TCL's latest flagship soundbar has two major selling points: 360-degree spatial sound and tuning in collaboration with longstanding hi-fi brand Bang & Olufsen (via John Archer on X).

Launched in China at the does-what-it-says-on-the-tin TCL Flagship New Product Launch conference, the Q95K has 11.1.4 channels of sound, with 1420W of peak power across 22 speaker units, and includes a wireless subwoofer and two wireless surround speakers.

The 'bar itself has seven horizontal channels, two overheads and a subwoofer, while the wireless surround speakers have rear surround, rear side surround and rear overhead channels to complete the spatial audio experience.

The three-way physical acoustic unit and independent sound chamber design help the Q95K cover a frequency range of 30Hz to 20kHz, with overall distortion kept under 1 per cent. Neodymium iron boron magnets paired with aluminium diaphragms help maintain detail and vocal clarity.

TCL says that the subwoofer's bass should remain stable even at higher volumes thanks to the dual 7-inch opposed units with a long-stroke damping design. The opposed movement aims to minimise cabinet resonances that can affect the bass.

Audio crosstalk is also reduced with 12 independent power amplifier chips driving the different speaker units separately.

B&O has helped create the audio profile, collaborating in terms of both hardware and the algorithm. Sound can be adjusted using the built-in Beosonic Mood Mixer. The algorithm can also be optimised to reduce the soundbar's reliance on room acoustics or wall reflections to deliver 360-degree spatial sound.

Using the TCL app, you can activate adaptive sound calibration to personalise the audio to your room. 4K HDR video passthrough is supported, as are wi-fi and AirPlay 2 wireless technologies.

It also has a floating base to reduce desktop resonances and a grille to keep dust out. It can be placed on a cabinet or wall-mounted, and will adjust its audio accordingly.

It's not the only new soundbar TCL announced. It also unveiled the Q85K, with 7.1.2 channels and 1180W of peak power, and the Q75K with 7.1.2 channels and 580W.

They are all available in China, with the Q95K costing 7999 yuan (around £889 / $1200 / AU$1700), the Q85K 5999 yuan (around £666 / $886 / AU$1300) and the Q75K 4699 yuan (around £520 / $700 / AU$1000).

We've contacted TCL regarding wider availability and will update this if we hear back.

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Does your soundbar really need a subwoofer? Find out here

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.

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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

Here at What Hi-Fi?, we are often sharing our opinions to make sure you buy the best hi-fi and home cinema equipment for your needs.

But we’re always interested in what you, the readers, are choosing to give precious space to on the shelves and stands of your beloved homes.

• View all the Prime Day deals on Amazon

So it has been gratifying to see one of our recent recommendations climbing the charts of Amazon’s best-selling TVs – namely the TCL Q6C, now discounted to £529 at Amazon as one of the many Prime Day deals.

And while I am pleased, I’m definitely not surprised. The UK public clearly knows a good deal when they see one – not only is this a new lowest price on an already great value TV, but it’s also one of, if not the, top budget choice for playing a little game called GTA 6.

So what makes the TCL Q6C such great value? The headline is that you get a 65-inch TV with Quantum Dot colours and a sophisticated Mini-LED backlight system with local dimming for only £529.

This is technology we usually see in TVs that cost far more than this, resulting in a picture far more sophisticated than you might expect at the price.

We were particularly impressed by the TV’s contrast and black-level performance. Dark scenes look surprisingly deep and convincing – more so than some far more expensive TVs – while bright HDR highlights have real punch.

“Colours impress, too,” our TCL Q6C review reads. “There’s more vibrancy and lustre on tap than we usually see with such affordable TVs, yet at the same time, in most presets, the impressive vibrancy doesn’t look forced or unnatural.

“Skin tones look believable, there’s practically zero HDR colour striping, and subtle shading differences are rendered with enough finesse to ensure that even the most colourful images feel three-dimensional and realistic.”

Gamers are exceptionally well catered for when GTA 6 arrives this November. We still await the specification for Rockstar’s long-awaited game, but the Q6C supports 4K/144Hz (including the current console cap of 4K/120Hz) gaming on its two HDMI 2.1 sockets, as well as VRR and low input lag.

There are plenty of extra features to enhance your trip to Leonida, with a gaming menu that can add a superimposed crosshair, magnify the minimap or enhance shadow details to make enemies easier to see. The Q6C also comes with support for Superwide aspect ratios, should GTA 6 support them once it finally comes to PC.

The Q6C’s sound is also better than that of most, if not all, other TVs in its price class – but it would still be improved vastly by a soundbar. Our best budget soundbars guide can help there.

Our TV & AV editor has declared the TCL Q6C to be the best cheap 65-inch TV deal in the Prime Day sales, and the public seems to agree, going by Amazon’s sales charts. See what all the hype is about with the TCL Q6C for £529 at Amazon.

Or if your budget stretches a little further, consider these alternatives:

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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

If you want a satisfyingly cinematic or sporting experience at home, there really is no substitute for screen size.

The good news is that a big TV needn't cost big money. These days, 65-inch TVs go for much less money than you might imagine, and if you wait for a big sales event, your cash can go even further.

And it just so happens that we're right in the middle of a big sales event – Amazon Prime Day – and I've sifted through all of the deals to find three super-cheap 65-inch TVs that I can recommend as great buys.

• View all the Prime Day deals on Amazon

What do I know about it? I'm so glad you asked!

I've been testing TVs for almost 20 years now, so I know the good from the bad (and the ugly, for that matter). I've also been personally involved in every What Hi-Fi? TV review in probably the last 10 years – and that includes the reviews of the three models I'm recommending here.

Happy with those credentials? Excellent! Here are my three picks, ranked in order of quality.

1. TCL Q6C

Deal price UK: £529 at Amazon
Deal price US: n/a

If you're looking for the best-value 65-inch TV in the Prime Day sales, this is the one I'd buy.

The TCL Q6C impressed us so much in testing that we awarded it five stars and described it as "an absolute steal". That's high praise for any TV, but it's especially impressive when you're talking about a 65-inch set that's currently selling for well under £600.

What makes the Q6C stand out is that it brings technologies normally associated with much more expensive TVs down into the budget category. It uses a Mini LED backlight with local dimming, alongside Quantum Dot colour technology, and the result is a picture that's far more sophisticated than the price suggests.

In our review, we were particularly impressed by the TV's contrast and black-level performance. Dark scenes look surprisingly deep and convincing, while bright HDR highlights have real punch.

Colours are another strong point, delivering plenty of vibrancy and richness without tipping into the sort of exaggerated look that often plagues cheaper TVs.

It's also an excellent option for sport and gaming. Motion is handled confidently, helping fast-moving action stay clear and composed, while gamers get features such as 4K/144Hz support, VRR and low input lag.

No TV at this price is perfect, of course. The sound is merely decent rather than exceptional (something that can be rectified with one of the best budget soundbars), and you'll get the best results by spending a little time tweaking the picture settings. But those are minor caveats when the overall performance is this strong.

Simply put, if your budget stretches to the TCL Q6C, it's the best cheap 65-inch TV I've seen in the Prime Day sales.

2. Amazon Ember QLED

Deal price UK: £600 at Amazon
Deal price US: $710 at Amazon

The TCL Q6C is my top pick, but the Amazon Ember QLED isn't far behind, given its current Prime Day price.

In fact, one of my colleagues recently described the deal on this TV as "impossible to ignore", and it's easy to see why. Amazon has cut the price dramatically, turning what was already a solid mid-range TV into one of the most tempting bargains in the sales.

The Ember QLED is a significant step forward from Amazon's previous QLED efforts. It features a full-array backlight with 160 dimming zones and a panel that's considerably brighter than its predecessor, resulting in a picture that's sharper, punchier and more three-dimensional than you might expect at this sort of money.

During testing, we were particularly impressed by its detail levels and colour performance. Images look crisp and vibrant, while upscaling of lower-quality content is handled well enough that everyday broadcast TV remains enjoyable.

The TV also supports every major HDR format, including Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive, so you're covered regardless of which streaming service you use.

Another advantage over many budget rivals is the sound. Built-in TV audio is rarely worth talking about, but the Ember QLED produces a fuller, clearer and more spacious presentation than most affordable sets manage.

Why isn't it above the TCL? Primarily because the Q6C's Mini LED backlight delivers superior black levels, contrast and gaming performance. The Amazon also tops out at 60Hz, making it less appealing to serious gamers.

Still, if you're heavily invested in the Amazon ecosystem or simply want a big, capable and easy-to-use 65-inch TV for as little money as possible, the Ember QLED is an excellent Prime Day buy.

3. Samsung U8000F

Deal price UK: £367 at Amazon
Deal price US: $400 at Samsung

The Samsung U8000F is the TV I recommend if your budget is as tight as possible.

At £367/$400 during Prime Day, it's substantially cheaper than both the TCL Q6C and Amazon Ember QLED, and that price difference is impossible to ignore. In fact, it's one of the least expensive big-brand 65-inch models you can buy.

Of course, some compromises are inevitable at this sort of money. Unlike the TCL and Amazon models above, the U8000F doesn't have a Mini LED or full-array backlight, and its picture isn't as bright or as impactful when displaying HDR content. Black levels are also less convincing, meaning movie nights won't have quite the same cinematic punch.

That said, Samsung has done a commendable job with the fundamentals. In our testing, we found the U8000F delivered a balanced, natural picture that avoids many of the exaggerated traits often seen on budget TVs. Colours are pleasingly authentic, detail levels are respectable, and standard-definition and HD content are handled particularly well.

Samsung's excellent Tizen smart platform is another big plus. It's packed with streaming apps, easy to navigate and generally feels more polished than many rival smart TV systems.

The biggest reason to choose the U8000F over the TVs above is simple: value. While the TCL Q6C is undoubtedly the better performer and the Ember QLED offers a more advanced specification, both cost considerably more. If spending £500-£600 on a TV still feels like a stretch, the Samsung gives you a huge screen from a trusted brand for comfortably under £400.

No, it's not the best TV in this list. But when price becomes the priority, the U8000F makes a very strong case for itself.

MORE:

Here are all of the best TVs and the best TV deals you can get right now

Don't forget the sound: here are the best budget 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.

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These are the best projectors out there

Check out the best TVs we have reviewed

And here are the five best OLED TVs

If you have been looking for a way to bring the big-screen experience to your home, countless projectors and large TVs claim to deliver just that. And, with Amazon Prime Day now in full swing, plenty of different brands are offering tempting discounts across a range of products.

But which models will get you the best large screen, all while saving you some of your hard-earned cash? We have found two products to fit that particular bill – that will deliver an immersive screen size and have similar price tags. Each offers something different, but both can bring the big-screen experience to your home.

A super-sized TCL TV

First up, the gigantic 98-inch TCL C7K is a king-sized 4K TV at a jaw-droppingly low price. The five-star set would usually cost a respectable £2399, but Prime Day has seen this crash to a remarkable £1999 at Currys. Don’t get us wrong, that is still a lot of money. But for the sheer size and quality of the TV, this is a bargain price.

You get 3000 nits of brightness controlled with 2000 dimming zones, plus TCL’s Halo Control features, which aim to reduce the effect of backlight blooming. This is aided by an anti-glare film that reduces reflections.

It received a What Hi-Fi? Award last year, thanks to its spectacular brightness and colour, as well as its excellent gaming specifications. The dimensions of the TV alone are enough to blow your socks off, as we say in our review: “We’ve seen a few 98-100-inch TVs now, but the raw cinematic impact of seeing our favourite test movies and TV shows writ so large across our field of view never seems to grow old.”

The brightness is intense, especially at this size, with small HDR highlights looking every bit as dazzling as on pricier TVs. TCL’s Halo Control also does a stellar job of suppressing any unwanted blooms of light emerging.

In terms of sound, the TV offers a 6.2.2-channel system designed by Bang & Olufsen. It is detailed and clear, and never becomes overstated, harsh or brittle. It does, however, lack the levels of bass and immersion that a decent, dedicated Dolby Atmos soundbar would provide.

It’s very well equipped for gamers, with VRR, ALLM, and a 144Hz refresh rate. You get a full complement of HDR format support, but only two HDMI 2.1 ports.

Of course, a 98-inch screen will take up a fair bit of room in your home. If you don't have the space to accommodate, the option below might be a better fit for you.

And a more compact projector from BenQ

TCL’s super-sized TV is certainly a large beast to behold, but it is simply not a realistic addition to many people's homes. It measures 218cm wide, which is quite a challenge if you are working with a compact space. There is the option to wall-hang, but of course you need to have a wall capable of supporting its 55kg weight.

If that won’t work for you, there’s another way to get the big-screen experience. The BenQ W2720i is a 4K projector that holds the crown as the best mid-range model in our best projectors guide. The price for the What Hi-Fi? Award-winning projector has dropped from £1999 to £1799 at Richer Sounds, saving you a reasonable £200.

It offers a more compact option than the TCL C7K, as it measures 14 x 42 x 31cm (hwd) and weighs just 6.5kg. You can push the screen size up to a claimed 300 inches, which knocks the 98-inch TV out of the park.

When we reviewed the projector, we were met with a clean, detailed picture that still looked natural. We say in our review: “So crisp, detailed, pristine and full of texture and density are the W2720i’s pictures that they really do look 4K, even if pushed to prodigious image sizes.”

The Award-winner's connections go further than those of most projectors, by including three HDMIs, one of which provides ARC support for passing sound out to a connected AVR or soundbar, and one of which supports 4K/120Hz.

There are some limitations to consider with a projector compared with a TV. Any projector that costs less than £10,000 will struggle to produce deep black levels, especially compared with a Mini LED such as the C7K. The W2720i is still a great performer in this area when compared with rival projectors, but the TCL TV does a better job at recreating proper black depth.

You will also have to deal with a weaker picture performance in any sort of ambient light compared with a TV screen.

But the BenQ’s smaller footprint and impressive specifications may well suit your home cinema set-up better. It depends on which big-screen experience works best for you, but these stellar bargains on both products are worth looking into.

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These are the best projectors out there

Check out the best TVs we have reviewed

And this is our full review of the 98-inch TCL C7K

If you need a good TV, but are tight on cash, then there’s only one TV deal I’d recommend right now.

Specifically, Argos's current deal on the TCL C6KS. The deal lets you grab the Award-winning 50-inch TCL C6KS for £343 (save 20 per cent) when you use the TCLTV20 discount code at checkout.

Why this TV in particular, especially with Prime Day about to start at the stroke of midnight? Because it’s the best cheap TV money can buy, even at full price.

Offering a Mini LED panel, the set delivers the best performance we’ve experienced on a TV at its price. Delivering atypically high, but controlled peak and operating brightness levels, solid HDR support and a nicely balanced picture that punches well above its weight, you won’t find better set this cheap.

That’s why the TCL C6KS earned a five-star rating when we tested it and then went on to win the best budget 48-50in TV trophy at the 2025 What Hi-Fi? Awards.

It’s also why, even now, we stand by our verdict: “TCL’s latest ultra-affordable TV is even better than its specs suggest and fixes pretty much everything that was wrong with its predecessor. The price seems like it must be too good to be true – but it isn’t.”

Our only word of warning is that, as is always the case at this end of the market, there are some compromises. For gamers, its framerate is capped at 60Hz, so you won’t be able to run a current-generation games console or PC at full speed.

There is also some minor motion blur during particularly animated scenes. And finally, again, like all TVs at this price, its speakers are middling. You should budget for a soundbar if you don’t already have one, as a result. We’d recommend the Sony HT-SF150 / HT-S100F featured as the top budget option in our best soundbars guide, if you don’t currently have one.

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Prime Day 2026 Home Cinema Deals LIVE: all the top savings recommended by our experts

These are the best cheap TVs we’ve tested

We rank the best soundbars money can buy

Another Prime Day is on the horizon – or perhaps that should be Prime Days, with the sales event spanning from 23rd to 26th June.

Not content with four days of discounts, Amazon has started a week early, with some genuinely early Prime Day deals popping out of the woodwork.

With the World Cup happening simultaneously, there have been some great deals on home cinema, with Amazon’s own Ember TV range seeing up to £450 off.

That’s not all, though – an elusive AirPod discount is also upon us, as well as a saving on an Award-winning Audio Pro wireless speaker.

As always, these are all products we have reviewed and rated ourselves, and must have earned at least four stars to get our sought-after recommendation.

So take a look at the offers below – and make sure to check back next week, where we’ll be hunting for the best deals during the main event itself.

Formerly known as the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED, the Amazon Ember QLED with Fire TV is Amazon’s latest QLED and a solid, affordable TV. We reviewed the 65-inch model only back in March and it has already got a £450 saving in an early Prime Day deal.

The Audio Pro C20 W is currently our favourite premium wireless speaker. With a broad, clear, and detailed sound, it is easy to use and immensely versatile – it can stream music, serve as a turntable speaker, or function as a soundbar for your TV. You’ll need to be a Richer Sounds VIP member to get this discount, but it’s completely free to sign up.

If you don’t like eartips but still want noise-cancelling in your earbuds, then the AirPods 4 with ANC are for you. Jam-packed with features and a clean, detailed, and powerful sound, the brilliant buds are available at their lowest-ever price in this early Prime Day deal.

If you want a 4K projector that is just portable enough to take outside, then the Nebula X1 is a great choice. The X1 has a class-leading audio for a projector, so there’s no rush to buy speakers, and the claimed 300-inch maximum image size will be great for World Cup matches.

The TCL C6KS is our favourite budget TV, and was such good value for money that we gave it a What Hi-Fi? Award. The code TCLTV20 brings the price down to £336, and for the money you’ll get a 50-inch Mini LED with excellent brightness and contrast as well as comprehensive HDR support.

The Anker Nebula Mars 3 Air is our favourite portable projector. It doesn't boast the 4K resolution or the audio quality of the X1, but it’s a fair bit cheaper and comes with a built-in battery, an ultra-portable design and surprisingly good picture and sound quality.

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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

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

We’re a week into the World Cup, and England fans already have a reason to celebrate as the competition heats up to see which nation will hold up the iconic golden trophy.

This deserves to be seen on an Award-winning screen, of course – and the TCL C7K already has a trophy of its own. The Mini LED picked up our gong for the best budget 55-77in TV at our 2025 Awards, offering value that similarly priced rivals just could not beat.

And now that value has just got even better. The 65-inch TCL C7K is now on sale for £719 at Richer Sounds, the best price we’ve seen yet.

Just use the code TCL10PERCENT to unlock this new lowest price!

TCL has been on a roll recently with its excellent value TVs. And the C7K is so jam-packed with features for the price that it’s our performance-per-pound pick.

The 65-inch model boasts a Mini LED screen with 1008 independent dimming zones, Quantum Dot colours and a claimed 2600 nits of brightness. That’s flagship-level features for a lower mid-range price.

The C7K also includes TCL’s innovative new ‘Halo Control’ technology to deliver better dark-scene consistency and reduce pesky light halos.

All of which builds to a picture that punches well above its weight. As our TCL C7K review reads: “In its Standard picture preset, colours across a huge spectrum look radiantly beautiful, combining vivid intensity with a level of blend and tone subtlety that feels too good to be true on a TV as affordable as this.”

Gaming support is rich too, especially for this price. Two of its four HDMI sockets meet the HDMI 2.1 specification for high frame-rate gaming with support for 4K/144 Hz, VRR and ALLM. There is also a Dolby Vision game mode and support for a whopping 288Hz (though only at HD resolution).

All the HDR bases are covered with all four formats on board: HLG, HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision.

World Cup viewing is sorted thanks to Google TV, which includes all the UK’s main catch-up TV services as well as the big international streamers. Bear in mind that Freeview Play and Freely are missing, however.

The Bang & Olufsen speakers support Dolby Atmos and DTS: X, and the sound is clean and detailed in the midrange and treble. We would like more punch in the low-end, but it’s still a very commendable sound for the price.

Even at full price, the TCL C7K was phenomenal value with more features than we would have any right to expect at this level. If you’re after a last-minute TV for the World Cup, you’ll have no regrets about the TCL C7K for £719 at Richer Sounds.

MORE:

Read our full 65-inch TCL C7K 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 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.

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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

The World Cup kicks off in less than a week, and we bet that plenty of people are making some last-minute upgrades to their set-ups, including splurging on a new TV.

TV shipments are up six per cent year on year, according to global technology market research firm Omdia, and while we hope that everyone buying a new set is consulting our carefully curated list of the best TVs, the likelihood is that there is a fair amount of impulse purchasing happening.

We don’t judge here, and we understand that many people will walk into a shop and pick the biggest and cheapest 4K TV that you can get, but we urge you to take stock before swiping your card and calling it a day.

The World Cup is running for just over a month, but your TV will last a whole lot longer; maybe not for life, but multiple TV manufacturers tell us that the average person replaces their TV every seven years.

With that in mind, I have devised a simple three-question system that anyone primed to make an impulse purchase this weekend should ask themselves.

Question 1: is this TV good value?

A cheap 4K TV is one thing; a good value 4K TV is something else completely.

Yes, we are seeing the likes of Hisense and TCL line shelves with super-affordable 4K sets, and some of them are truly great TVs – take the Award-winning, sub-£400 TCL C6KS, for example. But some of these super cheap sets can cut corners.

Panel technology becomes more basic at this level. That’s fine for those who want to catch the game, but for cinephiles who appreciate films as much as they do footy, you might want to consider looking up towards the mid-range Mini LED models at least.

Picture processing also tends to be more pared back at this level, too. Motion and upscaling are two processing factors to be mindful of – the former to accommodate fast-moving players springing across the pitch, while the latter can deal with sharpening up standard-resolution feeds from terrestrial broadcast channels.

Gaming specification also takes a hit here, with very few TVs at this level offering HDMI 2.1 support. While they are not entirely barebones, you can expect to miss out on high-framerate console gaming at 4K, and some budget 4K sets sport fewer HDMI sockets overall.

While opting for an affordable 4K set is by no means a bad decision, you also have to remember that you will be using this TV for plenty of years to come, so future-proofing is always advisable.

If you’re looking for TVs that tread the line of cheap and good value, you should check out our list of the best cheap TVs for some inspiration.

Question 2: will it stand the test of time?

Nearly every TV we see these days features a smart platform. Google TV is used by TCL and Philips, Tizen OS is featured on Samsung, webOS is on LG TVs, and Hisense uses its Vidaa platform on its sets.

Not all operating systems are made equal, and updates and app support can vary greatly between brands. While we are seeing decent coverage of the major streaming apps such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+, we have seen some worrying gaps.

BBC iPlayer, for example, is missing on Philips’s current suite of TVs, which is quite an issue when we take into account that a considerable number of World Cup matches will be streamed free on BBC iPlayer.

Longevity is also, once again, something to be mindful of. Notably, Samsung and LG have both committed to supporting their respective TVs with seven years of software support.

If you want a TV that lasts, and you rely on built-in streaming apps, then we recommend going for a TV from one of these brands, or instead investing in an external streaming device.

Question 3: am I leaving room in my budget for a soundbar?

Our advice to anyone buying a new TV is to budget for a soundbar to pair with it.

TV sound, unless you’re looking at the upper-echelon of OLED TVs that feature speaker systems tuned by notable hi-fi brands, is almost always a let down.

And if you’re preparing to listen to commentators for hours on end, the last thing you want is a built-in sound system that is thin, tinny, and fatiguing on the ears.

A good soundbar doesn’t have to cost the Earth. Take the Sony HT-SF150, which delivers a solid cinematic sound experience for less than £100; or the Award-winning Hisense AX5125H, which includes Dolby Atmos support, surround speakers and a subwoofer for under £200.

While a good sound system will undoubtedly give you a more authentic experience during the matches (think of audiences chanting and cheering), you will also find a range of benefits, including a better audio experience when it comes to music and movies.

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Here are the ultimate World Cup tech deals

Check out our picks for the best budget soundbars

As well as the best OLED TVs

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.

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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

Chinese brand Haier is launching its latest range of affordable TVs, all boasting 4K resolution.

The new release is being led by the flagship S90 series, which the brand claims will combine “dynamic visuals, immersive audio with ultra-reactive gaming experience”.

This “immersive audio” comes in the form of Dolby Atmos support, delivering “three-dimensional and cinematic audio quality”. The two 10W speakers are employing technology from British hi-fi brand KEF as well.

The S90 uses QLED panel technology with AI picture optimisation, with Haier saying this results in “rich tones and smooth colour transitions”.

In terms of physical connectivity, you will find four HDMI ports, with one supporting eARC. We assume that means the TV can handle 4K/120Hz signals, given its 240Hz DLG feature, but when we asked a Haier representative for confirmation, they couldn’t provide a clear answer.

Haier is also launching the entry-level K85 and the mid-range S80 models. These step-down TVs do not have Dolby Atmos, but they do offer Dolby Audio for “clearer voices and more balanced sound”. The S80 features a QLED panel, like the S90, while the K85 uses a 4K LED backlight.

All of the TVs come with Freely built-in. That gives you access to streaming services such as BBC iPlayer, Channel 4 and ITVX in the UK. Fire TV acts as the smart platform for all the models, offering access to Disney+, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

Each range offers slightly different sizing options. The S90 goes from 55- to 85-inches, with the latter being the biggest screen size across all the models. The K85 is available in 43- to 65-inch sizes, and the S80 from 43- to 75-inches.

If you want to get your hands on the 65-inch S90, it will set you back £580. That is certainly aiming at the affordable end of the market, so Haier has TCL firmly in its sights. The S90 is up against the likes of the TCL Q6C, which launched at £649 for the 65-inch model. When we had the TCL set in our test room earlier this year, we praised its excellent picture quality and gaming performance which meant we awarded it a five-star rating.

We are yet to see how the flagship Haier model compares, but its affordable price tag and comprehensive smart platform could spell trouble for the current market leaders.

MORE:

Check out our TCL Q6C review

These are the best budget TVs

And here are the best budget soundbars

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...

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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 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

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.

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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

Want a great World Cup TV but still want to make sure you get great value?

Then you may well want a TCL TV. The electronics firm has spent the past few years delivering good picture and sound quality at unbelievably low prices – and the trend continues with the release of the new TCL Q6C.

We gave the Mini LED five stars in our glowing review just two days ago, declaring the TV to be “ridiculously good value for money” – and now it’s even cheaper! The TCL Q6C is now yours for £559 at Amazon.

That’s already more than £90 off the test price, and it would be a good price for a 65-inch TV in pretty much any circumstance. But it’s remarkably rare to get a 65-inch TV at this price that’s just this good. The Q6C could cost twice as much and we would still be impressed.

The headline here is that you get a 65-inch TV with features such as 4K/144Hz gaming support, Quantum Dot colours and even a sophisticated Mini-LED backlight system with local dimming for only £559.

Now, specifications aren’t everything, but during our testing we found that, here, it does all add up to something pretty special.

The most impressive part of the Q6C is the black-level performance. We’ve seen 65-inch LCD TVs costing thousands more in some cases that fail to deliver black tones so effectively.

As our TCL Q6C review says: “Colours impress, too. There’s more vibrancy and lustre on tap than we usually see with such affordable TVs, yet at the same time, in most presets, the impressive vibrancy doesn’t look forced or unnatural.

“Skin tones look believable, there’s practically zero HDR colour striping, and subtle shading differences are rendered with enough finesse to ensure that even the most colourful images feel three-dimensional and realistic.”

As with all TCL TVs, sophisticated Google TV streaming smarts are on board. All the main global streaming services and key terrestrial UK broadcaster catch-up apps, including the oft-missed BBC iPlayer, are available (though Freeview Play and Freely are missing).

Gamers are well catered for too, with the refresh rate reaching 4K/144Hz (and the console-friendly 4K/120Hz) on its two HDMI 2.1 sockets. You can even increase the frame rate all the way up to a huge 288Hz if you’re prepared to accept a drop to Full HD resolution. VRR is supported, too, including the AMD FreeSync Premium Pro format, and there’s even support for Superwide aspect ratios if you’re playing a PC game that supports them.

The TCL Q6C’s sound is better than that of most, if not all, other TVs in its price class, too. DTS:X and Dolby Atmos mixes especially result in ambient effects and off-screen details appear well beyond the TV’s left, right and even top edges without the staging becoming incoherent or thin.

If you’re looking for a TV in this price range, you’re going to struggle to get better value than the TCL Q6C. It’s a formidable all-rounder with features that similarly priced rivals could only dream of, and now it’s got this generous discount, with £90 off at Amazon.

MORE:

Read our review of the TCL C7K

Also consider the Samsung U8000F

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

TCL has achieved phenomenal critical and commercial success over the past couple of years thanks to an (almost) unerring ability to deliver good picture and sound quality at prices so aggressive they’ve had rival brands quaking in their boots. And, on paper at least, the Q6C looks to keep the winning streak going.

After all, features such as Mini LED backlighting, local dimming and a Quantum Dot colour system all sound surprisingly close to the specs found in TCL’s What Hi-Fi? Award-winning C7K series – yet the Q6C costs significantly less.

We guess there must be a catch somewhere, but on TCL’s current form we wouldn’t be at all surprised if whatever catch we find really isn’t that big a deal.

Price

Normally, if you spend £650 on a 65-inch TV, you would expect to get… not very much. Not for the first time in recent years, though, TCL is here to rewrite the TV value rulebook.

The set in question this time is the Q6C, the 65-inch version of which usually only costs £649 yet manages to carry such features as 4K/144Hz gaming support, Google TV smarts, Quantum Dot colours and even a sophisticated Mini-LED backlight system with local dimming.

We’ve been around the block enough times to know that such specifications aren’t automatically a guarantee of great picture quality – but at the risk of showing our hand too early, in the Q6C’s case they really do add up to something pretty special for the money.

TCL also sells 55-, 75-, 85- and 98-inch Q6C models for £409, £819, £949 and £1499 respectively. These are all pretty remarkable prices for screens built on the same key specs as the 65-inch model, where the only major difference is the number of dimming zones (more for the bigger screens).

The Q6C’s main competition, really, is TCL’s own C7K step-up model, which costs £200 more at the time of writing.

TCL also sells a C6K model which, it says, is identical to the Q6C. However, further up the range, TCL's ‘C’ variants often have a different panel coating to their “identical” ‘Q’ counterparts. The fact that matte vs glossy coatings can make a significant difference to picture quality, and that we haven’t specifically tested the C6K, this review only applies 100 per cent to the Q6C.

Design

At first glance, the TCL Q6C looks like a chip off the old TCL block. A narrow black frame runs around the screen, boasting a reasonably premium finish, and the screen sits on a pair of simple arched blade-style feet. These angle out slightly, bringing more attention to themselves than they would otherwise, but this stance also helps the set feel pretty sturdy and wobble-free.

As you go about screwing on the feet in either of the provided wide or close position options, though, you can’t help but notice first that the set sticks out around the back quite a long way by today’s TV standards, and also that the screen is significantly lighter than TCL’s more premium sets.

Most folk don’t spend their lives looking at the back of their TV, though, and the rather lightweight and plasticky nature of its build quality isn’t something you really feel aware of once the TCL has been set in place.

The Q6C’s remote control apes the TV it partners by quite effectively disguising an essentially rather lightweight and plasticky build behind a cute brushed finish, a sleek, long, thin shape, and an ergonomic button layout. That button layout includes direct access buttons for Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube, Disney+ and TCL’s own collection of live-streaming ‘channels’.

Features

Despite its aggressive price, the Q6C is built around a native 4K screen with Mini LED backlighting and a local dimming system that works, in the case of the 65-inch model we’re testing, across 242 independently controlled zones. At this price, local dimming of any kind is a rarity, so getting 242 dimming zones is a real treat. That said, the not vastly more expensive C7K features more than a thousand dimming zones.

The Q6C produces its colours using Quantum Dots, with which TCL claims to cover 93 per cent of the DCI-P3 colour spectrum used for most HDR mastering. The HDR support extends to both the Dolby Vision and HDR10+ premium formats, with their extra scene-by-scene image information, as well as the core HDR10 and HLG formats.

The set is also IMAX Enhanced certified, meaning it’s been judged capable of doing justice to the special noise-limiting IMAX Enhanced mastering system used on a few 4K Blu-rays and a fair number of films (especially Marvel releases) on Disney+.

Impressively for its money, the Q6C also gets one of TCL’s new HVA panels. These introduce a variety of innovations, including a faster transient response for enhanced clarity; a new light-emitting chip claimed to deliver 50 per cent brightness and 10 per cent efficiency boosts over its predecessor; and a new condensed micro lens system over the LEDs, that apparently focuses light better for greater backlight uniformity, optical stability and halo control.

Smart features on the Q6C, as with most of TCL’s current TVs, are provided by the Google TV platform. Unlike most other brands that use Google TV, though, TCL has managed to get BBC iPlayer on board alongside the other key terrestrial UK broadcaster catch-up apps, and all of the main global streaming services. The only things you don’t get that some rival smart systems offer are Freeview Play and Freely.

Gamers are exceptionally well catered for by the Q6C. It supports 4K/144Hz (and the console-friendly 4K/120Hz) gaming, and can even increase the frame rate to 288Hz if you’re prepared to accept a drop from 4K to Full HD resolution. VRR is supported, too, including in the AMD FreeSync Premium Pro format, and there’s even support for Superwide aspect ratios if you’re playing a PC game that supports them.

A special gaming menu becomes available when the TV knows you’re gaming, too, offering information on the incoming gaming signal as well as easy access to a selection of gaming aids that include a superimposed crosshair, the option to magnify part of the image to give, say, a mini-map more prominence, a couple of genre-specific picture presets, and an option to enhance shadow details in dark game sequences to make it easier to spot lurking enemies.

In a perfect world, all four of the Q6C’s HDMIs would support the full gamut of today’s gaming features rather than just two of them, but you don’t get perfect worlds on 65-inch TVs that cost this sort of money.

The Q6C’s sound system, finally, isn’t one of the Bang & Olufsen-designed systems found higher up TCL’s range. It’s still designed with another acclaimed audio industry brand, though, Onkyo, and still includes a couple of dedicated bass woofers on its rear panel to underpin the sound from its main stereo speakers. This sound system is capable of playing both Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual:X sound formats.

Picture

While the Q6C doesn’t quite hit the giddy picture-quality heights of TCL’s C7K, it gets closer than the price gap would lead you to expect. This means that it also comfortably outguns pretty much every other 65-inch TV around at the same sort of price point – including Samsung’s recently reviewed U8000F.

The single most impressive thing about the Q6C's supposedly budget pictures is their black level performance. Once again, TCL’s particular combination of an HVA panel, local dimming, Mini LED lighting and local dimming processing results in excellent blacks in both dark scenes or dark picture areas and the black bars of widescreen content.

Hardly a hint of greyness slips into dark scenes, and backlight haloing around stand-out bright objects during dark shots is also remarkably well controlled for a 65-inch TV at the Q6C’s price point. We’ve seen 65-inch LCD TVs costing hundreds, even thousands, of pounds more than this TCL fail to deliver black tones so effectively.

As well as instantly giving the Q6C an outstanding foundation for the rest of its images to build on, its excellent black levels are also achieved without causing shadow details to become crushed out of the darkest areas. Dark scenes thus look as three-dimensional and immersive as bright ones, creating a sense of consistency that makes it easy to remain fully immersed in what you’re watching.

The Q6C’s remarkable freedom from the sort of hardware and/or processing issues that almost always to some extent plague the picture quality of other similarly affordable TVs continues across pretty much every other aspect of its picture performance, too. Images look crisp, clean and detailed enough to leave you in no doubt that you’re watching a native 4K screen, for starters – especially if you leave the set’s Precision Detail feature on (which you might as well, as it doesn’t seem to cause any negative side effects) and turn the Digital and regular Noise Reduction features off (at least when watching native 4K sources). Even the Q6C’s upscaling of HD sources is well above par for its level of the market.

Colours impress, too. There’s more vibrancy and lustre on tap than we usually see with such affordable TVs, yet at the same time, in most presets, the impressive vibrancy doesn’t look forced or unnatural. Skin tones look believable, there’s practically zero HDR colour striping, and subtle shading differences are rendered with enough finesse to ensure that even the most colourful images feel three-dimensional and realistic rather than cartoonish and flat. The nuance in the Q6C’s colours contributes in no small measure to the image's impressive sharpness, too.

The Q6C is not as bright as TCL’s step-up C7K model. It’s bright enough, though, to do arguably better justice to HDR images than any other similarly affordable 65-inch TV we’ve seen, combining good full-screen brightness with strong brightness peaks. All delivered alongside those excellent black levels we described earlier.

There are signs beyond its lower brightness that remind you that the Q6C is a step down from the C7K. While it’s faint, where backlight haloing does occasionally become noticeable, it spreads further beyond the bright highlight that’s causing it than it does with the C7K. That includes spreading very occasionally into the black bars of a movie if a really intensely bright object appears right next to them.

The very brightest highlights of bold HDR masters can also cause clipping, where subtle shading and colour details are lost in a sort of ‘white out’ effect, and skin tones can occasionally teeter on the edge of coarseness where they happen to catch bright sunlight, too – though they seldom if ever actually tip over into a distracting level of roughness.

Motion, once you’ve either turned the set’s motion processing off or left it on its low setting (to avoid unwanted over-smoothing or processing side effects), is marginally more prone to judder and blur with 24p movie sources than the C7K’s images are. But again, compared with the vast majority of rivals at its price point, the Q6C’s motion performance is actually pretty easy on the eye.

Colours can desaturate quite noticeably if you watch the screen from a steep angle of around 45 degrees or more, and blooming becomes slightly more noticeable. These problems are usually much more noticeable with budget VA LCD TVs, though, and from narrower angles.

To finish on the high note the Q6C’s pictures deserve, it’s a pretty stellar big-screen gaming display for its money. Graphics look crisp, bright and colourful, while the high frame rate support ensures gaming also feels fluid, smooth and responsive. The responsiveness is further bolstered by a measured input lag of just 13.1ms at 60Hz.

Sound

The Q6C’s Onkyo-designed sound system isn’t as ‘hi-fi’ in tone or as well-rounded as the B&O systems found higher up TCL’s current range. It’s not bad at all, though, for such an affordable TV.

Particularly surprising is the size of the soundstage it produces with DTS:X and, especially, Dolby Atmos mixes. Ambient effects and off-screen details appear well beyond the TV’s left, right and even top edges without the staging becoming incoherent or thin.

Dialogue seems to be coming from the screen rather than somewhere beneath or behind it, helping it sound impressively clear and clean. It still sounds contextualised enough, though, rather than bright or sharp.

Movie scores exist outside the scope of the main in-scene sound, just as they (usually) should, and sound effect detail levels are high enough to point to more quality in the speakers than you’ve any right to expect for this sort of money. Specific location details aren’t, to be clear, placed with the sort of accuracy you get with premium TV sound systems from the likes of Samsung, Philips and Sony, but the Q6C certainly does more with them than most similarly priced rivals.

There’s plenty of volume available, too, and while the sound density and power tend to level off during escalating action or horror scenes rather than continually expanding right to a scene’s climax, at least the sound doesn’t actively collapse under pressure.

Bass levels aren’t quite as rich and deep as we might have hoped, given the presence of two subwoofers on the set’s rear, which occasionally causes some high-pitched ambient effects to sound a little too dominant. Even the epic bass drops of Blade Runner 2049, though, don’t cause the bass speakers to seriously distort or drop out. In fact, the only distortion during Blade Runner 2049’s famous opening soundtrack dynamics comes from the treble, which causes a slight ‘buzzing fly’ effect when the speakers are under their greatest pressure.

The bottom line, though, is that, as with its pictures, the TCL Q6C’s sound is better than that of most, if not all, other TVs in its price class.

Verdict

If the Q6C cost twice as much as it does, we’d still class it as good. In fact, for a 65-inch TV at its price, it’s nothing short of ridiculous. If this is how TCL signs off its current range, we seriously can’t wait to see what the brand brings to the table next.

SCORES

• Picture 5
• Sound 4
• Features 4

Read our review of the TCL C7K

Also consider the Samsung U8000F

Read our Mitchell & Brown QLED1811 review

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

We've gone hands-on with both the TCL C8L and C7L already, and now we have UK prices ahead of them going on sale this month. And it's good and bad news.

The C7L is £100 cheaper than the C7K at 65 inches. Which is cause for celebration. But pooping the party somewhat is the C8L, which is £300 pricier than the C8K. Boo!

The C8K and C7K both earned five stars, with the latter also picking up a What Hi-Fi? Award.

As you'll see below, some prices have risen, while others have fallen. Both new models are quite a bit cheaper at their largest 98-inch sizes.

Both models boast TCL's Super Quantum Dot technology, which eschews the pivot to RGB Mini LED that most manufacturers are making this year.

This includes TCL's new Deep Colour System, which should reduce colour bleed between light and dark areas, boost colour gamut performance and colour dot accuracy, and minimise the halo effect that comes with blooming.

The full model names are the C8L-UK SQD-Mini LED TV and C7L-UK SQD-Mini LED TV. In the US, they're called the QM8L and QM7L.

Here's how they compare to last year's equivalents.

Of course, these are only RRPs – the actual prices are likely to drop throughout the year. The big question is, will the discounts be as significant as last year? The 65-inch C7K ended up selling for just £899, and is currently available for £50 less than that. Which, coupled with its excellent performance, helped it on its way to an Award.

Stay tuned for our best TV deals for a bargain. We'll have full reviews of both models soon to see if they can equal their five-star predecessors.

MORE:

The best TVs money can buy

Big screen, small price: get a brilliant budget TV ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026

A load of five-star OLED TVs we recommend are disappearing – will they come back?

Roku and TCL have been accused of knowingly selling TVs with defective software that stops them working. The accusation was made in a class action lawsuit in California, USA.

The Roku OS operating system features on TCL's more affordable TVs. It's accused that faults with the former are affecting the latter, as well as other Roku TVs.

Plaintiff Terri Else alleges that Roku's software updates left the TVs inoperable. Issues include the TVs being 'bricked' (i.e. showing a black screen and unable to operate), restarting over and over, the screen flashing on and off, and freezing.

The lawsuit was filed against Roku Inc. and TTE Technology Inc. (trading as TCL North America) in the United States District Court, Central District of California.

It states that "Roku's software updates are repetitively defective, materially impairing the functionality of Roku Products, rendering many consumers' televisions either entirely unusable ("bricked"), blacked out, or otherwise substantially degraded in terms of device performance".

It also accuses the firms of failing to issue a fix to the problems they have introduced.

It says that Roku is a platform "which cuts corners, failing to ensure that the software updates are actually free of defects both in testing stages and at scale, failing to adequately invest in software updates which harmonise with the Roku Products, and failing to take appropriate remediative and corrective action once a defective software update is released".

Models affected include – but are not limited to – the Roku Select Series, Roku Plus Series, and TCL 3/4/5/6 Series Roku TVs.

The lawsuit points to complaints on Roku's official community forums, highlighting issues, and the responses that amount to "often unsuccessful self-guided troubleshooting instructions".

It says that the firms' failure to take action is a breach of express and implied warranties, as well as California's Unfair Competition Law and Consumers Legal Remedies Act.

The lawsuit demands a jury trial and requests declaratory and injunctive relief plus damages and restitution for members of class action.

Apple recently settled a class action lawsuit in California that could see affected customers paid $95 each (around £70 / AU$130).

It's early days yet in the suit, so it's likely to be a while until any conclusion is reached.

A Roku spokesperson told us: "We believe the claims are meritless." We've contacted TCL for comment and will update this if we hear back.

MORE:

The best TVs you can buy

A load of five-star OLED TVs we recommend are disappearing – are they coming back?

Big screen, small price: get a brilliant budget TV ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026

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.

MORE:

Fancy a big screen? Check out the best 65-inch TVs

Discover the benefits of Dolby Vision

Classy OLED TVs that won't break the bank

TCL has announced its latest answer to the art TV craze, and it's packing an upgrade that could see it produce a better quality picture than most of its rivals.

The A4000 Pro NXTVISION blends style and substance, with a frame-like chassis that challenges Samsung's super popular The Frame and Hisense's Canvas TV.

It's designed to blend seamlessly into your living room environment, and when paired with the Art Gallery mode (which features curated artwork and AI-generated content) and included walnut woodgrain frame, it doubles as a versatile piece of wall art when not in use.

Sounds familiar so far, right? Well, TCL hopes to set its offering apart by bringing the picture quality up to standard, as some of the frame TVs on the market sacrifice panel tech for the sake of design.

Not TCL, though, as it has included its precise QD-Mini LED backlight on this TV, and paired it with a matte HVA panel, which should improve viewing angles. That's quite a step up over Hisense's edge-lit QLED Canvas TV.

TCL claims to have included up to 488 dimming zones (presumably this refers to the largest 75-inch screen size), and the A4000 Pro also supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10+.

Furthermore, this TV can support gaming signals up to 4K/144Hz over HDMI 2.1, with VRR and ALLM supported, making this a solid choice for gamers and home decor aficionados alike.

TCL has also included the Google TV smart platform and an Onkyo-tuned 2.0 channel sound system, which supports Dolby Atmos and DTS Audio. It says that "dialogue is clear and immersive without requiring an external audio set-up" on the A4000 Pro NXTVISION, which will appeal to minimalists who don't want trailing cables.

This TV comes in four sizes, starting at 43 inches, and it undercuts both of the rivals we've mentioned above. The 55-inch model starts at £899, which seems like a bargain compared to the equivalent Hisense, which we reviewed at £1099.

Samsung's 2026 Frame Pro (which is also billed as a Mini LED art TV), comes in at a staggering £1699 for the 55-inch model, which makes the TCL also look like a steal by comparison.

The TCL A4000 Pro NXTVISION is set to launch later this year, and you can see pricing for all sizes below:

• 75A400 PRO-UK – £1,399
• 65A400 PRO-UK – £1,099
• 55A400 PRO-UK – £899
• 43A400 PRO-UK – £599
  

MORE:

Read our full Hisense Canvas review

Check out our picks for the best Mini LED TVs

And read our full TCL C7K review

Not all large TVs have to break the bank, as evidenced by the 65-inch TCL C7K, which is now discounted down to £749 at Currys. That's £150 off and a return to the price we saw during Black Friday sales.

And despite the budget price, there are very few compromises in performance. We love it so much that we gave it a What Hi-Fi? Award in the 'best budget 55-77in TV' category.

We praised its explosive brightness, contrast and colour alongside impressively rich gaming support. If it's a 65-inch set you're after, and your budget is limited, we think the TCL C7K should be at the top of your list.

The TCL C7K is so jam-packed with features that £749 is truly a steal.

To start with, the C7K boasts a Mini LED screen with 1008 independent dimming zones and 2600 nits of brightness, specifications that some high-end TVs would struggle to match. It also includes TCL's innovative new 'Halo Control' technology to deliver better dark-scene consistency and reduce pesky light halos.

All of which builds to a picture that punches well above its weight, as we highlighted in our review: "In its Standard picture preset, colours across a huge spectrum look radiantly beautiful, combining vivid intensity with a level of blend and tone subtlety that feels too good to be true on a TV as affordable as this."

Gaming support is rich also, with two of its four HDMI sockets meeting the HDMI 2.1 specification for high frame-rate gaming. Talking of frame rates, the C7K can even support a whopping 288Hz (only at HD resolution, though), with VRR supported all the way up to this maximum.

All the HDR you'll need is also included, with HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision and HDR10+ all supported.

The UK’s main catch-up TV services are all provided thanks to Google TV, with only the slight omission of no Freeview Play or Freely.

Speakers are provided courtesy of Bang & Olufsen, offering a clean, detailed sound and support for Dolby Atmos and DTS: X. We found the speakers to be somewhat bass-light, but they still provide commendable sound for the price.

We called the C7K a "performance-per-pound champ" in our review, because there are, quite frankly, more features here than you have any right to expect for the price. That price has just got even better – the TCL C7K is now just £749 at Currys.

MORE:

Read our full 65-inch TCL C7K review

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

And the best OLED TV: 5 incredible sets for serious movie fans reviewed by our experts

We're almost a third of the way through 2026, and if there's one takeaway from the world of TVs, it's that maybe too much is happening.

I'm deeply immersed in the release schedules and latest technologies tied to the likes of Samsung, LG, Sony, Philips, Panasonic, Hisense and TCL, and yet even I'm finding 2026 to be one of the most confusing years for TVs to date.

Part of that is a good thing, as we're getting lots of exciting innovations this year, which are sure to define generations of TVs to come, but they're ultimately meaningless if the messaging is unclear.

I've been catching up with the brands mentioned above since January, getting behind-the-scenes access to some of the more exciting TVs to launch this year. But, despite my extensive access to TV experts from said brands, I still have plenty of unanswered questions...

RGB Mini LED: mid-range marvel or premium panel tech?

The biggest TV news of 2026 is that practically every TV manufacturer is launching new backlit TVs with this state-of-the-art panel technology.

RGB Mini LED looks to be the successor to Quantum Dot Mini LED, as it strips away the QLED layer and swaps a white backlight for individual red, green and blue LEDs in the pursuit of greater colour accuracy and backlight control.

On paper, this sounds great, and we've even seen a few impressive sets, including the Hisense UR8 and TCL RM9L, in action. We've also just been treated to a demo of Sony's True RGB system.

The issue is that these companies can't decide where to position RGB Mini LED. And this lack of clarity on its place in the pecking order is already causing confusion.

Samsung and Hisense seem to be championing it as flagship technology, meaning it's reserved for premium models that sit alongside (or, in some cases, above) OLED TVs. Samsung's R95H appears to sit alongside the brand's S95H QD-OLED this year, which can only signify that the Korean AV giant sees it as a top-of-the-line technology.

Philips and LG, on the other hand, maintain that it sits below their respective OLEDs. Philips has been more open about this, as it claims "OLED is still the reference", and the company's mid-range MLED981 sits below even the entry-level OLED761.

So, which one is it? Is this new panel tech best suited to flagships? Or is it not capable of challenging even some of the most affordable OLEDs on the market?

Is OLED in trouble?

We were blindsided by two prominent OLED TV manufacturers, Sony and Panasonic, essentially selling off their TV businesses to Chinese firms, TCL and Skyworth. The latter is only handling Panasonic's European TV division.

Both Japanese giants are known for producing high-quality, and often fairly pricey, OLED TVs, but that may be about to change. While we can't speak entirely for Sony, we do know TCL's firm anti-OLED stance (specifically for TVs, the company uses OLED for mobile and automotive displays), so we don't have high hopes.

What we can presume is that Sony likely won't launch a premium OLED TV this year, as it now employs an unconventional release schedule, where each model is only refreshed every two or three years – or in the case of the A90K, possibly longer. The Bravia 8 II launched last year, so we expect this to stick around until 2027.

Speaking of not launching a new premium OLED, Panasonic confirmed that the Z95B will continue as its flagship offering in 2026. As it stands, the entry-level Z86C will be the only new OLED from the legendary Japanese AV company this year.

Pair that with the LG G6 being the first in the series to not score five stars (you can read our full LG G6 65-inch review here), things are already looking interesting for this year's What Hi-Fi? Awards judging process.

All we'll say is that it's a good job that the LG C6 is a simply superb OLED TV, as it might be among a modest cohort of new models this year.

Is Dolby Vision 2 really coming this year?

The final slightly baffling hot topic in the TV world is Dolby Vision 2. Now, I've seen it in action a couple of times, and I have to say that it looks superb, but there are so many unanswered questions.

Hisense and TCL were announced as launch partners at IFA 2026, and yet neither referenced it at their respective launch events in Europe last month. Furthermore, when questioned about it, Hisense confirmed that it should be coming to its 2026 TVs, but possibly not at launch. Instead, it'll likely be added via a software update down the line.

Philips, on the other hand, made no qualms about Dolby Vision 2 Max being supported on its 2026 OLEDs, including the OLED911. This feels more promising, especially when LG and Sony have remained especially tight-lipped about the new HDR format for quite some time.

There is, of course, the issue of Dolby Vision 2 content. To our knowledge, the only services that will support Dolby Vision 2 are Canal+ and NBC's Peacock service, neither of which really has the mainstream draw of Netflix, Disney+ or Amazon Prime Video.

It is, of course, early days, so we could see more services pick the format up, but the creation of Dolby Vision 2 content is still a mystery right now.

Looking to a buy a TV now? Here's my advice...

If you're in the market for a TV now, my honest advice would be to hold out until we gain a little more clarity.

The best TV that we've tested this year (so far) is the LG C6, and while it is brilliant, it's also expensive right now. We expect this price to drop steadily throughout the year, as the C5 and C4 did, so your patience should be rewarded.

We're also yet to review any of the new RGB Mini-LED models, so if you can wait until we make a judgment on these upcoming TVs, we'd recommend doing so. It's entirely possible that RGB Mini LED could surpass OLED in terms of picture performance, but we won't know until we try them ourselves.

And if you're confused by the state of the TV world in 2026, then don't worry – we live and breathe TVs here, and even we're feeling a bit overwhelmed.

MORE:

Read our full LG C6 65-inch review

The LG C series is a bit of a mess right now, and it's all the better for it

Check out our picks for the best OLED TVs

We are well into April, and not only is the weather looking up, but so too is the scope for finding tempting TV, AV and hi-fi deals.

And we've tracked down a superb selection this week, which includes a sprinkling of five-star products from some of the biggest names in the business, including Bowers & Wilkins, Samsung, TCL, Technics, and many more.

See below for the full list and rundown of why some of these products should be on your shopping list.

Also, stay tuned for more deals next week…

We think you'll agree there's something for everyone here.

The Samsung HW-QS700F Dolby Atmos soundbar delivers a great feature set, including HDMI connectivity and a compact wireless subwoofer. It also produces a punchy sound and impressive bass performance that's above what many rivals around this money can offer. And with a mammoth £361 discount, you're saving a small fortune too!

If you're looking for a convenient stand-alone music streamer solution that doesn't cost the earth, there's money to be saved on Cambridge Audio's excellent MXN10. It's compact enough to slip into any hi-fi system and offers a control app which makes it easy to set up and a breeze to use. With £100 off, it's all you could really wish for from a product of this type at this kind of price.

Alternatively, if you want to stream music but also have a pile of CDs you want to keep hold of and enjoy, then we seriously suggest taking a closer look at the Technics SL-G700M2. It's a versatile product with an eye-catching £500 off. Build quality is excellent, you're provided with extensive connectivity options, a thorough feature set and a sound that delivers excitement in spades, whether streaming from your service of choice or spinning your favourite CDs.

Deals on Award-winning floorstanding speakers can be hard to come by, which is why we just had to highlight a £100 saving on the excellent Fyne Audio F501E. They are seriously talented performers for the money that deliver a focused, expressive and fun presentation no matter the music played through them.

We've also got two TVS for you at different ends of the price spectrum. The 50-inch TCL C6KS is an absolute bargain for the money. Its specs look great on paper, and it backs this up with five-star picture quality, with its excellent brightness and contrast being two particular highlights.

Those looking for a more premium set might be tempted by the 65-inch version of Samsung's QN90F flatscreen. As an alternative to OLED, this Mini LED set puts forward quite a convincing case, aided by a sizeable £600 discount. It offers a punchy, detailed picture and impressive gaming specs.

MORE:

Our pick of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars you can buy

And the best music streamers out there

Need something to listen to? Here are the best music streaming services we've tested

April is usually when practically every TV manufacturer has officially unveiled its lineup of TVs for the year, and I've had the pleasure of seeing almost every new model in the flesh.

From new Primary RGB Tandem OLED flagships, to game-changing RGB Mini LED sets, and even affordable mid-range models (both Mini LED and OLED), the 2026 TV market is officially in full swing after a busy string of launches.

I started my year at CES, where Samsung and LG stole the spotlight with flagship OLED TVs, and from there I've attended hands-on events with Panasonic, Philips, Hisense and TCL to see each company's respective new TV ranges.

While we're still yet to hear from Sony about what it has up its sleeve (especially in the wake of its partnership with TCL), it's looking like a majority of the big players in the TV world have locked in their lineups.

I've selected the five that have caught my eye most at these events, and even included a bonus option which boasts some major improvements over its disappointing predecessor.

1. Philips OLED911

Kicking things off with Philips, the OLED911 is a sequel to one of my favourite TVs of 2025. The OLED910 offered up a picture experience that truly rivalled the Award-winning Sony Bravia 8 II, and there was no competition when it came to sound performance.

Its sequel, the OLED911, was unveiled at Philips' Unboxed Event in Berlin last month, and it stole the spotlight at the showcase.

It sports a second-generation Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel with an even higher claimed brightness figure than its predecessor and improved anti-reflective qualities to combat glare from ambient light.

Furthermore, it features a major upgrade for gamers: four HDMI 2.1 sockets (all of which support up to 4K/165Hz with VRR and ALLM), and it is also the first OLED TV in the world to support Dolby Vision 2 Max.

Rounding things off with the improved 81W Bowers & Wilkins sound system, which includes a slimmer rear-mounted subwoofer with four passive radiators, and dedicated left, right and centre channels, all of which feature dual 45mm midrange glass-fibre drivers alongside a 19mm titanium-dome tweeter.

This TV is feature-packed, and it comes in a slick new design as well, which makes it one of my top TVs to watch out for in 2026.

Read our Philips OLED911 hands on review

2. TCL C7L

While the pricey OLEDs are unquestionably the more eye-catching sets I've seen at these events, I've also been on the lookout for some of the more affordable options, which are guaranteed to shake up the mid-range TV market in 2026.

Case in point, the TCL C7L, which is a follow-up to the Award-winning C7K. Spotted at the company's Nxt Home launch in Paris last month, the C7L stood out thanks to its new Super Quantum Dot Mini LED (SQD-Mini LED) display, which promises more dimming zones, higher brightness figures, and better colour accuracy.

It's got big shoes to fill, but the TCL C7L promises to make some big picture upgrades over its five-star predecessor, which was enough to get me excited during my brief hands-on time with the new Mini LED set.

Read our TCL C7L hands on review

3. Samsung S99H/S95H

If we were giving out an Award for the luxurious TV of 2026, then Samsung's new S99H (S95H in the US) would have already won.

This new flagship OLED TV sports a brighter QD-OLED panel (Samsung claims there's a 700 nit upgrade in the TV's movie picture mode), and there have also been reported improvements to colour reproduction and banding visibility in lower-quality content.

Samsung has also made some changes to the One Connect system. The TV sports four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 sockets housed within the main chassis. However, there is also an optional wireless One Connect box, which expands this to a whopping eight HDMI 2.1 sockets.

These upgrades sit inside a new, premium chassis that incorporates a Frame-style metal bezel, on which the QD-OLED panel sits to create a floating effect. I've seen this TV wall-mounted, and paired with the matte display finish, it really does look like a work of art.

I was treated to an early sighting of this TV at Samsung's headquarters in Suwon, South Korea, and was there to see its official unveiling at CES 2026. Despite being severely jet-lagged in both instances, this TV was an absolute showstopper at both events.

Read our Samsung S95H hands on review

4. Hisense UR8

2026 is a big year for backlit TVs, as the next generation of Mini LED panel technology is here.

RGB Mini LED was introduced on a handful of 2025 TVs, namely a 115-inch Samsung model and a 116-inch Hisense. It should come as no surprise that these gargantuan TVs with their first-generation panel technology are wildly expensive.

Thankfully, that's all about to change in 2026. Hisense isn't the only company to welcome the new panel technology into its line up this year; however, it wants to be known as the RGB Mini LED brand, and the UR8 is just one of its new models.

With promises of high brightness figures and rich, pure colours, Hisense is really going all-in on the new panel technology, which hopes to succeed Quantum Dot Mini LED.

Interestingly, I've opted for the cheapest RGB Mini LED in the range, which I came face-to-face with in Munich, Germany, last month.

This is mostly because I, and many others, presumed that a new panel technology would equal huge introductory price tags, and yet Hisense claims that this step-down model – which comes in 55-, 65- and 75-inches – will hit the market at a "competitive" price.

Read our Hisense UR8 hands on review

5. Panasonic Z86C/Z85C

Speaking of step-down TVs, Panasonic has only announced one new OLED TV this year, and it's unfortunately not a successor to the excellent Z95B from 2025. Instead, Panasonic (which is now producing its European TVs in collaboration with Chinese AV brand Skyworth) unveiled the Z86C (Z85C in Europe) at its event (also in Munich) earlier this year.

This entry-level OLED TV sports LG Display's new OLED SE panel technology, which removes the polariser to cut back on costs. This will, of course, reduce the TV's ability to combat glare and reflections, but for dark-room viewing, the Z85C should be just fine.

With its 120Hz refresh rate, supported by two HDMI 2.1 sockets, the Z86C is also a solid choice for gamers. In my brief experience with the TV, I found that even at this entry-level point with a stripped-back panel, the contrast and black depths that OLED brings to the table were unquestionably great, even if this TV didn't quite rival its Award-winning Z90B counterpart.

Read our Panasonic Z86C hands on review

Bonus: Sony Bravia 3 II

I'm sneaking in this TV as a bonus option, and I'm even breaking my own rules here as it's not a TV I've seen in the flesh. It's no secret that the Sony Bravia 3, which I reviewed last year, was a bit disappointing, especially by Sony's usually excellent TV standards.

It ultimately came down to the hardware limitation; the Bravia 3 featured a 60Hz direct-lit LED panel with no QLED layer, which made it feel quite expensive, especially considering it outpriced the Award-winning TCL C7K (which featured a 120Hz QD-Mini LED display).

I have to give credit where credit is due though; Sony has come back with a MKII refresh which directly addresses my gaming-focused concerns, and it even brings something new to the table for Sony TVs.

While we don't get Mini LED or even QLED here, it does now feature a 120Hz panel and four, yes four, HDMI 2.1 sockets to support gaming features.

Better yet, the Bravia 3 II now comes with Sony's XR processor, which has worked wonders in its more expensive TVs, especially when it comes to enhancing the sharpness and solidity of the image.

While I feel as though Sony could (and probably should) have crammed in another upgrade or two, these are certainly steps in the right direction. Unfortunately, this TV isn't currently slated to come to the UK yet, meaning we'll have to wait to see if this TV is an improvement over its predecessor.

Find out more about the Sony Bravia 3 II here

MORE:

Read our full LG C6 65-inch review

Check out our picks for the best OLED TV

As well as the best Mini LED TV

TCL ruled the affordable TV roost in 2025.

The 65-inch C8K is the best premium TV that we've seen from the brand to date, and the genuinely cheap 50-inch C6KS took home a What Hi-Fi? Award thanks to its excellent picture quality and diminutive price tag.

However, the sweet spot from the Chinese AV giant's 2025 range is the C7K. We called it the "performance-per-pound champ" thanks to its "super-aggressive pricing, much-improved Mini LED backlighting and expansive Quantum Dot colour"; it should be pretty clear why we like this TV as much as we do.

So, you can imagine our delight when we came face-to-face with its successor, the C7L, during the company's Nxt Home event in Paris. While our first encounter was fleeting, the claimed upgrades are enough to pique our interest.

We have a few initial thoughts and some impressive specs to share, but our complete review will come further down the line, once we've fully tested the C7L in our dedicated AV testing facility.

Price

TCL hasn't shared pricing information for the C7L yet, but it promises that it's coming soon. As long as it can get the price on par with the C7K, we'll be happy.

We reviewed the 65-inch version of that TV at £899 initially; however, at the time of writing, it can be snagged for just £749. That's mind-boggling value for a TV of this size and ability, so we hope TCL is equally aggressive with this sequel.

Design

As you'll see from our hands-on pictures, TCL opted to showcase the C7L by mounting it on a wall. That makes judging the build quality and design fairly tricky.

We have seen photographs of the TCL C7L with its stand attached, though, and it looks almost identical to the C7K.

That means we can expect a fairly substantial centrally mounted pedestal stand and slim bezels surrounding the screen; that said, the pictures we've seen suggest this TV may be slightly slimmer than its predecessor.

If we're being honest, the build wasn't exactly the highlight of last year's C7K. It's quite a chunky and plasticky TV, though (as we mentioned in our full review), that's to be expected for "a premium TV being sold for a barely even mid-range price".

Features

Here's where things get exciting.

TCL is introducing the next generation of its Quantum Dot Mini LED panel technology this year, and it sounds like the C7L will be among a handful of models (including the C8L and X11L) getting a superpowered upgrade.

The new panel technology is called Super Quantum Dot Mini LED (or SQD-Mini LED for short), and it incorporates a few key picture upgrades.

TCL highlights its new Deep Colour System, which it claims will help to reduce colour bleed between light and dark areas, so colours remain natural and authentic in scenes with challenging contrast.

Furthermore, TCL says that there has been a 33 per cent improvement in colour gamut performance and a 69 per cent improvement in colour dot accuracy, which should result in richer, more authentic colours and enhanced subtlety and precision, respectively.

On top of this, TCL is touting better light control as part of its new SQD-Mini LED panels. It has blooming in its sights, and it says that it aims to "effectively minimise" the presence of the halo effect through its All-Domain Halo Control System.

Realistically, we're not expecting an OLED-level experience here, but TCL is promising a "more natural and immersive" experience when it comes to the most challenging hurdle for most backlit TVs.

Speaking of the backlight, TCL has been very forthcoming with the C7L's number of dimming zones and claimed peak brightness figures.

The 55-inch model will reportedly sport 800 precise dimming zones, the 65-inch version will have 1152 dimming zones, the 75-inch model will feature 1352 dimming zones, the 85-inch version will have 1624, and the 98-inch screen size will cram in an impressive 2176 precise dimming zones.

Brightness-wise, TCL says that the 55-inch model will max out at 2700 nits, whereas the other models (65- to 98-inches) will feature a slightly higher peak brightness figure of 3000 nits. For reference, the 65-inch C7K that we tested had a claimed peak brightness of 2600 nits.

TCL is also outfitting the C7L with its HVA 2.0 Pro Panel technology, which should supposedly support wide viewing angles of up to 178 degrees, and greatly reduce reflectivity, even in high-brightness environments (making this, on paper, ideal for daytime living-room viewing).

As is the case with its existing range, the C7L continues the company's HDR agnostic approach. This means it supports Dolby Vision (with Dolby Vision IQ and Dolby Vision Gaming), HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG. Sound is also covered thanks to Dolby Atmos support, and this TV is among a select few to natively support Dolby Atmos FlexConnect.

We'll quickly touch on built-in audio, too. TCL is continuing its partnership with Danish high-end hi-fi brand Bang & Olufsen, and this TV (like its predecessor) sports a sound system that's been tuned by B&O.

TCL didn't go into much detail regarding driver configurations or power output, but we expect something similar to the C7K's sound system.

Gamers should also feel right at home on the C7L.

The TV sports a native 144Hz refresh rate with VRR, although TCL's Game Accelerator feature will reportedly allow you to double the refresh rate to 288Hz (at Full HD resolution rather than 4K), while also retaining VRR.

TCL also claims that it has reduced latency on this new model for improved response time, and ALLM is also supported.

Finally, the C7L will support Google TV for a wide range of streaming apps. Based on our experience with the C7K, we expect it to carry the version that supports all of the terrestrial UK streaming platforms, alongside the ever-expanding list of global streaming apps.

Picture quality

As is the case with many of the TVs that we see at these hands-on events, the C7L featured a looping roll of demo content that doesn't entirely represent real-world content.

Furthermore, it looked as though the C7L wasn't in one of its most authentic picture modes, but that's to be expected, as TCL wants to show off this TV's new brightness and colour capabilities to their fullest.

This seems to have worked, as the C7L was mounted on a wall with several other TVs, and yet it stood out the most among the bunch. This is mostly due to the rich, vibrant colours exhibited by the set, paired with the improved brightness.

While this did throw up some over-saturated colours – notably in the case of some concerningly neon foliage – we're fairly sure we could wrangle these colours back into a more natural state by switching over to Filmmaker Mode.

One of the demo shots simply showed a white TCL logo on an all-black background, and while it's early days, we were impressed by how deep the blacks looked for a backlit TV.

The blooming control around the TCL logo was fairly impressive too: while there was unquestionably a white glow around the company's logo, it seemed fairly localised and controlled.

We'll need to test the C7L further, in a more accurate picture mode, to further assess colour accuracy, motion and detail levels with real-life content, but we can certainly see where TCL is going with this SQD-Mini LED panel tech from this brief introduction.

Sound quality

Disappointingly, TCL didn't demo the C7L's built-in sound system. Despite it carrying the name of a notable high-end hi-fi manufacturer, we didn't get to hear it at TCL's event, so we'll have to reserve judgment for this section until our full review later this year.

What we can say is that the C7K sounded pretty good during our testing, so we hope that TCL continues this trend. We commended its clean, detailed sound, which conveyed an open mid-range and impressive treble, which covers much of the day-to-day listening requirements.

However, we found that it held back slightly when it came to producing low-end frequencies, which left the sound feeling somewhat unbalanced, especially when it came to dense cinematic soundtracks.

On our wishlist for the C7L is more bass, which should help to round out an already impressive sound system nicely.

Early verdict

We'll need to test the C7L in our dedicated home cinema testing space to reach a final verdict, but this is so far shaping up to be another impressive mid-range TV.

With a souped-up panel and a long list of specs to suit cinephiles and gamers alike, the C7L could be another compelling Mini LED TV – so long as TCL gets the pricing right.

MORE:

Read our TCL C8L hands-on review

As well as our TCL X11L hands-on review

And check out our picks for the best Mini LED TVs

Samsung’s old dominance of the budget TV market has been severely challenged in recent years, most notably by the likes of Hisense and, especially, TCL.

Can the 65-inch U8000F do enough within its measly price to make the Korean brand the king of TV value once more?

Price

In the UK and US, at least, being able to bag a 65-inch Samsung U8000F for £469 / $430 really does look like a potentially huge bargain.

It’s perhaps not quite such an eye-catching deal in Australia, but when all is said and done, even AU$1299 hardly looks excessive for a 65-inch TV with the usually dependable Samsung name attached.

There are, as we’ll come to later, plenty of reasons why this TV is so affordable. These reasons don’t, though, include anything that might automatically disqualify it from being a potentially good performer for its money.

Not surprisingly, in today’s TV world, the strongest competition for the U8000F comes from TCL – in particular from the C7K and C6KS models, the 65-inch versions of which cost in the UK £829 and £479 respectively. The latter model actually adds local dimming and Mini LED lighting to the equation, despite costing more or less the same as the Samsung U8000F.

Design

The 65-inch U8000F is predictably built predominantly from fairly lightweight plastic. This makes it easy to move around, though, and actually, its bodywork still feels decently rigid and robust. That’s helped, perhaps, by the use of some attractively integrated ribbing in parts of the rear panel.

It’s fairly chunky around the back by today’s TV standards, making it a slightly awkward-looking wall hanging option – but you don’t notice its depth so much when it’s mounted on its pair of included feet.

These feet handily just slot and lock into holes on the screen’s underside, without the need for any screws. They’re positioned quite wide apart, however, meaning you’ll need a fairly wide TV stand to accommodate the TV.

The U8000F’s bezel tastefully sits more or less flush with the screen it holds, and is narrow enough when viewed head-on to prevent you from spotting the bodywork’s fundamentally plasticky nature.

The TV ships with two remote controls. One is an old-school looking chunky affair with a full button count, while the other is a much sleeker number with a nice polished finish and much reduced button count. It doesn’t carry a solar panel like the ‘smart’ remotes you get with Samsung’s premium TVs, but it’s comfortable to hold and easy to use.

Features

The panel at the 65-inch U8000F’s heart is understandably fairly basic by Samsung LCD standards. It’s lit by big ol’ regular-sized LEDs rather than Mini LEDs, and its backlighting doesn’t benefit from any sort of true local dimming system. It’s only a native 60Hz panel, too, which may limit its appeal to gamers with 120Hz (or more) consoles or PCs.

Most surprisingly of all, it doesn’t get a colour system built around Quantum Dots. Instead, as with all of Samsung’s U series TVs of the past few years, it gets something called PurColour, backed up by a Crystal 4K processor that’s a good few notches down in power and sophistication from Samsung’s Neo QLED processors.

If this PurColour system can still map colours accurately and subtly, though, it could still be enough to help the U8000F stand out from the budget TV crowd.

The TV supports high dynamic range video, including in the premium HDR10+ format. There’s no Dolby Vision, though; it seems like hell will need to freeze entirely over before Samsung joins most other TV brands in bringing Dolby Vision to its TVs.

The U8000F’s smart features and interface are provided by Samsung’s home-grown Tizen OS. This would normally be fine; Tizen now carries basically every streaming and catch-up TV service almost anyone could want, bar Freeview Play and Freely. You can operate the TV and find content by talking to it, too, via Samsung’s Bixby system or an external Alexa device. It maintains a dedicated Game Hub screen from which you can access streamed gaming apps or any game consoles or PCs you have connected.

Unfortunately, though, the 65-inch U8000F struggles with the demands of the latest Tizen system, typically running very sluggishly when it comes to opening menus, and booting up apps and streaming services.

While the U8000F’s lack of 120Hz support for gaming is unfortunate (if hardly surprising for such a cheap TV), it does have a few other gaming tricks up its sleeve. These include ALLM switching, VRR support and the HGiG system, whereby the TV essentially passes HDR output control to your Xbox or PlayStation console.

The set also takes just 9.7ms to render graphics when running in its Game mode – one of the lowest such figures we’ve measured.

Picture settings, meanwhile, include a Filmmaker Mode, raising hopes of an easily accessible route to accurate picture quality for AV enthusiasts, as well as Samsung’s suite of Picture Clarity tools for making pictures look cleaner and sharper. The Picture Clarity options here, though, do not include a blur reduction system as you get with more premium Samsung TVs; there are only noise reduction and judder reduction components to play with.

The U8000F’s sound is delivered by a fairly basic 2 x 10W sound system, bolstered by Samsung’s Q Symphony and OTS Lite features. Q Symphony lets the TV’s speakers join forces with those in Samsung soundbars, while OTS Lite uses nifty audio processing to try to make specific sounds appear to be coming from the correct part of the screen.

Connections on the U8000F, finally, comprise a trio of HDMI ports, a single USB-A port, an Ethernet port, the RF jack, a CI slot and, of course, wi-fi and Bluetooth wireless options.

Picture

The U8000F is very much a tale of two picture settings, looking very respectable for its money in its Standard mode, but struggling to meet the demands of AV enthusiasts with its Filmmaker Mode.

Starting with the good news, the Standard mode’s pictures immediately look surprisingly bright by budget TV standards. There’s a very clear step up in brightness between SDR and HDR content, as well as a mild expansion in the HDR image’s colour range. Enough in both cases to make HDR look convincing and surprisingly natural – helped by the presence of a surprisingly effective dynamic tone mapping system (a feature that’s by no means a given at the sort of price level the U8000F is operating at).

The TV’s brightness in Standard mode sits alongside some quite respectable black tones for such an affordable TV. This makes dark scenes comfortable to watch, and creates a degree of contrast that again helps to sell the idea that this is a more HDR-friendly TV than most of its similarly priced rivals.

We should stress that we’re not talking about depths of black in dark scenes of the sort you’d get with an OLED or premium LCD TV – there’s always a hint of grey to remind you that you’re watching a fairly affordable LCD screen – but the impact of this is mild by cheap TV standards.

Dark scenes contain plenty of shadow detail on the U8000F, too, avoiding that flat, hollow look so commonly encountered with budget TVs. Especially budget TVs that are as focused on producing a convincing black tone as this Samsung model seems to be.

The U8000F’s pictures are also sharp enough to look definitively 4K – and thanks to some crisp upscaling, this feels pleasingly true with HD sources as well as native 4K.

The sharpness does dip, though, due to some resolution loss over moving objects that none of the available Picture Clarity settings can completely fix (though choosing a Custom setting with Judder Reduction set to level four or five can at least reduce the impact of the screen’s quite strong native judder with 24fps sources).

There are a couple more Standard mode niggles to report as well. First, very bright picture areas can clip a little, meaning they lose subtle shading information and end up looking so stark that they draw too much attention to themselves (though this reduces with Dynamic Tone Mapping active). Second, colours in relatively dark scenes can ‘clump’ a little, so that very detailed areas such as grass or leaves become a bit rough and ill-defined.

You can also sometimes notice a slightly distracting lag between the backlight system dimming and brightening during scenes that feature abrupt cuts between dark and light shots, and finally, there’s a narrow stripe of light leakage running down the left and right sides of the picture – though this is only generally visible in the black bars above and below 21:9 and similar-ratio films. It’s typically too faint to appear where there’s any sort of picture information other than pure blackness on the screen.

While it’s good to find a very affordable TV that is ambitious enough to carry a Filmmaker Mode, unfortunately, that mode isn’t much fun to watch on the U8000F.

Clipping, for instance, becomes quite extreme without any Dynamic Tone Mapping in play, while motion looks both juddery and soft.

Colours feel flatter in Filmmaker Mode, too, and the image generally lacks impact. Perhaps the biggest issue with Filmmaker Mode, though, is that for some reason, perhaps due to its reduced brightness and contrast, dark scenes suddenly reveal multiple areas of backlight clouding at various points across the screen. You can reduce the impact of this if you watch in a little ambient light, but it’s a shame this feels necessary.

Dark scenes look generally a little greyer in Filmmaker Mode, too, and this greyness can also sometimes take on a slightly green or blue tint.

Not everything about the Filmmaker Mode is a bust. Colours look slightly more even-handed and nuanced, which contributes in particular to a touch less colour clumping in densely textured areas. Shadow detail is still strong, too, despite the extra clouding. Ultimately, though, the Filmmaker Mode’s slightly more nuanced feel in some areas isn’t enough to make it the sort of instant cinematic hit that movie fans might have hoped for.

There’s one more issue to mention, too, that actually affects all of the U8000F’s picture settings: viewing angles. View the TV from really any sort of angle, and the VA panel design causes contrast to take a substantial hit, with parts of the picture that should be black taking on a vivid blue-grey tone. Basically, if your room layout requires lots of people to routinely watch this TV from the side, it’s probably not the TV for you.

Sound

The first thing to say here is that we recommend pretty much always turning the U8000F’s Amplify sound mode on. Without it, the sound tends to feel small and trapped inside the TV.

Even with Amplify mode on, the U8000F’s sound doesn’t exactly shake your foundations. There isn’t much bass depth or presence, and volume levels, even set to maximum, are hardly going to burst your eardrums.

While we might have wished for the U8000F’s sound to give us a bit more, though, what it does give us is actually quite clean and engaging – at least to the extent that the TV seems to understand its speakers’ limitations.

So, bass, while not heavy, seldom distorts or crackles. Treble, while not particularly extended, doesn’t tend to sound harsh or forced. Voices are quite well-rounded and contextualised, and surprisingly, given there are only two speakers in play, the OTS Lite system places voices and spot effects decently accurately in the right place on the screen.

This all makes the sound quite clean and therefore immersive by budget TV standards, making it surprisingly easy to live with.

Verdict

The 65-inch Samsung U8000F is overall a solid TV for its money. It’s up against some stiff and only slightly more expensive competition, and it’s certainly not without its limitations, but provided you aren’t a die-hard cinephile desperately on the hunt for a good Filmmaker Mode, the U8000F’s Standard picture setting actually serves up a cleaner, more balanced, more punchy and above all more consistent performance than most rivals in its class.

SCORES

• Picture 4
• Sound 3
• Features 4

MORE:

Read our review of the TCL C7K

Also consider the TCL C6KS

Read our Mitchell & Brown QLED1811 review

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

The proposed Sony and TCL joint partnership has taken another step forward today, with the new entity to be called 'Bravia Inc'.

This new name has been revealed as part of an announcement that the TCL/Sony takeover of Sony's Home Entertainment business has moved from the "memorandum of understanding" phase announced in January, to a "legally binding definitive agreements" phase.

I don't know about you, but I think 'Bravia Inc' is a pretty cool name, and it also suggests to me a Sony-first focus that I find encouraging.

And there are other details to be encouraged by if you're concerned about the future of Sony TVs and home cinema.

For starters, while we know that TCL will have 51 per cent control of the new company, whereas Sony will have 49 per cent, Bravia Inc will be headquartered in Sony's Tokyo HQ, and its CEO will be Sony's Kazuo Kii.

And, according to a Sony representative, "the two companies will be considered nearly equal partners".

Yes, I do worry about the "nearly" in that quote, but I think the new company being based at Sony and being led by a long-term Sony staffer are positive signs.

I don't want it to seem as though I don't have respect for TCL's involvement here, by the way, because the Chinese brand of course has a lot to offer, but it's the future of the Japanese legend that I'm most concerned for – and I know many readers feel the same.

As I wrote previously, this merger has the potential to be a good thing for both Sony and TCL, if the qualities of each are leveraged in the correct way.

And, indeed, that does appear to be the plan, with the Sony representative explaining that Bravia Inc will marry "Sony’s high-quality picture and sound technology, premium brand value, and operational expertise, alongside TCL’s advanced display technology, global scale, manufacturing footprint, end-to-end cost efficiency, and vertically integrated supply-chain capabilities."

This is what most of us want: Sony's peerless processing and premium products, boosted by TCL's scale and bleeding-edge hardware.

That quote, though, has given me pause for thought: where does OLED factor into all of this?

TCL, famously, cares not for OLED. Its focus is very much on advanced LED backlighting. More zones, more brightness and, as of 2026, so-called 'Super QLED' tech.

The prospect of Sony getting access to this panel technology at the developmental stage and weaving its magic to produce future flagship backlit TVs is naturally tantalising, but will there also be OLEDs in the range? I'm beginning to doubt it.

The beauty of this partnership from a business perspective is presumably that Sony will have first and super-cost-effective dibs on TCL's panel hardware. Does it also want to be buying notoriously expensive OLED panels from LG Display and/or Samsung Display? I don't think so.

Would the TCL (slightly more than) half of Bravia Inc even allow such a thing? Again, I'm not sure.

There is the possibility that TCL will eventually leverage its new inkjet OLED factory for the production of televisions, but that's far from a sure thing, and there's a question mark over how well-suited inkjet OLED panels are for use in TVs anyway.

All of which has got me wondering: could the Bravia 8 II, Bravia 8 and A90K turn out to be Sony's last OLED TVs?

We may not know for a while yet – Bravia Inc isn't expected to start its operations until April 2027 – but I certainly hope not.

In my eyes, OLED is still the best TV technology, and Sony leaving it behind would be a great shame.

MORE:

Read our Sony Bravia 8 II review and Sony Bravia 9 review

Here are our hands-on impressions of the new TCL X11L, TCL RM9L and TCL C8L Super QLED TVs

And these are all of the best TVs you can buy right now

Now this one is a bit bonkers, really.

A full Dolby Atmos home cinema with, practically, a 100-inch screen for three grand? If you had asked me for an estimate on the overall cost of that lot a decade or so ago, I would have had to double that price. At least.

And ease of use? Forget it. This was the realm of the full home cinema projector (with a decent screen) and a good multichannel amplifier with a full surround sound speaker system to go with it – and hours of painstaking set-up to go with it.

Not with this system. Just three components (one of which is really only a bonus) that are a doddle to set up together are all you need for a stunning, cutting-edge home cinema.

The system

• TV: TCL 98C7K (£1999)
• Sound system: Samsung HW-Q990F (£849)
• Console: Sony PlayStation 5 (£400)
• Total system price: £3248

The TV

TCL seems intent on finishing off the projector business – in the home at least – as quickly as possible.

To get this screen acreage on a TV for less than £2000 was complete science fiction a few short years ago. To get it today, and for it to have the performance capabilities it does, is astonishing.

Yet here we are. How TCL has managed to deliver so much TV for so little money is, frankly, beyond us.

The 98C7K is an all-out assault on the super-sized screen market. And it achieves the seemingly impossible: a 98-inch 4K Mini LED TV for a price that would make many 65-inch sets blush.

The raw cinematic impact of a 98-inch picture never grows old, but this TV is far more than just sheer acreage. It is built on a foundation of spectacular picture quality, driven by its Mini LED backlight and Quantum Dot colour system.

TCL claims a mighty 3000 nits of peak brightness, which, when married to more than 2000 separately controlled local dimming zones, results in a picture that is dazzlingly bright and contrast-rich.

Small HDR highlights, such as the glint of metal or the gleam in an eye, look bold and lifelike, while bright daylight scenes maintain much more brilliance than even the best OLEDs can muster up.

TCL’s new ‘Halo Control’ technology is the ace up its sleeve. This impressive tech focuses on greatly reducing the unwanted light halos that can plague local-dimming LCD sets.

While subtle, deliberate clouding is occasionally introduced to disguise potential blooming, the overall result is a beautifully handled performance with contrast, with deep, convincing, neutral black tones and a vibrant, subtle colour palette.

The picture also feels sharper and denser than previous models, holding up nicely even with motion, and the set supports every major HDR format: HDR10, HLG, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision.

The console

Crucially, for the modern living room, the 98-inch C7K is a superb gaming hub.

It supports 4K/144Hz, VRR (including AMD FreeSync Premium Pro), and ALLM, with an input lag of just 13.1ms at 60Hz.

It’s an enormous, responsive window into your gaming worlds – which is why we suggest you include a PS5 in this set-up, and connect it to one of the TV’s two full HDMI 2.1-capable ports.

Gaming on this scale needs to be experienced to be believed, and it would be a shame not to take advantage of the TCL’s talents in this area.

Besides, you can also use the PS5 as a Blu-ray player while you’re saving up for a dedicated machine for your amazing new home cinema.

The sound system

While the enormous telly boasts (or tries to boast, at least) a 6.2.2-channel sound system, designed in conjunction with Bang & Olufsen no less, our usual advice with a big-screen TV holds true, even with one as big as this: invest in decent sound to make the most of your lovely big picture.

And with Samsung’s Award-winning HW-Q990F soundbar system currently available in UK shops for vastly less than the £1699 price at which we believed it worthy of not only five stars, but also a Product of the Year gong for 2025 – our choice of sound booster was clear.

The HW-Q990F is last year's iteration of Samsung’s exemplary all-in-one solution. And it has taken an already spectacular package and turned it into an exemplary one.

The Q990F is an 11.1.4 system, boasting 23 drivers across the main bar, the wireless rear surrounds, and the sub. It supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, and it sounds terrific.

Dialogue sounds excellent, with natural and detailed voices that carry plenty of subtle inflexion.

This carries forth to sound effects, and, as we say in our review: “We have to commend the Q990F’s delivery of Dolby Atmos effects. The ‘bubble of sound’ that we look for in any Dolby Atmos system is well and truly present here, and it’s not just the impressively placed height effects that we like. It's the way that the soundbar and surrounds are so tonally well matched, while the audio processing ensures that sounds move organically between the channels, that truly seals the deal for us.”

The real star of the show is that new subwoofer. Samsung has swapped from a tall, narrow unit to a much more compact, rounded-cube design. Don't be fooled by its smaller dimensions compared with the sub that comes with the Q990D; this one packs an almighty punch.

We find the Q990F’s bass to be rich, powerful, and, most importantly, controlled and dynamic. It’s a huge step up from the previous model. There is a newfound sense of tonal variation in the low-end, making the bass feel more organic and seamlessly integrated into the system as a whole.

The TCL 98C7K and the Samsung HW-Q990F work so well together. The TV’s only real weakness – the inevitable shortfall in sonic ability – is surgically corrected by the soundbar’s greatest strength: its class-leading, controlled, and deeply textured low-end from the new subwoofer.

The verdict

The TCL 98C7K delivers a picture that is utterly dominant and absorbing, with intense brightness and deep contrast, and it does a great job of replicating the look of a premium, high-end cinema display.

The Samsung HW-Q990F soundbar system then adds the scale and immersion to the sound that the picture deserves. The 11.1.4 system’s superb delivery of Dolby Atmos effects – the precise placement of height effects, the organic movement of sound – wraps the enormous visual in a convincing, three-dimensional audio landscape.

You get a full 98 inches of bright, sharp, detailed, and colourful 4K images, backed by a dynamic, cohesive, and deeply immersive surround sound performance – all without the hassle and cost of a separate AVR and countless passive speakers.

Now that, for us, is the definition of a fuss-free cinema. Just make sure your room is big enough for that telly…

MORE:

Read the full TCL 98C7K review and Samsung HW-Q990F review

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

Another week, another bucketload of deals.

Amazon's sale may well have ended, but several other retailers are still offering spring savings across the board.

Highlights include over £1000 off the retro-inspired JBL SA550 Classic amp, as well as the huge 83-inch LG C5 for half price (when you tick the voucher box).

Once again, these are all products we've rated and reviewed ourselves, so they all come with the What Hi-Fi? seal of approval.

Some of these deals really do have to be seen to be believed – so take a look for yourselves, below.

Sony has just taken the wraps off two new TVs, but if you were expecting a new QD-OLED to replace the Bravia 8 II or a successor to the Bravia 9, you might be disappointed.

That's because these two new models are both budget-oriented – and one of them came out in the US last year.

The genuinely new TV is the Bravia 3 II which, as the name suggests, replaces the three-star Bravia 3.

The good news is that the Bravia 3 II features several upgrades over its predecessor.

The most eye-catching of these upgrades is the introduction of four HDMI 2.1 sockets, which, in combination with the 120Hz panel, means the TV supports 4K/120Hz gaming (plus VRR and ALLM) across all of its HDMI inputs.

That's a first for a Sony TV, and hopefully it points the way towards this becoming standard across the brand's range in the future.

The next major upgrade is the processor: the Bravia 3 II receives the XR Processor, which has until now powered only models from the Bravia 5 and up.

This XR Processor brings with it Sony's XR Triluminos Pro technology for wider colour gamut coverage and the XR Clear Image feature for AI-powered upscaling.

Unlike the Bravia 3, the Bravia 3 II also features Netflix Calibrated, Prime Video Calibrated and Sony Pictures Core Calibrated picture presets, which are designed to deliver the most authentic picture quality from their respective streaming services.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Sony has just been in touch to clarify that these calibrated modes won't be present on the Bravia 3 II at launch, but will instead be added at an as-yet unspecified later date]

What hasn't been upgraded, at least on the face of it, is the backlight.

Sony refers to the Bravia 3 II as simply having a 'Direct LED' backlight, and makes no mention of local dimming. That leads us to believe it will, like its predecessor, lack any form of local dimming.

In a world in which TCL offers affordable models with backlights that feature Mini LEDs and 1000+ dimming zones, that's undeniably disappointing, even though Sony has a reputation for squeezing the absolute best out of its hardware.

If you're a UK reader thinking that the Bravia 3 II still sounds like a tempting TV proposition, I'm afraid I have some more bad news: it's not currently scheduled to launch in the UK.

Sony says this is something to do with catch-up app certification, which sounds a little strange, but it does at least seem as though there's a good chance the TV will make it from mainland Europe to the UK at some point in the future.

In the regions in which the Bravia 3 II is launching, it will be available in sizes ranging from a fairly bijou (by modern standards) 43 inches, right up to a whopping 100 inches.

Bravia 2 II

Then we have the Bravia 2 II which, as mentioned, launched in the US last year.

As the name suggests, this TV sits below the Bravia 3 II, and it is in fact the new entry point to the Bravia range (there are models further down in Sony's range, but they're not designated Bravia models).

Once again, this is a 'Direct LED' TV, and as you would expect, it lacks the 120Hz panel and HDMI 2.1 sockets of the Bravia 3 II.

The Bravia 2 II also features Sony's X1 chip, rather than the XR Processor.

As with the rest of Sony's Bravia range, the 2 II features the Google TV smart platform, and it has the Sony Pictures Core app built in.

It will be fascinating to see how much the Bravia 2 II launches for in the UK. It will be available in 43-, 50-, 55-, 65- and 75-inch sizes, and in the US, the 65-inch model currently goes for around $700, which seems a little high in comparison with many TCL models.

We'll update this piece with confirmed pricing when we get it, and we will of course be reviewing the Bravia 2 II just as soon as we can get our hands on one.

MORE:

Check out our Sony Bravia 3 review

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

Sony and TCL are close to reaching a deal for the latter to buy the former’s TV division. The deal is said to be worth $1 billion, Bloomberg reports.

Sony and TCL announced the deal in January. At the time, Sony said that the announcement “reflects an initial memorandum of understanding” and that “further details are still under discussion”.

Now it seems the deal is progressing. It could all be finalised as soon as this month, according to Bloomberg.

This is the first inkling we have had of how much the deal could be worth. The $1 billion figure comes from “people familiar with the matter” who didn’t want to be named because of the sensitive nature of the information.

Talks are said to be “at an advanced stage” but no final decisions have yet been made.

The deal sets up a joint venture for Sony’s home entertainment division, including its Bravia TV brand. It hands 51 per cent of the venture to TCL, with Sony retaining the remaining 49 per cent.

Under the venture, TVs will still be produced carrying the Sony and TCL names, but will use TCL’s screen technology. It is planned to take effect from April 2027.

TCL has been on a run of good form lately, picking up What Hi-Fi? Awards in three of the TV categories at the end of last year. Sony won an Award for the Bravia 8 II.

We have approached Sony and TCL for comment.

MORE:

The best Sony TVs around

Should you buy a TCL TV? Find out here

Hisense vs TCL: which is the best budget TV brand?

Striking the balance between budget and quality when looking for a new TV is tricky, especially when shopping for one under £500, but it's not impossible. And the TCL C6KS, which we consider to be one of the best 50-inch TVs, is about to prove it.

Right now, it can be yours for just £314 at Hughes, which is an unbelievable price considering we already recommended it at full price – but you'll need to make sure you use this discount code.

While the set currently sits at the lowest-ever price we've seen it, just £349, you can secure an extra 10 per cent off with code 'SPRING10' at checkout. It's really as easy as that.

Still not sold? There's plenty more to say about the TCL C6KS that'll explain why we consider it to be the overall best cheap TV on the market right now.

One of the main draws of TCL's model is its Mini LED backlighting with 160 dimming zones, which helps to provide arguably the best picture quality we've seen on a set at this price.

Throw in TCL's new HVA technology, which provides deep blacks, refined shadow details, and better halo control than cheaper TVs are normally capable of, and you should be pretty impressed.

Our expert testers' verdict says it all: "The brightness feels very organic to the 50C6KS’s picture [...] by which we mean that, as well as not generally straining the TV’s black levels and local dimming controls, it doesn’t cause the brightest colours to start looking faded or washed out."

For this price, though, it's not perfect, with motion looking a little soft and some clipping and colour banding from bright HDR highlights. But, I'll repeat, at this price, it's still offering more than you'd expect.

Sonically, we were happy to find that it supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual-X playback, delivering these premium audio formats with more volume and power than expected.

It doesn't manage to beat the performance of even the most affordable soundbars, however, so we recommend that you head to our best budget soundbars page to find a suitable sonic partner.

In terms of connectivity, the TCL model offers three HDMI ports, plus two media-capable USB ports. It also supports all four main HDR formats: HLG, HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision.

Despite some drawbacks, the C6KS manages to overdeliver in pretty much every area where you'd normally have to compromise with a budget TV, which led our experts to say: "The price seems like it must be too good to be true – but it isn’t."

And now, it's even cheaper, dropping to just £314 at Hughes, as long as you use the code 'SPRING10' at checkout.

MORE:

Read our full TCL C6KS review

Check out the best Mini LED TVs on the market right now

And these are the best cheap TVs we recommend

TCL has had a great run of TVs lately, but now the division has suffered a blow. It's been banned from marketing certain models as 'QLED' following a court case with Samsung in Germany, Korea Times reports.

The court ruled that the models in question (including the TCL QLED870 series) do not deliver the kind of colour reproduction expected from quantum dot LED (aka QLED) TVs.

TCL has disputed the claim.

The District Court of Munich I ruled that, in marketing the TVs as 'QLED', TCL's German subsidiary violated the country's unfair competition law.

According to the court, the quantum dot diffusion plates used by TCL didn't improve the colour reproduction as expected. Hence calling the TVs 'QLED' constituted a deceptive trading practice.

QLED TVs work by using a blue light as the backlight. Between this and the panel a quantum dot film is applied to enhance colour reproduction. This results in more precise colours that are more accurately placed within the picture.

TCL claims its TVs do qualify as QLED as it has applied quantum dot particles on diffusion plates.

Following the ruling, TCL can no longer market or sell these TVs, or others using the same technology, as QLED models. The court's ruling is only binding in Germany, but Samsung has launched similar lawsuits in other countries, including the US. So chances are this won't be the end of it.

We would also expect TCL to appeal.

We've contacted both TCL and Samsung for comment, and will update this story if we hear back.

TCL was previously accused of falsely claiming its TVs had QLED status by Hansol Chemical, a Korean manufacturer of materials needed for quantum dot displays. Hansol filed a complaint with the Fair Trade Commission in 2024.

Whatever the merits of the case, TCL's 'QLED' TVs have reviewed very well of late. The C7K and C6KS even won What Hi-Fi? Awards last year. Expect to hear more about this case going forward.

MORE:

Should you buy a TCL TV? Everything you need to know

And the best Samsung TVs around

The best TVs full stop

Last week, I spent the day looking at several of LG’s new 2026 TVs alongside members of the company’s product development team. During that day, one phrase kept popping up: “OLED is still king”.

It’s not a great surprise to hear this from LG. While it was coming from members of LG Electronics rather than the panel-producing LG Display division, the fact remains that the LG organisation as a whole is more heavily invested in OLED technology than any of its rivals.

So, while LG is launching an RGB Mini LED TV this year (somewhat disingenuously under the name ‘Micro RGB’), there’s a sense that the company is responding to market pressure rather than leading with conviction. LG is positioning this MRGB set below its flagship OLED models – and possibly even below the C6, though that will only become clear once pricing is confirmed.

According to LG’s Maarten-Joost Möller, the brand’s MRGB TV is “for people who want to have a huge TV with a lot of brightness”.

“It's specifically a big TV,” he continues, and the one to buy “if [someone doesn’t] want to spend the money on an OLED, because a 90-inch OLED, or even a 75-inch [OLED], sometimes is exceedingly expensive for some people.”

To emphasise the point that this is a pure play for brightness and vibrancy (the MRGB95 can hit a claimed peak brightness of 4000 nits and can reproduce almost 100 per cent of the BT.2020 colour space), LG would demonstrate its RGB Mini LED set only in its Vivid mode during the event.

But while LG clearly has a vested interest in defending OLED in the face of the “OLED killer” claims being made by many of its rivals, I actually rather agree with its “OLED is still king” sentiment.

Now, I haven’t yet seen all of the new RGB Mini LED TVs coming this year, and I’m yet to see TCL’s rival Super Quantum Dot sets in the flesh. But nothing that I have seen over the past 12 months – including some very advanced prototypes – has convinced me that OLED is even particularly close to being toppled as the premium TV tech of choice.

Yes, many of these TVs can go brighter than most OLEDs. And thanks to new RGB LED architectures, they can often reproduce a wider colour volume. But, ultimately, they are all still backlit TVs, and in my view, that immediately puts them on the back foot compared with the self-emissive pixels of OLED.

However advanced Mini LED becomes, it is still fundamentally managing a backlight. Having smaller LEDs increases contrast. Having more dimming zones reduces blooming. Improved optical layers enhance viewing angles. But it’s all mitigation.

OLED, by contrast, doesn’t need to manage light – it simply produces it at a pixel level.

Each pixel is lit individually, so it’s like having 8.3 million dimming zones with perfect, bloom-free contrast, and viewing angles that are more or less flawless. There’s no haloing to suppress, no light bleed to tame, no backlight algorithm trying to guess what should be dark.

Watch a dimly lit corridor scene in Alien: Romulus and the difference becomes clear. The inky blacks of deep space, the pinpricks of harsh industrial lighting, the subtle gradations in shadow – with OLED, those elements coexist naturally. With even the best backlit sets, you are often aware, however faintly, of the system working behind the scenes to keep blooming and grey haze at bay.

These qualities, to me, are far more valuable than another thousand nits of peak brightness. They make for a more immersively cinematic experience, where you’re entirely focused on the film rather than the technical gymnastics your TV is performing to mask the drawbacks of its panel technology.

That’s not to say OLED is perfect. Peak brightness still trails the most extreme Mini LED sets, and very large panels remain expensive. If you want a 100-inch screen with stunning brightness for less than the price of a new car, RGB Mini LED currently can’t be beaten.

But for overall balance – contrast precision, viewing angles, black depth, and cinematic authenticity – OLED still leads.

There’s still every chance that one of this year’s RGB or SQD Mini LED TVs will surprise me and genuinely challenge OLED’s dominance. I hope that happens – competition drives progress, and better picture quality is good for everyone. I’m just struggling to picture it.

OLED will be beaten one day – perhaps by real Micro LED if it ever becomes affordable. But that day isn't today – and I don’t yet see it on the horizon.

For now, at least, I’m inclined to agree with LG.

OLED is still king.

MORE:

Here are the best TVs you can buy right now

Check out our LG G6 hands-on and LG C6 hands-on

The 65-inch TCL C8K is a high-end TV that can now be yours for £1149 at B&Q. That's a huge £450 off the list price and a return to the Black Friday price we saw in 2025.

We awarded it five stars in our testing and praised its extreme brightness, outstanding backlight control and aggressive pricing. There's little not to love.

We even found the set's speakers, thanks to a Bang & Olufsen collab, to be surprisingly effective. With a highly detailed, bright and clean soundstage, there's no requirement to buy a dedicated soundbar.

TCL might just have been 2025's biggest home cinema redemption story, and the C8K is evidence of what the electronics company is capable of.

The key specifications of the TCL C8K include a 120Hz 4K Mini LED LCD panel with Quantum Dot colour and support for all of the key high dynamic range formats, including Dolby Vision and HDR10+.

However, there's a lot of exciting new technology under the hood. TCL's 'Halo Control Technology' aims at dealing with problematic halos of light around bright objects on dark backgrounds, while a new ‘CrystGlow’ WHVA panel promises to enhance luminous efficiency by 97 per cent.

Put that together with a claimed 5000 nits of brightness and 1680 dimming zones, and you get a picture that partners extreme brightness with deep, rich, consistent blacks.

As our TCL C8K review reads: “The 65C8K’s combination of so much brightness and such subtle shading and tonal control, along with some really outstanding 4K sharpness and detail, helps its pictures create a sense of depth and solidity that really lures you into whatever you’re watching.”

Sound benefits from a partnership with premium audio brand Bang & Olufsen and is a clear upgrade over TCL's previous 8 series models – even though we'd like a bit more bass.

Unlike other models with Google TV, the C8K includes all the UK catch-up apps – BBC iPlayer, ITVX, All 4 and My 5 – as well as global players Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and YouTube.

We also recommend checking out the LG C5, which offers an OLED screen for a similar price, but you won't go far wrong with the five-star TCL C8K. Especially now that it's available for £1149 at B&Q.

MORE:

These are the best TVs we have tested

We rate the best OLED TVs

Our picks of the best gaming TVs

They say size isn't everything.

And it's not – there are several other factors to consider when buying home cinema equipment, and we're big fans of some of the best 40-inch TVs – which, yes, is considered small these days.

...but isn't it just nice to enjoy an absurdly big screen every once in a while? There's a reason the cinema still has an allure.

But if you'd like to enjoy a super-sized screen all the time, then we have some deals for you. Highlights include the Award-winning and surprisingly affordable 98-inch TCL 98C7K, with pictures that are as bright, colourful and contrast-rich as they are huge.

There are also savings on the larger models of the LG C5 and Sony Bravia 8A, both of which have been Award winners for their stunning OLED picture. There's also the option to claim £500 cashback from LG if you purchase the C5 – full T&C's here.

Of course, we can't talk about the big screen experience without mentioning projectors. All of the projectors below claim to go up to 300 inches(!) if you have the space – we haven't tested at this size, but we were sufficiently impressed at 100 inches.

The Epson EH-LS9000 and BenQ W2720i are also Award-winners that are great for gaming as well as movies, with the EH-LS9000 brilliantly effective for dark home cinemas, while the W2720i can work just as well in a living room too.

For now, though, check out the deals for some large screens at very reasonable prices:

Panasonic has announced that it’s entered a partnership with Chinese AV brand Shenzen Skyworth, under its parent company Chuángwéi RGB, to secure the future of its OLED, Mini LED and QLED TVs in Europe.

After years of speculation, and confirmation from Panasonic itself that it was looking to restructure and potentially offload its struggling TV business, a deal has finally been struck to ensure that the brand will continue to sell TVs in the UK and European markets.

Announced at Panasonic Experience 2026 in Munich, Chuángwéi RGB’s CEO Peter Zhang confirmed the partnership, and assured members of the press that the company will work alongside Panasonic to continue delivering products that “stay true to Panasonic TVs”.

The deal hands the production, research and development, and sales duties to Skyworth, while Panasonic will provide input in development, using its years of experience in the AV industry to ensure Skyworth continues to produce high-quality sets under the company’s name.

Panasonic will also handle technical support of TVs purchased before March 2026, with this deal set to officially begin on 1st April 2026.

The goal of this strategic partnership (the same term used by Sony and TCL when they announced their respective deal) is to scale up Panasonic’s presence in Europe.

Skyworth promises to leverage its manufacturing, development, resources and scale to expand Panasonic’s presence within this crucial market.

Panasonic has been losing market share to the likes of Samsung, TCL and Hisense in recent years, and the brand wants to regain some of that to solidify its position as a “top five global television brand”.

We also speculate that this deal will greatly reduce the cost of Panasonic TV production.

While we’re happy to see Panasonic soldier on, especially after it produced two five-star TVs last year, in the form of the Z90B and Z95B (both of which roll over into 2026 and will stay in Panasonic’s TV lineup), we can’t help but feel the same pang of scepticism we felt upon Sony announcing that it will sell a majority stake of its home entertainment business to TCL.

That being said, the sentiment that “Panasonic TVs will stay Panasonic TVs” was echoed constantly throughout the company’s press conference on Monday, so we hope that both companies stick to their word here.

MORE:

The Sony and TCL TV merger could be a good thing – as long as each brand stays in its lane

Here's our story on Panasonic's new 2026 TV range

Here are the best TVs you can buy right now

If you’re looking for one of the best Mini LED TVs, chances are you’ve got models from Sony and TCL on your radar.

Two contenders are the TCL C7K (known as the QM7K in the US) and Sony Bravia 5. We've thoroughly reviewed the 65-inch versions of both, and they earned five stars apiece.

But which one should you snap up? The pricier Sony, or TCL’s super value proposition?

That’s what we’re here to help with. Scroll on down, and we’ll help make your decision-making process a painless one.

TCL C7K vs Sony Bravia 5: price

The TCL C7K is definitely the more value-led Mini LED offering here.

The 65-inch model launched at £1399 / $1500 / AU$2295, but it's now available for £849 / $1000 / AU$1376.

Sony’s Bravia 5 is positioned higher. The 65-inch model launched at £1699 / $1799 / AU$2699, but it’s currently available for £1399 / $1400 / AU$1999.

The price drop is welcome, but it still leaves a very significant gap between the two sets.

The Bravia 5 is also “only” available in models varying from 55-98 inches, while TCL offers extra flexibility, offering sets from 50-115 inches.

The largest size will set you back a whopping £7499 (down from £12999) in the UK, but at every other size, the TCL options are noticeably cheaper.

Comparing the 98-inch models in the UK, for example, the Sony will hit your wallet with a £4999 tag, while the same-sized TCL unit can be yours for £1999 at the time of writing.

In short, if your priority is maximum screen and Mini LED firepower per pound, TCL’s pricing is impossible to ignore.

** Winner: TCL C7K **

TCL C7K vs Sony Bravia 5: design

The TCL C7K looks and feels more premium than its price suggests.

A narrow brushed-metal trim frames the screen, while the fairly slim rear section keeps the overall profile tidy – useful if you’re considering wall mounting.

For those sticking to media units, the 65-inch screen is set on a central metal plate stand, and TCL’s wide-neck arrangement includes detachable cable management to keep wiring out of sight.

Sony’s Bravia 5 is thicker, but only by 2mm. On a stand, Sony’s feet are close enough together to work on narrower furniture. You can also raise the screen slightly to make room for a soundbar – a welcome touch.

From the front, the Bravia 5 keeps things smart with a slender frame and a dark grey brushed metal effect finish. Its remote is also compact and comfortable, with visible green speckling that reflects the use of recycled materials.

Both sets feel well-made, but the TCL’s slightly slimmer, cleaner overall profile, and cable management give it the edge.

** Winner: TCL C7K **

TCL C7K vs Sony Bravia 5: features

The TCL C7K is powered by Google TV, complete with Google Assistant voice control, Chromecast, and Apple AirPlay. All UK broadcaster catch-up apps are also present, which isn’t always a given.

HDR support is fully comprehensive too, covering HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+, including the adaptive variants of Dolby Vision and HDR10+ that respond to room conditions.

Gaming support is unusually extensive for the price as well, including 4K/144Hz, plus the option to reach 288Hz at Full HD, alongside VRR up to that ceiling, and a dedicated Game Bar.

The main practical compromise is that only two HDMI sockets are full-bandwidth, and one of those also handles eARC duties.

Sony’s Bravia 5 also runs Google TV, but adds YouView to fill in UK catch-up gaps.

It supports HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision, but not HDR10+. Sony counters with a premium ecosystem and format support elsewhere, including Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, plus IMAX Enhanced support.

The Bravia 5 also includes calibrated picture modes for Netflix, Prime Video, and Sony Pictures Core, and buying the 65-inch model includes 10 free Sony Pictures Core movies.

On the gaming side, you get 4K/120Hz, VRR, ALLM, a Dolby Vision game mode, and Sony’s Perfect for PlayStation 5 conveniences such as Auto HDR Tone Mapping, plus extras such as Gaming Multi-view and PS Remote Play.

If you want the broadest HDR format coverage and the most aggressive headline gaming specs, the TCL is hard to argue with.

But if you want Sony’s streaming modes, IMAX Enhanced, DTS:X, and PlayStation-friendly integration, the Bravia 5 has the richer toolkit.

** Winner: Draw **

TCL C7K vs Sony Bravia 5: picture quality

The TCL C7K’s picture performance is built around two headline specs – 1008 dimming zones and a claimed 2600 nits peak brightness.

In practice, our review found the contrast to be a standout strength, combining intensely bright HDR peaks with notably deep, neutral blacks for the class.

Crucially, it can also keep bright highlights and dark areas on screen together without obvious halos, heavy dimming, or distracting fluctuations, and it avoids the sporadic brightness jumping that can break immersion on more nervous Mini LED implementations.

Colour is another major strength. Standard mode is vibrant and radiantly engaging while still maintaining convincing tonal blending.

Filmmaker Mode is unusually successful for an LCD TV at this level – adhering closely to SDR and HDR standards without collapsing into a dull, washed-out presentation.

The set also earned praise for shadow detail, upscaling, and stable 24p motion handling.

It’s not all rosy, though. A small yellowish patch that sometimes appears beneath the top black bar in widescreen films (which may be sample-specific), and we also noted a tendency for very dark areas to reveal a touch of noise, because it’s extracting so much subtle detail.

Sony’s Bravia 5 takes a different route. It has far fewer local dimming zones, but Sony’s backlight control is on point, delivering bright images for the price category while keeping blacks stable, consistent, and largely free from distracting blooming or flicker.

Shadow detail is especially well judged, helping dark scenes look natural and three-dimensional, and Sony’s processing continues to impress with clean, textured 4K clarity, strong upscaling, and excellent motion handling.

Elsewhere, the Bravia 5 can look a bit greyer in very dark shots than Sony’s step-up models. Extremely complex HDR compositions can appear vaguely cloudy, and viewing from an angle can bring blooming and backlight clouding into view.

We also flagged occasional colour issues in certain dark scenes, and some highlight clipping with Dynamic Tone Mapping.

Overall, the TCL’s brightness, contrast punch, and colour potency are difficult to beat for the money. While the Sony is more refined and controlled, it doesn’t have the same outright HDR impact.

** Winner: TCL C7K **

TCL C7K vs Sony Bravia 5: sound quality

TCL’s switch to a Bang & Olufsen sound system pays off in clarity. We noted a clean, detailed treble performance, and an open midrange that helps vocals and effects breathe.

The trade-off is tonal balance – bass doesn’t extend with the same enthusiasm as the top end, and the presentation can feel slightly treble-led.

We also found that very deep bass can trigger some chuffing or buzzing, and that sound staging can sometimes lose coherence.

Sony’s Bravia 5 counters with detail and mix awareness – it pulls out a lot of information without making individual elements feel artificially spotlighted.

It also places sounds accurately across the screen, lifts dialogue nicely, and creates a spacious soundstage with a slight sense of height. The main limitation is bass weight and depth, which we found a little light, even if it remains controlled.

Both TVs benefit from partnering with one of the best soundbars, but the Sony sounds like the more cohesive and immersive listen overall.

** Winner: Sony Bravia 5 **

TCL C7K vs Sony Bravia 5: verdict

Sony’s Bravia 5 shows how much can be achieved with smart processing and excellent backlight control. Its pictures are bright, stable, and richly textured, with nuanced colour and class-leading motion handling for films.

Add in a precise, detailed sound and a solid set of extras – IMAX Enhanced support, DTS:X, calibrated streaming modes, Sony Pictures Core perks, and PlayStation-friendly features – and it’s a strong all-rounder.

The TCL C7K, though, is impossible to ignore, thanks to its performance and price.

It brings a Mini LED system with far more dimming zones, a claimed peak brightness figure that’s frankly startling at the price, and a picture that’s consistently punchy, deeply contrasty, and richly coloured.

Its gaming spec sheet is also exceptionally broad for the money, and while its sound isn’t perfect, it is still a cut above what you might expect at this level.

If you’re prepared to pay more for Sony’s processing polish, ecosystem features, and sound precision, the Bravia 5 is a rewarding buy.

But if your priority is maximum HDR impact and performance-per-pound, the TCL C7K is extremely hard to beat, which is why we recommend it over its Sony rival for most people.

** Overall Winner: TCL C7K **

The art of finding a good budget TV is a fine one.

There's no shortage of TVs under the £500 mark these days, but finding one that actually delivers the picture and sound goods amongst a sea of three and four-star sets has been a challenge.

But last year, we finally found an affordable, five-star TV that truly delivers: the TCL C6KS. And it's discounted!

The 50-inch TCL C6KS is now back at its lowest-ever price of £349 on Amazon. That's a good £70 off the price we tested at – and an absolute bargain for an Award-winning Mini LED TV.

The TCL C6KS is, quite simply, the best cheap TV we recommend right now.

One of its biggest draws is Mini LED backlighting with 160 dimming zones, a very rare find at this price.

The C6KS is also aided by TCL's new HVA technology, which brings benefits such as wider viewing angles, better contrast and stronger halo control than cheaper TVs can normally manage.

All in all, this results in what is arguably the best picture quality you'll find at this price.

"The 50C6KS’s colours retain better saturations during very dark shots than we would expect to see with a TV at this level, too, while colour volumes (the combination of saturation and brightness) leave the vast majority of similarly priced TVs looking murky and flat by comparison," our TCL C6KS review reads.

"That vibrancy does not come at the expense of subtlety, either. On the contrary, we’re pleasantly surprised by how much refinement and subtle toning the TV retains in areas that are notoriously tricky for affordable TVs, such as skin tones, blue skies, leafy trees and grassy meadows. Nothing feels clumpy or cartoonish."

While we were very impressed overall, it is worth noting that there were some issues with motion-handling, with some movements over-smoothed during movies.

Support for both Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual X is very welcome at this price point, with the premium audio formats delivered with more volume and power than expected.

It's not a patch on even the most affordable soundbars, but it is still able to pick up subtle details in some Dolby Atmos soundtracks that other, more expensive models miss entirely.

All four main HDR formats are also pleasingly on board: HLG, HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. Not even some flagships can say that!

In terms of connectivity, there are three HDMI ports and two media-capable USB ports. Gamers should note these are not HDMI 2.1 ports, however, so games will be limited to 4K/60Hz rather than the 120Hz modern consoles are capable of. VRR and ALLM are included, however.

Considering the price, the TCL C6Ks manages to overdeliver in most areas. It's a current What Hi-Fi? Award winner, and our overall pick for best budget TV – so we have no qualms in recommending the TCL C6KS for £349 at Amazon.

MORE:

Also consider the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED

Check out the best Mini LED TVs on the market right now

And these are the best cheap TVs we recommend

If you’ve decided to snap up one of the best Mini LED TVs (rather than, say, one of the best OLED TVs), chances are you’ve already got TCL and Amazon on your radar.

With that in mind, we’re comparing two 65-inch models against each other – the TCL C7K, and the Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini LED – to see which one deserves your money.

Having thoroughly reviewed both models, you can rest assured that everything is covered in detail to help make your buying decision easier.

TCL C7K vs Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini-LED: price

The 65-inch TCL C7K launched at £1399 / $1500 / AU$2295. It's much cheaper now, though, coming in at £849 / $1000 / AU$1495.

The 65-inch Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini-LED is officially priced at £1150 / $1090 (it's not available in Australia), but it's frequently available for less.

At the time of writing, it's £900 / $960, but we have seen it drop as low as £790 / $895 during Amazon sales events such as Prime Day and Black Friday.

Given that the TCL C7K is cheaper right now but that the Omni Mini LED might well be cheaper at the time you're reading this, we're going to call this round a draw.

** Winner: draw **

TCL C7K vs Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini-LED: design and build

The TCL C7K has a slick, premium aesthetic that belies its accessible price point.

The screen sits within a narrow brushed-metal trim that gives way to a slimmer black rear section, creating an attractive profile that's particularly well-suited to wall mounting.

If you're not going down the wall-mounting route, the central metal desktop mounting plate attaches via a wide-neck arrangement with a detachable cover for cable management, keeping things tidy.

Build quality feels robust throughout, with none of the budget compromises you might expect at this price.

The elongated black remote control rocks a brushed metal-style finish (though it's actually plastic) and feels comfortable in hand. Buttons are numerous but sensibly spaced, with direct access shortcuts for Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube, TCL Channels, and Disney+.

The Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini-LED takes a more utilitarian approach.

This is a fairly chunky television, with its thickness accommodating a built-in rear-firing subwoofer and slightly curved back panel.

While it won't sit flush when wall-mounted, the TV presents a discreet appearance with reasonably slim bezels and an unassuming finish that should blend into most living spaces. Side-facing inputs are recessed far enough to prevent cables from awkwardly jutting out.

However, the Omni Mini-LED's twin-foot stand proves restrictive. The feet slot easily into the TV's bottom edge and lock with screws, but unlike rival Sony sets with similar designs, they offer only one configuration – positioned at the furthest edges of the left and right bottom.

This means the TV won't comfortably fit on narrower furniture, with no central mounting option available to bring the feet closer together.

Both sets succeed within their design briefs, though the TCL's more refined aesthetics, slimmer profile, and superior cable management give it the edge for most homes.

** Winner: TCL C7K **

TCL C7K vs Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini-LED: features

The TCL C7K runs on Google TV, providing comprehensive streaming app access.

TCL's implementation includes all UK terrestrial broadcaster catch-up TV services – something standard Google TV systems typically omit.

It's a pity there's no support for Freeview Play or Freely, but the key individual apps are present. Google Assistant voice control is supported, alongside Apple AirPlay and Chromecast for easy streaming from your phone.

HDR support proves comprehensive too, covering all four key formats: HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+.

The TV even supports the adaptive versions of Dolby Vision and HDR10+ that adjust picture presentation based on ambient room conditions, and the Dolby Vision support extends to a low-latency game mode.

Gaming credentials further impress for the price. The C7K supports 4K at frame rates up to 144Hz, with that figure remarkably jumping to 288Hz at Full HD resolution, thanks to TCL's Game Accelerator technology.

VRR works right up to 288Hz, too, with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro support alongside the core HDMI VRR system. The screen automatically switches to its fast-response Game mode when detecting game sources, rendering 60Hz graphics in just 13.2ms.

A dedicated Game Bar appears when game sources are detected, allowing you to monitor incoming signals and activate aids such as onscreen crosshairs, dark area brightening, and super-wide aspect ratio support for select PC titles.

Connectivity includes four HDMIs (though disappointingly only two support full 48Gbps HDMI 2.1 bandwidth), a single USB port, optical digital audio output, ethernet, and wi-fi/Bluetooth 5.4. One of the gaming-friendly HDMI 2.1 sockets doubles as the eARC connection for soundbar/AVR audio, which feels slightly limiting.

The new Bang & Olufsen sound system replaces TCL's previous Onkyo collaboration, with new high-fidelity speaker designs fed by 60W and capable of handling both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks.

The Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini-LED matches the TCL's gaming specifications almost exactly, offering 4K/144Hz via Gaming Mode (with other presets running at 4K/120Hz), plus VRR and ALLM support.

Like the TCL, it provides four HDMI inputs, but (also like the TCL) just two are full 48Gbps HDMI 2.1 sockets, and one of those doubles as the eARC.

Fire OS delivers excellent application support, with Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, Prime Video, Now, and TNT Sports all present and running at correct resolutions.

HDR support matches the TCL's comprehensiveness, covering HLG, HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision, with the adaptive Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive variants using an ambient light sensor to optimise performance based on the environment.

While Fire OS includes numerous advertisements throughout the interface, navigation remains straightforward, and the voice control is effective. UK and local catch-up services are present and functional.

The built-in 2.1 sound system carries Dolby Atmos certification, with the integrated subwoofer providing additional low-end presence compared with standard TV speakers.

Both sets deliver strong feature packages with near-identical gaming credentials and comprehensive HDR support, so we're calling this round a draw.

** Winner: draw **

TCL C7K vs Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini-LED: picture quality

The TCL C7K makes an immediate impact. With 1008 dimming zones and a claimed 2600 nits of peak brightness, it delivers an explosive HDR performance that punches well above its price bracket.

The brightness and contrast prove superb, with deep blacks maintaining their intensity against brilliant highlights.

The sheer punch and vibrancy can be breathtaking, particularly in the Standard preset, where colours look radiantly beautiful – combining vivid intensity with exceptional tonal subtlety.

Crucially, the C7K maintains this impressive contrast even in mixed-brightness scenes, delivering bright highlights against dark backdrops without distracting halos or significant dimming compromises.

Shadow detail reproduction proves excellent, too, actually surpassing some more expensive models in revealing information in dark areas without excessive brightness. The backlight system operates with remarkable consistency, avoiding noticeable brightness fluctuations during scene transitions.

The Filmmaker Mode delivers pictures that follow established HDR and SDR standards impressively closely, too, without looking drab or washed out – a common pitfall for LCD TVs with less accomplished native screen talents.

Colour accuracy across a huge spectrum looks impeccable, with every tone balanced beautifully against the rest.

The latest AIPQ Pro processor also upscales HD sources to 4K very handily, adding sharpness and density without exaggerating noise, while motion handling at 24fps suffers pleasingly little judder or resolution loss.

Minor niggles include a small yellowish patch that occasionally appears below the middle of the top black bar with wide aspect ratio films (we believe this is a flaw specific to our review sample), and, occasionally, too much detail is revealed in dark areas, showing faint traces of noise alongside correct shading information.

But these prove minor distractions in an otherwise outstanding performance.

The Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini-LED takes a more conservative approach.

Its 768 dimming zones and quoted 1400 nits peak brightness deliver solid results, representing clear improvements over basic LCD sets, but we're not talking about TCL C7K levels of dynamism.

Testing with Barbie reveals the TV's strengths and limitations.

In Standard mode, the image looks overly pushed – too cartoony with contrast and colours amped beyond what's natural, leading to lost detail.

Filmmaker Mode swings too far in the opposite direction, appearing flat and subdued with disabled manual controls.

The Movie Bright preset proves most successful, where careful adjustment (Local Dimming on High, Colour Temperature to Warm 2, Motion Handling reduced to one, Intelligent HDR enabled) unlocks more balanced results.

With Dune: Part 2, the Omni Mini-LED's desertscapes hold decent detail, with each sand grain remaining distinct. The TV takes a commendably balanced approach to tuning, retaining dark detail in the spice mining vehicle that some competitors crush into blackness. This focus on not over-cooking contrast proves admirable at this price point.

However, peak brightness falls noticeably short of rivals.

Against the TCL C7K, reds in explosions don't burn quite as intensely. Testing with Pan – a challenging 4000 nits mastered disc – reveals the limitation clearly, with the Fire TV Mini-LED showing a burning sunset as pure white, where competitors retain detail in red and orange hues.

The Blade Runner 2049 opening text shows noticeable blooming around white letters on black backgrounds, though the set soon recovers to deliver respectable performance for its price.

Black levels, while good for an LED TV in this bracket, can't match the TCL's depth. Skin tones occasionally appear washed out in very dark scenes, too, with reds looking underrepresented. The yellow of Georgie's raincoat in It doesn't separate from the grey background as convincingly as it should.

The Omni Mini-LED's upscaling of the standard-definition True Grit proves solid, with the grainy, spaghetti western aesthetic preserved convincingly and the opening lantern scene looking authentic with no aberrations.

Despite delivering a competent performance with admirable backlight consistency – avoiding the rapid brightness shifts that plague many budget Mini LEDs – the Fire TV Omni Mini-LED simply can't match the TCL's explosive contrast, superior brightness, more accomplished colour reproduction, and greater overall refinement.

The TCL delivers a picture quality that feels at least a class above, making it exceptional value.

** Winner: TCL C7K **

TCL C7K vs Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini-LED: sound

The TCL C7K's new Bang & Olufsen sound system represents a clear step forward from previous TCL audio efforts.

The speakers deliver extremely clean and prolific detailing with good film soundtrack mixes, hitting trebles that other TVs struggle to reach without sounding harsh or whiny.

The midrange presents plenty of room for soundtracks to ebb and flow, while vocals sound well-rounded and reasonably contextual.

However, the system leans heavily towards the higher frequency spectrum. Bass doesn't reach as deep as trebles reach high, delivered with a touch too much politeness that results in a slightly treble-heavy presentation.

Background and ambient sound effects can also sometimes draw more attention than they should, while exceptionally dense soundtrack moments – such as the swelling score during the extreme eye close-up near the start of Blade Runner 2049 – sound slightly swallowed and condensed compared to more powerful systems.

Very deep and extended bass occasionally exhibits a little chuffing and buzzing interference.

Despite these limitations, the C7K's sound proves good overall for a TV in its price range, with that Bang & Olufsen influence evident in the clean detailing and extended treble response.

In contrast, the Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini-LED's standard 2.1 Dolby Atmos-ready speaker arrangement delivers by-the-numbers performance for its price bracket.

Testing with Blade Runner 2049's bass-heavy synth soundtrack immediately reveals limitations, with distortion creeping in during the bassiest sections and a general lack of precision and heft.

The car chase in The Batman fares poorly, with roaring engines sounding more like muffled mopeds. The audio also remains distinctly central, failing to track the Batmobile's left-to-right movements convincingly.

Barbie's I'm Just Ken sequence proves more successful, with clear voices and some separation between frequency ranges, though the lack of vibrancy and dynamics means it can't do justice to heavy action scenes. Kenny Loggins also never quite enters the Danger Zone during the Top Gun: Maverick opening.

While serviceable for casual viewing, the Omni Mini-LED's audio proves the weaker element of an otherwise competent package.

Overall, the TCL C7K delivers a more accomplished audio performance, with its Bang & Olufsen system providing cleaner detailing, better frequency extension, and more room for soundtracks to breathe.

While neither set eliminates the case for external speakers, such as one of the best soundbars, the TCL is still superior.

** Winner: TCL C7K **

TCL C7K vs Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini-LED: verdict

The Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini-LED is a solid entry point into the mid-range TV market.

It delivers clear improvements over basic LED sets, with its Mini LED backlighting providing decent black levels and respectable contrast.

The focus on balanced tuning that preserves dark detail proves commendable, while comprehensive app support and gaming credentials make it a versatile choice for mixed-use scenarios.

However, its conservative approach ultimately holds it back. Lower peak brightness compared with rivals, slightly washed-out colours in demanding scenes, a restrictive stand design, and mediocre built-in audio prevent it from truly standing out in an increasingly competitive mid-range market.

In contrast, the TCL C7K demonstrates what can be achieved when aggressive pricing meets genuinely next-level engineering.

Its explosive brightness and contrast, expansive Quantum Dot colour reproduction and excellent shadow detail reproduction deliver picture quality that feels at least a class above its price point.

The 1008-zone Mini LED backlight operates with remarkable consistency, while both Standard and Filmmaker modes prove highly effective for their respective purposes.

The Bang & Olufsen audio system, while not perfect, outperforms most built-in TV speakers at this price, and the comprehensive gaming support, including 4K/144Hz, extensive VRR options, and low input lag, will appeal to serious players. Google TV provides clean, advertisement-light navigation with excellent app support.

The TCL C7K delivers truly exceptional performance-per-pound. It earns five stars for picture quality versus the Fire TV's four, matched by superior sound and, overall, the TCL proves the superior choice for viewers seeking the most convincing performance at an accessible price

For those prioritising tight integration with Amazon's ecosystem and who don't demand the ultimate in brightness or contrast, the Fire TV Omni Mini-LED still offers appeal.

For everyone else seeking the best possible picture quality and value in a sub-£1000 65-inch Mini LED TV, the TCL C7K stands as the clear winner.

** Overall Winner: TCL C7K **

MORE

Read our TCL C7K (65C7K) review

Read our Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini-LED (ML65F700) review

Best TVs: flagship OLEDs and affordable flatscreens tried and tested

Comparing a Sony and TCL TV is of even more interest now than it was just weeks ago, following the industry-shaking announcement that Sony is planning to sell 51 per cent of its home entertainment business to TCL.

Our experts have weighed in on what this could mean for Sony’s iconic home cinema range, but the deal has at least highlighted some of the relative strengths of each electronics giant: TCL excels at producing televisions with specification and picture quality well beyond their price points, whereas Sony tends to take its time to squeeze the most authenticity out of the hardware it has available.

Given that we are comparing two budget TVs, the Sony Bravia 3 and the TCL C7K, it might seem a foregone conclusion who will come out on top, especially given the review scores of each model.

Still, we have given each TV its due diligence and compared each TV category by category. Can relative newcomer TCL really topple a long-standing industry Titan such as Sony?

Sony Bravia 3 vs TCL C7K: price

The 65-inch TCL C7K launched at a good value price of £1399 / $1500 / AU$2295. The Sony Bravia 3 was released later in the UK than in other territories, with launch pricing a tad cheaper, at £1299 / $1000 / AU$1499.

However, we tested both at the same UK price of £899, and both have been on sale as low as £749.

Despite the Sony Bravia 3 launching a tad cheaper, the two TVs are now level pegging – so we’re going to call this one a draw.

** Winner: Draw**

Sony Bravia 3 vs TCL C7K: design

The Sony Bravia 3 is a well-built, if unremarkable-looking TV made from 100 per cent plastic, including the rather cheap-looking legs.

Still, assembly is super quick and easy, and there are both wide and narrow options for the feet. Bezels are fairly slim around the top three sides of the screen, with a slightly more pronounced chin.

The remote at least feels premium – it's the same (non-backlit) remote seen on the Sony Bravia 8 II.

The TCL C7K, however, has a much more premium look all round. The screen is wrapped in a slick, narrow brushed-metal trim on the front, with a Bang & Olufsen multi-channel speaker system protruding out slightly from the back.

Rather than feet, the C7K uses a metal central desktop mounting plate, with a wide-neck-with-detachable-cover arrangement that you can tidy your cabling into.

Unlike the Bravia 3, the C7K doesn’t get the same premium remote as its step-up brethren. Still, the plastic remote supplied has a nice brushed metal-style finish.

Despite being at similar price points, the designs of these two TVs are on opposite sides of the value spectrum. The C7K easily takes the win here for a premium look far above its price point.

** Winner: TCL C7K**

Sony Bravia 3 vs TCL C7K: features

Right off the bat, there are some pretty stark differences noticeable with the panel technology alone. The TCL C7K made headlines thanks to its Mini LED screen with 1008 independent dimming zones, a remarkably high number, especially given the price. A Quantum Dot colour system is also included.

In contrast, the Sony Bravia 3 sports a standard direct-lit LCD panel without any local dimming or Quantum Dots. It does, however, boast Sony’s Triluminous Pro technology to boost colour volume.

Despite Sony’s pedigree with video games, the Bravia 3 is also lacking when it comes to gaming features. The C7K can support 4K feeds all the way up to 144Hz, doubling to a ridiculous 288Hz with TCL’s Game Accelerator technology (though that comes with a resolution drop to Full HD). VRR is supported all the way up to the 288Hz maximum, and ALLM is also on board.

The Bravia 3, on the other hand, taps out at a considerably lower 4K/60Hz. Granted, this is where the majority of console games max out anyway, but the lack of even 4K/120Hz is disappointing. VRR is also off the table, but ALLM is at least supported.

Movie lovers are better catered for, however, as the Bravia 3 supports Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG. The C7K trumps it again, though, with support for all four high dynamic range formats, sporting the three mentioned previously as well as HDR10+.

On the sound front, the Bravia 3 sports a two-channel speaker system with a combined 20W of power. The system features Sony’s X-Balance drivers and Bass Reflex technology, which aims to produce deeper bass and enhanced vocal clarity.

We’ll see how much of a difference they make in the sound section, as they’re up against the C7K’s Bang & Olufsen sound system, which features new high-fidelity speaker designs fed by 60W of power.

Smart features are at least a bit more even, with both models running Google TV with the usual variety of domestic and international streaming apps.

The specification for the Bravia 3 may look disappointing in comparison with the C7K, but we do have to bear in mind Sony’s picture pedigree. As we say in our review: “The Japanese giant is renowned for creating TVs that are greater than the sum of their parts, thanks to clever processing and careful, considered tuning.”

Still, the Bravia 3 is up against an inordinate number of features. Other highlights of the TCL C7K include a claimed peak brightness of 2600 nits, a new AIPQ Pro picture processor and a whole host of ‘Halo Control’ technology to deliver better dark scene consistency.

Given the C7K’s class-leading feature set at this price, it seems almost unfair to pit it against the Bravia 3. But on pretty much every front, the C7K trumps the Bravia 3 when it comes to features – and often by some margin.

** Winner: TCL C7K**

Sony Bravia 3 vs TCL C7K: picture

Straight out of the box, we find the Sony Bravia 3 to be not particularly subtle. As our Sony Bravia 3 review states: “Colours are punchy and rich, and there’s a solid sense of three dimensionality, but motion is oversmoothed.”

Switching to Professional picture mode (aka Sony’s equivalent of Filmmaker mode), the Bravia 3 is a lot more balanced and natural. Colours look lush and verdant without veering into overblown, and motion is also greatly enhanced with minimal judder.

However, despite Sony’s picture-tuning efforts, there are numerous shortcomings that can’t be ignored.

“What strikes us most is how the entire picture is covered in a grey wash, which robs it of some solidity and makes dark sequences borderline unwatchable,” our review reads. “The panel seems to glow in sequences that demand blacks, which results in an overwhelming amount of detail being lost in darker scenes.”

Even in scenes with plenty of light, there’s a lack of contrast, compromising Sony’s usually excellent presentation of three-dimensionality.

When compared with the TCL C7K, however, there are some redeeming qualities for the Bravia 3.

The black and white scenes in Oppenheimer are richer and more cinematically warm on the Bravia 3, leaving the C7K looking a little blue.

Sony’s motion processing also comes into play on the sweeping panning shots of Los Alamos, though those issues with dark details are still noticeable.

Switching to SDR content with the Gravity Blu-ray, the picture has a degree of naturalness, with film grain that looks more intentional than the C7K’s efforts.

However, the lack of black depth and dull highlights really make this a less impressive experience than the C7K.

Conversely, the C7K excels at contrast and black levels.

“On the most basic contrast level, it can deliver both extremely intense, vibrant HDR peaks by sub-£1k 65-inch TV standards, and some of the deepest and most neutral, natural-toned blacks and dark scenes the mid-range LCD TV world, at least, has to offer,” our TCL C7K review reads.

“What’s more, it’s able to deliver its light and dark extremes on screen simultaneously, without either significantly compromising the other.”

Unlike the Bravia 3, the C7K also excels at shadow detail reproduction. The TCL set’s backlight system as a whole punches well above the TV’s weight, with no fluctuating dimming zones or noticeable jumps in brightness during cuts.

Again, the Standard picture preset is not particularly authentic, but the colours are so radiantly beautiful and impeccably balanced against each other that it’s hard not to enjoy. For those dedicated to as-the-director intended accuracy, however, the C7K’s Filmmaker Mode achieves this without looking drab or washed out.

The TCL C7K is impressively bright, too – twice as bright in some shots as even the best OLED TVs – adding to the excellent consistency of HDR images.

As you’d expect from Sony’s pedigree, the Bravia 3 manages glimmers of greatness despite some disappointing specs. The picture even manages to trump that of the far better-equipped TCL C7K in cinematic warmth and naturalness during certain scenes.

However, it can’t hold up against the C7K in most other areas. The C7K is flat-out one of the best-performing LCD TVs we have seen at this level, with explosive brightness, contrast and colour-boosting Quantum Dots, and TCL’s Halo Control Technology. It was always going to be an uphill battle for Sony, and the Bravia 3 falls rather short in this one.

** Winner: TCL C7K**

Sony Bravia 3 vs TCL C7K: sound

Here, the Bravia 3 is able to pick up some brownie points.

Dialogue is impressively clear and underpinned by a decent sense of low-level dynamics, injecting some much-needed emotion into heart-to-heart discussions in Civil War.

Sound also has a decent semblance of height, with larger effects such as explosions and jets coming across as surprisingly spacious.

The bass is a bit light, but we still prefer the Sony’s sound to that from the C7K’s Bang & Olufsen speakers, which sound thin in comparison. We have to crank up the C7K's volume quite high to match the loudness of the Bravia 3, which results in a forced and rather shouty sound from the TCL set.

The C7K’s speakers do offer a clean and prolific sound with impressively high treble and a nice open midrange, but the bass is far too reserved, resulting in a treble-heavy presentation.

Sony is generally quite reliable when it comes to built-in TV audio, and this rings true even for its more budget offerings. It’s no substitute for a soundbar, of course, but the Bravia 3 has a better integrated sound system than we usually see at this price – including the good but not great sound of the C7K.

** Winner: Sony Bravia 3**

Sony Bravia 3 vs TCL C7K: verdict

Recent years have seen Sony on a winning streak with its premium and flagship TVs, while TCL has specialised in offering budget and mid-range options with a performance well above their price points.

And that’s largely what we see here. Sony has used its careful tuning and Triluminous Pro technology to give the Bravia 3’s Direct LED screen warm and natural colours and impressive motion processing. And, as usual, Sony’s built-in sound is better than expected for the price.

But the Bravia 3 pales in comparison with its competition at this price – and that competition doesn’t get much better than the TCL C7K.

The C7K’s Mini LED screen, numerous dimming zones and Quantum Dot technology result in explosive brightness, contrast and colour not usually seen at this price. Throw in gaming features that go above and beyond, and it’s hard to make much of a case for the Bravia 3 when comparing the two sets side by side.

With its Direct LED screen, the Bravia 3 had an uphill battle, and not even Sony’s processing know-how can make up for it this time. The TCL C7K’s features and picture quality, on the other hand, are outstanding value at this price. It will take one impressive TV to topple this champion.

** Overall winner: TCL C7K **

MORE:

Read our review of the TCL C7K

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

Read our Sony Bravia 3 review

A British TV brand? As unlikely as that might seem in 2026, that is precisely what Mitchell & Brown is.

Created in Bolton in 2016 as an offshoot of the family-owned TVD Group, which these days is primarily a supplier and installer of AV kit for businesses but began life as an electronics shop in Lancashire, Mitchell & Brown is the brainchild of Matthew and Daniel, the sons of TVD founder Jim Brown.

The brand is, in fact, a tribute to Jim, with the name combining his surname and his mother’s maiden name, and all of the TVs featuring his initials and birthday (1811).

Said TVs are actually designed and manufactured by “Europe’s largest TV manufacturer” (Vestel), but they’re built to Mitchell & Brown’s specifications and the Brown brothers claim that each model goes through “intensive testing and rigorous quality control processes”.

The company backs up this quality claim by supplying the vast majority of its TVs with a seven-year warranty.

If you’re naturally sceptical about such things, you might be impressed to learn that a trust fund backs the Mitchell & Brown warranty, so cover should remain even if something unfortunate were to befall M&B itself, and that all warranty work is handled either by the high street retailer that sold you the TV, or Mitchell & Brown in Bolton. The customer service department is in the UK, too.

That all seems very impressive, but it’s obviously all for nought if the TVs aren’t up to scratch. After all, a rubbish TV with a seven-year warranty is still a rubbish TV.

Thankfully, while the QLED1811 we’re reviewing today has its flaws, it does enough right make it a solid budget TV choice – assuming you get it for the right price…

Price

The 55-inch Mitchell & Brown JB-55QLED1811 has an official price of £650. At the risk of jumping ahead, that’s a price that its performance struggles to justify.

It’s good news, then, that Richer Sounds is offering the TV for £499, where it becomes much more appealing.

The obvious competition at that level comes from budget TV overlord TCL, with the 55-inch version of the What Hi-Fi? Award-winning C6KS coming in at £429, and the C6K at £499. Our review of the second of those is yet to be published, but the TV has been tested and was on hand for comparisons with the Mitchell & Brown.

Design

The QLED1811 is a little fiddlier to put together than most rival TVs, and the endeavour isn’t helped by the rather unclear diagrams.

On that subject, the instruction manual is also written in the smallest text imaginable. An A4 version is available via the Mitchell & Brown website, but we wonder how many buyers won’t realise that and will persevere with the borrower-sized manual in the box.

It’s a shame more attention hasn’t been paid to these details, as they create a slightly negative first impression.

Still, once put together, the QLED1811 is a fairly smart-looking TV, at least when viewed from a typical viewing distance, from where the plasticky nature of the materials is less obvious.

Unlike most modern TVs, much of the QLED1811’s chassis is silver rather than black, which will appeal to some potential buyers.

The stand allows the set to swivel, too, which is handy for getting the best viewing angle and accessing the side-mounted connections, and while the TV is pretty chunky compared with more premium sets, its 6.6cm depth is fairly typical of budget models (the TCL C6K is 5.6cm deep).

Features

At least some of that thickness is likely down to the use of a direct LED backlight, rather than edge lighting. Edge backlights can open the door to slimmer designs, but they usually bring with them consistency issues.

But while the QLED1811’s backlight features LEDs facing directly outwards, there’s no local dimming, which will likely limit its contrast. Admittedly, local dimming is fairly rare at this sort of level, but it is something that TCL’s C6K and C6KS both offer.

Another potentially contrast-limiting factor is the use of an IPS rather than VA panel. IPS usually brings with it advantages to viewing angles, though, so this is a trade-off that could pay off. It’s also worth noting that the use of Quantum Dots (hence the ‘QLED’ in the name) should result in greater colour vibrancy than you would get from a standard LCD TV.

The panel is limited to a refresh rate of 60Hz. Again, that’s typical of TVs in this price bracket, but TCL has gone above and beyond by fitting the 55-inch versions of both the C6K and C6KS with 120Hz panels.

This limitation means 4K/120Hz gaming is off the menu, but the QLED1811 does have a dedicated Game mode (which it automatically switches to when required, thanks to ALLM support) that drops input lag to an imperceptible 15ms, so most gamers need not be put off.

Besides, Mitchell & Brown’s target audience is likely more interested in watching TV and movies, and here the QLED1811’s features are more impressive.

For starters, it has TiVo as its smart platform. While this does lack some of the slightly less mainstream apps that we like to see (Paramount+, Now and Discovery+, for example), the most popular bases are covered, including Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and all of the UK’s terrestrial channel catch-up apps. A dedicated Apple TV app is absent, but you can at least get Apple TV content via Prime Video these days.

Freely is also on board, so you can stream live terrestrial TV via the internet rather than an aerial, if you so wish.

HDR support is good, too. HDR10+ is missing, but this isn’t much of a loss, and HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision are all on board. Disappointingly, Dolby Vision wouldn’t work within the Disney+ app during testing (all HDR content instead played in the standard HDR10 format), but this is hopefully a temporary bug, as Dolby Vision worked in all of the other apps that it should.

HLG works fine in the BBC iPlayer app, at least, so those lovely nature documentaries and shows such as The Night Manager play in HDR as they should.

TiVo is very user-friendly and impressively intelligent when it comes to content recommendations and search results, so it’s a bit of a shame that Mitchell & Brown has bundled the QLED1811 with such a cheap, uncomfortable and occasionally unresponsive remote. The buttons are fairly well-spaced and clearly labelled, at least.

Interestingly, during initial set-up, we were asked to pair the remote to the TV using Bluetooth, which is required for voice control. However, the remote that came with our sample lacks the buttons we were asked to press, and seemingly has neither Bluetooth nor a microphone. Mitchell & Brown should remove this step from the otherwise slick installation process or (even better) bundle the QLED1811 with this apparently more fully featured remote control.

In terms of connections, the Mitchell & Brown offers three HDMI sockets, one of which doubles as the eARC port in case you want to connect a dedicated sound system, plus an optical out and a 3.5mm headphone jack, as well as a couple of USBs.

Picture quality

The Mitchell & Brown JB-55QLED1811 is capable of delivering good picture quality, but you won’t get it unless you dip into the settings menus.

During set-up, you’re asked to choose between the Natural and Dynamic picture presets, and neither is nice. Dynamic is what we’ve come to expect from such modes – everything pumped up to the max in a hyper-unrealistic way.

But Natural is ironically unnatural, too. Too cool, too bright, too sharp and with unpleasant motion processing, it’s more like the overenthusiastic Standard modes found on some rival sets.

Thankfully, there is also a Cinema preset that can be selected in the menus after initial set-up. While this isn’t perfect by default, either, it is the best of the presets, and it can be made better by dropping Sharpness to 0 (this fixes the default over-sharpening) and MEMC (motion processing) to Low or Off.

The one significant issue remaining is the clipping out of details and shading in bright HDR highlights, and this unfortunately can’t be fixed in the Cinema mode. Peculiarly, this HDR clipping is less of an issue in the Natural preset, but that has a very odd way with contrast that itself can’t be fixed, so our preference is to stick with Cinema and put up with the clipping, which is less readily noticeable.

For example, when we play No Time To Die on 4K Blu-ray in HDR10, while the bright clouds over the cemetery in Matera look much flatter than they should, they don’t look obviously incorrect, so don’t spoil your enjoyment of a presentation that is otherwise rather nice.

This is a very crisp and detailed delivery, even with the Sharpness dropped to 0. Edges are smartly drawn without looking fizzy or over-etched, and the QLED1811 digs up the texture of Bond’s lovely suit and the imperfections of his perfectly characterful face without anything looking forced.

In fact, the Mitchell & Brown’s delivery is impressively solid and three-dimensional-looking, and those traits remain even in motion – a traditional area of weakness for most budget TVs, which often have slow, smeary panels. With MEMC set to Low, though, the QLED1811 remains composed with both the slow panning shots across the Italian cliffs and the face-punching, rope-swinging, car-smashing action scene that follows.

The only time during testing that we manage to foil the M&B’s motion processing is with Blade Runner 2049. As Officer K’s flying cop car passes behind a series of towers on its way to the LA precinct, there’s some fluttering as the TV struggles to discern automobile from skyscraper.

With this sort of issue being so rare, our preference remains MEMC set to Low, but you can turn it off entirely if you prefer total consistency and are prepared to accept a bit of judder and blur to get it.

Blade Runner 2049 does highlight another of the Mitchell & Brown’s limitations, though – a lack of black depth. Full black and mostly black screens simply are not that. Instead, they’re a not-very-deep grey.

That probably sounds damning, and it’s not a good thing, for sure. But it’s really not apparent as often as you would expect. The studio logos and opening text of Blade Runner 2049 expose the issue, but during the film proper, where every shot is a complex mix of shades, the lack of black depth isn’t readily apparent.

This is possibly helped by the surprising brightness and pop of the QLED1811’s picture. The best budget Mini LED models (yes, we’re again talking about the TCL C6K and C6KS) offer better outright brightness and contrast, but the Mitchell & Brown is engagingly punchy.

The TV’s colours help entice the eyes, too. There’s some subtle oversaturation to reds that isn’t entirely authentic, but it does add a very pleasant warmth and richness without looking overblown.

Switching from HDR10 to Dolby Vision with The Rip from Netflix, we find that the Dolby Vision Dark preset works well by default, though we do change the MEMC setting from Off to Low.

Surprisingly, given the very dark presentation of Affleck and Damon’s corrupt cop movie, the Mitchell & Brown’s compromised black performance rarely stands out, and the slightly over-saturated reds once again add to the richness of the picture. All told, this is a nicely balanced, crisp, detailed and altogether very pleasant Dolby Vision delivery.

Drop down to HD, and the QLED1811 continues to put in a decent performance for the money. The HDR-less picture of our Logan Blu-ray looks a touch washed-out with the more vibrant TCL C6K running alongside it, but the upscaling is clean and controlled – qualities that also benefit live TV from Freely and Freeview.

A final note on viewing angles. As with all backlit TVs, there is some loss of colour vibrancy and contrast as you move off-axis, but the IPS panel helps to ensure that the sweet spot isn’t too narrow and the drop off isn’t too severe.

Sound quality

In terms of sound quality, the Mitchell & Brown JB-55QLED1811 is reasonable for its price tag.

There’s a small amount of width and height to the delivery with The Rip (just enough so that it doesn’t feel trapped in the screen), and the TV can go relatively loud while still delivering reasonable dynamics. Dialogue doesn't get buried in the rest of the action, either.

But while the dialogue is always clear, the rest of the presentation is rather muffled. Effects such as gunshots lack an impactful leading edge, and as action scenes and soundtrack moments get busier, sounds start to blend into one another.

For a cheap TV, there’s a reasonable amount of bass, though. This isn’t the generally thin, harsh delivery that you often get at this level. And the set remains fairly composed, too – there’s a bit of fuzz and hum with Blade Runner 2049’s super-deep bass, but much less than we usually get, even with many more premium TVs.

Verdict

Whether you care about Mitchell & Brown’s Britishness is, of course, entirely up to you. The seven-year warranty and UK-based customer service department are also hard to put a price on. Importantly, though, the JB-55QLED1811 is a decent budget TV regardless.

This isn’t on a par with TCL’s best budget models, but frankly, nothing is. Instead, it’s a TV that works effectively within the relative limits of its hardware to deliver an enjoyable viewing experience – as long as you’re prepared to put a little effort into the picture settings.

SCORES

• Picture 4
• Sound 4
• Features 4

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Lots of people argue that change is healthy, and in certain instances, that’s true.

Evolution? That’s pretty cool, I use my opposable thumbs every day after all. LGBTQ+ rights? A big thumbs up from said digits. Spotify launching its Lossless tier? Yep, big fan; even if it ain’t perfect yet, those digits are partying it up with their siblings as I’ve got my hands in the air like I just don’t care listening to Andrew W.K.'s classic track, Party Hard, on it.

But there are undeniably some changes I don’t like. Highlights include baggy jeans coming back into fashion, the constantly increasing prices of streaming services, and, this year, the fact that not one, but two big-name OLED TV makers are on the verge of ownership changes.

First up is the TCL and Sony merger, which, for obvious reasons, is currently getting most of the attention. The news that TCL has started the process in earnest to buy a 51 per cent share of Sony’s home entertainment division was, without a doubt, some of the biggest news this year – or potentially this decade – for OLED TV fans.

The deal is in its early stages, but it could mean TCL has a controlling share of Sony’s TV business, including its OLEDs – a key area it has no real experience in, as an ongoing champion of Mini LED, and the soon-to-be-launched RGB Mini LED panel tech.

As you’ll know if you read our previous future-gazing pieces on the deal, key details are unknown about quite what the merger would mean for Sony’s Bravia OLEDs in particular. But the fact remains that any changes to Sony’s OLEDs, period, would be a big deal for serious home cinema fans.

After all, the Sony Bravia 8 and Sony Bravia 8 II remain staple sights in our best OLED TV buying guide for a reason – they’re pretty darned good. Our TV and AV editor, Tom Parsons, openly describes the Bravia 8 II as the best OLED he's ever tested, period.

So the idea of TCL trying to change Sony’s five-star, Award-winning formula does leave me slightly concerned.

But for me, it’s the second, quietly forgotten company, that’s currently shopping for a buyer to take charge of its TV business that has me sweating bullets. Specifically, what’s in store for Panasonic.

You may have missed it, but last year news broke via financial news outlet Nikkei that Panasonic is shopping around for a buyer to take its TV business off its hands. The firm then quickly put out a statement confirming it is “considering all possibilities”, including just closing it, as well as selling it.

And, to be fair, from a business perspective, I get it. The TV market is competitive and full of companies with deeper pockets. Hence why volume players, including Hisense, TCL and Samsung, are fighting for the top slot, not premium players like Panasonic.

But I’m scared because, despite them not selling anywhere near as well as the bigger players, Pansonic’s OLEDs have been constant personal favourites thanks to their overt focus on authenticity over razzmatazz.

Panasonic markets its TVs as being for movie fans who want an “as the director experience”. And as I’ve said numerous times before, after helping review pretty much every OLED from the company to pass through our viewing rooms in the past three years, including the Award-winning Panasonic Z90B from 2025, there is a lot of evidence to back that claim.

Sure, they don’t push their peak brightness as high, and yes, they can occasionally be a little too conservative with their processing, resulting in an occasionally less sharp and three-dimensional image than rivals – especially recent Sony sets.

But their consistency with contrast, colour volume and general even-handedness has meant that year-on-year it has always been a Panasonic set that has let me stay focused on what I’m watching, not what the TV is doing. And that, for me, is the be-all and end-all, and why I tend to favour them, even if I agree with my comrades in testing that the latest Sony sets are holistically better for most people.

And that’s always been the case – all the way back to the four-star Panasonic TX-55EZ952B in 2017, which was the first OLED I liked enough to buy (albeit heavily discounted, at the end of its shelf life and refurbished).

But, I know I’m rapidly becoming the minority and going against the grain with my insistence that consistency and control are more important than a big nit count, or a laundry list of clever AI features – two things most TV makers are obsessed with right now.

Which is why I can’t help but feel it’ll be a sad day for home cinema enthusiasts if Panasonic’s TV division closes, or is bought by a firm that doesn’t understand what makes it quite such a diamond in the rough for people like me.

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There was only one thing I could possibly write about for this week’s edition of Adventures In AV.

The proposal of a Sony and TCL joint venture that will take control of the former’s home entertainment business (which produces its TVs, soundbars and more) has shaken the industry.

I’ll be honest, it’s shaken me. I didn’t see the news coming, and as someone who grew up in a Sony household and is a big fan of the brand’s OLEDs in particular (I currently live with an A95L), I’m deeply concerned about what it means for the future.

To be clear, I’m not blinkered towards Sony. There have been plenty of Sony products, including TVs, that have disappointed me, and I’ve been involved in plenty of less-than-positive Sony reviews over my 18 years of testing.

Besides, we review as a team (it’s the What Hi-Fi? ‘how we test’ mantra), so any personal subconscious biases are counteracted as part of our testing process.

But, at its best, Sony can be unbeatable when it comes to TVs, and I think we need Sony to continue to be Sony – but will that be allowed as part of this joint venture?

The Sony difference

Sony takes its time. These days, most of its TVs have a two-year lifecycle, while every other brand replaces its entire range every year.

That extra time allows for more careful and considered tuning and development, and it results in greater quality jumps between generations.

And where its rivals battle it out to produce TVs with the largest, most impressive-sounding numbers, Sony generally (there are exceptions, such as the Bravia 9) rises above such showboating and focuses on squeezing the most out of its hardware in the name of delivering cinematic authenticity.

I’m not saying that’s always the right course, but it’s important that we have a brand that takes this approach when all of the others (with the exception of Panasonic) are obsessed with fighting a numbers war.

TCL is, of course, one of those brands that is obsessed with numbers. Each year, it tries to outdo the likes of Hisense and Samsung by packing its new TVs with the most dimming zones and the highest brightness – and it often comes out on top.

My concern is that this approach could be applied to Sony – TCL is going to have the controlling, 51 per cent stake of this proposed joint venture, after all – and we could end up with yet another brand focused on tech specs at the expense of patient, careful development.

There is, though, a way this could all work out…

The optimistic vision

If it feels as though I’m doing TCL down, that’s not my intention. I’ve been incredibly impressed by the Chinese brand’s TVs over the last couple of years, with 2025’s range proving incredibly consistent and awesome value for money.

TCL is great at what it does, which is produce TVs with specs and picture quality well beyond their price points.

And this is precisely the area in which Sony is weakest. It rarely launches budget-oriented TVs these days (it's been selling the same 32-inch model since way back in 2021, for heaven’s sake), and when it does, they’re rarely, if ever, the best in class – the recently reviewed Bravia 3 is a case in point.

So, what I’m proposing is that the TCL and Sony brands continue to target the areas of the market they’re already most invested in.

In fact, I’d like to see them both double down – TCL could stop edging closer to the super-premium end of things and solidify its position as champion of the mid-range and budget sectors, and Sony could stop producing budget-oriented models that are more or less destined to fail, at least in performance terms, and concentrate entirely on premium and flagship models.

So, what’s the point of the joint venture?

But if TCL and Sony ‘stay in their lanes’ as I’m proposing, what’s the flipping point of the joint venture? I’ve got thoughts on that, too.

Without stepping on Sony’s toes, TCL could bring its Japanese partner’s processing and tuning nous into its TVs, potentially resulting in an irresistible blend of mid-range-demolishing specs and super-authentic calibration.

Sony, meanwhile, could benefit from TCL’s greater scale and resources, allowing it to produce more models without entirely compromising its conservative approach. Being shorn of the responsibility to produce more affordable models could help here, too.

I’m not saying we necessarily need Sony to replace every model every year, but it would be nice if it had the capacity to extend its OLED range into more affordable and smaller models. For the love of all that is holy, it could at least finally put 2022’s A90K out of its misery and replace it with a model to take on LG’s latest C series.

Let’s not forget that TCL is currently building a huge new factory that will produce OLED panels using a new, more efficient, inkjet manufacturing process. It’s intended for the likes of laptops and phones in the first instance, but surely TV panels are on the agenda, too.

Imagine if Sony could get first dibs on new, more affordable OLED technology as part of this joint venture. It could usher in a new dawn of Sony OLED TVs that no longer rely on the panel-manufacturing arms of LG and Samsung.

But will any of this happen? As should be abundantly clear by now, I just don’t know – and neither, it seems, do my contacts at Sony or TCL. Besides, let’s face it, any further official statement at this point is only going to put a positive spin on things, whether that's justified or not.

The proof will, as ever, be in the pudding, and we’ll be waiting a long time for that, as even if the joint venture is ratified, it’s not expected to commence operations until April next year.

In the meantime, I reserve the right to be very nervous about the future of Sony TVs – but also aware that there is a way it could all work out for the best.

MORE:

Here's our full news story on the Sony and TCL joint venture

And here are the opinions of several of our team members and readers on the matter

These are the best TVs you can buy right now

While I was once an all-around gadget reviewer with laptops within my purview, these days I rarely get excited about what's going on in that world.

This concept from Lenovo has really grabbed my attention, though, primarily because I think it has potentially awesome ramifications for the TV world.

Said concept is the Lenovo Legion Pro Rollable – a laptop with an OLED screen that can seamlessly expand from its default 16-inch mode to a much larger 21.5-inch size.

Here's my colleague from Tom's Guide, Jason England, having a play with it at CES:

This isn't the first laptop with an expandable screen to appear, but it is the first (to my knowledge) that has expanded horizontally rather than vertically, and that's why it's got me all hot under the collar about TV applications.

Jason and the rest of the PC press are naturally focused on the gaming potential here – 'ultrawide' gaming is a massive thing these days, after all – but I can't help but see the potential to eradicate the black bars we all put up with at home most days.

As I'm sure you're aware, almost every TV currently on sale has a 16:9 aspect ratio, which is the one used for most broadcast TV. But most movies (and an increasing number of TV shows) are displayed in a wider aspect ratio, usually 2.39:1, hence the black bars at the top and bottom of the screen.

Most of us got used to these black bars a long time ago, but the disappointing truth is that your screen is essentially shrinking whenever you play typical cinematic content – i.e. exactly the stuff you want to look its best.

Philips gamely tried to solve this way back in 2009 with its Cinema 21:9 TVs which, as the name suggests, had a movie-friendly 21:9 aspect ratio.

The problem was that all of the 'normal' TV you watched was compromised, either by black bars on both sides or some warping/cropping. It was a bit of a weird TV for watching football and the like, in other words.

But what if we could buy a 16:9 OLED TV that could extend to 1.85:1, 2.39:1, 21:9 to suit a movie or TV show? No longer would the most important content result in TV shrinkage; it would instead be expanded for maximum cinematic impact. Plus, there would be no black bars in sight.

I'm incredibly impressed by the smoothness and seamlessness of Lenovo's rollable concept, and it seems like it could be perfect for TVs if it could be scaled up.

Speaking of which, the rollable OLED tech actually comes from TCL CSOT, the panel-producing arm of TCL.

While TCL CSOT isn't yet producing OLED panels for TVs, it has recently broken ground on a $4.15 billion factory that will manufacture OLED panels using new, cost-effective inkjet printing technology, and it seems likely that this will eventually be put to use for TV-sized screens.

And let's not forget that TCL and Sony have just announced their intentions to merge their TV businesses. Could a future version of the Bravia 8 II have an expanding screen for movies? It's certainly nice to dream.

MORE:

Enough future-gazing – here are the best TVs you can buy right now

Here are our (and your) thoughts on the proposed Sony and TCL merger

Yesterday, Sony announced that it plans to enter a joint venture with Chinese TV manufacturer TCL, in which ownership of its TV business will be split almost in half.

I say almost, as TCL will technically become the majority stakeholder by owning 51 per cent of the business, whereas Sony will hold onto 49 per cent.

Frankly speaking, this announcement sent waves across the What Hi-Fi? team. There hasn't been much evidence leading up to this that Sony was looking to spin its TV business off in this direction, and there was certainly no indication that it was striking up a relationship with TCL.

The statement shared by Sony was brief, but it got the message across. The thought process here is that Sony will continue to implement its proprietary picture and audio tech, presumably including its legendary picture processing systems.

In contrast, TCL will handle the development of advanced display technology and leverage its existing cost-effective manufacturing infrastructure.

Sony TVs will continue to exist under the Sony and Bravia names, but the products themselves may look different in the future.

With a surprise announcement and very few details to go off, our team of home cinema aficionados have a range of questions, concerns and theories as to what this deal could entail.

I've assembled our TV and AV Editor (Tom Parsons), Editor in Chief (Alastair Stevenson), and Deputy Editor (Andy Madden) to share thoughts on Sony and TCL's new joint venture.

We have a range of opinions and questions, some more optimistic than others. We wonder if Sony can adapt to TCL's mammoth manufacturing operations, and what about the projectors? Unfortunately, we don't have the answers right now, but you can find our musings below...

What does the future hold for Sony's home cinema products?

A confession: I didn’t see this coming, and I’m not sure how I feel about it

Scale is great, but Sony's strength has always been its attention to detail

As the saying goes, if you can't beat 'em…

MORE:

Check out our full story covering the Sony/TCL partnership announcement

Read our full TCL C8K review

As well as our Sony Bravia 8 II review

We're not even three weeks into 2026, and already we have some groundbreaking news regarding the future of two of the most prominent brands in the world of TV and AV.

Sony and TCL have announced that they are moving forward with discussions to establish a joint venture between the companies, which will see TCL assume control of Sony's home entertainment business.

The partnership is in early stages, with both companies signing a "memorandum of understanding to confirm their intentions to establish a joint venture that will assume Sony's home entertainment business".

Providing this "strategic partnership" goes ahead, the Chinese tech firm will hold 51 per cent of shares, with Sony maintaining 49 per cent. This will, of course, mean that TCL is the majority shareholder.

In a statement shared by Sony, it confirmed that the joint operation will "operate globally", and will ensure that TCL oversees "the full process from product development and design to manufacturing, sales, logistics, and customer service for products including televisions and home audio equipment".

Discussions are ongoing between the companies, but definitive binding agreements are expected to be reached by the end of March 2026, with operations from the new joint venture expected to commence in April 2027.

We've reached out to Sony and TCL for further comment on this partnership.

What does this mean for Sony Bravia TVs going forward?

Sony claims that it will continue to sell TVs under the globally recognised Sony and Bravia branding.

However, Sony aims to leverage TCL’s advanced display technology development, global scale, and end-to-end cost efficiencies to expand its global reach and bring its TV, audio and home cinema products to a wider range of consumers – particularly those seeking more affordable options.

Sony's contribution to this will involve its "high-quality picture and audio technology", which likely refers to its highly regarded picture processing and audio expertise, which it will continue to implement in Bravia-branded TVs going forward, as well as future home cinema audio products such as soundbars and (hopefully) AV receivers.

Considering that TCL enjoyed a particularly successful 2025, with five-star reviews for its C8K, C7K and C6KS TVs, we can certainly see the value in leveraging the company's resources and experience when it comes to the development of panel technology.

What does concern us slightly is TCL's aversion to OLED, as it has stated many times that it considers Mini LED to be the superior panel technology. Sony's recent OLED TVs (including the Bravia 8 II) have all been absolute show stoppers, so we can only hope that it remains dedicated to OLED with TCL at the helm.

TCL in the wider industry

TCL already plays a key role in providing other manufacturers with panels via its CSOT display manufacturing arm. Therefore, TCL already plays a key role in the production of televisions from a wide range of established manufacturers.

That being said, this joint venture sounds like a much closer partnership, which will see TCL assume a vital role in overseeing everything from development to the sale of Sony Bravia-branded TVs.

We'll have to wait and see how this partnership takes shape, as it's very early days. However, this is certainly an unprecedented and unexpected move from both companies.

MORE:

Read our full Sony Bravia 8 II review

As well as our TCL C8K review

And check out our picks for the best TVs