To help you navigate the dozens of seemingly identical TV models from Samsung, LG, Vizio, TCL, Sony, and other manufacturers, we've watched hundreds of hours of content on them and picked a few of our favorites. We've listed everything from the best budget TV to the absolute best set you can buy—and a few excellent choices in between. Unless labeled otherwise, every TV we link to is 55 inches. There are often larger and smaller sizes available on the retailer's site, but this is a very good size for most living rooms.
We also believe you should invest in a good soundbar and TV streaming stick. TVs now come with wonderful displays, but they're terrible at sound and running apps. Be sure to check out our many other buying guides. There have been mild price fluctuations due to the international chip shortage.
We've updated the links and prices, but they may fluctuate more than usual. Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day. If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism. Learn more. Most of us don't have gargantuan budgets for a new TV, but we do want to buy one that will last.
It's a beautiful 4K TV that marries advanced technology like quantum dots great for bright colors and local dimming for deeper blacks with a built-in Roku interface. TCL is known for competitive pricing, and this 6-Series is no exception, providing the image quality we'd expect from LG and Samsung models that cost nearly double the price. It even has Dolby Vision support, our favorite high-dynamic-range format, which provides exceptionally vivid colors.
The included Micro-LED backlighting is the star of the show, providing exceptional contrast and nearly none of that annoying "halo" effect when you look at bright objects on dark backgrounds. Given the lack of 8K content and the fact that it's much pricier right now, we still recommend this model. Unlike the previous model, which was edge-lit, the 5-Series gets full-array local dimming, which means it has deeper contrast than many TVs.
It's usable for gaming and looks better than the HD set you might have right now. It comes with built-in Roku, so the remote is easy to use, and it streams right out of the box. Read the LG G1 series review. We liked Roku's smart TV system better sound familiar? Picture quality between the two was basically the same, so if you don't have a preference, it makes sense to get the cheapest one.
Read the Vizio V-Series review. If you want an "S" brand, this is one of the best values we've tested. Read our Sony X90J series review. Its sleek OLED screen design stands out compared to the other TVs on this list -- although the ultra-thin OLED models are even sleeker -- it offers better features and image quality than budget models like the TCL 4-Series, and it comes in a vast array of sizes.
Read our Samsung Q60A series review. Most of the TVs on this list are bright enough for just about any room, but maybe you want a screen that's as bright as possible. The U8G outshines others in its price range and was basically as bright as the significantly more expensive Samsung QN90A. Its image quality falls a bit short in other areas and its selection of sizes is limited, but if raw brightness is what you crave, the U8G delivers. Read our Hisense U8G series review.
Our TV reviews follow a rigorous, unbiased evaluation process honed over nearly two decades of TV reviews. In every CNET TV review, three or more similar TVs are compared side-by-side in various lighting conditions with different content, including movies, TV shows and games, across a variety of test categories, from color to video processing to gaming to HDR. I'll post the answers to commonly asked TV questions below. If you have any others, feel free to reach out on Twitter dkatzmaier , or by clicking the little envelope icon on my CNET profile page.
Doing so will let you send a message straight to my inbox. In my opinion bigger is better, and your money is best spent on large screen sizes rather than a slight upgrade in image quality. The answer also depends on room size and seating distance: If you have a big room and sit further away, you'll want a bigger TV.
At nine feet away, for example, we recommend a or inch TV. Burn-in is when part of an image -- for example a channel logo, news ticker or a scoreboard on a TV -- persists as a ghostly background no matter what else appears onscreen. The best way to prevent burn-in is to vary what you watch. In any case we don't consider the built-in smart TV system that important because you can always connect a streaming device to any TV.
As the screen size increases, then you will more likely see p or 4K screen resolutions. For most manufacturers, all their higher-end models will be a 4K resolution. Or more! At present, you will also struggle to find much 8K content. So, anything you watch will need to be upscaled.
If you have a choice, it mainly depends on what you will watch on the screen. And, how far away from the TV you will be sitting. For example, you will benefit from a 4K TV if you watch lots of 4K video content. And if you will be sitting close enough to be able to see the extra detail. In fact, p content upscaled on a 4K screen can look pretty darn good.
SD content upscaled to a 4K TV may not look so great, especially if you are sitting relatively close. The article on understanding TV resolutions goes into this in a bit more detail.
This is where it can get subjective. If you want to get into the technical details, many independent websites measure all these variables. If that is all a bit much for you, you can either go by independent recommendations and reviews hey, you know, like here or by going to a store to take a look for yourself. Just be aware, many stores make the TV picture very bright and colorful, so it stands out. However, these settings will often be too much in a home environment, and the TV may not look so great when you take it home and dial the settings back a bit.
An LED TV is more versatile in a range of lighting conditions — and is available in more screen sizes. The bottom line? TV technology is improving year-on-year. HDR video includes metadata that increases the contrast ratio of an image. The specification for HDR also allows for greater brightness and a wider color range. The result is an amazingly vibrant and life-like picture. There will be greater detail in the image, even when there are both bright and dark areas on screen at the same time. HDR images on a supported TV do make a big difference to the picture quality.
With TVs, you will come across many technical features which can complicate your decision making. A cynical person might say that manufacturers like to highlight these features to make their TVs sound more exciting! I try to narrow things down to the most important features to avoid confusing everyone and, to be fair, myself. However, the refresh rate of a TV is an excellent example of a specification that sounds exciting — but, in reality, it may not make that much difference to your daily viewing.
The theory is that higher refresh rates will look smoother to the human eye. This can be especially useful for fast-moving images such as sports. However, we now find new TVs with higher refresh rates.
Some will have a Hz refresh rate. Some will claim even higher rates, such as Hz. Most video is 30 Hz in the US , and movies are 24 Hz.
Either that or reduces its refresh rate to match the 60 Hz of the source. This makes no difference to how smooth the image looks. If you are looking to buy a native Hz 4K TV, you will find most mid-range to high-range models will support this.
If you are in a particularly geeky mood today or just have too much time on your hands, you can see this explained in more detail in my article, which looks at the question, what is a TV refresh rate?
If you prefer a video, you might the following video interesting. It looks at the difference between refresh rates and frames per second:.
By viewing angle, I mean, does the TV picture still look good if you are sitting on one side of the screen? In an ideal world, you will install the TV in your room and sit directly in front of it.
You may be close or further away, but you will view the TV screen front-on. Therefore, some people will be looking at the screen at an angle. With some TV types, this can be an issue because the picture will lose its quality if you view it at an angle. The contrast will reduce, and the colors will lose their accuracy and brightness. This may not be such an issue if your TV is just for general day-to-day viewing. But, if you want it to get the best picture possible, then you might want to give this some thought.
Although, that will vary depending on the TV. The alternative is a VA panel, which will have the best picture quality when viewed straight-on but will look worse from the side. You can play all the different types of video on a modern flat screen TV. Every TV has a built-in video scaler.
This device will upscale or downscale any incoming video to the correct resolution for the screen. Higher-end TVs will have better quality scalers, and so will perform this process better. But, if you still watch plenty of SD content like DVDs , it is more important to check reviews to see if the TV provides good quality scaling. Also, bear in mind, a DVD or Blu-ray player may also have a high-quality video scaler.
A modern flat screen TV will have many of the standard audio and video connections found on all modern AV devices. The most common connection used these days is HDMI. You will probably just need this for connecting your devices. Some TVs will also provide audio outputs — for connecting to a home theater surround sound system.
This is important to have if you need to send the audio from the internal tuner, or apps, to a surround sound setup. Or, you may be able to use a spare HDMI port depending on the output connections your computer has. Many modern TVs will also have Ethernet or wireless connectivity to access your home network and internet connection.
Access to the internet will allow you to stream video content online — usually via the many built-in apps such as Netflix. You may also be able to stream files via DLNA from your home network. The main thing to consider is; what connections do you need? Try to think about this before you buy a new TV.
If you are planning on using an AV receiver to connect all your devices — as part of a home theater system — then you may need fewer input connections on the TV. The article on how to set up surround sound explains this in more detail. These speakers will provide a decent, if unspectacular, sound.
The quality of the onboard speakers does vary. So, if you are going to be relying on these speakers completely for the sound, then it may be worth paying more for a model with better speakers. However, many people will use a separate speaker system and may not use the onboard speakers at all.
The simplest method is to use a stereo amplifier that you may already own, and use this for the TV sound. Installing surround sound systems takes a bit more effort. I will always recommend using a surround sound system because it takes watching a movie or sports to another level. But in the end, it is something that you can decide for yourself. Another popular way of improving the sound of your TV is by installing a soundbar.
If you find the idea of installing an amplifier and speakers too scary — this can be a simpler solution. You may be surprised to learn; I have a guide on how to choose the best soundbar for your TV. Alternatively, discover how to connect speakers to your TV in my step-by-step guide. Most modern TVs will come with some form of Smart functionality.
This is an interface that allows you to use various apps to play content on your TV. You will need to connect the TV to the internet to use these services. This will either be via WiFi — or by an Ethernet cable. I always try to connect everything with a cable, as this will give the fastest and most reliable connection.
However, as long as you have a strong Wi-Fi signal in the room, this should be enough to stream video. So it is even more vital that you have a quick and reliable connection if you plan on streaming high-resolution video.
Different models of TV will have different Smart TV platforms, and the apps that you can access will vary. If there is a specific app you want to use, then you should check that the TV you are going to buy has that app. Your Smart TV platform may also allow you to stream content that is stored elsewhere on your home network.
This is done via a standard called DLNA — although it may be called something different depending on your model. You can then play this content on your TV.
If you wall mount your TV , then you may feel a larger screen is more suitable for that space. The bigger screens seem to work well when wall mounted. They never seem to look as prominent in the room as those which are placed on furniture. If you have a smaller space or are planning on placing the TV on a cabinet, then maybe you might want a slightly smaller model?
And it depends on your room, and from where you will be watching the TV. Personal taste too. So, you might see a list of five TVs, but they may simply be the same TV at five different screen sizes. You just need to pick the best screen size for your room. You will also get several ranges from the same manufacturer that have small differences in features.
It can be tricky to see what the differences are between the two models. It may just be something relatively minor, like different speakers — or an alternative stand. Some manufacturers have a comparison feature on their websites where you can compare two different models.
This can make it easier to spot the differences.
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