Best TV 2025: flagship OLEDs and budget LED sets tried and tested

A TV is one of the hardest working pieces of tech in the home. No other device prioritises picture quality to such an extent, while also delivering (hopefully) decent sound and hosting all these different apps and streaming platforms. A modern TV is a marvel of engineering. But more importantly, it's your ticket to the greatest shows, movies and games ever made.

So which model should you buy?

There are all different kinds of TVs, with wildly different prices and a whole lot of bold claims to their name, so choosing one can be fraught with anxiety. You don't want to spend serious money only to be seriously underwhelmed.

But fear not, you're in the right place. We've compiled a detailed round up of the the best TVs you can currently buy.

Whether you're after a monster set for movie nights, or a small model for a more modestly-sized room, we've got you covered. Our list includes multiple different panel technologies, and a lot of different sizes and prices. And no, bigger TVs aren't always more expensive.

Each entry below is based on our rigorous reviews process. We've reviewed each model comparatively, seeing how they fare against our collection of reference models. It's all carried out in our dedicated test rooms, without any manufacturer influence. You can read more about our TV testing process at the bottom of this page.

Each TV below has been chosen for its ability to present an impressive, cinematically accurate picture, at least decent sound, and a great feature set, all while delivering exceptional value in the process.

We have a few new entries this month, including the wallet-friendly TCL C6KS, Panasonic TV-48Z90B and the gargantuan TCL 98C7K in the new category of 'best super-sized TV'.

While there are several budget recommendations below, do also peruse our guide to the best cheap TVs if your budget is limited. Bargain-hunters should also take a look at our round-up of the best TV deals.

The quick list

You can see a quick breakdown of all the TVs in this list with a summary of what they do well and why we think they’re worth your money in the table below.

If you want more detail on a certain model, click its image to go to the in-depth entry, where we offer a more comprehensive breakdown of the specs, features and real-world performance.

Written by

Written by

Tom Parsons

I'm What Hi-Fi?'s TV and AV Editor, and I've been testing TVs and home cinema products (as well as hi-fi kit and headphones) for over 18 years. I've always been a massive TV nerd and got into reviewing so I could find the best TVs and recommend them to others. I firmly believe that great quality shouldn't cost a fortune, so I get just as excited about great-value sets as I do the flagship models. Overall, I'm looking for a picture performance that delivers movies and TV shows as intended, a great gaming experience, an app-packed and intuitive operating system, and good sound – though I also believe that any great TV should be combined with a great, dedicated sound system.

The best TVs in 2025

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

Below, you can see our picks of the best TVs currently available. Every set has been tested by our team of product experts to ensure it delivers great performance and value, so you can trust our buying advice.

Best TV overall

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LG's C-series models have long been the most popular OLED TVs in town, thanks to their combination of exceptional picture quality, uncompromised features and relatively accessible pricing.

Each year, the brand attempts to squeeze yet more performance out of what is essentially the same W-OLED technology. It's more successful some times than others – but for 2025's C5, it's been very successful indeed.

The claimed upgrades roughly amount to just a small increase in brightness and some new AI software features, but the improvements to real-world viewing are far more significant.

Getting a great picture is just as easy as before: select Filmmaker Mode and your preferred level of TruMotion processing (ours is Cinematic Movement), and you've immediately got a picture that's both authentic and dynamic.

The small amount of additional brightness makes the picture pop more than before, and colours are fabulously rich and vibrant, but the TV is still balanced and cinematically accurate.

Sharpness and solidity are much improved, too, and there's a three-dimensionality that gives even the Sony Bravia 8 a run for its money.

The feature set, as expected from an LG OLED, trumps that of any Sony model. That's thanks in part to the slicker webOS smart platform, but mostly because of the four HDMI 2.1 sockets, each of which supports 4K/144Hz (and 4K/120Hz) gaming with VRR and ALLM.

As with previous C-series models, Dolby Vision gaming is supported, too, and there's a peerless HGiG setting that makes it dead simple to get your HDR games looking excellent and accurate.

Sound quality is far less impressive. There's plenty of clarity and even some warmth to voices, so daytime TV is fine, but there's not enough weight, punch or dynamic range for a satisfying movie experience.

We generally don't mark TVs down for their audio quality as none sound very good so we always recommend adding a separate sound system, but if you are determined to live with your TV's built-in speakers, the Sony Bravia 8 is the better option.

A word of warning – don't pay full price. While new for 2025, the C5 has been around a few months now, and its price regularly drops. So bide your time and wait for a sale, and you could be handsomely rewarded.

Read the full LG C5 review

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Best cheap TV

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TCL really does cover all bases. Because as well as making high-end fare like the C8K, it also makes bargain bin TVs like the C6KS. And in both cases, they're really rather good.

How so? Well, it has Mini LED lighting, local dimming and universal HDR support for starters. For a 50-inch TV at just a touch over £400, that's very impressive. But that's only on paper – get in front of it and you'll really see what it can do.

Despite the plasticky feet, it looks a lot more expensive than it is – you only notice the plastic build when you're handling it, which shouldn't be very often at all. And trust us, you won't be focussed on the frame when you're watching this TV.

Getting any dimming zones at all on a TV at this price is impressive enough, let alone 160 of them. The HVA panel brings a range of improvements, including wider viewing angles and halo control innovations to reduce backlight blooming. You even get gaming features like ALLM and VRR (though the latter only up to 60Hz).

The good news continues when it comes to the picture quality. Black levels are excellent for the price, with bucketloads of shadow detail. This makes dark scenes a particular, well, highlight, if that's not a contradiction in terms.

It goes very bright as well, and still performs brilliantly when doing so. "The brightness feels very organic to the 50C6KS’s picture... 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," we wrote in our review.

There's plenty of refinement and subtle toning of colours. But the picture isn't perfect. Some detail is lost in the brightest highlights, and moving objects do lose a little resolution. Dolby Vision Dark can also go a little too dark, costing it detail.

It supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual X, and the sound is very impressive, outperforming some much more expensive TVs. It's detailed and projects well, with clear dialogue. It could use more bass, but what low end it does have doesn't distort.

A total TV bargain.

Read the full TCL C6KS review

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Best gaming TV / best 42-inch TV

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There was a time not that long ago when really good 42-inch TVs simply didn't exist. That changed when LG launched its first 42-inch OLED TVs, and the C4 is its best so far (at least until we've had a chance to review the equivalent C5). In fact, it's not only our favourite all-round 42-inch TV, but it's also the best gaming TV you can currently buy.

Despite being very similar on paper to the 42-inch C3, the C4 is a surprisingly effective upgrade with actual content. Smaller OLED TVs have always lacked the outright brightness of their larger siblings, but with the C4 models LG has closed the gap. The 42-inch C4 is beautifully punchy and dynamic, and the increased pixel density of the smaller display actually means it's even sharper than its bigger brothers.

The picture is really balanced, too, and easy to get the most out of. Pop it into Filmmaker Mode and you've instantly got an image that is fairly cinematically accurate and really enticing – though it is slightly cooler in balance than the larger models.

The webOS smart platform features far more ads than any TV operating system should, but it's also quick and intuitive, and it features the best selection of properly optimised streaming apps that you'll find anywhere.

For gaming, the 42-inch C4 is unbeatable. It's just about compact enough to work as a desktop-based gaming monitor, should you wish; it supports every gaming feature you might require (including 4K/144Hz, which its predecessor lacked); and it has four full-spec HDMI 2.1 sockets whereas most rivals have two at most.

The only real downside is poor audio, but that's par for the course with TVs this size. Accept that you will need to add a soundbar and the 42-inch C4 is a superb TV, whether you're a gamer or not.

Do bear in mind that the 42-inch C5 is available and should be even better, but we have not yet had the chance to review it and it's currently still full price, so vastly more expensive than this C4. For those reasons, we are still recommending the C4.

Read the full LG OLED42C4 review

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Best 48-inch TV

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The 48-inch size is a very competitive field, but Panasonic has emerged victorious against tough rivals from Samsung and LG.

The Z90B retains Panasonic's "as the director intended" ethos, which is impressive at this small size. It also keeps Panasonic's rather utilitarian design, which isn't the most attractive around. But it is nice and thin, which is especially handy for wall mounting.

The built-in soundbar makes a return, which is both a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing because it does sound better than a lot of TVs this size, but a curse if you already have a soundbar and don't want to pay for a less good built-in version.

It also has a heatsink to boost brightness without risking burn-in and panel degradation. It's an addition we've been wanting from a TV at this size for some time.

Panasonic's latest-gen HCX Pro AI Processor MKII chipset also features, which is the same as seen in the Z95B, and enables AI processing. This also has Panasonic’s 4K Remaster Engine upscaling and a calibrated mode for Amazon Prime Video. And the TV can be Calman calibrated for near-perfect picture accuracy.

The Fire TV OS has all the usual streaming apps, though it is still a little ad-heavy for our liking. And HDR support is comprehensive. You do only get two HDMI 2.1 ports though, whereas Samsung and LG's rivals have four. But otherwise it's well-specced for gaming, with VRR and ALLM, and a maximum refresh rate of 4K/144Hz.

So how does it perform? Excellently.

Filmmaker mode provides the best picture we've seen from a 48-inch TV this year. Colours are warm and rich, with a level of detail that lots of rivals lack. Skin tones have the right colour volume in all lighting conditions, with a warmth even in the darkest parts of a character's face. It's just as impressive as with the brightest parts of the picture.

"Each part is full of detail without any loss of authenticity or addition of artificiality," we wrote in our review.

It's more discerning with its brightest highlights too, which gives them more impact. The downside is that it's not as bright as some 48-inchers, which costs it some 'wow' factor. The detail is there, but you might have to look for it.

Those who appreciate a more authentic picture will love it. But if you want colours that pop and a set that dazzles, maybe look elsewhere.

It's also the best sounding 48-inch OLED we've tested this year. Its built-in soundbar isn't a patch on even an affordable dedicated standalone model, but it is very good for a TV, with decent separation and a good level of low-end heft.

Read the full Panasonic TV-48Z90B review

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Best premium TV

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The Sony Bravia 8 II is the successor to the five-star Sony A95L QD-OLED, a model that remains among the very best TVs available, despite being nearly two years old.

Sony has equipped this new model with its latest QD-OLED panel, claiming it delivers 25 per cent more peak brightness than the A95L, and 50 per cent more than the standard Bravia 8.

During extensive testing against both the A95L and Bravia 8, the improvements proved immediately apparent. Peak highlights display noticeably brighter intensity, with pin-prick stars glistening more piercingly against deep space backgrounds.

Bright colours also maintain exceptional vibrancy across all lighting conditions, while Sony's enhanced dark gradation work reveals shadow details that were lost on both comparison models. Folds and wrinkles in clothing, subtle facial expressions, and fine textures emerge clearly where the other sets miss these elements entirely.

The enhanced brightness combines with improved colour reproduction and superior shadow detail through Sony's XR Processor, which features a new AI scene recognition system, creating images with remarkable solidity and three-dimensional presence.

Dramatic sunrise skies appear to stretch toward the horizon with greater depth and contrast, while animated content crackles with colourful energy that maintains natural authenticity.

Getting this exceptional performance also requires minimal effort. Our testing found that simply selecting Dolby Vision Dark for Dolby Vision content or Professional mode for everything else delivers delightfully authentic results. For extra excitement, Dolby Vision Bright or Cinema modes add impact without sacrificing much in the way of accuracy. The presets proved so well-calibrated that most users won't need additional adjustments.

Direct testing with content including Alien: Romulus, Sinners, Into The Spider-Verse, and Pan demonstrated the Bravia 8 II's advantages across all material types. Impressively, we noted that bright HDR content, such as Pan, which is mastered to 4000 nits, showcased the TV's exceptional tone mapping and highlight handling. Even standard-definition content from The Thin Blue Line displayed impressively clean upscaling with notable sharpness and detail improvements.

On the sound front, Sony's Acoustic Surface Audio+ system uses the same configuration as the A95L, with two actuators vibrating the screen itself for sound reproduction, with two subwoofers providing bass support.

This creates spatial audio that ties directly to visual action while extending beyond the screen's boundaries. Our review noted excellent detail retrieval, convincing dynamic range, and natural tonal balance throughout, ranking it among the very best built-in TV sound systems available. No mean feat, but we still recommend adding a dedicated soundbar.

Elsewhere, gaming capabilities include 4K/120Hz, VRR, ALLM, and a Dolby Vision Game mode, plus "Perfect for PlayStation 5" functionality that automatically optimises HDR settings when connected to Sony's console. However, the limitation of just two full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 sockets continues, with one doubling as the eARC port.

As for the design, it largely carries over from the A95L, with blade-style feet that must be positioned at the TV's extremes. While this prevents placement on narrow furniture, the feet can be extended to accommodate a soundbar underneath. The remote control represents a downgrade, though, losing the rechargeable, backlit functionality of its predecessor for a basic AAA battery-powered version.

Overall, the Bravia 8 II is a significant upgrade across all areas, making even the excellent A95L appear somewhat flat in direct comparison.

The combination of enhanced brightness, superior shadow detail, and refined AI processing creates images with astonishing dynamism and realism, representing an impressive advancement in OLED tech.

For those seeking exceptional picture quality with minimal setup effort and outstanding built-in sound, the Bravia 8 II won't disappoint.

Read the full Sony Bravia 8 II review

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Best budget large TV UK

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The Sharp 70GK4245K serves up a more than generous 70-inch screen that costs just £489. At this price point, we'd normally expect significant compromises that render a TV barely watchable, but Sharp has managed to deliver something rather surprising here.

The most striking aspect isn't just the sheer size-to-price ratio, but how the 70GK4245K manages to deliver a cohesive viewing experience despite its budget constraints. The VA-type LCD panel provides substantially brighter pictures than we anticipate from ultra-affordable TVs, with HDR content displaying crisp, punchy highlights and respectable sustained brightness across full-screen bright shots.

While you're not witnessing the full range and impact of HDR's light capabilities, there's enough brightness to help pictures look reasonably natural and engaging, rather than the dull compromise you'd typically expect at this price point.

Perhaps more impressive, though, is how this healthy brightness doesn't come at the expense of dark scene performance. The amount of greyness creeping into areas that should appear black remains surprisingly minimal despite the lack of local dimming. Shadow detail remains abundantly present in even the darkest corners when avoiding the Dolby Vision Dark setting, helping create a much more consistent viewing experience than expected from such an affordable large-screen TV.

The picture quality continues to impress with surprisingly sharp and clean imagery. The screen handles even subtle colour blends and tonal shifts without the striping, blocking, or clumping typically associated with budget displays.

While there's no wide colour gamut coverage or Quantum Dot technology, colours remain consistently balanced with no aggressive blue or green wash hanging over proceedings. Motion handling proves competent too, with some blur during fast movement but without descending into actual smearing or lag.

The display's main weakness comes in the form of backlight clouding, with light creeping into dark scenes mostly at the screen edges, but also in some central spots. These light pools disappear completely during bright footage, but can prove distracting enough during very dark sequences to impact the viewing experience. This represents the main compromise preventing the 70GK4245K from achieving budget picture perfection.

The sound performance struggles to match the picture quality achievements as well. Audio feels trapped within the TV's bodywork even at full volume, leaving action scenes and dense musical scores sounding swallowed and thin.

The detached dialogue presentation and minimal bass presence highlight the limitations, though the system operates within its constraints without producing distortion or harshness.

Sharp has also equipped the 70GK4245K with features that punch well above its price class. The TiVO smart system runs as slickly and stably as any premium implementation, carrying an impressive array of apps including Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, All4, My5, and the new Freely platform for live-streaming Freeview channels. The only notable absence is Apple TV+, though this can be accessed through Prime Video (albeit with slightly reduced quality).

Gaming capabilities include some pleasant surprises, with 120Hz support at 1080p resolution, plus VRR and ALLM. While 4K gaming tops out at 60Hz, Dolby Vision gaming is supported, and input lag measures an impressive 14.8ms in Game mode.

The build quality reflects the budget positioning, but the notably flimsy construction at least makes the TV surprisingly easy to move. The rear section is fairly chunky by modern standards, making wall mounting cumbersome, while the desktop feet must be positioned at the extreme corners, requiring furniture nearly as wide as the 70-inch screen itself.

Still, at this price, the Sharp 70GK4245K delivers an overall level of picture quality that has no business appearing on such an affordable home cinema-sized TV.

While backlight clouding and uninspiring audio represent clear compromises, the excellent TiVO smart system and surprisingly competent picture performance make these limitations remarkably easy to accept.

Read our full Sharp 70GK4245K review

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Best budget large TV US

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If you're in the USA, our favourite budget large-screen TV is Amazon's 65-inch Omni QLED.

You won't be surprised to learn that while this is a flagship product for Amazon, it’s still very much a value-oriented proposition. What might surprise you is how much of an all-rounder it is, delivering a very solid picture and sound performance and a very good feature set for the money.

This isn’t a performance in the same league as that offered by flagship sets from the big boys, of course, but the quality and balance that have been achieved at this level are very impressive.

Colours are vibrant and punchy when they need to be but subtle and pale when that is what’s called for. Skin tones at times look just a little richer than is perhaps entirely true to life, but only marginally so, and they certainly don’t look unnatural when viewing the TV in isolation.

A common problem with affordable TVs is that they attempt to dazzle you without having the hardware or processing quality to back it up, and that often actually highlights the limitations of the set. That's not the case with the Omni QLED, which takes a more considered approach across the board, resulting in an overall performance that's less striking than some but much more natural and consistent than most. This balanced approach means you're rarely if ever distracted by what the TV is doing and so can remain fully engrossed in what you're watching.

Inevitably, Amazon’s Omni QLED isn’t perfect. It doesn’t have the pure peak brightness to provide a dazzling rendition of the latest and greatest HDR movies, but that’s understandable at this level. However, while detail levels are decent, they could be better, particularly in darker images, even at this price.

Motion is a slight issue, too. If you avoid the heavier active processing options (which you should), there's no soap opera effect or unpleasant fizziness, but motion is a bit smeary. This is a common issue with affordable non-OLED TVs and the Omni QLED is better than most in this regard, but it's a shame that it is present at all.

Amazon has kept things simple on the audio front, avoiding the temptation to attempt fancy Dolby Atmos processing and the like, and once again we feel that is a wise decision. Yes, the sound is narrow and small in scale compared with that offered by more premium TVs – and there is no attempt to push sound outwards to the sides or up from the television’s chassis – but it is also direct and clear.

On the features front, you're getting a 4K QLED display with the app-packed and user-friendly Fire OS operating system with baked-in Alexa control (you can turn the TV's mics off entirely if you prefer). Somewhat surprisingly, VRR and ALLM are also supported, though 4K 120Hz is off the menu.

All told, by getting the basics right in terms of picture and sound quality while providing an impressive feature set for the price, the Omni QLED makes itself an easy TV to recommend to US buyers on a tight budget.

Read our full Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED review

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Best Mini LED TV

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What makes the mid-range Bravia 7 particularly compelling is how much of Sony's groundbreaking backlight technology from the premium Bravia 9 has filtered down to create what may be the best value proposition in Sony's current range.

At the heart of the Bravia 7's appeal lies its Sony XR Backlight Master Drive system, which combines Mini LED lighting with local dimming across more than 300 separate zones in the 55-inch model we tested.

As a result, the most striking aspect of the Bravia 7's picture performance is its ability to maintain both exceptional brightness and convincing blacks simultaneously. HDR whites and colours blaze from the screen with intensity that rivals much more expensive flagship models, while dark areas achieve startlingly deep, OLED-like blacks.

More importantly, the TV doesn't deliver these extremes in isolation – the backlight controls prove astute enough to retain most of the brightness in highlights and black depth in dark areas, even with mixed-brightness content that makes up the majority of what we actually watch.

This consistency across varied content creates a remarkably immersive viewing experience where nothing the TV does throws you out of what you're watching.

The Bravia 7 brings out detail in even the darkest picture corners, with only minor black crush in the Movie preset. More impressively, blooming around bright objects remains exceptionally well-controlled – the black bars above and below widescreen films stay almost completely free of greyness or blooming artefacts, even when bright objects appear right alongside them.

Sony's XR Triluminos Pro system leverages this excellent light control to deliver a wide, vibrant colour range that maintains natural refinement. The TV retains full saturation in very dark picture areas while bringing out subtle light differences in very bright areas that elude most competitors in its class. This superb light and colour control unlocks exceptional sharpness and detail with native 4K content, delivered without exaggerated grain or glowing edge artefacts from heavy-handed processing.

The only notable limitations emerge with particularly complex shots containing scattered extreme light and dark elements, where slight general clouding and occasional blue colour shifts can appear. Backlight blooming also becomes more noticeable from wider viewing angles. However, these represent minor compromises in what otherwise delivers exceptional consistency and immersion.

Gaming capabilities prove equally impressive. Input lag measures 17.9ms in Game mode – slightly higher than some Sony models, but not enough to affect anyone except the most competitive gamers. The TV supports 4K/120Hz, VRR, ALLM, and low-latency Dolby Vision gaming across two of its four HDMI ports, plus Perfect For PlayStation 5 compatibility for automatic HDR optimisation.

As for its design, the included feet can be configured in four different positions – wide or narrow placement, low or raised height – allowing placement on narrower furniture or accommodation of soundbars underneath. The flush-mounted screen and frame create an immediately premium impression, while the remote control features a tactile, stripped-back button design.

When it comes to sound, Sony's Acoustic Multi-Audio system delivers 40W of power through four speakers comprising two full-range bass reflex drivers and two tweeters. While not matching the picture excellence, the sound creates a nicely projecting soundstage that extends beyond the TV's physical chassis, populated with clean, well-positioned details that do reasonable justice to Dolby Atmos and DTS:X mixes. Dialogue emerges with conviction and clarity, though the most explosive action moments can feel slightly polite and trebly with limited bass heft.

Google TV provides the smart platform foundation, enhanced in the UK by YouView for terrestrial catch-up services. The usual extensive app selection includes calibrated modes for Netflix, Prime Video, and Sony Pictures Core, plus IMAX Enhanced certification for specially mastered content. Sony's commitment to third-party endorsements continues with Dolby Vision and Atmos support, though HDR10+ remains absent, as is typical for Sony models.

The Bravia 7 delivers a distilled version of Sony's flagship backlight mastery – not quite as explosive as the Bravia 9, but actually more consistent in its delivery, resulting in what may be the finest mid-range LCD television we're likely to encounter this year.

Read our full Sony Bravia 7 review

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Best super-sized TV

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How does TCL do it? This TV is a 98-inch monster with sound by Bang & Olufsen, yet for the size it's eminently affordable, especially given its great performance.

Design-wise, it's all picture, with a very slim bezel and blade-style feet. You will need a large TV cabinet to accommodate it though, as its feet can only sit in the one position.

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.

Google TV brings all the usual streaming suspects, though not Freeview Play or Freely. And it's very well equipped for gamers, with VRR, ALLM, a dedicated Game Bar menu and a 144Hz refresh rate. You also get a full complement of HDR format support, but only two HDMI 2.1 ports.

It also has a great picture. In fact, in our review we said that "pretty much everything about the 98C7K’s pictures is spectacular." The brightness is intense, especially at this size, with small HDR highlights looking every bit as dazzling as on pricier TVs. Halo Control does a stellar job of suppressing any unwanted blooms of light emerging.

It can go dazzlingly bright, but doesn't sacrifice subtlety. And its Filmmaker mode is a masterclass in authenticity.

There is a touch of clouding, but not enough to harm the set's excellent contrast. And Dolby Vision Dark mode does tend to crush a few details out of the picture. There are a couple of other niggles too, but they're small fry in the face of the picture's overwhelmingly positive attributes.

The B&O sound system is detailed and clear, and never becomes overstated, harsh or brittle. But it lacks the same level of bass as a dedicated soundbar.

Again, it's a minor quibble. This huge TV is a big deal indeed.

Read the full TCL 98C7K review

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Also consider

LG G5
LG's flagship 4K TV for 2025 features brand new Primary RGB Tandem OLED technology in place of the G4's MLA tech. It's a really big step forward, particularly in terms of full-screen brightness and colour reproduction, and the G4's stylish design and excellent feature set remain. Ultimately, we feel the Bravia 8 II is the better all-rounder, but the G5 is well worth considering, particularly if you're a big gamer.

Panasonic Z95A
The Z95A was Panasonic's flagship TV for 2024. It combines brightness-boosting MLA OLED technology with the brand's trademark 'as the director intended' approach to picture quality to great effect. It also has an advanced audio system with dedicated side- and up-firing speakers, good gaming specs and the app-packed Fire TV operating system. Bear in mind that the Z95A's replacement, the Z95B, is also now on sale.

Samsung Q80D
If you're looking for a mid-range TV that punches above its price, the Samsung Q80D has to be on your shortlist. It lacks the Mini LED technology of its more expensive siblings, but it uses its standard QLED technology to produce a sharp, punchy and always-enjoyable picture. It's got great gaming specs, too, including four HDMI 2.1 sockets that support 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM.

Philips OLED809
The Philips OLED809 is a really strong alternative to the LG C4 and Sony Bravia 8 if you're in the UK (Philips doesn't sell OLED TVs in the US or Australia). Like those TVs, it uses a 'standard' OLED panel, but it delivers a particularly bright and vibrant picture. It's got Ambilight, too, which adds an extra degree of spectacle. It does take more effort than most to get the picture looking its best, though.

Samsung S95D
Samsung's third-generation QD-OLED TV is an absolutely stunning performer that combines the pop and vibrancy we've come to expect from the brand with a welcome dose of restraint. The newer S95F is also now on sale, but we haven't yet been able to review it.

How to choose a TV

There’s no single TV that’s perfect for everyone, but your ideal TV is almost certainly on this page. You just need to figure out your budget, how big you want to go, and what technologies are important to you.

Budget and space
Only you will know how much budget and space you have to use, although you will find a handy guide to choosing the right size of TV further down this page.

Panel technology
The next thing to consider is the panel technology. OLED now rules the roost at the premium end of things and is hugely popular thanks to its perfect blacks and pixel-level contrast control. LCD is still a huge deal too, though, particularly at the budget end of the market that OLED currently can’t touch. There are plenty of premium LCD-based TVs that are great, too, most notably Samsung’s top QLEDs, which combine Quantum Dots with Mini LED backlights to deliver the brightest, most vibrant pictures possible. There's also Micro Lens Array (MLA) technology, which uses a layer of microscopic lenses on top of the OLED pixels to achieve even more dazzling levels of brightness.

Streaming apps
Also, consider whether the TV you’re looking at has all of the streaming apps you want. While some apps, such as Netflix and Prime Video, are now commonplace, there may be an app that you love that’s less common. The Crunchyroll anime app is a good example. It’s also sadly the case that some streaming apps don’t work as they should on certain TVs. For example, many Google/Android TVs support Disney+, but not with Dolby Atmos. That’s why we manually check not only that every major app is present, but that it’s working at its best.

Gaming features
Serious gamers also need to check that their prospective new TV supports all of the latest gaming features. The most technically advanced and therefore rarest of these is 4K/120Hz, which is supported by the PS5, Xbox Series X and advanced gaming PCs, and results in a more responsive gaming experience. Bit also look out for VRR (which reduces stutter in games) and ALLM (which automatically switches the TV to its game mode when you load one up), both of which are very much worth having. There are a number of TVs on this list that support all of these features, but we have a dedicated best gaming TVs guide for those to whom gaming is the primary concern.

Sound
Finally, you need to consider sound, but that doesn’t mean you should dismiss a TV just because it doesn’t sound good. The disappointing truth is that even the best-sounding TV is far behind a decent soundbar for audio quality, so we always recommend focusing on picture quality when buying a TV and budgeting for a dedicated sound system to go with it. We know that’s not an option for everyone, though, so we do of course test a TV’s speakers as thoroughly as its screen. If the audio quality matters a lot to you, you’ll find all the necessary info below. There’s also a TV in this list that’s serious about Dolby Atmos sound.

How we test TVs

A modern TV is a complex, all-singing, all-dancing bit of kit, so we take days to thoroughly test each model.

The bulk of our testing involves feeding various movies and TV shows into the TV on test and its closest rivals (we have a stockroom full of reference models) simultaneously, using a 4K Blu-ray player such as the Pioneer UDP-LX500 and an HDMI splitter. Here, we're testing all aspects of picture quality using DVDs, 1080p Blu-rays and 4K Blu-rays, in both HDR and SDR.

We don't simply accept a TV's out-of-the-box settings, of course. We don't go down the route of professionally calibrating the TVs we test (you shouldn't have to have your TV professionally calibrated to experience its full potential) but we do spend hours testing and adjusting the picture settings and processing modes – using a mix of test patterns and real-world content – until we're confident that we're getting the best performance possible.

We test streaming as well – both in terms of how the TV handles streamed content, which is lower in bit-rate than content from discs, and the streaming apps that the TV natively supports. We manually check that every major app – from Netflix to All 4, Prime Video to Spotify – is not only present but also output in the video and sound formats that it should. Just because a specific app is present doesn't mean it's delivering in all the formats (Dolby Vision and/or Atmos, for example) that it advertises. Experience tells us that it often isn't.

For gaming, we connect both a PS5 and Xbox Series X so we can see how the TV's qualities translate to games and check which advanced gaming features it supports and on which HDMI inputs. Is 4K/120Hz supported? How about VRR? Is there a Dolby Vision game mode? Is there an HGiG preset for more accurate HDR tone mapping? We check all these things and measure input lag using a Leo Bodnar device.

We almost always recommend combining any new TV with a dedicated sound system – at least a soundbar but preferably an AV amplifier and speaker package – but we appreciate that for many people that simply won't do, so we do of course test and rate the built-in sound system for clarity, tonal balance, spaciousness, detail, dynamics and plenty more besides.

All of this testing is conducted by our expert reviewers, who have decades of combined TV reviewing experience, in our state-of-the-art testing facilities in London. This gives us complete control over the testing process, and because all reviews are conducted by a team rather than an individual reviewer, we ensure consistency and fairness.

TV FAQ

Recent updates

30th September 2025
We've replaced the Sony Bravia 8 with the LG C5 as 'Best overall', replaced the Amazon Omni QLED 50-inch with the TCL C6KS as 'Best cheap TV', and replaced the LG OLED48C4 with the Panasonic TV-48Z90B as 'Best 48-inch TV'. We've also removed the 'Best new' and 'Best 8K' options, and added the TCL 98C7K as a new 'Best super-sized TV' category.

29th July 2025
We've removed the Sony A95L (Best premium TV), TCL 65P755K (Best budget TV), and Sony Bravia 9 (Best Mini LED TV) from the guide. They've been replaced by the Sony Bravia 8 II, Sharp 70GK4245K, and Sony Bravia 7, respectively. All other entries and buying advice have been reviewed and refreshed to reflect our latest lab tests and recommendations.

30th April 2025
Added the LG C5 as the 'best new TV', and added the LG G5 and Sony Bravia 7 to the 'also consider' section. All other entries and advice sections have been checked and updated to reflect our latest buying advice.

13th March 2025
Upgrades to the Sony Bravia 9 mean it has been promoted to our choice of Best Mini LED, while the newly reviewed LG C5 has been added to the also consider section.

27th November 2024
Removed the LG Z3 from the also consider section and added the Panasonic Z95A and Samsung Q80D.

29th October 2024
Replaced the LG C4 with the Sony Bravia 8 as the best TV overall after side-by-side comparisons conducted for the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2024. Also replaced the discontinued TCL C845K with the TCL P755K as the best budget large TV for the UK.

12th September 2024
Removed the Sony A80L from the list due to lack of availability and promoted the LG C4 to the top spot. The 48-inch LG C4 has also taken the place of the 48-inch LG C3 as it now costs only a little more but is a decent-sized upgrade in terms of performance. We've also added the Sony Bravia 8 and Philips OLED809 to the 'also consider' section.

15th July 2024
Added the LG G4 to the also consider section.

23rd May 2024
Added the LG C4 as the best 2024 TV and replaced the Samsung S95C with the S95D in the also consider section

4th April 2024
Added the Samsung QN900D as the best 8K TV.

1st March 2024
'Also Consider' and 'Recent Updates' sections added and 'How We Test' section rewritten with additional detail.

1st February 2024
New author information and 'what is the best TV?' FAQ added.

12th January 2024
Information of new models announced at CES added to intro.

3rd November 2023
Added Sony A95L.

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