The best TV 2024: our top smart TVs for all budgets

It isn't easy to find the best TV – there are more and more TV options with elaborate screen tech and jargon-filled features – but the good news is that an excellent home cinema experience has never been more affordable.

Our job is to help you find the best TV in your budget range, based on our extensive testing experience with these sets. We'll cut the overwhelming number of options down to just the most worthwhile, from cheap options to cutting-edge flagship sets. 

Here, we've focused on the best TVs for all-round excellence, balancing picture quality (measured objectively in some ways, but also from our subjective experience in other ways), features, sound quality, price, and size options. If you're looking for something specific, you might prefer to head straight to our guides to the best gaming TVs, best TVs under £1000 or best OLED TVs – but here, you can get an overview of all the best models, including from these categories (and more).

We've reviewed every kind of TV over the years, from the first flatscreens to the original OLEDs to today's best 85-inch TVs. And that means we know which features really matter and how they will deliver the most bang for your TV-buying buck. No matter how much you want to spend, what you want to watch or where you want to watch it, you should find the best TV for you in this guide.

Written by
Matthew Bolton headshot against grey background
Written by
Matt Bolton

Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Entertainment, and he has over a decade of experience in tech publishing, including writing about the latest TVs and soundbars since 2017. This guide is all about the best TVs you can get, from spectacular QD-OLEDs, such as the list-topping Samsung S90C, fantastic OLEDs from LG, Philips and more and TVs that give you serious bang for your buck. 

The quick list

Want to cut to the chase and find out which TVs are the best? Below, you’ll find a roundup of our choices. You can also jump to a more detailed review of every pick, along with our price comparison tool to help you find the best deals.

The best TVs of 2024

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The best TV for most people

Samsung S90C on a table, with a forest scene on the screen

(Image credit: Future)
The best TV for most people, balancing price, features and pictures

Specifications

Screen size: 55, 65, 77, 83-inch
Resolution: 4K
Panel type: QD-OLED (55-77-inch); OLED (83 inches)
Smart TV: Tizen
HDR: HDR10+, HDR, HLG

Reasons to buy

+
Beautiful 4K HDR picture
+
HDMI 2.1 on all four HDMI ports
+
Very good built-in sound

Reasons to avoid

-
Samsung S95C and LG G3 are brighter
-
Lack of Dolby Vision support 
-
83-inch model has weaker panel
BUY IT IF

You want QD-OLED for relatively cheap: The Samsung S90C gives you a brighter OLED screen than the LG C3, and fantastic picture quality, for the same price as C3. 

You need lots of HDMI 2.1 ports: HDMI 2.1 is available on all four of the S90C's HDMI ports, supporting 4K 120Hz for unbeaten connectivity. 

DON'T BUY IT IF

You want the brightest OLED available: Both the Samsung S95C and the LG G3 offer higher brightness levels than the S90C. 

You want an 80-inch TV: The 83-inch model uses a different screen type that's far less bright – we wouldn't recommend it. Get the 83-inch LG C3 instead, which has Dolby Vision.

The Samsung S90C takes the top spot on our best TV list because it does it all; excellent picture quality, sleek design, brilliant gaming performance and it gives you access to QD-OLED technology for the cheapest it's ever been. With prices dropping over time too, this gives you real OLED bang for your buck.

With excellent contrast levels, dynamic and punchy colors and deep, rich blacks that we come to expect from an OLED, we found in our review that the S90C's extra brightness compared to the LG C3 (further down this list) or Sony A80L really adds an extra layer, despite these TVs all costing the same. Its sharpness levels and detail are also a sight to behold. One thing to note, though, is that the 83-inch model uses a regular OLED screen that's much less bright, and we would recommend getting the 83-inch LG C3 instead.

Not just a beautiful TV, the Samsung S90C is also a gamers' paradise. With a refresh rate of 144Hz, it has four 2.1 HDMI ports that all support ALLM and VRR as well as 4K 120Hz. It also has a gaming hub so you can tweak setting easily to get the most out of your games. Add to this built-in sound quality that beats almost all other TVs, including LG's OLEDs, you get a complete package with the S90C.

It's not totally perfect (the lack of Dolby Vision support is a shame), and higher-priced OLEDs such as the Samsung S95C (at #4 in this list) and LG G3 can beat it for brightness. But in terms of what you get at this budget level, the Samsung S90C is real value for money and is the best TV for most people.

Read the full Samsung S90C review

The best budget TV

Amazon Omni QLED with dusk city landscape on screen

(Image credit: Future)
The best budget TV

Specifications

Screen size: 43, 50, 55, 65, 75-inches
Resolution: 4K
Panel type: QLED
Smart TV: Tizen
HDR: Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+ Adaptive, HDR10, HLG

Reasons to buy

+
Great 4K picture for the price
+
Good spec list overall

Reasons to avoid

-
Not great at SD upscaling
-
No Dolby Vision HDR
BUY IT IF

You like a colourful picture: The Omni QLED, despite its budget price, offers plenty of vibrant colour, particularly through HDR sources.

You're on a budget: Packed with plenty of features and performance, the Omni QLED offers more than enough bang for your buck. 

DON'T BUY IT IF

You want the best built-in audio: Although respectable enough, the Omni QLED's sound is not the most immersive around.

You want the most responsive smart TV platform: Fire TV offers a lot of recommendations, but navigating it does feel clunky, with no easy way to get around menus.

The Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED is a bargain TV with lots to offer. It has a surprisingly vibrant picture, thanks to Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support, and good gaming performance, all at an incredible price. In terms of value for money, the Omni QLED is a winner.

Using a QLED panel with local dimming, the Omni QLED's colours are punchy and vibrant, especially with HDR sources. It also has a natural-looking image that gives the set a more premium look in terms of picture quality. Although its black levels aren't the best and its contrast isn't the richest, the picture you get for the money is surprisingly great.

As for gaming features, it doesn't have 120hz support, but the Omni QLED does have Dolby Vision gaming, something not common at this price. It also supports ALLM and VRR. When we measured its input lag time, the Omni QLED yielded a result of 10.4ms, which rivals a lot of TVs that are far more premium. 

The Amazon Omni QLED isn't the best TV on the market by some stretch. But, when it comes to value, the picture, performance and features you do get are more than above its budget price. For people on a budget, this is the go-to TV.

Read our full Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED review

The best mid-range TV

Samsung Q80C showing abstract pattern onscreen

(Image credit: Future)
A mid-range QLED TV with vibrant colours and gaming features

Specifications

Screen size: 50, 55, 65, 75 and 85-inches
Resolution : 4K
Panel type: QLED
Smart TV: Tizen
HDR : HDR10+, HDR10, HLG

Reasons to buy

+
Bright, colourful HDR picture
+
Great lighting control 
+
Good value 

Reasons to avoid

-
No Dolby Vision support
-
Limited viewing angle
-
Some minor backlight limitations
BUY IT IF

You want good brightness and colour: Although QLED is not as bright or colourful as a mini-LED, the Q80C offers arguably the best bang for your buck in the entire Samsung Q80C range.

You want a great gaming TV: Offering extensive gaming features across all four HDMI ports and an all-around great performance, the Q80C is an excellent gaming TV.

DON'T BUY IT IF

You need a wide viewing angle: Backlight issues and blooming around objects starts to happen when the Q80C is viewed from more than 30 degree angle.

You want Dolby Vision: As is a problem with all Samsung TVs, the Q80C does not support Dolby Vision HDR for your movies or gaming.

The Samsung Q80C is one of the brand's best mid-range TVs in its 2023 lineup, sitting above all other LED and QLED TVs, but below mini-LED TVs and OLEDs. But, that doesn't mean it's compromising on features or picture quality. It boasts bright colourful images, a suite of gaming features and a great value price tag. 

When it comes to image quality, the Q80C provides some of the best images we've seen from a mid-range TV. Offering bright, but natural colours, excellent 4K sharpness and detail and surprisingly good black levels, the Q80C's picture is a real winner. In our review, we said the Q80C's picture looked "consistently convincing and compelling". There are some issues with the viewing angles, where quality fades when viewed at a more than 30 degree angle and there are some backlight limitations, but it doesn't stop the Q80C's picture from being brilliant overall.

Gaming is another real highlight of the Samsung Q80C thanks to its gaming features and performance. It has 4K 120Hz support across all four HDMI ports, VRR and AMD FreeSync Premium, and HGiG capabilities as well. There's also Samsung's Game Hub included for all things gaming, with select cloud gaming services. When it comes to performance, we measured the input lag at an impressively low 9.7ms in Game Mode, plus the added bonus of a rich, detailed and colourful QD picture as well. The Q80C also has an effective sound system, which – while lacks bass – has crisp dialogue levels and excellent Object Tracking System (OTS).

While the Samsung Q80C isn't perfect, namely its disappointing design and backlight limitations, it's still an excellent TV in terms of value for money and is the best mid-range option on the market. 

Read our full Samsung Q80C review

The best cheaper OLED TV

LG B3 with bright image of hot spring on screen

(Image credit: Future)
An excellent mid-range OLED TV that's great for gaming and movies

Specifications

Screen size: 55, 65, 77-inches
Resolution: 4K
Panel type: OLED
Smart TV: webOS 23
HDR: HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision

Reasons to buy

+
Deep blacks and vivid colors
+
Entry-level price for OLED
+
All the latest gaming features

Reasons to avoid

-
Average built-in sound
-
Only two HDMI 2.1 ports
-
Not particularly bright
BUY IT IF

You want OLED picture quality: With deep blacks and punchy colors, the LG B3 has an outstanding picture despite being LGs' entry-level 2023 OLED.

You want excellent gaming performance: The LG B3 offers 4K 120Hz support, Dolby Vision gaming and VRR and ALLM connectivity and a handy Game Optimizer mode.

DON'T BUY IT IF

You'll watch in a bright room often: This is the least bright OLED in this list, which means it's susceptible to reflections when watching during the day, or with bright lights on. A mini-LED TV for the same price would be better for daytime viewing. 

You need the best built-in sound: While its respectable, the B3's sound system is definitely not as punchy as other TVs available, like the Samsung S90C

With its prices finally dropping, the LG B3 now offers an entry-level option to 2023 OLEDs but doesn't compromise on picture quality or gaming performance. Its features rival plenty of other OLEDs on the market, and you don't have to fork out as much to get sumptuous image quality. 

Superb contrast levels with deep blacks and dynamic colors combine to give the B3 a picture that feels more premium than the price tag it comes with. It offers Dolby Vision HDR support and when used, movies and TV shows look fantastic with it. It doesn't have high brightness levels however, with the LG C3, Samsung S90C and even the Sony A80L beating it. It still handles reflections well despite this in reasonable controlled environments, but for bright room viewing, such as sports during the day, something like the Samsung QN90C (#7 in this list) will be much more visible.

With LGs' Game Optimizer feature included, the LG B3 is a real dark horse for gaming. The ability to tweak so many settings while playing really means you can tailor your gaming experience to whatever game you're playing. It also has 4K 120Hz, VRR, ALLM and Dolby Vision gaming support. It's a little disappointing that this is only on two of its four ports, but that's okay for the more casual among us.

The B3 does have a distinctly average built-in sound system, though, and its stand doesn't feel the right quality when compared to its price tag, but there is still plenty on offer here to make the LG B3 a real consideration if you're looking to upgrade your TV and make your way into the world of OLED.

Read our full LG B3 review

The best Premium OLED

Samsung S95C OLED TV on stand with image of mountains on screen

(Image credit: Future)
The best Premium OLED available today

Specifications

Screen size: 55, 65 and 77-inches
Resolution: 4K
Panel type: QD-OLED
Smart TV: Tizen
HDR: HDR10+, HDR10, HLG

Reasons to buy

+
Stunning colors 
+
Spectacular contrast

Reasons to avoid

-
Slightly aggressive tone mapping
-
Picture presets need work 
BUY IT IF

You want spectacular picture quality: With wonderfully bright colors and phenomenal contrast ratio, the S95C is a beautiful TV for movies, TV or gaming. 

You want extensive gaming features: 144Hz refresh rate, four 2.1 HDMI ports, a super low 9.2ms input lag time and an excellent gaming hub makes the S95C a great choice for gaming.

DON'T BUY IT IF

You don't want to fiddle: Some of the initial picture presets need tweaking to get the best picture out of the Samsung S95C.

You want the cheapest QD-OLED: The Samsung S90C, although not as bright, gives you QD-OLED quality for less. 

The Samsung S95C is Samsung's flagship QD-OLED for 2023 and offers everything you'd look for in a TV; exceptional picture quality, extensive gaming features, beautiful design and great built-in sound. It's no surprise that QD-OLED is becoming more popular with TVs like the S95C around.

The picture quality of the S95C is breath-taking. Thanks to QD-OLED, colors are punchy, dynamic and bright. Contrast levels are superb, with black levels and shadow detail feeling rich and deep. We found that some of the initial picture presets will need tweaking to get the picture just right, but once that's done you won't be disappointed with the picture.

The Samsung S95C is not just beautiful in picture but also in design. A sleek, stylish frame and ultra-slim trim means the S95C looks fantastic, especially when hung on the wall thanks to its razor thin depth. It also comes with a separate box called the One Connect for connections so there's one cable running to the TV.

With all this and excellent gaming performance, why isn't top of the list? That title goes to the S95C's more budget sibling, the Samsung S90C. The S90C doesn't offer quite the same brightness levels as the S95C, but it's cheaper and still offers fantastic all around performance so the S90C sits atop the list. Don't get us wrong though; the S95C feels every bit as premium as it should.

Read our full Samsung S95C review

The best 8K TV

Samsung-QN900C TV on table with smart hub interface on screen

(Image credit: Future)
The best TV for incredible 8K detail

Specifications

Screen size: 65, 75, 85-inches
Resolution: 8K
Panel type: Neo QLED / Mini LED
Smart TV: Tizen
HDR: HDR10, HLG, HDR10+

Reasons to buy

+
Better-than-4K detail even with 4K movies
+
Stunning brightness, contrast and colors

Reasons to avoid

-
Lacks Dolby Vision support
-
Extremely expensive compared to 4K
BUY IT IF

You want the ultimate cutting-edge TV: This TV is as good as mini-LED gets currently, and its 8K screen uses AI smarts to make even 4K video look better than 4K.

You want a gorgeous-looking television: The QN900C is one of the best-looking TVs on the market, sporting a near-invisible bezel and speakers.

DON'T BUY IT IF

You are on a budget: As expected for an 8K TV, the QN900C comes at a hefty price compared to Samsung's best 4K TVs (which are close in quality). 

You prefer simpler user interfaces: Samsung's Smart Hub software on this TV isn't the strongest when it comes to feeling precise and easy to use.

8K might seem a bit much to some, but if you're going to buy a large size TV and you'll feed it high-quality 4K pictures (given the absence of 8K movies), there's no doubt that the Samsung QN900C can be a clear step up. The set offers fantastic picture led by its superb color, high brightness, terrific sound and outstanding black tones – all in a package that's unmatched in terms of design.

At 1/40th the thickness of a regular LED, Samsung's mini-LEDs are more closely packaged, allowing for a greater number of dimming zones, resulting in more accurate black tones and a perceived better contrast.

This has one of the most advanced mini-LED screens so far, and the magic trick here is combining it with Samsung's AI upscaling, which can take 4K images and make them look closer to 8K resolution, so there's real benefit in the higher resolution. Put simply, the QN900C is consistently able to produce images that look better than their source, as long as they're high quality in the first place (HD video or low-bitrate streaming isn't so transformative).

But you'll pay a very high premium for this, compared to Samsung's highest-end 4K TVs (such as the QN90C, further down this list), which are very nearly at the same level of brightness and contrast. Still, you also get top-tier gaming features, excellent built-in sound, and fantastic One Connect box, which moves all the connections to a tidy separate box, with one cable carrying power and visuals to the TV.

Read our full Samsung QN900C review

The best TV for versatility

LG C3 OLED TV showing image of sunset on water onscreen

(Image credit: Future)
The best TV for size and feature versatility

Specifications

Screen size: 42, 48, 55, 65, 77, 83-inches
Resolution: 4K
Panel type: OLED
Smart TV: webOS 23
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG

Reasons to buy

+
Superb picture quality
+
Broad range of sizes
+
Totally future-proof features

Reasons to avoid

-
Not the brightest OLED
-
Average built-in audio performance
BUY IT IF

You like a wide choice of sizes: Ranging from 42-inch to 83-inch, the LG C3 can fit anywhere in the house, from desk to cinema room.

You want a TV for movies and gaming: The LG C3 has very strong picture quality, and gaming features to cover every avenue. 

DON'T BUY IT IF

You'll watch in bright rooms: The middling brightness means it can struggle with sunlight or reflections – the Samsung S90C at #1 in this guide is brighter at the same price, or the Samsung S95C (#4 in the guide) is nearly twice as bright.

You have the LG C2: While there are some improvements, the LG C3 does not give enough of a jump from its predecessor, the C2, to warrant an upgrade.

The LG C3 covers a lot of bases when it comes to what you look for in a TV; it has great picture quality, a host of gaming and smart TV features, and it comes a wide array of sizes that should suit whatever your needs, whether it's your new PC monitor or you want it to cover most of your wall to get that cinematic experience.

The LG C3 offers excellent detail within its picture and deep black levels that make it look brilliant when watching moves or TV shows. As we noted in our review "colors look bright without being garish" and the picture was "perfectly crisp". There also isn't much need to tweak any picture settings; out of the box, the LG C3 looks fantastic, but there are plenty of options to tweak if you need to experiment.  

Gaming features are stocked here, with Dolby Vision, VRR, ALLM, AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync support and 4K 120Hz across all four 2.1 HDMI ports. Game Optimiser also enables you to play around with settings to get gaming on the C3 just right as well. And, with a wide array of sizes available from 42-inch to 83-inch, every gamer from the bedroom to the living room should be covered.

With so many features and options under its belt, the LG C3 is a versatile TV for sure. However, the Samsung S90C, one of the C3's closest rival, takes the crown for best overall TV with improved brightness and a better built-in sound than the LG C3 at the same price. But, if you're not a Samsung fan or you need smaller than 55 inches, it's hard to argue against the LG C3.

Read our full LG C3 review

The best TV for sport

Samsung QN90C Media Menu

(Image credit: Future)
The best TV for daytime sport viewing

Specifications

Screen size: 43, 50, 55, 65, 75, 85-inches
Resolution: 4K
Panel type: Neo QLED / Mini-LED
Smart TV: Tizen
HDR: HDR10+, HDR10, HLG

Reasons to buy

+
High brightness and anti-glare screen
+
Excellent for gaming, too

Reasons to avoid

-
Some backlight blooming
-
Pricey compared to other mini-LEDs
BUY IT IF

You want a great TV for daytime viewing: With its high brightness and anti-glare screen coating, it looks good even when placed in well-lit rooms.

You want a TV for gaming: The QN90C’s four HDMI 2.1 ports all support 4K 120Hz and variable refresh rate from a PS5 or Xbox Series X.

DON'T BUY IT IF

You want the best TV and money is no object: The Samsung S95C (#4 in this list) offers even better contrast, and the Samsung QN900C (#5 in the list) is like this with even more brightness and 8K detail.

You want a simple TV: The Samsung's fullscreen menus are more overwhelming than really feels necessary.

The QN90C is a 2023 mini-LED (or as Samsung calls it, Neo QLED) TV, which means that it offers higher screen brightness compared to OLEDs by places layers of extra-tiny LEDs behind its pixels. Coupled with an anti-glare screen to reduce light reflections to a minimum, it's our pick for daytime sport viewing, because in a bright room with sunlight streaming in, higher brightness means the images cut through any reflections, so you can actually see what's going on. In our review, we measured the peak brightness at over 1,700 nits – this is higher than any OLED TV we've ever tested, and is well over twice as bright as the LG C3, for comparison.

Not just for sports fans, the TV also comes with a whole host of gaming features including HDMI 2.1 across all four of its HDMI ports and a variety of cloud-based gaming features with support for Xbox, Nvidia GeForce Now and more.

Although not the most budget of options and lacking Dolby Vision support, the QN90C's fantastically bright picture certainly gives it the edge over other TVs in well lit rooms. And it's not just about that brightness – in our review, we were impressed with motion handling (which is great for sport), as well as detail and its deep black tones for movies.

Read our full Samsung QN90C review

The most immersive TV

Philips OLED808 with The Batman on screen

(Image credit: Future)
The best TV for total immersion thanks to its unique Ambilight feature

Specifications

Screen size: 42, 48, 55, 65 and 77-inches
Resolution: 4K
Panel type: OLED
Smart TV: Google TV
HDR: HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, Dolby Vision

Reasons to buy

+
Ambilight is irresistible 
+
Outstanding picture quality

Reasons to avoid

-
Bare game mode compared to rival TVs
-
Complex menu system
BUY IT IF

You like the look of Ambilight: It makes the picture feel even bigger and more immersive. No other TV brand has this tech built in.

You want a powerful, all-round performance: Philips' OLED808 has vibrant, punchy, contrast-rich, exceptionally sharp pictures and excellent gaming performance.

DON'T BUY IT IF

You a comprehensive game mode: Although it does have a game mode, the OLED808 feels bare in comparison to other TVs from LG, Samsung and more.

You have multiple cutting-edge gaming devices: Only two of the OLED808’s HDMI ports support all the latest gaming features.

The Philips OLED808 is one of the few TVs that we can confidently call glamorous. This is Philips' latest OLED TV and it's eye-catching in a whole bunch of ways. It has an incredibly thin screen and high-quality metallic finish offset, which gives a spectacular effect when using Philips’ Ambilight technology.

If you've not heard of Ambilight before, then it's a kind of lighting tech that uses rear-mounted LEDs to cast coloured light onto the wall behind the TV that can match the pictures you’re watching. During testing, we found the Ambilight to follow the action on screen perfectly. You can also set the Ambilight to follow audio if you're streaming music through the TV or a solid colour to set the mood. Either way, there are plenty of ways to utilise the fabulous Ambilight technology. 

But the 808's picture quality might be even more striking than its design – and that's saying a lot. Lush, vibrant colours and outstanding black levels balance with one another, leading to amazing contrast levels. Through HDR sources, the OLED808 looks remarkable. It may not be the brightest TV out there, both the Samsung S90C and S95C have it beaten, but the OLED808's picture is so beautiful we can forgive it.

Gamers will be happy thanks to support for 4K 120Hz signals, VRR, ALLM and Dolby Vision gaming (something that was missing on last year's OLED807), which makes this an excellent choice for gaming. One downside is that HDMI 2.1 is only two of its four HDMI ports and its game mode is bare compared to others from brands such as LG, Samsung, Panasonic and more, but the OLED808 is still a great gaming TV. 

Read our full Philips OLED808 review

The best TVs for sound

Panasonic MZ2000 with deer in snow on screen

(Image credit: Future)
The best TV for big, rich Dolby Atmos audio without a soundbar

Specifications

Screen size: 55, 65 and 77-inches
Resolution: 4K
Panel type: OLED EX (with MLA and heat-sink tech)
Smart TV: My Home Screen 8.0
HDR: HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, Dolby Vision

Reasons to buy

+
360° Soundscape Pro audio quality
+
Superb picture performance

Reasons to avoid

-
Only two HDMI 2.1 ports
-
Premium price tag
BUY IT IF

You want an all-in-one home cinema: If you hanker after a home cinema system with immersive audio bells and whistles, you'll get it here.

You want a TV with versatile picture: The MZ2000 looks great in both light and dark rooms, thanks to its brighter OLED panel with MLA and heat-sink tech. 

DON'T BUY IT IF

You own a dedicated Dolby Atmos sound system: You’ll be wasting your money if you already have a full-blown Dolby Atmos home cinema system.

You want a full board of 4K 120Hz capable HDMI inputs: Avid gamers might want to look elsewhere for 4K 120Hz inputs on every port.

While TVs aren't known for their sound quality, the Panasonic MZ2000's 360° Soundscape Pro audio performance is on par with an upper mid-range Dolby Atmos soundbar. In terms of built-in sound, no other TV on the market is going to beat the Panasonic MZ2000. 

The Panasonic MZ2000 not only offers a meaty, powerful sound with plenty of bass, but also a delicate touch that leads to a perfect balance between treble, mid, bass and speech levels. It also features a 'Space Tune' setting that maps the sound to the viewing environment to add even more immersion, making the most of its Dolby Atmos capabilities, reproducing surround effects to an excellent level. 

As part of Panasonic's OLED range, the MZ2000 also offers pixel perfect imagery thanks to its Master OLED Ultimate panel, which utilises OLED, MLA and heat-sink technologies to create an image that is truly breath-taking. Outstanding black levels and contrast, rich, vibrant colours and a natural image all showcase the MZ2000's incredible picture.

Why is the Panasonic MZ2000 not higher up the list? Quite simply, its price. Although it is an incredible TV, the MZ2000 is noticeably pricier than a lot of its competition such as the LG G3 and Samsung S95C. With the difference in price, you could get one of the best soundbars to add extra depth to those two other brilliant TVs. But, if you want a picture perfect TV and you have the money, the MZ2000 is a showstopper.

Read our full Panasonic MZ2000 review

How to choose the best TV for you

How we choose the best TVs

There are plenty of reasons why you might want a TV built specifically for one purpose. Maybe you'd like to find the best TV for sport or the best gaming TV. But if you want to simply find the best TV on the market right now—and don't mind paying for it—there are plenty of excellent displays to choose from. 

In our guide above, we've selected the best TVs you can buy right now. We picked these TVs based on a few key criteria. The first is picture quality, we wanted to be sure images were clear and sharp, no matter whether you're watching 4K content or upscaled content. 

We also wanted to see impressive brightness. Bright images aren't the be all and end all of a great TV, but you need to know your new display will perform well in a variety of lighting environments. 

Value for money is another key consideration. Sure many of the TVs in this list are pricey, but there's a difference between an expensive TV and one that really lives up to that price. Several of the TVs above might be eye-wateringly expensive, but if you have the money to spend, we promise they're worth it. 

Extra features are a bonus, like the Philips OLED808's Ambilight technology. This isn't a must-have, but it does upgrade your watching experience considerably, so we were sure to highlight the added features that we believe you'll genuinely value. 

There's so much to considering when you're choosing the best TV for you, but these are a few of the top considerations we had in mind during our reviews and our selection process for this guide. 

What TVs are coming in 2024?

We've already heard about a lot of exciting new TVs coming in 2024 from LG, Samsung and more and we'll be sure to update this guide when we've had a chance to test them. 

Samsung has lifted the lid on its entire new TV range including the flagship Samsung S95D, which features new anti-glare tech and as well as the Samsung S90D, follow-up to our TV of the year, the Samsung S90C. The S90D introduces two new sizes in 42 and 48-inch (although admittedly not QD-OLED). There's also the mini-LED Samsung QN90D

LG has also announced its 2024 lineup including the LG G4, which again promises even higher brightness than the LG G3 and the LG C4, LG's mid-range OLED that promises over 1,000 nits of peak brightness and having seen it in person, the brightness boost from last year's LG C3 is there. There's also the LG M4, its wireless OLED.  

Of course, it's not all about LG and Samsung. Philips announced its 2024 TV lineup, including the OLED+959, the first to promise 3,000 nits. Panasonic also unveiled its 2024 TV range, including the flagship Panasonic Z95A, which have its smart TV platform updated to Fire TV.

There have been no announcements from Sony just yet as they tend to come later in the year, but as soon as we get news we'll be sure to update you. As with all these TVs, once we get our hands-on testing we'll update this guide with our impressions. 

How to pick the best TV for you

Looking for the best TV? There are plenty of things to consider before you take the leap. We recommend kicking off with the basics and deciding on your budget.

Yes, you might be able to bump up your budget a little if you find the perfect TV—or find a great deal in the Black Friday sales—but it's a good idea to set a limit to begin with so you don't fall in love with the unrivalled images and features of a TV that's well above your price range.

At this stage, also consider size. We recommend that you literally measure the space you have in your living room. And remember, just because you can squeeze a huge TV into your available space doesn't mean it'll be well-suited. You'll want to think about viewing angels, brightness and whether you'll be able to put a bit of distance between you and the screen so you can enjoy it properly. If you're thinking of wall-mounting the TV using one of the best TV wall mounts, you may want to consider the amount of the space the TV will take up, the depth of the TV, how you want it to move and so on aswell. 

What next? Well, it's a good idea to check out the HDR capabilities of any new TV—we've detailed these under each of the best TVs in our guide—and the smart TV platform each offers. It's also worth considering sound. If you're willing to spend extra cash on a soundbar, you don't need to agonise about audio. However, if you'd like an all-in-one cinema system, consider an OLED TV that delivers great audio as well as a fantastic picture. 

What can smart TVs do?

Smart TVs are internet-connected televisions. That means you can use them to browse through your favorite streaming apps as well as do a few other things such as control smart home devices or browse the internet. A TV that does not have smart capabilities is often referred to as a ‘dumb’ TV because it requires a set-top box or streaming stick to use streaming apps – but there aren't many of these for sale now!

Which brand is best for TVs?

There's no one brand that does TVs better than the others, but there are definitely some TV makes that excel in certain areas more than their rivals. 

As you can probably tell from our list above, LG, Samsung, Sony and Philips tend to be the top-performing brands at the premium end, though all bring out a wide range of models each year. 

There are plenty of LG TVs on our guide right now, with an consitently outstanding picture and plenty of features. This brand certainly makes excellent OLED TVs – in fact, LG Display makes the OLED panels for most other brands. We like that LG offers a wide range of TVs, including different budgets and sizes – the C3 goes from 42 inches all the way up to 83-inches. LG's webOS is one of our favorites, an easy to use operating system that feels intuitive. 

Utilising QD-OLED technology to full effect, Samsung sits at the top of our list with the fantastic Samsung S90C. Samsung uses quantum dot technology to bring you brightness and excellent contrast. Like LG, Samsung offers a huge variety of TV sizes and prices. Samsung's smart TV software is Tizen, which we think is good overall. The brand also offers some extras, like its One Connect box with some TVs, and styles that are a little unique – take a look at the various iterations of Samsung's The Frame TVs. 

Sony is another major player in the TV space. Its screens boast stunning picture quality and build quality. Although, like other brands in this list, there's a wide range across the board. One interesting difference about Sony is its really pushed its Cognitive XR processor, a processing chip added to its TVs from 2021 that boosts vision and audio performance. 

Philips TVs don't top our list, but they always feature strongly. Their screens are reliable and bright with some notable cool additions, including Ambilight, a system that projects lights onto the wall behind a TV display. Premium Philips TVs also have a considerable audio boost thanks to a partnership with Bowers & Wilkins. 

Of course you shouldn't feel hemmed in by these four brands – Panasonic offers excellent premium TVs with a focus on image quality in particular, and Hisense and TCL offer great value in the mid-range and affordable end of the market.

Which brand of TV is most reliable?

Again, there's no one answer to this question, particularly in terms of which brand to go for. But one thing worth considering in regards to longevity is the kind of TV tech that's being used. 

For example, OLED TVs do have the possibility of image retention, also known as 'burn-in'. It's where a ghost of a still image stays on the screen – such as a clock or logo from 24-hour news channels. However, these days burn-in is much less of an issue than it used to be. Then again, LED TVs are probably still the better choice for anyone concerned about long-term reliability, since there's no chance of it at all.

Which is better, OLED or QLED?

This is one of the biggest and more contentious TV tech questions of the moment. Luckily we've covered all of the details in our OLED vs QLED guide

However, if you're looking for a summary we'd say that QLED is a great option for brightness if you'll watch in bright, sunlit conditions; whereas OLED TVs offer better viewing angles and superior contrast for gorgeous movie-like images, as long as you can control the lighting.

Is LG better than Samsung?

Both LG and Samsung are excellent TV brands and you can't really go wrong with either. However, there are some areas where one TV maker could be a better option than the other.

An LG TV tops our best TVs guide, but Samsung is the market leader for sales overall. If you're looking for the most impressive picture quality out there, regardless of price, nothing currently beats LG's OLED panels for color and contrast.

But Samsung TV's are incredibly bright, particularly in more affordable models. We also love Samsung's lifestyle sets, like The Frame QLED 4K TV (2022), for combining performance with style. And its cheaper TVs, like the Samsung CU8000, are good value for money. 

Is OLED better than 4K?

Luckily, you don't need to decide whether to go with OLED or 4K – you can have both! 4K refers to the resolution (ie, the number of pixels on the screen), while OLED refers to the panel technology (ie, what the pixels are made from).

So you can have 4K screens that are OLED (almost all of them are, apart from some pricey 8K OLED TVs), and you can have 4K screens that are QLED, mini-LED or other tech.

How we test the best TVs

When it comes to testing the best TVs, we base our tests on the following criteria that you’ll find in our reviews: picture quality, audio quality, gaming features, smart TV features and ease of use, design, and value for money. We test these using both objective measurements and our subjective opinion from viewing the TV.

Testing picture quality, we start by cycling through the TVs picture presets – Standard, Movie, Sports and so on – to establish where they have strengths and weaknesses, and which is the most accurate. We test these picture modes through several sources including 4K Blu-ray and streaming, HD Blu-ray and streaming, and lower-resolution sources such as DVD and broadcast TV to test a TV’s upscaling effectiveness.

While testing, we’re looking to see how the TV’s processing handles various elements of the pictures. How is motion handled in 24fps movies compared to sports, for example, or how natural the details look when upscaled from lower-quality to higher quality. We’ll test to see whether digital noise reduction processing ruins the look of film grain, and how well a TV handles the digital artefacts and color banding that are common on streaming services. 

We’re also looking for how well a movie handles dark tones, especially if it’s an LCD model, and this includes and backlight blooming from light to dark areas, and any unevenness in the backlight.

When it comes to objective measurements, we use specialized equipment, including a test pattern generator to create measurable signals, a colorimeter to read them, and Portrait Display’s Calman Calibration software to record our results.

The first area we’ll usually test is brightness. We’ll measure a TV’s brightness over different sized, white window patterns, such as 10% (for HDR highlights) and 100% or fullscreen brightness. The 10% window tells us the maximum brightness we can realistically expect a set to achieve in real use, while the 100% window tells us how bright it can go in something like sports where brightness is even for a long time, and is important for understanding how well a TV will beat reflections. We do this to test not only how effective a TVs backlight will be, but also to measure against claimed brightness from manufacturers. When we test brightness, we make sure to do it in a light-controlled room to prevent any interference from other light sources which could affect results.

We also test the color reproduction of TVs, in both SDR and HDR, to test their accuracy to the source material, and how much of the maximum possible color gamut they can show. We’ll also test accuracy not only for color but grayscale tones, to see how accurate a TV’s contrast is, looking in particular at just how true its representation of black tones are. 

For gaming, we use a Leo Bodnar 4K Input Lag Tester to see what kind of latency is added to games by the TVs processing, and we always test this in the Game Mode equivalent. We’ll test other gaming features, such as 4K 120Hz and Variable Refresh Rate support, using a games console for real resting.

It’s worth noting that although we strive to test every TV in matching conditions and with the same equipment, some of our writers have different setups. We only use writers with equipment that is at the same level of accuracy as ours, and they will run the same tests.

The latest updates to this best TVs guide

February 26 2024
Expanded on our How we Test section to include more detailed breakdown of what we tests we conduct on the TVs in this guide. 

January 23 2024
Updated FAQ's section with 'What new TVs are coming in 2024?' looking at the latest models that are arriving in 2024. 

December 12, 2023
Replaced LG B3 with Samsung Q80C as 'Best mid-range'. LG B3 became 'Best cheaper OLED TV'

November 14, 2023
Replaced the Samsung BU8500 with the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED for 'Best budget TV'. Replaced the Philips OLED807 and Panasonic LZ2000 with their 2023 equivalents, the Philips OLED808 and Panasonic MZ2000, respectively.

Matt Bolton
Managing Editor, Entertainment

Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Entertainment, meaning he's in charge of persuading our team of writers and reviewers to watch the latest TV shows and movies on gorgeous TVs and listen to fantastic speakers and headphones. It's a tough task, as you can imagine. Matt has over a decade of experience in tech publishing, and previously ran the TV & audio coverage for our colleagues at T3.com, and before that he edited T3 magazine. During his career, he's also contributed to places as varied as Creative Bloq, PC Gamer, PetsRadar, MacLife, and Edge. TV and movie nerdism is his speciality, and he goes to the cinema three times a week. He's always happy to explain the virtues of Dolby Vision over a drink, but he might need to use props, like he's explaining the offside rule.

With contributions from