Best TV: The best affordable and premium sets

We’re onto the third-generation of Samsung’s QD-OLED screen and the S95D appears to have hit its stride.

The first and second-gen QD-OLEDs from Samsung were enjoyable, though they were some flaws. Those issues appear to have been resolved by the S95D. It is the brighest OLED TV we’ve reviewed, producing 1798 nits on a 10% window, beating the likes of the Panasonic Z95A and LG G4 OLED.

It’s a TV that offers strong sharpness and detailing, and according to our reviewer, produces incredibly rich colours with contrast that brings out the detail in both dark and light areas of the image. We did notice some instability in maintaining brightness in its Standard mode, which is rectified by switching to its Movie mode. Our reviewer also felt that the anti-glare screen technology was impressively implemented on this TV, though it does mean that black levels do take on a slightly grey appearance.

The Tizen interface has been enhanced with the introduction of new sections and the ability to create multiple profiles. Gaming-wise we measured input response at a speedy 9.8ms, and all four of the HDMI 2.1 inputs support 4K/120Hz through the One Connect box, with 144Hz supported for PCs.

The sound system supports Dolby Atmos, and like with Samsung’s other OTS speaker systems, it’s very good at placing effects on and around the screen with accuracy. However, while it can produce a wide soundstage, it can’t push that sound forward into a room, and volume is a little limited in terms of how loud it can do.

While the Sony A95L and Panasonic Z95A offer better out of the box sound, the S95D takes OLEDs to new levels of brightness.

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: Samsung S95D OLED

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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 high-end TV customers.

Out is Panasonic’s own My Home Screen and in is Amazon’s Fire TV for the premium OLED models. 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 on the meagre side.

The Z95A has the latest Micro Lens Array technology, with Panasonic adding its customisations to improve the performance. It is brighter than the LG G4 as it can hit 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, the image quality is up to Panasonic’s usual high standards with textures and skin tones looking sublime according, and issues with banding all but disappeared. Specular highlights are bright and precise, with the Z95A delivering stunning picture quality with whatever content is on the screen.

Freeview Play has been replaced by the Freely service, 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.

While Panasonic has lost its crown as the best TV, it’s still an excellent premium option for home cinema enthusiasts.

Reviewer: Steve May
Full Review: Panasonic Z95A

While there are still questions marks over whether 8K TVs will 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 produce, feeds into impressively bright and colourful HDR images. The lack of Dolby Vision remains a disappointing omission.

Of course, there is a lot of native 8K content about, so the Samsung QN900D’s main task is to take 4K content and make it look better, and 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 bring out and refine the 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 VRR technology in HDMI VRR and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro brings the latency down even further. With all four of its 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. The step-down QN800D is just as impressive as this flagship screen.

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: Samsung QE75QN900D

The A95L is Sony’s flagship QD-OLED TV, 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. There’s 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, and 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 wouldn’t be 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 that is supported.

The A95L’s smart are provided by Google TV, and along with the big, 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.

We haven’t yet reviewed the BRAVIA 9 Mini LED TV, but we’ll be hoping to see how it fares against the A95L once we get a sample to test.

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: Sony XR-55A95L

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 what we expect from the Korean company.

While there’s no MLA brightness boosting technology, the C4’s picture performance has had a boost to its brightness, producing more intensity with HDR highlights. Colours look rich and lush but never overstated, and its motion processing has improved 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 this system 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 so you can plug in as many gaming sources as you like. 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 the next five years. It’s responsive, and easy enough 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.

Reviewer: Steve May
Full Review: LG OLED65C4

Though the S95D has come on in strides in terms of its brightness output, the QN95D still offers the brightest HDR performance.

The number of local dimming zones remains at 1344 from the QN95C, but what has the biggest impact of the QN95D’s picture performance is the presence of the upgraded Neo Quantum 4 Gen 2 processor. It’s four times faster than the previous model to deliver superior local dimming controls and improved upscaling with sub-4K sources.

The result is a dazzling sense of brightness with HDR content, reproducing reds, greens, and blues with a notable richness, as well as delivering colours with subtlety and naturalness. This TV can hit over 770 nits on a full-screen window, twice as much as the S95D OLED, making it a better choice for those who watch HDR content during the day.

It’s a sharp and detailed picture too, with the processor doing a fantastic job of upscaling lower quality content to look crisp and clean.

Our reviewer found the latest Tizen smart system to be a decent improvement over what came before, especially in terms of prioritising content you’d want to watch. Support for multiple profiles have been added, and Tizen duly features pretty much every streaming app you’d ever need.

We measured input lag at 9.8ms, there’s VRR support in FreeSync Premium Pro as well as (unofficial) Nvidia G-Sync support for PC titles. With variable refresh rate and auto low latency supported across all the TV’s HDMI inputs, you can plug a console or PC into any of the HDMI ports.

The QN95D’s audio performance offers an excellent sense of detail and clarity, with the Object Tracking Sound (OTS) system ably casting sounds around the screen. It also performs a decent job at casting sounds away from the sides of the screen, though it remains limited in terms of pushing audio forwards from the TV, as well as being diminished in terms of volume and bass output. You’d likely want a soundbar to go with this TV.

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: Samsung QE65QN95D

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

Little has changed on the design front aside from the stand, which should sit a little easier on smaller pieces of AV furniture. We’re a little disappointed that Ambilight is only in its three-sided form considering 2024 marks its 20th anniversary. We were hoping Philips would splash out a bit more.

Google TV is the smart interface of choice, bringing with it plenty of streaming apps as well as Chromecast streaming and Google Assistant. Google TV is still lacking Freeview Play, so it misses out on a few of the UK catch-up apps with iPlayer and Channel 4 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 speedy and around the same performance as the LG C4.

The picture quality is very impressive. This is OLED offers a bright image with HDR content, and we measured peak brightness at over 1000 nits. Its not the richest colour performance compared to the LG C4, but it does offer a refined and natural image. Upscaling is good with HD content, though less good with 720p content and less. While 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 where needed, and dialogue is reproduced warmly, though it can sound a little 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 be in a rush to get one.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Philips 65OLED809

Roku has been teaming up with manufacturers such as Hisense and TCL, and with the TCL 55RC630K Roku TV, they’ve served up their best model to date.

This set is only available in the UK, and in our view, it’s good as you can get for a budget TV at its price. The design is sensible and easy to assemble, as well as being tall enough to slip a soundbar beneath its frame should you want to.

The Roku smart interface places an emphasis on simplicity and works because of its accessibility and the range of features it supports. A wide range of voice assistants are included, though through an external device and not natively, and there’s AirPlay 2 and Apple HomeKit.

There’s a massive amount of apps with all the big names such as Disney+ and Netflix, along with the UK catch-up apps through Freeview Play. The interface itself is fast to scroll through and easy to navigate. The Roku mobile app is even better, and also features more advanced picture settings for those who like to tinker.

The TCL 55RC630K isn’t built for high-end gaming with only ALLM supported. We measured latency at 11.5ms, which is quick for any telly.

Boasting a QLED screen, the TCL 55RC630K puts in a decent HDR performance for the money. We measured peak brightness at 386 nits on a 10% window, which isn’t enough to really give a great sense of what HDR can do, but the QLED screen does present good-looking colours and accomplished looking skin-tones with HDR content.

Contrast isn’t as strong as what you can get if you spend more, but there is support for HDR10+ and Dolby Vision to assist. However, we did find that both HDR formats could benefit from being a little more precision and impact with HDR content. Upscaling is an improvement over the past TCL Roku models with more colour and vibrancy to images, as well as a better sense of sharpness and clarity.

The audio system features surprisingly punchy bass, with fine levels of detail and clarity, and dialogue that’s always clear. There’s also a Dialogue Enhancer to help boost what people are saying, and we found it worked effectively.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: TCL 55RC630K Roku TV

If you’re on the lookout for a big 4K TV, the LG OLED77G3 is still available and boasts a stunning picture performance. 

The LG G3 supports HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision IQ, as well as Filmmaker mode. We found that the TV gave a slight red push to images but contrast is fantastically conveyed, with deep blacks combine with the bright display to create a lush, almost three-dimensional image. 

Sound quality isn’t the G3’s strong suit with the low-end lacking punch and intensity. However, dialogue intelligibility is good with the speakers striking a natural tone and the placement of voices echoing where the actors stand on screen. 

LG’s webOS interface is slick and swift, and when it comes to content there’s support for Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+, NOW and more, along with Freeview Play that comes with the UK catch-up apps. 

The OLED77G3 includes four HDMI 2.1 ports and a range of wireless connectivity options that includes Wi-Fi, AirPlay 2, Chromecast, WiSA, Bluetooth 5.0, and Bluetooth Surround Ready. Gamers benefit ALLM, VRR and 4K/120Hz support across all HDMI inputs. There’s also AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync for PC gamers, along with a variety of cloud gaming and broadcasting services, including GeForce Now, Utomik, Blacknut, and Twitch.

The stand for this model is an optional extra. The newer LG G4 does come with a stand, but not for the 77-inch version.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: LG OLED77G3

While projectors can offer a big screen experience in the home, they can’t do HDR as well as big-screen TVs, or handle bright living room conditions. Currently, you can get the 98-inch TV Q80C 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 will take plenty of space in any home, 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 featuring just 120 dimming zones to control brightness and black levels. It’s not the number of dimming zones but what you do with it that’s most important.

And this big-screen Q80C can produce bright and colourful images, our reviewer spotted only a little backlight clouding or blooming. With the size of this screen, it needs an advanced processor to process HD and SD images, and we felt the upscaling was very good, doing an effective job of upscaling HD images. SD images can look a little stretched, but we’d say you shouldn’t be watching low-res content on a screen of this size.

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

Sound quality is fine with good detail and effects accurately placed around the screen. The main issue is that this screen 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 for this screen.

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

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: Samsung QE98Q80C

With the C805K TCL has delivered an impressive TV for a price that’s scarcely believable for its size.

It’s a well-made TV though relatively chunky, and given its size it’ll take up plenty of space in your living room. There are hundreds of dimming zones to control its light output, as well as manage the black levels; and the picture performance offers excellent contrast and brightness. Black levels are convincing, and colours in bright scenes are vibrant but also balanced. Despite a few issues with skin tones, the richness of the C805K’s colours holds appeal.

Its sound quality is adequate for a screen as big as this, projecting audio from the screen well enough, and providing plenty of scale to go with the size of the images it produces. The lack of a dedicated bass driver does mean that low frequencies don’t reach as deep as we’d like them to.

The smart interface is provided by Google TV, which offers all the big streaming apps, though it is missing a fair amount of the UK catch-up apps. TCL say they’ll send out a streaming stick for anyone who wants access to those apps.

Gamers are well supported with refresh rates of up to 144Hz along with HDMI VRR and AMD FreeSync (for PC gamers). We measured input lag at 13.4ms, which is very respectable for an 85-inch screen.

This TCL offers a proper HDR experience for a sum less than its Samsung TV rivals. For those that want a relatively inexpensive big-screen experience, you should take a closer look at the TCL C805.

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: TCL 85C805

The Fire TV 4 Series is a TV our reviewer found to be a stronger proposition than expected. Though its RRP is close to £500, it often comes down in price to around £279, especially during sales events.

Picture quality is solid with consistent brightness, and good colour accuracy. Contrast isn’t great, but the average brightness of the screen is enough to make for a decent looking image, especially for a 43-inch screen. HDR support is only HDR10 and HLG.

The 16W audio system can fill a small room with sound, though we’re not fond of all the audio presets the TV comes with, but the presence of an eARC port means you can add a soundbar if you want.

We don’t find the current iteration of the Fire TV interface to be the most intuitive. The home page is dedicated to lots of ads and overwhemingly suggests Prime Video and Freevee titles at the expense of others. But the Alexa Voice Remote does bring an element of smarts in terms of searching and finding content.

We measured input lag at a very speedy 9.8ms, though there’s none of the more premium gaming features such as VRR and high frame rate available. There’s also Amazon’s Luna game platform, offering a built in method of playing games via cloud streaming.

Reviewer: Henry St Leger
Full Review: Amazon Fire TV 4-Series