The Best TVs (and Helpful Buying Tips)
If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
-Offwhite-Background-SOURCE-Walmart.jpg)
Saving up for a new screen? Whether you’re a videophile or a 4K newcomer, the best TVs you can buy are bigger, brighter, and cheaper than ever. To help you navigate the dozens of models from Samsung, LG, TCL, Hisense, Sony, Panasonic, and others, we've done intensive testing and watched hundreds of hours of content to grab the standouts from our recent reviews. Below you'll find everything from the top TV we've tested to the best sets on a tight budget—with plenty of excellent options in between.
All of these models have a minimum 4K Ultra HD resolution (one has 8K) with HDR, because there's no good reason to buy a standard HDTV beyond a pint-size model for your kitchen or small bedroom. Every TV on our list comes with a wonderful display, but most are bad at sound and can have lackluster interfaces, so you should consider investing in a good soundbar or pair of bookshelf speakers and a streaming stick. If you're unfamiliar with TV lingo, check out our tips below.
Updated January 2025: We've added the Panasonic Z95A OLED TV.
Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting that's too important to ignore for just $2.50 $1 per month for 1 year. Includes unlimited digital access and exclusive subscriber-only content. Subscribe Today.
- Photograph: Amazon
Best TV for Most People
Hisense U7N QLEDWith gleaming brightness, excellent black levels, and voluminous quantum dot colors, Hisense’s U7N (8/10, WIRED Recommends) looks way better than a TV at this price has a right to. The 65-inch model we tested lists for $1,000, but you’ll usually find it on sale for $700 to $800, or below $600 for the 55-incher. Even if that’s stretching your budget, this TV is worth the splurge for most.
Along with its punchy picture, the U7N provides gaming features like VRR (variable refresh rate) and ALLM (auto low-latency mode), a dedicated game bar, and support for 4K gaming at up to 144 Hz. Other spoils include an intuitive Google TV smart interface and an adjustable audio output that lets you use your TV remote to control the volume for aging soundbars and receivers. It still shows some budget tendencies, like middling off-axis performance and some screen uniformity issues, but for most viewers, especially those new to the world of 4K HDR, this TV is bound to delight. —Ryan Waniata
- Photograph: Roku
Best Smart TV
Roku Plus Series QLEDIt's no secret that we're fans of Roku's smart TV interface—that's a big reason TCL TVs with Roku smarts topped our TV list for so long in the midst of worthy adversaries. Now Roku has stepped out and is making its own TVs in-house, and the company's Roku Plus Series TVs serve as a great entry point for those on a budget.
I spent a month or so testing the Plus Series and came away pretty darn impressed with its picture. Sure, you don't get a high refresh rate for gaming (this panel is limited to 60 frames per second, which is still fine for most consoles), but you do get excellent color via the quantum-dot-enabled (QLED) panel. Full-array local dimming means solid black levels, and this model is even supported by HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant, making it a great affordable smart TV.
★ Take it up a notch: If you're after Roku smarts but with higher performance, we also like the Roku Pro Series TV, which provides improved picture quality thanks to features like mini LEDs for enhanced contrast and a 120-Hz panel for smoother gaming and better motion handling. —Parker Hall
- Photograph: Parker Hall
Best High-End TV
LG C4LG's C4 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is the best high-end TV for most folks. The slim-bezeled OLED offers eye-watering brightness and color, with support for Dolby Vision that Samsung's rival S90D notably lacks.
I love the magic remote, which is like a Wii remote for your TV that lets you point and click at what you want on screen (it's really awesome for logging in to your myriad streaming accounts). Couple that with support for Google Chromecast and Apple Airplay for easy casting from your cell phone, plus the ability to do 4K at up to 144 Hz across all four inputs while gaming, and you have yourself the perfect centerpiece for your fancy modern living room. —Parker Hall
- Photograph: Walmart
Best Cheap TV
Vizio 4K TV (V4K55M-0801)This cheap TV from Vizio supports Dolby Vision and has an easy-to-use interface that allows flawless app casting from Android and iOS. It's hilariously cheap for these features; a 55-inch model will set you back around $300. You can choose from a ton of sizes, ranging from a 48-inch guest-bedroom TV to an 85-incher for the living room.
You'll miss out on perfect black levels, because this TV doesn't have the fancy mini-LED or OLED panels you'll find on other picks on this list, but at this price you can't really complain. These TVs look shockingly good and can even game at 120 frames per second in 1080p, which is all that anyone really needs for most consoles. —Parker Hall
- Photograph: Ryan Waniata
Best All-Around Performance
Panasonic Z95A OLEDSometimes you get a TV that hits all the right notes from the moment it glows. Panasonic’s new Z95A OLED (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is that TV. With a meticulously tuned version of LG Display’s top OLED panel at its core, this TV is fabulously bright, offset by fantastic shadow detail, excellent reflection handling, and the perfect black levels for which OLEDs are praised. Details are crisp, with excellent upscaling, while the colors are rich, deep, and natural. It all adds up to one of the best TVs I’ve laid eyes on. If that weren’t enough, it loads up every major flavor of HDR, including Dolby Vision and HDR10+, and the best built-in TV sound you can buy (though it does make the build bulky).
One notable drawback is its subpar Fire TV operating system—I don’t love the layout, and apps are sometimes slow to load. Like Sony’s current crop of premium TVs, the Z95A also has just two HDMI 2.1 inputs for the latest game consoles, one of which is the eARC input for an audio system. With sound this good, you may not need one anyway, and the rest of the package is so stellar I can’t get this thing off my console. Sorry, Panasonic, I’ve changed my number. —Ryan Waniata
- Photograph: Ryan Waniata
Best Bright-Room TV
Samsung QN90D QLEDAs our guide bears out, brightness is a throughline for modern TVs, with each new model seeming to push the nit limits of its display type and price class. Samsung's QN90D (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is not the brightest TV in its class, but its blend of a still-fiery mini LED backlight system and stealthy anti-reflection tech combine for fabulous performance in the full light of day. It's my favorite TV for the money when it comes to wasting a good Sunday watching football.
The QN90D matches its punchy brightness with rich and natural color shading, crisp picture processing, and oily black levels that don’t skimp on the shadow detail. Its standout motion response makes it great for gaming, as do extras like VRR (variable refresh rate) at up to 144 Hz across four inputs and a dedicated Game Hub. It's not all gravy, as the TV sometimes reveals light bloom in the dark and over-sharpened artifacts with lower-quality content. Off-axis viewing isn’t as good as OLED TVs, and Samsung obstinately omits Dolby VisionHDR. Still, the QN90D's premium picture and bright-room brilliance make it a top pick for the right space. —Ryan Waniata
- Photograph: Ryan Waniata
Best Bright Screen on a Budget
Hisense U8N QLEDTVs have gotten insanely bright of late and the Hisense U8N (8/10 WIRED Recommends) is among the brightest of the new order. While its searing skills oddly vary between sizes, the 65-inch and 75-inch models offer peak brightness that nearly doubles last year's already brilliant U8K (8/10, WIRED Recommends) in some modes. That kind of spectacle takes some getting used to, but it pairs with the U8N's quantum dot colors for dazzling performance. An onboard ambient light sensor can help keep the sparkles in check when the sun goes down, while the TV's mini LED backlight dimming system allows for fantastic contrast and black levels.
The U8N adds good usability thanks to a loaded Google TV interface, a speedy 120-Hz panel, and plenty of gaming features, including dual HDMI 2.1 ports for standards like VRR and ALLM to pair with the best gaming consoles and PCs. The upgraded pedestal stand adds some class, too. The U8N's mid-tier pricing equates to some compromises like mediocre off-angle viewing and some over-sharpened image processing, but few TVs match its brightness and even fewer top its value. —Ryan Waniata
- Photograph: Ryan Waniata
Best for Gamers
Samsung S90D QD-OLEDSamsung’s S90D (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is one of the baddest TVs you can buy right now. Its OLED display provides incredible contrast thanks to fabulous black levels and great brightness for an OLED, while the use of quantum dots (available in the 55-, 65-, and 77-inch models) brings intense yet natural colors.
Its gaming bona fides include 144-Hz refresh rate support across all four HDMI inputs, VRR, and built-in cloud gaming for Xbox, Luna, and others. Gaming aside, I loved everything I watched on this TV, from 4K HDR Blu-rays to the 2024 Olympics. While it doesn’t offer Dolby Vision HDR support (Samsung opts for HDR10+ instead), the S90D is otherwise fully loaded at a price that's well below flagship models. —Ryan Waniata
- Photograph: Sony
Prettiest Picture
Sony A95LSony's A95L (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is among the best-looking TVs I have ever seen, adding quantum dots to an OLED display for striking colors and an even brighter picture than its fantastic predecessor, the A95K. Samsung makes these panels, but Sony adds its special XR processing for pristine clarity and color shading that feels at once natural and immersive. From a performance perspective, it's hard to find a flaw. Sony must have thought the A95L was perfect since the brand hasn't updated it for 2024, adding two new mini LED TVs instead.
Apart from its picture, the TV folds in many of the extras you'd expect in a modern flagship display, including top-tier gaming features (though only across two of its four HDMI inputs), an intuitive Google TV interface, and surprisingly good onboard sound. The A95L isn't for the budget shopper, but rest assured it's as stunning to look at as it is costly to bring home. —Ryan Waniata
- Photograph: Best Buy
Best QLED TV
Sony Bravia 9 QLEDYou may think your current TV is bright enough, but Sony’s masterful Bravia 9 QLED TV (9/10, WIRED Recommends) begs to differ. Its powerful mini-LED backlighting system is among the brightest we’ve tested, which combines with proprietary dimming technology to serve up incredible contrast and black levels. Add in Sony’s excellent picture processing for vivid detail and vibrant yet restrained quantum dot colors and you get a stunningly realistic viewing experience across content.
Restraint is key to the Bravia 9’s success. Its blazing backlight is judiciously distributed for exhilarating highlights and full-picture punch without the eye-blasting overload of cheaper brightness powerhouses. Off-axis viewing is also impressive for an LED TV, though the trade-off is some screen rainbowing with direct reflections. Sony continues to skimp on HDMI 2.1 support, with only two of the flagship's four HDMI ports providing modern features like 4K gaming at 120 Hz. Those knocks aside, this QLED TV is a modern marvel (with a price tag to match). —Ryan Waniata
- Photograph: Ryan Waniata
Best OLED for Bright Rooms
Samsung S95DSamsung's S95C QD-OLED TV (8/10, WIRED Recommends) offered phenomenal brightness for an OLED TV, and generally incredible picture quality bolstered by great features and design. In 2024, Samsung took an even bigger swing with the S95D (8/10, WIRED Recommends), adding an anti-reflective screen coating for class-leading glare resistance. Even direct lighting from inches away is dissipated with surprising efficacy.
The trade-off is that the S95D tends to lose some perceived depth in direct lighting, as the black backdrop swaps obsidian gloss for a duller coating. This is really only noticeable with very dark backgrounds in bright rooms, but it could be a reason for some Samsung fans to consider the step-down S90D (9/10, WIRED Recommends). That said, the S95D looks fantastic day or night, with great contrast and brightness that meets or beats the most potent OLEDs on the market. Add in the same great features and design from last year, and you've got a killer QD-OLED that can take on even the toughest glare. –Ryan Waniata
- Photograph: Amazon
An Insanely Bright Big-Screen TV
Hisense U9NIf you've got a big, bright room and need a TV to fit the space you should take a good look at the Hisense UN9. This massive 75-inch QLED TV (also available in 85-inch) is the length of a twin mattress and is capable of a ludicrous 5,000 nits of peak brightness in short spans, meaning you can watch the early NFL games in a room with all your window coverings open and not notice. The Google TV smart functions work as expected and the remote has the same simple functional design as Hisense TVs that cost a few hundred bucks, but in polished aluminum. The other great feature is the discrete side-mounted speakers—I've been testing it for months without a soundbar and haven't found the audio in any way wanting. —Martin Cizmar
- Photograph: Samsung
Best 8K TV
Samsung QN900CAs we've noted in previous coverage, 8K TVs can be a tough sell since 8K content is still scarce and the files are enormous. Luckily, Samsung's 8K TVs do a swell job upscaling 4K video, which is especially handy for larger screen sizes. Samsung's bright and beautiful QN900C (8/10, WIRED Recommends) comes in sizes ranging from 65 inches up to an 85-inch monster. The TV's 33 million pixels are matched by fabulous picture processing, potent brightness, and vibrant colors. It all adds up to showy spectacle that's tough to rival.
The QN900C is our current go-to model, not because it's the latest from the brand, but because its aging status makes it much more affordable than newer models. I've only gotten a glimpse of the QN900D thus far, but I once again feel comfortable recommending most 8K adopters go for the cheaper (and larger) version while available. After all, the larger the TV, the better you can enjoy 8K's improved pixel density. Along with its sparkling 8K resolution, the QN900C is fully loaded with options like Samsung's pedestal-style floating-screen design, and the latest gaming features for a top-tier experience. —Ryan Waniata
- Photograph: Amazon
Honorable Mentions
Other Great TVsThere are so many wonderful TVs now available, there's a good chance even those that didn't make our top picks could be a fantastic option for you. Here are some of our favorites that just missed the cut.
TCL Q6 (2024): This affordable model from TCL has some of the most impressive highlights I've seen on a cheap TV without fancy local dimming. I really like how good to colors are, especially when watching modern classics like Dune or Mad Max Fury Road. A built-in Google interface makes streaming and casting a breeze, and TCL has a history of making moderately priced screens that last, so you don't have to cross your fingers too much about your purchase.
Sony Bravia 7: The Bravia 7 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is a gorgeous display, offering brilliant brightness, naturalistic colors, and suave finesse in the subtle details. Its biggest knock is poor off-axis viewing, which could be tough to swallow at its high list price. Otherwise, it's worth considering for fans of that Sony glow, especially since Sony seems to be discounting its best QLED TVs much more liberally than its OLED models.
TCL QM7: There's only one thing keeping the beautifully balanced QM7 (6/10, WIRED Reviewed) off our main list: a software glitch. During my review, I experienced an issue where adjusting SDR backlight levels affected HDR, which can lead to severe brightness limitations. While TCL fixed the issue in a firmware update for me, it's not available broadly yet. Most folks probably won't have this issue, so the QM7 is still worth considering, and TCL expects a broad firmware update in December.
Samsung S95C: The S95C (8/10, WIRED Recommends) remains a fantastic choice while available. It may even be the better option for those who don't want or need the matte screen of the 2024 model. It still stands as one of the very best OLED TVs you can buy—especially given its seriously accessible sale pricing.
Samsung QN90C: Another potential deal while still available, Samsung's QN90C (8/10, WIRED Recommends) was long one of our favorite bright-room TVs. It's available in a wide range of sizes and provides a bright and colorful picture and plenty of goodies—especially enticing on a megasale.
- Photograph: Samsung
Buy by Brand
Some TV Buying TipsIf a TV isn't made by LG, Samsung, Sony, Hisense, TCL, Vizio, Roku, or Panasonic (which recently returned to the States) make sure you've done your research. These are our favorite manufacturers at the moment. A cheap set might look enticing for the price, but try to avoid dirt-cheap models from brands like Sceptre, which may not offer good picture quality or a durable build.
If your budget doesn’t extend to a new model from the above brands, we recommend looking into last year's TVs sold at steep discounts and often offering only modest differences. You could also look at factory-refurbished options, but these are obviously less reliable. Read our How to Buy a TV guide to learn more about the terms you'll come across when shopping for a screen, and other helpful advice.
- Illustration: Vlad Rachuk/Getty Images
Helpful Definitions
What Do 4K, HDR, and Other Buzzwords Mean?Buying a TV requires navigating a sea of lingo, so let's quickly define a few key terms. You can also read more about these terms in our How to Buy a TV guide.
- 4K or Ultra HD refers to television resolution with four times as many pixels (points of light) as a traditional HDTV.
- 8K displays have four times the pixels of 4K, but you can mostly ignore 8K for the foreseeable future. 8K sets are still very expensive, and the availability of 8K content hasn't made any notable strides.
- HDR stands for High Dynamic Range, and all modern 4K TVs have it. A TV with HDR technology has better contrast (brighter brights, darker darks) and more voluminous color than older TVs with SDR (standard dynamic range). The three main versions of HDR to be aware of right now are HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision. Most TVs come with HDR10 and Dolby Vision support, while some models (namely Samsung) support HDR10+, a Dolby Vision alternative. Samsung TVs do not support Dolby Vision.
- LED vs LCD: There was a time when these terms could be considered separate, as some early LCD TVs did not use LEDs for backlighting, but they are now essentially interchangeable. Any non-OLED TV right now uses a combination of an LCD panel and LED illumination to create a picture.
- Full-array backlighting means there is a grid of LED lights behind the TV screen, instead of it being lit by lights on the edges.
- Local dimming is enabled by full-array backlighting. It means the TV tries to intelligently lower the LED backlights in small areas of your screen where a movie scene is darker and brighten them in light spots. TVs with mini LED backlighting generally offer the best local dimming (more on that below).
- QLED TVs are backlit LED TVs that employ quantum dots, tiny particles that create brighter and better colors when illuminated. QLED might look like OLED in print, but QLED is not the same technology and generally isn't as highly praised as OLED. QLED TVs look better than TVs without quantum dots, and the best ones get brighter than the best OLEDs, but they still fall behind OLED TVs when it comes to contrast, black levels, and viewing angle.
- mini LED TVs are almost universally quantum-dot enabled, so they can also be considered QLEDs. A QLED with mini LEDs implies (but doesn't guarantee) better picture quality than QLEDs without, since mini LEDs are smaller to allow for more dimming zones for better control and deeper back levels than regular LEDs.
- OLED TVs use an entirely different technology than LED/QLED TVs, able to light up or turn off each tiny pixel independently. That gives OLEDs improved contrast with deeper blacks than LED TVs for a more immersive picture. OLED TVs also have much less trouble providing good off-angle viewing than most LED/QLED TVs, but they can't currently get as bright as the top QLED TVs.
- QD-OLED TVs use newer panels made by Samsung that add quantum dots to improve brightness and aid the color performance of a normal OLED screen.
- 120 Hz means a TV's display refreshes at up to 120 frames per second, producing significantly smoother onscreen action than you'll get with lower-quality 60-Hz panels. This is great for gaming and watching sports, but otherwise, you won't notice much of a difference, as most films and TV shows are designed to be shown at lower frame rates. Some TVs push this further to 144 Hz when connecting a supported gaming PC, while some 2025 TVs will stretch to 165 Hz.
