Prime Day is here, and one of the most popular products is, as always, TVs. I lead TechRadar's TV and home theater team, and I've worked with our dedicated deals editors and TV hardware writers to pick the best Prime Day TV deals this year.

• Browse the full Amazon US Prime Day sale
• Browse the full Amazon UK Prime Day sale

There haven't been as many really good Prime Day TV deals this year as I expected, but when they're good, they're often really good. I'm talking a five-star Samsung S90F OLED TV for just $1,199 (was $2397.99) in the US, or a 55-inch Samsung S84F OLED TV for just £683(was £899) in the UK.

We've got cheaper models than that, smaller models, and larger models — much larger in some cases. Here are the deals, presented in size order and price order. If you're in the UK, you can skip to those deals here.

Today's best TV deals in the US

Today's best TV deals in the UK

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Garden: tools, mowers, planters from $24.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186
• Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99
• Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

More Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Prime: get a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: Fire, Ring & Blink from £13.99
• Amazon Haul: up to 30% off
• Apple: up to 33% off AirPods & Apple Watch
• Appliances: up to 45% off Ninja & Tefal
• Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Essentials: household goods from £5
• Fans: from £20
• Fashion: up to 50% off
• Gaming: £90 off PlayStation 5
• Headphones: up to 50% off Beats & Sony
• Laptops: from £149
• Tablets: Samsung & Lenovo from £79.99
• Toys: up to 25% off Lego and Tonies
• TVs: from £129.99
• Vacuums: up to 40% off Shark & Roborock
• Wearables: up to 30% off Garmin & Oura

Hisense introduced RGB mini-LED to the world in 2025, and while I was impressed by the 116UX (the first RGB mini-LED model) in many ways, I anticipated it would be a high-end tech for some time, sitting at a premium price and size that kept it from competing with the best TVs.

I didn’t anticipate how quickly the new tech would come to more mid-range options, and how many brands would take on RGB (check out our guide here). As luck would have it, a budget RGB model has landed in TechRadar’s testing lab: the 65-inch Hisense UR8.

I’ve also been testing the Samsung QN80H, which uses standard mini-LED, and the timing means I can put the new school RGB against the traditional mini-LED tech.

You’re probably wondering why I’m testing these two side-by-side: surely the new tech is significantly pricier? Surprisingly no: in fact, it’s nearly identical. A 65-inch Samsung QN80F costs $1,599 / £1,599 / AU$2,199 at the time of writing, while a 65-inch Hisense UR8 costs $1,799 / AU$2,395 (it’s yet to appear at UK retailers). So, can the new tech surpass the traditional?

A quick note on the photos below: the UR8 appears to have a red tint. This is the result of its matte screen interacting with my camera. In reality, there is no hint of this red tint.

Also, we obviously had different sizes of the TVs in, and that can make a difference to the backlights involved. It's what Hisense and Samsung sent us, respectively, so bear this in mind during the comparison — but there's plenty worth talking about by putting them side by side anyway.

Colors

One of RGB mini-LED’s primary sales pitches is how vibrant and bold its colors are and from my experiences so far, its color reproduction is impressive. Samsung on the other hand is known for its own dynamic color reproduction, in both its OLEDs and mini-LEDs.

For this test, I put both TVs in their default HDR Cinema modes and starting with Wicked, I was surprised by what I saw. While the UR8 did deliver some natural colors that appeared accurate (more on that at the end), the QN80H’s colors were much more vibrant.

The pink flowers of a tree and the blue decoration on the walls had much more pop on the QN80H. The UR8’s colors had some nice punch, but fell a little short compared to the QN80H.

There were some instances where the QN80H’s color brightness made things look a little artificial and this is again where the UR8 triumphed, showing some nice richness without going too far. But again, that color pop I was anticipating from the UR8’s RGB tech wasn't really there.

Switching to La La Land, the same was true again. At the Spring party, Mia’s yellow dress was much more vibrant on the QN80H, dazzling on screen. The same dress looked natural on the UR8 but didn’t have that wow factor.

Switching the UR8 to Standard, its colors suddenly had more pop, but looked a bit too artificial for my taste, so I reverted back to Cinema.

This is not to say the UR8’s colors looked bad during testing, but they didn’t have that saturation I expected from an RGB TV, even in scenes where they should have it.

Contrast and backlight control

Switching both TVs to their Filmmaker Modes, I put on The Batman, which has always served as a challenge for some TVs, and while the best OLED TVs can generally handle its low brightness comfortably, mini-LEDs sometimes struggle.

The QN80H demonstrated higher perceived contrast, with deeper dark tones and punchier highlights. Flashbulbs from cameras and lamps on walls in Mayor Mitchell’s house balanced well with shaded walls and corners to create dynamic contrast.

The UR8 still showed good contrast between dark and light tones as well as solid shadow detail, but dark areas took on a more washed-out, gray look. This was evident in the scenes in the Batcave and when Batman stands on the subway platform, where shadowed areas on screen looked too bright.

There was however a way to improve this. In the UR8’s picture settings, I dropped its brightness from the default 50 to 49, and it made a huge difference: the brightness control had been one of the more aggressive I’d seen.

After the tweak, the UR8 had much deeper black tones and stronger contrast. In the interest of fairness, I tried to tweak the QN80H’s settings, but its brightness control was much more subtle. Lowering it took away the impact from the highlights so I left it as is.

A note on the above photos: the QN80H's clouding was not this bad in-person, but this does illustrate the UR8's better backlight control (more on the in a second).

The same experiment with a brighter but still contrast-y movie in Dark City had mixed results. Dropping the UR8 down to 49 brightness resulted in deep blacks, but at the expense of detail.

As John speaks to the desk clerk in the opening scenes, the texture in his black hair was difficult to see, but less of an issue on the QN80H. Both TVs showed some black crush, but the UR8’s was slightly more noticeable. The default brightness showed nice contrast and better shadow detail, but again at a sacrifice to the dark tones.

But one thing that was apparent in my dark room testing was the UR8 had better backlight control and better viewing angles. Unless viewed head-on, the QN80H showed a clouding effect on dark backgrounds where the backlight bled through. The UR8 showed no signs of this and demonstrated no signs of clouding or blooming.

This was also evident in black and white content. Watching Sunset Boulevard, the QN80H showed backlight bleed on the edges of the screen. The UR8 did have a subtle brown tone over some blacks, whites and grays, but it was better than the QN80H.

So when it comes to reducing backlight bleed and wider viewing angles, the RGB panel gets us closer to the excellent performance of OLED in these areas — but not necessarily closer when it comes to contrast overall.

Brightness

Measuring the UR8’s peak HDR brightness in a 10% window, it clocked in at 2,087 nits in Filmmaker Mode and 2,394 nits in Standard. The QN80H registered 1,189 nits in Filmmaker and 1,204 nits in Standard.

Fullscreen HDR numbers are similar between the two, with the UR8 clocking in at 771 nits and 767 nits in Filmmaker and Standard respectively, while the QN80H hit 603 nits and 672 nits in Filmmaker and Standard respectively.

How does the brightness look in practice? That’s where things get interesting. Watching brighter, more colorful scenes, I found that the QN80F seemed to have more impactful highlights. In the end of the ‘Wizard & I’ scene from Wicked, as Elphaba stands over a white cliff, the whites definitely seemed brighter on the QN80H.

In some shots from Spears & Munsil demo footage, brightness seemed to trade off from shot to shot. In the opening snow scenes, whites looked vibrant on both TVs. In a later shot of a lit-up ferris wheel, it seemed brighter on the QN80H. A shot of a white lizard in a darkened studio was far brighter on the UR8 than the QN80H.

This was surprising, considering just how much of a leap there was in measured peak brightness between the two. One shot from Dark City, where John is in the Automat, the overhead lights appeared brighter on the UR8, but it wasn’t as substantial as I’d expected.

One area where the UR8 did succeed was reflection handling, but this was down to its anti-glare layer rather than its brightness.

While the QN80H had its own anti-reflection layer, it wasn’t nearly as effective as the UR8’s, which did a great job at limiting reflections without raising black levels.

Couple this with its excellent viewing angles, and you have a great TV for daytime sports — a timely release with the World Cup arriving. (Unless you're in the UK — what an own goal by Hisense there…)

A step forward, but…

Between these two TVs, it’s a tough call on which one I prefer. While the QN80H has bolder colors and crisper textures out-of-the-box, the UR8 has better viewing angles and better backlight control, resulting in more uniform pictures.

It shows that the next-gen RGB Hisense tech can definitely still learn from the traditional Samsung mini-LED. While the UR8 is decent out-of-the-box, it requires some adjustment (namely in its brightness), and its color accuracy isn’t great (registering a surprising 7.9 delta-E score in Filmmaker Mode, when we aim for a score of below 3…).

But the UR8 is a step in the right direction towards bringing OLED's strengths in viewing angles and uniformity to mid-range mini-LED. For that reason, I’d just about recommend the UR8 in this battle, but the QN80H proves there’s still life in the old mini-LED dog yet — it's a very appealing TV.

The World Cup is here, with the tournament kicking off on June 11, and if you're thinking of getting a last-minute TV upgrade but don't want to break the bank, I've found three models I think will fit the bill.

While there aren't a ton of deals out there right now, with Prime Day only a matter of weeks away (running from June 23-26), there are still some discounts to be had. In the US, today's best deal is the TCL QM6K 65-inch for $599 at Amazon. This isn't the cheapest it's been, but for a 65-inch mini-LED, it's a great price.

In the UK, the highlight deal is actually for one of 2025's best OLED TVs: the LG B5. The 55-inch B5 is available for £663.20 at Currys: 20% off its full price of £829! While we do tend to recommend mini-LED over OLED, this deal is too good to miss.

TCL QM6K/C6K

Today's best US deal

Todays best UK deal

A good mini-LED doesn't have to be expensive, as proven by the TCL QM6K (known as the TCL C6K in the UK). It has a great set of gaming features, solid brightness, and effective local dimming: all for a nice, affordable price.

The QM6K/C6K's strengths lie in its picture quality. It can deliver bold colors, which will be perfect for rendering players' uniforms and the field during the World Cup. It also has great detail, making on-screen images look crisp.

It's also got great full-screen brightness for a TV in this price range, with the QM6K hitting 595 nits and the C6K hitting 706 nits. Fullscreen brightness is important for showing daytime sports in bright rooms, which is when a lot of World Cup games will be taking place. For a TV at this price, these are great numbers.

It also has responsive motion handling, meaning fast-paced sports will be well handled. I found during my testing of the C6K that setting judder reduction to 3-4 resulted in smooth motion that also looked accurate.

LG B5

Today's best US deal

Today's best UK deal

The LG B5 is an excellent value OLED TV, and while mini-LED is the primary choice for sports due to its higher brightness, the B5 will more than deliver on other picture elements, such as color and detail, and deliver smooth motion as well.

The B5 may be an entry-level OLED, but it delivers superb picture quality. I was impressed by its vibrant, accurate colors throughout my testing, which will be ideal for delivering the colorful players' uniforms and green fields.

Its motion handling is also excellent. Even with no motion settings activated, the B5's performance is razor-sharp, expertly handling fast-paced sequences in both sports and movies.

One elephant in the room: the B5 is not very bright. It can struggle in brighter rooms, so if your World Cup space is bright, you might want to look elsewhere. If you've got ways of managing any light, however, the B5 will make for a great World Cup companion.

Hisense U8Q

Today's best US deal

Today's best UK deal

The Hisense U8Q is a flagship-level mini-LED TV that costs less than rivals. It delivers some serious brightness, as well as brilliant picture quality and, with some tweaking, smooth motion handling.

Where the U8Q shines (literally) is in its staggering brightness. It clocked in at 2,888 nits peak HDR and 744 nits full-screen HDR brightness in Standard mode (our recommended mode for sports viewing). It also clocked in at 600 nits SDR fullscreen brightness: a huge number for SDR. Pairing this with its anti-reflection layer gives you a solid TV for daytime viewing, which will be especially useful in bright rooms when watching earlier games during the World Cup.

Elsewhere, the U8Q impressed us with its colors, which, during our testing, worked great when watching an NBA game. The colors of the U8Q player's uniforms are just, so you can expect the same during the World Cup.

Motion handling is just average out-of-the-box, but an easy adjustment, setting blur and judder reduction to 3-4, smooths out motion without creating an artificial 'soap opera effect'.

Looking for some other options? Try our TV size and model finder! You tell it how far you sit from your TV, we'll tell you what size to buy based on viewing angle advice from image quality experts, and we'll recommend our three top TVs at that size for different prices.

Whether you call it football or soccer, the Beautiful Game is the best. As someone whose soul is nourished to an unhinged degree by watching 22 millionaires bashing a synthetic sphere around a field, I’m incredibly excited about the upcoming 2026 World Cup, which kicks off on June 11.

That said, I’m much less enthused by the prospect of huge amounts of people watching the world’s biggest sporting event on the wrong type of TV. Okay, maybe “wrong” sounds absolutely obnoxious to say. I’ll retract that. How about a ‘less than ideal’ type of display?

A huge number of people are buying (or plan to buy) bigger screens for the World Cup, and these days you can get amazingly cheap TVs in giant sizes. These will be LCD TVs with basic backlights (which means a set of LED lights that shines through the pixels, creating the light your eyes will actually pick up), but they're exactly what I want to warn you against.

But a super-cheap LCD is quantifiably the last type of TV I’d want to watch the World Cup on, due to one extremely annoying screen defect you're likely to encounter if you TV is too basic. Let me explain.

The dreaded dirty screen effect

Before I break down exactly what ‘dirty screen’ effect or ‘DSE’ is, I’ll flat out admit I utterly loathe this particular screen quirk that can be particularly obvious on many cheap LCD TVs.

How much do I detest DSE? As a coulrophobe who hates mushrooms and is also deathly afraid of heights, I’d rather go on a date with Pennywise involving a 10-course sampling menu of nothing but portobello-based appetizers atop the CN Tower, before I’d watch a single World Cup match on an LCD display.

What exactly is the dirty screen effect? It’s an issue where inconsistencies in a TV's backlight levels quickly lead to visible onscreen blotches.

These smudgy areas, where particular areas of the panel look darker or lighter than others, are especially easy to spot while watching something with a pretty uniformly colored portion of the screen, and with lot of fast-paced camera pans.

And wouldn’t you know it? Football/soccer has a whole lot of constant back and forth camera swings every time the ball is booted from the center circle to the edge of the opposition’s D.

Dirty screen effect is easiest to identify when watching content where large parts of the screen are made up of a single uniform color. Whether that’s pans across blue skies or across a green field, whenever a camera is swinging from side to side against large patches, DSE will rear its ugly head on lower-quality sets.

What causes the dirty screen effect?

Rather than being caused by a single factor, there are multiple issues that can lead to the dirty screen effect occurring. Though I’ve finally stopped worrying about OLED burn-in thanks to Light-Emitting Diode displays combating the issue through features like pixel cleaning cycles, DSE on huge cheap LCD panels remains as bad as it was on smaller cheap LCD panels a decade ago, because the fundamental problem hasn't changed.

The production process that goes into making LCD TVs is largely to blame for the soccer-ruining dirty screen effect. LCDs use multiple layers and diffuser sheets, which often leads to backlight uniformity issues when panels are being assembled.

If a cheaply-made panel is combined with not having enough LEDs behind the screen to illuminate it all uniformly (you can even end up with parts of the panel's interior casting shadows), you'll end up with some areas being more strongly illuminated than others.

In order to make TVs today so much bigger than they were, but affordable at the price most people want to pay, corners have to be cut — and the quality of panel assembly and backlighting can end up as a casualty.

And yet, giant screens are where you're most likely to notice these issues, because there's so much more space for you to notice the imperfections.

Despite, some folks will be completely oblivious to DSE. I get that. But as someone who is cursed with obsessive eyes that still hates myself for enabling motion smoothing on a TV when switching on sports (but you should do it — as I explained in that article), my peepers are constantly drawn to the lighting defect while watching soccer in a bar.

And trust me, as someone who watched over 60 Arsenal games last season (hoo-boy does that Champions League Final defeat in Budapest still sting), I know a thing or two (times 30) about watching football on subpar screens out in public.

What can you do about it?

Personally, I'd buy an OLED TV. I’ve watched nearly all of my football at home on OLED panels since 2015. If you have the budget for it, and watch to enjoy the World Cup with the best image quality and least distracting visual issues, check out the best OLED TVs. If you go OLED, your eyes will never be bothered by LCD’s biggest deficiency when watching footy/soccer. The LG G5 is a bargain while stocks last, as is the cheaper LG C5. The Samsung S95F, with its anti-reflective screen, is particular good for daytime sports viewing.

However, big-screen OLED TVs are expensive. They're also nowhere near as bright for fullscreen viewing as decent mini-LED TVs, meaning they're more prone to distracting reflections if you're watching during the day (though the Samsung S95F and LG G6 are better for this — but they're still pricey).

So here's some very basic advice: get a mini-LED TV instead of a regular LED TV and you're less likely to have a noticeable dirty-screen problem. All mini-LED TVs use a grid of LEDs across the whole back of the screen with support for local dimming — and more premium sets use much smaller LED and fit in many more of then, which helps with the uniformity of lighting. And they'll pack in more LEDs are larger sizes, to avoid any problems from going big.

If a mini-LED doesn't fit in your budget at the size you're thinking, you should drop down a size, rather than getting a poorer-quality but larger screen. You don't want to spend a whole tournament getting distracted by a strange shadowy effect on the screen.

The cheapest TV TechRadar's reviewers recommend to avoid a major dirty screen effect is the TCL QM6K in the US, or the TCL C6K in the UK. The uniformity on this set still isn't always perfect, but it's as good as you get for the price.

If you step up to the TCL QM7K (US) / TCL C7K (UK) or the Hisense U7N, you're at the point where you're unlikely to notice it.

Going further to the premium Samsung QN90F (which we rate as the best TV for sport), the TCL QM8K (US) / TCL C8K (UK) or the Hisense U8N means you won't need to worry about DSE.

Thinking of buying a new TV?

Try our TV size and model finder! You tell it how far you sit from your TV, we'll tell you what size to buy based on viewing angle advice from image quality experts, and we'll recommend our three top TVs at that size for different prices.

• A report claimed LG was in talks with Hisense executives to explore a possible sale of LG's TV business
• The original report has been taken offline to be "reviewed by an administrator"
• LG tells TechRadar that "These reports are groundless"

Today has been a rollercoaster for fans of the best OLED TVs — a major report from Korean business news outlet EBN claimed that LG was exploring spinning-off and/or selling its TV business to Hisense.

However, the original report has now been removed from the EBN website, replaced with just a pop-up message that says the report is down while it's "reviewed by an administrator".

An LG spokesperson told TechRadar "These reports are groundless." LG provided a slightly longer statement to Android Authority that's more forceful: "LG Electronics would like to state that this news regarding the potential sale of its TV business is completely baseless and therefore entirely speculative and misleading."

The original report claimed that LG executives travelled to Beijing to meet executives from Hisense, including discussions of the future of LG TVs and possibly a sale of the entire LG TV business to Hisense.

Maybe this happened, maybe it didn't, maybe it was misreported — LG's denial is firm, but companies often firmly deny things they then go on to do. But if the same were to happen, it would follow a growing trend, making it not necessarily that surprising.

From Philips to Sony to Panasonic… maybe LG?

If LG were considering a full sale or a partnership with Hisense, it wouldn't be the first big TV brand to do so: Sony's partnership with TCL is likely to give Sony's mid-market and budget models a boost, with Sony providing the brand cachet and proprietary technology and TCL bringing its high volume manufacturing efficiencies.

Panasonic has reached a similar arrangement with Skyworth to make its US TVs, and many Japanese TV brands are made under license too, including Toshiba and Sharp.

Philips' TVs have been made under licence for years, with TP Vision making them in Europe and Skyworth making them for the US.

The reason for all this is simple: making TVs is a tough business with fairly low profit margins, so you need to sell tons of TVs to make money. LG's OLEDs do good business, but its LED TVs have struggled to impress, and are nowhere near as dominant as its OLED sets.

TCL and Hisense are grabbing market share across the board thanks to being able to produce really solid mid-range sets that are pretty damn cheap — so much so that Hisense eclipsed LG sales in the premium TV market last year.

This kind of deal could likely boost LG's entry level and mid-range offerings, but there would probably be a lot of resistance to it online from OLED fans, because Hisense doesn't have much love for that tech. (A similar worry is facing Sony fans from the TCL partnership.)

Still, LG says you have nothing to worry about — reports of its TV business' death have been greatly exaggerated, apparently.

Thinking of buying a new TV?

Try our TV size and model finder! You tell it how far you sit from your TV, we'll tell you what size to buy based on viewing angle advice from image quality experts, and we'll recommend our three top TVs at that size for different prices.

The 2026 World Cup kicks off on June 11, so that still gives you plenty of time to upgrade your TV if you’re looking for a bigger and better view of the tournament.

Over the last few years, bigger screens — 75 inches and over — have become a lot more popular, and they certainly will be for the World Cup. The big question is what kind of TV to get at these size, because the prices can get really expensive.

When it comes to big-screen sports, there’s one type of TV we recommend above the others: mini-LED.

Why would I recommend mini-LED over OLED? There are several key reasons, and they're mostly practical concerns about getting the best value, but I’ll get into them properly below. As TechRadar’s TV tester, I always include sports as part of my testing, so I'm speaking from experience of actually watching sports on every kind of TV.

Brightness

OLED TVs are getting brighter, but mini-LED will always have the advantage in the brightness department. But, where mini-LED has a big advantage is in fullscreen brightness. The same G6 OLED I mentioned earlier hit 387 HDR fullscreen brightness in Standard mode. The same Hisense U75Q mini-LED I mentioned above? 887 nits: bordering on three times the brightness.

Fullscreen brightness is important for sport, as it not only means it can give a large area on the screen more impact, say the field during a soccer game, but it’s crucial for helping with viewing in bright rooms.

The brightest OLED I’ve measured to date is this year’s LG G6, which clocked in at 2,524 nits peak HDR brightness in Standard mode (the picture mode I often recommend for sports viewing). While this is a great result, even mid-range mini-LEDs will dwarf this number. Last year’s Hisense U75QG (the US mid-range mini-LED in Hisense’s lineup) hit 3,372 nits in the same Standard mode.

This peak brightness will make a huge difference when it comes to highlights on screen, such as the sun on the horizon, giving them more impact. This will likely have an effect on the color brightness of a team’s kits during the World Cup, giving them more punch.

While peak brightness is important, fullscreen brightness is a game changer when it comes to bright rooms, often limiting mirror-like reflections compared to OLED — and let's talk about those now.

Reflections

As games during this year’s World Cup are being played at all sorts of times, including during the day, this brightness can make or break your viewing, because you don't want reflections in a bright room to obscure your enjoyment.

While OLEDs like the Samsung S95F, with its OLED Glare Free matte screen, and the LG G6, which has effective anti-reflection layer, are getting better at limiting reflections, most OLEDs still struggle. Their glossy screens are often magnets for reflections.

Even budget mini-LED TVs do a pretty good job of limiting reflections, purely thanks to their high fullscreen brightness — reflections being visible is a simple question of whether the light shining through the screen is brighter than what's being reflected, so a super-bright screen is a major advantage.

While they can still be subject to some screen glare, during my testing of TCL’s models last year (called the C-series here in the UK and headlined by the TCL C8K) I found that they more than held up to the scrutiny of the overhead lights in our testing labs. The same couldn’t be said for LG’s mid-range and budget OLEDs.

Samsung introduced the Glare Free matte screen to its Neo QLED (mini-LED) last year in the flagship Samsung QN90F, which was our pick as the best TV for sport and bright rooms in a lot of our best-of lists. Coupled with its high brightness and excellent motion handling, it made for a superb sport for TV, though it's a pricier model, and obviously value is important if you're buying a really big screen — so let's dig into that side of things.

Value for money

OLED TVs come at a premium. A mid-range model, such as last year’s LG C5, will set you back $1,399 for a 65-inch model at the time of writing. A 65-inch Hisense U75Q will cost you roughly $699, again at the time of writing. That’s 50% cheaper. As great as the C5 is, double the price is a tough ask.

In the UK, the numbers get a bit tighter, but it’s still a similar story. A 65-inch C5 costs around £1,299 right now, whereas a 65-inch TCL C7K (also called the TCL Q7C at some retailers) will cost £849. It's another big price gap that’s tough to justify if you’re on a budget, especially when the C7K boasts a lot of similar features, such as a 144Hz refresh rate for gaming.

The gap gets bigger as the screen sizes get bigger. A 75-inch Hisense U8Q costs $1,599, whereas a 77-inch LG C5 costs $2,199. And the gap gets even bigger when stepping up a size as an 85-inch U8Q costs $1,799, while an 83-inch LG C5 will set you back $3,299: almost double the price. The same is true on budget and premium models for each as well. If you're looking for the best value screen, it's mini-LED.

Stadium-sized screen? No-brainer

If you’re looking for a big screen for the World Cup, a mini-LED is your best bet. As more people look for cinema-sized screens at home, mini-LED has proved itself to be the better value option.

The largest OLED TV you can currently get is 97-inch, and these models are at the very premium end of the market. A 97-inch LG G5 will set you back $24,999 / £24,999. You can now get a 100-inch mini-LED screen for $2,999 / £2,999: just under 10% of the price of a big-screen OLED.

While you may think these 100-inch mini-LEDs will be super-cheap and dodgy models, you’d be wrong. The Hisense U8Q and TCL QM8K (TCL C8K in the UK) are just two of the models available in this 100-inch size, and these are two of the best mini-LED TVs available.

If you're in the UK, you can even pick up a 115-inch Samsung QN90F, our pick for the best TV for sport that I mentioned above, for £7,999, still a fraction of a 97-inch OLED. It’s available in the US too, but at a much higher $24,999 price. So, if you’re after the largest, readily available screens for the best price, mini-LED is your best bet.

The arrival of RGB

RGB TVs made a big splash when they were announced at CES 2025, with the Hisense UX serving as the first model. Since then, brands including Samsung, TCL, Sony and LG have followed suit, announcing their own RGB TVs.

These TVs use RGB LEDs to boast incredible colors with the contrast of premium mini-LEDs. While we worried that it would take years for these screens to become more affordable, smaller screens, it only took a year.

The Hisense UR9, TCL RM9L and Samsung R95H are the headliners for 2026. We’ve tested the UR9, and as well as a staggering 93% BT.2020 HDR color gamut coverage, it has incredible brightness. While the HDR numbers are high, it’s the SDR number that impressed us.

In Standard mode, we measured the UR9’s peak brightness at 2,486 nits, which is the kind of level that elite OLEDs reach in HDR — it's way beyond what they can do in SDR. Considering some sports are broadcast in SDR, this number means watching in daytime sports should be a breeze for RGB TVs, especially because the Hisense UR9 and Samsung R95H both have a matter anti-reflective coating.

You’d think this new tech will cost seriously premium money, but again you might be pleasantly surprised. The UR9 75-inch is available for roughly $3,000 / £3,500: again, that's cheaper than rival OLEDs. We’re waiting on prices for other brands, but we’d expect them to be in a similar region.

We’re still early doors in our testing of RGB TVs, but it’s an exciting tech for sure, and for it to be priced at this level this early is only good news. If these TVs prove to be the real deal, they could become the number one choice for sports.

Wondering what size of TV is right for your space? Use our screen size calculator!

You tell us how far you sit from your TV, we'll tell you what size to buy based on viewing angle advice from image quality experts.

If you're thinking about upgrading your TV in time for the World Cup, you may already be discovering that the world of TVs is incredibly confusing these days. With different screen-tech options, a wide range of sizes, and prices ranging from a few hundred dollars or pounds to several thousand, making a decision isn't straightforward.

Don't worry, because we're here to help. Our team of reviewers has tested the best TVs on the market, paying particular attention to sports viewing, since live sports demands smooth handling of fast-moving action. And in this guide, I'll explain the features that matter most when buying a TV for sports, and why they're important.

Note that not everything you should consider will be listed on the box. I've highlighted the key things to look out for, but much of this information is more likely to be found in reviews and online store descriptions, rather than on the packaging itself.

Good upscaling and motion handling

Technically two features, but upscaling and motion handling go hand in hand to deliver clarity when watching sport — and if only one of the two is good, you’ll end up disappointed.

Upscaling is the process by which a 4K TV takes lower-resolution video and turns it into higher-resolution video to fill all of its pixels. Most people won’t be able to watch the World Cup in 4K natively, so upscaling will be necessary. There are many ways that TVs can do this, and many models these days will advertise themselves as using AI-assisted upscaling.

Motion handling is a similar process but for the movement of objects on the screen. A TV will tweak the image to improve the appearance of objects in motion, because in digital video, fast movement of something like a ball being kicked is difficult for video encoders to keep up with. This means it can lose a lot of detail in motion, causing fast-moving objects — such as a football — to appear blurred or smeared, or even leaving ghostly trails behind them.

Motion handling is designed to track fast-moving elements such as the ball and players, then process them to reduce blur and other motion issues to action is clear and easier for the viewer to follow. Some TVs can even generate new frames, creating the impression of a higher frame rate and smoother-looking motion.

The downside of poorly implemented motion handling – in some cheaper models, for example – is that such changes can look odd and unnatural. The ball might have an odd halo around it, players will appear strangely hard-edged, and the overall look will be very artificial, instead of naturally more detailed.

And this is the reason motion handling and upscaling tech need to work together to deliver the best results. For example, an upscale might be adding plenty of detail, but if motion processing is poor, that detail can become blurred in fast-action shots and difficult to see . Equally, if motion processing is great but the upscaler is adding weird edges to the ball, that again will undo the hard work.

LG’s OLED TVs, such as the LG C5 or LG G6, are excellent at upscaling and motion, as are Samsung’s higher-end TVs, including the Samsung QN90F and Samsung S95F. Sony’s TVs had a great reputation for this for years, but most recently we’ve found LG and Samsung to be superior. TCL and Hisense TVs generally handle these elements well in the more mid-range models, with the Hisense U8QG and TCL QM7K (both are US models) being especially impressive for their respective prices. Amazon’s Ember QLED TV is also decent out of the box compared to most budget-friendly TVs, as is the Roku Plus Series in the US.

Good screen uniformity

You might have heard this talked about as the "dirty screen effect". Basically, screen uniformity is a TV's ability to display an evenly lit image across the entire screen, without patches that appear darker. It's an issue that mainly afflicts LCD-based TV, including LED, QLED, mini-LED and RGB models.

LCD TVs work by shining a backlight made of LEDs through a grid of pixels, and the design of this backlight plays a major role in screen uniformity. If LEDs are unevenly arranged or lit, some areas of the screen can appear slightly darker or brighter than others. This is especially noticeable in scenes where there are large areas of solid colour – the grass on a football field, for example.

If your TV's screen uniformity is poor, you'll see odd dark patches rippling across the field as the camera follows the ball. Some people might mistake it for dust, hence the informal name.

The larger a TV, the more susceptible it can be to the dirty screen effect, simply because there’s a bigger area that needs to be lit evenly. This is why opting for a super-large budget model can sometime work against you, since they're less likely to come with the higher-quality backlighting required to maintain consistent screen uniformity.

While you can’t know for sure how a particular TV will perform, you can get a clue by considering the number of "dimming zones" listed in a TV's specs. In general, more dimming zones means more control over the backlight, which often goes hand in hand with a higher number of LEDs in the panel and better screen uniformity.It's also worth checking out reviews where people discuss screen uniformity.

I’ve talked about LED TVs a lot here — but what about OLED? In theory, OLED TVs display issues with screen uniformity, because every single pixel is its own LED. OLEDs can have problems with the evenness of the image, but it’s more likely to be the result of an actual fault rather than just a poor-value TV.

A reflection-beating screen

Watching sports generally means a lot of daytime viewing, and that tends to mean a lot of light. Even if you’re watching in the evening, you might still have lots of lights on in your room. The glossy screens of most TVs means they reflect like a mirror, making it difficult to see what’s on-screen.

Mirror-like reflections are particularly distracting, not only because they pull your attention away from the game, but also because your eyes will naturally try to focus on the reflection, rather than the image on the TV. Since the reflection appears to sit at a different distance to the TV image, constantly refocusing between the two can cause eyestrain.

TVs use a several methods to reduce reflections, and almost all TVs have a polarizer built in to help control how light travels through the panel. However, in budget TVs this can be very basic, and so won’t appear to make a huge difference in bright rooms.

So, in a more affordable TV, higher brightness can often present the best method of counteracting any reflections. Mini-LED TVs excel here because they use a huge number of tiny LEDs, allowing them to produce much higher brightness across the whole screen over what OLED TVs can achieve.

Some TVs also have specific anti-reflection layers. Samsung’s higher-end mini-LED and OLED TVs come with a “Glare Free" coating, which is basically a matte layer that scatters light rather than reflecting it. Any reflections instead appear as a dim haze rather than an object of focus, making it more easily handled by the TV's own brightness to overcome and therefore less distracting for the viewer. Hisense has also added a less-aggressive matte layer to its high-end and mid-range mini-LED TVs. The LG G6 OLED TV includes a very impressive layer that massively reduces the brightness of mirror-like reflections.

Basically, if you’ll be watching your TV in a bright room, then the higher the level of brightness in your TV the better — and a premium TV with an extra anti-reflection layer will help even further.

Sound that extends beyond the screen

When you're watching the World Cup, you want to feel immersed in the atmosphere of the event, and the sound is a major part of that. If the crowd noise seems confined to the TV itself, it’s hard to forget that you’re simply watching a screen. But when the sound feels like it's coming from beyond the box, you'll feel more like you’re part of the action.

Similarly, audio with deeper bass and clearer highs will deliver a more immersive feeling, because drums, stamping feet, voices and the roaring of a whole crowd will sound more full and realistic.

Once again, while there’s no way to know for sure from the specs alone if a TV will deliver a decent, you can make an educated guess.

Budget TVs are likely to have a very basic speaker system, usually comprising just two small speakers that point downwards. As such, their ability to engulf you in audio will be limited. If a TV has just a 2.0-channel speaker system, odds are that will be small-sounding.

A TV with forward-firing or side-firing speakers is far more likely to deliver expansive audio. Look for models whose specs feature a bass system (either a subwoofer or just passive bass radiators), which achieve a much fuller sound.

The good news is that mid-range TVs and upwards are increasingly capable of delivering full, well-handled sound straight out of the box. Models such as the TCL QM7K and Hisense U7 perform well in this area, but step up to the TCL QM8K, Hisense U8 or especially the Samsung QN90F, and you'll experience a much bigger and more spacious feel.

Of course, another way to ensure superb sound quality is with a soundbar or speaker system. Around this time of year, you'll find plenty of TV deals with soundbars thrown in, or offered at a low price, so keep a lookout. It’s possible that a mid-price TV with an affordable soundbar turns out to be the best-value combination overall for mixing a big screen with big sound.

A big screen size balanced with price

A lot of people looking to buy a TV for World Cup viewing will be tempted to go for the biggest screen possible, and there many huge sizes available for not much more than the cost of an 65-inch model, which will tempt people even more so to go big.

But big isn't necessarily best, because of all the factors I’ve mentioned above. All the potential dangers I’ve mentioned. Poor motion handling, weak detail, uneven screen uniformity, distracting reflections and limited sound are all more noticeable on a larger screen, where flaws have nowhere to hide.

If you have a budget of $1,000 to spend, you could buy a basic 85-inch TV, or a good 75-inch model, or a higher-quality 65-inch set. How you balance size, quality and budget is ultimately a personal choice, but it's important to note that unless your budget increases alongside the screen size, you’ll usually be trading performance for acreage.

If you're wondering what the "right" screen size is for your particular setup, check out this calculator, which will help you figure it out:

• "Now is the time to start thinking about pointing input" for Google TV says Google
• No Google TV manufacturers currently use pointy remotes
• Gemini AI features seem to be the reason for the push

I believe there are two kinds of TV user in the world: people who hate LG's Magic Remote, and people who haven't used LG's Magic Remote. I'm in the former camp, so I'm bemused by Google's latest announcement: it looks like something very similar is coming to Google TV.

If you're not familiar with the Magic Remote, it uses Wii-style motion control with similar accuracy, so trying to point at anything can be frustrating: the cursor drifts with even the slightest movement, turning channel hopping into what feels like a round of Wii Tennis. It's an attempt to solve the ongoing challenge of controlling a smart TV from a distance, and I don't think it's a successful one: my kids' TV has a Magic Remote and they, and I, hate it.

But Google seems to disagree. "Now is the time to start thinking about pointing input", Google TV developer relations engineer Paul Lammertsma told app makers at Google I/O this week (via FlatpanelsHD)

What's the point of a pointing remote?

To the best of my knowledge, the only mainstream TV manufacturer using pointing remotes is LG, and LG doesn't use Google TV. So what's going on?

It's all about Gemini and ever more feature-packed TVs, it seems. As Lammertsma explained: "The TV experience that we once knew is changing. Gemini is changing the way we discover and stream content with voice, but how we use the remote is evolving too. Pointer remotes bring motion-controlled input to the big screen, unlocking faster user navigation across the Google TV Home page and within content-heavy apps."

It seems unlikely that LG is going to dump its own webOS platform in favor of Google TV, so Google encouraging the adoption of pointing remotes in apps strongly suggests that either Google or one of its partners is developing pointing remotes for Google TV sets. It's unclear whether the support will be backwards compatible or limited to new TV models only.

Making TV remotes is hard, I know: some are far too complicated and others are far too simple. I hope Google has cracked the drift and accuracy problems that plague handheld remote controls and that the movement looks like it does in the animation above — and not like the remote control in my kids' room that drives us all mad.

Thinking of buying a new TV?

Try our TV size and model finder! You tell it how far you sit from your TV, we'll tell you what size to buy based on viewing angle advice from image quality experts, and we'll recommend our three top TVs at that size for different prices.

I'm very happy with my TV right now, but if I were looking to upgrade to the largest possible display I could find without spending an astronomical amount of money, then this £1,100 saving on the Hisense E7Q 98-inch QLED TV at AO would be the one.

It's just about the cheapest near-100-inch TV I've seen, and most surprisingly of all, it's actually a very solid display overall. Usually, these sorts of deals on giant TVs are reserved for sluggish and low-quality options.

However, the Hisense E7Q boasts a bright and vibrant QLED display that offers deep blacks and rich colours, with Dolby Vision support to really bring out the best visuals possible. It also sports a dynamic refresh rate of up to 144Hz, which is great for providing smooth visuals and giving you a responsive experience on current-gen games consoles.

It's a heck of an investment, sure, but if you simply want the biggest display you can find for a good price, this is hard to beat.

Buy the Hisense E7Q 98-inch QLED TV at AO

Overall, the Hisense E7Q is a strong all-rounder for shows, movies, games and sports. The latter is especially good to know with the World Cup a matter of weeks away, as I can't think of a better way to absorb all the action with a wall-spanning TV like this. Unless going to a Boxpark and getting covered in beer after every England goal sounds like fun to you?

If this Hisense is still a bit too big (or too pricey) for you, then I've dropped in a few other excellent TV deals that are available now at a variety of retailers.

Other great TV deals available now

The 2026 World Cup is only a few weeks away, so if you're thinking of upgrading your home setup, now is the time. With new 2026 TVs appearing in stores now, 2025's models are at some of their cheapest prices, meaning you can grab a real bargain.

But, while you may be looking at a new TV or a new soundbar, I've come up with a few TV/soundbar combos in case you're looking to overhaul your whole home setup.

To be clear, any of these TVs will go great with any of these soundbars if you're looking to mix and match, but I've picked pairs to hit particular budgets that are ideal matches.

I've chosen some of the best TVs from the likes of Samsung, Hisense and TCL and the best soundbars from Sonos, Samsung and more.

Setup 1: Budget bang-for-buck

TV: TCL QM6K/C6K

The TCL QM6K, known as the TCL C6K in the UK, is a budget gem. It uses a mini-LED panel that delivers punchy colors, strong contrast with deep black levels and solid brightness all for an affordable price.

With a measured HDR fullscreen brightness of 594 nits in Standard mode for the QM6K and 706 nits in the same mode on the C6K, these TVs are more than bright enough to handle daytime viewing without distracting reflections. With games played at various times throughout the day in the World Cup, this is crucial.

The QM6K/C6K also make for great gaming TVs when you're not watching the World Cup. They support 4K 144Hz, FreeSync Premium, Dolby Vision gaming and ALLM: an excellent suite of features for a TV this price.

The QM6K/C6K's best feature is its price. A 65-inch model will cost $699 / £649 respectively, which is a bargain for what you're getting. This is easily the best option for the budget conscious.

Soundbar: Sony HT-S150F

The Sony HT-SF150, know as the Sony HT-S100F in the US and Australia, is our current pick for the best super-cheap soundbar on our best soundbars list. Why? Because it delivers impressive depth, clear speech and decent power and bass for a very low price: $99 / £99 / AU$199.

It also has a decent feature set including Bluetooth support for music streaming, an elegant design and easy setup and use: all big positives for a budget soundbar.

While it isn't the most sonically diverse soundbar, it's superb value and will really help add another level to your World Cup experience by boosting commentary and crowd noise more than your TV's speakers would.

Setup 2: The step-up option

TV: Hisense U8Q

The Hisense U8QG is an excellent-value mini-LED TV. It produces rich colors and powerful contras,t and has a strong feature set including both Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support, plus 4K 165Hz and VRR for gaming.

The U8Q also produces super-high brightness for a TV at this price point. A measured 3,337 nits and 2,888 nits peak HDR brightness in Filmmaker Mode and Standard respectively really help highlights pop on screen as well as producing strong perceived contrast.

With 744 nits HDR fullscreen brightness and even 600 nits of SDR fullscreen brightness, the U8Q is more than capable of handling bright rooms — perfect for daytime World Cup games.

At $999 / £1,299 / AU$1,599 for a 65-inch model, the U8Q is fantastic value for the performance it delivers and the features it comes with. If you're looking for a substantial upgrade at a fair price, this is top-notch value.

Soundbar: Sonos Beam (Gen 2)

The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) may be a few years old now, but it's still one of the best all-in-one, mid-range soundbars you can get. It delivers spacious, punchy sound quality with plenty of detail. This compact soundbar is mightier than it looks.

Not only does it tick the boxes for movies, but it's fantastic for music too. It delivers the same detail it does for movies, offering a layered sound with strong, well-controlled bass, clear highs and natural sounding mid-tones.

The Beam also supports hi-res audio and Dolby Atmos, as well as Wi-Fi streaming support for better sound quality. At its usual $499 / £449 / AU$799 price tag it's a great value soundbar that will give any World Cup game an extra dimension — and occasionally it gets nice deals, too. It's great in its own right, but can be expanded with a subwoofer and rear speakers too for a fuller experience.

Setup 3: The premium option

TV: Samsung QN90F

The Samsung QN90F really is the perfect for TV for sport. Not only does it deliver high brightness thanks to its mini-LED panel, but it comes equipped with a Glare Free matte screen that makes it the ideal TV for those in a bright room because it totally squashes reflections even in darker scenes. Daytime sports viewing will be no issue for the QN90F.

Aside from the brightness, the QN90F has excellent motion handling. With the right settings (judder and blur adjustments set to 3), it delivers a smooth picture that will help deliver the games from the World Cup accurately and more clearly than basically anything else on the market.

The QN90F also delivers excellent contrast and color for movies and is a gaming powerhouse with 4K 144Hz, VRR and ALLM all supported across four HDMI 2.1 ports.

Since its release in 2025, its prices have dropped significantly. A 65-inch set costs $1,599 / £1,399 / AU$2,899 so while it's at the pricier end of the mini-LED market, it is excellent value, made even better by the big drop in price from its original $2,499 / £2,499 / AU$3,499 price tag.

Soundbar: Samsung HW-Q800F

The Samsung HW-Q800F sits at the top of our best soundbars list. It delivers a powerful, immersive sound with solid Dolby Atmos reproduction. Its subwoofer, which is a new compact, dual-driver unit, produces some serious bass that's precise and well controlled.

Speaking of precise, this is one of the Q800F's greatest strengths. Not only is its sound immersive, it's accurate too. Its mapping of different effects is pinpoint and is has excellent directionality. It will do a great job with the fast-paced action of a World Cup game and the feeling of crowd's ambiance exploding out of the soundbar and into the space all around the TV.

The Q800F also supports Wi-Fi music streaming and supports 4K 120Hz gaming in its HDMI in ports. And, it does all this for a fairly reasonable price too, costing $799 / £599 / AU$799. While that is getting to the pricier side of the soundbar market, it's worth every penny.

Setup 4: The elite OLED & surround experience

TV: Samsung S95F

The Samsung S95F was one of 2025's best OLED TVs. It delivers excellent picture quality, with vibrant, bold colors and strong contrast, as well as crisp textures and refined detail. It's also fully stocked for gaming with four HDMI 2.1 ports that support 4K 165Hz, full VRR including G-Sync, ALLM and HDR10+ gaming.

What sets the S95F apart from other OLEDs is its anti-reflection screen. A matte coating means mirror-like reflections are reduced to haze, making it a fantastic OLED for bright room viewing. With this TV, you'll get to watch daytime sports with OLED's color, detail and perfect viewing angles without worrying about reflections. While mini-LED is our typical recommendation for sports, this OLED changes the game.

However, as a flagship OLED, the S95F is in the premium price bracket. A 65-inch model costs $2,499 / £2,299 / AU$3,799 which is pricey, but if you're after an elite World Cup experience, then this OLED TV should definitely be on your list.

Soundbar: Samsung HW-Q990F

The Samsung HW-Q990F is a multi-box soundbar system that delivers serious power across 11.1.4 channels. It's sound is expansive and precise, creating a real Dolby Atmos experience at home thanks to its two rear speakers and subwoofer.

The subwoofer is a new, compact size but thankfully, none of the hefty, detailed bass has disappeared. The dual-driver sub delivers raw power which works wonders for movies. The rear speakers are excellent at delivering surround effects and the soundbar itself delivers clear speech, punchy audio and excellent separation.

If you're looking for a soundbar to capture the stadium atmosphere of the World Cup, this is it. This level of performance comes at a price though. At $1,599 / £999 / AU$1,399, this is a premium soundbar.

But for the performance and features it brings, including hi-res audio and Wi-Fi streaming support as well as 4K 120Hz passthrough for gaming, the Q990F is worth the investment if you have the budget.

The 2026 World Cup starts on June 11, and while a lot of people will be thinking about a new TV, there's still one crucial component that can make or break the whole experience: audio.

A new soundbar can really add another dimension to the World Cup viewing experience, delivering clearer commentary and a more immersive atmosphere by capturing the roar of the crowds. Let's face it, even the best TVs have average built-in audio, and it'd be a shame to miss out on the full World Cup feeling.

Below, I've picked four of the best soundbars you can buy right now that will be more than up to the task of delivering the atmosphere of the World Cup, whatever your budget.

Best overall: Samsung HW-Q800F

Currently sitting at the top of our best soundbars list is the five-star-rated Samsung HW-Q800F. One of the brand's mid-range 2025 soundbars, the Q800F really does cover all the bases.

The Q800F is a soundbar-and-sub combo that delivers everything you could need. We found in our testing that the bass delivered by the new, compact subwoofer was still suitably powerful and sizeable, accurately delivering the ignition of the Darkstar jet in Top Gun: Maverick.

It also demonstrated excellent precision with surprisingly effective Dolby Atmos height effects in movies such as The Mask, accurately capturing the chaotic nature of the titular character as he tears around Edge City. Expect it to accurately deliver the ball's movements around the field during the World Cup.

Dialogue was crystal clear throughout our testing as well, which is a good sign that a commentary track during the World Cup should be delivered with real clarity.

The Q800F is brilliant value too. You can expect to pay around $799 / £599 / AU$849, which is a great price for this soundbar. Expect prices to drop in the lead-up to the World Cup, too.

Best premium: Samsung HW-Q990F

For those looking for a complete soundbar system, it doesn't get much better than the Samsung HW-Q990F, the brand's 2025 flagship model. This 11.1.4 channel soundbar is a beast, composed of four separate units and really delivers the full surround sound experience.

I personally tested the Q990F and was blown away by its performance. The new compact subwoofer delivers room-filling bass that is mighty, but also well controlled. The rumble of the Batmobile's engine in The Batman was room-shaking but dynamic and precise, with the subwoofer accurately delivering the chunky gear changes.

The Q990F boasts a wide soundstage that's not only great for big musical numbers from movies like Wicked, but also action-packed scenes such as the Death Star attack in Star Wars: A New Hope. The sound is expansive with pinpoint placement, such as the TIE Fighter's screeching flight path in Star Wars. The stadium atmosphere in the World Cup will sound sensational through this system.

Speech was perfectly clear throughout my testing, whether it was hushed conversation in The Batman or the loud, soaring vocals of 'Defying Gravity' from Wicked. Expect the same with commentary in the World Cup.

The Q990F is at the more premium end of the market, costing $1,599 / £999 / AU$1,599, but this mammoth soundbar system will cover you for sports, movies, and gaming, and do a superb job with all of them.

Best budget US: Sonos Beam

The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) may be compact, but don't let that fool you. It delivers a beefy sound that you wouldn't expect from a soundbar this size and is easily one of the best models for music on the market.

The Beam (Gen 2) has been around for a while now, but it still consistently delivers a satisfying sound that works for a diverse range of genres. I tested it alongside the Sony HT-S2000 and Denon Home 550, two compact rivals, and I was always pleased with the Beam's performance.

The bass it delivers for a small unit is tightly controlled and punchy, as it accurately delivered the roar of jet engines in Top Gun: Maverick. Its soundstage was also spacious, giving effects room to breathe with a great balance overall. As The Mask tornadoes around his bedroom in The Mask, the Beam did an excellent job mapping the direction of the whirlwind, connecting the sound accurately to the picture.

Dialogue is nice and clear despite its smaller stature, so commentary should be nice and clear for the World Cup. It also has a diverse sound profile that makes it great for music.

Sonos' soundbars often get some nice discounts throughout the year, but even at the full $499 / £449 / AU$799 price, it's a superb soundbar that's real value for money.

Best budget UK: Hisense AX5125H

The Hisense AX5125H is one of the most impressive budget soundbars I've ever used. Not only are you getting a great 5.1.2 channel Dolby Atmos system, but you're getting it for a ridiculously low price.

Using the Death Star attack from Star Wars: A New Hope, I was seriously impressed with the AX5125H's clarity and control. It accurately delivered the whirring engines of the X-Wings and did a solid job with height channels, recreating the screech of the TIE Fighters as they flew overhead.

The AX5125H also has a wide soundstage, which helped pick up subtleties in The Batman's opening crime scene, with camera clicks, mumbled conversations, and the sparse, scratchy strings of the score all presented clearly. This should do a great job picking out the dynamics during the World Cup, from a travelling ball to the crowd noise.

Speech was also clear throughout testing, coming through loud and clear during both quieter conversations and action-packed scenes. This will have no problem delivering clear commentary in a packed stadium atmosphere.

The AX5125H's real highlight is its low price. A 5.1.2 channel system for £249 is ridiculous. This would have been my pick for the US budget option, but sadly, it's out of stock. For UK readers, this one is a no-brainer if you're on a budget.

Ever since I saw my first RGB-backlit TV at CES 2025, from Samsung (immediately followed by Hisense and TCL later in the show), I've been really bullish on the technology's potential — even going so far as to call it "a huge danger to OLED TVs".

2026 is really the year of the RGB TV, with major launches coming from nearly every huge TV maker, and I've been really excited by the models I've seen in previews, ranging from Samsung's first-of-its-kind 130-inch RGB TV to Panasonic's tease of a future RGB model it may launch, to Hisense's UR9 RGB TV that's unique by offering a DisplayPort connection, to Sony's demonstration of the tech it plans to launch in 2026.

So, having finally seen so much of these TVs in action, my anticipation of them actually arriving must be only growing, right?

My friends, they haven't even launched yet, and I'm already exhausted by the whole RGB rollout.

They're not even here and they're too confusing

A major part of the problem is that there are already just too many variations — or possible variations — and considerations to track.

You can read our full explanation of RGB-backlit TVs here. Still, the gist is that because it uses a colorful backlight, that means it can deliver a wider range of colors than regular mini-LED and can have less light bloom from bright areas to dark area potentially, because colors don't always leak as obviously (as my colleague Jake Krol noted on his more recent trip to see Sony show off its RGB tech again).

So, this is a new technology that's better than regular mini-LED, right? It's the most premium tech, ready to take on the best OLED TVs?

Well, not according to TCL, which is including two RGB TVs in its new TV range, and neither of them is its flagship TV. The flagship is the TCL X11L, which uses a new-and-improved version of regular mini-LED tech to deliver some impressive results compared to other mini-LED models in our testing.

Here's what's most confusing: one of the RGB TVs that TCL is launching is its second-fanciest model, sitting just below the X11L, but the other is one of its least-premium models, sitting below its mid-range 7-series mini-LED TVs, due to its limited number of dimming zones and middling brightness.

LG is also launching RGB TVs, which might come as a surprise given that it's the standard-bearer for OLED. Well, guess what? It's positioning its RGB TVs below the LG G6 and LG C6 OLED TVs in the range, and it really just seems to be offering them so it can provide an affordable, larger-screen option than its OLEDs can deliver.

Philips is similarly launching an RGB TV model that seems to replace the mini-LED models it's always had that sit below the OLEDs in its product range, so it's the same deal there.

So all three of these companies think that RGB TVs are not going to be the flagship. But Hisense disagrees! Its flagship TV this year is an RGB TV, and the TV just below that will also use RGB tech, and then it switches to regular mini-LED tech once you get to the mid-range U7-series (which looks great this year thanks to a new anti-reflective layer).

Samsung is also making RGB TVs the flagship of its LED range, with mini-LED models only coming in lower down the range with the QN80H and below (including some models that are mini-LED without QLED, which genuinely shocked me).

Except Samsung has a kind of split flagship TV personality these days: is the flagship the Samsung R95H RGB TV, or is it the Samsung S95H/S99H elite OLED TV (which has impressed us in our early testing at home)? It's basically both!

Sony will launch its 'True RGB' TV sometime this year, but we have no idea what the price will be, or how it will compare to the Sony Bravia 8 II OLED TV in the line-up — but I expect it to sit above it, based on Sony's pursuit of 4,000 nits reference-quality TVs to match its studio monitors.

So to recap, is RGB tech the new premium OLED-killer tech? Well, LG and Philips seem to think it's not, and OLED is still the top dog. Samsung hasn't chosen a side. TCL doesn't like OLED anyway, and yet still says RGB tech doesn't even beat its own mini-LED tech.

Only Hisense is fully committed, and is even removing its sole OLED TV from sale in 2026.

So what's the average TV buyer supposed to think? Obviously, the TechRadar TV team is going to be testing them to work out which are indeed very premium and which should be genuine alternatives to OLED as the premium TV pick… but for someone who's just trying to understand the options available to them and level of quality you get from a particular type of technology, the RGB launch looks like a total fumble.

And that's before you get to trying to reckon with what's in the panels themselves.

Not all RGB tech is created equal, probably

Since mini-LED launched around 2021, the technology has become… complicated. There's no rule on what can be called "mini-LED," so some of the TVs marketed that way today are just TVs we would have known as direct-LED TVs in the past. Samsung even released edge-lit TVs that it markets as mini-LED, which I think is pushing the definition too far.

But also, do you get better results from something with very small LEDs packed in, but terrible control of light bleeding from one area to another, or from something with bigger LEDs in fewer zones, but with better shaping of the light as it passes through the panel?

At first, the technology was very samey, but it's developed into something complex over time with a million ways to approach its simple concept.

RGB TVs are launching with a ton of confusion around the specific implementation already built in, even though they offer such a clear original concept (of having a colorful backlight instead of a single color).

For example, did you know that some RGB TVs might not actually use red, green, and blue LEDs in each backlight element, as is the whole promise of the technology? There are versions of the tech that use two LEDs (blue and green) with a phosphor color filter to create the full range of hues. This would be cheaper to make, but it will surely perform less well.

Sony has been making a big fuss about how its upcoming TV will have individual red, green, and blue LEDs for each backlight element, because it's a premium piece of tech. Sony seems to be briefing against other brands that might be cutting corners, to make clear that its (probably high-priced) TV is worth the cash.

Who would be launching a cheaper TV that cuts corners this way? Most people would probably guess the Chinese brands that have been undercutting the likes of Sony and Samsung on price for years.

But Hisense is doing the exact same briefing as Sony against unnamed competitors who may use the cheaper version. The company told me that its two new RGB TVs use all three LED colors, unlike some that might be using the dual-LED system.

Okay, what about TCL? The company certainly gets some side-eye from TV enthusiasts following the result of a lawsuit saying that it can't call certain TVs "QLED" anymore. Well, TCL told me explicitly that its higher-end RGB model not only uses all three RGB LEDs, but it actually has two of each LED per element to provide better light performance.

The company said that the red element even uses an individual control chip per red LED, because the red wavelength needs the most careful management. For green and blue, the two LEDs are each controlled by one chip.

Now, Sony's made a big song and dance about having one LED per color, and TCL's out here with two LEDs per color — who's the more premium now, eh, Sony? The answer is: I have no idea! We'd have to test both, but this whole thing leaves me exhausted rather than excited about a new technology that hasn't even launched yet. Multiple companies are pointing fingers at others for cutting corners, but everyone is also successfully emphasizing how they're absolutely not cutting corners.

The good news is that it should be very obvious if TVs are using the cheaper system once we get them in our labs, because the spectrum power distribution of a TV screen is like a fingerprint for different technologies, since it measures the inherent luminance of different wavelengths within the panel, which gets adjusted for the content.

But the thing is, we're not even done with the technology being confusing yet, because at CES in 2026, Hisense literally didn't show its two new RGB TVs at all, instead opting to show the next version of the tech, which is no longer RGB anymore. It's RGBC, because the company is apparently adding a cyan LED in addition to the red, green, and blue.

Am I excited about this? I don't know, man, why don't you let me see what I think of the RGB ones first!

And I haven't even talked about how RGB TVs will often "color zones" instead of the "dimming zones" you get with mini-LED, meaning you need to divide the number of color zones by three in order to get the equivalent number to simple dimming zones, because color zones count all three RGB elements as independently dimmable (but this is silly, because we only care about the number of zones in terms of their ability to turn things black).

What do you tell people in your own advertising?

Look, it's obviously great that the TV world is more innovative and competitive than it's ever been right now. It's going to mean better results and cheaper TVs for people buying them, so I'm far from mad about all this.

But I'm bemused, because the TV companies are making it both harder for themselves and for me by rolling this tech out in such a chaotic manner.

Take Hisense, valiantly betting on RGB as being the flagship top-of-the-line TV. It will surely just advertise that RGB is the best you can get — nice and easy, right? Except TCL will offer an RGB TV that massively undercuts both of Hisense's TVs, so Hisense's own advertising may work against it because it makes that TV look incredibly tempting in comparison to its own — and both companies have opted to name their versions of the technology 'Mini RGB', so they'll sound incredibly similar to most people.

When someone asks me whether one type of TV technology is better than the other, or even just whether something is good for a particular purpose, I can normally give a succinct answer, even if it starts with 'depends'.

I really don't know how to answer with RGB tech this year. I'll probably have to tell people to ignore the name and just think of it as mini-LED because of how interspersed it is with mini-LED tech between different manufacturers at similar prices.

But that seems like such a waste of a new screen technology, doesn't it? OLED has such a simple dominance of branding as the premium TV tech, and RGB could have challenged it, but collectively, the branding has been diluted before it even launched fully.

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I just attended a demo of Hisense's new 2026 TVs, and while discussing the new UR9 RGB TV, one unusual feature jumped out at me: it has a DisplayPort connection. It's not a full-size DisplayPort port, but it's a USB-C port with full DisplayPort support and branding.

HDMI has obviously dominated the world of TV inputs, but DisplayPort is still the most common output on GPUs — and preferred by the PC hardcore in many cases. In general, it seems more hassle to include DisplayPort than it's worth on most TVs, so it's just never on there — which is why this one obviously caught my eye.

Hisense didn't explain exactly why it went for it on this particular model, but there are two things going on with this TV that might explain it.

First, the set has 3x HDMI 2.1 ports, not 4 like most high-end TVs. This was also true of the Hisense U8QG last year — it appears to be a result of the particular connection control chip that Hisense is using.

When Hisense revealed this to me, it explained that the TV has three HDMI ports, then made a point of saying it also has DisplayPort, which will support 4K at 170Hz/180Hz (depending on size). So it's possible that adding a DisplayPort was simply a way of offering a fourth 4K 170Hz/180Hz input, overcoming whatever HDMI limitation there is.

But the second element is that this is an RGB-backlit mini-LED TV, and Hisense claims that it should be able to hit over 100% of the BT.2020 pro color space, and is also Pantone validated (though the latter doesn't mean too much — Hisense's more affordable TVs have this rating too).

So there could be an element of Hisense aiming to include DisplayPort for maximum color depth for creatives who want to use the wide color support of the screens. Whether the TV will hit the claimed color figure is something we'll have to wait to see — there are multiple ways to measure the color space, and the Hisense UX116 released last year with RGB tech hit 92.6% of the BT.2020 space in our tests. This is way better than regular mini-LED TVs, which have tended to max out at around 75-78%, but obviously isn't quite 100%.

The only potential issue for both gaming and creative use is the size of the TVs — the UR9 series will come in 65-inch, 75-inch, and 85-inch sizes, with 100 inches also available in the US. That means it's not desk-friendly but might still have potential for both.

I think it's PC gamers looking for a sofa setup who will find this the most interesting. You'll have the flexibility to use the HDMI ports for whatever AV connectivity you need that really requires HDMI, and you can make the most of the high refresh rates over DisplayPort.

The TV supports AMD FreeSync, and while Hisense hasn't confirmed it for this model, most of its mini-LED sets are G-Sync compatible, though not G-Sync certified.

Its TVs usually have fairly low latency when we've measured them, and they have easy-to-use gaming menus for adjusting settings.

But the other tempting factor is that RGB mini-LED technology isn't coming out in monitors at the moment, and it's a really interesting new technology. It uses an LCD panel with a mini-LED backlight, but the backlight isn't one color: each light element has red, green, and blue LEDs, so effectively a low-res version of the image is created by the backlight, and then the LCD layer adds the final color-filtering and detail.

It's theoretically more efficient than regular mini-LED, while having a wider color gamut and potentially less noticeable blooming from light areas to dark ones.

And it's much brighter than OLED, and this TV has a lightly matte anti-reflective coating to help make it work well for brighter rooms, if you're playing during the day.

Having a DisplayPort option won't be a major game-changer for most people, but it's so rare that I had to call it out — and it's especially interesting that it's on a TV technology you can't get in a smaller version, so the UR9 offers something unique.

It's not going to be cheap, though — in the US, the 65-inch model is officially priced at $3,499, while in Australia it's set to retail at AU$3,999, which actually works out to be great value. We don't have UK prices yet, but based on the US price, that's around £2,650.

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I recently got to see a lot of Hisense's new TV range in person, including not only its higher-end RGB-backlit TVs, but also its new mid-range traditional mini-LED models.

These models — the U7 series — have hit a real sweet spot between price and image quality in larger sizes over the last couple of years, and while in most ways the new models looks like more of the same, they have one upgrade that makes them stand out over their predecessors, and it's an area that I'm really glad to see TV companies addressing more aggressively: reflections.

Hisense is launching the U7 models in both the US and the UK, though it's a little complicated to explain exactly what's on offer. In the US there will be two models, and the only difference will be the smart TV platform: the Hisense U7SG will have Google TV, and the Hisense U7SF will have Amazon Fire TV.

in the UK there will also be two models, but one of them is more premium across the board than the other — and it's the latter that's equivalent to the US models for specs, and has the feature that impressed me. The cheaper model is called the Hisense U7S in the UK, and the higher-spec model that I'm mostly going to talk about is called the Hisense U7S Pro.

The key feature that's new this year is an extra anti-reflective coating. Hisense says this is a matte layer, very much like the Glare Free finish used on the Samsung S95F or Samsung QN90F.

The idea with a matte coating is that it stops mirror-like reflections, which are the really distracting kind. Not only do they have the most detail to them, meaning they catch your eye more easily, but the reflections are on a different focal plane to the image on the screen itself, so your eye refocuses any time it catches the reflections, making them more fatiguing too.

The idea of a matte coating is to scatter light into a haze rather than reflecting it like a mirror, and this is what Samsung's coating does. The downside is that this haze can also raise black tones and reduce the contrast, which is why it's not been more popular in the past.

Hisense's matte coating is much less aggressively matte than Samsung's, though. This means it doesn't totally haze out strong reflections — in fact, knowing it has a matte coating, I was surprised at how clear more brightly lit objects still appeared — but it does massively eliminate less-strong reflections, while still taking the edge off brighter ones.

This is in combination with really strong brightness level (a claimed 3,000 nits of peak brightness, though it's full-screen brightness levels that affect how well something overcomes reflections, and those are always much lower. Last year's Hisense U75QG model hit a very impressive 760-880 nits of fullscreen brightness, which is around twice as much as even the best OLED TVs can manage, making it highly effective at busting reflections on a bright image that fills the screen.

But obviously you can't use brightness to beat reflections in parts of the screen that are supposed to be dark, and a matte layer can help.

The clearest demonstration of what this coating can do is the image below, showing three TVs. The TV on the left is a Samsung S90F OLED, the center TV is a Hisense UR9 RGB mini-LED TV with the same coating as the Hisense U7S/U7S Pro (I double-checked, and Hisense says it's 100% the same treatment, even though it's a higher-end TV), and the TV on the right is the LG C5 OLED.

The two OLED screens are very glossy, and have very clear reflected images; the Hisense just has some fuzzy shapes.

When I looked at the Hisense U7S/U7S Pro itself playing demo footage, I was impressed with how well it handled local dimming for strong contrast, and I did get the sense that the black tones were being aided by the matte layer.

These demo exhibitions are usually nightmares for cheap TVs because there are lights and other TVs everywhere, so any dark scenes show up the strong reflectivity they usually have — but on this model, black areas stayed deadened, in a good way.

As another example, here are two photos: the first is the cheaper Hisense U7S UK model at the same exhibition with no matte screen; the second is the U7S Pro. (Sadly, they weren't next to each other and reflecting the exact same thing, so it's an imperfect comparison. But they were in the same space under the same lights, and I think the difference in this image is representative of what I saw in the room.)

This all could make the U7SQ/U7S Pro the best mid-range TV for bright rooms, where sunlight and strong reflections aren't your friend. This is commonly a problem for sports and other daytime TV viewing, or gaming during the day. (With a 165Hz refresh rate, variable refresh rate support, plus four HDMI 2.1 ports, it looks like a great gaming TV in general.)

It also looks like the clearest upgrade over the current models, which already offer great brightness and color depth, and a 144Hz refresh rate (though only two HDMI 2.1 ports).

So, should you wait for this model if you were thinking of buying a mid-range mini-LED soon? Well, it depends on how long you want to wait, because price is a huge factor here.

We don't have prices for the UK yet, but in the US the Hisense U7SG will be initally available soon for these prices, in these sizes (100-inch and 116-inch sizes are coming later, too):

Now, you might be thinking that this doesn't sound quite as mid-range as I promised, and I'd agree — because no one actually pays these full prices for mid-range TVs. The sets start dropping in price shortly after launch, and reach the really good prices around Black Friday, of course.

So if you were thinking of buying sooner than that — ready for the World Cup maybe — last year's mid-range mini-LED models can be found for far, far cheaper than the new model.

For example, right now you can grab the following options from Hisense and TCL:

Today's best Hisense mini-LED TV deals in the US & UK

• View the full Amazon Big Spring Sale

So, would I recommend waiting for the new one? Well, if a TV isn't urgent at all, I think the new Hisense might be worth waiting for. The matte screen makes it better able to handle a wide range of lighting conditions — but improvements beyond that look thin.

Still, bear in mind that we haven't actually reviewed it yet, so the new model may have flaws we don't know about, or be improved in ways that aren't obvious.

Either way, you can definitely get really excellent deals on the current range, and they're great TVs that we highly recommend.

More of today's best Amazon Big Spring Sale deals

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks, Echo & tablets from $18
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• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
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• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
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• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

• German court tells TCL to stop advertising and selling QLED TVs
• Rival firms' complaints allege deceptive advertising
• Standardized certification might help buyers

TCL has been ordered to stop selling some of its TVs in Germany. A court in Munich has ruled that TCL had broken the country's unfair competition law by advertising supposedly QLED TVs that "do not deliver the color reproduction expected from QLED TVs," as reported by Korea Times.

The court decision means that TCL can no longer advertise or sell current certain specific QLED TV models in Germany.

The case was filed by Samsung, which claimed that TCL was running deceptive advertising, and more court cases on the same topic are coming in other countries, including the US.

The lawsuits all make the same claim: that what TCL calls a QLED isn't a QLED as it's commonly understood, and that consumers are being mis-sold TVs as a result.

Tests for quantum dots found not a lot

The court found that TCL's quantum dot TVs, such as the QLED870 series available in Germany, didn't deliver the characteristics of a quantum dot LED, and that consumers were being misled as a result.

This isn't the first time it's been claimed that TCL's quantum dots don't deliver the goods. In late 2024, the South Korean news website ET News published details of tests that didn't detect the chemicals required to make quantum dots on TCL quantum dot TVs.

The tests were commissioned by Seoul chemicals company Hansol Chemical (which, it's worth noting, works with Samsung, a key TCL rival, and which heavily promoted the results of these tests alongside launching the court case) and carried out by Geneva's SGS and the UK's Intertek.

According to ET News (via Google Translate), "no indium (In) or cadmium (Cd) was detected in three TCL QD TV models. Indium and cadmium are essential materials that cannot be omitted for QD implementation… if neither is present, QD technology cannot be said to have been applied." You can see the test results here.

TCL disputed the findings — "The QD content may vary depending on the supplier, but it definitely contains cadmium," it responded — and published its own tests, including a test by SGS, the same firm that conducted tests for Hansol.

The results contradicted Hansol Chemical's tests, but those tests used a different methodology: where TCL's tests focused on TCL's quantum dot films, Hansol's commissioned tests were on finished TCL TVs.

It seems very unlikely that TCL would get away with selling quantum dot TVs that didn't contain any quantum dots, and the performance of TCL's QLED displays in our reviews has been consistent with the stated specs and color performance, regardless of what tech was used inside to get there, within the usual margins for error we expect when going from marketing claims to real-world use.

Hansol Chemical has filed a complaint against TCL with the US Federal Trade Commission, alleging false advertising, and TCL is also facing class action lawsuits in several US states making the same claim. TCL isn't alone here: Hisense has also been targeted in the US.

The claims and counterclaims indicate a problem with TV tech: without independent certification, we have to take manufacturers' claims on trust. And in Germany at least, the court decided that TCL was making promises it hadn't kept.

While independent certification might help consumers, right now it's all very confusing: Germany's TÜV Rheinland has awarded official certification to both Samsung and TCL for quantum dot TVs, but for different things: Samsung has been certified as "Real Quantum Dot Display" while TCL was awarded "Realistic Visual Experience".

TCL declined to comment for this article, and we approached Samsung but have yet to hear back. We'll keep you posted with any further response.

• Amazon's first major Fire TV software rework in five years
• Initially for Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2023), Fire TV Stick 4K Plus, and Fire TV Omni Mini-LED
• Rollout is currently US-only; will be expanded in the Spring

Amazon is now rolling out its most exciting Fire TV device upgrade to date, featuring the first major redesign of this software in five years, and some important under-the-hood change that promise to majorly speed up your devices.

The rollout has started in the US, and it looks like Amazon is taking it slow: it's coming to just three devices to begin with. Those devices are the Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2023, 2nd Gen), the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus, and the Fire TV Omni Mini-LED TV.

The update will roll out to more countries and more devices in the Spring of 2026, with third-party Fire TV devices (such as TVs from TCL, Panasonic, Hisense, Insignia and more) getting upgraded too.

What's new in the Amazon Fire TV upgrade?

This isn't just a minor refresh, although everything has been tweaked to make it look better. There's much more room for pinned apps and subscriptions, giving you 20 slots instead of the current six. There's a new streamlined navigation bar too.

One of the key goals of the update is to reduce the amount of time you spend searching for something to watch, with improved recommendations and easier access to live content too.

The focus on watching means that less commonly used features such as games, photos, music videos and the Appstore are tucked away in a three-line hamburger menu.

Alexa+ will enable you to ask questions using natural language, ask follow-up questions and generally chat with Amazon's digital assistant. If it's as good as Amazon says you'll be able to do interesting things such as ask Alexa to recommend movies that have a similar visual style. Alexa+ is included in your Prime subscription; non-subscribers can pay separately to enable the feature.

Perhaps most excitingly, Amazon says that its reworking of the underlying code makes the update "20–30%" faster – and responsiveness has always been an area where Fire TV could use a little nudge.

This also comes hot on the heels of Nvidia GeForce Now cloud gaming coming to Fire TV devices, albeit not quite in the full quality that we'd hoped for – but it's still a great combo.

According to TechCrunch, the spring rollout will cover more countries and more Fire TV models including the latest Fire TV 4K streaming players, the Fire TV 2-Series and 4-Series, and the Omni QLED Series. You'll also have it on the new Amazon Ember Artline TVs.

• You can't afford it
• You don't have room for it
• It's probably quite nice, though

When we saw Samsung's world-first 130-inch RGB TV in person back in January, we thought it was beautiful, but it wasn't clear whether it would actually go on sale – at the time Samsung said it was just a concept, but now there's more rumblings that it might happen.

But now a new report suggests that if it does become available to buy, it's going to be very, very expensive.

Enormous TV in 'expensive' shocker, I know. But there's a significant jump in production cost between the current 115-inch / 116-inch panels and a 130-inch one, so there's likely to be a very significant cost for early adopters.

How much will a 130-inch TV cost?

The current flagship extra-large TVs are 116-inch models, such as the Hisense 116UX, which had a launch price of $29,999 / £24,999 / AU$39,999.

According to research firm Counterpoint, as reported by FlatpanelsHD, the cost of a 130-inch LCD panel is nearly 1.5x the cost of a 115-inch one.

It's tempting to grab the calculator and multiply the cost of the Hisense 116UX by 150%, but the panel is only part of the cost of a TV. While it's a significant chunk of the overall bill of materials, there are other factors at play including the processor, sound system – in the case of the Samsung, 14 built-in bass units – and the cost of engineering and building the frame for such a large, heavy panel. Some of those might cost more than for a 115-inch TV, some might cost the same.

(If you're wondering about the crude value proposition here, a 130-inch screen is 27% larger than a 115-inch screen in terms of the area – so 50% higher price for 27% more screen.)

It's clear that the first 130-inch LCD TVs are going to be out of reach for most of us, but their role isn't really to sell in serious numbers: the first flagships are there to showcase new technology and to burnish brands' reputations as market leaders, so they're only really bought by the most affluent early adopters.

As we said of Samsung's 130-inch prototype, "it's a big flashy showcase". Every new generation of TV tech has started off with sky-high price tags and then getting much cheaper in a relatively short space of time as manufacturing improves and becomes more efficient.

Assuming you're even in the market for one of the new TVs, there's also the issue of performance. The "never buy a 1.0 product" advice is an old tenet of tech, and it applies to TVs too: for example when we reviewed the Hisense 116UX we noted that it had screen uniformity issues and struggled with some dark scenes.

With each new wave of TV tech we've seen the panels and the TVs containing them improving over time – and price dropping – and it's highly likely that the same will happen with these even bigger flagships. So at first, a high-end 130-inch may be in the $40-$45k region – but later, who knows? Maybe you'll only be paying a bargain $20k. I'll have two!

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For the longest time, I’ve held a bitter grudge against LCD TVs. I still vividly remember buying my first flatscreen back in 2007, and immediately recoiling in disgust upon seeing how much worse the on-screen text looked in Xbox 360 games than they had on my ageing CRT set. Fast forward 20 years – a period in which I became obsessed with OLEDs – and I’m ready to give LCD another chance.

Alright, it's not quite as simple as that. When I say ‘LCD’, I specifically mean ‘RGB mini-LED’, but hey – it’s still a traditional liquid crystal display, just with (quite a few) bells and whistles. But this tech ditches so many of the drawbacks of LCD, while also potentially improving on the few weaknesses OLED has – I think it could be the premier screen type for AV snobs going forward.

As managing editor of entertainment Matt Bolton recently argued, RGB TVs are a huge danger to OLED TVs… and I’m right there with him on that. Brighter, potentially cheaper (more on that shortly), and sporting incredible color deptch, the most tantalizing TV technology coming out of CES 2026 has made my obsessive eyes oh so excited.

Easy as RGB

The technology behind RGB mini-LED (or Micro RGB, as you will sometimes see it called) is fascinating… providing you’re a massive AV dweeb. Rather than use a single color of backlight behind the pixels, as LCD TVs always have, every LED in the backlight now has red, green and blue elements, meaning they can shine the correct color for the part of the picture they're behind. This means much less color-filtering is needed, and yet you get a wider range of colors at the same time. It also makes them more efficient.

What does that mean for my inner OLED obsessive? A good chance of higher brightness compared to my go-to TV tech, combined with a precision level of backlight control that should limit the ‘halo effect’ that has dogged the corners of even the best LCD TVs for decades, where light leaks from bright areas to dark areas.

Even though Samsung has already shown us its giant 115-inch Micro RGB TV, I’m particularly excited to see what LG and its ‘Micro Dimming Ultra’ feature can produce in its first RGB panels.

Sure, OLED TVs can self-dim every single onscreen pixel. But then again, thanks to my Philips Hue Gradient Lightstrip, and the fact it projects the colors of whatever content I’m watching onto my lounge wall, I don’t really need every dark scene in my favorite film to be perfectly inky because the wall-illuminating technology boosts perceived contrast anyway.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m currently extremely happy with my 77-inch LG G3 OLED. What. A. TV. Thanks to its infinite black levels, incredible contrast and peerless screen uniformity, the South Korean manufacturer’s flagship panel of 2023 is comfortably the best television I’ve ever owned. And hoo-boy, have I bought a lot of them during my four decades on this spinning rock.

Still, a part of me will forever be enticed and intrigued by the shiniest new form of TV tech. Hence why I’ve owned 12 separate OLED panels since 2016. Somewhat pathetically, I can remember every single model number; be it the 10 LG sets or the Philips and Sony screens that made me cheat on my favorite OLED manufacturer.

OLED down the garden path

Over that time I’ve been jazzed by all the latest advances on the ‘Light-emitting Diode’ front. MLA brightness-boosting solutions. Primary Tandem 2.0 panels. Glare-ending ‘Reflection Free Premium’ screens. For all I appreciate the drastic increase in peak HDR brightness with the best OLED TVs year on year, my hyper focused eyes are now obsessed with the potential of RGB mini-LED sets.

Every manufacturer is boasting that RGB TVs will deliver well over 100% of the HDR color gamut, and I'm excited by the promise of going super-deep on colors. As someone who is bothered by color banding (where tonal changes that should be a smooth gradient have clear 'bands' dividing them) on his current LG OLED to an unhinged degree, this statement has me hoping that RGB tech can overcome this, either by delivering more advanced HDR color 'upscaling' on streamed content, or just with less color limitation on the panels.

When you’re playing one of the best PS5 games, it can be all too obvious when spotting the differences in gradients of certain hues while panning across a bright blue sky. I’m not saying Micro RGB panels can entirely cure this issue, but I’m hopeful they can reduce it.

I also have a slight problem with my LG OLED’s preset modes when it comes to colors. I tend to favor Vivid (hersey, I know) in most situations. That’s mainly because I prefer a cooler tone in movies over the earthier hues that my TV’s Filmmaker and ISF Expert modes offer.

Even still, I can’t shake the feeling my G3’s color accuracy isn’t quite on the money, which is only making me thirst more and more for Micro RGB.

Huge punch at smaller sizes

There’s also a good chance I’m going to have to plump for a smaller (and crucially cheaper) TV than my G3 in the not too distant future. I’m currently in the process of selling my apartment, and in all likelihood, the place I end up staying next won’t be able to accommodate a 77-inch screen.

Though the first, colossal Micro RGB sets that launched last year are pricey, that's because they were huge. Considering they’re far closer tech-wise to mini-LED than they are to OLED, it’s not far fetched to expect them to drop lower than comparable mid-range OLEDs over the next few years.

Considering I may well have to channel my inner Scrooge Mode going forward while I downsize to a smaller place, the fact that Micro RGB TVs can potentially be more energy efficient is seriously seductive too. As much as I adore wall-dominating screen real estate, the notion of a super-bright 55-inch Micro RGB with amazing colors and almost OLED blacks has my Spide… AV sense tingling.

As I gradually make peace with a future that involves a smaller screen, I find my TV horizons are broadening. Five years ago, I would have rather taken a bath in sulphuric acid than own an LCD screen. Yet with Mico RGB becoming increasingly attractive? I say bring on the sulphur.

Have you ever been watching a movie or tv show and found it doesn’t look right? Almost like the movement of the picture looks too smooth? Well, that's commonly called called the ‘soap opera effect’.

Why is it called the soap opera effect? It stems from the fact that soap operas were shot at higher frame rates compared to movies particularly (but also some TV shows), giving them a kind of 'hyperreal' smoothness to the movement.

So why is this a problem on movies on modern TVs? It's because even the best TVs tend to come with some hidden settings active by default, called ‘motion smoothing’ or ‘motion interpolation’. On some TVs, such as Samsung, they are also now referred to as ‘clarity settings.’

If you’ve been fed up with this weird looking motion on your TV but don’t know how to solve it, we’re here to help. But first a quick explanation as to what’s going on.

Why does the soap opera effect happen?

Modern TVs are very bright and work at a range of different frame rates (how often the image on-screen changes) and this can cause a problem called 'judder' in movies (which are shot at 24 frames per second), where you can really see gaps in the movement sometimes, which you can't see in the dim, custom-designed world of movie theaters.

On top of that, many cheaper or older TV literally can't show a clean 24fps image. Many of these TVs have screens that refresh at 60fps, and can only cleanly show motion at a number that 60 divides into (such as 30fps, which is common in HDR video). This means you'll get more judder, because 24fps movies are having frame moved forward or backward in timing to fit the world 60fps TVs.

(More advanced TVs are 120fps, and these actually can show a clean 24fps image, because 120 divides by 24).

On top of that, lower-quality streaming or digital broadcasts lose a lot of information in fast-moving scenes, because the amount of data they can include is pretty limited. Anytime there is a quick, panning shot or fast moving sequence, there will be a loss of detail on the screen.

This is where motion smoothing settings come into play. TV manufacturers began to add motion settings into their lower frame rate TVs to help reduce motion blur and judder during fast paced content, but it's used in all TVs.

With motion smoothing activated, a TV will artificially insert new frames within content to improve clarity. The TV essentially guesses what the next frame is going to look like based on the previous few frames, and adds new frames in – in order to make the image appear smoother and more detailed.

This may sound great for sports, and it usually is – but it has a weird effect on 24fps movies, or cinematic TVs shows. When a TV tries to artificially add more frames into a movie, the movie starts to look too smooth, almost like it's moving too fast – because the low frame rate of movies is very distinctive.

A long panning shot will suddenly look like it’s moving at a higher speed, taking on a soap opera appearance, hence the name ‘soap opera effect’. People will feel like they've move too twitchily. Things will also appear artificially 'clear' in a way that's really off for how we're used to films.

Thankfully, in most cases, these motion settings can be controlled or turned off. Here’s how – but bear in mind, you won't always want to turn them off.

Turning off or adjusting motion smoothing

If you head to your TV’s picture settings, often under 'more' or 'advanced' settings, motion settings can often have their own sub-category. Sometimes, they can be found under another menu and can be referred to as 'clarity' settings.

Below I've done a quick step-by-step guide on how you would access motion settings to turn them off or adjust using our reference LG C5 – there's no way I can run through it for every TV, but it will hopefully give you a useful example.

An indicator of motion settings will be two headings called ‘blur reduction' and ‘judder reduction’, or can be referred to under different names. I found, for example, that while testing Philips OLEDs, judder is referred to as ‘smoothness’.

Another quick fix, if you’re looking for film-accurate picture, is to set your TV to Filmmaker Mode picture mode. Not all TVs have one, but most do nowadays. This picture mode is designed to turn off any enhancement features, including motion smoothing (though some brands have started to keep some more minimal motion settings on).

Where motion smoothing can help

While home theater purists often say motion smoothing is no good, as someone who's tested a lot of TVs of every kind, there are many situations where it can be helpful.

We loved TCL’s mini-LED range in 2025, with the TCL QM7K (the TCL C7K is the UK equivalent) being a particular highlight. While this TV is great, its motion handling is less so, despite it being a 120Hz TV.

When I tested the C7K, I found that without motion settings tweaked, there was a lot of judder while watching sports. However, setting blur and judder reduction to 3 (out of 10) resulted in a smoother image that didn’t result in the soap opera effect.

I’ve found this to be the case with a lot of budget TVs, especially 60Hz panel ones for the reason mentioned above – 24fps movies literally can't show correctly on these screens, so a minimal amount of motion smoothing is the best option.

In fact, I found that LG’s OLEDs, including one of my top sets of 2025 the LG C5, benefitted from keep a motion setting on. In its motion settings menu, activating Cinematic Movement, a mild form of motion smoothing designed purely to preserve the look of 24fps movies, resulted in a much more stable image. A panning shot of a rocky cliffside in No Time To Die had a lot less judder with this setting activated – more like how it's supposed to look.

Really, motion smoothing is all about personal preference. It will require some time experimenting, but it’s worth the investment. It will depend on what TV you have and what content you’re watching as well, but if you’re looking to get away from the soap opera effect, this is how to do it.

• LG no longer makes its 8K OLED TV, nor any 8K LED TVs
• 8K panel production is "on hold", but could come back if things change
• Even Samsung isn't pushing 8K as hard – it's starting to look a lot like 3D

Stop me if you've heard this before: a TV technology has failed to excite customers due to high prices and a lack of compatible content. It looks like 8K may be going the way of 3D TVs and is winding down, as LG reportedly abandons a market that TCL and Sony have already exited.

LG was the only maker selling 8K OLED TVs worldwide, but its Z3 OLED TV was discontinued last year and there's no replacement model in this year's line-up. Panel producer LG Display has confirmed to FlatpanelsHD that the development of 8K panels is on hold for the foreseeable future unless market conditions improve.

The Z3 was one of our picks of the best 8K TVs. But the fact that our list only includes three TVs, one of which is still available but is no longer being made, is a bit of a clue to why LG is apparently getting out.

What's the state of the 8K TV market?

With LG getting out of the 8K TV market, Hisense's 8K plans apparently on hold, and both TCL and Sony gone, that leaves Samsung as the sole carrier of the 8K torch – and Samsung enthusiasm doesn't look that strong either.

A few years ago, Samsung offered a range of 8K TVs aimed at different budget levels. Last year, it only bothered with a really high-end model, and that seems to be the case in 2026 as well – unusually, though, Samsung didn't showcase this TV at CES 2026, focusing RGB TVs and QD-OLED instead.

Perhaps even more notably, when Samsung first demoed its Micro RGB backlight tech at CES 2025 it was in an 8K prototype – but the only RGB TVs it's actually launching are 4K.

We identified 8K TV as one of our losers for 2025, and explained that a huge part of the problem is that 8K TV doesn't solve a problem: "there’s only so much information the human eye can actually perceive. In a world where the best 4K TVs continue to dazzle, native 8K UHD panels (7860 x 4320 pixels) are overkill." At normal viewing distances "you’d be hard pressed to tell the fine details of your favorite Ultra HD movie or show on the 8K display from the current best 55-inch 4K TV".

I think another key issue is the ongoing and probably fatal lack of content for it. Blu-ray tops out at 4K resolution, as do all the major streamers' most premium tiers, and there will not be an 8K disc format; last year Warner Bros said it had scanned some big-name movies in 8K, but the number of films was just 20 and it wasn't clear how those movies would be distributed. As I wrote at the time, "the dearth of 8K content is clearly worrying the TV firms and keeping sales numbers low."

I think that's a shame, but as the former owner of a 3D TV who struggled to find much worth donning the silly specs for, I'm well aware that sometimes TV tech's usefulness doesn't always live up to the hype (although maybe 3D isn't as dead as it looks: a new TV tech delivers glasses-free 3D TV. The big question is whether enough of us will want it).

I think there's a place for 8K technology: Samsung's The Wall is extraordinary, and it can be useful in monitors where you want a lot of pixel acreage.

But given the cost of the kit, the lack of content and the sheer brilliance of the best 4K TVs, I'm just not sure that place is in my living room or yours. And it looks like the manufacturers are increasingly coming to that conclusion too.

CES 2026 didn’t just feel like a victory lap for bigger and brighter TVs – it also made the whole “big screen at home” conversation a lot more interesting.

On one side, you’ve got genuinely enormous TVs pushing into the 130-inch range, with brands leaning on next-gen tech such as micro-LED, RGB mini-LED or possibly SQD mini-LED to argue that a giant panel is the way to get punchy, colorful, and premium images in a normal room.

On the other, projectors aren’t quietly accepting defeat. Instead, they’re turning up with brighter laser models and increasingly living room-friendly setups, while still holding the ultimate trump card: sheer scale.

When demos of the latest consumer-friendly models are talking about images up to 300 inches, it’s hard not to wonder whether the next upgrade is a bigger TV on the wall, or a projector that turns your entire wall into the screen.

Either way, CES this year pointed to a new battle for the living room, and it’s one where both sides – TVs and projectors – have a real case.

Why 130 inches suddenly feels realistic

A few years ago, a 130-inch TV felt like something you’d only see in a showroom, or a high-end sports bar – impressive, but wildly impractical, not to mention astronomically expensive.

CES 2026 suggested that’s starting to change, and not just because brands want a headline-grabbing centerpiece.

As our CES 2026 TV roundup made clear, the show’s big story wasn’t only 'bigger', but 'better at being big', with next-gen backlights pitched as the route to higher brightness, stronger color, and fewer of the expected compromises, such as problems with screen uniformity.

Samsung’s 130-inch Micro RGB prototype is the clearest example: a giant TV positioned less as a novelty and more as a direct challenger to the reasons people buy projectors in the first place. It's big, it's immersive, and it's designed in a way that's realistic for fitting into a home (if your home is large).

The key point is that display tech is now evolving with 'real rooms' in mind, not just darkened home theaters, and CES was full of signs that multiple brands are treating giant TVs as a genuine battleground in 2026 and beyond.

Hisense used CES to talk up its fresh RGB mini-LED direction, including an 'Evo' approach that adds a cyan element to the red, green and blue light modules.

Meanwhile, TCL used the show to push its own next-gen mini-LED message – including its TCL X11L SQD mini-LED flagship – while also flagging new RGB mini-LED models in the same breath.

Both those brands, plus Samsung and LG, also offer micro-LED TVs ranging from 130 inches to 160 inches, though these cost a lot more, and are less designed for standard living rooms.

CES's projectors: bigger and more flexible

If giant TVs were the loudest at CES 2026, projectors seemed to be making the more pointed argument: 'we can still go bigger, and we’re easier to live with in most rooms'.

As we found in our CES 2026 projector roundup, there was a good mix of brighter portable models, gaming-friendly options, and even a more mobile home-theater concept that underlines how far projectors have come.

Hisense did the clearest job of framing projectors as the natural rival to the 130-inch TV push.

Ahead of CES, the company unveiled the XR10 – a 4K laser projector pitched for screens up to 300 inches – alongside the Hisense PX4-Pro, positioned as the sequel to its highly regarded Hisense PX3-Pro (which we regard as the best ultra-short throw projector), with many features aimed squarely at living rooms.

And then there’s the other trend that the CES launches kept reinforcing: convenience.

Samsung’s updated Freestyle+ portable projector isn’t trying to beat a home-theater laser projector on sheer impact, but it does show where the category is heading: higher brightness and smarter automatic picture optimization.

The 2026 living room battle: TV or projector?

This is where the giant TV vs projector debate stops being about CES spectacle and starts being about what your living room can realistically handle.

A huge TV’s biggest advantage is that it behaves like a TV: bright, consistent, and largely indifferent to the type of media or environment.

The push among the best TVs around next-gen backlights (especially RGB mini-LED) is effectively an attempt to stretch that advantage to extreme sizes, keeping colors looking rich and highlights looking punchy, even if your room is brightly lit.

The best projectors are getting brighter, and the laser models shown around CES underline how far performance has come, but they’re still more sensitive to the room and factors such as ambient light, which makes them look washed-out very quickly, and makes black tones look gray.

While ultra-short-throw projectors can make projection far more living room-friendly in terms of setup, you’re buying into the idea that the space is part of the system.

Reflections are the other unglamorous factor. The bigger the screen, the more it can behave like a mirror in a bright room, which is why premium TV makers keep pushing reflection-reducing approaches alongside raw brightness and colour gains.

Projector screens don't reflect light at all – but they do suffer from ambient light in the way mentioned above, which can be more harmful to the viewing experience, depending on your setup.

What CES really signalled

If CES 2026 proved anything to us, it’s that 'the biggest screen for your home' is no longer a settled question.

Giant TVs are pushing into the 130-inch class with a new argument – not just that they’re enormous, but that next-gen backlights like RGB mini-LED can deliver top-end quality at scale.

At the same time, projector makers are making compelling upgrades to their latest models. Hisense’s XR10 and PX4-Pro explicitly pitch around living room practicality, while still dangling that headline-grabbing 300-inch screen.

So the battle for the home theater isn’t really TV versus projector in the abstract: it’s two competing versions of convenience.

Right now, it comes down to: do you want the appliance-like certainty of a wall-sized TV, or the flexibility of projection, where the room is part of the system, but the payoff can be truly theater-scale?

2026 is going to be the year of RGB TVs. The biggest TV makers have sets coming out using next-gen RGB backlight technology, which basically replaces the blue or white backlight of a traditional mini-LED LCD TV with one that has full RGB color support, meaning that these TVs are more efficient, offer richer and more accurate colors, and can suffer less light leakage into dark areas.

Obviously, we need to wait and see just how well these TVs perform in practice – but TechRadar's TV team has seen several of them in early demos, and they're incredibly impressive. Wide viewing angles (often an issue with LCD TVs), vibrant yet realistic colors, inky deep black tones, powerful HDR highlights… they look like a huge danger to the best OLED TVs.

That's in no small part because RGB TVs are set to arrive at only slightly higher prices than standard mini-LED technology, and that's in their first year – think about how quickly standard mini-LED prices have dropped in the few years since their inception, meaning you can get a large-screen, great-quality mini-LED set for under $500 / £500 these days.

My colleague Al Griffin, a TV industry veteran of nearly 30 years, even went so far as to say the budget OLED TV is doomed. He thinks that RGB TVs' contrast performance is so close to non-flagship OLED TVs, with richer colors and far superior brightness, that cheaper OLED TVs will become "irrelevant".

I agree with him in principle, although the news that LG Display's new, cheaper, and simultaneously brighter new cheap OLED panel is coming this year probably means that reports of budget OLED's demise are slightly exaggerated.

But I can see a different potential path forward, I hope: while I agree with Al's sentiment about the current state of the industry, I think the aggressive expansion of RGB TVs is the best thing that could happen for OLED TV fans.

At the high end of OLED TVs (like the LG G5 and the Samsung S95F), there's been significant development over the last few years – micro lens array, QD-OLED, Primary RGB Tandem, next-gen quantum dots.

The progress in mini-LED TVs, plus the arrival of competition for the creation of OLED panels between LG and Samsung, lit a fire under the high-end OLED world. It's improving faster now than at any time in the 13 years OLED TVs have been mainstream.

But at the more affordable end? Not so much.

The LG C5 OLED uses essentially the same panel as the LG C4, and as the LG C3 – and the LG C6 also has it (although there will be a new LG C6H at larger sizes with a better panel).

The LG B5 affordable OLED uses basically the same panel as the LG B4, the B3, and… you get it.

And that's been okay, because the TVs have been very high quality, and mini-LED TVs haven't really been able to match OLED in the key area that people buy them for: the perfect black tones maintained down to the individual pixel.

That truly cinematic look just hasn't come across the same in mid-range mini-LEDs… but RGB TV could change that. Sony told me that one of the advantages of using colorful backlights is that some light wavelengths are more easily absorbed in black areas than others, meaning that there will naturally be less 'blooming' from light areas to dark, as you get in current mini-LED TVs.

If mid-range RGB TVs get close to the contrast of cheaper OLEDs while outperforming them in color and brightness, even purists may turn to the RGB side.

Why is this still a problem for OLED?

The problem for OLED TVs has always been in the manufacturing. The materials needed for the organic pixels haven't changed enough in price over time, and the complicated nature of depositing the material hasn't shifted enough either. Yield rate is another major issue that still holds it back – the manufacturing process just isn't reliable enough to keep prices from dropping.

There have been breakthroughs in areas like the holy grail new blue phosphor material, or the developments in inkjet-printed OLED materials – but I've been told by insiders that the latter is probably three years away from even starting to be used on TV-sized panels, and blue phosphor just won't be enough on its own.

The costs of making OLED panels just haven't changed enough over time to have ever made them truly cheap TVs, and while there's no magic wand for making them less expensive suddenly now, there's certainly more incentive.

Nothing motivates like an existential threat – and RGB TVs certainly have the potential to be just that for today's affordable OLEDs.

• Telly promised to deliver 500,000 TVs, available for free. Spoiler: it hasn't
• These smart TVs are free in exchange for high numbers of ads and tracking
• Use of content recognition tech can be controversial

Way back in 2023, we reported the launch of an unusual smart TV brand: Telly, which was going to provide 500,000 people in the US with a 55-inch 4K HDR smart TV for free. There was just one catch, and of course it involves advertising.

As the cliché goes, if you're not paying for the product then you are the product. And in the case of Telly, your free TV has a second screen that permanently displays ads, and it collects quite a lot of personal information about your viewing.

That makes it a hard sell, and it turns out that the 500,000 prediction was a bit optimistic – but thousands of people have still signed up for Telly and it's reportedly making more money from ads per user than other smart TV platforms such as Roku.

How many people are watching their Telly today?

According to a leaked investor presentation that's been passed to TV industry expert Lowpass (via FlatpanelsHD), as of November 2025 Telly had 35,000 sets in people's homes – slightly up from the 28,000 in the previous financial quarter, but far short of the half million promised at launch – although the report did say that Telly was ordering another 110,000 TVs from its manufacturing partner, Foxconn.

Telly is apparently bringing in an average of around $50 per user per quarter from ad revenue, which is a huge jump on the $41 per year that Roku apparently brings in.

But it's also suffering from multiple issues. Lowpass reports that 10% of Telly TVs are breaking in transit between the warehouse and the customer, and funding the manufacture of its next tranche of 110,000 TVs is going to be a financial challenge.

There may be a more serious challenge too. Telly uses a feature called Automatic Content Recognition, ACR for short, to work out what you're watching and tailor ads accordingly. It's far from the only firm to use the tech, but there are legal cases against multiple manufacturers – Hisense, LG, Samsung, Sony and TCL – regarding the use of ACR and the data it generates.

That's partly political – Texas's Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is leading the charge, claims that ACR means "surrendering your personal information to Big Tech or foreign adversaries" – but as DJI and TikTok can both attest, politics can have a big effect on tech firms' operations in the US.

With ACR so central to its business model, I'm sure Telly is watching the cases closely – because in the worst case, it might never even get close to the original 500,00-unit goal.

• LG Display has shown off 'OLED SE' screens – cheaper but brighter for budget TVs
• 120Hz refresh rate and up to 1,000 nits of peak brightness
• Coming in 2026 from "major customers"

When it comes to the best TVs, you know the drill: OLEDs are revered for premium image quality, while mini-LEDs are brighter and cheaper. But LG Display may disrupt that with a new kind of OLED panel it calls 'OLED SE'.

OLED SE is designed for entry-level TVs, and while its specifications aren't even in the same zip code as the Primary Tandem OLEDs of the LG G5, it could be a game-changer for affordable OLEDs such as the LG B5.

Like the panel in the B5, OLED SE has a refresh rate of 120Hz. But it delivers a claimed 1,000 nits of brightness, which is significantly more than the 668 nits we measured on the B5.

However, I should mention here that LG Display claimed that the Primary RGB Tandem panel used in the LG G5 can hit 4,000 nits, but we measured the LG G5 at a maximum of 2,268 nits, so we'll have to see if 1,000 nits is real-world or not.

Still, this could make OLED more competitive for budget-conscious TV buyers who might otherwise go for mini-LED due to its sheer bang-for-buck.

How does OLED SE cut the cost of an OLED TV?

As LG Display explained in a Q&A at CES 2026: "SE retains OLED's pixel-level dimming and core advantages, including superior HDR picture quality, perfect black levels, and outstanding response times, enabling clearly superior image quality compared to LCD TVs in a similar price range."

So why is it cheaper? According to our colleagues at What Hi-Fi?, one of the ways in which LG Display has managed to reduce the price of the OLED SE panels is by going without the polarizer.

Polarizers reduce reflection and glare, but also reduces the amount of light that a panel emits, so by binning it you get more brightness and less cost. The downside, of course, is that you also end up with a more reflective TV.

TV manufacturers could deal with that by adding their own anti-glare layer, and that could be in the form of their own polarizer, or a matte layer like the one used in the Samsung S95F (which we've been told can be inexpensive to apply). These may affe

LG Display doesn't just supply LG: it makes panels for all kinds of manufacturers, including Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, Hisense and Philips. It said it will be supplying OLED SE to "major customers" in 2026.

LG Display told FlatPanelsHD that it will be making the OLED SE panels in five sizes to begin with: 48 inches, 55 inches, 65 inches, 77 inches and 83 inches.

Those sizes just happen to correlate with the five sizes of the LG B5, and of course they're generally the most popular sizes of mid-range or high-end TVs. So it feels like a safe bet that we'll see OLED SE in the LG B6 – but LG has told us that we won't really hear more about that TV until the spring.

The recent CES 2026 was, as usual, a showcase for the best OLED TVs, with LG and Samsung trotting out new flagship models with brighter screens, sleeker designs, and all manner of AI-based features to enhance both picture quality and the overall user experience.

At this year’s show, however, there was an even greater sense of urgency to the OLED TV unveilings I attended. And that may be because OLED TVs, which consistently earn our highest praise year after year, are now under threat from a formidable new contender for the best TV crown: RGB mini-LED.

TechRadar provided extensive coverage of RGB mini-LED tech and its variants both before and during CES. A key takeaway from the show was that RGB mini-LED will be available in smaller sizes in 2026, with 55- and 65-inch screens featured alongside the monster-sized models slated to arrive from Samsung, Hisense, TCL, LG and potentially other TV brands.

The first RGB mini-LED TVs to be released in 2025, such as the Hisense 116UX and Samsung 115-inch Micro RGB, were extremely large and expensive. We expect the forthcoming smaller-size offerings to be significantly more affordable, though, as examples of first-generation tech, they will likely be more expensive than their regular mini-LED TV counterparts out of the gate.

From what I’ve seen so far of this tech, it’s capable of OLED-level contrast, shadow detail, black uniformity, and viewing angles – ie, all the things that OLED used to beat the competition on, year after year.

Many new models also have a claimed 100% BT.2020 color space coverage, which is a benchmark that OLED doesn’t match. (The LG G5 topped out at 81.3% when we measured it, and the Samsung S95F at 89.3%.)

The new RGB mini-LED TVs slated to arrive in 2025 are likely to be priced higher than the same-size OLED models, even the flagship ones such as the LG G6 and Samsung S95H. But if history is any indication, those prices will quickly fall, while OLED prices will keep stalling, and the real competition with OLED will then kick in, and I don't expect the tide to turn in OLED's favor.

A tale of two OLEDs

Another CES TV takeaway was that the OLED TV category is not just facing an existential threat, but is starting to split into two distinct camps: luxury OLED and everyday OLED.

The main example of the luxury trend on the CES show floor was the new LG OLED evo W6 Wallpaper TV. This series features a 9mm, pencil-thin Primary RGB Tandem 2.0 display panel – the same one used in the company’s 2026 flagship G6 OLED TV – that’s wirelessly tethered to LG’s latest-gen Zero Connect Box, an external connection box that supports lossless 4K 165Hz transmission.

LG hasn’t released pricing information yet for the W6, but we expect it to arrive at a premium over the G6 OLED series. It was the star attraction of LG’s CES tech briefings, and appears to be a main focus for the company, which touted its innovative design, flush-mount installation features, and also its reflection-free screen and ability to display artworks from LG’s Gallery+, a subscription-based platform that lets viewers select from a library of over 4,500 still and motion images to display in ambient mode.

In Samsung’s off-site CES display, the new flagship Samsung S95H OLED TV also impressed with its bright QD-OLED display panel featuring a Glare Free OLED screen coating that thoroughly eliminated reflections. Samsung says that the S95H is 35% brighter than last year’s Samsung S95F and features refined tone mapping that lets it process HDR sources mastered at up to 4,000 nits with ease.

We always expect to see year-over-year improvements such as these in Samsung’s flagship OLED TVs, but the most notable changes were a new metal ‘art frame’ that gives it an elegant floating effect when wall-mounted, and support for the Art Mode found in the company’s The Frame TVs. The S95H features built-in connections, but can also optionally be paired with the company’s Wireless One Connect Box for a cable-free installation, even to have up to eight HDMI ports.

Compared to these very design-forward TVs, LG and Samsung’s more affordable, mid-range OLED offerings at CES looked comparatively bland. For 2026, LG has opted to split its trusty C-series lineup into two, with the larger 77- and 83-inch models getting the same Primary RGB Tandem 2.0 display panel found in the flagship G6 and W6 series, while the smaller screen sizes will carry over the same type of OLED panel used in last year’s LG C5.

With the ‘better’ C6 version (LG calls it the C6H) limited to large screen sizes – and potentially priced higher due to the upgraded OLED panel – the smaller, more mainstream models in the 2026 C-series don’t appear to have advanced much over last year’s LG C5, which in itself represented only an incremental improvement over the previous year’s LG C4.

And then there’s LG’s budget B-series OLED models. A new B6 series wasn’t revealed at the show, but LG confirmed it's coming – and given the direction the C6 series is taking, I don’t expect it to be much different than last year’s LG B5 series, which again was only an incremental improvement on the previous year’s LG B4 series.

As for Samsung, the company’s new S90H OLED series was announced at the show. Similar to last year’s Samsung S95F, we expect only the 65-inch model to feature a higher-performance QD-OLED display panel. The full S90H series does gain the Glare Free screen tech used in Samsung’s flagship TVs, however, which will make it a more enticing option for bright room viewing.

Again, we know a budget-friendly Samsung S85H OLED model is coming, but it looks set to be extremely similar to the Samsung S85F from 2025.

Cheaper OLED TVs: Winter is coming

So, the story for OLED TVs in 2026 is essentially that flagship models are brighter, more beautiful, and more packed with innovative features than ever.

The midrange and budget models, in contrast, will be basically the same versions we’ve seen over the past few years, with only minor enhancements – and yet the world of competitor TV tech is moving fast around them

If RGB mini-LED TVs (or other variants such as TCL’s SQD mini-LED) end up priced competitively with the more affordable OLED TVs, while offering higher brightness and otherwise equivalent or even better performance, the market for even mid-range OLED, let alone budget models like the LG B-series and Samsung S85-series, could quickly evaporate.

I’d fully expect that fancy, design-savvy, wireless OLED TVs with much higher than average brightness and effective anti-glare screen coatings will continue on well into the future.

As for cheaper, basic OLED TVs… it was nice knowing ya.

When I visited Samsung's big showcase at CES 2026, the company showed off a couple of interesting concepts for the future – TVs that aren't necessarily going on sale, but that might if interest is strong enough, because they're essentially fully formed products.

One of them was the 130-inch Micro RGB TV that already impressed me with its cool frame design and super-rich images, and the other was a 140-inch micro-LED TV with no bezel at all. In fact, the display simply runs over onto the side of the TV, so it's all screen until it hits the wall.

Samsung showed a couple of different ideas for how the bezel can be used: it can "extend content onto the onto the bezel for added immersion", but it can also show additional information. Samsung had a demo where you could watch sports on the main TV section, while the latest scores from other matches were shown along the bezel, like the ticker in SportsCenter.

I'd assume that in a final version of it, you'd also just be able to choose a solid color (and maybe even a texture) for the bezel, almost like having an infinitely customizable (and very large) version of Samsung's The Frame TV.

Or perhaps you could have the sides display colors matching what's on-screen to spread onto the wall – not literally extending the on-screen image, but instead adding ambiance, like the excellent Philips Ambilight feature, which I love and have written about here.

The whole thing naturally made me think of Samsung's phones with the curved 'Edge panels', where the old screen curved down at the side of the phone and could be used for notifications or shortcuts, debuting on the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge over a decade ago.

This time, we're not talking curved OLED, though – micro-LED is tipped to be one of the next big things in TV tech, and Samsung has been pushing it forward for years. It works like OLED, in that the pixels emit their own light and color, but can theoretically get much brighter than OLED, with no risk of burn-in.

Micro-LED is particularly suited to this kind of design, because it works really well in modular panels that can be stitched together into larger panels – in fact, that's how nearly every micro-LED TV you've seen works. So adding panels on the side that link right into the panel on the front is easier here than with other screen tech.

The problem is that micro-LED remains extremely expensive to produce, and manufacturers have struggled to change that in the five years since its introduction – and Hisense recently told me that we're still between five and eight years from it becoming mainstream.

But when Samsung is ready for it, this would definitely be a fun way to introduce micro-LED – especially with Samsung Art Mode on, mimicking The Frame models, as I mentioned earlier. Though it may need to be a little smaller than 140 inches.

• QD-EL / NanoLED TVs promise exceptional brightness and color
• It uses self-emissive quantum dots – like OLED, but better
• Quantum dot maker Nanosys says the tech could be ready in 2029

It's always wise to take tech predictions with a big pinch of salt. But when the predictions are about TV technology and come from the firm that invented quantum dots, we're all ears. Nanosys has described multiple advances coming to TVs in the next few years, and some of them are pretty exciting.

The firm was talking to Insight Media in the video below, and explained that the first big development we'll see is the introduction of brighter QD-OLED TVs this year. That's thanks (in part, at least) to a new version of the Quantum Dot Color Converters (QDCC) that enables panels to deliver that higher brightness. We've likely already seen the first TV with that upgraded technology in the form of Samsung's S95H (pictured at the top of this article), which we got our first information about at CES, which promises to be 35% brighter than the Samsung S95F that it replaces.

Those brighter TVs may just be the beginning. According to Nanosys's Jeff Yurek, "By 2030, we want to ship what we consider truly 'high flux'. Now we are talking about not just QD-OLED but maybe microLED for something like an AR application, which would require hundreds of thousands or maybe a millions or more nits".

So that's less TV, and more 'a headset so bright it can mimic looking at the sun', if you're into that sort of thing.

But Nanosys also mentioned a long-awaited technology waiting in the wings that could potentially overtake OLED as the best tech for high-end TVs: QD-EL, aka NanoLED.

QD-EL NanoLED TVs are coming by the end of the decade

We've written about QD-EL – also known as QD-LED, EL-QD, EL-QLED and NanoLED – before: Samsung was investing significantly in the technology last year with the goal of commercializing it "within a few years". And according to Nanosys's Yurek, "We think 2029 is a reasonable target for when we'll start to see those in the market."

The EL in QD-EL stands for electroluminescent, and like OLED it is a self-emissive technology, meaning each pixel would generate its own light. That means there's no need for a backlight, as you have in current QLED TVs – and it promises to be very bright and very energy efficient.

As we reported last year, the QD-EL prototypes shown at trade shows have been relatively small – under 20 inches – and reports suggest that there are still obstacles to overcome regarding QD-EL's stability and energy efficiency.

QD-EL isn't the only tech on the way that promises to steal the crown of current OLED tech among the best TVs.

We heard from an insider at CES 2026 that inkjet-printed OLED could start being used in TV-sized panels in 2-3 years, following recent breakthroughs in the tech from TCL.

My colleague Matt Bolton was also told at CES by Sonny Ming, Hisense's General Manager of Product Marketing and Scenario Product Operation Department, that microLED TVs could finally be ready at mainstream sizes and more realistic sizes within 5-8 years.

Assuming that these aren't predictions of the Elon-Musk's-flying-roadster kind, that means before the end of the decade we could have multiple new kinds of TV tech – on top of the new RGB TV tech arriving in 2026 – delivering exceptionally bright, energy efficient and immersive displays.

• The AI-driven memory shortage doesn't just affect PCs
• More capacity is coming, but not before 2027
• Low-margin budget products are likely to be hit hardest

What do the best DACs, the best Hi-Res Audio players, the best TVs, and the best soundbars all have in common? They're all facing component shortages and price hikes – not because of tariffs, but because of the AI-driven shortage of memory and storage chips. And the pain's going to be particularly pronounced at the more affordable end of the market, where profit margins are already razor-thin.

As you're no doubt aware, the AI industry is buying a lot of memory for its data centers: as Reuters reported back in October, just one AI firm, OpenAI, intends to order 900,000 semiconductor wafers in 2029. That's around 40% of the world's entire production. And there's plenty more demand in the industry.

As The Wall Street Journal reported this week, "The rapid build-out of infrastructure for artificial intelligence is consuming a large portion of available supply of NAND flash memory, DRAM memory and hard drives. That has resulted in a shortage of memory for other markets such as PCs and smartphones."

Audiovisual devices aren't the same as PCs, and don't typically need as much memory as smartphones. But they still need some memory in order to do what they do. Everything from smart speakers to smart TVs to in-car entertainment systems use RAM alongside their processors, and some of them use NAND storage too, because they're all just small computers at heart; both of these components' prices are rocketing.

We've already seen Samsung warn that its TVs' prices may rise due to comopnents shortages, while there are warnings about smartphone makers scaling back their specs for this year's mobile phones, cutting their memory to cut the cost of manufacturing.

And according to NPR, memory prices are expected to rise even more this year. As Avril Wu of the consultancy Trendforce told NPR, "I keep telling everybody that if you want a device, you buy it now."

How AI could affect AV

AI data centers don't use the same memory chips as a DAC or a Hi-Res Audio player: they use High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), not the DDR RAM you'd find in a PC or PlayStation. But those differing chips are made from the same kind of semiconductor wafers, and those wafers are in ever-increasing demand because HBM uses roughly three times more of those wafers than DDR5 RAM does.

They're also much more profitable to sell, and as a result many firms are shifting focus from consumer memory chips to data center ones – so for example Micron, one of the big three memory makers alongside SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics, has shut down its long-standing consumer memory business, Crucial, "to improve supply and support for our larger, strategic customers in faster-growing segments". In other words, AI.

As some manufacturers shift focus, new capacity for other kinds of memory isn't coming on board fast enough to cover the demand. So for example in October SK Hynix announced that it "has already secured full customer demand for its entire DRAM and NAND production for next year", and that it'll need to expand its production to cope with the market demands – but even the equipment to make the chips are set to rise in price.

In the shorter term, that means higher memory prices. Much higher prices. CNBC reports that RAM prices are expected to rise "more than 50% this quarter compared to the last quarter of 2025." And the Bloomsbury Intelligence and Security Institute says that "DRAM prices have also surged 171% year-over-year, outpacing gold, while DDR5 spot prices have quadrupled since September 2025. DRAM and NAND prices doubled in a single month".

While capacity is being added to existing production plants and new plants are being built, that capacity isn't expected to come online until 2027.

That's likely to have two key impacts on the AV hardware market. The first is that we'll see price increases down the line, especially at the budget end of the market where manufacturers can't simply swallow the increased cost: there's a lot less margin on a $300 smart TV than a $3,000 one.

The second is that manufacturers may go back to the drawing board as some smartphone firms have done, limiting their next products' specifications to compensate for shortages and price hikes. It may also persuade some firms to postpone their product plans altogether until market conditions are more favorable.

We've been here before, of course: I remember the completely fruitless search for in-stock AV receivers after chip production had shut down during COVID lockdowns. At least this time we know the component crunch is coming, and can make purchasing plans accordingly.

Our picks of the best AV gear across different categories

CES 2026 has officially come to a close and it’s been another mammoth year for TVs. The real talk of the town has been RGB TVs, known as RGB mini-LED, Micro RGB or RGB mini depending on which brand you’re speaking to. There’s also been plenty of OLED upgrades, super sized screens and even some additions to the world of gallery and lifestyle TVs.

Some of TV’s biggest hitters were at CES this year and nearly all of them have adopted RGB TVs into their repertoire for 2026. Elsewhere, LG and Samsung announced brighter OLEDs with some new AI-based OS upgrades, Hisense introduced the world to RGB Evo and RGBY MicroLED, and TCL showed off its new SQD (Super Quantum Dot) mini-LED X11L TV. There’s even more to talk about, but I’ll get into it below.

As TechRadar’s TV reviewer, I’m lucky enough to test the best TVs each year and there were more than a few models announced at CES, including some from the list above, that joined my testing wishlist. Now, these aren’t necessarily TechRadar’s best TVs of CES 2026, just my personal list of most anticipated sets I’m hoping to get my hands on throughout 2026. Of course, I’d love to test everything, but the models below are my top picks

LG C6H

Probably one of the most surprising announcements of CES was that LG was splitting its LG C-series into two. The LG C6 will use a standard W-OLED panel (or what LG now just calls Tandem WOLED) and will be in 42, 48, 55 and 65-inch sizes. This will be the closest model to last year’s LG C5, one of the best OLED TVs of 2025.

The other C-series model will be the LG C6H. It will use a Tandem OLED panel – a more advanced OLED panel that promises higher brightness, stronger contrast and bolder color. In fact, it's the same Tandem OLED panel that will be used in the flagship LG G6!

While the C6H will only come in 77 and 83-inch sizes, which dampened my excitement somewhat, it’s nonetheless a great development for the C-series. It’s been due a panel upgrade for a number of years and this is a step in the right direction. Hopefully, the C6H will live up to the hype.

Samsung S90H

A rival to the LG C6, the Samsung S90H is Samsung’s mid-range OLED for 2026. The big news here is the S90H will come with Samsung’s OLED Glare Free anti-reflection screen, a matt screen that is effective at reducing mirror-like screen reflections. This was previously reserved for flagship OLEDs such as last year’s Samsung S95F, and then introduced to flagship Neo QLEDs such as the Samsung QN90F.

One of my frustrations with LG’s C-series is how reflective it is. Introducing an anti-reflection screen into the mid-range OLED market makes the S90H a viable alternative for people with a bright room. I found that Glare Free was improved in 2025 to maintain better black on the S95F, so hopefully it’s the same story for 2026.

I actually picked the S90H over the C6H as my more anticipated mid-range OLED, due to the S90H’s matte screen and the C6H’s limited screen sizes. I’m hopeful that the S90H isn’t subject to the same panel lottery as the S90F – which was the reason why we only tested the 65-inch S90F. If it isn’t, the S90H could be a really exciting TV for 2026.

Hisense UR9 and UR8 RGB mini-LED

When I tested the Hisense 116UX RGB mini-LED last year, I was impressed by its vibrant colors, excellent detail and high brightness. Contrast and black were also solid, but there were some screen uniformity issues. I was excited to see an advance for mini-LED, but 116-inch is not a realistic size for most people, so I hoped to see it come to smaller screens over the next couple of years.

Imagine my surprise when Hisense announced at IFA 2025 that RGB would come to 85-inch screens at the very least and then revealed at CES 2026 that RGB would be coming to screens as small as 55-inch! It’s unclear what sort of brightness or contrast we can truly expect from the smaller RGB mini-LED screens, but I’ll be eager to test them.

While no pricing has been announced, Hisense did say its prices would be competitive with other brands' RGB TVs – though no other brand has announced pricing yet either. Here’s hoping it competes with OLED, its main rival.

Samsung Micro RGB TVs

Don’t be fooled by the different name: Micro RGB is RGB mini-LED. This is Samsung’s name for the new panel tech, which has also been adopted by LG for its own RGB TV. What's interesting is that Samsung is also bringing Micro RGB to screens as small as 55-inch. So, there’s already competition for 2026.

I actually saw Samsung’s 115-inch Micro RGB TV in action last year. It was next to an unnamed RGB mini-LED TV (which had to be the Hisense 116UX as it was the only other RGB TV available). Samsung's colors were more vibrant and bold, but the Hisense felt more natural and true-to-life. The Samsung also demonstrated strong contrast, better shadow detail and blacks.

I expect Samsung’s Micro RGB TVs will be pricier than Hisense’s RGB mini-LED sets, but it’ll be interesting to see if the price upgrade is worth it. Hisense’s conventional mini-LEDs, such as the Hisense U8QG, have really caught up to Samsung in recent years. Will that carry over to RGB?

LG G6 and Samsung S95H

OK, so this one’s a bit of a cheat. Both LG and Samsung’s flagship 2026 OLEDs are boasting higher brightness, faster processing with new AI enhancements, and design changes for 2026. So it’s tough to choose between them.

The LG G6 is said to be 20% brighter than last year’s LG G5 thanks to Brightness Booster Ultra, and it comes with the new Primary RGB Tandem OLED 2.0 panel, which LG says will improve picture quality over the 1.0 Tandem panel in the G5. It also will have reduced screen reflections compared to the G5, and boasts a full suite of gaming features including a new motion boost that means games can be played at 1080p 330Hz on PC.

The Samsung S95H’s changes are more cosmetic. Samsung says it will be 35% brighter than last year’s Samsung S95F, but the big update here is the new metal frame and the removal of the One Connect Box (the external connections box that housed ports for other devices). The ports are back on the rear of the TV, but Samsung says you can optionally add the Wireless One Connect Box, which would give you up to eight HDMI ports in total.

Both these TVs sound superb, but really neither of them were as headline-grabbing as their mid-range counterparts, the C6 and S90H. But, as the brightness battle continues, I’m still keen to test both models.

The TV world’s heavy hitters are all showing new models at CES 2026, with cutting-edge TVs that use new RGB mini-LED tech grabbing attention via their exceptionally rich color.

RGB mini-LED and its variants (Samsung Micro RGB, Hisense RGB evo, LG Micro RGB, TCL Mini RGB, and so on) will be featured in this year's top TVs arriving as soon as late January. But there are also new and improved OLED TVs on display at CES, with both LG and Samsung stepping up their game to deliver even brighter OLED sets than last year, along with better reflection resistance and enhanced gaming features.

Below is a list of the TVs that we’ve seen so far at CES 2026 that look like they'll have a claim to join our guide to the best TVs right out of the gate. And if you’re wondering why there are no Sony models included, it’s because Sony typically waits until spring to announce its new TVs for the year, while Panasonic didn't show any new sets at CES either.

Samsung S95H OLED

The Samsung S95H is the successor to the Samsung S95F, TechRadar’s TV of the year for 2025. This new flagship features 35% higher peak brightness than last year’s model, which Samsung says is due to improvements in the efficiency of the QD-OLED panel’s color filter and emitting layer.

Other picture-quality improvements include refined HDR tone mapping, with the TV now tuned for content mastered at up to 4,000 nits, along with upgraded noise reduction processing to improve the look of 4K programs streamed at a low bitrate.

The S95H will ship with a metallic ‘art frame’ that gives the TV a floating appearance when wall-mounted, and it supports the Art Mode found in the company’s The Frame TVs. Unlike the S95F, which featured Samsung’s One Connect Box for external source hookups, the new S95H has its connection ports built in, though it can optionally be paired with Samsung's Wireless One Connect Box, an option that boosts the HDMI input count to a whopping eight ports in total.

LG OLED evo G6/W6

LG’s new flagship OLED evo G6 features a new Primary RGB Tandem 2.0 display panel with a Brightness Booster Ultra feature that delivers a 20% brightness increase over last year’s LG G5. LG’s Hyper Radiant Color technology extends the panel picture quality benefits to other factors such as color and contrast, while Reflection Free Premium tech ensures a “perfect black’ in both light and dark room viewing conditions, with lower than 0.5% screen reflectance.

The new G6 is also a premium gaming TV, with Nvidia G-Sync, FreeSync Premium Pro, and 4K 165Hz support, as well as a Motion Booster feature for 1080p gaming at 330Hz. It’s the world’s first TV to feature 4K 120Hz GeForce Now cloud gaming, and it supports ultra-low latency Bluetooth game controllers.

The LG OLED evo W6 marks the return of LG’s Wallpaper TV concept, with a refined design that takes advantage of the company’s latest-gen Zero Connect Box, a 35% smaller version of last year’s wireless connection box that supports streaming at up to 4K 165Hz.

LG W6 TVs use the same Primary RGB Tandem 2.0 display panel as the G6, but it’s encased in a pencil-thin cabinet with stylish curved linear pattern side bezels and an ebony wood back panel. A two-point integrated folding bracket allows for a flush-mount wall installation, and an optimized sound path and sound port give the super-slim TV’s 4.2-channel, 60-watt built-in speakers enough space to properly do their thing.

LG C6H OLED

At TechRadar, we are big fans of LG’s C-series OLED TVs, which offer impressive picture quality and gaming features at a reasonable price point. This year, LG opted to split the new C6 series in two, with the 77-inch and 83-inch models getting a Primary RGB Tandem 2.0 display panel – the same one used in the new LG G6 – and the smaller-size models in the lineup getting a more standard and lower-brightness W-OLED panel.

What all C-Series OLED TVs will share is a speedy Alpha 11 Gen 3 AI processor that provides picture, sound, and UI navigation enhancements. LG’s new strategy with the C-Series should provide ample reason to go big, with the 77- and 83-inch models offering theoretically as good performance as the company’s flagship OLEDs at a more reasonable price.

TCL X11L SQD Mini-LED

The star of TCL’s CES TV display was the TCL X11L series SQD mini-LED lineup. These models utilize newly formulated Super QLED Crystals, which are just one component of a Deep Color System that delivers 100% coverage of the BT.2020 color space, according to the company.

The X11L Series TVs are also capable of 10,000 nits of peak brightness and have up to 20,000 local dimming zones to deliver blacks with OLED-like depth and clarity. They will support the forthcoming Dolby Vision 2 Max format, sport an Audio By Bang & Olufsen front-firing speaker array with a dedicated center channel speaker, and are Dolby Atmos FlexConnect-capable.

Samsung 130-inch Micro RGB

If one were looking at CES for a TV that would give the best projectors a run for their money, Samsung’s 130-inch Micro RGB is that TV. Like other RGB mini-LED examples at CES, this beautiful beast of a TV delivers 100% BT.2020 color space coverage. It uses Samsung’s ‘Timeless Frame’ design concept for support and has the same Glare Free screen found in other Samsung TVs, such as the new S95H OLED.

Sadly, the 130-inch model is only a prototype that won’t be available in 2026. However, it features the same core tech found in the new Samsung Micro RGB TV lineup (this is effectively a 130-inch version of the top-end R95H), which will be sold in 55- to 115-inch screen sizes.

Hisense 116UXS Mini-LED

Hisense opted to do things a bit differently with its forthcoming mini-LED TV lineup. At CES, the company is showcasing RGB MiniLED evo, a variation on its RGB mini-LED TV tech that adds a cyan component to the RGB light module for expanded color detail, along with an incredible 110% BT.2020 color space coverage.

Hisense says that the cyan addition creates even more realistic colors than RGB mini-LED TVs can display. And while the psychedelic color palette of the computer-generated content used to demonstrate the 116-inch 116UXS at CES looked far from realistic, it was definitely rich and eye-catching.

Hisense was early out of the gate with RGB mini-LED, releasing the Hisense 116UX in 2025. At $30,000, that 116-inch model is priced well out of reach for most buyers, but we have high hopes that the 55-100-inch screen-size RGB mini-LED TVs that Hisense also announced at CES will be (much) more affordably priced.

OLED has been at the very top of the TV market for several years now and is arguably the most popular of panel technologies. Thanks to its self-emissive pixel design, it generates the most accurate blacks and contrast available, along with vibrant colors and excellent detail.

One area where OLED used to struggle, however, was its brightness. The best OLED TVs used to cap out at roughly 1,000 nits peak brightness a few years ago, making them difficult to view in brighter viewing conditions. This is where mini-LED came in. Even more affordable, mid-range mini-LED TVs were capable of hitting higher peak brightness, making them the top choice for brighter rooms.

But OLED TVs are getting brighter. At CES 2026, OLED panels capable of hitting 4,500 nits were introduced by LG and Samsung, and although this will be under specific testing conditions, we’ve seen flagship models such as the LG G5 and Samsung S95F hitting 2,268 nits and 2,135 nits peak HDR brightness respectively. This means OLED is chipping away at mini-LED’s advantage, necessitating an evolution in mini-LED.

Cue RGB mini-LED. Touted as the ‘OLED killer’, RGB mini-LED was introduced by Hisense at CES 2025. Whereas standard mini-LED uses a layer of single color LEDs (usually blue and sometimes white), which are then filtered through a layer of color changing pixels, RGB mini-LED uses red, green and blue LEDs. This results in brighter, bolder colors, improved contrast and better blacks.

So, can RGB LED really de-throne OLED? Let’s take a deeper look.

The RGB mini-LED story so far

The only RGB mini-LED currently available is the Hisense 116-inch UX. I actually got the chance to test it in 2025 and I was impressed by its striking, vibrant colors, staggering brightness and impeccable detail. Textures were given a real 3D-effect while still looking natural. With some of my testing discs, it also showed solid blacks and contrast.

However, I noticed a clouding effect in some really dark scenes in movies such as The Batman and Alien: Romulus that reminded me of cheap mini-LED TVs I’d tested before. And in some instances, blacks took on a gray tone, especially when viewed from an angle. It wasn’t quite the OLED killer I thought it would be but it was definitely a step in the right direction.

Cut to 2026 and RGB mini-LED has been seemingly embraced by most major TV brands. Referred to as Micro RGB by LG and Samsung and RGB mini-LED by Hisense and TCL, all these brands have plans to release sets in 2026. The good news is that it’s not going to be reserved for super-sized screens either, as Hisense is set to introduce models starting from 55-inch with its UR9 and UR8 series. Samsung is also set to release Micro RGB sets starting from 55-inch as well.

So, RGB mini-LED/Micro RGB has definitely captured the attention of some of the biggest TV manufacturers, even those who make OLEDs. But what do these RGB TVs need to do to de-throne OLED?

What RGB needs to do

As you may have noted above in my summary of the Hisense 116UX, while I was impressed by its overall picture, its clouding effect in dark scenes and its blacks with a gray hue held it back from toppling OLED. This is where the battle is hardest fought: contrast and screen uniformity.

As OLED uses self-emissive pixels, it can generate ‘true’ blacks. This is where its biggest strength lies, as LED TVs can only rely on their backlight's dimming capabilities. While mini-LED does improve this over standard LED, it will always be a limitation compared to OLED. Screen uniformity, the ability to display a single color such as black evenly over a whole screen, can be a real issue for LED TVs. If RGB mini-LED really can improve its local dimming and blacks to a rate where it stands toe-to-toe with OLED, then RGB mini-LED has a shot at rivalling, if not beating it.

Mini-LED already has brightness won. I talked about OLED’s general brightness above, but how do RGB mini-LED and OLED compare? We measured the 116UX RGB at 6,014 nits peak HDR brightness (in Vivid mode), meaning there’s scope for the smaller screens to hit big numbers too. Even if the newer generation of OLED realistically hits closer to 3,00 nits peak HDR brightness, RGB mini-LED has still won.

The 116UX also clocked over 1,000 nits fullscreen brightness, which OLED won’t hit anytime soon. The highest we’ve measured is 390 nits on the Samsung S95F. Standard mini-LED hits over 600 nits fullscreen brightness now. So what will the smaller RGB sets hit?

RGB mini-LED could create stronger perceived contrast if it really can get the blacks right, as it already has the brightness part of the contrast nailed. From what I’ve seen and tested of RGB mini-LED so far, its colors and textures are already rich enough to rival OLED. Contrast and blacks are the missing piece of the puzzle.

What about the price?

Pricing is another area where things will be interesting. The LG G5, LG’s flagship 2025 OLED, cost $2,499 / £2,399 / AU$4,199 for the 55-inch model. We don’t have any confirmed pricing for the 55-inch RGB mini-LED/Micro RGB TVs from Hisense or Samsung set to launch in 2026 yet, but if it can get close to OLED numbers, it’ll be a big win.

I suspect that RGB mini-LED, as it’s a new panel technology, will be pricier to begin with. OLED was a real premium on its debut and prices have now seemed to hit a steady pace, only really rising or falling with inflation each year. If RGB TVs can drop their prices fast however and sort its screen uniformity and contrast, OLED may need to take notice.

TechRadar will be extensively covering this year's CES, and will bring you all of the big announcements as they happen. Head over to our CES 2026 news page for the latest stories and our hands-on verdicts on everything from wireless TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI. You can also ask us a question about the show in our CES 2026 live Q&A and we’ll do our best to answer it.

And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok and WhatsApp for the latest from the CES show floor!

• Dolby Vision 2 is coming to select Hisense, TCL and Philips TVs in 2026
• This follows news that Peacock will be the first streamer to support Dolby Vision 2
• There will be two versions of Dolby Vision 2: Dolby Vision 2 and Dolby Vision 2 Max

Select Hisense, TCL and Philips will be the first to support Dolby Vision 2, Dolby has confirmed at CES 2026.

Dolby Vision 2 is the next generation of and successor to the popular HDR format Dolby Vision, which is used by some of the best TVs and best 4K Blu-ray players. Dolby Vision enhances color, detail, and contrast compared to regular HDR10 by using dynamic metadata to improve picture quality.

At IFA 2025, it was confirmed that Hisense would be the first TVs to support Dolby Vision 2, but specific models weren't confirmed at the time.

Dolby has now verified that Hisense's 2026 RGB mini-LED TVs including the UX, UR9 and UR8 models will all support Dolby Vision 2, while its cheaper mini-LED TVs should receive support via a future software update.

TCL's 2026 X QD-mini LED TV series and C series TVs will also get a future software update to support Dolby Vision 2.

Finally, TP Vision's Philips 2026 OLED TVs will support Dolby Vision 2 in their OLED811, OLED911 and OLED951 models.

This follows the news, first announced at CES 2026, that Peacock is the first streaming service to support Dolby Vision 2 and next-gen Dolby Atmos audio encoding.

There will in fact be two versions of Dolby Vision 2 on offer: Dolby Vision 2 and Dolby Vision 2 Max (more on that below). It's not clear which of the above TVs will support which version yet, but we'll be keeping an eye out.

Dolby Vision 2: the new generation

We've actually seen Dolby Vision 2 in action on cheap TVs and were impressed by how much perceived difference it made to black tone handling, contrast, and color. It seemed like a clear step up from its predecessor, Dolby Vision.

Dolby Vision 2 will have several new features in its arsenal. Firstly, Precision Black, which is designed to make blacks more natural and answer consumer frustration with 'too dark' scenes on streaming services. Next is Light Sense, which will adapt the picture on screen to suit the ambient light conditions of the room. And, live sport optimization for more accurate motion processing and picture.

Dolby Vision 2 Max will have these features, plus an even more optimized image engine and Authentic Motion. This is a tool designed to reduce judder, but maintain natural and authentic motion by having filmmakers adjust motion themselves rather than relying purely on the TV's motion settings. We've seen Authentic Motion in action, and were again impressed.

Dolby Vision 2 looks to be an exciting upgrade over its widely used predecessor. The fact that it's coming to Hisense's RGB mini-LED TVs, which could be a real threat to OLED now it's set to be used in smaller sets, is an exciting development for 2026, and I for one can't wait to get some real testing time with Dolby Vision 2.

• Hisense announced two RGB mini-LED TV series in 50-100-inch screen sizes
• It also revealed RGB mini-LED Evo, a variation on its RGB mini-LED TV that adds a cyan component to the RGB light module
• Hisense's new RGBY MicroLED is a MicroLED technology advancement that adds yellow as a fourth primary color to the RGB display

Hisense announced at CES 2026 that its RGB mini-LED TV is coming to smaller screen sizes, and the company further announced an upgraded RGB mini-LED panel technology and a new variation on MicroLED displays.

Hisense had previously shown a 116-inch 116UX RGB mini-LED TV at CES 2025. That model will now be joined by the Hisense UR9 and UR8 series in 55-100-inch screen sizes.

RGB mini-LED technology incorporates red, green and blue LEDs into each lens of a mini-LED panel for wider color gamut coverage and improved contrast and brightness. We tested the Hisense 116UX last year, and while it doesn’t quite beat the best OLED TVs just yet, it was certainly impressive.

In other CES 2026 news, Hisense also revealed an evolution of its RGB mini-LED panel called RGB mini-LED Evo. This introduces a fourth color, cyan, that the human eye is sensitive to, into the optical lens. Hisense maintains that this addition will produce even more realistic colors. The first set to feature this tech will be the Hisense 116UXS, a 116-inch TV that uses the Hisense Hi-Vew AI Engine RGB processor, which analyzes content in real time to enhance contrast and color.

Hisense also claims the new TV will cover 110% of the BT.2020 color space, which would be the highest level by a TV to date. The previous highest we measured was the first RGB mini-LED, the Hisense 116UX, which covered 92.64% of BT.2020. The new spec would put it in line with some of the very best projectors driven by triple-laser light engines.

Lastly, Hisense announced RGBY MicroLED, a MicroLED technology advancement that adds yellow as a fourth primary color. Hisense claims the addition will improve viewing angles, clarity and durability. The first offering with this tech is the Hisense 163MX, a 163-inch display that uses self-emissive microLED panels and has a claimed 100% BT.2020 color space coverage. The Hisense 163MX is also powered by the HI-View AI Engine RGB processor.

No pricing or release dates have been confirmed for the new Hisense TVs.

RGB mini-LED: a threat to OLED?

When RGB mini-LED was first revealed, it was touted as a potential ‘OLED killer’, with more vibrant colors, higher brightness, and better blacks and contrast than OLED could hope to achieve.

Even so, I found that when I tested the Hisense 116UX RGB mini-LED TV, its color and detail were striking, and its black levels impressive, but there were also screen clouding and backlight blooming issues visible in dark images.

At IFA 2025, I saw the first RGB mini-LED in a more home-friendly 85-inch size, and was happy to see it delivered the same color and contrast performance as the much larger 116-inch model. What I didn’t have on my CES 2026 bingo card was a 55-inch RGB mini-LED, with two models to choose from! While no pricing or full specs have yet been revealed, the Hisense UR8 will presumably be a cheaper model.

If Hisense can get its pricing right on these smaller RGB mini-LED TVs, as well as avoid the screen clouding issues I noted when I tested the Hisense 116UX, then we could be looking at a real challenger to OLED’s crown.

CES 2026 is about to start, and I'm going to be on the ground and in the fortunate position to go and see all the tech coming this year that I'm most excited about. I lead TechRadar's AV coverage, and I have no shame in admitting to being a total nerd about the latest OLED panel construction, speaker design innovations, and home theater upgrades.

A huge part of the fun of CES is finding things you had no idea existed, but obviously, I also see things I either expect to see or know I'll see. As I'm about to head into the show in the next few days, here's what's top of my list of things I'm looking forward to, and that I recommend you keep an eye out for more information about if you're an enthusiast like me.

TV tech

1. LG's next-gen OLED TV panel

LG hasn't announced its next-gen OLED TV yet, but we already have a good idea on what to expect from its flagship TV. For a start, a next-gen Primary RGB Tandem 2.0 WOLED panel has been announced by LG Display (the part of the company that makes OLED panels), which is the successor to the tech in the magnificent LG G5 flagship.

But there's also been a leak about the LG G6, revealing higher brightness and lower reflectivity, meaning it'll have even more punch. I can't wait to see this TV and its new panel in action in person.

2. RGB TVs from everyone

RGB LED TVs are the next big thing – pretty much all the big companies will launch affordable versions of this new kind of screen tech this year, and I've run down what to expect in a full article here.

Compared to existing mini-LED TVs, the new tech promises even brighter TVs (or the same brightness with less energy use), more vivid colors, and potentially better contrast. With Samsung, LG, Hisense, TCL all either confirmed or very likely to show these TVs off during CES, I'm really looking forward to seeing what they can do.

4. Samsung's mysterious new ultra-high-end OLED

Samsung hasn't confirmed any OLED TV plans before CES, but a leak has revealed that we should expect several new Samsung OLED TV models this year – not just replacing last year's options, but actually new model numbers that seem to indicate upgrades we haven't seen before.

Top of my list to see from this leak is the Samsung S99H model. Previously, Samsung's flagship OLEDs have been 'S95', and based on Samsung's usual naming schemes, 'S99' would be even higher-end than that. What kind of tech would make something even more elite than the Samsung S95F, which we crowned as our TV of the Year 2025?

The only thing I would guess with any degree of safety is that it'll use the Zero Connect wireless video box, as seen on The Frame Pro and Samsung Q990F last year. I'm looking forward to seeing what else it might do.

5. Dolby Vision 2's next steps

Last year, Dolby Vision 2 was unveiled, promising to improve HDR further for budget TVs, making pictures even more accurate for high-end bright TVs, and fixing motion smoothing for good measure.

I got to see Dolby Vision 2 in action, and it looks genuinely impressive, but we had very little info about when and where we'd see it in our homes. I'm hoping we'll get more confirmation at CES about streaming platforms and TVs that will support it – we know Hisense will, and TCL very heavily implied that it will, so we may hear more about that. LG was much more cagey, but perhaps that'll be confirmed, too. Samsung is unlikely to change its stance on not supporting Dolby Vision.

Home theater sound

6. Samsung's Sonos Arc Ultra competitor

Ahead of CES, Samsung has announced its next two flagship soundbars. One is an all-in-one bar that's a square shot across the bow of the Sonos Arc Ultra, as an all-in-one that doesn't come with or need a separate subwoofer to deliver impactful sound.

It promises 7.1.2 channels of sound with Dolby Atmos support, meaning seven forward and angle 'surround' channels, two upfiring height channels, and bass provided by four dedicated woofers.

It can lie flat on a TV surface, or can be mounted to the wall in an upright configuration, and adjusts its sound automatically whichever way you have it. It's Samsung's first go at a high-end single-unit soundbar that I can recall, so I'm eager to hear what its audio engineers can do. We consistently rate its other soundbars among the best soundbars on the planet, after all.

7. LG's Dolby Atmos FlexConnect soundbar

Dolby Atmos FlexConnect is one of the most interesting bits of home theater tech of the last few years, but it's had a very gentle start to life. The idea is that it enables you to be way more flexible with where you position speakers for your sound system – you pick the location, and the system will detect where they are, and recalibrate how sound is output to match them, creating immersive sound even if you don't have room for speaker position in the usual front left, front right, center, rear left and rear right positions.

LG is launching the first wireless soundbar with FlexConnect at CES this year, with compatibility built into its upcoming TVs, too, and this could be the breakthrough the technology needs.

8. Ultimea's 9.2.6-channel sound system

We know very little about this yet, but as a home theater fan with a small house, I'm very intrigued by it. Ultimea is best known for cheap soundbars, and it makes some impressive ones – but it's launching a new, very powerful and intriguing model at CES.

Ultimea has teased a 9.2.6-channel surround system that looks like a super-immersive beast. A soundbar combines with four satellite speakers – side and rear – and dual subwoofers for a system that's really elaborate, yet appears to be very compact and simple.

I'm really looking forward to trying this – if it's affordable (and history says it will be, compared to anything remotely close to its configuration). It could be the dream option for home theater enthusiasts with very limited space.

Audio tech

9. Samsung's Music Studio speakers

Samsung is launching two wireless speakers at CES 2026 that, much like its soundbar above, seem to take aim straight at Sonos. They're called 'Music Studio', come in two sizes, and have a cool minimalist look I wouldn't normally associate with Samsung.

The Music Studio 5 has basically the same speaker setup as the Sonos Era 100, and is a similar size; the Music Studio 7 has basically the same spatial audio-friendly speaker setup as the Sonos Era 300.

Will they sound as good as these speakers and be priced competitively? I'm really looking forward to finding out.

10. New bargain, repairable buds from JLab

We don't have any leaks about this, but JLab is always high on my list of companies to visit. The company makes some of the best cheap earbuds out there, and regularly surprises me at events with some new set of buds that feature impressive tech for half the price you'd guess, even knowing the company is a budget specialist.

One thing we do know is that JLab is hot on the future of earbuds being repairable – I suspect that CES 2026 will bring models with replaceable batteries at the very least.

11. Soundcore's next wild creations

Anker Soundcore can always be trusted to bring something really interesting to trade shows. At IFA 2025, it was a portable projector with removable and foldable surround sound, and at CES 2025, it had one of the first speakers to use AI to remove vocals from any song for easy karaoke from any streaming source.

I don't know what to expect from CES 2025, but I know there's going to be something I've never seen before.

12. Japanese hi-fi greats Onkyo and Technics

The hi-fi world has a variable relationship with CES – there are plenty of dedicated audio shows for companies to launch at, so these companies don't always go hard at CES.

Onkyo and Technics tend to be consistent exceptions. At CES 2025, Technics introduced the new best earbuds in the world in the form of the EAH-AZ100, while Onkyo unveiled some impressive wireless speakers along with a whole new 'Icon' line of hi-fi amplification separates.

I don't know what the companies have planned this time, and there haven't been any big early leaks, but I always recommend keeping an eye out for their announcements.

TechRadar will be extensively covering this year's CES, and will bring you all of the big announcements as they happen. Head over to our CES 2026 news page for the latest stories and our hands-on verdicts on everything from wireless TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.

And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok and WhatsApp for the latest from the CES show floor!

So farewell, 2025 – you were frequently exciting, regularly chaotic, occasionally frustrating but always interesting. And that’s how we like it around here.

It was a year in which often fairly iterative improvements to hardware were overshadowed by rapid and significant advances on the computing side of things. I’m talking, of course, about AI, which is now so dominant within the tech world that it’s increasingly hard to find a device that doesn’t have an AI brain.

Not that I’m complaining, because the leaps made in 2025 by the likes of OpenAI’s Sora and Google’s Gemini were truly astonishing; the pace of change is such that it feels like we’re squeezing about a decade’s worth of advances into each year now, and I wouldn’t like to predict what the state of play will be in 12 months’ time. Well, other than to say that we’ll be taking for granted things which seem almost impossible right now – although as our AI Editor Graham Barlow notes below, maybe we’re already doing that.

In comparison, it often looked in 2025 as though things were slowing down on the hardware side. Could Apple really make its already-excellent MacBooks much better? Could Samsung improve much on the superb Galaxy S series? Was there much scope for OLED TVs or wireless headphones or mirrorless cameras to develop?

The answer was yes, yes and yes. Though the upgrades to many models may not have been as big as those on the software side, they were frequently excellent in their own right. The improvements to battery life, screen tech and camera lenses may not be as flashy as those on the AI front, but they can make a real difference to how we use our devices on a daily basis. In many ways, tech fans have never had it so good.

Whether that will continue in 2026 remains to be seen. AI now looks to be having a direct – and negative – effect on component prices, which could make your favorite new phone or laptop more expensive in the coming year. We might also see stock shortages in some areas, which could further inflate those price tags.

It looks like we’re set for another year of exciting, chaotic, frustrating and interesting news, then – and we’ll be here with you every step of the way. Until then, I hope you’ve enjoyed reading TechRadar in 2025, and have a happy New Year!

My year in tech

I bent reality, but I failed to bend an iPhone

This year was marked by astonishing leaps in AI capabilities, which I tried to not only report on but experience in full. From my first experience with ‘vibe coding’ to wild leaps of fancy with Veo 3 (and later the Sora app) to creating my own digital double, AI’s fast-changing capabilities constantly amazed me.

Never in four decades of covering emerging technologies have I seen anything like it: AI’s rise continues to be a heady mixture of enthusiastic adoption tinged with white-knuckled fear about what it all means for jobs, and for humanity, and nothing we saw in 2025 did much to resolve that anxiety.

However, it was my conversations with those leading the AI and wider innovation charge that stood out. My interviews with Amazon’s Panos Panay about Alexa+ and Google’s Sameer Samat about the future of Android were particularly memorable, as was the moment when one of Apple’s top executives threw his brand-new iPhone Air to me during a video podcast and insisted that I try to bend it.

The rise of humanoid robots was a trend that shocked and pleased me in equal measure, though I’ve tried to temper my enthusiasm with the knowledge that clever marketing and eye-popping videos will only get us so far. We all want the ultimate home robot, but I still don't think many of us are willing to pay $20,000 to get it.

Away from all the AI and robots, I spent much of the year trying new phones, including redesigned iPhones and an incredibly thin folding Samsung phone, along with a wide range of wearable technology that included the Galaxy XR headset, and some very exciting AR glasses from Meta and Google’s Android XR group. Experiencing these felt like peering into our near technological future, which increasingly will be filled with on-demand AI, flexible phones, and maybe those robots.

The year in AI

This was the year we started taking AI for granted 

For all the talk of breakthroughs and hype, 2025 felt less like the year AI changed everything and more like the year it quietly became unavoidable. While the much-hyped arrival of super-powerful artificial general intelligence (AGI), predicted for 2025 by many, simply hasn’t materialized, the year has still been a strong one for companies such as OpenAI, xAI, Anthropic, and Google. That said, there have also been some massive flops; and as for Apple, it feels like yet another year in which it slipped further behind in the AI race.

ChatGPT maintained its vice-like grip as the most popular AI chatbot in the world, though it hasn’t been plain sailing for OpenAI. Legal challenges, particularly the copyright infringement claim brought by The New York Times, have continued to dog the company, and in June its servers crashed for a couple of days, giving the world a brief taste of life without the ubiquitous chatbot.

OpenAI then fumbled the ball with the release of its GPT-5 model, which came across as cold and unemotional compared to the previous GPT-4o. For millions of users who’d come to rely on the chatbot as something closer to a trusted companion it felt like a best friend had undergone a personality transplant overnight, forcing OpenAI to make the legacy 4o model available again.

The company has also lost a little ground to Google’s Gemini in recent months. The arrival of Gemini 3 Pro in November was well received, and on the image front, Gemini’s Nano Banana and Nano Banana Pro proved superior to ChatGPT for image generation. OpenAI responded with a new image-generation model in December.

AI-powered pets and toys also began to appear this year. We took Moflin for a spin, until we accidentally fried its battery. More broadly, the dominant theme of the year was that every product must now have AI built into it in some form, and no company exemplifies this approach better than Microsoft, which has spent the year enthusiastically stuffing Copilot into just about everything it makes.

Finally, the year looks set to end on a high note for Amazon. Alexa+, the AI-powered version of Alexa that Amazon has been promising all year but hasn’t yet managed to fully roll out, may finally be getting a web version, at least in the US.

THE YEAR IN PHONES

Slim pickings for thin phones, and hints of a tri-fold future

2025 was the year of the super-thin phone, writes Roland Moore-Colyer, Managing Editor, Mobile Computing, with the release of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge in the first half of the year, and the iPhone Air in the second. These handsets grabbed headlines with their svelte proportions, but so far sales figures have yet to match the hype.

That’s likely due to their relatively high prices in the face of already pretty slim iPhones and Galaxy and Pixel handsets, all of which saw the expected yearly upgrades with the iPhone 17, Galaxy S25 and Pixel 10 lines respectively. While the upgrades to the iPhone 17 family appeared incremental at first glance, I'd argue they're a bigger deal when you dig into the details: there was a new design and cooling system for the Pro phones, the standard model finally got a 120Hz display, and Apple's 48MP 'Fusion' camera came to every iPhone in the lineup, including the Air (the Plus model went the way of the dodo).

AI found its way into more phones and more features, with Google’s Pixel phones in particular boasting a whole host of genuinely useful smart tools. Meanwhile, Apple just about managed to distract us from the shortcomings of Apple Intelligence with its flashy Liquid Glass design and the eye-catching Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro.

Some of the most interesting phones came from smaller brands, with the Nothing Phone 3 offering something a little different without scrimping on flagship features. There was the Oppo Find X9 Pro with its strange but useful camera kit, while the OnePlus 15 was the only phone to earn a maximum five-star review from us this year. There were also a clutch of affordable phones from the likes of Motorola and Xiaomi, proving that you don’t have to pay a lot to get a very capable smartphone these days.

We saw further evolution in the folding phone space, with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 leading the way, and Samsung also unveiled its first tri-folding phone, with the Galaxy Trifold joining Huawei's Mate XT, and teasing a future of devices that truly blend phones and tablets. We may even see a foldable iPhone in 2026, but don’t hold your breath.

THE YEAR IN COMPUTING

RAM drama enlivens a year of evolution over revolution

When it came to computing, 2025 didn't start off as the most promising year. While 2024 felt like a year of revolutionary change, with the explosive growth of AI, the fall of Intel, and the rise of Arm-based laptops that were actually worth buying, this year has felt more like we're in a holding pattern, as the innovations of the past few years are iterated on and refined.

The year kicked off with Nvidia launching its latest generation of consumer graphics cards, the RTX 5000 series, at CES 2025, and they encapsulated the ‘evolution, not revolution’ theme, with some great new features that haven't fundamentally shaken up the industry, as the introduction of ray tracing with the RTX 2000 series did. Of course, making a great product even better is no bad thing, and our components editor and GPU expert John Loeffler was suitably impressed, enthusing in his RTX 5090 review that “If you're a gamer, you'll still get impressive gen-on-gen performance improvements over the celebrated RTX 4090, and the Nvidia RTX 5090 is really the first consumer graphics card I've tested that can get you consistent, high-frame-rate 8K gameplay.”

I have an RTX 5090 and I love it, and I've also been impressed by its 8K performance in modern games, but with the majority of PC gamers still playing at 1080p, this high-end GPU might be a bit too expensive to justify. Other releases from AMD and Intel, plus Apple’s latest M5 chip, continued the theme of impressive releases that don’t massively change the computing landscape.

Perhaps the biggest event in 2025 was the continued rise of AI. Recently, the AI boom has led to a global shortage of memory, which has in turn caused an increase in the prices of devices that use it. All of a sudden, PCs, RAM, and GPUs look set to get increasingly expensive, though some, like our computing editor Christian Guyton, aren’t too worried – yet. Personally, the end-of-year drama is making me nostalgic for those early months when 2025 felt rather boring.

THE YEAR IN TVS

The era of giant, cheap TVs is here

This year saw two really interesting developments in TV technology, with the first being the arrival of a whole new kind of ‘Tandem RGB’ OLED TV panel from LG. This appeared in the LG G5, helping it to score the maximum five stars in our review, and in the fantastic Panasonic Z95B, enabling both TVs to hit stunning levels of brightness and color depth, but with reduced power consumption.

However, this new screen technology didn’t win either of those sets our TV of the Year award – that went to the Samsung S95F, which not only earned its own perfect 5-star review, but was also voted the top TV in the most categories by the judges in our flagship OLED TV showdown, which pitted it against the LG G5, Panasonic Z95B, and Sony Bravia 8 II.

The second big tech development was the arrival of RGB mini-LED tech – and, make no mistake, this is the next big thing. It’s more efficient than current mini-LED tech, and is capable of richer colors and less light leakage from bright areas to dark ones, and it could be the tech to finally knock OLED off its perch.

We know that Samsung, LG, TCL and Hisense will all launch RGB mini-LED TV ranges in 2026, but the Hisense UX116 was the only TV to use it in 2025 – and it was a mixed bag, with performance issues that disappointed given its eye-wateringly high price. Still, we’re excited to see how this tech develops.

But the biggest thing in TVs this year was the TVs themselves – as in, they got big and they got affordable. TCL and Hisense launched 85-inch and 100-inch TVs that were within the budgets of regular mortals, and 75-inch TVs are becoming positively cheap, while still being good. While new tech is exciting, huge TVs like the Hisense U8N and TCL QM7K becoming more affordable is the change that made the biggest difference for customers.

THE YEAR IN VR/AR

Android XR arrives to challenge Meta’s dominance

This year XR or 'extended reality' took center stage, thanks in large part to Android XR hardware finally breaking cover in the shape of the Samsung Galaxy XR headset. We also tested prototype Android XR glasses ahead of their expected release in the coming year, and they’re impressive (the glasses at least, the headset less so right now). Google, along with its Android partners, looks set to seriously challenge Meta in 2026.

For its part Meta debuted several new smart wearables over the past 12 months, including two pairs of Oakley smart glasses – the stylish HSTNs and the sporty Vanguards, the latter of which are perfect for runners when used with a compatible Garmin watch. We also saw a Gen 2 model of the Meta Ray-Bans, and the company's latest step towards full-on AR specs, the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, which as you can probably guess feature a display for the specs to relay info visually. We’ve tested them, and they’re everything Google Glass wanted to be, but right now they're not easy to get hold of.

What about VR headsets proper? Valve surprised no one (because the device was so heavily leaked before launch) with its Steam Frame headset announcement. Key details like the price are still a mystery, but it will be landing in 2026 – and when it does, the spec sheet teases a device that could seriously challenge the reigning champion of VR, the Meta Quest 3. Depending on how Valve handles the launch, I wouldn’t be surprised if it makes all other headsets feel obsolete – even the Galaxy XR and Apple Vision Pro.

Talking of Apple's mixed-reality spatial-computing headset, we got a new version with an M5 chip and comfier strap, but while it's a worthwhile upgrade the price still feels too high.

THE YEAR IN AUDIO

The year the big dogs bit back

If 2024 was the year niche UK hi-fi brands took over the dance floor amid a hiatus from audio's heavy hitters (see Bowers & Wilkins' fantastic Pi8 earbuds or Cambridge Audio's inaugural, affordable, adorable P100 cans), 2025 was the year the big dogs returned to the party and got their groove back.

We got five major headphones releases in 2025, starting with the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds in February. The hotly anticipated update to the 2019 Powerbeats Pro proved that Apple could indeed deliver heart-rate monitoring in its earbuds.

Cut to May and Sony's WH-1000XM6 landed, to finally knock the 2020-issue WH-1000XM4 off the top spot in our best headphones guide. It was a similar story with the June arrival of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen), quickly followed by the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) in September – a two-pronged attack on the market that saw Bose reinstated as the king of ANC.

However, this roundup wouldn't be complete without a nod to the biggest launch of them all: the fall arrival of Apple's AirPods Pro 3. The shape's different, the ANC is twice as good, and yes, like the Powerbeats Pro 2 they also keep tabs on your ticker, in a slightly different way, and with increasing third-party fitness-app support. Still the most popular earbuds in the world? Absolutely.

Elsewhere, Spotify Lossless finally landed, at no cost to Premium subscribers, offering almost-as-good-as-Apple-Music resolution at up to 24-bit/44.1kHz. While Lossless wasn't a huge hit with fans initially, the big green streaming machine's popularity continues to grow, despite concerns over artist payments.

Oh, and if you take note of just one audio brand name this year, let it be WiiM. As Sonos continues to tackle trust issues among its once-loyal fanbase, the plucky multi-room underdog unveiled its WiiM Sound (and now the WiiM Sound Lite) premium hi-res speakers – and the firm would love to help you build your wireless sound system around them.

THE YEAR IN CAMERAS

A memorable year for glass as well as for cameras

2025 was full of pleasant surprises for photographers. The Sigma BF was truly out of the ordinary, being dubbed ‘the camera Apple would have made’, while the Caira with its Nano Banana AI skills showed us a glimpse of how on-the-go generative editing can work in an actual camera.

Fujifilm and OM System showed us that user experience matters with the quirky X half and retro OM-3 respectively, while Hasselblad and Nikon delivered strong offerings of their own – my favorite stills camera ever, the X2D II, and a new player in the cinema-camera game, the Nikon Zr. A special shoutout goes to Nikon for becoming the best-value camera brand this year, notably for the excellent Z5 II, which is our Camera of the Year, and Z50 II.

It was arguably an even better year for new lenses than cameras, with Sigma, Sony and Viltrox in particular knocking it out the park with world-first and affordable optics. Canon continues to lock out third parties from its full-frame camera lineup, but that decision feels more justified after it launched the affordable and capable 45mm F1.2 STM prime.

A sense of order was restored towards the end of the year when Canon and Sony launched their anticipated mid-range full-frame cameras: the EOS R6 III and A7 V, both of which are integral to their lineups.

The long-threatened US ban on DJI products finally came into effect, and we saw a couple of major product launches from the brand in the build-up to it: the incredible (sort of) sub-250g Mini 5 Pro, and the DJI Osmo 360 – its first foray into 360 cameras, and rival to both the Insta 360 X5 and GoPro’s new Max 2. DJI is also being tipped to launch its first 360 drone soon, but Insta360 got there first with the truly innovative Antigravity A1.

Overall, it’s been a good year for camera fans, with demand seemingly remaining strong in the face of competition from increasingly capable smartphones. I’m predicting that the consumer and cinema camera spaces will continue converging in 2026, and I hope the likes of Viltrox expand our options with new and affordable autofocus zoom lenses.

The year in gaming

The Switch 2 makes waves, and GTA 6 looms over 2026

Gaming in 2025 was largely dominated by the arrival of the Nintendo Switch 2. It’s a safe improvement on the original Switch, and one that epitomizes the ‘evolution not revolution’ approach to console development.

The specs sheet won’t blow anyone’s socks off, but it’s a superb package that cements the Switch's position as the go-to handheld console; and it was so popular in the pre-order and launch phases that it took months for retailers to catch up with demand. It’s been backed up by some excellent games too, including Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Kirby Air Riders, and Pokémon Legends Z-A.

Sony had its own say in the gaming handheld space, breathing new life into the PlayStation Portal handheld device, which is now capable of excellent cloud streaming. This has elevated the handheld, which we were already big fans of, to impressive new heights.

The PS5’s game library got a bump with Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and Ghost of Yotei, as well as titles including Borderlands 4, Battlefield 6, Arc Raiders and TechRadar Gaming’s Game of the Year, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Elsewhere, indie games ruled, with the likes of Blue Prince, Hades 2, and Hollow Knight: Silksong proving standouts in a strong year for releases.

It’s been a year to forget for Xbox, however, and its woes only accentuated the aforementioned successes for Nintendo and Sony. For starters, more Xbox games – including Gears of War: Reloaded – arrived on PS5, while others are set to follow, including the symbol of Xbox itself, Halo. Meanwhile studios were shuttered and prospective games cancelled, and to make matters worse the Xbox X/S were outsold by a tiny family console, the Nex Playground, over Black Friday. All in all it’s been tough going for Team Green.

As for 2026, it’s beginning to feel like the pace of progress towards next-gen consoles will quicken, and the game release calendar looks well stocked. However, a titan looms: Grand Theft Auto 6 is now slated for release in November after being originally planned for late 2025, and the whole gaming world is going to revolve around its arrival.

THE YEAR IN FITNESS

Time’s finally up for wasteful wearables, thanks to Google

Last year, I ended my contribution to this round-up by predicting a move away from fitness watches towards screenless trackers, such as a new WHOOP model, writes Matt Evans, Senior Editor, Fitness, Wellness & Wearables. Well, we got not one, but two new WHOOPs, and they were… fine. But, as prices rose, I found the ongoing subscription model far too expensive.

However, my prediction that we’d move away from smartwatches hasn’t really been borne out. Wearable tech isn’t changing much in the mainstream, with the highest-profile releases being a slate of new watches from Garmin, Apple, Samsung, Google and OnePlus, and they’ve been as popular as ever.

Look beyond those big releases, however, and interesting new stuff is out there. A subscription-free WHOOP competitor band was launched by Polar, while Core Devices, the resurrected Pebble watch company led by its original founder, unveiled a pair of watches inspired by the original Pebble designs, complete with low-power LCD-style screens, and open-source software that anyone with the know-how can tinker with.

Core Devices also launched a new kind of smart ring with a button and a microphone, which the company says acts as “external memory for the brain”. Elsewhere, the AirPods Pro 3 now have built-in heart rate sensors, and Meta teamed up with Garmin to bring us the Oakley Meta Vanguard sports specs. Cool new wearable innovations are happening, but it all still feels quite fringe.

My innovation of the year, however, came from Google. The Google Pixel Watch 4 is the first properly repairable smartwatch, as you’re able to take it apart and replace the battery and display. This enables you to change individual parts rather than the whole watch, reducing your contribution to e-waste, and saving you money in the long run.

Almost every other piece of wearable tech from every other company is still a sealed unit that will ultimately end up being disposed of, and I hope Google's move could be the catalyst for change that the wasteful wearable tech industry sorely needs.

THE YEAR IN ENTERTAINMENT

Streaming sensations, box-office flops, and merger madness

The biggest story of 2025 broke late in the year, and it concerned off-screen studio machinations rather than on-screen drama. Netflix’s $82.7bn bid for Warner Bros. sent shockwaves through the industry when it was announced in early December, and provoked a counter-bid from Paramount Skydance. There’s still a long way to go before a deal is approved, but should Netflix acquire one of the film world’s most iconic studios it would be a landmark moment for the streaming sector, and would represent a seismic shift for the entertainment industry as a whole.

Turning to the year's big theatrical releases, and numerous new movies flopped at the box office, including some with huge names attached (I’m looking at you, Dwayne Johnson and The Smashing Machine). Heck, with Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps all underperforming, even the usually reliable Marvel Studios didn’t have a money-spinning hit on its hands. I wonder how many people predicted that animated and live-action/CGI hybrids would rule the theatrical roost, led by multi-billion dollar-spinning flicks like Lilo & Stitch, Zootopia 2, and Ne Zha II…

As for the major streaming services, users endured more of the now-customary annual price hikes, while Max raised eyebrows by rebranding itself – again – to HBO Max. On the screen, unexpected hits such as HBO medical drama The Pitt, plus Netflix's ‘one-shot’ drama Adolescence and pop-culture phenomenon Kpop Demon Hunters, proved that not even the savviest industry exec can really be sure what viewers will latch onto. Add in the return of unmissable shows including Severance and Stranger Things amid the glut of great and not-so-great film and TV releases, and there was plenty to keep our eyeballs engaged. Now, what have you got in store for us, 2026?

The Year in Smart Home

If the subscriptions don't get you, the fridge ads will

It's been a slow but not insignificant year in home technology as legacy brands scramble to keep pace with bigger, already tech-savvy players vying for their spot in our homes – whether that's Breville reinventing the toaster with a proprietary optical sensor, IKEA launching new renewable energy solutions, or Eufy and Dreame duking it out to give us the most effective stair-climbing robot vacuum.

Some brands were less innovative than others though. Dyson left some of us feeling snubbed with its 'new' (read: decade-old) vacuum, while Shark's TurboBlade Cool + Heat failed to impress despite its noble attempt at mimicking other SharkNinja product's viral fame.

Elsewhere we saw big plays from Amazon and Google in the smart home space, with the arrival of their AI-bolstered home assistants. Amazon's Alexa+ and Google's Gemini for Home both entered Early Access beta in the US, and while the early reviews for both have been mixed, it's a promising glimpse into the future of the connected home.

Both of those services are subscription-based offerings, and subscriptions look set to become a major battleground for smart-home brands, and a bone of contention between brands and their customers, as companies attempt to lock users into their ecosystems, as we've already seen with video doorbells. Between that, and brands like Samsung using screen-loaded appliances as advertising billboards around the home, now might be a good time to really think about which brands you want want to invest in as you build your smart home.

Hisense L9Q: two-minute review

The Hisense L9Q represents the pinnacle of what Hisense can do for home theater projection. It’s a sizzlingly bright 4K ultra short throw (UST) projector that boasts the wide color gamut of triple-laser projectors alongside the accurate color of Pantone Validated hardware.

The Hisense L9Q is a capable streamer on its own thanks to integrated Google TV, and it has fast-enough hardware to run the operating system smoothly. It can also serve as a hub for various video sources with its multiple HDMI ports and an ATSC 3.0 tuner input – a rare feature on the best projectors. And though it doesn’t include a screen like some earlier Hisense L9 models, this version has a variable focus to let it adapt to different setups.

Where most other projectors settle for two or maybe four speakers, the L9Q packs in a whopping ten Devialet-designed speakers in a 6.2.2 configuration for the most impressive sound I’ve heard from a projector. It may not beat actual surround sound speaker systems, but it’s enough to put even the best soundbars to shame.

The L9Q is even a solid gaming projector with its ability to display 4K 60Hz gameplay with low input lag or switch over to 1080p 240Hz for extra smooth visuals and responsive gaming.

It’s a serious package, but it comes with a seriously high-end price at $5,999 / £3,999. That may seem steep, but considering how quickly the prices of TVs ramp up when you go past 75 inches, the math starts to work in Hisense’s favor. The L9Q can put out a 150-inch picture just as easily as it can do 100 inches, and has flexible setup features to get up and running.

For most people who don’t need the added brightness and already have a good sound system, the $3,499 / £2,499 Hisense PX3-Pro will be a more reasonable option. But if you demand the best, the L9Q delivers.

Hisense L9Q Review: price and release date

• First available: September 2025
• MSRP: $5,999 / £3,999 / AU$9,999 (includes 120-inch screen)
  

The Hisense L9Q is available for $5,999 / £3,999. In Australia, the projector comes bundled with a 120-inch screen and sells for AU$9,999. Given that it launched towards the end of 2025, the L9Q is unlikely to see any major discounts until sometime in late 2026.

Hisense L9Q Review: Specs

Hisense L9Q Review: design and features

• Stunning design
• Projector, sound system, and streamer all in one
• Plentiful connection options

Hisense here has created what I think is its best-looking UST projector yet. The L9Q borrows some of the ideas from the retro-futuristic PX line to deliver a bronze-kissed work of art. Most of the frame of the L9Q is a little boxy, keeping it simple with clean lines, but the front has small channels with power indicator lights and the top bears a curved sort of wave meant to evoke Roman amphitheaters. That’s not just for style either, as the top integrates several speakers. The front is emblazoned with concentric rings and a grille on the front hides even more speakers. Around the side, there are two discs housing yet another pair of speakers.

While the design is very appealing, it’s also functional. The projector sits on four height-adjustable feet to help you level the projector and get a perfectly square image. Where its Hisense L9G predecessor was designed with specific screen sizes in mind (and included those screens), the L9Q is more flexible, offering adjustable keystone and focus to let you adapt it to your needs. The flip side is that the L9Q does not include any screen, which was an addition worth easily $1,000 on earlier models. Whatever screen you do set it up with, the projector can automatically fit the picture to it, though it's a software solution and will reduce the actual image resolution.

Another set of sensors at the top of the projector helps protect your eyes. When these detect someone is close to the projection, they'll dim the display, and after 5 seconds, turn it off entirely. That's good to have since this projector uses bright lasers, and in my testing, the sensors have been fairly responsive.

Another update with the L9Q is that the throw ratio has been reduced to 0.18:1. This lets you get a big image while getting the projector closer to the wall.

Around back, the L9Q has a good selection of connections. You get four HDMI ports, two of which meet the version 2.1 spec. A separate HDMI offers eARC, so you don't have to use up an HDMI 2.1 port for audio output. There's also an optical digital audio output, an Ethernet input, and an RF input for the L9Q’s ATSC 3.0 receiver. The projector even supports a PVR recording system for broadcast TV using an attached storage device. Three USB ports round out the options, with two offering USB 3.0 speeds, and one of those using a Type-C connection.

Even if you don't connect the projector to an external source, you can stream content on the built-in Google TV operating system. While many projectors include built-in operating systems like this, the L9Q actually has the hardware to run it smoothly. In my time testing, the system remained responsive even as I launched and navigated apps, and I could reliably control the projector at all times. The Wi-Fi 6E connection used by the streaming platform is also robust.

Hisense’s included remote is almost the same as what came with the PX3-Pro. It's a long silver handset made out of plastic with the typical Google TV navigation ring. At the top, it features a handful of shortcuts to streaming apps, including one customizable shortcut. There's also a dedicated input select button, which is always handy to have.

One difference between the remotes is that instead of having a control for brightness, the L9Q remote has a channel select button. This and the volume controls are on tall, pill-shaped buttons that are easy to feel out. One great feature of the remote is that it reacts to movement and will light up many of the controls if you simply move it. This is very helpful in the typically dark home theater environment.

• Design and features score: 5/5

Hisense L9Q Review: performance

• Wonderfully bright picture with rich color
• Support for 1080p/240Hz gaming
• Potent 10-speaker Dolby Atmos sound

The Hisense L9Q brings UST projector picture quality to new heights. Hisense already impressed me with earlier models such as the L9G and PX3-Pro, but the L9Q carries the torch even further. It’s their brightest projector yet while still providing the stunning color of Hisense’s RGB laser light engine.

Ultimately, its specified 5,000 lumen brightness may be overstated, as maximum brightness comes via a high-brightness mode that results in some horrible color shift. But even without that, the projector beams a brilliant picture. The vivid colors it is capable of don’t mean a sacrifice in accuracy either, as the L9Q is both Pantone Validated and Pantone SkinTone certified.

All of that is delivered with strong contrast. The black levels aren’t so low that letterbox bars disappear completely, especially in darker movie scenes, but when the projector is beaming bright, the bars become hard to see thanks to the projector’s contrast.

The L9Q’s black levels and contrast aren’t quite on the level of the Sony Bravia Projector 7, but it gets closer than most projectors I’ve seen, and it manages it with more vivid color and higher brightness. Not to mention that the L9Q is almost half the price of Sony’s projector.

With most picture presets, you’ll be facing some unfortunate motion smoothing, though, since the projector’s SDR and HDR picture profiles default to using motion smoothing. This has its benefits for some content by smoothing out camera pans and moving objects, but it adds a soap opera effect to movies. The “Film” setting avoids these unsightly artifacts while still keeping judder subdued, however.

The L9Q delivers good focus from corner to corner with manual setup, making the most of its 4K resolution. And the amount of detail you can see with the picture stretching up to 100 inches or larger is exceptional.

Gamers can get plenty from the L9Q as well. Even when it’s beaming a 4K 60Hz picture, it’s able to keep the input latency low enough to make for a fairly responsive experience. Like the Hisense PX3-Pro, the L9Q can drop down to 1080p and crank its refresh rate to 240Hz for super smooth gaming (just make sure to set the HDMI input source to Enhanced Pro or it will top out at 120Hz). I took it for a few runs in Hades, and it was stunningly smooth with virtually no detectable lag.

Though the L9Q did a good job of hiding the rainbow effect most of the time, it is susceptible to it like many other DLP projectors. I didn’t notice it much when watching 4K content, where it only occasionally cropped up and was most visible on white areas of the image. It was also more noticeable while running the projector at 1080p/240Hz.

The projector’s very robust speaker system was an extra pleasant surprise. It uses a total of 10 speakers in a 6.2.2-channel configuration. Four of those speakers are in the front, two on the sides, with four more positioned along the curved top. It’s not as engrossing as a proper surround system or as booming as a double-sub setup (nor is it hitting deep sub-bass), but the sound is weighty, loud, and presents a surprisingly wide soundstage for such a small unit.

With Dolby Atmos audio piping out of the speakers during Star Wars: The Force Awakens, blaster shots seemed to come out from different points in space, there was some height to the TIE fighters flying over, and explosions were properly booming. Ultimately, it’s worth pairing a projector of this quality with an external sound system, but if you don’t, there’s a lot to get from the built-in speakers.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Hisense L9Q Review: value

• High price
• Extra value as an all-in-one system
• No projector screen included in US and UK

The Hisense L9Q is a serious piece of kit, and it has the price to match. At $5,999 / £3,999, you have to expect a lot from this home theater projector, and for the most part, it delivers. Its picture is bright and color-rich, it has powerful built-in sound, and it has Google TV for streaming. But for most people, the $3,499 Hisense PX3-Pro is going to be the more sensible option, since it offers much the same experience but without quite the same brightness, audio power, or extensive connectivity options.

It's kind of a shame that the L9Q doesn't come bundled with a projector screen in the US and the UK, but its flexible lens control means you can pair it with whatever screen you want for the most part. Hisense had offered pre-order customers the option of either a free screen or its HT-Saturn sound wireless speaker system, both of which would have made this an astounding value, but that deal appears to have since expired.

• Value score: 4/5

Should I buy the Hisense L9Q?

Buy it if...

Don’t buy it if… 

Also consider...

How I tested the Hisense L9Q

• Tested at home in multiple, real-world viewing conditions
• Presented the display with a variety of media and formats
• I have tested numerous projectors and displays over the last half-decade

I tested the Hisense L9Q at home, in real-world conditions. This saw it faced with ambient light coming in from numerous windows, in-room lighting, as well as ambient noise that both the projector and speaker systems had to overcome. The projector was tested both against a bare, white wall and an Akia Screens CineWhite screen. It was presented with streamed content, HDR and non-HDR, and PC gameplay.

My testing evaluates the projector’s performance with respect to its price and competition from other models that my colleagues and I at TechRadar have tested.

I have been testing projectors since 2021 and displays for even longer.

First reviewed: December 2025

• Read TechRadar's review guarantee

It’s been an excellent year for TVs in 2025, with groundbreaking new OLED and mini-LED sets delivering better-than-ever brightness. It’s been an especially competitive year for flagship OLED TVs, with some close-fought battles between the main contenders from Samsung, LG, Sony and Panasonic.

I’ve been fortunate enough to test some of the best TVs of 2025, and I’m already looking ahead to 2026. With CES 2026 kicking off the first week of January, we can expect to see big news in the TV world, and I’ll be keeping a keen eye out for announcements from each brand.

In anticipation of CES, I’ve compiled a list of what I’m hoping to see from each TV brand in 2026. Some of this will be answered as early as January, but other details won’t arrive until later in the year.

(A quick note: I’ve not commented on Philips TVs as I’ve not yet had any hands-on time with its 2025 models.)

LG: brighter OLEDs

All three 2025 LG OLED TVs, the G5, C5 and B5, scored highly in our reviews, with the G5 and C5 earning 5 stars overall and the B5 4.5 stars. While I don’t have many complaints about these TVs, there's one change I’d like to see in the successors to the B5 and C5 in 2026: higher brightness.

In our testing, the LG B5 had a measured peak HDR brightness of 688 nits (Filmmaker Mode) and fullscreen HDR brightness of 172 nits (Standard mode). Both of those are average brightness results for an entry-level OLED. I’d love to see more brightness from the new B-series model, to give HDR highlights more punch, and to make it easier to view in brighter rooms.

While the C5’s peak brightness is solid, reaching 1,180 nits in our tests, its fullscreen HDR brightness is under 200 nits. As flagship OLEDs are now going past 350 nits, it would be great to see higher fullscreen brightness from LG’s C-series in 2026. Whether this will come from a new panel design – as we thought we’d be getting in the LG C5 – we’ll have to wait and see.

Samsung: lower Neo QLED pricing

Samsung OLED TVs had a fantastic year, with the flagship Samsung S95F being named TechRadar’s TV of the Year 2025. Its flagship Samsung QN90F Neo QLED (mini-LED) earned five stars overall in our review and proved itself to be a phenomenal TV.

One area where Samsung needs to improve in 2026 is the pricing of its entry-level and mid-range mini-LED TVs. The Samsung QN80F, which I awarded four stars overall in my review, cost $1,299 / £1,399 (roughly AU$1990) for the 55-inch model on release. The TCL QM7K/C7K, in contrast, cost $999 / £799 / AU$1,699 mere weeks after its release, and it was the better-performing TV of the two.

While Samsung’s TVs do carry more smart and gaming features, these often aren’t enough to justify the large price gaps between Samsung and TCL and Hisense’s sets.

TCL: gaming support

TCL’s TVs have seen consistent improvement over the past couple of years. TCL TVs were among the best I tested in 2025, particularly the mid-range C7K (QM7K in the US), but there is one area where they could improve further: gaming features.

Don’t get me wrong: TCL’s mini-LED TVs have fantastic gaming features already, with all sets supporting at least 4K 144Hz, FreeSync Premium Pro and Dolby Vision gaming. However, input lag seems stuck around 13.5ms, and while Hisense TVs used to have similar performance, 2025 models like the Hisense U8QG had sub-10ms results in our testing. TCL TVs are also limited to two HDMI 2.1 ports, so it would be good if that number were bumped up to four.

TCL’s TVs do still compete with the best gaming TVs and have great features for their price, but with a few improvements, they could become the ultimate budget-friendly gaming sets.

Hisense again delivered excellent TVs in 2025, with the Hisense U8QG and Hisense U75QG in particular impressing us with their staggering brightness and refined local dimming. But, there’s one area where Hisense could take notes from TCL and Samsung: viewing angles.

We measured the Hisense U75QG’s peak brightness at 3,372 nits (in Standard mode) and its fullscreen brightness at 887 nits. Such high brightness makes it a great TV for daytime viewing, including sports. However, in our testing we noted that when viewed off-axis, the U75QG’s picture quality decreases, and that’s the case for the whole Hisense range. It’s a shame that a TV with this much to offer stumbles when it comes to viewing angles.

Viewing angles used to be a problem with most mini-LED TVs, but over the years, brands, including Hisense’s major affordable rival TCL, have found a way to address it. This is one area where I’d love to see Hisense improve in 2026. I tested the 116-inch RGB mini-LED, and its viewing angles seemed better, so hopefully this can be carried over to the standard mini-LED lineup.

Sony: a cheaper QD-OLED

The Sony Bravia 8 II, which uses a QD-OLED display panel, received numerous accolades in 2025. It earned a four-and-a-half-star overall score from TechRadar’s Al Griffin in his review, and it fared well in my four-way OLED TV comparison. Sony has adopted a bi-annual cycle with its TVs, and I think it’s about time for a cheaper QD-OLED.

Sony’s previous mid-range OLED was the Sony Bravia 8. It’s a great TV, but it was released in 2024 and realistically struggles to compete with LG’s C-series. Samsung had success in 2025 by incorporating QD-OLED in its step-down Samsung S90F 65-inch model, which has brighter pictures than the rival LG C5, but for a similar price.

A mid-range QD-OLED with Sony’s built-in audio pedigree? Now that would be amazing.

Panasonic: higher brightness

I chose the Panasonic Z95B as my favorite flagship OLED of 2025 after comparing it to other models in a four-way OLED showdown. I loved its contrast-rich picture, powerful built-in sound and sleek design. But one area where I felt there was a missed opportunity was brightness.

I’m talking specifically about the Z95B’s brightness in the default Movie and Filmmaker Mode settings. While the brightness can be bumped up, I found during testing that this affected the Z95B’s picture accuracy. It turns out this was intentional by Panasonic, which decided to prioritize accuracy over brightness in the Z95B.

The Z95B uses the same Primary Tandem RGB OLED panel as the LG G5, which hit a peak brightness of 2,268 nits in Filmmaker Mode in its default settings when we tested it. The Z95B’s peak brightness in the same mode: 992 nits. At that level, the Z95B’s contrast wasn’t quite as striking as I’d have liked. A brightness boost, even a slight one, would make Panasonic’s next flagship even better.

• Hisense unveils two new 4K TriChroma laser projectors with up to 6,000:1 contrast
• Hisense XR10 can do up to 300 inches, at up to 6,000 ANSI lumens
• Hisense PX4-Pro is the sequel to our favorite ultra short throw projector

It's 11 years since Hisense launched its first laser projector and six since the introduction of its TriChroma Laser TV system. And now it's unveiled two brand new laser projectors with its newest-generation tech, called the XR10 and the PX4-Pro.

The XR10 is exceptionally bright, delivering a whopping 6,000 ANSI lumens of brightness that enables it to shine in even very well-lit environments. It has 16 all-glass lenses for better light transmission and temperature stability and a new IRIS system that automatically adjusts the lens aperture and exposure to match changes in lighting conditions. Contrast is a claimed 6,000:1 and the XR10 features a "dramatically expanded" BT.2020 color gamut.

With an optical zoom range of 0.84x to 2.0x the XR10 can deliver screen sizes up to 300 inches despite being in a home-friendly design and thanks to an industry-first four-camera and dual TOF intelligent sensor system it can achieve lossless correction of side-projected images up to ±15°. Pricing may be announced at CES 2026 – we'll speak to Hisense while we're there.

Hisense PX4-PRO: key features

As the name suggests, the PX4-Pro is the successor to the Hisense PX3-Pro – a projector we described as "a perfect ultra-short throw projector for gaming and movies", and that tops our list of the best ultra short throw projectors. It's designed for visuals up to 200 inches and delivers 3,500 ANSI lumens of brightness, contrast of up to 6,000:1, and with 4K resolution.

Like the XR10, it features the new IRIS automatic adjustments and Hisense's TriChroma laser technology. It's also certified IMAX Enhanced.

As with the XR10 pricing hasn't been announced yet, but the PX3-Pro had a launch price of $3,499 / £2,499 in September 2024, so the new model is likely to be similarly priced.

TechRadar will be extensively covering this year's CES, and will bring you all of the big announcements as they happen. Head over to our CES 2026 news page for the latest stories and our hands-on verdicts on everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.

And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok and WhatsApp for the latest from the CES show floor!

The next big thing in TVs is RGB LED backlighting – it's been clear that this would be the case since the technology was first unveiled back at CES 2025 in January, and all the major TV companies said they planned to support it.

Nearly a year later, the first of these TVs has hit the market in the US and UK courtesy of Hisense, and we've seen what the future RGB TV lineups from Samsung, LG, TCL and Hisense will look like. (Sony will launch a TV this year, but hasn't revealed a final version yet, only prototypes.)

Samsung and LG are both calling the tech 'Micro RGB', while Hisense and TCL both call it RGB MiniLED – so far, at least.

So here's what you need to know about the tech behind RGB TVs, and what to expect from the big TV makers vying to get these new models onto our coveted list of the best TVs – and we'll hear even more details during CES 2026 in January.

What is 'Micro RGB' LED?

Regular LED and mini-LED screens work by shining a bright light of a single color through a grid of color-filtering pixels, which turn this light into the correct colors that each individual pixel needs to show, creating the final image you see.

Generally, the backlight is blue (through it's occasionally white, or a mix of two tones), and each pixel uses liquid crystals to turn it whatever hue it needs to be. Quantum dots are also often used for changing the color.

The difference between LED and mini-LED is purely – as the names suggest – the size of the LED lights shining through the pixels. Smaller LEDs means you can have more of them – creating brighter and more evenly illuminated colors – as well as aiding the ability to selectively dim precise areas of the light, to help with improving contrast between light and dark section of the picture.

RGB LED TVs work just like other mini-LED TVs, in that a layer of tiny lights shines through a grid of color-changing pixels – but this time, the LEDs aren't a single color. Each mini-LED has red, green and blue elements (hence the name), and can combine them to shine in basically the right color for that section of the screen even before the light hits the color-filtering pixels.

The pixels then still filter the colors to the precise final hue, but they're doing much less work than in the older kind of mini-LED tech.

What are the benefits of this? First, it means a wider range of colors can be created by the TV. RGB TVs promise to be able to show way beyond 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, which is the coloring system used for HDR movies and TV, meaning they'll show truly everything that creators could want you to see. Not only that, but they'll also hit 100% of the BT.2020 color gamut, used for professional work.

It should also be more efficient than previous tech. Whenever you filter colors, you lose some energy in the process, reducing brightness. That's partly why quantum dots are used – they lose less energy in the process than standard LCD pixels.

But if you don't have to filter the colors as drastically, as is true in RGB TVs, you lose less energy. This means that these TVs can be even brighter than current TVs, or could hit the same brightness but with lower energy use.

And Sony told me that the tech should also help with bringing mini-LED's handling of stark contrast areas even closer to what OLED can do. People love the best OLED TVs because each pixel generates its own light, and can be dimmed to total blackness, meaning true black can be one pixel away from dazzling brightness in the on-screen picture.

LED TVs struggle to match this because they have a big light shining behind the pixels – light leaks from the bright area into the dark areas, creating gray 'halos' where there should be total blackness.

But when the light shining behind the pixels changes colors, it's less likely to leak – different light wavelengths are absorbed differently, so RGB TVs may get closer to the 'perfect' contrast of OLED.

What are Samsung's Micro RGB TV plans?

• Main story: Samsung's enormous micro-RGB TV is coming to smaller screen sizes, and it borrows one great feature from Samsung OLED TVs
• Three Micro RGB models coming: MR95H, MR90H and MR85H
• Available in 55, 65, 75, 85, 100, and 115-inch sizes

Samsung showed me the first RGB TV I ever saw – a prototype at CES 2025 – and said that it planned to launch a TV before the end of the year. It met that aim with time to spare, launching a 115-inch RGB model in August – but it's what's coming next that's most interesting, of course.

It appears that Samsung will launch multiple Micro RGB models, aimed at different budget levels: the MR95H will the highest-end, the MR90H will be premium but not as premium, and the MR85H will be the most affordable. How affordable, you ask? We've no idea yet, and probably won't until spring 2026; however, when I first saw the Samsung prototype, the company told me the tech shouldn't be much more expensive to produce than current mini-LED tech. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if the first models are priced like Samsung's current highest-end mini-LED TVs.

Samsung promises that the TVs will hit 100% of the BT.2020 color gamut, and will feature a new Micro RGB AI Engine Pro image processor to make the most of the tech.

Notably, at least some of Samsung's TVs will stand out by offering the company's Glare Free screen coating – this is a matte finish on the screen, turning mirrored reflections to just a light haze to remove distractions in bright rooms. We loved this on the Samsung S95F OLED TV this year.

What are LG's Micro RGB TV plans?

• Main story: LG reveals Micro RGB evo TV with bold claims of perfect color
• The MRGB95 has been announced, with two more models reportedly coming
• 75-inch, 86-inch, and 100-inch sizes promised so far

LG has revealed that it's releasing a pretty high-end-focused 'Micro RGB evo' model of TV, with the model name MRGB95. Just like Samsung, the set promises 100% BT.2020 color coverage, but also 100% Adobe RGB color support.

It's available in larger sizes only – 75, 86 and 100 inches – and promises "more than a thousand dimming zones" for local dimming, though current high-end mini-LEDs often have much more than that – though with RGB LED, maybe that won't be necessary any more.

The TV will use a new-gen Alpha 11 Gen 3 processor – the most advanced in LG's line-up to date – and will run webOS 26, its next generation of smart TV software.

LG has only announced one model, but FlatpanelsHD reports that two more are in the works: the MRGB9M and MRGB85. This could make its line-up look just like Samsung's, with super-premium, premium and more affordable options. We'll have to wait for the official word to find out more – including pricing.

What are Hisense's RGB MiniLED TV plans?

• Main story: Hisense’s new RGB mini-LED TVs tease what to expect from affordable versions of the next-gen screen tech – but will they fix our biggest issue with it?
• Hisense unveils E8S Pro RGB MiniLED range in China in 75, 85 and 100-inch sizes
• Hisense already launched the Hisense UX116 RGB TV

Hisense hasn't revealed its official plans for the US and UK yet, but so expect more to come – but it's already announced its first RGB MiniLED line-up in China, so we know the core specs to anticipate when it brings the tech elsewhere.

It revealed the Hisense E8S Pro line-up in sizes that match LG: 75, 85 and 100 inches. Hisense promises over 6,000 nits of peak HDR brightness – not too different from current mini-LED TVs, but probably requiring less energy to achieve it.

Unlike Samsung and LG, we have some kind of price guidance to rely on here: the Chinese prices convert to around $2,335, $2,955 and $3,940 respectively – and for TVs of those sizes, that's pretty affordable, though obviously prices might look quite different in the TVs for other countries.

Hisense is also notable here because it released a 116-inch RGB MiniLED this year, so our Hisense UX116 review is the first complete test we've done of one of this kind of TV. It impressed us in many ways, but fell short in one of the key areas we expected to see improvements: it had some problems handing dark areas. We'll very interested to see if Hisense (and other companies) improve on this in 2026.

What are TCL's RGB MiniLED TV plans?

• Main story: TCL confirms it will launch two next-gen RGB mini-LED TVs, raising hopes the new tech will be affordable
• TCL unveils Q10M Ultra and Q9M RGB TVs in China
• Sizes from 65 inches to 115 inches

Much like Hisense, TCL has unveiled its RGB models for China, but not the UK and US yet. But again, we can learn basically what to expect from these models, and they're pretty juicy.

There will be two models: the Q10M Ultra, and the Q9M. Based on TCL's standard naming conventions, we can assume that these are both pretty high up in TCL's range – the TCL QM9K is its highest-end regular mini-LED in 2025, while there is a quite specialist TCL X11K above that.

The Q10M will be available from 85 to 115 inches, while the Q9M will come from 65 inches to 98 inches.

However, the Chinese price for the smallest version of the Q9M (65 inches) converts to just $1,150, while the Q10M Ultra starts from $3,935. That's a very interest price for the cheaper model, though we'll have to see if it translates elsewhere.

TCL says that there's a potential 9,000 nits of brightness from the Q10M Ultra, with over 16,000 dimming zones in the largest size (putting LG's claim of "more than a thousand" into perspective).

The Q9M will hit around 2,000 nits of brightness, and has up to 2,880 dimming zones. Both TVs will – and I don't want to shock you here – apparently hit 100% of the BT.2020 color gamut.

What are Sony's RGB TV plans?

• Sony has shown its RGB tech prototypes multiple times to us
• A launch is planned in 2026, but don't expect it at CES
• No word on size, specs or anything else yet – but True RGB seems to be the name

We know Sony is planning to launch an RGB TV this year. I've seen an early version of it in action and grilled Sony execs about it. In the image above, you're looking at Sony's backlighting panel for this TV (I wasn't allowed to take photos of the set itself).

But what will the final TV look like? When will we see it? What features will it have? The answer is: who knows! Sony has trademarked the name True RGB, though, so that's something.

It appears that Sony isn't planning to launch its TV at CES, which is no surprise – it didn't last year. A spring announcement is more likely.

The interesting question is whether Sony will hit a brightness of around 4,000 nits. The company has told us multiple times since it launched its 4,000-nit studio monitor used for mastering movie HDR that it wants to deliver 4,000-nit home TVs so that you can have as close to the studio reproduction as possible.

And we know from Hisense and TCL's TVs that mini-LED can achieve this… but Sony has a history of limiting the brightness of its TVs in order to nail better accuracy, so it'll be interesting to see if this TV can be bright enough and accurate enough.

Your smart TV may be a little too smart. A Texas lawmaker is suing five major TV manufacturers, claiming they're surveilling what you watch to build profiles and serve up advertising...or to do worse.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a suit on Monday against Samsung, Sony, LG, TCL, and Hisense, claiming in a press release that they "have been unlawfully collecting personal data through Automated Content Recognition ("ACR”) technology."

Paxton goes on to label ACR as "an uninvited, invisible digital invader," and in one of the five separately filed suits, he calls Samsung TVs "a mass surveillance system."

What is ACR? The now more than a decade-old technology has a long history dating back to Shazam's use in 2011 and another company, Samba TV, which patented its own ACR tech that same year. Most of the early uses revolved around sound and music recognition. The technology ultimately added image or snapshot collection (and image recognition) and eventually made its way to 4K smart TVs.

What ACR does and why you might worry

Companies like LG, Hisense, Samsung, and others apparently now use ACR to identify what you're watching and connect you with relevant content, marketing, and advertising.

Paxton's suit claims that these ACR systems can capture screenshots of viewing habits as often as every 500 milliseconds and that the TV manufacturers "transmit that information back to the company without the user’s knowledge or consent."

Generally, though, data specific to who you are, like name, photos, address, etc, are not part of that delivery. Instead, third-party partners get information about content interests, and TVs or TV companies act as middlemen, delivering related content recommendations and advertising.

This is not the first time ACR systems have run afoul of the law. Back in 2017, Vizo paid a $2 million fine to the FTC to settle a claim that it was monitoring viewing histories without proper consent.

There is no question that these systems exist. On a test LG TV in our labs, we spent some time navigating to a well-hidden Live Plus setting.

Live Plus is LG's version of ACR, and, as LG describes it, when you enable it, "the content displayed on your TV can be recognized, and the viewing information may be used to provide you with an enhanced viewing experience and personalized services including content recommendations and advertisements."

We never enabled Live Plus, and it appeared to be on by default. However, it's also possible that during setup, the TV may have asked if we'd like "an enhanced and personalized viewing experience." Who wouldn't say yes to that?

Paxton's concerns, though, go beyond mere advertising and marketing. He notes that some of these TV companies, like TCL and Hisense, are based in China. "Companies, especially those connected to the Chinese Communist Party, have no business illegally recording Americans’ devices inside their own homes,” said Paxton in the release.

What's next

When we contacted the manufacturers for comment, TCL told us it "does not comment on active litigation." Sony told us, "it does not comment on pending legal matters." Hisense told us, "Hisense stands by the high quality of its products. Per company policy, we are unable to comment further on topics of a litigious nature." LG told us, "As a matter of policy, LG Electronics USA does not generally comment on pending legal matters such as this." We have yet to hear back from Samsung.

Whatever happens with this lawsuit, it might be a good time to check on your smart TVs ACR settings, see if they're enabled, and perhaps turn them off if you don't want one of these companies watching what you're watching.

Most reports we read, said that disabling ACR turns off all communications between the TVs and ACR servers. Just remember, the next ads and TV show recommendations you see on your smart TV may have little to do with your interests.

Cyber Monday deals may be officially over, but if you're looking for a mini-LED TV at a great price, there are still plenty of great offers live.

OLED TVs may still be some of the most popular, but mini-LED TVs have really upped their game in 2025. That's because these cheaper mini-LED models succeed is in delivering great features and performance, but a fraction of the price.

The US' mini-LED TV deals aren't as good as they were over the weekend, with TCL and Amazon models jumping up in price, but there's still some superb deals.

Looking for a step-up model? The Hisense 65-inch U8QG for $997.99 (was $1,498) at Amazon. This stunningly bright TV is well-equipped for both movies and gaming.

In the UK, the best deal today is the TCL 55-inch C7K for £579 (was £699) at Currys. That's a record-low price for a fantastic mid-range mini-LED TV with premium performance and features.

Mini-LED TV deals – US quick links

• Hisense U8Q 65-inch: was $1,498 now $997.99 at Amazon US
• Hisense U75Q 55-inch: was $913.60 now $497.99 at Amazon US

Today's best mini-LED TV Cyber Monday deals still available in the US

Mini-LED TV deals – UK quick links

• TCL C7K 55-inch: was £699 now £579 at Currys
• Samsung QN90F 55-inch: was £1,299 now £899.10 at Currys

Today's best mini-LED TV Cyber Monday deals in the UK

Some of the TVs on this list feature among the best TVs we've tested in 2025. I've tested some of the TVs on this list, and I'm very impressed at just how great a value for the money they are, striking a great balance between performance and price.

The Hisense U8QG is easily one of the brightest TVs we've tested here at TechRadar, hitting 3,337 nits peak HDR brightness. Pair this with rich blacks, and you get a strong contrast. Plus, it has a feature set to rival the best gaming TVs and a 9.9ms input lag time for smooth performance, too.

The Hisense U75Q (the Hisense U7Q Pro is its UK equivalent) is another mid-range mini-LED with plenty to like. It's got high brightness for this price, and it delivers solid contrast and color too. Gaming is well covered as well, and the Hisense U7Q has the performance to back it up.

The TCL C7K is one of the more impressive TVs I tested this year. With excellent local dimming, vivid colors, and a fantastic suite of gaming features, the C7K jumped its way onto our best TV UK list because it really does deliver across the board, all without breaking the bank.

The TV I'm most surprised is on this list is the Samsung QN90F. The UK deal above takes this five-star TV that is perfect for movies, gaming, and sports down to a record-low price: one that's great value for everything the QN90F is capable of. The introduction of the Glare Free screen was a brilliant idea and means the QN90F is also great if you have a bright room.

More Cyber Monday deals still available in the US

• Amazon: 45% off TVs, AirPods, air fryers & vacuums
• Apple: iPads, AirPods & MacBooks from $119
• Best Buy: $1,000 off TVs, laptops & headphones
• Dell: laptop deals from $249.99
• Home Depot: 40% off appliances, furniture, grills & tools
• Lenovo: 45% off laptops & tablets
• Lowe's: up to 30% off appliances, holiday decor & tools
• Samsung: up to $2,000 off appliances, TVs & phones
• Target: 40% off Christmas decor, clothing & furniture
• T-Mobile: up to $1,100 off latest iPhone 17
• Walmart: furniture, cheap TVs & vacs from $69
• Wayfair: 54% off Christmas, furniture & decor

More Cyber Monday deals still available in the UK

• Amazon: up to 66% off tech & essentials
• AO: up to £500 off Dyson, Bosch & Hisense
• Argos: up to 50% off appliances, tech & toys
• Boots: save on 1,000s of beauty products
• Currys: deals on Ninja, Shark & Lenovo
• Dell: laptops from £279
• Dyson: up to £550 off vacuums
• EE: Switch 2 bundles from £20/month
• John Lewis: up to 50% off tech & fashion
• Lego: sets & accessories from £2.99
• Samsung: deals on appliances & phones
• Very: up to 40% off tech, toys & fashion

OK, so the Cyber Monday deals may have come to an end. But I bring good news. There are still some absolutely phenomenal deals on some of the best soundbars you can buy, with discounts on everything from budget-friendly standalone models through to class-leading Dolby Atmos soundbar systems.

I've trawled through all of the post-Cyber Monday deals available in order to bring you the greatest offers on models from all of the big boys. I'm talking LG, Samsung, Sonos, Sony...you name it!

Highlights for US buyers include the Sonos Beam (Gen 2) for $349 at Amazon (was $499), a fantastic and compact Dolby Atmos soundbar which can now be yours for 30% less. I'm also delighted to see the Samsung HW-Q990F for $967.99 at Woot (was $1,999). That's a mega 52% saving on one of the best Dolby Atmos soundbar systems on the market.

If you're in the UK, the deals are just as tempting, though. Just one example is the Sony HT-SF150 for £84 at Amazon (was £119), which is perfect for anyone seeking out a sound upgrade for small TVs. For something flashier, I'd recommend the JBL Bar 1300 for £649 at Peter Tyson (was £1,299). It's an excellent multi-box surround sound model with impeccable Atmos and detachable wireless speakers.

By now, I bet you're ready to dig into some of these delicious offers, so scroll on down to discover some of the best post-Cyber Monday soundbar deals of 2025!

Soundbar post-Cyber Monday deals – US quick links

• Sony HT-S100F soundbar: was $159 now $98 at Amazon
• Sonos Beam (Gen 2) soundbar: was $499 now $349 at Amazon
• Sony Bravia Theater Bar 6 soundbar: was $699 now $498 at Amazon
• LG S95TR surround system: was $1,599.99 now $896 at Amazon
• Samsung HW-Q990F: was $1,999 now $967.99 at Woot

Today's best soundbar post-Cyber Monday deals in the US

Soundbar post-Cyber Monday deals – UK quick links

• Sony HT-S2000 soundbar: was £499 now £269 at Amazon
• Sonos Beam (Gen 2): was £449 now £335 at Amazon
• JBL Bar 1300: was £1,299 now £649 at Peter Tyson
• Samsung HW-Q800F soundbar: was £799 now £409 at Amazon
• Samsung HW-Q990F surround system: was £1,499 now £799 at Mark's Electrical

Today's best post-Cyber Monday soundbar deals in the UK

Check our guide to the best soundbars for more on which models we recommend.

More post-Cyber Monday deals in the US

• Amazon: 45% off TVs, AirPods, air fryers & vacuums
• Apple: iPads, AirPods & MacBooks from $119
• Best Buy: $1,000 off TVs, laptops & headphones
• Dell: laptop deals from $249.99
• Home Depot: 40% off appliances, furniture, grills & tools
• Lenovo: 45% off laptops & tablets
• Lowe's: up to 30% off appliances, holiday decor & tools
• Samsung: up to $2,000 off appliances, TVs & phones
• Target: 40% off Christmas decor, clothing & furniture
• T-Mobile: up to $1,100 off latest iPhone 17
• Walmart: furniture, cheap TVs & vacs from $69
• Wayfair: 54% off Christmas, furniture & decor

More post-Cyber Monday deals in the UK

• Amazon: up to 66% off tech & essentials
• AO: up to £500 off Dyson, Bosch & Hisense
• Argos: up to 50% off appliances, tech & toys
• Boots: save on 1,000s of beauty products
• Currys: deals on Ninja, Shark & Lenovo
• Dell: laptops from £279
• Dyson: up to £550 off vacuums
• EE: Switch 2 bundles from £20/month
• John Lewis: up to 50% off tech & fashion
• Lego: sets & accessories from £2.99
• Samsung: deals on appliances & phones
• Very: up to 40% off tech, toys & fashion

Cyber Monday's TV deals aren't as wide-ranging as Black Friday's, but there are still lots of really good discounts available, no matter how much you're looking to spend. I'm TechRadar's TV reviewer, so I know what makes for a great-value TV, and I've picked the best remaining offers in the UK just below.

(Not in the UK? See our Cyber Monday TV deals live-updated guide for US deals!)

I think the most-tempting deal is the TCL C7K 55-inch for just £569 at Currys (was £699), because this is such an impressive TV for that price, both for picture quality and features. The LG C5 OLED TV for just £979 at Crampton & Moore (was £1,899) is not to be missed if you want something higher-end, though.

Meanwhile, the Hisense 43A6QTUK 43-inch TV for £189 at Amazon (was £279) is perfect if you want a small TV with full streaming capabilities (including Freely) and good image quality for a low price. But there are many more options – read on below!

Black Friday TV deals – quick links

• Amazon: TV deals from just £89
• AO: Double discounts for members
• Currys: Save up to £1,100 on TVs
• John Lewis: LG and Samsung TVs from £199
• Very: Save up to £600 on big TV brands

Today's best Black Friday TV deals

If you're looking for some more info on which are our top TVs here at TechRadar, be sure to check out our best TV guide. If you want to know which OLED is the top dog, check out our best OLED TVs guide.

Looking for a soundbar to add to your new TV? Check out our pick of the best soundbars.

Today's best Cyber Monday deals - quick links

• Amazon: up to 66% off tech & essentials
• AO: up to £500 off Dyson, Bosch & Hisense
• Argos: up to 50% off appliances, tech & toys
• Boots: save on 1,000s of beauty products
• Currys: deals on Ninja, Shark & Lenovo
• Dell: laptops from £279
• Dyson: up to £550 off vacuums
• EE: Switch 2 bundles from £20/month
• John Lewis: up to 50% off tech & fashion
• Lego: sets & accessories from £2.99
• Samsung: deals on appliances & phones
• Very: up to 40% off tech, toys & fashion

Want to get a 55-inch LG OLED TV and a Dolby Atmos soundbar for under £1,000? Then you're in luck. Get the LG B5 55-inch OLED TV for a record-low price of £719.10 (was £1,499) at Currys and get the excellent Hisense AX5125H Dolby Atmos soundbar for £189.05 (was £320) at Amazon UK, its lowest ever price.

The LG B5 and Hisense AX5125H are a match made in heaven because they both epitomise bang for your buck. These are two of the best Black Friday deals I've seen this year and it means you can combine them to create a truly brilliant home theatre system for an excellent price.

(Not in the UK? See today's best deals in your region below)

Today's best LG B5 and Hisense AX512H Black Friday deal

In the US? Here's a similar style combo involving the LG B5 for you to check out.

The LG B5 is easily one of 2025's best TVs. When I tested it, I found its picture quality to be brilliant for the money. Its colours are rich and bold, perfect for animated movies such as Elemental and The Wild Robot and colourful real-world movies such as Wicked. It also deliver strong contrast with deep blacks and excellent shadow detail, which is great for movies such as The Batman and Alien: Romulus. Its textures are both crisp and true-to-life, striking the perfect balance between the two.

The B5 also boasts features up there with the best gaming TVs. It has four HDMI 2.1 ports that all support 4K 144Hz, VRR (FreeSync and G-Sync), HGiG, ALLM and Dolby Vision gaming. Thanks to its 9.2ms input lag time, I found gameplay to be super responsive, meaning intense games such as Battlefield V felt smooth and snappy when navigating chaotic battle scenes.

The one thing that let down the B5 was its sound quality, which is fine for day-to-day viewing, but doesn't match the picture's quality for movies. Cue the Hisense AX5125H.

The Hisense AX5125H is one of the best soundbars I've tested at TechRadar. It may not have the bells and whistles of more premium models, but it delivers engaging and immersive Dolby Atmos sound far beyond its cheap price. Bass is punchy, speech is crystal clear, sound is accurately mapped to each speaker and there's a great balance across all the units.

This is a great TV/soundbar combo and while it may not be the absolute cheapest, it's an outstanding setup for the price.

More Black Friday TV and soundbar deals

Shop more of today's best Black Friday sales

• Amazon: up to 66% off tech & essentials
• AO: up to £500 off Dyson, Bosch & Hisense
• Argos: up to 50% off appliances, tech & toys
• Boots: save on 1,000s of beauty products
• Currys: deals on Ninja, Shark & Lenovo
• Dell: laptops from £279
• Dyson: up to £550 off vacuums
• EE: Switch 2 bundles from £20/month
• John Lewis: up to 50% off tech & fashion
• Lego: sets & accessories from £2.99
• Samsung: deals on appliances & phones
• Very: up to 40% off tech, toys & fashion

Black Friday may not be until next week, kicking off officially on Friday 28th November, but there are plenty of excellent Black Friday deals live already.

As TechRadar's TV reviewer, I've been scouring through the hundreds of offers available and hand picked my top deals, some of which are among the best TVs I've tested personally.

The highlight deal for me is the LG B5 48-inch for £749 (was £999) at Amazon. This is a record-low price on one of the best OLED TVs I've tested in 2025, and is the most affordable way to pick up an OLED TV.

Next up, the TCL Q7C 55-inch is available for £569 (was £606) at Amazon. This isn't the biggest discount, but any saving on one of the best value TVs I've tested is worth shouting about.

Finally, for those looking for something on the budget side, you can't go wrong with the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED 50-inch for £299 (was £649.99). A brilliant budget TV at a new record-low price: what's not to like?

TV Black Friday deals – quick links

• LG B5 48-inch OLED - was £999 now £749 at Amazon
• TCL Q7C 55-inch mini-LED - was £606 now £569 at Amazon
• Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED 50-inch: was £649.99 now £299 at Amazon
• Hisense U7Q Pro 65-inch mini-LED - was £1,399 now £899 at Currys
• Samsung S95F 55-inch QD-OLED - was £1,999 now £1,599 at Currys

Today's best TV Black Friday deals

Looking for a soundbar to pair with your new TV? Then check out my Black Friday soundbar deals list, where there are savings on soundbars from Sonos, Sony and more.

Today's best Black Friday deals - quick links

• Amazon: up to 66% off tech & essentials
• AO: up to £500 off Dyson, Bosch & Hisense
• Argos: up to 50% off appliances, tech & toys
• Boots: save on 1,000s of beauty products
• Currys: deals on Ninja, Shark & Lenovo
• Dell: laptops from £279
• Dyson: up to £550 off vacuums
• EE: Switch 2 bundles from £20/month
• John Lewis: up to 50% off tech & fashion
• Lego: sets & accessories from £2.99
• Samsung: deals on appliances & phones
• Very: up to 40% off tech, toys & fashion

If you're looking for a new soundbar, then Black Friday has got you covered. The Hisense AX5125H has dropped to a record-low £189.05 (was £244.99) at Amazon.

• Shop Amazon's full Black Friday sale

The Hisense AX5125H is one of the best affordable soundbars I've tested in recent years. It perfectly balances performance with price, and with this level of discount, it's easily the best Black Friday deal I've seen so far.

(Not in the UK? See today's best deals in your region below)

Today's best (Product name) Black Friday deal

Hisense is not a name that immediately comes to mind when you think of the best soundbars, but the Hisense AX5125H should be in the soundbar conversation in the budget price range.

When I tested the AX5125H, I was seriously impressed with its effective surround sound. Watching movies such as Star Wars: A New Hope, specifically the Death Star attack at the movie's climax, Dolby Atmos effects were precise and accurately placed, the sound was clear and the bass surprisingly punchy. The rear speakers are on the smaller side, so surround effects may get lost in a larger space, but for their size, the performance is impressive.

The AX5125H also features Bluetooth for music streaming and supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. It may lack other features such as Wi-Fi streaming, but it's an exceptional value for what it offers. You won't find another 5.1.2-channel, 500W soundbar system for this cheap.

More Black Friday soundbar deals

Shop more of today's best Black Friday sales

• Amazon: up to 66% off tech & essentials
• AO: up to £500 off Dyson, Bosch & Hisense
• Argos: up to 50% off appliances, tech & toys
• Boots: save on 1,000s of beauty products
• Currys: deals on Ninja, Shark & Lenovo
• Dell: laptops from £279
• Dyson: up to £550 off vacuums
• EE: Switch 2 bundles from £20/month
• John Lewis: up to 50% off tech & fashion
• Lego: sets & accessories from £2.99
• Samsung: deals on appliances & phones
• Very: up to 40% off tech, toys & fashion

The Mini-LED TV market has become increasingly competitive, with brands offering feature-packed models at tempting prices. In 2025, two brands in particular have had a breakout year: TCL and Hisense.

Both have produced some of the best TVs TechRadar has recently tested, including the mid-range Hisense U75QG and TCL QM7K.

(A note for readers in different regions such as the UK: The Hisense U75Q’s closest model is the Hisense U7Q Pro, and for the TCL QM7K it’s the TCL C7K/Q7C. These TVs have some differences but share the same fundamental technology and features.)

Both TVs boast an impressive suite of features, especially for gaming, as well as outstanding overall picture quality with high brightness. Both are also affordably priced.

While Black Friday is officially kicking off in two weeks, there are already plenty of early Black Friday deals live. Based on previous years, Hisense and TCL’s TVs will get incredible offers (some are happening right now!), so we decided to look at these mid-range models to see which one should top your shopping list.

Today's best deal in the US

Today's best deal in the UK

Brightness

Both the Hisense and the TCL boast high brightness for a TV in their price range. That means they’re both great for bright rooms, which can be a challenging viewing environment for some sets such as the best OLED TVs.

When we measured the TCL's brightness, it hit 1,733 nits peak in Filmmaker Mode and 2,350 nits in Standard mode. Those are impressive numbers, but when we measured the Hisense, its results were even more remarkable. The Hisense U75Q hit 2,911 nits peak brightness in Filmmaker Mode and 3,372 nits in Standard mode. Those results are staggeringly high for a mid-range TV and actually beat some flagship mini-LED TVs such as the Sony Bravia 9 (which hit 1,871 nits in Filmmaker Mode when we measured it).

Fullscreen brightness is an important factor for countering screen reflections in bright rooms, and here again, the Hisense came out on top, hitting a peak of 887 nits in Standard mode compared to the TCL’s 640 nits. So, if brightness is what you most want in your TV, the Hisense is the winner.

General picture quality

The overall picture quality of mid-range mini-LED TVs has been steadily improving with each year. Crucially, contrast and black levels are getting better, as we discovered with both the Hisense U75QG and TCL QM7K.

During testing, both TVs demonstrated strong contrast in dark outer space scenes from Gravity and the many high contrast scenes in The Batman. Both also delivered deep, rich blacks and minimal backlight blooming in comparison to previous generations, although the TCL proved more effective at this.

Both TVs also demonstrate great color reproduction. During my testing of the TCL, it delivered vivid, bold colors, as seen in the pink flowers in a tree Elphaba stands under in Wicked, and the colors of a vase that Ember fixes in Elemental.

In contrast, we found that colors on the Hisense “left a little to be desired.” When watching shows in HDR, we commented that “skin tones were undersaturated” and “grass was a bit yellow.” For SDR sources, however, the Hisense TV’s colors were extremely accurate.

Both TVs deliver excellent picture quality for the money, with powerful contrast and detailed blacks, so you won’t be let down by either. That said, the Hisense does have a brightness advantage, though the TCL has a color advantage when watching movies and shows in HDR. Ultimately, it really is neck and neck between these two TVs when it comes to picture quality.

Gaming

Both these TVs really shine when it comes to gaming features. The TCL has two HDMI 2.1 ports that support 4K 144Hz, FreeSync Premium Pro, Dolby Vision gaming and ALLM. That’s an impressive list at this price range.

The Hisense takes things up a notch, however, with four HDMI 2.1 ports that support 4K 165Hz, full VRR (HDMI forum, FreeSync Premium Pro and G-Sync), Dolby Vision gaming and ALLM. It even supports 1080p 288Hz for PC gaming.

Our input lag measurements are good for both the Hisense and TCL, with both clocking below the 15ms threshold gamers look for. However, the TCL measured 13.5ms, and the Hisense 9.8ms, a result that rivals the best gaming TVs from LG and Samsung and puts it on top again.

We did find in our Hisense testing that there was some smearing when playing PC games with VRR activated, "particularly with bright objects across dark backgrounds.” Meanwhile, the TCL TV’s picture during gaming was “sharp and vibrant,” and we didn’t notice any smearing. So, while the Hisense may be the better featured gaming TV, that VRR issue is something for PC gamers to take note of.

Which TV should you buy?

Both the Hisense U75QG and TCL QM7K are excellent value for money. For the 65-inch models we tested, you’ll be looking to pay $899 on average for both TVs, though we’ve seen them drop to $799 before. In the UK, the 65-inch Hisense U7Q Pro is currently priced at £899, whereas the TCL C7K/Q7C is £789, making the TCL the better deal of the two.

Which one should you buy? Realistically, you won’t be let down by either TV, but if I had to pick one, it would be the Hisense U75Q (Hisense U7Q Pro) thanks to its higher brightness and better gaming features.

Black Friday may still be a couple of weeks away, but there's been a big discount on a popular TV as the 55-inch Hisense U75Q has hit a record-low of $527.99 (was $913.60) at Amazon US: that's a massive 42% saving!

If you're in the UK, you can pick up the equivalent 55-inch Hisense U7Q Pro for £699 (was £999) at Currys, a big £300 discount.

The Hisense U7Q comes with a full suite of features, high brightness and strong picture quality. Black Friday deals may not have officially kicked off yet in some places, but this is easily one of the best early Black Friday TV deals I've seen so far.

Today's best Hisense U75Q Black Friday deal

Hisense's U7 series of mid-range mini-LED TVs are always among the best TVs ever year. They're exceptional value because of the sheer amount of features they offer and the performance they deliver, and it's always for a super competitive price. 2025's Hisense U75QG is no different.

When we tested the Hisense U75QG, we were impressed by its picture quality. It hit a staggering 3,126 nits peak HDR brightness when we measured it, which exceptional for this price range and makes it a great choice for bright rooms. It also delivers deep blacks and rich contrast, which is great for scenes of space in movies we tested such as Gravity.

The U75Q is also a gaming powerhouse, with four HDMI 2.1 ports all supporting 4K 165Hz, FreeSync and G-Sync VRR, ALLM and Dolby Vision gaming. It also boasts a 9.8ms input lag time, meaning fast paced games such as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 we played felt smooth during our testing. It's up there with the best gaming TVs of 2025.

The Hisense U7Q Pro is the equivalent model in the UK with the major difference being the built-in smart TV: the U7Q Pro in the UK uses VIDAA, while the U75Q uses Google TV in the US. It's worth noting there is a Hisense U7Q in the UK, but this is a more entry-level model and is more in line with the Hisense U6Q in the US.

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Shop more of today's best Black Friday sales in the UK

• Amazon: up to 66% off tech & essentials
• AO: up to £500 off Dyson, Bosch & Hisense
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• Hisense launches 75, 85 and 100-inch RGB mini-LED TVs with 6,200 nits of brightness
• Currently only available in China
• Roughly $2,335, $2,955 and $3,940 before tariffs and taxes

Hisense makes some of the best TVs, and that means the launch of its new, relatively affordable RGB mini-LED TVs is important: the tech promises the brightness of mini-LED, but with contrast closer to the best OLED TVs, and color depth beyond what either tech has been able to achieve in the past.

The new Hisense E8S Pro is now on sale in China, Notebookcheck.net reports, where it's available in three models: 75-inch, 85-inch and 100-inch. All three models are 4K with a 170Hz refresh rate, integrated virtual surround sound, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. For gamers, there's variable refresh rate, auto low latency mode, and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro.

These models are priced aggressively, coming in at roughly $2,335, $2,955 and $3,940 – although of course tariffs and taxes will take those prices upwards in other markets. And while Hisense hasn't promised to bring the new TVs to the US just yet, it already has an RGB mini-LED in the form of the Hisense 116UX – we've just been waiting to see what models the company would release in 2026 that are a little more, shall we say, realistic than that one. (We've already seen an 85-inch Hisense RGB model, but even that's a bit niche.)

Here's the thing, though: we've tested the Hisense 116UX TV, and there's a big concern about it that these new models need to address.

What we'd like to see in these RGB Mini-LEDs

When our lead TV reviewer James Davidson spent time with the 116UX, he was impressed – but he also noted that the first-gen tech had some issues. Like the flagship 110UXN mini-LED, which James had reviewed in depth, it suffered from backlight blooming and screen uniformity issues, which are the kinds of things we expect RGB tech to improve.

The 110UXN is a mini-LED, not an RGB mini-LED. But the newer tech in the 116UX RGB mini-LED had the same visible issues in dark movies such as Alien: Romulus and The Batman. Those movies are a tough test for any TV – The Batman in particular is mastered at a low brightness – but it's a test that OLED TVs pass.

Hisense's RGB TV showed a 'clouding' across dark parts of the screen near lighter parts in some modes, making the black tones look gray, and losing the subtletly of the movies' contrast.

The new TVs that Hisense has just unveiled are relatively affordable for something with next-gen screen tech, but they're far from budget buys – and that means we'd expect premium performance. So I'm really hoping that these newer models have banished the blooming and clouding that we experienced in the first-gen spec.

Here's hoping, because the specs here are very good: between 4,200 and 9,360 local dimming zones depending on the size you choose; up to 6,200 nits of peak brightness; a very low reflectivity rate and a very wide viewing angle of 178º; and 100% coverage of the BT.2020 color gamut.

In addition to the aforementioned Dolby Vision there's HDR10+, IMAX Enhanced and Filmmaker Mode.

"Dolby Atmos doesn't have to be pricey", we said in our 4.5-star Hisense AX5125H soundbar review. And now it's even less pricey thanks to a great soundbar deal that drops the price from a very reasonable £249 to an even better £199, saving you £50.

This deal, from Currys, is also available at Amazon – and this is as cheap as this soundbar has ever been. But if you want this soundbar you'd better move fast: it's been discontinued, and US retailers are already out of stock, so what's left in the UK won't last long.

We'd really recommend this one. The Hisense AX5125H already punched way above its price tag, delivering really great sound for an exceptionally low price. With 20% off the usual price (and £300 off its launch price, which was £499) it's a home cinema bargain.

Today's best Hisense AX5125H soundbar deal

Why you should snap up this Hisense soundbar

If you want the tl;dr version: it's very good and you should buy it.

This soundbar system comes with a very simple proposition: great surround sound, low price, no unnecessary bells and whistles. And that makes it one of the best soundbars you can buy, especially if you want a proper surround system but don't want to splash too much cash.

In our Hisense AX5125H review, we explained that its nine-driver, four-box setup (one soundbar, one subwoofer and two satellite speakers) "provides a ‘real’ surround sound experience with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X compatibility out of the box, as opposed to requiring optional speakers at an additional cost."

Hisense hasn't cut corners when it comes to sound quality. "The AX5125H’s sound is impressive, providing plenty of punch, clarity and immersion. Dolby Atmos and surround effects are accurately reproduced, speech is crystal clear and bass is weighty yet controlled."

Downsides? There aren't any important ones. You can't stream music over Wi-Fi (but you can do it over Bluetooth). The remote control isn't very fancy. And there isn't an app with infinite tinkering possibilities. And that's pretty much it.

If you're looking for a soundbar that can legitimately compete with the likes of Sonos and Sony but without the price tag of those rivals, take a look at this Hisense. It's cheap, and it'll make you cheerful.