Best TV 2025: The best affordable and premium sets

From being a new challenger in the TV market, Samsung’s QD-OLED TVs have grown to be part of the living room furniture, with the S95F offering a significant leap in performance.

It is currently the brighest OLED TV we’ve reviewed, besting the S95D‘s 1798 nits on a 10% window with a dazzling 3400 nits on the same performance metric.

That level of brightness feeds into the TV’s colour performance, with rich and also natural shades that deliver more accuracy in terms of colour performance than LG’s WRGB OLEDs can.

4K images look sharp, upscaling has been improved to better detect noise with lower quality sources, while the anti-glare reflection screen handles bright lights better than before without affecting black levels as much. From a picture quality perspective, the S95F is a dazzling TV.

It’s a shame that it doesn’t support Dolby Vision HDR, but with its high levels of brightness, it arguably doesn’t need to.

The Tizen interface continues on with a few tweaks such as AI recommendations based on what you watch, to its more intutive meny layout that doesn’t take up the whole screen.

Gaming-wise we measured input response at a speedy 9.4ms, which is remarkably low, while all four of the HDMI 2.1 inputs support 4K/120Hz through the One Connect box, with 165Hz supported for PC gaming.

Nvidia GeForce NOW VRR is natively supported alongside AMD’s VRR version for PC gamers who want the best performance.

The sound system supports Dolby Atmos, and it’s very good at placing effects on and around the screen with accuracy. Bass response has also been improved, although with lots of bass the sound system will still struggle.

As the first of the big new OLED TVs to hit the market for 2025, Samsung has set the benchmark for the rest to follow. We’ll be looking to see how well the Sony Bravia 8 MkII, Panasonic Z95B and LG G5 OLED do when we get round to reviewing them.

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Though the Z95A from Panasonic looks the same as previous TVs from the Japanese brand, it represents a big change in its appeal to customers.

Out goes Panasonic’s own My Home Screen and in comes Amazon’s Fire TV. This model offers customers a huge selection of apps that weren’t available on Panasonic’s previous interface, while also including a variety of smarts such as hands-free Alexa and Ring support. There’s also Apple Home and AirPlay support for those who felt Panasonic’s previous smart offering was lacking.

The Z95A features LG Display’s Micro Lens Array technology, with Panasonic adding its own customisations to improve the performance. It is brighter than the LG G4 as it hits 1585 nits on a 5% HDR window, though the Samsung S95D is even brighter with HDR content.

HDR10, HLG, HDR10+ Adaptive and Dolby Vision IQ formats are supported. With the HCX Pro AI Processor MK II powering the picture, image quality is up to Panasonic’s usual high standards with textures and skin tones looking sublime, and issues with banding all but disappeared. Specular highlights are bright and precise, with the Z95A delivering stunning picture quality across a range of sources.

Freeview Play has been replaced by Freely, and Panasonic has upped its performance in the gaming area with its Game Mode Extreme dashboard that introduces RPG and FPS audio presets. Input lag is 12ms, and there’s support for VRR, ALLM, 4K/120Hz, although much like previous models, they’re only available on two HDMI inputs.

We found sound quality to be very impressive, with the Z95A delivering a powerful, clean and immersive sound. For anyone who doesn’t want the built-in sound system and instead wants to connect a sound system of their own, there is the Z90A, though this doesn’t feature as bright an OLED screen.

With the Panasonic Z95B on its way offering improvements with the design, picture and sound; we expect that model to be a signigicant step up, but don’t take anything away from the Z95A, which remains the bext all-in-one TV at this point in time.

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While there are still questions marks over whether 8K TVs will ever become a mainstream proposition, Samsung is still leading the push, and the QN900D is arguably its best flagship 8K TV ever.

Peak brightness has been raised with the Movie mode hitting 2445 nits compared to the QN900C’s 2096 nits. That high level of brightness, beyond what an OLED TV can manage, feeds into impressively bright and colourful HDR images. The lack of Dolby Vision remains a disappointing omission.

Of course, there is not a lot of native 8K content about, so the Samsung QN900D’s main task is to take 4K content and make it look better. In that respect, it achieves its task. Our reviewer noticed a big jump in detail with upscaled 4K images, Samsung’s latest AI processor is able to refine detail within the image without producing a soft or noisy image. It looks better than anything a 4K TV can manage.

The excellent motion processing can now track fast-moving objects without introducing motion blur that often afflicts LCD LED TVs.

Input lag is 11ms, and there is VRR support for gamers in HDMI VRR and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro. With all four HDMI inputs supporting 4K/120Hz gaming, you won’t need to worry about which HDMI port to place your console or PC in.

The sound system tracks sounds accurately across the screen but like the QN900C, it doesn’t have enough bass to give soundtracks heft. It’s still capable of producing a wide soundstage with good levels of detail, but you should consider a soundbar to go with this TV. For a less expensive option, the step-down QN800D is just as impressive as this flagship screen.

Our review of the QN990F 8K TV is incoming. Time will tell if that’s the upgrade over this excellent TV.

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The A95L is Sony’s current flagship QD-OLED, offering stellar picture and sound. While it’s not as bright as the Samsung S95D with HDR content, the Sony A95L offers a sumptuous image. It boasts fantastically fine shading with colours, which also look impressively pure to our eyes, as well as excellent levels of sharpness and detail. Regardless of what you’re watching, it’s a superbly realistic and balanced image.

Sony’s Acoustic Surface Audio system delivers a big performance and places effects and dialogue accurately on screen. It’s also able to push sound into a room, which is rare for a flatscreen TV. In terms of its bass response, it gives the low frequencies more oomph that rival TVs are capable of. While a sound system would improve on it, we’re not in a rush to add one.

There are two HDMI 2.1 inputs that support eARC, VRR, ALLM, and 4K/120Hz high frame rates. Sony also has specific features for PS5 gamers with the Auto Tone Mapping feature that optimises the HDR performance, although unlike LG and Samsung TVs, there’s no certified support for AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync.

We measured input lag at 16.7ms, which isn’t as quick as the LG OLED65G4 or the Samsung S95D. The A95L does support Dolby Vision Game mode where supported on consoles.

The A95L’s smart are provided by Google TV, and along with the major streaming apps such as Disney+ and Netflix, the UK catch up services are available as separate apps. The BRAVIA Cam is bundled in with the TV, which brings gesture controls and optimisation features, although our reviewer didn’t feel the need to use it.

The A95L will finally be replaced by the Bravia 8 MKII QD-OLED, which offers a brighter performance when it launches in June 2025.

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From Trusted Review’s perspective, Samsung has dominated the Mini LED market with its Neo QLED models that have literally outshone the competition. But Sony’s Bravia 9 means business, and it offers utterly sensational picture quality.

The impact of the Bravia 9’s brightness is noticeable from the off. Our reviewer found the colours to be spectacularly punchy, delivering bright and intense highlights along with deep black levels that rival that of the best OLED TVs.

The Mini LED backlight also helps reveal subtle colour shades, unlocking a high level of detail and sharpness

It upscales HD content to 4K resolution brilliantly, and converts SDR into HDR very impressively as well. There is still some noticeable backlight blooming but the Bravia 9’s backlight is one of the best we’ve come across.

Google TV works and Sony provides the UK catch-up apps (not always a guarantee with Google TV models). You get all the main streaming apps, and the TV ships with two remotes, which includes a smart one that offers a more simpler means of control.

Sony’s support for gaming isn’t as strong as LG and Samsung TVs, though input lag has been improved to 10.1ms, and there’s support for ALLM and VRR through Sony’s Perfect for PS5 features. There’s not much for PC gamers though, and there remains only two HDMI inputs that support HDMI 2.1 features such as VRR and eARC (for high quality audio)

The sound is impressively wide with a well-balanced sound with sharp but not harsh treble and bass that’s punchy and controlled for most of the time.

The Bravia 9 will continue in 2026, so it’s here to shine for quite a while yet.

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We felt the C3 OLED wasn’t up to LG’s usual high standards. So we’re happy to say that latest C4 OLED is more of what we expect from LG.

While there’s no MLA brightness boosting technology, the C4’s picture performance offers greater brightness, producing more intensity with HDR highlights. Colours look rich and lush but never overstated, and its motion processing has made further strides forward for a slicker looking experience.

The audio system remains rather average, with the AI Sound mode raising the noise floor when selected. You’ll want to add a soundbar to get the best performance, and thankfully LG has plenty to choose from.

Our reviewer hailed its premium quality and finish, and it comes with four HDMI inputs, all of which support 4K/120Hz high frame rates, ALLM, and VRR. There’s also support for Nvidia and AMD refresh rates too. We measured input lag at 13ms, but with Boost mode enabled that goes down to 9ms.

The 2024 webOS interface is slick, introducing user profiles to customise content for each person in a household, and you’re guaranteed updates for five years. It’s responsive, and easy to navigate too. In terms of streaming apps it has as many as you would ever want, with global apps alongside iPlayer and ITVX for the UK.

With the LG C5 available, we’re hoping for a boost in performance. Tune into our review to find out if it is.

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We were a little disappointed by the OLED808, so we’re happy to report that Philips OLED809 is a return to form, ironing out the issues we had with the previous model.

Little has changed on the design front aside from the stand, which should sit easier on smaller pieces of AV furniture. We’re a little disappointed that Ambilight is only in its three-sided form for this model.

Google TV is the smart interface, bringing with it plenty of streaming apps as well as Google Cast streaming and Google Assistant. Google TV still lacks Freeview Play, so it a few of the UK catch-up apps such as iPlayer and Channel 4 are missing. At least with those apps you can cast them to the TV from a mobile.

Gamers are provided with plenty of features from VRR and ALLM support, along with refresh rates up to 144Hz for PC gamers. Input lag is 12.6ms, which is the same as the LG C4 and the Sony Bravia 8.

The picture quality is impressive. This OLED offers a bright image with HDR content, with peak brightness measured at over 1000 nits. Its not the richest colour performance compared to the LG C4 or Bravia 8, but it does offer a refined and natural image. Upscaling is good with HD content, though less so with 720p content and lower. Motion processing has been improved with less stuttering and judder that affected the OLED808.

The audio is one of the more impressive performances we’ve come across for the money. Bass is handled well, providing weight and heft, and dialogue is reproduced warmly though it can sound thin at higher volumes. It’s not stressed by action-heavy scenes either, offering good clarity and detail. A soundbar would improve on its performance, but we wouldn’t say you need to rush out and get one.

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The Samsung Q80D is a QLED model and not a Neo QLED display such as the QN90D, so while this model doesn’t boast as many dimming zones or the same level of performance, for the money we think it’s very good value.

For a screen this affordable, it offers excellent black levels and contrast due to its effective local dimming system. It’s bright enough to hit 1000 nits, boasting vibrant colours, and impressive levels of detail.

We also found the built-in sound system to be decent, producing a large sound stage with bass free of distortion. There is Dolby Atmos support, and a version of the Q Symphony feature that combines the TV’s speakers with a compatible Samsung soundbar to create a bigger sound.

Gamers benefit from VRR support that improves visuals and latency, but even without VRR, the Q80D’s input lag is a speedy 9.8ms. Samsung’s Game Hub places in all gaming sources into one easy to find place that keeps track of your gaming sessions.

We’ll be looking to review a number of affordable TVs over the spring and summer months, so stay tuned to see if the Q80D can remain top of the affordable TV list.

Build quality is good, with its compact central plinth alowing it to be perched on stands big and large. There’s also an area in the back of stand to filter cables through to keep the rear area tidy.

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We have another Samsung TV making an appearance on this list, which shows the strength of Samsung’s offering. The QN90D is Mini LED TV designed to offer many of the features and performance of the flagship QN95D, but for less money.

It’s a TV that can produce deep blacks and bright highlights that are free of blooming, despite it not being an OLED TV. While it lacks the pixel precision of an OLED TV, it is much brighter, which makes the QN90D a good option for watching in a bright room. Upscaling is detailed and doesn’t introduce any artefacts such as noise, producing a clean image.

With HDR content the QN90D produces vibrant and detailed images, while motion processing is also excellent in reproducing movement without any unwanted judder (jerky movements).

Samsung’s Tizen interface offers an responsive experience, and features plenty of content from apps big and small. All four HDMI 2.1 inputs can handle 4K/120Hz sources, with PC gamers having access to 165Hz refresh rates as well. We measured input lag at 9.8ms, which is an impressive result for a screen of this size.

Sound quality is pretty good for a flatscreen TV with sounds moving about on the screen and dialogue remaining clear and intelligible. Like many other Samsung TVs we’ve reviewed, it struggles with bass and power, so we recommend adding a sound system to it.

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While projectors can offer a big screen experience, they can’t do HDR or handle bright living room conditions as well as TVs. Currently, the 98-inch TV Q80C is available for less than £3000 / $3000, which we’d consider to be a good price for a screen of this size.

At a whopping 98-inches, this is TV takes up plenty of space and because of its size, it’s a screen that feels more like a cinema than a TV. It’s surpisingly slim for a big screen with just 120 dimming zones to control brightness and black levels. As we should all know by now, it’s not the number of dimming zones but what you do with them that counts.

The Q80C is capable of produce bright and colourful images. Our reviewer spotted only a little backlight clouding or blooming during testing. We felt the upscaling was very good, doing an effective job of boosting HD images. SD images can look a little stretched, but you shouldn’t really be watching low-res content on a screen of this size.

Tizen is not the easiest to navigate in terms of settings, but features all the streaming apps you need. There are four HDMI 2.1 inputs and all can handle 4K/120Hz sources. We measured input lag at 10.7ms which should ensure a snappy performance before you factor in VRR support.

Sound quality is fine with good detail and effects accurately placed on the screen. The main issue is that this TV doesn’t get particularly loud or generate the kind of power and scale a screen of this size should command. Bass levels are decent but we’d recommend getting a soundbar.

There is competition from TCL with its 98-inch P745K and C805K TVs, and they’re both available for less money than this Samsung TV.