The best 8K TVs are capable of delivering incredible images and bringing you four times as many pixels as the best 4K TVs currently do. Until recently, packing those extra pixels into a screen has proven to be expensive. But the best 8K TVs are more affordable now the tech has matured, so there's no better time to buy one.
Even though you won't find all content made to suit the high-end resolution, this isn't an issue considering the best 8K TVs have powerful processors to upscale content, so 4K and even HD content looks better than it originally did. Along with advanced picture processing, OLED, QLED, QD-OLED, and regular LED 8K sets have similar features that are important for 4K TVs such as a smart interface for streaming and 120Hz display panels for gaming, and we’ll guide you through those features for each set in our guide.
Each of these TVs has been tested by our expert reviewers with careful attention paid to performance parameters such as peak brightness, color accuracy, screen uniformity, and motion processing. We’ve also taken them for a spin with next-gen gaming consoles, with measurements provided to gauge input lag. There’s solid reasoning behind the presence of each TV on this list, so you can be confident that the set you’re getting provides good value for the money.
Quick list
The best 8K TV overall
The Samsung QN900D delivers fantastic brightness and incredible 8K upscaling along with a host of other features -- it's the best 8K TV on the market.
The best budget 8K TV
While not 'budget' by any means, the Samsung QN800D is the cheapest way to get a fantastic 2024 8K TV with stunning picture quality and extensive gaming features.
The best 8K OLED TV
Combining the best of OLED with 8K resolution, the LG Z3 delivers spectacular pictures with outstanding contrast and detail – but it comes at a serious price.
The best 8K TV overall
✅ You want spectacular picture quality: Combining a powerful processor and effective mini-LED panel, the QN900D delivers bright, bold and contrast-rich picture quality.
✅ You want an excellent gaming TV: The QN900D is the total package for gaming with four HDMI 2.1 ports supporting 4K, 144Hz, VRR and more - there's even 240Hz support for PC gaming.
❌ You want the best value TV: While the QN900D is an amazing TV, it comes at a lofty price -- if your budget is tight, you're better off looking at its 4K counterparts such as the Samsung QN90D.
❌You want Dolby Vision: The Samsung QN900D supports HDR10+, but doesn't support Dolby Vision – the same as every other Samsung TV.
If you’re looking for a big-screen TV with 8K resolution, look no further because the Samsung QN900D is the best 8K TV you can buy today. Samsung’s new flagship 8K TV improves upon its predecessor, the Samsung QN900C in several ways, including a new NQ8 AI Gen3 Processor that provides eight times as many AI neural networks for picture upscaling, and a motion enhancement algorithm unique to the QN900D that makes fast action sports look remarkably solid.
Local dimming improves with the QN900D, with blacks that look incredibly deep and detailed with few signs of backlight “blooming.” Its picture is also extremely bright, ranking among the best TVs generally in that respect.
The QN900D is a great gaming TV, offering up to 4K 240Hz support – another unique QN900D feature – on all four of its HDMI 2.1 ports. In addition, it has Samsung’s Game Bar onscreen menu and Samsung Gaming Hub for playing cloud-based games from Xbox, Nvidia GeForce Now, Luna, Utomik, and other services.
With an Infinity Air Design that combines a mirrored pedestal with a nearly invisible bezel, the QN900D has a “floating” look that grabs attention. Samsung’s One Connect Box handles hookups for external sources and the TV’s built-in 6.2.4-channel Dolby Atmos speaker system has good sound quality and uses Samsung’s Q Symphony feature to work with a Samsung soundbar for an enhanced audio experience.
The Samsung QN900D is undoubtedly an expensive TV, and you’ll save money and likely be equally happy with a top-performing 4K model. But if having future-proof 8K support is important, you get that with the QN900D plus lots more.
Read our full Samsung Q900D review
The best budget 8K TV
✅ You want an 8K TV for cheaper: While still pricey, the QN800D is the cheapest way that you can get a 2024 8K TV and, crucially, not make many compromises.
✅ You want a well-rounded TV: The QN900D delivers excellent picture quality, tons of gaming features, dynamic built-in sound – all in an attractive, premium design.
❌ You want an easy installation: We found during testing that the QN800D;s weighty stand was cumbersome to install and connect to the TV itself.
❌You want the cheapest TV: The QN800D still remains a premium price so if you're on a budget, look to 4K mini-LED or OLED models for better value.
The Samsung QN800D is a seriously impressive 8K TV. It's Samsung's entry-level display in its 8K Neo QLED range, which means it's a way to get your hands on slightly more "affordable" 8K than the flagship QN900D at the top of this list.
The Samsung QN800D brings you excellent picture quality. This is thanks to the TV’s NQ8 AI Gen2 Processor, which boasts impressive 8K AI upscaling and Real Depth Enhancer Pro features. In our review, we wrote that these "add incredible depth and refined detail to any textures, and the picture also has rich contrast and impressive black levels for a mini-LED TV."
This incredible picture makes the QN800D a great option for movie lovers, but it also excels as a gaming TV. This is thanks to four HDMI 2.1 ports and it supports 4K up to 165Hz, 8K up to 60Hz, and VRR including AMD FreeSync Premium Pro. It also comes with Samsung’s useful Gaming Hub. As for actual gaming performance, we called it "excellent" and "smooth and seamless even in the most intense of FPS games" in our review, commenting on how the TV’s 8K AI upscaling made games look "graphically beautiful" too.
All in all, the Samsung QN800D is a fantastic choice for bringing you top tier 8K upscaling of 4K and lower-resolution sources at a much more affordable price than the Samsung QN900D. Granted, brightness isn't as impressive as the QN900D. Not to mention it's still an expensive choice in comparison to premium 4K TVs, but the QN800D is a solid choice if you want to step up to 8K without spending a small fortune on the QN900D.
Read our full Samsung QN800D review
Best 8K OLED TV
✅ You want a premium 8K experience: The Z3 delivers simply phenomenal picture quality, with superb 8K upscaling and outstanding contrast and detail.
✅ You want the ultimate gaming TV: The Z3 lends itself to a gaming experience like no other and carries the features, performance, and picture quality to make it a gamer's dream.
❌ You are on any kind of a budget: With the 77-inch model costing $7,999/£7,999, this TV is going to exceed most budgets by some distance.
❌You want full HDR support: While Dolby Vision is supported, the Z3 does not support HDR10+, as is the case with all LG TVs.
8K TVs are a rarity, but 8K OLED TVs are even more rare. LG's Z series consistently emerges as the best 8K OLEDs and that remains the case with 2023's LG Z3. 8K sources are still scarce but the Z3 does wonders with 4K movies and TV shows, too, and, like its 4K counterparts, delivers a strong suite of gaming features. But, as expected, the Z3's greatness comes with a price.
In our LG Z3 review, we were blown away by the effectiveness of its upscaling, giving 4K sources an entirely new level of detail and quality with pictures that we described as "pretty much flawless". If you can source 8K content, then you'll be happy to know the Z3 makes it look "mesmerizingly real". The Z3 also delivers excellent contrast and sharpness, with images getting an extra sense of depth at 8K. We found that HD and lower-resolution sources did look a little soft, but this was mainly due to the Z3's larger 77- and 88-inch screens. Overall, though, its picture is phenomenal.
The Z3's gaming performance is top-notch and has all the features we look for in the best gaming TVs, such as 4K 120Hz, VRR, ALLM and Dolby Vision gaming. Although some will prefer a faster input lag time than the Z3's measured 13.1ms, it's still an excellent choice for those looking for a premium gaming experience.
If it's so wonderful, why is the Z3 not top of the list? It all comes down to price. For the 77-inch model, you're looking to pay roughly $9,999 / £9,999, which is significantly higher than the Samsung QN900D at the top of this list, which costs roughly $4,499 / £4,499 for a 75-inch model.
Read our full LG Z3 review
Best 8K TVs: FAQ
How to pick the best 8K TV
Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
The first question to ask if you want to buy a new 8K TV is: are you sure? Yes, 8K TVs are the future and, luckily, more and more content is being made in 8K. But as things stand, you might be better suited to a 4K TV while your favorite movies and TV shows catch up.
If you're sure you want the incredible 8K resolution, then our first suggestion is to pick a TV that upscales remarkably well. Not everything you want to watch will be in 8K, which means you'll need to pick a powerful TV that can make 4K and even HD content truly shine.
The next thing to consider is size. Bigger isn't always better when it comes to TVs. But if you're paying a small fortune for 8K resolution, you really want the largest TV you can afford to make the most of it. You'll need to consider how you'll place it on a TV cabinet or mount it to a wall using one of the best TV wall mounts and if it'll literally fit in the space you have planned for it.
Many of the best 8K TVs have impressive audio built-in, but to get the true cinematic experience worthy of this resolution, you'll want one of the best soundbars or best surround sound systems—that way your audio will sound as good as your new 8K TV looks. Consider the size of a soundbar too, a smaller one won't work with a huge TV, so look at larger sizes, like the Sonos Arc instead.
Which TV brand is best for 8K?
Even though there are relatively few 8K TVs available on the market right now, the idea of which is best is still largely based on personal preference.
We think the best 8K TV available now is the Samsung QN900D Neo QLED, which you can read about at the top of our guide. Samsung's bespoke QLED panel technology really comes into its own at an 8K resolution, and with phenomenal brightness levels makes for simply one of the best TVs out there.
However, the best certainly doesn't come cheap. And the QN900D's eye-watering price tag, at any size, simply isn't feasible for the average consumer.
That being said, we'd have to argue that Samsung is on top of the 8K world right now, in terms of brands and sheer value for money compared to other brands.
What is the most affordable 8K TV?
When you're talking about 8K TVs, the term "affordable" is relative: these are all considerably more expensive than the average 4K TV will be, with some models costing well into five figures. But prices are coming down, making even the best 8K TVs more affordable than before.
In terms of stock availability and value in both US and UK markets, Samsung is still on top with the QN800D priced on average $2,500 / £2,700 for the 65-inch version.
You might also find some older Samsung 8K TVs for even less, although of course the trade-off is that you're not getting the very latest technology: even a year in TVs is a long time these days.
Our advice to most TV buyers would be to hang on a little longer before going for an 8K TV, as it's still very expensive. That's always the case for relatively new technology, and over time the price goes down as things become more competitive. For now 8K is still really for early adopters: we're going to wait a while before welcoming an 8K TV into our own homes.
Is 8K better than 4K?
8K displays have 33 million pixels, which is four times the number of pixels found on 4K displays. However, there's little 'native' 8K content available, and truly low-resolution video needs very capable processing to look, well, normal on an 8K screen.
Does Netflix support 8K?
Regular streaming bandwidths aren't large enough to stream 8K content, and you won't find it on most streaming services like Netflix. That isn't to say that won't change in the future, though.
Do I need an 8K OLED TV?
Trying to figure out if you need an 8K OLED TV, or just a TV with one of those technologies?
While there aren't many 8K OLED TVs, they're still hovering around the market here and there, if just for the LG Z Series listed above.
If you're after an astonishing level of detail on a massive screen, 8K resolution is a must. Though you must remember that you don't really get the benefit of 8K at smaller sizes, meaning you need a large 77-inch / 88-inch screen or be sat somewhat close to one of the best 65-inch TVs to see the difference compared to a 4K model. (A 55-inch 8K TV just isn't really worth it.)
OLED TVs, on the other hand, excel at deep blacks and bright highlights – something that's hard to recreate with LCD technology, but is increasingly possible with Mini LED backlights. You'll generally find realistic and vivid colors, and brightness control that banishes blooming or halo effects around light sources.
If you only want one of those technology's benefits, then, it doesn't make much sense to opt for both, given the increased cost.
How we test the best 8K TVs
We use the same structure and criteria for testing the best 8K TVs as we do for our reviews, testing them on several different criteria including features, picture quality, sound quality, value, gaming and more.
Beginning with picture quality, we'll explore each TVs different preset picture modes to find which is the most accurate to the TV before conducting our subjective testing on each TV, using a variety of SDR and HDR sources, mainly reference scenes that we use across all our TV testing.
With 8K TVs, there isn't much readily available 8K content to watch, other than some demo footage on YouTube, so we'll often use 4K sources such as 4K Blu-ray and streaming and test how effective the 8K TV's upscaling is, as most 8K TVs offer 8K upscaling of 4K and lower content.
For objective testing, we use specialized equipment to take several different measurements. This specialized equipment includes a test pattern generator, a colorimeter and Portrait Displays' Calman calibration software to record these results.
The first area we test is brightness. Using a white window pattern generated by the test pattern generator, we will record both SDR and HDR brightness results on windows sized 1-100%, focusing on 10%, peak brightness levels and 100% full screen brightness levels. 10% will demonstrate how effective a TV displays HDR highlights, while 100% will demonstrate sustained brightness across the whole screen, useful for sports viewing and bright environments. We will typically do this in the TV's Standard preset and its most accurate preset - often Filmmaker of Movie. For these tests, we'll strive to make sure they're carried out in a light-controlled room to prevent other light sources skewing results.
Next, we'll analyze color and grayscale accuracy. We do this by taking an average of the TV's Delta E results (the margin for error between the test pattern generator and what's on screen) and for this, we're looking for a result below 3.
We also test the TV's HDR color gamut coverage, seeing how much it can accurately reproduce of the BT.2020 and UHDA-P3 color spaces.
Finally, we'll take measurements for input lag using a Leo Bodnar 4K HDMI Input Lag Tester. We'll do this by putting the TV into its Game mode, which is optimized to produce the lowest input lag results.
For more info, check out our guide on how we test TVs at TechRadar in the link.
Latest updates to this guide
November 12, 2024
Added a Quick List with summaries of each entry in the guide. Made Samsung QN900D ' Best 8K TV overall'. Made Samsung QN800D 'Best Budget 8K TV'. Replaced LG Z2 with LG Z3 as 'Best 8K OLED TV'. Added in Buy it if and Don't Buy It If boxes for each entry with reasons to buy and avoid for each one. Added this Latest Updates section with each update made to this guide.
