon Prime Day TV deals

You never feel the need to upgrade your TV like you do during the FIFA World Cup.

The 2026 tournament features 48 teams for the first time, meaning if you were dedicated (and temporarily nocturnal) you could watch 104 matches of high-quality football.

That's a lot of time to be staring at your TV – but luckily, if you do want to upgrade, you don't have to break the bank.

We've rounded up some of the best TVs under the £1,000 mark, all of which have been reviewed and rated by us and earned at least four stars – or in some cases, five stars and even a What Hi-Fi? Award.

This also clashes rather nicely with early Prime Day deals, so there are particularly good savings available right now on all the models below.

We'll go into more detail on what we like about the TVs below, but for now, have a look at our expert picks.

The LG C5 OLED won multiple gongs at the most recent What Hi-Fi? Awards, thanks to its excellent picture quality and flawless gaming specification. If you’re going for OLED under a grand, this is the model to get – the 42-inch LG C5 and 48-inch LG C5 are just as good and even cheaper.

We only reviewed the Amazon Ember QLED with Fire TV in March, but it has already received a staggering £450 discount for Prime Day. Have no fear, this has nothing to do with the quality; Amazon’s latest QLED offers a sharp and detailed picture with minimal fuss, as well as audio that defies expectations.

The TCL C6KS was already exceptional value for money at full price – we liked it so much we gave it a What Hi-Fi? Award – and now it’s available for even less. A good Mini LED at this price is hard to find, but the C6KS has a rare all-around ability thanks to its 160 dimming zones, support for all four HDR formats and user-friendly Google TV operating system.

Samsung has had a lot of competition in the budget TV market in recent years, but the 65-inch U8000F shows it can still do big-screen on a budget. The Standard mode is enjoyably punchy and bright, and there is a lot of smart TV content available in one great value package.

The TCL C7K is the current Award-winner for the best large-sized budget TV, thanks to more features than you have any right to expect for the money. For less than £720 now, you’ll get a 65-inch Mini LED with Quantum Dot colour and excellent gaming support. That’s before we even mention the 1008 dimming zones and support for all four HDR formats.

Previously known as the Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini-LED, the 65-inch Amazon Ember Mini-LED with Fire TV is a solid entry to the mid-range market with a sharp picture and excellent app support. And with an early Prime Day discount, it’s now quite the bargain.

MORE:

Best LG C5 deals for all sizes

And the best TVs for all budgets

Prime Day Predictions: The What Hi-Fi? team’s hopes, fears and dreams for Amazon Prime Day

The World Cup is now officially in full swing, and you've likely had a taster of what your home cinema set-up can do when it comes to football.

But do you wish it could do a bit better? Well, we have you covered. This week has seen plenty more TV deals, from brand new RGB mini LEDs to budget 2026 OLEDs at head-turning prices.

Not that hi-fi has been left out – we've only just reviewed the stunning five-star Wharfedale Diamond 12.3i, but they've already got a tasty discount.

So what are you waiting for? We'll go into more detail on each product below, but for now, happy shopping!

The Hisense UR9 is one of the first mainstream RGB Mini LED TVs to hit the market, and the technology delivers an impressively controlled and consistent backlight performance. Enter the code RSTV100 at checkout to save £100, and you can also claim a 40-inch QLED TV absolutely free. Ts and Cs here.

The newly reviewed Wharfedale Diamond 12.3i replaces the Award-winning 12.3 model, offering a more exciting and dramatic listen as well as greater bass authority and punch. Excellent for beginners or those on a budget, especially with £30 off.

We haven't tested the LG B6, but we were impressed when we saw it in action and we're fans of previous B-series models. For £879 you'll get a brand new 2026 OLED, with superb gaming specs and plenty of features. Use the code LG20PERCENT to get this price.

The TCL C7K is mightily impressive, offering explosive brightness, contrast and colour as well as rich gaming support. What might be most impressive, however, is that it offers this picture quality and features for under £720. The code TCL10PERCENT gets you this deal price.

We've only just reviewed the Soundcore Nebula P1, and we were particularly impressed by the clean yet punchy sound. The code WS24D2431UK will get you a £51 saving, but bear in mind you'll have to cast from your phone or use a streaming stick to get BBC iPlayer.

If you're looking for the ideal blend of quality, portability, and affordability, then the recently discounted Tribit StormBox Micro 2 is a great choice. You'll get an abundance of features and a booming sound level for only £46.

MORE:

Our pick of the best wireless headphones you can buy

And the best TVs for all budgets

Interested in the bigger picture? Here are the best projectors we have tested

Sony has added Direct Connect support to more of its TVs, including multiple Award-winning OLED sets.

The Japanese AV brand originally launched its Direct Connect feature with its duo of new True RGB TVs, the Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II.

The feature lets users connect a pair of the brand's latest Rear 9 or Rear 8 surround speakers and a compatible subwoofer directly to their TV. Compatible subwoofer models include the Sub 7, Sub 8 or Sub 9

The feature uses the TV's speakers as the centre, left and right channels, with the connected speakers providing surround sound and low-end support.

While it launched as an exclusive feature for the 2026 range, Sony has updated a selection of TVs from 2023, 2024 and 2025 to support the wireless surround sound feature. The list of included models is as follows:

• A95L (2023)
• Bravia 9 (2024)
• Bravia 8 II (2025)
• Bravia 8 (2024)
• Bravia 7 (2024)
• Bravia 5 (2025)

We're especially pleased to see the A95L featured here, as while we praised its built-in sound system in our review, we also reported: "we rather wish Sony gave you the option to add a subwoofer directly to the A95L, as that would make it even more formidable".

Job done, thanks to this update. Unfortunately, the Award-winning A80L misses the cut, as do other premium Sony sets from 2023, including the X95L and X90L.

While it may sound similar to LG's new Dolby Atmos Sound Suite range, Sony's system works slightly differently. Direct Connect does not use Dolby Atmos Flex Connect, and a maximum of two speakers and one subwoofer can be connected. LG's system allows for multiple sets of speakers to be paired directly with the TV.

Furthermore, Sony intends for users to place the speakers behind or adjacent to the listening position to create a surround sound effect, rather than using them as dedicated front left and right channels.

The update is rolling out now in Europe and the US, and it brings Sony's My Cinema interface, which collects the picture and sound features into a new-looking user interface, to the models mentioned above.

MORE:

Check out our picks for the best Sony soundbars

As well as the best OLED TVs

And read our full LG Sound Suite System review here

Can you believe that there was a time when Samsung didn’t feature a single OLED TV in its range? That all changed in 2022, when it put its spin on OLED by adding a layer of Quantum Dots and launched the excellent S95B QD-OLED TV.

Five years later, the brand is now reaping the benefits of the self-emissive panel technology. It now makes some of the finest OLED TVs around – take the five-star S95F and S90F duo from last year – and its 2026 lineup features more OLED TVs than ever before.

Of course, Samsung was never going to celebrate half a decade of OLED success without taking things up a notch, which is why it has introduced a new, rather unusual flagship model that takes inspiration from one of the brand's other most successful models.

That new flagship OLED is the S99H, a premium QD-OLED TV that oozes style and sophistication, thanks at least in part to its aesthetic similarities to the wildly successful, design-led The Frame LCD range.

Here, though, those smart good looks have been blended with the core abilities of the excellent S95F – with a generous helping of performance upgrades for good measure.

The result? A showstopping OLED TV that blends style and substance, and one that we think could dethrone the current reigning champion of our best OLED TV list: the Sony Bravia 8 II.

Price

We have the 55-inch Samsung S99H before us today, and it’s officially priced at £2499, though in true Samsung fashion, that launch pricing hasn’t stuck around for long. We’re already seeing a £100 decrease across all sizes, which puts the 65-inch version at £3199, the 77-inch model at £4199, and the 83-inch size at £5999.

Now, we need to clear something up regarding model numbers for different regions.

In the US and Australia, Samsung is calling this model the S95H. Despite the different name, it is an identical TV. In these regions, you’ll find the 55-inch S95H for $2500 / AU$3999, the 65-inch S95H for $3400 / AU$5299, the 77-inch S95H for $4500 / AU$7999, and the 83-inch S95H for $6500 / AU$9995.

That's not the end of the story, though. To confuse things even more, Samsung is selling a model under the S95H name here in the UK, too, but it’s a different TV. From what we gather, it is the same TV as the S99H, but without the metal frame-style design. In fact, it looks identical to last year’s S95F.

So, to reiterate, the S99H we're testing here is known as the S95H in the US and Australia, but that is not the same as the UK's S95H TV. Yes, we have given some constructive feedback to Samsung on all of this.

Got all that? Then let's consider the S99H's competition, which primarily comes in the form of Sony’s awesome, Award-winning Bravia 8 II, the 55-inch version of which, after around a year on sale, now costs around £1799 / $2600 / AU$3995. That makes it significantly cheaper than the S99H in the UK, but there's rough pricing parity between the two TVs in the US and Australia.

There’s also the 55-inch LG G6 to consider, which appears to be widely discounted to £1840 here in the UK, but is so far sticking to its $2500 / AU$3995 launch price in the US and Australia, respectively.

Design

We’re confident in saying that this is one of the most unusual-looking TVs to enter our AV testing room.

Samsung clearly took inspiration from its hugely popular The Frame TV when it came to designing the S99H, and while this television’s looks won’t be to everyone’s taste, we’re just pleased to see a TV company that’s willing to push the boat out when it comes to design.

The S99H features a two-layer design, with an OLED screen section mounted onto a slightly larger metal backplate, with a roughly 2cm gap between. Samsung calls this its “FloatLayer” design.

It’s hard to describe, but the effect it gives is essentially a floating OLED panel surrounded by a premium metal frame. Much like LG’s G-series, this TV is designed to be wall-mounted, and while we can’t do that in our testing room, we have seen it wall-mounted at various hands-on events leading up to launch.

In short, the S99H looks like a work of art when it's fixed to a wall, as the floating design becomes really quite striking and effective. Despite the two-layer design, the overall depth is just 2.8cm, which also helps to sell the futuristic look that Samsung is going for.

Unfortunately, the TV doesn’t look quite as suave when it’s set up in its tabletop configuration. Samsung includes two quite cheap-feeling plastic feet with the TV that feel somewhat at odds with the rest of the premium design, and the metal bezel and floating design look less convincing when it's not attached to a wall.

Samsung also includes two remotes in the box: a “traditional” button-heavy number, and a sleeker “smart” remote. The latter includes both a USB-C socket and a small solar panel on the back for easy recharging, though it’s frustratingly not backlit. Then again, neither are the remotes included with the aforementioned Sony or LG TVs, so we can’t knock Samsung too much here.

Features

Samsung’s penchant for cramming (almost) every imaginable feature into its TVs is, once again, evident with the S99H.

We’ll start with the QD-OLED display, which Samsung has managed to squeeze even more brightness out of since we last saw it on the S95F. It can now reportedly reach a whopping 2700 nits in the Movie picture mode, and as you’ll come to find out in the picture section of this review, there are plenty of instances in which we find ourselves being taken aback by how bright this TV can get.

Samsung has also improved its Glare Free coating this year, making it more effective at combating reflections and glare from ambient light. The matte display also makes artwork from Samsung’s Art Mode feature look more realistic for those who want a TV that blends into its surroundings.

In usual Samsung fashion, HDR support comes in the form of HDR10+ (including the Adaptive and Gaming versions), HDR10 and HLG, but not Dolby Vision.

Samsung's answer to Dolby Vision 2, HDR10+ Advanced, is also supported by the S99H. Unfortunately, no content is available in the new format yet, and we don't have a date for its arrival. Amazon is said to be working on adding it to Prime Video in the not too distant future, though.

Hardcore PC gamers will be pleased to learn that the S99H can handle signals right up to 4K/165Hz, as well as the console-friendly 4K/120Hz format, across all four of its HDMI 2.1 sockets. VRR, ALLM and HDR10+ Gaming are also all supported.

All of the connections are built into a side-facing nook in the rear of the TV, which is a departure from the One Connect box that has come with Samsung’s previous flagship OLED TVs.

One Connect does live on, though, and in a quite remarkable way: Samsung is offering an optional Wireless One Connect accessory, which is set to launch in July for £299 / $350 (AU price TBC).

This features four HDMI sockets, and because it connects to the S99H wirelessly, it takes the total HDMI 2.1 socket count to a staggering eight. That’s enough to support all three of the current-generation consoles, a gaming PC, a 4K Blu-ray player, a soundbar or AVR, and a streaming device, and you’d still have one spare.

The S99H also supports Dolby Atmos, both via HDMI eARC and through its built-in 4.2.2-channel 70W sound system.

Samsung offers two simplistic sound modes, Standard and Amplify, but there is also a range of Samsung-specific sound processing features based on its Vision AI platform, including Object Tracking Sound Plus, Active Voice Amplifier Pro, Adaptive Sound Pro, and AI Sound Controller Pro; all of which are fairly self-explanatory.

Q Symphony also returns. This allows you to use the TV’s speakers in unison with those of a connected Samsung soundbar, but it should be approached with caution – we generally find that a good soundbar performs best when the less capable speakers of a TV don't get involved.

AI also steps in to help with picture processing, as Samsung has implemented its 4K AI Upscaling Pro, AI Motion Enhancer Pro and Auto HDR Remastering Pro features, alongside a Real Depth Enhancer contrast enhancement system and Colour Booster Pro.

On the subject of AI, Samsung has applied its “AI for All” mantra in swathes here, as the S99H is positively dripping in artificial intelligence, right down to the AI button on the remote.

A click of this button brings up Samsung’s Vision AI interface, which can recognise on-screen content and provide extra contextual information. This includes related content, cast information and prompts to find out more detailed information about the show or movie.

Scrolling from this page brings us to a more generalised AI interface, from which Samsung allows you to pick your preferred system. Here you can ask for recipes, generate AI wallpapers, or ask general questions. The sky is, hypothetically, the limit.

This is all made possible by the same NQ4 AI Gen3 Processor found in last year’s S95F, as well as Samsung’s Tizen OS platform. The operating system has had a fairly comprehensive refresh for 2026, with a new content bar at the top that splits your apps into categories including entertainment, gaming and art, and the operation feels generally slicker.

App coverage is mostly excellent, with a wide range of international and domestic streaming applications. Currently, the only missing app is BBC iPlayer; we’ve reached out to Samsung, which says that it expects to add iPlayer support soon.

Samsung TV Plus, which features hundreds of free over-the-internet streaming channels, is also included, and gamers are well looked after thanks to the presence of apps for services such as Xbox, Amazon Luna, and Nvidia GeForce Now.

Picture quality

It’s clear that Samsung has been working to tweak and adjust its picture processing over the years in the pursuit of achieving that final pinch of picture quality excellence, and the S99H is evidence that its work has paid off. This is Samsung’s most mature TV yet, and it’s all the better for that.

We opt for Filmmaker Mode as our preferred picture preset, albeit with a couple of tweaks to get the best performance possible: we switch Colour Temperature from its Warm 2 default to Warm 1, and turn the judder and blur reduction settings up to 1.

The resulting picture is extraordinary, and it makes any content we throw at it – from Blade Runner 2049, Civil War, Pan and Drive, to No Time To Die and The Batman – shine. We have the S99F set up next to the Award-winning Sony Bravia 8 II, and despite the tough competition, the Samsung delivers an unflinching visual feast.

Starting with the opening scene of Blade Runner 2049, we find that the S99H serves up oodles of contrast, which results in a deeply three-dimensional picture with superb highlights.

The overhead shot of the solar farm instantly draws us in, thanks to the superb detail levels mixed with the excellent sense of depth. We also approve of how the S99H handles the gloomy, bluish-grey sky, as well as the skin tones of Officer K and Sapper Morton.

In fact, the S99H makes the Sony Bravia 8 II look a bit green in our head-to-head comparison, and skin tones start to look a bit pasty, too. Sony TVs have traditionally leaned towards the cooler side when it comes to colour reproduction, even in Filmmaker Mode, but it’s interesting to see these TVs take a different approach, particularly as they use the same panel technology.

This is most evident in the scene from Pan in which the floating pirate ship enters a cavern; the Samsung runs rings around the Sony when it comes to maintaining low-light colour volume. Skin tones are noticeably warmer and more vibrant on the Samsung in this instance. That being said, the Sony is evidently better at maintaining shadow detail.

In fact, some shadow detail is lost entirely on the S99H, especially during dark sequences in moodier flicks such as Drive and The Batman. In both films, we find facial features and clothing textures occasionally succumb to darkness, while the Sony has no trouble keeping them visible.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Samsung takes the crown when it comes to delivering dazzlingly bright highlights; in fact, we’re adding the S99H to the list of TVs that we’ve had to shield our eyes from physically.

Reverting to the exceptionally bright (and critically dismal) Pan, we find the mix of punchy, concentrated highlights and rich colours stealing our attention away from the Sony entirely.

However, the more conventional-looking Civil War is the perfect test disc to highlight exactly what this TV does well. Everything from the night-time forest fire sequence to a helicopter gliding over a lake and the Charlottesville military camp looks fantastic.

There’s a real sense of nuance here that previous Samsung TVs haven’t always been able to capture. Foliage, for example, is wonderfully textured and detailed without looking over-etched, and while the colours do seem a smidge over-saturated compared with those from the Bravia 8 II, it's not to an extent that looks instinctively wrong.

The sequence that shows the journalists driving through a forest fire seals the deal here. The mix of detail, depth and contrast served up by the S99H is remarkable – the striking, bright flames contrast wonderfully with the dark background, and there is a real sense of intensity and warmth derived from how Samsung's OLED handles highlights.

We fire up the standard Blu-ray of Logan to assess the S99H’s upscaling capabilities, and it's a similar story here, too. Detail levels are superb, and if we weren’t so eagle-eyed, the S99H could almost have fooled us into thinking we were watching a 4K disc.

Colours are also nicely balanced, and motion remains solid, too. This TV excels regardless of what you throw at it.

Sound

It’s not just the picture performance that Samsung has improved. Sound has also been upgraded, which is a good sign after the S95F’s middling delivery.

We stick with Civil War, which highlights everything from dialogue to explosions, and even Dolby Atmos height effects. The rhythmic swooping of helicopter blades is delivered with a strong leading edge, underpinned by a pleasingly controlled dose of bass.

Moving on to the scene in which Lee and Jessie have a heart-to-heart conversation in a wooded area, we approve of how the S99H captures the subtle characteristics of their voices well, and overall, the dialogue is crisp and well-defined. The atmospheric effects, including birds chirping and leaves rustling in the wind, sound pleasingly spacious, too.

There is plenty of height and width to the sound, which is also evident in Blade Runner 2049. The sequence in which Officer K returns to his home from the police precinct is another example of how the S99H captures atmospheric sounds to great effect.

The booming audio adverts are placed with impressive precision and plenty of height, while the S99H somehow manages to beam the sound of the bustling street in a way that creates a fairly convincing sense of immersion.

While we’re on the subject of Blade Runner, we put the S99H through our usual chapter two stress test and find that Samsung has changed its approach. Where many of the brand's previous models have been quite bassy but a little prone to distortion, the S99H digs less deep but proves to be almost entirely distortion-free.

Sony takes a similar approach with the Bravia 8 II (and many other of its TVs), and we ultimately find it to be a sensible compromise. We would of course like more bass weight, but if that has to be sacrificed somewhat to reduce distracting distortion, then so be it.

It’s not all good news on the sonic front, though: like the S95F, the S99H simply doesn't go very loud. Even close to its maximum volume levels, this is an easy TV to talk over. The Amplify setting helps to negate this somewhat, but it does result in some dynamic compression.

The Sony Bravia 8 II also does a better job of organising the sound during scenes with lots of competing effects. The ending battle of Civil War is a perfect example, as the Sony balances dialogue, explosions, and vehicle sounds with care to create a more impactful and immersive soundscape.

With all that said, the S99H is still a big improvement over the S95F where sound is concerned, and it's ultimately a very usable (and even enjoyable) built-in sound system.

Verdict

There’s no other way of putting it; Samsung has knocked it out of the park with the S99H.

With a refined approach to picture tuning, a feature set that (with one key caveat) many TVs can only dream of, and a greatly improved sound system compared with last year’s model, the company’s latest flagship OLED TV takes the title from the S95F as the best TV the company has made to date.

The bold new design might not suit all tastes, and die-hard Dolby Vision fans may be disappointed, but we’re struggling to find reasons not to recommend the Samsung S99H to anyone considering splashing some serious cash on a flagship OLED TV.

SCORES

• Picture 5
• Sound 4
• Features 4

MORE:

Read our review of the Sony Bravia 8 II

Also consider the LG G6

Read our Philips OLED910 review

Best TVs: flagship OLEDs and budget Mini LED sets tried and tested

There are only two days to go until the World Cup kicks off, and manufacturers are pulling out all the stops on TV discounts.

LG might have just given us a winner, though. The 55-inch LG B6, a brand new 2026 OLED that only came out in March, is down to £879 at Richer Sounds.

Use the code LG20PERCENT to unlock this bargain price!

We haven't tested this model, but we've seen it in action and were very impressed – and a brand new OLED at this price is not an opportunity to be missed.

While we haven't reviewed the LG B6, we were big fans of previous models in LG's B-series range, with the LG B3 receiving five stars and the LG B4 the subject of a rather favourable hands-on.

We have seen the LG B6 at events, and the TV looks to offer a very capable OLED experience for the money. The main downside is the relatively low brightness, especially compared to the step-up LG C6. If you have a dark room and are on a budget, though, the B6 is more than up to the task.

As with most LG OLEDs, the B6 is stacked with gaming features. Incredibly for a budget OLED, there are four HDMI 2.1 ports, all of which support 4K/120Hz, VRR, ALLM and HGiG. Some flagship OLEDs don't have that!

HDR support is solid too, with Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG all on board – only HDR10+ is missing.

LG's reliable WebOS 26 is also installed, with refined menus for easier navigation. All the usual apps and streaming services are available, including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Channel 4, Disney+, Netflix and the all-important BBC iPlayer and ITVX for the World Cup.

Be aware that this is the B6E, a budget variant of the regular B6. The B6E lacks the HDR Precision Master Pro and Precision Sound Pro features – but especially considering it's a whole £400 cheaper than the regular B6, we wouldn't be too concerned.

If you want a good OLED on a budget, then you might struggle to find a better value offering than the LG B6. Getting a 2026 OLED at this price is unheard of – so we'd recommend snapping up the B6 for £879 at Richer Sounds in time for kick-off.

MORE:

Here is our review of the LG C6

And these are our thoughts on the LG G6

Check out the best OLED TVs we recommend

Temperatures might have dropped, but so have prices, with yet more products enjoying their lowest prices and five-star savings over the past seven days.

With less than a week to go until the World Cup starts on Thursday, there are only a few days left should you wish to get some home cinema equipment delivered and installed before Mexico and South Africa kick off to launch the festival of footie.

Luckily, the retailers have saved some of their best deals until now. There are great savings on brand new 2026 OLEDs, Award-winning 4K projectors, and Dolby Atmos soundbars, so you can kit out your home cinema any way you see fit.

Not that hi-fi has been left out – there is also a great value deal on some five-star Sony headphones.

All of these products have been tried and tested by our expert review team, and must earn at least four stars to get our sought-after recommendation. We’ll go into more detail on each product below.

The LG C6 is our favourite TV of the year so far, with its new processor resulting in brighter, richer and more refined pictures than the C5. Use the code LG20PERCENT to get this deal price.

The Epson EH-TW7100 was one of our 2024 Award winners, and still holds up thanks to its excellent contrast-handling and good connectivity options. A brilliantly well-judged and affordable 4K projector.

The Sony WH-CH520 headphones are the top budget choice from our pick of the best wireless headphones, thanks to their balanced and engaging sound, extensive control app, and whopping 50-hour battery life.

The 48-inch LG C5’s bright, detailed picture makes it a great choice for the World Cup, while the flawless gaming specifications and strong app support make it a great all-rounder. Use the code KICKOFF100 to get 46 per cent off our testing price.

It’s hard not to like the five-star JBL Bar 300MK2. It’s powerful and bassy, produces clear dialogue and has a rather convincing Dolby Atmos effect for a solo soundbar.

We have seen the TCL C6KS cheaper before, but even at full price, the Mini LED is one of the biggest bargains in television. For a shade under £400, you get excellent brightness and contrast, comprehensive HDR support, and plenty of features.

MORE:

Our pick of the best wireless headphones you can buy

And the best TVs for all budgets

Interested in the bigger picture? Here are the best projectors we have tested

Looking for a World Cup TV that's a sure bet?

Then you'll struggle to find a TV as acclaimed as the LG C5. The C5 line won not one, not two, but three Awards at our most recent ceremony, including 'best mid-range 55-77in TV'.

Our experts found the C5 to be a phenomenal TV at launch, but it's now officially half the price we tested it at; it's on sale now for £949 at Richer Sounds.

To get this deal price, make sure to use the code 'RSTV150' to get an extra £150 off. There's still time to get an order in before the first kick off on 11th June!

If you want the latest LG has to offer, the LG C6 is out now and boasts a brighter, more refined picture. You're looking at around £1800 for the 55-inch C6, though, so the C5 is the better value pick and still one of the best TVs we have tested.

We've often called the LG C5 the best TV for most people, as it offers excellent picture quality and a substantial feature set at a very reasonable price for an OLED.

It looks very similar to its predecessor, the C4, on the outside, but offers improved internal specs, including a higher peak brightness and much-improved white detail.

"Starting with Blade Runner 2049, there is a veritable feast of positive picture attributes. The C5’s colours are rich and punchy yet never look overdone or unnatural," our 55-inch LG C5 review reads. "Low light colour volume is a particular strength of the C5, as the tense confrontation between Officer K and Sapper Morton at the start of the film shows us.

"The dimly lit farmhouse appears atmospherically dingy; however, the brown sofa and orange armchair still feature rich hues and colour variation that our competing Sony set doesn’t quite capture."

The C5 will surely be a crowd-pleaser for the World Cup due to its bright colours and three-dimensional depth, while its unfussy Filmmaker mode also offers an authentic and dynamic movie-watching experience.

LG has long been a class-leader when it comes to gaming features, and the C5 is a prime example of why. Four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 sockets are on offer, all of which support up to 4K/144Hz gameplay as well as VRR and ALLM.

WebOS 25 supports a wide range of streaming apps, including Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer and ITVX – so there'll be no trouble streaming the World Cup this summer.

The only notable drawback of the C5 is the built-in speakers, which handle dialogue with enough clarity for everyday use but aren't quite up to the task for heavy cinematic duties. Adding a soundbar would go a long way.

Even with its successor available, the LG C5 is a fantastic all-rounder. And given that it's now available for half price at Richer Sounds, the C5 is a no-brainer if you're looking at this price level.

MORE:

Read our full 55-inch LG C5 review

Check out the best OLED TVs: four top picks direct from our reviewers

And the best TVs: flagship OLEDs and budget LED sets tried and tested

Want to pull out all the stops for your World Cup TV? Fancy a brand new set with all the latest tech?

Well then, we have a solution. Our expert TV review team has had several models in their test room this year, but there's one that stands out as a clear favourite: the LG C6.

And better yet, the C6 has hit a new low price just in time for the World Cup. This OLED TV is on sale for £2079 at Richer Sounds. Make sure to use the code LG20PERCENT at checkout to get this deal price.

If you're after value, there are now huge discounts on last year's LG C5, as well as several other 2025 models.

But if you want the latest the TV world has to offer, the LG C6 sets the benchmark at this price.

While the C6 looks remarkably similar to the C5 on the outside, it's a different story on the inside – thanks largely to the new Alpha 11 Gen 3 processor.

Now we don't usually get too excited about processor upgrades, but LG's latest chip refines the picture with a brighter and richer performance, better upscaling and enhanced remastering.

"Even in Filmmaker Mode, the C6’s extra brightness over the C5 is immediately obvious," our LG C6 review reads. "Highlights are more intense, colours have a touch more richness and the overall image carries greater depth and dimensionality."

Movement is also fluid and controlled, which is sure to come in handy during fast-paced World Cup clashes.

LG's usual unbeatable gaming specs return, should you wish to switch to some EA Sports FC. Console gamers can enjoy a silky-smooth 4K/120Hz, while PC owners can go all the way up to 4K/165Hz – on all four HDMI inputs, no less. VRR, ALLM and Dolby Vision gaming are also included.

LG's webOS platform has all the usual apps, which are well optimised with excellent support for formats such as Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. There have been some tweaks this time around, with more shortcuts and personalised widgets on the home page.

LG has finally made some progress on the audio front, too, with a clearer and more controlled sound than the C5. It still won't beat a good soundbar, but the soundstage is definitely more spacious.

The LG C6 might look expensive compared to the discounted C5, but the improvements all add up to a better TV. And the C6 has seen some healthy savings already – get it now for £2079 at Richer Sounds.

MORE:

Read our review of the LG C5

Also consider the Samsung S95F

Best TVs: flagship OLEDs and budget Mini LED sets tried and tested

Still debating about whether or not to go for that World Cup TV upgrade? Umming and ahhing about upgrading to OLED?

Well, let me make that decision a bit easier for you. The 48-inch LG C5, a five-star OLED and a brilliant TV all-round, is on sale for £749 at Peter Tyson.

That’s thanks to a cheeky World Cup-themed voucher code that is easy to miss. Enter the ‘KICKOFF100’ discount code and get £100 off the listed price of £849.

That’s the lowest price we have seen so far for the 48-inch model, which has already received some great deals, and an excellent price for such an accomplished OLED. And it could soon be set up in your living room, ready for next week!

As the winner of not one, not two, but three What Hi-Fi? Awards, it’s safe to say that the LG C5 offers excellent value on the performance-per-pound scale.

The 48-inch model may be on the smaller end of the C5 line, but it’s a great choice for a smaller living room or bedroom and a very affordable way to get your hands on an OLED ahead of the first kick-off.

During our testing, we found the C5 to be impressively bright and detailed, which is sure to make an eye-catching World Cup experience.

“The desert retains its sparkle, with the brightest part of the sky shining in a way OLEDs this price from even a few years ago can’t, but with significantly more detail,” our LG C5 48-inch review reads.

“Bright shading is strong, too, with a wonderful hue of blue transitioning to orange across the image.”

Of the best 50-inch TVs, the LG C5 is also our top pick for gaming. The C5 boasts four full-fat HDMI 2.1 inputs, meaning they can all handle 4K/165Hz signals, as well as VRR and ALLM. There is also support for the Dolby Vision Gaming HDR standard, something rivals such as the 48-inch Samsung S90F lack. Perfect for FIFA nights!

Regular Dolby Vision is catered for too, as are HDR10 and HLG – only HDR10+ is absent.

LG’s webOS has long had strong app support, and this continues here, with the likes of Netflix, Disney Plus, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer and ITVX all making an appearance. New additions include an AI assistant, an Xbox app and the ability to pair Bluetooth controllers.

The 2.2-channel 40W speaker system is a bit of a disappointment, however, with even Cinema mode lacking definition. We certainly recommend a soundbar if you’re keen to be immersed in the noise of a stadium this World Cup.

At nearly half price, the 48-inch LG C5 is a phenomenal value and one of the best small OLEDs on the market right now. If you’re upgrading for a smaller room or looking to make the first leap to OLED, the C5 for £749 at Peter Tyson is an excellent choice.

MORE:

Read our full 48-inch LG C5 review

Check out the best TVs: flagship OLEDs and budget Mini LED sets, tried and tested

And the best OLED TV: five incredible sets for serious movie fans reviewed by our experts

The UK’s latest hot spell might be coming to an end, but the sun is still shining on several top deals which our experts have found over the past seven days.

Given that it’s pay day for many of us, it could be the perfect time to take advantage of that discounted piece of kit you’ve had your eye on in recent months.

This week, there’s more of an AV slant to the bargain products we have seen. There’s big money off Dolby Atmos Soundbars and both Mini LED and OLED flat-screen TVs. Pair them together, and you could have the perfect combination of picture and sound, all for a very reasonable price.

We haven’t forgotten about hi-fi, though. We have tracked down top discounts on two five-star pairs of headphones.

Only products we have tested appear in this list, and they have to have received at least four stars to receive our coveted recommendation here.

We’ll go a bit more in-depth on why we like these products so much below, but for now, happy shopping!

At 42 inches, the LG OLED42C5 is a fantastic five-star OLED TV from LG at a size that is becoming increasingly rare to find. If you want a premium performer without the price tag, this could be the TV for you.

Alternatively, we also picked a 65-inch Samsung TV, the QE65QN90F, which uses Mini LED TV technology and boasts excellent gaming specification, a punchy, detailed picture and a dazzling better-than-half-price discount.

On the soundbar front, we have a firm What Hi-Fi? favourite from Sonos in the shape of the Award-winning Arc Ultra, complete with awesome Dolby Atmos sound and all manner of streaming smarts.

We also highlighted a talented bar from JBL, the Bar 1000 MK2, which boasts a very neat party trick: its detachable surround speakers can also be used as normal wireless speakers and can be dotted around the house when not in use.

Hi-fi hasn’t been completely left out this week: the five-star Grado RS1x are a classy pair of wired headphones with a big discount.

Fancy going wireless instead of wired? There’s a solid saving on a long-term favourite of ours, the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e. These classy-looking cans sound full of life and boast solid specifications.

MORE:

Our pick of the best wireless headphones you can buy

And the best TVs for all budgets

Interested in the bigger picture? Here are the best projectors we have tested

We're in the home run in the lead-up to the World Cup – and that means retailers are ramping up the deals on products that can upgrade your home viewing experience.

With only a few weeks to go and payday weekend upon us, now really is the time to bite the bullet if you're thinking of upgrading your living room setup for the upcoming games.

There's been some stellar savings over the last few weeks, so to help you out, we've rounded up the biggest discounts we've seen.

There's a real mix on offer here – portable projectors, Award-winning OLED TVs, Dolby Atmos soundbars and big-screen Mini LEDs – all of which offer tremendous value for money right now.

As always, we've reviewed and rated all of the products below, with our expert testing team giving them the hard-earned What Hi-Fi? recommendation.

If you want a really big screen or are looking to watch the World Cup outside, then the Samsung The Freestyle (2nd Gen) might be for you. You can get £50 off with the code 'RSTV50' and then claim 15 per cent cashback from Samsung to get this deal price. Full T&Cs can be found here.

If you're likely to be watching the World Cup in a bright room, then consider the 65-inch Samsung QN90F. The Mini LED's seriously high brightness and remarkable anti-glare filter are transformative in bright rooms, with a punchy, detailed picture and outstanding backlight control to boot.

If you have a smaller living room or are after OLED on a budget, then the Samsung S90F is one of the best 48-inch TVs we've tested. To get the lowest price, use the code 'RSTV100' at checkout to drop the price to £849, then claim 10 per cent back directly from Samsung. Full T&Cs can be found here.

If you want a good OLED for the lowest possible price, you're not going to do much better than the 42-inch LG C5. A 10 per cent discount is applied at checkout, giving you an Award-winning OLED TV for only £656.

The Sony Bravia 8 was our TV Product of the Year in 2024, and still holds up now thanks to its balanced, immersive picture, great motion handling and good built-in audio. Bear in mind the 8A variant doesn't include a backlit remote and offers fewer free months and credits for Sony Pictures Core than the regular 8 model.

The Sony Bravia 8 II, however, is our current TV Product of the Year and our testing benchmark thanks to its exceptionally bright, vibrant and three-dimensional picture quality. You can secure an extra £100 off at Richer Sounds by using the code 'RSTV100' at checkout.

The JBL Bar 1000MK2 is a unique proposition, as the detachable surrounds can be taken into another room to act as a wireless speaker – so you won't miss any of the action. The package also includes a main soundbar and subwoofer, which together create an exciting, reasonably detailed sound.

The Sonos Arc Ultra is our pick of the best soundbar overall for most people, thanks to its precise, spacious and three-dimensional sound. Available now with £200 off with this limited-time deal.

The TCL Q6C doesn't have the biggest discount, but it was already phenomenally priced and incredible value. The Mini LED offers excellent picture quality for the money, as well as a good gaming performance and solid features all around.

And now you're all set for kick off...

MORE:

And the best OLED TVs for all budgets

Looking for a bargain? Here are the best budget soundbars

And here's the best projectors: budget, 4K and ultra-short-throw

Sony has just announced its two new “True RGB” TVs for 2026, and it should come as no surprise that I am rather excited to test them out.

The Japanese giant has delivered a slew of superb TVs since its most recent Bravia relaunch in 2024. The Bravia 8 and Bravia 8 II are two OLED TVs that I can wholeheartedly recommend to anyone looking for a premium, cinematic TV; and the Bravia 7 and Bravia 5 are both superb mid-range options that don’t compromise on picture quality.

While the Bravia 9 wasn’t perfect, it hinted towards Sony’s future ambitions, and in many ways it showed some serious promise. With its successor, the Bravia 9 II (and its step-down sibling, the Bravia 7 II) now official, things are all clicking into place.

Well, almost everything…

While I haven’t seen these TVs in action yet – my fellow What Hi-Fi? Team AV members have been lucky enough to, and you can check out their Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II hands-on reviews here – there is one hiccup on the spec sheets for both TVs. And it’s a bit of a tough pill to swallow.

Once again, there is only a limited number of HDMI 2.1 sockets. Both the Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II sport just two full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 sockets, and one of these has to double as the eARC socket.

This means that if you have a Dolby Atmos soundbar without HDMI 2.1 passthrough (such as the Award-winning Sonos Arc Ultra) and more than one of the latest gaming consoles (and/or a gaming PC), then you’re going to need to make some performance sacrifices with at least one of them; namely, 4K/120Hz support with VRR.

Sony hopes that you’ll be using one of its home theatre sound systems with your Bravia TV, most of which (but not all) feature HDMI 2.1 passthrough support, which does negate this issue.

But with LG and Samsung offering four full-bandwidth sockets for nearly seven years, and now Philips and Hisense offering an equal number on their premium 2026 TVs, it’s becoming harder to justify Sony’s exclusion.

Especially when we remember that this is one of the biggest names in gaming. Sony’s own PlayStation 5 continues to dominate this generation of console gaming, and while there are some Sony TV-specific features you can unlock by connecting the PS5 with a Bravia TV, we still think it is best paired with an LG C-series OLED.

To give Sony some credit, the Bravia 9 II and 7 II have clearly been in development for quite some time; our TV and AV Editor, Tom Parsons, first saw an early prototype of Sony’s True RGB TVs back in early 2025, and I followed up with a behind-closed-doors demo at IFA 2025.

Sony told us that it was already too far into development using the existing flagship MediaTek chipset (we presume this to mean the Pentonic 1000 or 900) to switch to the newer Pentonic 800, which Philips and Hisense are using on their respective flagship TVs this year, to achieve the full suite of HDMI 2.1 sockets.

That being said, Sony has been outfitting its TVs with just two HDMI 2.1 sockets for quite some time now; the A80L sitting in my living room, which is more than three years old, only has two full-bandwidth ports.

Ironically, if you want a Sony TV with four HDMI 2.1 sockets, you’ll have to look far past the new True RGB range and opt for the Bravia 3 II, which leans towards the budget end of things with its direct-lit, global dimming LED display.

While it’s not a dealbreaker – certainly for most consumers – and I’m still very keen to see how these new True RGB TVs will perform, Sony’s gaming stumble is hard to ignore.

We’ll be sure to test how the Bravia 9 II and 7 II interact with a PS5 during our testing, so keep your eyes peeled for our upcoming reviews coming soon.

MORE:

Read our Sony Bravia 9 II hands-on review

As well as our LG C6 65-inch review

And check out our picks for the best TVs

Sony has finally announced its full 2026 TV range, and guess what’s missing? That’s right – OLED.

It was long suspected that the brand’s new flagship model would be an RGB Mini LED set to replace the Bravia 9 ‘standard’ LED model. And, sure enough, that’s precisely what we’ve got, in the form of the technically formidable Bravia 9 II.

What I wasn’t expecting, though, was no new OLED in the range at all.

No replacement for the Bravia 8 II is no surprise: Sony works on two-year lifecycles for most of its models, and the company’s awesome QD-OLED set is only a year old.

And I’m beyond expecting a replacement to the A90K, which launched way back in 2022 but appears to have been sentenced to lifetime imprisonment in the warehouses of Amazon, Currys and John Lewis.

I was, though, expecting the Bravia 8 to get a replacement. Now two years old, Sony’s W-OLED model is struggling to justify itself against last year’s LG C5 and the newer C6. Surely a nip-and-tuck upgrade would be worth it, both for Sony and consumers who want meaningful choice when buying a step-down/mainstream OLED TV.

Alas, though, there’s not a single new OLED in Sony’s new range, with all three of its existing models expected to run for at least another year.

And that’s prompted in me a dreadful thought: what if Sony plans never to launch another OLED TV? Sadly, the more I think about it, the more I feel that’s a very realistic possibility.

It’s all about profit, of course, which is understandable; it’s saddening nonetheless.

You see, Sony buys all of the panels for its OLED TVs from its rivals: it buys the W-OLED panels for the A90K and Bravia 8 from LG, and the QD-OLED panels for the Bravia 8 II from Samsung.

This, inevitably, eats into the money the brand can make from these OLED TVs, especially while it tries to compete on price with those brands that both make the panels and sell the TVs.

Meanwhile, Sony’s Home Entertainment division, which is responsible for the design, development and manufacture of its TVs (and home theatre products), is about to become a joint venture between Sony itself and TCL, the latter of which will hold a 51 per cent share.

TCL is, of course, the biggest manufacturer of LCD TV panels in the world. It’s famously uninterested in OLED where TVs are concerned, and while it is in the process of building a huge factory where it will produce OLED panels via inkjet printing, these will be for smartphones, tablets and laptops, at least in the first place.

So, once the Sony/TCL joint venture begins operations at the start of 2027, will it have any interest in buying expensive OLED panels from its rivals so that it can produce Sony OLED TVs from which it receives very little profit? Or will it entirely focus on producing TVs using the in-house panel technology supplied by the TCL side of the merger?

Sadly, it’s not hard to imagine the answer to that one.

Of course, Sony says it is very much not done with OLED, and I sincerely hope that’s true, as I’m yet to test a backlit TV that beats an OLED overall. But Sony also needs to operate as a business, which means making profits. And that, I suspect, means saying goodbye to OLED.

With any luck, I’m wrong, but if the Bravia 8 II really does turn out to be Sony’s last OLED TV, at least it’s an awesome one.

MORE:

Check out our Sony Bravia 9 II hands-on and Sony Bravia 8 II review

Here are all of the best TVs you can buy right now

It might surprise you to learn that, expensive though they can be, there’s not a lot of profit in TVs. That’s why manufacturers have increasingly been trying to sell add-ons alongside them – most notably soundbars.

Of course, any soundbar will work with any TV via the universal HDMI eARC connection, so brands have had to find ways to incentivise buyers to stay loyal to a single ecosystem.

Partly, that’s been through bundle deals – “buy one of our TVs and get money off one of our soundbars”, that sort of thing – but manufacturers have also introduced synergistic features such as integrated controls, wireless TV-to-soundbar audio connections and, most controversially, systems that synchronise the speakers in both devices.

Why is that controversial? Because, broadly speaking, these features are usually worse than simply using the soundbar on its own – yet buyers are often led to believe they are missing out if they don’t enable them.

Thankfully, Sony is discontinuing its version of the feature, Acoustic Centre Sync, in future TVs and home cinema products. Now I’d like Samsung and LG to do the same with Q-Symphony and WOW Orchestra.

To be fair, the concept behind these features does make a certain amount of sense. Why buy a soundbar only to completely disable the speakers built into your TV? Isn’t that just wasting audio hardware you have already paid for?

There are also genuine theoretical benefits. The TV’s speakers can be used to anchor effects and dialogue more directly to the screen, particularly when the soundbar sits low beneath the display.

That’s especially true of Sony’s OLED TVs, which use actuators to vibrate the panel itself in order to create sound. The audio quite literally comes from the screen. If any company was going to make this concept work convincingly, it was probably Sony.

The problem, though, is that even very good TV speakers are generally nowhere near as capable as the speakers in a decent soundbar. In fact, most TV speakers are deeply compromised by the physical limitations of modern ultra-thin TVs.

So when a manufacturer asks the TV and soundbar to work together, you’re often shifting part of the audio workload from the better speaker system to the worse one.

Brands use clever digital signal processing and calibration to create spatial and tonal cohesion between the two systems, and the technical achievement can actually be pretty impressive. But TV speakers and soundbar drivers are so fundamentally different that the result rarely sounds entirely natural or convincing.

To be absolutely clear, there are exceptions. Some specific TV and soundbar combinations can sound pretty good with these features enabled, usually because the manufacturer has spent time properly tuning that exact pairing.

The problem is that most combinations won’t have received that level of optimisation – yet the feature is still there, still heavily marketed and usually switched on by default.

Most people will naturally assume that a feature promoted so heavily by the manufacturer must improve performance, so will leave it enabled without a second thought. Even enthusiasts who are sceptical enough to question it often need to spend a frustrating amount of time A/B testing lots of different content before deciding whether it actually sounds better or worse.

The result is that plenty of people who buy a TV and soundbar from the same brand are unknowingly getting a diluted audio experience rather than an upgraded one.

Whether Sony would phrase it this way or not, discontinuing Acoustic Centre Sync feels like an acknowledgement that the compromises often outweigh the benefits. The company doesn’t want you buying one of its broadly excellent soundbars only to undermine its performance by involving the often inferior speakers in your TV.

I think that’s the right decision.

In most cases, people who spend good money on a soundbar deserve to hear that soundbar operating at its full potential. Sony appears to have recognised that, and I hope Samsung and LG eventually do the same.

MORE:

Here are the best TVs and best soundbars you can buy right now

Read our Sony Bravia 9 II hands-on review

And our Sony Bravia 7 II hands-on review

The LG C5 had some big shoes to fill. Not only did we rate it five stars, but we also crowned it winner of the Best Gaming TV and Best Mid-range TV categories in our What Hi-Fi Awards 2025.

After a lot of testing, we concluded that the LG C6 had surpassed the performance of its predecessor. We loved it so much that we've labeled it the best TV we've tested so far this year.

Sounds expensive, right? Well, thanks to a new discount, you can actually snap up the 65-inch C6 for $2000 at Amazon. That's an amazing $700 off the list price and a deal we're unlikely to see again for a while.

While there are some great discounts right now on last year’s Award-winning LG C5, you really can't beat the feeling of buying a new-release TV just in time for the World Cup. Especially when it’s the LG C6, which has set the benchmark at this price.

The secret to the C6’s excellent performance is the new Alpha 11 Gen 3 processor, which helps deliver a brighter, richer and more refined picture than from the already excellent C5.

“Even in Filmmaker Mode, the C6’s extra brightness over the C5 is immediately obvious,” reads our LG C6 review. “Highlights are more intense, colors have a touch more richness and the overall image carries greater depth and dimensionality.”

All of this is highly impressive, given that the C6 uses the same WOLED panel technology as previous C-series models from the past couple of years. If you have the budget, you might want to consider the 77- or 83-inch C6, which feature newer, brighter Primary RGB Tandem OLED panels, but the 65-inch model is still a revelation when it comes to picture performance.

Upscaling and shading have been improved too, while LG has also finally found some sonic success. A dedicated sound system is, as always, recommended, but the LG C6 sounds pretty good for a TV in its class, with a cleaner and more controlled performance than the C5.

To top it all off, the C6 features LG’s typically excellent gaming features, including four HDMI 2.1 sockets supporting 4K/165Hz (as well as the more console-friendly 4K/120Hz), VRR and Dolby Vision gaming.

The LG C6 is a formidable all-rounder of a TV, which will make a terrific option for the soccer World Cup – but it is capable of much, much more. Such a big discount this early into the life cycle is rare indeed – get the 65-inch LG C6 for $2000 at Amazon.

MORE:

Read our review of the LG C5

Also consider the Samsung S95F

Best TVs: flagship OLEDs and budget Mini LED sets tried and tested

With a bank holiday weekend coming up, there is now plenty of time to decide on that all-important World Cup TV.

Luckily, this week has seen some stellar deals on all sorts of great TVs. Whether you’re after a new-release OLED or a budget LCD, we’ve got those and everything in between.

Hi-fi hasn’t been left out either: the Award-winning Cyrus 40 ST music streamer is on offer again; and Sonos is running a sale that includes its five-star spatial-audio Era 300 speaker.

As always, these are products that we have tested ourselves. And they have to have received at least four stars to receive our coveted recommendation here.

We’ll go a bit more in-depth on why we like these products so much below, but for now, happy shopping!

The LG C6 is the latest in LG’s hugely popular OLED C-series, and has the brightest, richest and most refined picture quality yet. We only reviewed it in March, but you can get 20% off with the code ‘LG20TV’ – you have to be a My John Lewis member, but it’s free to sign up.

The Cyrus 40 ST may not be cheap even with this discount, but it’s worth every single penny. The What Hi-Fi? Award Winner is the top dog out of the high-end music streamers and an incredible piece of kit.

We reviewed the TCL Q6C just two days ago, and we call it “ridiculously good value for money”. Well, the 65-inch version of this Mini LED set is already on sale – and it offers far more than a TV at this price has any right to.

If you want to go big-screen on a budget for the World Cup, then the 65-inch Samsung U8000F is an excellent choice. The Standard mode is enjoyably punchy and bright, with lots of smart TV content available in one great value package.

The Sonos Era 300 is a former What Hi-Fi? Award winner, and offers an immensely immersive experience thanks to its engaging sound and convincing spatial-audio effects. And now it can be yours with a rare £90 discount.

The 48-inch Samsung S90F made headlines for its low prices over Black Friday, but now it’s available for even less. The five-star OLED can be yours for only £764, but first you’ll have to use the code ‘RSTV100’ at checkout and then claim 10 per cent back directly from Samsung. Full T&Cs can be found here.

MORE:

Our pick of the best wireless earbuds you can buy

And the best OLED TVs for all budgets

Interested in vinyl? Here are the best turntables we have tested

Every now and then, there's a deal that makes us sit up and take notice.

And that's exactly what we have here. We only reviewed the LG C6 in March, where we praised it for setting a new benchmark for step-down rivals.

Yet the C6 already has a discount – and a pretty juicy one too. You can now get a 65-inch LG C6 for £2166 at John Lewis with the code 'LG20TV'.

You add the code during the payment stage of checkout, where there's a handy box that says '‘Add promotional code’. Be aware that this offer is only available to My John Lewis members, but it's completely free to sign up.

This offer is available at other retailers, but many are out of stock – so we'd suggest moving quickly if you want to secure a new OLED before a certain sporting event starting next month.

While there are some great discounts right now on last year’s Award-winning LG C5, you can't really beat the feeling of buying a new-release TV just in time for the World Cup. Especially when it’s the LG C6, which has set the benchmark at this price.

The secret to the C6’s excellent performance is the new Alpha 11 Gen 3 processor, which helps deliver a brighter, richer and more refined picture than from the already excellent C5.

“Even in Filmmaker Mode, the C6’s extra brightness over the C5 is immediately obvious,” reads our LG C6 review. “Highlights are more intense, colours have a touch more richness and the overall image carries greater depth and dimensionality.”

All of this is highly impressive, given that the C6 uses the same WOLED panel technology as previous C-series models from the past couple of years. If you have the budget, you might want to consider the 77- or 83-inch C6, which feature newer, brighter Primary RGB Tandem OLED panels, but the 65-inch model is still a revelation when it comes to picture performance.

Upscaling and shading have been improved too, while LG has also finally found some sonic success. A dedicated sound system is, as always, recommended, but the LG C6 sounds pretty good for a TV in its class, with a cleaner and more controlled performance than the C5.

To top it all off, the C6 features LG’s typically excellent gaming features, including four HDMI 2.1 sockets supporting 4K/165Hz (as well as the more console-friendly 4K/120Hz), VRR and Dolby Vision gaming.

The LG C6 is a formidable all-rounder of a TV, which will make a terrific option for the World Cup, but it is capable of much, much more. Such a big discount this early into the life cycle is rare indeed – get the 65-inch LG C6 for £2166 at John Lewis while stocks last.

MORE:

Read our review of the LG C5

Also consider the Samsung S95F

Best TVs: flagship OLEDs and budget Mini LED sets tried and tested

With just under a month to go until a certain World Cup, TV manufacturers are looking to join in the football fever.

We've seen the lowest prices yet on some of our favourite OLEDs, including on Award-winners such as the Sony Bravia 8 II and the LG C5.

Not wanting to be left out, audio brands are joining in the discounts as well, particularly with Bluetooth speakers ready for summer garden gatherings. The JBL Xtreme 5, only reviewed two days ago, is already nearly ten per cent off.

As always, all of these products have been rated and reviewed by our expert testing team, and have been given a big thumbs up – and maybe even a What Hi-Fi? Award.

Take a look at the offers underneath, and we'll go into a bit more detail below.

The JBL Xtreme 5 had a high bar to reach, as previous Xtreme speakers had scooped up What Hi-Fi? Awards for their robust build, yet clean and detailed sound. Luckily, the Xtreme 5 received a full five stars only days ago, with a more powerful, clearer performance that made it the best-sounding Xtreme yet.

The Sony Bravia 8 II won our TV Product of the Year Award at our most recent ceremony, and is still our benchmark TV. The motion processing and OLED screen of the Bravia 8 II will make it an ideal World Cup TV, but it's stunningly authentic for movies too.

AirPods need no introduction, but the AirPods 4 with ANC are notable for introducing noise-cancelling to an open (no tips) design and making it work. iOS users will also find plenty of exclusive flagship features and snappy user-friendliness.

The KEF XIO is, quite simply, the best-sounding Dolby Atmos soundbar we have heard. It's also discounted for the first time, but bear in mind it's a cashback offer you'll have to claim back from KEF. Full T&Cs can be found here.

We're spoilt for choice with premium Bluetooth speakers this week. The Bose SoundLink Max wraps up excellent sound quality and an enjoyable experience in this attractive, outdoor-friendly package.

If you have a smaller room or are looking to upgrade to OLED on a budget, then this saving on the 48-inch LG C5 is for you. It's got flawless gaming specifications, excellent app support and is a whopping £618 off with the code 'HUGMAY8'.

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Our pick of the best wireless earbuds you can buy

And the best OLED TVs for all budgets

Interested in vinyl? Here are the best turntables we have tested

“Four stars! For an LG OLED!?” That was the reaction from many people when we published our original LG G6 review just over a month ago.

As reviewers, we are always unbiased, but we do get why the star rating caused such a kerfuffle.

LG’s OLEDs have been among the best of the best for many years, as the number of What Hi-Fi? Awards they've won demonstrates. So we've all become accustomed to them being awesome, almost by default.

Seeing a four-star LG OLED, especially this year, when Sony isn’t expected to unveil a new flagship OLED and Panasonic is only set to launch one, more affordable OLED, isn't ideal for anyone in the market for a new OLED TV.

In fact, I’d go so far as to argue there’s never been a worse time for the G-series to stumble. Especially, when the issues we encountered around its slightly grey black level and over-aggressive peaks made it hard to recommend, over the now cheaper LG G5, let alone the Product of the Year-winning, Sony Bravia 8 II from last year.

As we said in our review: “LG seems to have dug its heels in on the idea that brighter (and more colourful) is better with the G6 [...] But this new focus brings fresh weaknesses, most notably to black depth and cinematic authenticity.

“The raw materials are clearly here and, with some more considered tuning, the G6 could be among the best in class. As it stands, though, this feels like one step forward and another step back for LG’s flagship OLED range.”

No one likes being the bearer of bad news, but that was the reality, which is why we couldn't recommend it to anyone after an "as the director intended" TV experience.

And while we’re yet to test the Samsung S95H or Philips OLED911, based on our experience with previous sets, which have shown the engineers have a vivid flair when it comes to tuning, this LG fumble could leave a big hole in the market.

Thankfully, there is a silver lining.

Since our review was published, LG has been in touch, promising that the problems we encountered were due to issues with the software – issues that have supposedly been fixed in a newer version. So, understandably, LG wants us to test it out.

This is why, right now, we have a new LG G6 sitting in our test rooms, next to our reference LG G5 and Bravia 8 II, complete with the new software, ready for testing.

Next week, myself and TV and AV editor Tom Parsons will be doing a Groundhog Day (or a Palm Springs, if you prefer), re-testing the G6, to see if the new software does indeed fix the issues we found.

So watch this space. And if you’re thinking about buying a new flagship OLED, wait a little longer to see if LG’s flagship series can regain its five-star lustre.

We’ll be updating our review with our latest findings once we’ve finished running the new review unit through our rigorous comparative testing process. It's far from guaranteed that we will see any improvement but we're always willing to check and be sure.

If you have any questions ahead of us re-testing the G6, drop a comment on this page, and we’ll do our best to get you an answer.

MORE:

These are the best OLED TVs money can buy

We rank the best 65-inch TVs

Our picks of the best TVs for serious movie fans

If you're looking to make the jump to OLED on a budget, then we have a deal for you.

The five-star, 48-inch LG C5 is now available at Hughes for £781. That's a bargain price for such a high-performing OLED, and ideal for those wanting a World Cup TV for a small room, or looking to experience the incredible contrast and inky blacks of OLED for under a grand.

That's the lowest price we've seen for this model, and a good £618 off the price we tested it at. You'll have to use a code to get this discount, however. The code 'HUGMAY8' will get you an extra eight per cent saving to unlock this price.

The LG C5 won three What Hi-Fi? Awards during our most recent ceremony, so it's safe to say our expert testing team were fans.

World Cup fans will be glad to hear that we found the set to be impressively bright and detailed, with composed motion handling as shown during our viewing of Dune: Part Two.

"The desert retains its sparkle, with the brightest part of the sky shining in a way OLEDs this price from even a few years ago can’t, but with significantly more detail," our LG C5 48-inch review reads.

"Bright shading is strong, too, with a wonderful hue of blue transitioning to orange across the image."

The LG C5 was also our Award winner for the Best gaming TV, and it's easy to see why. The C5 is packed out with four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 sockets capable of handling 4K/165Hz signals, as well as VRR and ALLM. There is also support for Dolby Vision gaming for Xbox Series X/S owners.

Speaking of Dolby Vision, the LG C5 is well catered for in terms of HDR; the set supports HDR10, Dolby Vision and HLG, with only HDR10+ absent.

Streaming options are ample, also, with LG’s reliable webOS 25 supporting the likes of Netflix, Disney Plus, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer and ITVX. There's an Xbox app, too, for game streaming, as well as the new ability to pair a controller over Bluetooth.

Sound is a bit of a disappointment, with the 2.2-channel 40W speaker system lacking definition even in Cinema mode. This is nothing that can't be remedied with a decent soundbar, though.

As our five-star review shows, we already thought the 48-inch LG C5 was an excellent value at full price. Now with £618 off at Hughes, it's a bargain.

MORE:

Read our full 48-inch LG C5 review

Check out the best TVs: flagship OLEDs and budget Mini LED sets, tried and tested

And the best OLED TV: five incredible sets for serious movie fans reviewed by our experts

With any luck, everyone knows by now that even the best-sounding TVs sound pretty rubbish by home cinema standards.

But we don't all have the space, budget or patience for a full system comprising an AV receiver, speaker package and the cables required to wire everything up.

In truth, even the super-popular soundbar systems that typically combine a bar, a wireless subwoofer and two wireless surrounds (the Samsung HW-Q990H, for example) are “too many boxes” for many people.

So, what’s the solution for those who’ve forked out for a gorgeous, premium TV and want equally gorgeous sound without all of the boxes and/or cables?

The premium solo soundbar, that’s what. In fact, that’s exactly the problem that the soundbar was originally designed to solve.

These days, a premium soundbar is a very sophisticated bit of kit that typically combines svelte styling with effective Dolby Atmos processing for movies and games, plus music streaming, simple operation, and the option to add additional speakers further down the line.

Here, we’re pitching four such soundbars against one another.

The benchmark is the Sonos Arc Ultra – the successor to the multi-Award-winning Arc and now an Award-winner in its own right.

This is a soundbar that really nails the confluence of simplicity and sound quality, and, being a Sonos product, the Arc Ultra also functions as a multi-room speaker for music.

The Sonos Arc Ultra and Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 have met before, albeit in slightly different circumstances, with the Sony priced much higher.

These days, you can usually get it for the same price as the Sonos, making the head-to-head far hotter, especially as the Bar 9 has features that the Arc Ultra does not, such as DTS:X support and HDMI passthrough.

This isn’t a head-to-head test, though: two newer soundbars are looking to disrupt the Sonos vs Sony scuffle.

The first of those is the very fancy LG Sound Suite H7. As the name suggests, this is a component in LG’s new Sound Suite family of speakers, but it’s also a Sonos Arc Ultra-rivalling soundbar in its own right.

Finally, but most unusually, we have the JBL Bar 1000MK2, which, as you may have spotted, isn’t really a solo soundbar.

However, we’ve decided to include it here as the ability to connect the surround speakers to the main bar means it can function as a solo bar – albeit one that also comes with a subwoofer.

Which of these premium soundbars deserves the spot beneath your lovely TV? Let Dolby Atmos battle commence!

Picking a winner

Each of these premium soundbars proves that you don’t need a stack of separates and a room full of speakers to get genuinely enjoyable cinematic sound from your TV.

Of course, they all tackle that challenge in slightly different ways.

The JBL leans into flexibility and sheer spectacle, the LG focuses on design and cutting-edge tech, the Sony majors on immersion and detail, and the Sonos aims to blend simplicity, sophistication and sonic excellence into one sleek package.

4. LG Sound Suite H7

All four are good products in their own right, but there is a clear hierarchy here, and in fourth place is the LG Sound Suite H7.

The H7 is certainly an interesting proposition. Its styling is refreshingly different from the norm, and those who own a compatible LG TV will appreciate the way it integrates visually and functionally with the screen. It’s also packed with features, including Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, which will be a real boon if you decide to expand your system in the future.

There’s no denying, either, that the H7 sounds impressive out of the blocks. It goes loud, delivers plenty of bass weight and throws effects around the room enthusiastically enough to create a decent sense of scale.

Ultimately, though, it lacks the refinement and subtlety of the best soundbars here. Dynamics are a little blunt, detail levels aren’t especially high, and there’s a hardness to its delivery that can become fatiguing over longer listening sessions. Dolby Atmos effects are present, but they don’t knit together cohesively enough to fully convince.

It’s a decent soundbar, then, but against this level of competition, decent simply isn’t enough.

Read the full LG Sound Suite H7 review

3. JBL Bar 1000MK2

Third place goes to the JBL Bar 1000MK2 – and this one is perhaps the trickiest to judge.

Strictly speaking, it’s not really a solo soundbar at all, thanks to the inclusion of a wireless subwoofer and detachable surround speakers. But because those surrounds can be physically attached to the main unit, we felt it deserved a place in this test – and we’re glad we included it.

There’s no question that the JBL delivers the biggest and most overtly cinematic presentation here. With the surrounds deployed, it creates an impressively expansive soundfield, and the dedicated subwoofer gives action scenes a level of low-end heft that the true solo bars simply can’t match.

It’s a hugely entertaining listen, too, with a bold, energetic character that makes blockbuster movies enormous fun.

The problem is that it’s not the most nuanced or controlled performer on test. Bass can occasionally become overbearing, subtle details are sometimes overshadowed by sheer bombast, and musicality isn’t really its strong suit. In stereo music playback, particularly, the Sonos and Sony sound noticeably more balanced, cohesive and sophisticated.

If your priority is maximum home cinema impact with minimum hassle, the JBL remains a very appealing option. But as an all-round premium soundbar package, it falls short of the class leaders.

Read the full JBL Bar 1000MK2 review

2. Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9

Which brings us to the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9.

When this soundbar first launched, its pricing made it difficult to recommend wholeheartedly, but now that it can regularly be found for around the same money as the Sonos Arc Ultra, it becomes a much stronger proposition.

And it really is an excellent soundbar. Sony has managed to produce an impressively spacious and immersive presentation from a single bar, with Dolby Atmos effects projected with remarkable precision. Its sense of verticality is particularly convincing, and it fills a room with sound more effectively than almost any rival.

It’s detailed and dynamic, too, with crisp dialogue, excellent placement of effects and plenty of punch when movie soundtracks demand it. The inclusion of HDMI passthrough and DTS:X support also gives it a useful edge in the features department.

Ultimately, though, while the Sony is deeply impressive, it doesn’t quite achieve the same all-round balance and naturalness as the Sonos. There are moments where its presentation becomes just a touch forward or forceful, and while it sounds spectacular with movies, it’s not quite as consistently musical or cohesive across all content types.

Read the full Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 review

1. Sonos Arc Ultra

The Sonos Arc Ultra nails the brief.

It delivers Dolby Atmos with scale, precision and convincing height effects, but it never loses sight of subtlety or cohesion in the pursuit of spectacle. Dialogue is crystal clear, effects are expertly placed, and there’s an openness and spaciousness to the presentation that makes movie soundtracks utterly engrossing.

Crucially, it’s also the most musical soundbar here. Whether you’re watching films, gaming or simply streaming music, the Sonos sounds balanced, expressive and refined in a way that its rivals can’t quite match.

The lack of HDMI passthrough will be an annoyance for some, and the Sonos app isn’t quite back to its slick best yet, but many buyers are unlikely to bother with the app after initial setup and the superb performance of the Arc Ultra far outweighs those relatively minor niggles.

The Sonos Arc Ultra will surely be beaten one day – but today isn’t that day.

Read the full Sonos Arc Ultra review

Here it is, folks: our first full review of an RGB Mini LED TV.

We have previously run extensive hands-on tests of a couple of RGB Mini LED TVs – most notably the huge Hisense 116UX – but, due to their astonishing sizes and prices, we’ve had to do the testing outside our own facilities. In our world, that’s not a full review, so those TVs haven’t received star ratings.

The 65-inch Hisense UR9 we have before us today is designed to address the size and price issues that have until now prevented more people from hopping on the RGB Mini LED bandwagon.

This set, then, is leading the mainstream RGB Mini LED charge. And, while it’s a fair way short of perfect, particularly next to a flagship OLED TV, the UR9 is an impressive TV in its own right and a tantalising glimpse at the technology’s long-term potential.

Price

Price is always a hugely important factor whenever we test a product, but it’s particularly crucial to how the Hisense UR9 will be viewed.

In the UK, the launch price of £2999 places the 65-inch UR9 in the same category as flagship OLED TVs such as the new LG G6 and last year’s Award-winning Sony Bravia 8 II.

In Australia, though, the AU$3999 price puts the Hisense UR9 up against step-down OLEDs such as the LG C6.

Most interestingly (and confusingly), while the announced launch price in the US was a super high-end $3500, when the TV actually arrived in shops, the tag was a vastly cheaper $2000, placing the UR9 in an entirely different category, below even step-down OLED models.

Essentially, then, this Hisense is a rather different proposition in each of those three regions. Seeing as we are UK-based and it’s a UK sample we’re reviewing, though, it’s the UK price that we are primarily working with here. And that means the UR9 is going to have to face off against the mighty Bravia 8 II QD-OLED.

Design

The Hisense UR9 is not one of those modern flagship TVs that disappears into your living room.

At 4.5cm thick, it’s decidedly chunky by current premium TV standards, particularly next to the impossibly slim OLED models with which it competes on price.

The rear panel is completely flat, though, which makes the UR9 fairly tidy for wall-mounting, and the overall build feels solid and substantial.

The TV’s general styling is perfectly pleasant, too, though it stops short of being genuinely luxurious. Bezels are slim enough, the dark metallic finish is smart, and the overall aesthetic is clean and restrained, but the UR9 lacks the slick elegance and premium flair of rivals such as the Sony Bravia 8 II and Samsung S99H/S95H.

Hisense has made some nice, practical decisions, though.

The centrally mounted pedestal stand has a relatively narrow footprint of around 42cm, making the UR9 easier to place on narrower furniture than many similarly sized rivals. It also offers two height positions, allowing you either to keep the screen sitting low and tidy or raise it slightly to create extra clearance for a soundbar.

Rows of tiny perforations run down both sides of the set, while larger openings line the top edge. These house the UR9’s side- and up-firing speakers, which form part of its integrated Devialet sound system.

Overall, then, the UR9 is more functional than fashionable – a practical, purposeful TV rather than a particularly glamorous one.

Features and specs

The headline feature here is, of course, the UR9’s RGB Mini LED backlight.

Unlike a conventional Mini LED TV, which uses a white backlight shining through a colour filter layer, the UR9 instead uses separate red, green and blue Mini LEDs to generate colour directly. In theory, this approach allows for both greater brightness and more precise colour reproduction.

Hisense claims peak brightness of up to 3500 nits for the 65-inch model we’re testing here, alongside 980 local dimming zones and a native 170Hz panel, all driven by the company’s Hi-View AI Engine RGB processor.

Gamers are generally very well served – with one unusual caveat. Unlike most premium TVs, which have four HDMI sockets, the UR9 has just three. These are accompanied by a PC-gaming-friendly DisplayPort connection – something that remains extremely rare on TVs.

Is a DisplayPort connection more valuable than a fourth HDMI socket? We have our doubts, but to a small number of very committed PC gamers, it may be very useful.

All three of the HDMI sockets are 2.1-specified, though, with support for 4K/170Hz (and the console-friendly 4K/120Hz), VRR and ALLM. Some brands, including Sony, still offer just two HDMI 2.1 sockets on their TVs.

The UR9’s input lag is decent rather than exceptional. We measured 32.5ms at 60Hz in the standard Game mode, though enabling the Refresh Rate setting reduces that figure to a more respectable, though far from groundbreaking, 24.6ms.

The UR9 supports every significant HDR format currently in use – HLG, HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision – plus the intelligent Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive variants that respond to ambient room lighting conditions.

It is also IMAX Enhanced certified, and the UK version of the TV features an anti-reflective, anti-glare screen coating that proves fairly effective at combating bright-room reflections.

Audio specifications are unusually ambitious by TV standards, too. The UR9 features a Devialet-tuned 4.1.2-channel speaker system with dedicated up-firing drivers, plus support for both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks.

In the UK and Australia, the UR9 runs Hisense’s own VIDAA smart platform, while the US version instead uses Google TV.

VIDAA still isn’t the prettiest smart system around, but it’s fast, responsive and logically laid out. App support is broadly very good, too, with all of the major streaming services and UK catch-up apps present and correctly supporting the relevant picture and sound formats.

There are, however, a few frustrating omissions. Most notably, the Apple TV app lacks access to the Apple TV store and users’ purchased libraries, so it can’t be used for movie purchases and rentals. That’s a real disappointment, as Apple’s pay-as-you-go store is the best around.

While far less important for a TV, it’s worth noting that music streaming support is sparse, too, with Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music and Qobuz all absent. There are no cloud gaming apps, either.

The inclusion of Freely is welcome, though, as it allows live TV channels to be streamed over the internet without an aerial connection.

Picture quality

The Hisense UR9 makes a superb first impression. In fact, perhaps the most impressive thing about it is just how rarely it behaves like a traditional backlit TV.

Before getting into that, though, some setup advice is required, because the TV’s default HDR settings do it few favours.

When first fed HDR10 content, the UR9 automatically switches into its HDR Energy Saving mode which, despite its name, is surprisingly aggressive. Colours skew cool and bluish, motion processing is overly intrusive, and the overall image looks unnatural and overcooked.

HDR Standard and HDR Dynamic are similarly best avoided, both pushing sharpness, brightness and processing much too hard.

Thankfully, Filmmaker Mode proves far more successful. It delivers the most accurate and balanced picture of the available presets, and it quickly becomes our preferred overall option.

Interestingly, though, IMAX Cinema is also unusually compelling. While its underlying settings appear almost identical to those of Filmmaker Mode, it consistently produces a noticeably brighter and punchier image without obviously compromising balance or naturalism.

As a result, we would stick with Filmmaker Mode for dark-room and purist viewing, but happily switch to IMAX Cinema during the daytime or whenever we fancy a little extra visual intensity.

Once properly configured, the UR9 is an extremely accomplished performer.

Play 1917 on 4K Blu-ray, and the opening logos immediately demonstrate just how well controlled the TV’s backlight system is. Blooming around the bright white text is minimal, black depth is strong, and colours look rich, warm and nicely cinematic.

More importantly, the local-dimming system generally goes about its business without drawing attention to itself. Throughout our testing, the UR9 almost never exhibits the flickering, brightness pumping or visibly shifting backlight behaviour that can make many Mini LED TVs distracting.

That consistency quickly emerges as the UR9’s defining strength. While many bright Mini LED TVs constantly remind you that they are dynamically manipulating a backlight behind the scenes, the Hisense instead achieves a broadly very composed, stable and natural delivery that often feels surprisingly OLED-like.

Blade Runner 2049 showcases this particularly well. Black depth is consistently strong, shadow detail is excellent and subtle blooming is tightly controlled. There’s also impressive richness and stability to colours, especially reds, which look wonderfully pure and saturated without drifting into pink or magenta tones.

Extra-bright HDR material suits the UR9 especially well, too. Pan looks spectacular here, with dazzling highlights and bold, vibrant colours that comfortably outgun the Sony Bravia 8 II for outright brightness in many scenes. Sunlight bursting through clouds and glinting off the fantasy scenery of Neverland is delivered with real punch and intensity.

Crucially, though, the UR9 generally achieves this brightness without sacrificing balance. Skin tones remain natural, and there’s a pleasing cinematic warmth to the image – and it doesn’t drift into gaudiness.

Motion handling is strong, too. The default Film setting is decent enough, but switching Motion Enhancement to Clear results in noticeably smoother pans without introducing the distracting soap-opera effect or processing artefacts that such systems often create.

The notoriously difficult Matera cemetery and chase sequence from No Time To Die is handled particularly well, with impressively little judder to the panning shots and clean rendering of drifting smoke and rapid camera movement.

Dropping down to standard-def and SDR, our Kiss Kiss Bang Bang DVD is reproduced with pleasing warmth, strong detail and impressively clean upscaling. Colours are arguably pushed a touch too hard at times, but the overall presentation remains highly enjoyable and consistently cinematic.

For all of the UR9’s strengths, though, direct comparisons with a top-tier OLED TV still reveal the limitations of even this undeniably refined RGB Mini LED model. Despite its impressive local-dimming system, the Hisense simply cannot match the pixel-level contrast control of the Sony Bravia 8 II.

Extremely bright highlights against deep black backgrounds are sometimes handled slightly conservatively, presumably to avoid blooming. Perhaps counterintuitively, those bright white logos against pitch-black backgrounds appear more intense and impactful on the Sony OLED than on the much brighter, on paper, Hisense.

More significantly, the OLED TV produces a more solid and perceptually three-dimensional image across the board. Objects and characters stand out from their surroundings with greater depth and dynamism, while subtle gradations within clouds, shadows and highlights appear more convincing and refined, creating a more rounded look.

This isn’t a new phenomenon: we have documented that extra solidity you get from OLED plenty of times previously, most notably when we used the Sony Bravia 8 OLED as a comparison in our Bravia 9 Mini LED review. But it bears repeating for those who are choosing between an OLED and a backlit TV.

Viewing angles are another clear OLED advantage. While the UR9’s picture performance doesn’t entirely fall off a cliff when you move off-axis, the sweet spot in which it performs at its very best is surprisingly narrow.

And while the UR9 usually keeps blooming impressively well controlled, especially for a backlit TV, particularly torturous scenes can still expose its limitations.

The bomb-test sequence in Oppenheimer is a great example. From the UR9, there’s a slight general greying to the image, plus some visible glow around isolated spotlights in the darkness. The opening starfield of Alien: Romulus, meanwhile, reveals that the UR9 cannot simultaneously maintain truly inky blacks and perfectly intense star highlights in the way an OLED can.

To be clear, the Hisense performs well in these scenes by LCD standards, and many owners may never notice such shortcomings during normal viewing. But they do prevent the UR9 from truly matching the effortless contrast precision and dimensionality of the best OLED TVs.

Sound quality

Developed in partnership with Devialet, the UR9’s 4.1.2-channel speaker system delivers a surprisingly expansive and full-bodied presentation by TV standards, with particularly impressive width and height effects.

The Theatre sound mode is the most immediately striking of the available presets, producing a presentation that extends well beyond the physical boundaries of the TV and creating a convincing sense of spaciousness with Dolby Atmos soundtracks.

There’s decent bass depth, too, and the UR9 maintains good composure at high volumes, avoiding the harshness and distortion that can afflict many flatscreen TVs when pushed hard.

The overall presentation is smooth and rich in character, which makes the UR9 an easy and enjoyable listen over long viewing sessions.

It isn’t perfect, though. Dynamics are a little stunted, and action scenes lack some of the punch and excitement they deserve, while dialogue could be projected with greater clarity and emotional expression.

The Theatre mode also slightly overplays its hand at times. While its extra spaciousness is undeniably appealing, it introduces a faintly diffuse and echoey quality to voices, along with a slight sense of delay that makes speech sound less natural than it should.

As a result, we find ourselves preferring the Standard sound mode for most content. It still sounds pleasantly spacious and open, but delivers dialogue with greater focus and cohesion while maintaining good weight and scale.

Ultimately, while even a modest dedicated soundbar will comfortably outperform it, the UR9’s audio system is better than that of most TVs, even at this lofty level.

Verdict

In several ways, the Hisense UR9 is one of the best backlit TVs we have ever tested.

Most of the time, you’re not even made aware that it is a backlit TV, so good are its black levels, its control of blooming and its consistent, flicker-free contrast.

While it is possible to trip up the backlight, it’s quite hard to do so, and many buyers may never see an unsightly bloom in their period of UR9 ownership.

But while this first mainstream RGB Mini LED TV is broadly mercifully free of the flaws that generally afflict backlit TVs, it still can’t match the overall picture quality of the best OLED models.

The pixel-level contrast control of OLED brings benefits in several areas. There are the notably brighter highlights on very dark backgrounds that even accomplished backlit sets, such as the UR9, are too cautious to go all guns blazing with for fear of blooming. There are the almost flawless viewing angles, too, which the UR9 is a long way from matching.

The biggest thing, though, is the generally more solid, more perceptually three-dimensional image that OLED provides. Next to the Bravia 8 II, the Hisense UR9 simply looks flatter, less dynamic and less impactful.

Ultimately, as enjoyable and technically impressive as the UR9 is, we can’t think of a good reason you would buy it over a flagship-grade OLED, and that’s the level at which Hisense is pitching it – at least in the UK.

Of course, if you are someone who has a flagship-level budget for their next TV and a general aversion to OLED, the Hisense UR9 should be right around the top of your list.

If you’re a UK buyer, it’s probably a good idea to wait and see if we get a massive US-style discount before placing an order, though.

SCORES

• Picture 4
• Sound 4
• Features 4

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Here are all of the best TVs you can buy right now

Surround sound systems come in practically every shape and size these days, but there's one modern alternative that we've seen sweep the world of home cinema.

We are, of course, talking about wireless soundbar systems. Bose has just unveiled its Ultra Lifestyle soundbar, subwoofer and wireless speakers, and it joins the likes of Sonos, LG, Sony, Yamaha and Samsung in offering an ecosystem of home audio products that can work together to essentially create a proper surround sound experience.

While they vary in quality – we've recently raved about Samsung's superb HW-Q990H, while LG's Sound Suite system didn't quite hit the mark – there's no doubting they are super popular, convenient, and effective ways to achieve surround sound without filling your living room with bulky floorstanding speakers.

We're even seeing companies get creative with their soundbar systems. Majority recently impressed us with its pint-sized Bowfell Halo Atmos system, and Hisense scored a coveted What Hi-Fi? Award with its superbly affordable AX5125H package.

While they won't suit everyone, and a true surround sound speaker package will always win in terms of delivering proper cinematic sound, there are plenty of great options around, and it's reminding us of a previous home cinema audio trend.

A full surround sound system in a box isn't a new phenomenon; in fact, they were all the rage in the early 2010s. Samsung, Panasonic, LG and many more used to sell a whole home cinema in a box, combining a DVD or Blu-ray player alongside a compact wired 5.1 speaker set, unlocking surround sound for the masses without the need for an AV receiver.

Our review of the Panasonic SC-BTT590 from back in 2012 highlights how capable these systems once were. We complimented this system, saying "the handover between speakers is smooth, making for a convincing surround sound".

Stretching even further back to 2010 with the Award-winning Sony BDV-E370, which featured an "easy, idiot-proof set-up" and speakers that "deliver surprising scale and power".

These nifty, streamlined systems were made to combine cinematic sound with plug-and-play convenience, which sounds like a very similar objective to the soundbar systems we're seeing today.

The biggest difference between the home cinema in a box systems of old and the current soundbar packages is the inclusion of a Blu-ray player that once acted as a hub to drive these speakers.

That's to be expected in a world dominated by streaming and massively improved wireless audio protocols, but being the physical media advocates that we are, it's a shame nonetheless.

But it's not all doom and gloom. Sonos, Bose, LG and Sony all take a modular approach, allowing you to connect surround speakers and subwoofers as you see fit, and most of these companies offer components at different price points.

More customisation and different speaker configurations mean you can essentially build a surround sound package that better suits your needs and budgets, which is always a plus.

Sony, in particular, has welcomed this approach with open arms, as it now offers five different optional subwoofers and three different types of wireless sound speakers.

So, are soundbar systems secretly just a revival of one of the 2010s ' best home cinema trends? We think they're more of a spiritual successor with the same mission statement in mind: save people from their TV speakers by bringing simple, effective cinematic sound to the masses.

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The FIFA World Cup is fast approaching, which means the countdown is on to get a shiny new TV before Mexico takes on South Africa on 11th June.

With 48 teams competing, it's set to be the biggest World Cup yet – which surely demands to be seen on the biggest TV possible.

Luckily, big sporting events tend to generate great deals on TVs, and it's coinciding with last year's models starting to see some significant discounts.

This means there are plenty of decent-sized TVs available without breaking the bank, all of which would be great for a World Cup watch, either for their motion processing, explosive colours, wide viewing angles or sheer size.

Take a look below, and we'll explain why we're such big fans of these TVs underneath.

The TCL C6KS is our favourite budget TV, offering Mini LED lighting, 160 dimming zones, and universal HDR support for a single low price. It was already a bargain at its £419 launch price – the code CLEARANCE10 can now get you the even lower price of £314.

The Sharp GK4245K is a 70-inch TV for £440. If that wasn't enough to convince you, the GK4245K is also a good TV despite its low price, with an excellent Tivo smart system and picture quality that has no business appearing on such an affordable home cinema-sized TV.

The Amazon Ember QLED is a somewhat confusing rebrand of the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED, which we gave a glowing review to recently. Whatever the name, the e-commerce giant has delivered another compelling, affordable sound system, with a crisp, detailed picture on offer with minimal fuss.

If you can up your budget a little, the TCL C7K is our favourite budget large TV – so much so that we gave it a What Hi-Fi? Award. With the 65-inch model boasting 1008 dimming zones, Quantum Dot colours, and a claimed peak brightness of 2600 nits, these are flagship specs at budget prices. A great choice to watch nail-biting matches in explosive brightness, contrast and colour.

The 55-inch LG C5 is a tad more expensive than the others on this list, but it is also an OLED to give your World Cup matches incredible contrast and wider viewing angles. The LG C5 offers a rich, solid and engaging picture that balances vibrancy and authenticity, and is now available with some heavy discounts now that the LG C6 is available.

If you want to go really big, the 85-inch TCL C805K is a great option if your budget can stretch. It's bright, great with HDR and has very good gaming specs. Oh, and did we mention it's huge? It's ridiculously good value for cinematic scale.

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LG’s G-series models are among the best TVs around, one of the big four OLED flagships that duke it out every year.

For now, though, we’re more concerned about which member of the G-series is worth your hard-earned cash. The LG G5 was quite the revelation when it arrived in 2025, boasting the world’s first Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel for new levels of OLED brightness.

The LG G6, however, boasts some improvements of its own, including even higher brightness, better black performance in ambient light and “Hyper Radiant Colour Technology”.

But what else is different from the G5? And, most importantly, are the new G6 additions worth the extra cash now that the G5 is highly discounted?

We’ll answer these questions (and more) below…

LG G6 vs LG G5: price

The new LG G6 launched at a lower price than last year’s G5. We tested the 65-inch G5 at £3299 / $3400 / AU$5299, while the 65-inch G6 came in at a notable £299 less at £3000 / $3400 / AU$4999. See below for a full launch price comparison:

After a year on sale, however, the LG G5 is now available with significant discounts. At the time of writing, the 65-inch LG G5 can be bought for £2199, and we have spotted it for as low as £1709 previously.

While credit must go to the G6 for the rare case of a product launching lower than its predecessor, the G5 still takes the win as the cheaper option right now.

**Winner: LG G5**

LG G6 vs LG G5: design

Once again, there is very little design difference between generations of LG's flagship. The LG looks identical to the G5, to the point that our testing team had to double-check the serial numbers of the two TVs when setting up to make sure which was which.

We are fans of the sleek, attractive design of the G6 and G5, but it’s hardly modern – very little has changed since the GX all the way back in 2020.

Both the LG G6 and G5 are designed to be wall-mounted (hence the G for ‘Gallery’), with LG’s Zero Gap design allowing it to be mounted pretty much flush against the wall. However, the 55- and 65-inch versions of both TVs are also available with stands.

In both cases, the stands are sturdy and come with two height options – a sleek, low-profile look, or a higher position to accommodate a soundbar.

And finally, the remote control is also unchanged for the two TVs in the UK, despite other markets receiving a premium backlit zapper.

**Winner: Draw**

LG G6 vs LG G5: features

The LG G5 had a radical transformation last year, becoming the first TV to launch with the new Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel. The technology is made up of four individual OLED layers – two blue, one red and one green – to boost higher peak and operating brightness levels, while retaining colour volume and accuracy.

The LG G6 also employs a Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel, with the only change being the inclusion of a new Reflection Free Premium display certification. This promises to reduce reflections to less than 0.5 per cent. Which means the G6 should work better than the G5 in less than ideal conditions with lots of stray, reflection-causing light.

Under the hood, however, the differences between the G5 and G6 become more apparent. The G6 boasts a new Alpha 11 Gen 3 AI processor, an upgrade from the G5’s Alpha 11 AI Processor Gen 2.

At the heart of this new chipset is “Hyper Radiant Colour Technology”, which, according to LG, enables the G6 to go 20 per cent brighter than the already dazzling G5.

Peak brightness is only one part of the equation, however, and LG also claims better colour accuracy, a generally “more lifelike” picture and improvements to motion handling, upscaling, tone mapping and audio processing for the G6.

Both the G6 and G5 support Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG, with Samsung’s HDR10+ technology unsurprisingly missing on both counts. There is no support for Dolby Vision 2 either, which is particularly interesting in the case of the G6, as several other 2026 flagships are confirmed to be compatible with the format.

Otherwise, LG’s flagships have been consistently flawless in their feature set for some time, and the G6 and G5 are no different. The webOS platform on both supports pretty much every app you can think of, from Now, Apple TV, Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video to BBC iPlayer, ITV X and Channel 4.

All four HDMI 2.1 inputs on both the G6 and G5 offer up to 4K/165Hz gameplay with VRR and ALLM, making this a gamer’s dream, whether you play on a console that is limited to 4K/120Hz or a powerful PC that can reach those lofty framerates.

The G6 has also added some more features to support game streaming, including a new low-latency interface. There’s also a new dedicated controller developed alongside gaming peripherals manufacturer Razer, though this is sold separately.

We’ll have to wait until the picture section to see how some of these features pan out, but, on paper, the G6 has all the features of the G5 and more – and takes the win this time.

**Winner: LG G6**

LG G6 vs LG G5: picture

Sitting the G5 and G6 next to each other in their out-of-the-box settings, two things become immediately apparent: just how bright the G6 can go, while also simultaneously increasing the amount of dark detail on offer.

The G6 is not only noticeably brighter than the G5 – which is strikingly bright itself – but brighter than any previous OLED we have tested. There are plenty of positives to this, with higher peaks and more vibrant colours than the G5, while darker parts of the image look sharper and more detailed.

As eye-catching a spectacle as this is, there are some downsides. Even in the most accurate Filmmaker Mode, we find that the G6 looks over-brightened in some areas, and that some colours occasionally look over-saturated, reducing the authenticity and naturalism that we’ve come to expect from LG's OLEDs.

Switching to our go-to brightness stress test, 2015’s Pan, our suspicions that the G6 is clearly brighter than the G5 are confirmed, but we also note a slight loss of colour volume in the brightest highlights.

It’s quite a contrast to a viewing of Pan on the G5, which doesn’t go quite as bright but is more consistent in its colours.

Skin tones in particular are superbly realised by the G5, with a hint of red in the cheeks of the titular character in Pan, whereas the skin tones on the G6 come across a little green during a viewing of Sinners.

While we did settle on ideal settings for the G5 – and indeed we do for most TVs – this wasn’t the case for the G6. No matter which picture mode we tried and which settings we fiddled with, we couldn’t settle on a combination that we were happy delivered the authentic, accurate picture we would expect.

LG has also seemingly chosen to raise the black floor slightly on the G6 to increase shadow detail, but this does result in blacks looking just a touch grey. Despite fiddling in the settings once again, there is no optimal Goldilocks balance between black depth and shadow detail.

While there are those out there who will certainly prefer the G6’s pop and extreme brightness, it comes at too high a cost in our eyes. The G5, surprisingly, is the better all-around option for someone who values accuracy as well as pop and dynamism.

**Winner: LG G5**

LG G6 vs LG G5: sound

Unlike with the picture round, we can see a clear frontrunner as the G6 takes a step forward in the right direction.

When Preacher Boy Sammie plays the blues in an iconic scene from Sinners, the G6 offers a noticeably fuller, more robust sound than the G5. The older TV ends up sounding thin and hollow in comparison.

There’s bass to the plucked strings of the guitar on the G6, and Sammie’s wailing vocals are clear and noticeably separate from the background.

The audio is far from perfect, though, with even the LG G6 struggling to keep a rhythmic and tonal hold as more musical strands are added later in the scene.

The two TVs struggle with bass, too, with the synth soundtrack of Blade Runner 2049 sounding rather weak and flabby on both counts.

Neither TV will trouble a dedicated sound system – or even rivals such as the Sony Bravia 8 II and Philips OLED910 – but the LG G6 does trump its predecessor for audio quality.

**Winner: LG G6**

LG G6 vs LG G5: verdict

With a Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel and an uncompromising feature set, the LG G5 gave the G6 a strong basis to work from.

And the G6 took this basis and made some promising adjustments, with fuller, more robust audio and a fancy new processor that promises higher peak brightness and better colour accuracy.

Once we actually see the picture in person, though, issues start to creep in. The picture is undoubtedly brighter and more colourful than the G5, offering a bombastic, punchy experience that makes a big impression and will undoubtedly appeal to some.

However, this comes at a cost – namely, cinematic authenticity and the balance of black depth and shadow detail.

The LG G5, in comparison, is still plenty bright and colourful, but it’s also more balanced and consistent. Thanks to heavy discounting, it is also currently much, much more affordable.

The G6 comes close to greatness, and there is clearly potential here for a best-in-class TV. As things stand for now, though, it’s a rare case where the predecessor is the better buy.

**Overall Winner: LG G5**

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LG’s C-series OLED TVs have long been among the easiest recommendations when it comes to the best OLED TVs.

They combine excellent picture quality, comprehensive gaming support and a slick smart platform, all while costing much less than flagship OLED models.

The LG C5 was already a benchmark at this level, delivering outstanding picture performance and a feature set that many rivals struggle to match. Now, the newer LG C6 has arrived, promising improved processing, higher brightness and better sound.

Both TVs earned five stars in their respective reviews, and you’re likely wondering if it’s worth spending more on the newer C6 or saving some cash and sticking with its predecessor.

Below, we break down the differences across all areas to help make your decision easier.

LG C6 vs LG C5: price

The 65-inch C6 launched with a price tag of £2500 / $2699 / AU$3999, making it cheaper in the UK and Australia than the equivalent C5 was at launch (£2700 / $2699 / AU$4299), and the same price in the US.

But that's not the whole story. Because (at the time of writing) the C6 is still brand-new, you will still have to pay that launch price. But because the C5 has now been available for over a year, it's available for vastly less.

The C6 will come down in price, too, but for now, this round simply has to go to the super-discounted C5.

** Winner: LG C5 **

LG C6 vs LG C5: design

If you were hoping for a dramatic redesign between generations, you might be disappointed. The C6 looks extremely similar to the C5, and it’s hard to distinguish the two at a glance.

Both sets feature LG’s familiar C-series design – a very thin OLED panel across most of the screen, with a thicker rectangular housing at the lower rear that contains the electronics, connections and speakers. This allows the edges of the display to remain strikingly slim, making for a more minimalist, immersive setup.

The effect is particularly appealing when wall-mounted, where the thin panel appears to hover slightly away from the wall thanks to the deeper central housing behind it.

Screen size options are also the same across both models, ranging from 42 inches to 83 inches. Their stand design is the same, too, with the central pedestal making soundbar placement a little awkward due to its forward angle.

In other words, if you liked the look of the C5, you’ll feel right at home with the C6. It remains one of the most attractive OLED TVs around – even if the design is now very familiar.

** Winner: Draw **

LG C6 vs LG C5: features

Both TVs offer a comprehensive feature set, but the C6 introduces a few upgrades under the hood.

The biggest change is the new Alpha 11 Gen 3 processor inside the C6, replacing the Alpha 9 Gen 8 chip used in the C5. LG says the newer processor enables a 12-bit processing pipeline for more precise tone and colour management.

It also enables Dual AI Super Resolution, which performs two separate AI passes when upscaling lower-resolution content – one focusing on sharpening edges and the other on refining textures and detail.

Another addition is AI HDR Remastering, which analyses each frame to enhance contrast, sharpness and colour. It can also attempt to make SDR material appear more HDR-like, though results can vary.

At 55- and 65-inch sizes, both TVs use LG Display’s established WOLED panel technology, though the larger 77- and 83-inch versions of the C6 switch to LG Display’s newer Primary RGB Tandem OLED panels.

The smart platform has also been updated. The C5 runs webOS 25, while the C6 moves to webOS 26 with tweaks including the Home Hub shortcut, a personalised My Page area and a Continue Watching row.

Gaming features are excellent on both models. Each TV offers four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports that support VRR, ALLM and Dolby Vision gaming.

The C6 gains a slight edge for PC gamers with support for refresh rates up to 4K/165Hz, while the C5 tops out at 4K/144Hz. Console players using a PS5 or Xbox Series X will effectively see the same 4K/120Hz experience on either model.

HDR support is identical across both TVs – Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG are supported, while HDR10+ remains absent.

** Winner: LG C6 **

LG C6 vs LG C5: picture

The LG C5 already impressed us with its rich colours, strong contrast and cinematic presentation. In our testing, it proved to be a consistently engaging performer, with punchy yet natural colours and particularly strong low-light colour volume.

Watching Blade Runner 2049, for instance, the C5 delivers atmospherically rich images, with convincing shadow detail and impressively nuanced colour in darker scenes. Skin tones are warm and lifelike, and there’s a pleasing sense of depth, with subjects standing out clearly against the background.

Brightness is also a strength for the C5 by traditional OLED standards. Scenes from Pan show strong highlight intensity, with sunlight shimmering through sails and vivid colours throughout the image, even if it doesn’t quite reach the heights of more advanced OLED panel types.

However, the LG C6 manages to squeeze noticeably more performance from a similar panel thanks to its new processing platform.

The most obvious improvement is brightness. Highlights appear more intense, colours carry slightly greater richness, and the overall image has a stronger sense of depth and dimensionality.

In scenes from Pan, reflections on water appear brighter and more vivid on the C6, while sunsets display smoother colour gradations and richer tones in the surrounding clouds.

Colour reproduction also sees subtle refinement. Reds and oranges appear slightly richer and more lifelike, helping skin tones look warmer and more convincing without drifting into artificial territory.

Upscaling is improved, too. Lower-resolution sources such as standard-definition content appear slightly smoother and cleaner, while HD material benefits from more refined detail handling. While the difference is subtle with higher-quality sources, it is noticeable with lower-resolution content.

The C5 remains a superb performer and still earns a five-star picture rating. But the C6 pushes things further with greater brightness, richer colours and more refined processing.

** Winner: LG C6 **

LG C6 vs LG C5: sound

Built-in audio has never been the C-series’ strongest suit, but this is another area where the C6 improves on its predecessor.

Both TVs use the same speaker hardware, but LG appears to have refined the processing and tuning on the newer model.

As a result, the C6 sounds cleaner and more controlled than the C5. Bass isn’t dramatically deeper, but it is tighter and less prone to distortion at higher volumes.

Dialogue also comes through with more warmth and character, and the soundstage feels slightly more spacious. Dolby Atmos effects project further away from the screen when required, giving the presentation a greater sense of scale.

The C5’s audio is perfectly serviceable for everyday viewing, but it lacks low-end weight and overall scale. That difference is reflected in the review scores – the C6 earns four stars for sound, while the C5 managed just three.

Neither TV replaces a proper sound system, of course, and pairing either model with one of the best soundbars remains highly recommended.

** Winner: LG C6 **

LG C6 vs LG C5: verdict

The LG C5 was already one of the best TVs for most people, delivering superb picture quality, excellent gaming features and a polished smart platform.

The LG C6 builds on that foundation with brighter images, richer colours, improved processing and better sound. It’s not a radical reinvention, but it is a clear step forward – enough to make it the new benchmark in this class.

That said, the C5 still makes a compelling case for itself. With discounts now widely available, it’s likely to remain the better value option for buyers who want a premium OLED experience without paying for the newest model.

Given our performance-per-pound (or bang-for-buck, if you prefer) mantra, we're therefore giving the C5 the win here – at least for now.

Once the C6's price has dropped to within about 20 per cent of the C5's, our buying advice will likely change – it is undoubtedly the better TV, after all – but at this moment, the value offered by the heavily discounted C5 simply can't be ignored.

** Overall winner: LG C5 **