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It comes in a number of sizes from 55 inches up to 85 inches and starts at $699.
Best Cinema TV
The S95D is Samsung’s best QD-OLED to date.
The Hisense U8N (pictured on top of a TV stand at Tom’s Guide’s testing labs) is the best TV of 2024.
It combines sensational highlight brightness and incredible color volume with a special anti-glare matte finish.
“How much light does the place where I’m putting the TV get?”
and"What kind of picture am I looking for?"
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Sizes for TVs are pretty straightforward.
The size listed next to the model is the diagonal distance from corner-to-corner.
Finally, match the specs you should probably the features you want.
Looking for a gaming TV?
Choose one with four HDMI 2.1 ports and a 144Hz refresh rate.
Want a replacement for going to the cinema?
Go for an OLED with Dolby Vision HDR.
All these specs are listed in brief below and fully laid out in each full review.
The best TVs you’re free to buy today
Best TV
1.
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Hisense U8N Mini-LED TV
Our expert review:
Attributes
Notes
Rating
Price
Strong performance for the price.
Design
A great-looking TV but not OLED-levels of thin.
Picture
Shows and movies give off a serious wow factor.
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Smart TV
The best smart TV operating system on the market.
Just because it can get that bright, however, doesn’t mean it will always be blinding.
But that simply didn’t happen with the U8N.
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It looked great the whole time.
The Hisense U8N delivers the perfect mix of value and performance.
You want a TV with good sound:Audio performance is a lot like the HDR performance its great.
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The U8N’s 2.1.2 speaker system is plenty powerful for most medium-sized living rooms.
Best value TV
2.
TCL QM8 Mini-LED TV
Great value for your dollar.
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Its basic plastic construction does the job.
Improved performance and a strong 4K HDR TV.
The best smart TV system on the market.
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It was a really close call between the Hisense U8N and the TCL QM8.
Color reproduction was an impressive 99.97% of the Rec 709 color space.
You sit off-axis to the TV:You want to be sitting head-on with this TV.
Best LG TV
3.
LG G4 OLED
LG’s top 4K OLED is also its priciest, sadly.
The G-Series has always offered elevated, ‘gallery-quality’ design and the G4 continues that trend.
The closest we can currently get to perfection.
WebOS is perfectly suited for its job, but the remote is polarizing.
burn-out or burn-in), and that gives me a lot of confidence recommending their brand.
This set pairs well with the PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Best Samsung TV
4.
Samsung S95D QD-OLED
It’s certainly worth the price, but the price is still steep.
A sleek, posh design with a useful anti-glare finish.
Among the brightest and most colorful OLEDs and looks good out of the box.
Tizen OS offers plenty of app support, but navigation can make you feel clumsy.
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Its QD-OLED display creates some of the brightest, most colorful pictures you’ll find in the OLED class.
There was zero glare.
It’s Samsung’s best TV for casual streaming, 4K movie night, or competitive gaming.
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Incredible brightness:The S95Ds peak brightness of 1,777 nits makes for an incredible show in HDR.
Best Sony TV
5.
Sony Bravia 9
The Bravia 9 is the opposite of affordable.
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Not as slim as an OLED but still a good-looking TV.
Class-leading performance that cinephiles will love.
Google TV reigns supreme as the best smart platform.
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Sony designed the Bravia 9 for the most discerning cinephiles.
Yes, it’s that accurate.
That said, it’s the ultimate “you get what you pay for” TV.
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Pricing starts at $2,700 for a 65-inch screen.
Even as someone who reviews TVs for a living, that’s a little too pricey for me.
You are a picture purist:All the TVs on this list offer excellent brightness and rich colors.
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But none of them offer Sony’s level of artistry when it comes to preserving the director’s intent.
However, the Bravia 9 is truly the best…if you have an unlimited budget.
Most of us don’t, hence why it’s here instead of at #1.
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Affordability is top of mind:I love this TV, but I don’t love the sticker price.
“Value” is not the word that comes to mind when I think Sony.
This TV has substantial input latency and only two HDMI 2.1 ports.
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Best TV for gaming
6.
LG C5 OLED
Currently very expensive, but still worth buying.
In a word: Beautiful.
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A wonderful picture with so-so sound quality.
webOS 25 is a very close second to Google TV.
That said, it’s a gamer’s dream.
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It offers beautiful black levels and well-saturated colors.
But what do these numbers mean, exactly?
Peak Brightness:This metric measures the peak luminance of the screen.
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Basically, it answers the question, “how bright can this TV get?”
We measure this with a 10% window at the TV’s max brightness.
Delta E:Remember from math class that a delta value measures the difference between two numbers.
The lower the Delta E, the more accurate the colors on the TV are.
BT2020 Value:BT2020 is a color gamut - i.e.
a range of colors.
The higher percentage, the more coverage a TV has.
It’s an important metric for gamers who want the most responsive TV.
While other sites might have best-of lists like ours, they typically only test a half-dozen TVs per year.
That said, not every TV is going to make this list.
Consider it a list of honorable mentions.
Read the fullSamsung Q60D QLED TV review.
Panasonic W95A Mini-LED TV ()The Panasonic W95A is a Mini-LED with some serious performance chops.
In our tests, the W95A impressed us with HDR highlights approaching 1,500 nits and fantastic out-of-the-box color accuracy.
Read the fullPanasonic W95A Mini-LED TV review.
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If you want a better mid-range OLED, the Samsung S90C or LG C4 OLED are the better options.
This limits its appeal, though it’s an otherwise impressive TV with a useful set of gaming features.
Read the fullHisense U9N Mini-LED TV review.
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Hisense U7N (12)This is Hisense’s mid-range Mini-LED TV for 2024.
Read our fullHisense U7N review.
It held the spot as the best 8K TV before the QN900D arrived on the scene in 2024.
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And, it now uses less power in Art mode.
Read our fullSamsung The Frame TV (2024) review.
It also comes with two HDMI 2.1 inputs and a 120Hz native refresh rate.
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Read the fullSansui OLED TV review.
More Resources
Need a quick tutorial on TV technology?
Here’s a short primer.
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Screen sizes:This is probably the best place to start when buying a TV.
If you plan on wall-mounting the TV, measure the dimensions of the wall space you want to fill.
Well, ambient light can wash out color saturation or, worse, lead to glare on the screen.
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We have a complete breakdown of brightness and why it matters in ourOLED vs Mini-LED TVguide.
OLED screens offer better color saturation and contrast, but pixel degradation can be an issue.
Resolution defines the number of pixels on the screen.
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The more pixels (and the better the processor), the clearer the overall picture looks.
All TVs will either offer HD, Full HD, 4K or 8K resolution.
These don’t mean anything.
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Well, they do, sort of - but it’s purposely obfuscated.
All TVs available right now have one of two native panel refresh rates: 60Hz or 120Hz.
These numbers tell you how quickly a TV scans and replaces each pixel in a second.
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60Hz is 60 times in one second.
120Hz is 120 times in one second.
You want a higher number if you want smoother motion (i.e.
you plan on watching sports or playing games).
Three ports is common, but nicer TVs usually have 4 HDMI ports.
Check outTV ports explained: What all those HDMI, USB and other connections are for?)
Smart software:Almost all TVs are smart TVs these days.
Price:Lastly, you’ll need to factor price into the equation.
For the most part, unfortunately, better TVs do cost more.
Comparing lab-based data with extensive, hands-on use reveals a complete picture of a TV’s strengths and weaknesses.
Here’s a quick rundown of just a handful of the things we look for with our testing equipment.
For an in-depth look, head over to our full breakdown ofhow Tom’s Guide tests and reviews TVs.
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Contrast and brightness
Contrast is the cornerstone of picture quality.
The ability to get dark is important but so is the ability to get bright.
We measure something called input lag to see how TVs stack up when it comes to gaming responsiveness.
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These measurements come down to the millisecond.
In general, we’re looking for an input latency of 10ms or less.
Which parameters look the best?
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Is this TV hiding an always-on microphone, listening to everything I say?
At the end of this process, we’re well-equipped to help you make a pretty hefty purchasing decision.
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