Shopping for a new TV can get overwhelming fast. Between endless spec sheets and flashy jargon, it’s tough to know which models are actually worth your money. That’s where I come in. I’ve been testing home entertainment gear for over a decade and have reviewed TVs across every display type. I know exactly what TVs at different price points should deliver to make them worthwhile, and I’ve used that expertise to highlight the four best TVs you can buy right now.

For most people, the Samsung S90F OLED hits the perfect sweet spot. It’s easy to assemble and delivers high contrast, rich colors, and deep black levels that disappear in a dark room. But if you’re trying to spend less, the TCL QM6K QLED is a standout for the money. It doesn’t match the S90F’s performance, but it punches well above its price and uses the snappy Google TV interface with Gemini AI smarts.

My team and I use calibration tools to measure a TV’s picture, but we don’t stop there. Our philosophy is that real-world viewing and overall usability matter most. That’s why we also watch movies and channel surf just like you would. We also factor in smart features, design, and value to find the best TVs across the board. All of the models I recommend are available in multiple sizes, including big-screen options perfect for movie nights and sports. Be sure to select the size you want from each retailer’s listing.

Our top picks for the best TVs

Best overall: Samsung S90F OLED TV – See at Amazon

Best premium: LG G5 OLED TV – See at Amazon

Best entry-level: TCL QM6K QLED TV – See at Amazon

Best midrange: TCL QM7L SQD TV – See at Amazon

Best overall: Samsung S90F

What we love: It delivers the best balance between performance and price of any TV we’ve tested.

Drawbacks: Samsung’s smart TV interface isn’t our favorite, and color performance varies by size.

The Samsung S90F OLED sports a full suite of smart features, a sleek design, and image quality that outshines most rivals in its price range.

Assembly is hassle-free thanks to snap-on legs that attach to the TV without needing screws. The legs then click into a pedestal base, giving the S90F an elegant look. However, the plastic stand isn’t as sturdy as the metal bases on some rival models, so you’re trading heft for convenience with this design.

The TV delivers pixel-level contrast and dazzling highlights that pop off the screen. Lower-end TVs often look like a cloudy mess when displaying dark scenes in a dim room, but the S90F delivers deep, inky black levels. The result is bold, cinematic picture quality with rich color and sharp detail. The S90F also delivered solid brightness in my team’s tests, making it a solid fit for average living rooms and dedicated home theaters alike.

Viewing angles are another strong suit. While LED and QLED TVs can fade when viewed off-center, the S90F maintains contrast and color accuracy from nearly any seat in the room. Gamers will also appreciate the TV’s high refresh rate, ensuring smooth gameplay.

Samsung’s Tizen smart TV interface includes built-in access to the Xbox Cloud Gaming app, allowing Game Pass members to stream Xbox titles without a console. The platform also supports nearly every major streaming service and lets you use Amazon Alexa or Samsung’s own Bixby digital assistant. Navigation speed has also been upgraded compared to older Samsung TVs, with faster load times and less lag. That said, our reviewer found the interface’s menu and app organization a bit clumsy. It’s not a dealbreaker, but there’s still room for improvement.

A special note should also be made about the S90F’s unique SolarCell remote. It’s compact but has all the buttons you need easily within reach, and it has a rear solar panel for charging, so you don’t need batteries. It also has a USB-C port so you can plug it in to charge as a backup.

The S90F is available in sizes from 42 to 83 inches. Features and general capabilities are the same across all sizes, but the 55-, 65-, and 77-inch models deliver slightly better color performance.

Read our Samsung S90F 4K TV review.

Best premium OLED: LG G5

What we love: It delivers an exceptional combination of high contrast and brightness, and its flush design looks stunning hanging on a wall.

Drawbacks: It’s expensive and doesn’t come with a pedestal stand.

The LG G5 OLED is one of the most impressive high-end TVs I’ve tested. It offers a rare combination of pixel-perfect contrast and high brightness. During testing, the G5 offered nearly twice the peak brightness of cheaper OLEDs, such as the S90F.

Of course, what’s actually important is how the TV looks when watching real-world content. And in a word, the G5 is stunning. High-brightness HDR movies, such as “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “Aquaman,” leap from the screen in ways I’ve rarely seen, fully utilizing the G5’s nearly unmatched combination of intense peak highlights and infinite contrast. Viewing angles are also wide, allowing you to sit to the side of the screen without any significant shifts in contrast and color. Gamers even get a high 165Hz refresh rate when paired with a PC.

The G5’s webOS smart TV interface works well enough, but it isn’t my favorite platform. The homepage is a bit barebones in design and features shopping recommendations too prominently. However, you still get access to all the best streaming services, general navigation and usability are solid, and I like that you can disable ads in the settings menu. The remote also has a unique motion control function that lets you point it at the screen to move a virtual cursor. This is a love-it-or-hate-it feature, but you can always use traditional click navigation instead.

The TV also boasts a handsome design, sturdy materials, and a slim profile. It comes with a flush wall mount that lets you hang the panel with virtually no gap, making it look fantastic in nearly any living room. But the trade-off is that the G5 doesn’t include a traditional stand. If wall mounting isn’t doable in your room, you’ll have to purchase a separate stand.

It’s also worth noting that a 2026 version of this TV, called the G6, is available. I got an early look at the new model, and it offers improved processing to further minimize banding and a stronger anti-reflective coating. However, the G6 costs a lot more. Dedicated enthusiasts might want to consider the latest model, but most are better off snagging the G5 while it’s available for less. You can learn more in my roundup of 2026 LG OLED TVs.

Read our LG G5 4K TV review.

Best entry-level model: TCL QM6K

What we love: It’s affordable without sacrificing key features, and it’s available in many screen sizes.

Drawbacks: Its image quality degrades from an angle, and it’s dimmer than pricier TVs.

The QM6K is TCL’s top entry-level QLED TV. The 65-inch size is often on sale for $650 or less, which is an excellent value for a TV in this class.

The QM6K’s Google TV interface is easy to use and snappy to navigate. When reviewing older TCL TVs, I encountered several minor glitches here and there, but the QM6K was free from bugs. Google TV has gradually become one of my favorite interfaces, thanks to its clean layout and seamless integration with other Google services. And Google’s new Gemini AI assistant works well for voice search and content recommendations. I also love that the included remote has backlit keys, which even high-end LG and Samsung models lack.

However, what really sets the QM6K apart from other similarly priced TVs is its use of a Mini LED backlight and quantum dots. These features are typically reserved for pricier sets and enable the QM6K to produce higher contrast and better color than most rivals. I was impressed by the TV’s backlight control, which produced minimal blooming (halos around bright objects) and a solid HDR image with excellent saturation. However, as a budget-friendly TV, the QM6K has some limitations. The display’s black levels are slightly lighter than those of pricier QLEDs, and its brightness is notably dimmer than my other picks in this guide.

As a result, bright highlights in some movies and TV shows have less impact than intended. And although viewing angles have been improved over older TCL QLEDs, they’re still much narrower than those of an OLED TV. On the plus side, the QM6K offers a significant gaming upgrade over its predecessor, with a refresh rate of up to 144Hz. This makes the QM6K one of the most affordable TVs that can display 4K/120Hz signals from a PS5 or Xbox Series X, enabling smoother motion when playing certain games.

All things considered, the QM6K is the perfect starter TV for anyone who wants a budget set that still offers worthwhile HDR performance.

Read our TCL QM6K 4K TV review.

Best midrange option: TCL QM7L

What we love: Its color and brightness performance come close to matching that of pricier flagship TVs.

Drawbacks: Picture quality degrades when you’re at an angle, and we noticed some HDR clipping in isolated scenes.

TCL’s QM7L is one of the best TVs in its price range. It’s an especially great midrange set for those who want excellent brightness and color performance at a price lower than high-end flagship sets.

This model replaces my previous pick for this spot, the 2025 QM7K. That TV remains an excellent midrange model, but it’s sold out at most retailers. The QM7L succeeds it, offering a few notable improvements in picture quality.

Similar to the entry-level QM6K, the QM7L runs Google TV and is powered by Gemini AI for quick access to numerous streaming services and support for conversational voice control. It also uses a Mini LED backlight with local dimming and includes a handy backlit remote control. But what sets this pricier model apart from its cheaper sibling is its use of TCL’s new SQD technology.

Instead of standard quantum dots, the QM7L uses larger super quantum dots and an improved color filter. This results in a notable bump in color performance. The QM7L is also bright enough to deliver a high-end HDR experience, with highlights that really pop from the screen when called for. Black levels are great as well, with excellent local dimming that mostly avoids blooming, though some light bleed is visible in certain scenes.

On the downside, the TV’s glossy screen is very reflective, and the panel’s viewing angles are average. You can still get a solid image from a few feet to the left or right, but any farther and you’ll notice shifts in color and brightness. Our reviewer also noticed other small flaws, such as flickering in images of dense fabrics, subtle motion stuttering, and an isolated instance of HDR clipping

But even with these quirks, there’s no denying just how great the QM7L is. Its launch price was a bit high, but it’s already getting frequent discounts, making it a top value for midrange shoppers who want a bright, colorful, and reliable TV.

Read our TCL QM7L 4K TV review.

The best TVs, compared

Why do we still recommend 2025 TV models?

In many cases, 2025 TVs are still the best value. They’re often available at significant discounts compared with newer 2026 models, while delivering very similar picture quality and features. The latest TVs do offer some improvements, but not usually enough to justify paying hundreds more right now. However, inventory for certain 2025 TV models is beginning to dwindle. With that in mind, we’ll update our recommendations as older models become harder to find and prices on 2026 TVs come down

Other TVs we reviewed

Though they didn’t quite make the cut for this guide, my team and I reviewed several other display models as we sought the best TVs. Here’s a rundown of some other notable TVs we tested, along with details on why they didn’t make our top four picks.

Samsung R95H Micro RGB 4K TV – See at Samsung
Samsung’s R95H is the company’s flagship Micro RGB TV for 2026. Unlike typical QLED and Mini LED sets, which use only white or blue backlights with color filters, the R95H uses an RGB backlight with red, green, and blue LEDs. This allows the backlight to produce color, which enhances performance. We measured 91% of the BT.2020 color space, the widest range we’ve seen on a consumer TV. However, the R95H’s brightness is a bit disappointing for a flagship set, and its contrast still can’t match Samsung’s OLEDs.

Read our Samsung R95H review.

LG 95B Micro RGB 4K TV – See at Best Buy
The 95B is LG’s take on a Micro RGB TV. It also uses red, green, and blue LEDs in its backlight to enable 90% coverage of the BT.2020 color space. It also gets incredibly bright. However, it costs about the same as LG’s high-end OLED models but can’t match their contrast or viewing angles. This is a solid option for people who want a bright, big-screen LG TV, but otherwise we give the edge to the brand’s top OLEDs.

Read our LG 95B Micro RGB review.

TCL X11L SQD 4K TV – See at Amazon
The X11L is TCL’s first SQD TV, which stands for Super Quantum Dot. In essence, this is an advanced QLED set with better color and brightness than a typical QLED. In fact, this TV delivers the best brightness performance I’ve ever measured. It also has exceptional black-level control for a QLED. That said, it still can’t match the pixel-level contrast of an OLED, and its viewing angles are narrower. It’s also expensive and only available in large 75-, 85-, and 98-inch sizes. If you’re a home theater enthusiast with the funds, this TV is hard to beat, but other models offer a better overall value.

Read our TCL X11L review.

LG C6H OLED 4K TV – See at Amazon
LG’s C6H is a new submodel in its popular C Series of OLED TVs. It’s only available in 77- and 83-inch sizes, while the standard C6 is available in smaller sizes. The C6H is notably brighter than the C6 as it uses the same advanced tandem OLED technology as LG’s more expensive G Series. We were impressed by its image quality, and it has the potential to be the top big-screen OLED value of 2026. However, its launch price is a bit high, so we recommend waiting for sales to see if it drops.

Read our LG C6H review.

Samsung S95H OLED 4K TV – See at Samsung
The S95H is another excellent high-end TV option for those looking for an alternative to the G5. It can get even brighter and offers slightly richer colors in certain content. However, the S95H uses a divisive matte screen rather than a glossy screen. The matte panel does a fantastic job of reducing reflections, but it can also reduce contrast in a bright room. The S95H is easily one of the most impressive high-end TVs available, but the G5 preserves black levels better during the day and is less expensive.

Read our Samsung S95H review.

TCL QM8K QLED 4K TV – See at Amazon
TCL’s QM8K is one of the brand’s top QLED models. It delivers excellent performance that’s on par with many high-end sets from pricier brands. In particular, the QM8K boasts impressive brightness and superior contrast control compared to similar QLEDs. However, overall image quality is still surpassed by OLED models, such as the Samsung S90F. That said, if you’re looking for a high-performance QLED TV for a bright room, the QM8K is an excellent choice. TCL also sells a new 2026 QM8 model, called the QM8L. It costs more but delivers even better color performance.

Read our TCL QM8K review and TCL QM8L review.

Hisense U8QG QLED 4K TV – See at Amazon
The Hisense U8QG is another excellent QLED TV for those seeking a high-brightness screen. It performs similarly to the TCL QM8K, but can get slightly brighter and features a faster 165Hz refresh rate. That said, it’s limited to three HDMI ports and suffers from oversaturated reds. Ultimately, we still give an edge to similarly priced OLED displays for overall performance.

Read our Hisense U8QG review.

Samsung Frame Pro 4K TV – See at Amazon
The Frame Pro is Samsung’s premium version of its popular Frame TV. Like the standard Frame, the Frame Pro is designed to look like a hanging piece of art when not in use as a TV. It accomplishes this with a matte screen that mimics the look of canvas, a flush wall-mount, interchangeable bezels, and access to a vast collection of art to display on-screen (subscription required). This high-end model can get brighter than the standard Frame, and its black-level control is better thanks to edge-lit local dimming. It also utilizes a wireless connection box, which expands your placement options within the room. However, while this is an excellent option for design-focused buyers, its overall picture quality still lags behind that of the best TVs in this guide.

Read our Samsung Frame Pro review.

Amazon Ember Artline QLED TV – See at Amazon
Amazon’s Artline TV is its answer to Samsung’s Frame TV. It also supports magnetic frame-style bezel attachments, uses a matte screen, and comes with a flush wall mount. However, the TV has a large sensor bar that protrudes from the bottom center of the bezel, which breaks the illusion of its hanging picture-frame design. Its image quality is also mediocre. Though the Ember is a decent Frame alternative when it’s on sale, we generally recommend opting for Samsung’s standard Frame TV instead.

Read our Amazon Ember Artline review.

Amazon Ember Mini LED TV – See at Amazon
The Omni Mini LED is Amazon’s flagship TV. This model uses a Mini LED backlight to deliver higher contrast and brightness than the brand’s more affordable offerings. It stacks up well against other TVs in its class, like the QM7K, but its list price is a bit high, and we prefer other smart TV systems over Amazon’s Fire TV interface.

Read our Amazon Ember Mini LED review.

Amazon Ember QLED TV – See at Amazon
The Omni QLED is a lower-midrange Amazon model that uses standard LEDs but still features local dimming. However, its brightness and color performance are underwhelming considering its price. Our reviewer also noted that most of the TV’s picture modes are wildly inaccurate. For those reasons, we recommend buyers go with similarly priced alternatives from TCL and Hisense.

Read our Amazon Ember QLED review.

What TVs are we testing now?

My team and I are constantly reviewing new TV models for consideration in this guide. Here’s a rundown of what we’re testing right now:

How we test TVs

To pick the best TVs, my team and I focus on picture quality, smart features, design, and overall value.

Picture quality: My TV testing mixes objective measurements with everyday viewing. Meters and pattern generators are used to measure a TV’s brightness and color capabilities using Portrait Displays Calman software. But while test patterns are helpful, they don’t tell the whole story. So I also live with each TV for a few weeks, watching movies and shows in both bright and dark environments, just like I would on my own set. This helps me spot performance quirks across different types of content. I also weigh image quality against price, as what I expect from a budget TV differs from what I expect from a flagship model.

Smart features: I spend time with each TV’s smart platform to see how fast it is, how well voice search works, how many apps are available, and how intrusive the ads feel. If a TV includes unique features, I dig into those too to see whether they actually make a difference.

Design: I don’t hold inexpensive TVs to the same standard as premium ones, but I do call out any major design issues. High-end models, on the other hand, should feel premium, with thin panels, metal finishes, sturdy stands, and thoughtful touches such as adjustable height or backlit remotes.

Value: Ultimately, the best TVs strike the right balance between performance and price. Expensive sets need to earn their premium with truly top-tier picture quality, while midrange and budget options should deliver features that go above and beyond what you typically get at their price.

For more details on our review process, check out our breakdown of how we test tech products.

Meet the expert behind this guide:

Steven Cohen, senior tech editor: I’ve been testing home entertainment gear for more than a decade, and my team and I spend all year getting hands-on with the newest TVs. I also studied film production, so I care a lot about how accurately a TV reproduces a director’s intended picture. I use calibration tools, pattern generators, and benchmark discs to measure brightness and color accuracy, but numbers alone only tell part of the story. I also live with every TV I review — watching movies, streaming shows, gaming, and casually channel surfing — to see how it performs in the real world. My goal is to cut through the marketing fluff and help you find a TV that looks fantastic without spending more than you need to.

Learn more about the Reviews team at Business Insider.

TV FAQs

What kinds of TVs are available in 2026?

If you buy a TV in 2026, it will likely be branded as one of four primary display types: OLED, QLED, Micro RGB, or LED. Though performance varies by model, each tech has its own strengths and weaknesses.

OLED TVs (including newer QD-OLED and Four-Stack OLED models) have traditionally delivered the best overall picture quality thanks to self-lit pixels that produce perfect black levels, infinite contrast, and wide viewing angles. They’re ideal for home theaters and movie lovers, and newer OLED types are bright enough for most living rooms. Downsides include lower peak brightness than the brightest LED-based TVs, higher prices, limited size options, and a small risk of burn-in with extreme use. You can learn more in our guide to the best OLED TVs.

QLED TVs use an LCD panel with an LED or Mini LED backlight and quantum dots to boost brightness and color. High-end models can get extremely bright, making them great for sunny rooms, and they’re available in a wide range of sizes and prices with no burn-in risk. However, even the best QLEDs can’t match OLED’s contrast, and picture quality varies widely depending on whether the TV includes local dimming.

LED TVs are the most basic and affordable option. They use LCD panels with LED backlights, but lack quantum dots and typically lack local dimming and wide color support. They’re best for budget shoppers who want large screens at low prices, though contrast, color, and viewing angles are generally mediocre compared to OLED and QLED.

RGB LED TVs (also called Micro RGB, RGB Mini LED, and True RGB) are an emerging technology similar to QLED TVs. But instead of using a quantum dot filter, RGB LED TVs use separate red, green, and blue LEDs in their backlight. This enables purer colors than QLED TVs, without the burn-in concerns of OLED TVs. That said, the technology is very new, only a few models are available, and contrast still can’t match that of an emissive OLED panel.

For more detailed comparisons of TV panel technology, check out our QLED vs. OLED and our RGB LED vs. Mini LED TV explainers.

What is 4K?

4K is a screen resolution used on many TVs, as well as certain computer monitors. A 4K TV has 3840 x 2160 pixels, which is four times as many as a 1080p HDTV. More pixels can make an image look sharper and more detailed, especially on larger screens. Most TVs sold today have a 4K panel, and most major streaming services and game consoles support 4K playback.

Why don’t we recommend 8K TVs?

Most TV brands have stopped making new 8K TVs, with Samsung being the only major player to release 8K models in 2026. The benefits of 8K over 4K are extremely subtle and hard to notice unless you sit close to a very large screen. It’s also essential to remember that 8K content is virtually nonexistent, as nearly all movies and TV shows are still produced in 4K or even lower resolutions. Ultimately, the best 4K TVs provide much better value than the few remaining 8K TVs on the market.

What size TV is best?

TVs range from compact 24-inch models to massive 100-inch-plus screens, and the right size depends on your room, seating distance, resolution, and budget. Larger TVs cost more and require more space, but they also create a more immersive viewing experience.

There’s no single best TV size for everyone, but 65 inches is often the sweet spot. It strikes a great balance between cinematic impact, everyday practicality, and value, which is why many manufacturers use it as their flagship size.

If you have a certain size in mind, check out our guides below for more picks in that category:

What smart TV interfaces does each brand use?

Nearly every TV you can buy in 2026 is a smart TV, but brands use different operating systems (OS) to handle streaming apps and features.

• Fire TV: Amazon, Panasonic, Toshiba, Insignia, Pioneer, Hisense, TCL
• Google TV: Sony, TCL, Hisense, Onn
• Roku TV: Roku, TCL, Hisense
• Vizio OS: Vizio, Onn
• Tizen: Samsung
• webOS: LG

You can learn more about different smart TV systems in our guide to the best smart TVs.

Do you need a TV with HDMI 2.1?

HDMI 2.1 is standard on many midrange and high-end TVs and is most useful for gamers. It enables 4K at 120Hz (and sometimes higher refresh rates with a PC), along with variable refresh rate (VRR) and auto low latency mode (ALLM) for smoother, lower-lag gameplay.

To use these features, every device in your setup must support HDMI 2.1, including your TV, gaming console or PC, and any soundbar or AV receiver used for passthrough. You’ll also need 48Gbps-rated HDMI cables to handle the full bandwidth. Check out our guide to the best HDMI cables for our top recommendations.

When is the best time to buy a TV?

If you’re shopping for a new TV, the best time to buy is during deal events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or Amazon Prime Day. TVs often drop to their lowest prices during these sales. You can also find significant discounts in the weeks leading up to major sports events, such as the Super Bowl and March Madness, as well as during holidays like the Fourth of July and Memorial Day.

What TV brands should you consider?

The best TV brand for you depends on your budget and priorities. Sony, Samsung, LG, and Panasonic lead the pack for premium build quality and cutting-edge OLED and QLED performance, though their midrange and entry-level models usually cost more than comparable options from rivals.

If you want strong picture quality at a lower price, TCL and Hisense are excellent value brands. Their midrange QLED TVs often rival — or even beat — pricier models from bigger names, thanks to features like quantum dots and local dimming, even if the design and build feel less premium.

Roku and Amazon also sell their own TVs, which can be solid deals during sales but are usually less competitive at full price compared to similarly priced alternatives.

For basic, no-frills TVs, budget brands like Onn, Insignia, and Toshiba are worth considering. They offer affordable HD and 4K sets and are best suited for casual viewing, secondary rooms, or tight budgets, especially when discounted during major sales events.

You can learn more about the top offerings from different TV companies in our brand-specific buying guides:

Do TVs offer good sound quality?

Generally speaking, TVs offer mediocre sound quality. To keep TVs thin and affordable, manufacturers use small speaker drivers, often placed in locations that result in poor sound quality. This results in poor sound quality, characterized by muddy dialogue, flat dynamics, and a lack of bass.

We recommend purchasing a soundbar or a full surround sound system to get the best sound quality with your TV. Check out our soundbar and speaker guides to see our top recommendations:

For more details on the latest advancements in immersive surround sound technology, check out our guide to Dolby Atmos.

Can I watch free local channels on my TV?

Most TVs include integrated digital tuners that can receive free over-the-air broadcasts when paired with an antenna and a coaxial cable. Reliable digital antennas can cost as little as $20. Check out our guide to the best indoor TV antennas to see our top recommendations.

If you live in an area with poor antenna reception but still want an alternative to cable that provides access to popular channels, check out our guide to the best live TV streaming services.