Best 65-inch TVs 2023: the top models we've tested

If you seriously love movies but can't quite justify turning your living room into a full-on movie theater, a 65-inch TV is the way to go. This is the size at which you get serious cinematic impact but, thanks to stylish chassis, slim bezels and neat features, the best modern 65-inch TVs aren't the eyesores that their predecessors were.

65-inch TVs tend to be cheaper than their smaller siblings on a price-per-inch basis, too, so they are better value in that respect.

It's not as if all 65-inch TVs are great, though. We have reviewed endless TVs at this size, and for every one that knocked our socks off, there have been several that have left us feeling cold. It's a particularly volatile minefield at the cheaper end of the market, where the larger size tends to exaggerate picture flaws that smaller sets can get away with; but spending more isn't a guarantee of quality either.

Before you get all panicked about the potential pitfalls of picking the perfect 65-inch TV, allow us to step in and guide you. We have tested every set that matters and eliminated the also-rans, and we present to you only the finest 65-inch TVs that money can buy, whether you are working to a tight budget or have money to burn.

Written by

Written by

Tom Parsons

Tom Parsons has been writing about TV, AV and hi-fi products (not to mention plenty of other 'gadgets', even cars) for over 15 years. He's tested pretty much every type of TV and is an expert on the 65-inch size bracket, which we view as the sweet spot for most buyers.

The quick list

You can see a quick breakdown of all the TVs in this list with a short summary of what they’re best at and why we think they’re worth your money in the table below. If you want more detail use the jump links to quickly get to the TVs specific entry where we fully explain why it made the list.

The best 65-inch TVs in 2023

Below you'll find full write-ups for each of the best OLED TVs in our list. We've tested each one extensively, so you can be sure that our recommendations can be trusted.

Best overall

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Until very recently, most of the TVs on this list were 2022 models. That's because our recommendations are based on a bang-for-buck mantra, so buying a TV that's been out for a little while and has therefore been thoroughly discounted is almost always a better decision than going for a brand-new model that might be excellent but is still full price.

However, most of last year's TVs have now been discontinued and that's coincided neatly with many 2023 models having now had some hefty discounts, including our favorite overall new TV, the Sony A80L, which we originally reviewed in its 55-inch size but expect to perform equally impressively at 65 inches.

While all of the OLED attention is focused on the super-bright new MLA and QD-OLED models (the LG G3 and Samsung S95C respectively), the truth is that they’re still prohibitively expensive and arguably not the all-rounders one might hope for at their respective prices. Meanwhile, this Sony A80L proves that, with impeccable processing, truly exceptional picture quality is still more than possible from a ‘standard’ OLED panel.

This is a TV that combines the spectacular with cinematic subtlety in a very rare fashion. It thrills, but not in a way that’s even slightly showy. And it combines that with surprisingly atmospheric and engaging sound – though we would still, as ever, recommend a dedicated sound system if you’re serious about home theater.

We have just one mild concern about the A80L: it's still not as good as an LG (such as the C3) for hardcore gaming as it has just two HDMI 2.1 sockets (one of which you're probably going to use for a soundbar), and that it doesn't support Dolby Vision gaming or have an HGiG setting for better HDR tone mapping in games.

That's only going to be a big deal for very dedicated gamers, though. For everyone else, the Sony A80L is an all-rounder that’s very hard to resist.

Read the full Sony A80L review

Best premium

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We recommend the Sony A80L above the newer flagship G3, not because it’s a better performer in every way, but because it offers better value overall. However, if you have oodles of cash and want the best picture quality available (and aren't so bothered about sound), the LG G3 is our current recommendation.

The G3 is the first TV we had the pleasure to test that features MLA tech. This is a vogue technology that made a huge splash at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas earlier this year. It’s a rival technology to Samsung’s QD-OLED, which aims to let TVs overcome one of OLED’s biggest shortcomings – the fact they can’t go as bright as competing LCD sets. Specifically, on the G3 it apparently lets the set go to a maximum 2000 nits brightness. Which in layman's terms means it can go nearly twice as bright as most standard OLED sets in certain instances.

During our tests, we found that while it doesn’t go that bright unless you use very specific picture settings when playing very specific content, it is an absolute top performer.

Running it head-to-head with the older 65-inch LG G2, which was our previous top-end reference set, the G3 proved to be a great upgrade in nearly every way.

Watching It (the 2017 version), the extra brightness was immediately apparent. The stained glass window behind Stanley’s head when he returns the Torah to his father’s office is was markedly brighter. Colors also had more vibrance, without looking overcooked, as they can on some competing QD-OLED sets, like the Sony A95K. Skin tones in particular held a more natural feel.

Dark scenes are equally well handled, despite the G3’s focus on max brightness levels. Watching The Batman, our current go-to for checking detail levels during dark scenes, the G3 completely delivered. Gotham City oozed with grubby detail and there was a wonderful peak around the Bat signal glaring in the night sky.

LG’s done good work to the G3’s sound as well, though it is still far from perfect. For starters the Alpha 9 Gen 6 chip adds up-mixing of all sound formats to 9.1.2 (up from 7.1.2 last year), A custom Auto Balance Control feature also attempts to prevent certain frequencies from being drowned out by others, in theory offering extra clarity for voices during bass-heavy or noisy scenes.

These make it functional and reasonably good for casual viewing, but annoyingly it still struggled during difficult scenes, like the bass-heavy BladeRunner 2044 where we found its flappy woofer could overshadow other frequencies.

Despite this, the incredible picture quality and inclusion of four full-fat HDMI 2.1 ports, rather than the standard two we see on most TVs, make the G3 our current recommendation for buyers where money is no object.

Read our full LG OLED65G3 review

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Best cheap

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While you can add a Fire TV stick to any TV, wouldn't it be easier if Fire TV was built into the TV from the off? Amazon certainly thinks so, which is why it now produces a whole range of Fire TVs. Top of that range is the 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 you might not expect is that it's really rather good, both in terms of performance and features.

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

Colors 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.

Some TVs at this level attempt to mask their affordable origins with lots of active processing that's designed to make each scene look more impactful. Such processing, however, often actually highlights those sets’ limitations. The Omni QLED takes a much more consistent and considered approach to contrast that is less striking but significantly more watchable, particularly over the course of a movie. Its even-handed approach means you are less distracted by what the TV is doing and are therefore much more engrossed in the film.

It’s a generally similar story where detail and sharpness are concerned. In neither regard is the Omni QLED mind-blowing, but it delivers an image that is reasonably insightful and solid without veering into the realms of exaggeration.

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. Also, while motion is pretty smooth and mercifully free from the soap opera effect and fizzy artefacts (assuming you stick to mild or no motion processing), it can be a bit smeary at times

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 those on a tight budget.

Read our full Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED review

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Best for gaming

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The 65-inch take on LG's C3 earned just the four stars, but that was for a very good reason: it wasn't a big improvement on the C2. This allowed rivals such as the Sony A80L to gain ground. But if it's gaming we're talking about, LG's effort is the better bet.

That's because, like the 42-inch model above, it has four HDMI 2.1 ports, meaning you can plug in multiple gaming consoles at once while still using one socket for a soundbar via eARC. Also like the 42-incher, it supports all the usual gaming features these ports allow (VRR, ALLM) along with rarer standards such as HGiG and Dolby Vision gaming (which the Sony doesn't support).

The other reason for its four-star review? Its high launch price. But that's since come down significantly. Even the fact it is similar to the C2 it replaces isn't really a big drawback, seeing as the C2 was a multi-Award winner.

The C3 retains the elegant design of the C2 but adds a new processor for even better visuals and more advanced audio upmixing. The webOS 23 operating system is simpler than last year's version too, and easier to navigate, and it brings a more sophisticated Game Optimizer menu complete with a dedicated sound sub-menu. 

Picture quality is refined, subtle and plenty detailed, and that goes for games as well as movies and TV shows. Some highlights are a little brighter than the C2's, and there's a healthy amount of shadow detail throughout. The sound is still a poor relation to the picture, but that's easily fixed with a decent soundbar. If you want gaming on a big screen, this is the TV for you.

Read the full LG OLED65C3 review

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Best for sound

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The Sony XR-6A95K is the Japanese giant’s first QD-OLED set. And as well as offering fantastic picture quality, it’s also the best-sounding set we’ve tested this size, making it a great option for any buyer that doesn’t want to invest in a separate soundbar or speaker system.

This is largely due to the fact it uses Sony’s custom Acoustic Surface Audio+ technology. This is a clever solution from Sony to let its TVs deliver decent sound without needing to add a chunky speaker bar. It works by using actuators that vibrate the whole screen to create sound. On the A95K, two of these under-screen actuators combine with two subwoofers for added bass. 

To be clear, the audio still doesn’t match the experience you’ll get on a top soundbar, like the Sonos Arc, but by inbuilt TV speaker standards, the A95K’s are best in class.

The system’s handling of the low end is particularly impressive. Playing the opening to chapter 2 of the Blade Runner 2049 4K Blu-ray, the A95K starts and stays strong, offering plenty of weight and punch to the tricky bass notes. This is impressive as this scene is beyond nearly every other TV we test, with next to all the units suffering from distortion or a lack of precision when we play it.

As an added perk the A95K also offers great picture quality. Featuring a first generation QD-OLED panel it offers wonderfully high max brightness levels and a wonderfully immersive viewing experience.

Its biggest strength is its advanced motion processing, which remains best in class, even when compared to other premium sets such as the LG G2 and Samsung S95B. Every test we threw at the A95K, including difficult shimmering effects, delivered a wonderfully controlled, completely natural picture.

Black levels are also excellent and combined with its high max brightness HDR content, like Rogue One in Dolby Vision, the picture had a brilliant amount of detail and a suitable sense of depth. The only downside stopping it from beating some premium sets is its handling of some colors, particularly skin tones can look a little warm.  

Read our full Sony XR-6A95K review

How we choose

How to choose the best 65-inch TV for you

Size really does matter with TVs and going big on a 65-inch screen can often be worth sacrificing a little bit of picture quality and next-gen display tech for those few extra inches of screen real estate. But once you've committed to a screen size what else should you consider when weighing up features and price? 

The type of display you choose will have a huge bearing on your TV's picture performance. Without a doubt, OLED has become the premium TV technology of choice, thanks to its perfect blacks, extraordinary contrast and exceptional viewing angles. QLED, which combines LED (or Mini LED) backlighting with ultra-vibrant Quantum Dots, is a strong alternative, though, largely thanks to being capable of greater brightness and punchier colors. Meanwhile, standard LCD TVs (often, confusingly, sold as 'LED' TVs on account of their LED backlights) are more variable in overall quality but, if you shop carefully, can offer excellent bang for your buck.

But visuals aren't everything and it's important to decide if want to combine your new TV with a dedicated sound system. We'd always recommend doing so as most TVs sound passable at best, even at the high-end. But if you're determined to keep things neat and rely on the in-built speakers, check our reviews to make sure that they're good – there's no point in a great picture if the accompanying sound is rubbish.

If you're a gamer, it's also worth considering the next-gen gaming features of your prospective new TV. Xbox Series X and PS5 gamers can gain a competitive advantage on certain games if their TV supports 4K 120Hz, while VRR support can result in a smoother gameplay experience. ALLM, meanwhile, simply ensures that you automatically get the best visual experience from both games and movies / TV shows. If you're a more casual gamer or not a gamer at all, you can pretty much disregard these features, and doing so will likely save you a lot of cash.

How we test

How we test TVs

Testing a TV is a long and complex process because a modern TV simply does so much. Not only does it need to handle a variety of content resolutions – standard-def, 1080p, 4K and sometimes 8K – and both standard dynamic range and high dynamic range (the latter in a number of formats), all of which need to be specifically tested, is also has a sound system with various advanced settings and a full smart platform. A TV is an all-in-one device in the best sense, but that also makes it a challenging review proposition.

As part of our testing process, we manually check that every major app – from Netflix to All 4, Prime Video to Spotify – is not only present but also outputting in the video and sound formats that it should. Just because there's a Disney+ app doesn't necessarily mean it's working in Dolby Vision and/or Dolby Atmos. In fact, in many recent cases, it hasn't been.

We also connect both a PS5 and Xbox Series X in order to establish which advanced gaming features are and aren't supported, and on which of the TV's HDMI ports. 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 of these things and measure input lag using a Leo Bodnar device.

We then test the TV's picture quality using a vast variety of content, from old DVDs to the latest 4K Blu-rays and plenty of streamed movies and TV shows in between. Every TV is tested against the best model at its price and size – we have a stockroom packed full of Award-winners for this very purpose.

We don't accept the out-of-the-box settings that a TV comes in either. While we intentionally don't go down the route of professional calibration (you shouldn't have to have your TV professionally calibrated in order to get the best out of it), we do spend hours adjusting settings using a mixture of test patterns and real-world content until we're sure we're getting the best out of a TV so that it has the best chance to shine.

While we almost always advise that a new TV is combined with a dedicated sound system such as a soundbar or AV amplifier, many people still prefer to stick with their flatscreen's built-in speakers, so we thoroughly test these too, using a wide variety of movie and music content and with great attention spent to the TV's many processing modes and individual settings.

We have state-of-the-art testing facilities in the UK, where our team of experts do all of our reviews. This gives us complete control over the testing process, ensuring consistency. What's more, all review verdicts are agreed upon by the team as a whole rather than an individual reviewer, again helping to ensure consistency and avoid any personal preference.

The What Hi-Fi? The team has more than 100 years of experience reviewing, testing, and writing about consumer electronics.

From all of our reviews, we choose the best products to feature in our Best Buys. That's why if you take the plunge and buy one of the products recommended below, or on any other Best Buy page, you can be assured you're getting a What Hi-Fi? approved product.