Reviews 4k tv: The 7 Best 4k TVs – Spring 2023: Reviews
The 7 Best 4k TVs – Spring 2023: Reviews
- Table of Contents
- Intro
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Best TV
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Best Home Theater
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Best Upper Mid-Range
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Best Mid-Range
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Best Lower Mid-Range
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Best Budget
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Best Cheap
- Notable Mentions
- Recent Updates
- All Reviews
- Discussions
Updated Mar 27, 2023 at 12:57 pm
By Adam Babcock
Most TVs sold these days have a 4k resolution, except for a handful of 8k options and a few 720p or 1080p TVs. Since a lot of streaming content is in 4k, it’s beneficial to have a 4k TV because it doesn’t have to upscale anything. There are many factors you have to consider when looking for the best TV with a 4k resolution, including where you’re going to watch TV. OLED models are ideal for watching content in dark rooms, while LEDs get much brighter if you want to use them in a well-lit room. Choosing one TV over the next can come down to personal preference, and there’s no perfect choice.
We’ve bought and tested more than 380 TVs, and below are our recommendations for the best TVs you can buy with a 4k resolution. Also, check out our picks for the best TVs, the best smart TVs, and the best 4k gaming TVs. Most brands will start releasing their 2023 lineups soon, so make sure to vote on which ones you want us to buy and test first. If you want to find out more about the 2023 models, check out our 2023 TV lineup page.
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Best 4k TV
Samsung S95B OLED
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Mixed Usage
9.1
Movies
9.4
TV Shows
8.
8Sports
9.0
Video Games
9.3
HDR Movies
9.0
HDR Gaming
9.3
PC Monitor
9.7
Type
OLED
Sub-Type
QD-OLED
Resolution
4k
Sizes
55″ 65″See all our test results
The best 4k TV we’ve tested is the Samsung S95B OLED. It’s an incredible 4k TV that looks amazing in a dark room, as bright highlights in HDR content stand out incredibly well, with no distracting blooming or haloing around bright areas of the scene. It also has much brighter, more vibrant colors than traditional OLED TVs like the LG C2 OLED.
It runs Samsung’s Tizen OS smart interface, which is easy to use and has a great selection of streaming apps and games.It’s also great for gaming thanks to its near-instantaneous response time, so there’s no noticeable ghosting behind fast-moving objects. It has fantastic low input lag, resulting in a very responsive gaming experience, and it has a few great gaming features, including FreeSync variable refresh rate support to reduce screen tearing. Finally, it supports HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on all four of its HDMI ports, meaning you can take full advantage of the Xbox Series X and PS5, including 4k @ 120Hz support. It’s been replaced by the Samsung S95C OLED, but the new model isn’t much of an improvement, and it’s more expensive, so it’s better to get the 2022 model while you can.
See our review
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Best 4k TV For Home Theaters
Sony A95K OLED
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Mixed Usage
9.
0TV Shows
8.8
Sports
8.9
Video Games
9.2
HDR Movies
9.1
HDR Gaming
9.0
PC Monitor
9.2
Type
OLED
Sub-Type
QD-OLED
Resolution
4k
Sizes
55″ 65″See all our test results
If you want the absolute best TV for a basement home theater, get the Sony XR-55A95K. It’s significantly more expensive than the Samsung S95B OLED. However, it’s better for a home theater setup as it has wider format support than the Samsung model and delivers a more accurate image overall, especially in HDR.
It supports Dolby Vision, which delivers a better HDR experience than the base HDR10 format, and it’s more widely supported than Samsung’s competing HDR10+ format, ensuring you’ll enjoy the best HDR experience possible.It also supports more advanced audio formats, like Dolby DTS:X passthrough over eARC, so you don’t have to worry about what audio formats are used on your favorite movies. It displays an incredibly wide HDR color gamut, and its tone mapping is nearly perfect, meaning images look the way the content creator intended. It also gets very bright, so HDR content stands out, and colors are bright and vibrant.
See our review
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Best Upper Mid-Range 4k TV
Samsung QN90B QLED
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8.
7Movies
8.7
TV Shows
8.6
Sports
8.6
Video Games
8.7
HDR Movies
8.7
HDR Gaming
8.7
PC Monitor
8.9
Type
LED
Sub-Type
VA
Resolution
4k
Sizes
43″ 50″ 55″ 65″ 75″ 85″See all our test results
If you’re not in a completely dark room, the benefits of the Samsung S95B OLED aren’t as noticeable, so an upper mid-range 4k TV like the Samsung QN90B QLED might be a better choice.
This TV delivers excellent picture quality, with deep blacks and very bright highlights that stand out the way the content creator intended. It’s a fantastic choice for a bright living room thanks to its high peak brightness and superb reflection handling, so glare isn’t an issue. It looks good in a dark room, but it relies on a Mini LED backlight to produce deep blacks, so there’s more noticeable blooming around bright objects than the S95B.It’s a great TV for pretty much any use. It has a great selection of gaming features, including HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on all four HDMI inputs, meaning you can enjoy 4k @ 120Hz gaming from the new-gen consoles. It also supports Xbox Cloud Gaming, so you can enjoy some of the latest Xbox hits without investing in an expensive console.
See our review
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Best Mid-Range 4k TV
LG C2 OLED
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8.
8TV Shows
8.4
Sports
8.6
Video Games
9.3
HDR Movies
8.8
HDR Gaming
9.0
PC Monitor
9.3
Type
OLED
Sub-Type
WOLED
Resolution
4k
Sizes
42″ 48″ 55″ 65″ 77″ 83″See all our test results
If you want something cheaper than the Samsung S95B OLED, the best mid-range TV we’ve tested is the LG C2 OLED. It’s an incredible TV that delivers similar picture quality to the S95B.
It uses a different type of OLED panel that delivers the same perfect blacks in a dark room, but colors aren’t as bright and vibrant, and HDR content doesn’t stand out as well due to its lower peak brightness.It’s a fantastic choice for gamers, thanks to its wide range of gaming features. Like the Samsung TV, it supports HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on all four of its HDMI ports and supports both FreeSync and G-SYNC variable refresh rates (VRR), ensuring a nearly tear-free gaming experience from any source that supports VRR. That said, it’s not as good as the Samsung S95B OLED in a bright room. If you’re looking for something that can handle a bit more glare, check out the Samsung QN90B QLED instead. It’s a similarly-priced mid-range TV, but instead of an OLED panel with deep blacks, it uses an LED backlight, allowing it to get significantly brighter.
See our review
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Best Lower Mid-Range 4k TV
Hisense U8H
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Mixed Usage
8.
7Movies
9.0
TV Shows
8.3
Sports
8.3
Video Games
9.0
HDR Movies
8.9
HDR Gaming
9.0
PC Monitor
8.3
Type
LED
Sub-Type
VA
Resolution
4k
Sizes
55″ 65″ 75″See all our test results
If you want a TV that offers excellent value, a cheaper mid-range option like the Hisense U8H is a great choice.
It’s a great TV with impressive picture quality in dark and bright rooms. It comes with the easy-to-use Google TV as its smart platform, and you can either watch apps directly on the TV or cast content from your phone. While it doesn’t deliver the same perfect black levels and perfect black uniformity as the LG C2 OLED or the Samsung S95B OLED, it displays deep blacks with an impressive Mini LED local dimming feature. It means there’s almost no blooming around bright objects.Unlike the top two TVs on this list, this one supports both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision HDR formats, so you can take full advantage of the content you’re watching, no matter which format it’s in. It also displays a wide range of colors in HDR and gets bright enough to make highlights pop and colors look vivid. It also has a great selection of gaming features, including FreeSync support to reduce tearing, and it supports HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, but only on two of its four HDMI ports.
See our review
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Best Budget 4k TV
TCL 5 Series/S555 2022 QLED
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7.
6TV Shows
6.9
Sports
7.1
Video Games
8.1
HDR Movies
7.8
HDR Gaming
8.2
PC Monitor
8.1
Type
LED
Sub-Type
VA
Resolution
4k
Sizes
50″ 55″ 65″ 75″See all our test results
The best budget 4k TV we’ve tested is the TCL 5 Series/S555 2022 QLED. It’s a good budget TV with surprisingly good picture quality and a wide selection of additional features.
It’s impressive for watching movies in a dark room thanks to its superb contrast ratio, fantastic black uniformity, and decent local dimming feature, meaning blacks appear deep and uniform in a dark room. It also has impressive peak brightness and decent reflection handling, so it’s an acceptable choice for a bright room.It’s available in a wide range of sizes, and even the largest model is available at a budget price, so you can get the size that fits your needs. It runs the Roku OS interface, which is pretty basic but easy to use and has a good selection of streaming apps. By going with a budget model like this one over the Hisense U8H, you’re sacrificing a bit on picture quality, but the biggest difference is for gamers, as it’s limited to a 60Hz refresh rate. It’s still great for gaming, but you can’t take full advantage of the Xbox Series X or PS5.
See our review
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Best Cheap 4k TV
Hisense A6H
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9Movies
6.8
TV Shows
7.3
Sports
6.9
Video Games
7.0
HDR Movies
6.3
HDR Gaming
7.2
PC Monitor
8.0
Type
LED
Sub-Type
IPS
Resolution
4k
Sizes
43″ 50″ 55″ 65″ 70″ 75″See all our test results
If you want something cheap that gets the job done, the Hisense A6H is the best cheap 4k TV we’ve tested.
It’s an okay entry-level 4k TV that delivers okay overall picture quality. It runs the Google TV interface, with a huge selection of streaming apps available. It makes it a great choice for an office or guest bedroom, as you don’t have to worry about buying an extra streaming stick to watch your favorite shows. It has a wide viewing angle, which is great if you like to watch TV while walking around, as the image remains consistent when viewed from the sides.Unfortunately, unlike the other TVs on this list, it’s not a good choice for a dark room. It has a low contrast ratio, and by going with a cheap TV, you’re losing out on advanced features like local dimming to improve the appearance of dark scenes. It also can’t display a wide color gamut, so although it supports Dolby Vision HDR, this adds very little overall.
See our review
8
It runs Samsung’s Tizen OS smart interface, which is easy to use and has a great selection of streaming apps and games.
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It supports Dolby Vision, which delivers a better HDR experience than the base HDR10 format, and it’s more widely supported than Samsung’s competing HDR10+ format, ensuring you’ll enjoy the best HDR experience possible.
7
This TV delivers excellent picture quality, with deep blacks and very bright highlights that stand out the way the content creator intended. It’s a fantastic choice for a bright living room thanks to its high peak brightness and superb reflection handling, so glare isn’t an issue. It looks good in a dark room, but it relies on a Mini LED backlight to produce deep blacks, so there’s more noticeable blooming around bright objects than the S95B.
8
It uses a different type of OLED panel that delivers the same perfect blacks in a dark room, but colors aren’t as bright and vibrant, and HDR content doesn’t stand out as well due to its lower peak brightness.
7
It’s a great TV with impressive picture quality in dark and bright rooms. It comes with the easy-to-use Google TV as its smart platform, and you can either watch apps directly on the TV or cast content from your phone. While it doesn’t deliver the same perfect black levels and perfect black uniformity as the LG C2 OLED or the Samsung S95B OLED, it displays deep blacks with an impressive Mini LED local dimming feature. It means there’s almost no blooming around bright objects.
6
It’s impressive for watching movies in a dark room thanks to its superb contrast ratio, fantastic black uniformity, and decent local dimming feature, meaning blacks appear deep and uniform in a dark room. It also has impressive peak brightness and decent reflection handling, so it’s an acceptable choice for a bright room.
9
It’s an okay entry-level 4k TV that delivers okay overall picture quality. It runs the Google TV interface, with a huge selection of streaming apps available. It makes it a great choice for an office or guest bedroom, as you don’t have to worry about buying an extra streaming stick to watch your favorite shows. It has a wide viewing angle, which is great if you like to watch TV while walking around, as the image remains consistent when viewed from the sides.Notable Mentions
- TCL 6 Series/R655 2022 QLED:
The TCL 6 Series/R655 2022 QLED is an impressive TV overall, but it’s not as good as the Hisense U8H for most users. The Hisense is a better choice if you can stretch your budget a bit.
See our review - Insignia F50 QLED:
The Insignia F50 QLED is a decent 4k TV with better picture quality than the Hisense A6H. However, it’s been discontinued by the manufacturer and is very difficult to find. If you can find a store offering it on clearance, you can get very good deals.
See our review - Hisense U6H:
The Hisense U6H is a good alternative to the TCL 5 Series/S555 2022 QLED, but the TCL is a bit better and about the same price.
See our review
The Hisense is a better choice if you can stretch your budget a bit.Recent Updates
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Mar 27, 2023:
Replaced the Hisense U6H with the TCL 5 Series/S555 2022 QLED, as it performs slightly better for around the same price. -
Jan 18, 2023:
Replaced the Insignia F50 QLED with the Hisense A6H, as the Insignia is on final clearance and is very hard to find. Added the Sony A95K OLED as the ‘Best Home Theater’ pick.
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Dec 02, 2022:
Added the Samsung QN90B QLED as the ‘Best Upper Mid-Range 4k TV’, and added the TCL 6 Series/R655 2022 QLED to the Notable Mentions. -
Oct 03, 2022:
Restructured the article for consistency with our other recommendation articles, and to make it easier for readers to find the best product for their needs. -
Jul 08, 2022:
Restructured article to reflect user needs and for consistency; renamed the LG C1 to ‘Best 4k TV’, the Hisense U8G to ‘Best Mid-Range’, the Sony A90J to ‘Best For Home Theaters’, and the Samsung QN90A as ‘Best For Bright Rooms’; added the Samsung QN85A.
Added the Sony A95K OLED as the ‘Best Home Theater’ pick.
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best 4k TVs to buy for most people in each price range. We factor in the price (a cheaper TV wins over a pricier one if the difference isn’t worth it), feedback from our visitors, and availability (no TVs that are difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).
If you would like to do the work of choosing yourself, here is the list of all our 4k TV reviews. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no TV is perfect, most TVs are great enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.
The Best TVs of 2023
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Photo: Lee Neikirk
FYI
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Our favorite TVs deliver superior picture quality for a reasonable price.
Whether it’s a big-screen 4K OLED TV that delivers the ultimate videophile performance, a great 4K gaming TV, or a small, 32-inch HDTV for a secondary space, our recommendations always take into account both performance and value.
This article provides an overview of the top picks across all of our TV guides. We’ve spent hundreds of hours researching and testing to find the best option for any space or budget, so read on to find the right TV for you.
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“Just right” pricing
The best TV shopping strategy is Goldilocks-style: Look for a TV that isn’t too cheap but isn’t loaded with frills you don’t need.
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Our testing methods
We use professional measurement equipment to judge a TV’s accuracy, and we evaluate TVs based on how real people actually use them.
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Future-proofed picks
TV tech is always evolving, so we look for TVs that have the specs to stay relevant for many years.
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Best of the best
These TVs are our top picks from our various TV guides, which involved hundreds of hours of research and testing. They won’t let you down.
If you’re eager to buy a new TV but overwhelmed by all the jargon, check out our TV buying guide.
The key thing to know about modern TVs is that shopping for a new one is less about avoiding a lemon and more about making sure you aren’t paying for features you don’t need or won’t use.
But the good news is that even affordable TVs tend to look excellent if you just want the basics.
So start by asking yourself a few questions:
- What kind of content are you going to watch?
- What’s the right screen size for the room?
- How much control do you have over competing light, such as from lamps and windows?
If you’re not planning on playing video games or watching Blu-ray discs, you probably don’t need a TV with a 120 Hz refresh rate, which tends to raise the price.
If you’re buying for a bedroom, you probably don’t need a huge screen.
And if your intended room is especially bright, you may want to spring for a premium LCD TV since such models get a lot brighter than budget LCD TVs or OLED TVs.
Knowing some of these basic points before you start shopping around can simplify the process and narrow down your viable options.
The research
- Great image quality for the price: Best LCD/LED TV
- If you can’t spend as much: Best budget 4K TV
- Upgrade for the best possible performance: Best OLED TV
- For small spaces: Best 32-inch TV
- For gamers: Best TV for video games
- More resources
- Further reading
- Frequently asked questions
Great image quality for the price: Best LCD/LED TV
Photo: Lee Neikirk
Buy a midrange LCD TV if:
- You want quality for a reasonable price: Good LCD TVs offer excellent picture quality, solid preset image modes, easy on-screen navigation, and plenty of inputs for under $1,500.
Buy another type of TV if:
- You want the best image quality possible: An OLED TV will provide a clear, truly lifelike image with perfect blacks and bright highlights, but you’ll have to pay for it.
- You’re on a tight budget: If you’re willing to compromise on image quality to save some money, consider our budget pick.
- You don’t have very much space: If you’re looking for a TV to fit in the corner of your small bedroom or dorm, get a 32-inch model.
Why we like it: The Hisense U8H sports all of the advanced TV technologies we like to see—quantum dots for richer color saturation, a mini-LED backlight with local dimming for better black levels and overall contrast, and a 120 Hz refresh rate for improved motion—and it utilizes them to splendid effect. This LCD TV does a great job with HDR video, thanks to its excellent color saturation and impressive peak brightness: We measured an average brightness of 1,500 nits, with peaks just north of 1,800 nits, which far surpasses what you get with other TVs at this price.
The U8H also has all the necessary features to excel as a gaming monitor, with two high-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 inputs that allow for 4K 120 Hz gaming from the newest Xbox and PlayStation consoles. It also comes equipped with the latest iteration of the Google TV platform, which we found to be reliable and easy to use.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: Hisense’s video processing isn’t up to the standards of Sony or Samsung, so the more eagle-eyed videophile might notice banding and upscaling artifacts in some video and gaming content. The viewing angle is only average, and this series comes only in 55-, 65-, and 75-inch screen sizes. If you don’t mind spending more for better video processing or if you need a different screen size than the U8H offers, consider the Samsung QN90B instead. The QN90B is available in both smaller (43, 50 inches) and larger (85, 98 inches) sizes compared with the Hisense U8H, it’s a little brighter, and it renders a cleaner, more nuanced image that videophiles will appreciate.
Available sizes: 55, 65, 75 inches
HDMI ports: four
Smart OS: Google TV
Resolution: 4K (3840×2160)
Screen type: LCD/LED
Our pick
Hisense U8H Series
The Hisense U8H offers great image quality, superb gaming features, and the Google TV interface, but it has a narrower viewing angle and fewer screen sizes than some other TVs.
See our complete coverage and learn more in our full review
If you can’t spend as much: Best budget 4K TV
Photo: Lee Neikirk
Buy a budget 4K TV if:
- You’re willing to sacrifice image quality: Spending a little more money will get you noticeably better image quality.
Buy another type of TV if:
- You watch a lot of TV during the day: Our budget 4K TV picks might not be bright enough to compete with sunlight through windows, which might bother you on a lazy Sunday morning. This is also true if your viewing area tends to have a lot of lights on.
- You want something that looks as good turned off as it does while on: A more expensive TV may have better aesthetics than our budget pick.
Why we like it: The 2022 TCL 5-Series (S555) delivers a great-looking 4K HDR picture with better brightness capabilities than the competition, and it comes in 50-, 55-, 65-, and 75-inch sizes to fit most rooms. It’s the company’s lowest-priced TV line to incorporate advanced LCD technologies such as a full-array local-dimming LED backlight for improved image contrast and quantum dots for richer color, and it supports Dolby Vision HDR and the latest advanced gaming features. Plus, it has the popular Roku streaming platform built in, so you can easily access your favorite video and audio streaming services.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: The 5-Series’s panel has only a 60 Hz refresh rate, so motion isn’t as fluid as it can be on a 120 Hz panel, which offers faster pixel refresh and reduced motion blur. If the refresh rate is a dealbreaker for you, consider spending a little more on the new 2022 TCL 6-Series, which is a notable upgrade over the 5-Series, delivering not just a faster refresh rate but also better HDR performance.
Available sizes: 50, 55, 65, and 75 inches
HDMI ports: four
Smart OS: Roku TV
Resolution: 4K (3840×2160)
Screen type: LCD/LED
Our pick
TCL 5-Series Roku TV (S555)
The 2022 TCL 5-Series delivers a satisfying 4K HDR picture for the price, and it supports the latest gaming features. Its Roku TV smart platform is robust enough for enthusiasts but intuitive enough for the whole family.
See our complete coverage and learn more in our full review
Upgrade for the best possible performance: Best OLED TV
Photo: Lee Neikirk
Buy an OLED TV if:
- You want the best possible picture quality, regardless of price: OLED TVs produce the best HDR picture quality, the best motion, and the widest viewing angles of any TV currently available. Learn more about OLED technology in this article.
- You watch a lot of movies in a dark room: You will best appreciate an OLED TV’s ability to render a truly deep black level—and its superior image contrast—when watching movies in a dark room.
- You want your TV to look as nice off as it does on: An OLED TV usually has an attractive metallic design that looks great in a living room, and no other TVs have such slim profiles.
Buy another type of TV if:
- You largely watch TV in a very bright room: OLED TVs are getting brighter, but they still can’t compete with the best higher-end LCD models in overall brightness. Most OLED TV screens can be overpowered via reflections or direct ambient light.
- You aren’t looking for the best possible picture quality: An LCD TV can provide almost as good an image for a lower price.
Why we like it: The Samsung S95B employs QD-OLED, a new technology in 2022 that combines the best qualities of OLED TVs—perfect black levels, wide viewing angles, and a super-sleek design—with the color-enhancing power of quantum dots. The S95B is one of only two QD-OLED TVs available in 2022, and despite being significantly cheaper than the competing model, it delivers blue-ribbon picture quality. It’s also one of the brighter OLED TVs we’ve tested, so it’s much more room-flexible than models from previous years; you can watch it comfortably in all but the brightest of rooms.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: Because it uses a new technology, the S95B is available only in 55- and 65-inch screen sizes, which limits its appeal and flexibility. It also has no support for the Dolby Vision HDR format. During our testing, the redesigned Samsung Smart Hub smart-TV interface was more sluggish than we would have liked—though we did appreciate how robust the platform was, especially for gaming.
Available sizes: 55, 65 inches
HDMI ports: four
Smart OS: Smart Hub (Tizen)
Resolution: 4K (3840×2160)
Screen type: OLED
Our pick
Samsung S95B Series
The Samsung S95B delivers stellar 4K HDR picture quality, thanks to its QD-OLED panel, for a price that’s quite reasonable for a new technology.
See our complete coverage and learn more in our full review
For small spaces: Best 32-inch TV
Photo: Adrienne Maxwell
Buy a 32-inch LCD/LED TV if:
- You don’t have space for a larger TV: Our other picks are likely too big for small bedrooms or dorm rooms.
- You don’t want to spend much money: If you’re shopping for a casual-use TV and you don’t require a higher level of performance, this is a good choice.
Buy another type of TV if:
- You care about picture quality: A larger LCD or OLED TV will provide an image with much better brightness, contrast, color, and detail.
- You’ve got plenty of space: A 32-inch TV may be inadequate for the average spacious suburban living room.
Why we like it: The TCL 32S334 is a great small smart TV that you can quickly and easily set up and use in most any space. It offers good picture and sound quality, and the built-in Android TV smart-TV platform supports all the major streaming video and music services. We like Android TV’s customizable interface, and the remote is simple without being too simplistic, with helpful buttons and a microphone for voice search. Bluetooth audio output is available to send the TV’s audio wirelessly to headphones or speakers, and you can choose a wired or wireless network connection for streaming.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: None of the 32-inch TVs we’ve tested excel in the brightness department, and their LCD panels don’t incorporate any light-rejecting technology to help improve image contrast—so they aren’t a good choice for bright rooms. The 32S334’s viewing angles are average, and the 720p resolution is not ideal for up-close uses such as desktop work or gaming. If you need a 1080p resolution or prefer the Roku smart-TV platform, consider our runner-up pick, the TCL S327.
Available sizes: 32, 40 inches
HDMI ports: two
Smart OS: Android TV
Resolution: 720p (1366×768)
Screen type: LCD/LED
Our pick
TCL 32S334 Android TV
The 32S334 is a great all-in-one small TV, offering good performance, a robust smart-TV platform, and helpful features like voice search and Bluetooth audio output.
Buying Options
$185* from Amazon
*At the time of publishing, the price was $132.
See our complete coverage and learn more in our full review
For gamers: Best TV for video games
Buy a gaming TV if:
- You want low input lag: “Input lag” refers to the time that elapses between your pressing a keyboard key or controller button and seeing a response on the screen. TVs with minimal input lag are ideal for gaming.
- You want the latest gaming-friendly HDMI 2.1 features: The newest HDMI 2.1 specification includes a number of gaming-friendly features such as automatic low-latency mode (ALLM), variable refresh rate (VRR), and the bandwidth to pass a 4K 120 Hz signal. The best gaming TVs support these features on multiple HDMI inputs.
Buy another type of TV if:
- You don’t play video games: Other TVs can deliver great performance for movie- and TV-watching for a lower price.
Why we like it: In addition to being a great overall performer for movies, the LG C2 OLED TV supports all the HDMI 2.1 features you could want for gaming, including 4K 120 Hz inputs, ALLM, VRR, and HGIG. In addition, it has one of the lowest input lags we’ve measured on a TV, its game mode offers accurate colors, and it has superior viewing angles and pixel-response times compared with LCD TVs. It supports AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync for PC gamers, too.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: Some people worry about burn-in when using an OLED TV as a gaming monitor, though we don’t think this is a major issue. If you’d prefer an LCD TV for gaming, check out our runner-up pick, the Samsung QN90B.
Available sizes: 42, 48, 55, 65, 77, and 83 inches
HDMI ports: four
Smart OS: WebOS
Resolution: 4K (3840×2160)
Screen type: OLED
Our pick
LG C2
The LG C2 provides low input lag and the most comprehensive set of gaming features, plus great overall picture quality.
See our complete coverage and learn more in our full review
More resources
Is your TV set up to look its best? Do you need a smart TV? What is HDR, and do you have the right gear to watch it? Check out some of our educational resources below:
Further reading
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TV Buying Guide
For those who have no idea where to start in the TV buying process, we explain the tech terms and answer the big questions.
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The Best TV Wall Mount
If you want to hang your flat-panel TV on the wall, we recommend the Sanus VMPL50A-B1 or Sanus VLF728-B2, depending on how much motion you need in your mount.
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The Best Soundbar
The Polk MagniFi Mini AX is the all-around best soundbar because of its big, immersive sound, small footprint, affordable cost, and easy operation.
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The Best Wireless TV Headphones
Wireless TV headphones let you watch TV or play games without disturbing others. We like Insignia’s NS-HAWHP2 for its comfort, ease of use, and minimal lag.
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The Best Media Streaming Devices
The Chromecast with Google TV has all the features we look for in a media streamer, and Google’s interface is the best at finding and organizing content.
Frequently asked questions
How are TVs measured?
Scientific standards for HDTV performance have been in place since 1990, and scientific standards for UHD TV performance have been in place since 2015.
But what does it mean to have “scientific” standards for TVs? Essentially, it boils down to light and color production, two stimuli that can be easily measured.
For both SDR (standard dynamic range) and HDR (high dynamic range) content, there are designated light and color targets that a TV should hit. For example, we have behavioral targets for functions called gamma (for SDR video) and electro-optical transfer function (or EOTF, for HDR video), which specify how much light a TV should produce across a range of electrical stimulus levels. There are also targets for the hue, saturation, and brightness of a TV’s primary colors (red, green, and blue) and secondary colors (cyan, magenta, and yellow), depending on whether the SDR or HDR color spaces are being used for what you’re watching. A specific color temperature, designated in Kelvin, dictates how grayscale elements should look. Modern TVs should produce a white point that’s exactly 6500 K, roughly the flavor of unclouded daylight.
Major deviations from any of these targets can ruin a TV’s image and obscure details.
When we measure TVs, we use a device called a signal generator to send test patterns to the screen, plus a meter (usually a tristimulus colorimeter) to measure the light and colors that the TV produces. We use Portrait Displays’ Calman software a program specifically designated for display measurement and calibration, to tabulate those measurements into easily readable charts and tables. With one scan, we can get a good estimate of how a TV’s picture quality compares to the scientific standards. Is its production of white light too red- or blue-tinted? Does it produce enough color for HDR content? Is it clipping off details on either end of the light spectrum?
These measurements aren’t the sole indicator of a good TV, and they are not the only thing we take into account when recommending TVs, but they make up a healthy portion of what we test. Our picks tend to excel at these tests, but they also need to be priced reasonably and not introduce any hardware, compatibility, or user-experience issues once they’re in your home.
How do I recycle an old TV?
A TV can be recycled into a number of components, including copper wiring, plastic, and glass, so you should never just throw it in a trash dumpster. A TV needs to be processed at a facility that’s equipped to disassemble it. Fortunately, most people should have several options for recycling their old TV.
Each state and county has different guidelines for recycling, so you should start by Googling your city’s television recycling options. There’s a good chance you’ll be able to leave your TV on the curb with your other recycling, but it may incur a fee (and if you’re renting, you should give your apartment manager or landlord notice about the upcoming expense). If curbside removal isn’t an option, try searching for nearby recycling centers and checking their websites. Most will list which electronics they accept—and some may even offer to help bring heavy TVs inside.
If you have a CRT (tube) TV smaller than 32 inches or an LCD or plasma TV smaller than 50 inches, your local Best Buy should be able to recycle it for you for a $30 fee.
We recommend calling ahead first to check that your nearest location participates in the recycling program, however (this program isn’t available in Connecticut and Pennsylvania). Best Buy also offers a haul-away service for larger TVs, but this is considerably more expensive (around $200 at time of writing).
You can also check the EPA’s website, which lists electronics dropoff options by brand.
If recycling isn’t an option, you could sell or donate your old TV via services like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. Additionally, check websites for (or call) the nearest Goodwill or Salvation Army, who may allow you to simply drop off the TV. Just remember that if you go this route, you should factory reset the TV to ensure none of your personal data is accessible.
Meet your guide
Lee Neikirk
Lee Neikirk is a senior staff writer reporting on TVs at Wirecutter. He has been testing and reviewing AV gear since 2012 and is an ISF-certified TV calibrator.
When he’s not fussing over pixels, Lee is either jamming on a guitar, playing video games, or driving around endlessly trying to find beach parking.
Further reading
-
The Best Gaming TV for PS5 & Xbox Series X
by Lee Neikirk and Chris Heinonen
The LG C2’s comprehensive set of gaming features and excellent picture quality make it our pick for the best gaming TV.
-
All the TVs Wirecutter Recommends
by Wirecutter Staff
Looking for a new TV but unsure where to start? Whether you want to shop by size, price, or purpose, we have recommendations.
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The Best 32-Inch TV
by Adrienne Maxwell
The TCL 32S334 Android TV is our favorite 32-inch TV because it looks and sounds good, it’s easy to use, and it has the best assortment of helpful features.
Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions.
Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time).
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- Our team
- Staff demographics
- Jobs at Wirecutter
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Best 55-inch 4K TVs of 2018
TVs
.4k
,lg
samsung
, sony
Time to upgrade your TV! 4K is becoming more and more firmly established as an inevitable format of modernity, prices are falling, specifications are improving with the release of each new model.
We chose for you the 4 best 55-inch TV models that are worth buying in 2019.
Whether it’s compact kitchen TVs or huge wall-mounted panels, the 55-inch models are the sweet spot when it comes to choosing between practicality and spectacular picture. It will be a decent option for watching movies, series, video games, cable TV or Youtube. On such a TV panel, you will fully experience all the delights of a 4K picture, from a viewing distance of 2 meters, which is standard for many.
What else is important to have in a modern 4K TV? When buying, the most significant evaluation criteria, in addition to the diagonal, are usually the type of screen, viewing angle, brightness and contrast, power consumption, availability of additional functions and price. Nowhere without HDR support – a new TV runs the risk of becoming obsolete in a couple of years – especially for games. Support for this format enables images to be transmitted with a higher level of contrast between dark and light areas.
It is these criteria that we took into account in our review.
See also: What is HDR in TVs and what are its types
B8 series TVs offer high quality images with deep blacks, improved visualization, shadow detail and high color definition with the widest viewing angles for relatively little money . There is also a great image enhancement feature for HDR content without Dolby Vision.
OLED55B8 manages to reproduce not only a high-quality image, but also a pretty cool sound. Even though most of the TV’s body is thin, its speakers deliver clear and detailed sound without distortion.
Samsung’s flagship model with a high-tech QLED quantum dot display. An important innovation in the 2018 models is the placement of Direct LED-backlight directly below the screen matrix, which allows for more efficient brightness control. For example, a TV can simultaneously illuminate some areas of the panel, while turning off the backlight on others.
To improve the picture, Ultra Black Elite anti-reflective coating was used, which absorbs and redirects light instead of reflecting it.
This is achieved by microscopic bulges on the surface of the display. The device is running a fairly fast Tizen OS.
The OLED C8 line (there are also 65 and 75-inch models) has received a new processor, due to which the image has become even more detailed and saturated than last year’s C7 series and the aforementioned B8. 4K Cinema HDR means working with 4 formats (previously 3) of a wide dynamic range. Also on board are 4-step noise reduction, game mode, support for Dolby Atmos virtual surround sound.
Like the B8, it uses LG’s webOS, which is considered the best Smart TV system by many users. Its main merits are speed and intuitive menu interface.
The TV’s X1 Extreme processor processes images in real time to enhance detail and upscale any video to near 4K HDR quality. Proprietary Triluminos Display technology, combined with Dolby Vision, is capable of reproducing a wide gamut of vibrant colors.
There is also a special sound here, it comes from almost the entire surface of the screen: the Acoustic Surface system is responsible for this.