Table of Contents
Buying a new TV is intimidating. Look for one online and you’ll get bombarded with acronyms and numbers. Visit a store and you’ll come face-to-face with a wall of images that are more confusing than helpful. But we all know that once it’s in our living rooms, we’ll spend thousands of hours relying on that screen to transport us to The White Lotus, make sure we’re caught up on Oscar-worthy films, show us all the NFL action, and even serve as a hub for learning basically anything via YouTube.
Since we spend so much time with our TVs, it’s worth doing a bit of research to make sure you’re buying the right TV for your preferences, including budget, made by a trustworthy brand. But instead of opening 57 browser tabs to Google all of the TV jargon, we’ve checked in with home entertainment expert Will Greenwald, a Lead Analyst at PCMag, which Mashable’s publisher, Ziff Davis, also owns.
The best time to buy a TV: A guide to the times of year that you’ll find the best TV deals
Following Greenwald’s expertise (he and the PCMag team use high-end equipment to test each TV) and Mashable’s experience, we’ve narrowed down the best TV brands to a list that’s easy to digest. Below, we’ll explain which TV brands excel where and mention a few top picks from each brand to help narrow down your endless options.
Best OLED brand: LG
LG makes some of the best OLED TVs on the market today. They offer superior image contrast and close to perfect black levels, and they tend to be great when viewed from an off-angle. The LG lineup of sizes and prices is also noteworthy, allowing shoppers to spend less than $1,000.
Best LG OLED TV
Why we like it
Without wasting any time, Greenwald wrote to Mashable, “The LG Evo G5 is the best OLED TV I’ve seen yet,” which is truly impressive since he’s tested more than 170 TVs with highly specialized equipment. “If you can afford it, the stunning LG Evo G5 is simply one of the most gorgeous TVs you can buy,” Greenwald explained in his review.
The LG Evo G5 knocks it out of the park in terms of brightness, with super accurate colors. The “G” is LG’s Gallery series, which comes with a slim design meant to be hung on the wall, sitting nearly flush. The modern edge-to-edge screen comes with hardly any bezel.
In terms of gaming, the LG Evo G5 has a 144Hz refresh rate that can reach up to 165Hz with variable refresh rate (VRR). Greenwald’s testing shows input lag of 4.8 milliseconds, which is well below the 10-millisecond threshold considered to be acceptable for gaming. In simpler terms, that’s less than one frame of latency per second.
Size options
The LG Evo G5 comes in 55, 65, 77, 83, and 97 inches.
Another pick worth considering
Why we like it
If you’re looking for an LG TV that’s less expensive than the Evo G5, the C4 is a standout model. Mashable’s sister publication, CNET (also published by Ziff Davis), considers the LG C4, which debuted in 2024, to be an excellent OLED TV. This model is brighter than its C3 predecessor and comes with a 144Hz refresh rate. CNET’s review said, “The LG C4 combines superb picture quality with a price that’s not incredibly unreasonable, making it a top dog among its competitors.”
The size range here leans smaller, with the option of 42- and 48-inch versions, which are smaller than the LG Evo G5 goes (the smallest G5 is 55 inches). Of course, smaller means a more affordable price, and the 42- and 48-inch LG C4 come in at under $1,000.
Size options
The LG C4 comes in 42, 48, 55, 65, 77, and 83 inches.
Best budget brands: Hisense and TCL
You don’t need to spend several thousand dollars to get a great TV. Budget-friendly options come with plenty of features packed into a high-quality screen, and many options cost less than $1,000. In terms of brands, Greenwald says Hisense and TCL lead the way as the best options that offer affordable prices without skimping on quality. Here are a few picks Greenwald recommends after extensive testing.
Best Hisense
Why we like it
The 4K QLED Hisense U8N comes with features and a display that feels like it should cost much more. “Hisense once again hits it out of the park with a premium TV that rivals much more expensive competitors,” mentioned Greenwald in his PCMag review, while listing it as a “fantastic value.”
Mashable Light Speed
In Greenwald’s testing, the U8N was shockingly impressive, hitting 920 nits in HDR Theater mode and then achieving 2,755 nits when testing with an 18 percent white field. For comparison, the Samsung QN90D (which costs more than double the U8N’s price) only gets to 1,253 nits with an 18 percent white field. Greenwald also mentioned that off-angle viewing of the U8N is pretty perfect with no desaturation.
Best TCL
Why we like it
On Mashable’s list of the best 65+ inch TVs, the TCL QM8 earns the top spot. Finding the balance between affordable price and great image quality, we consider the TCL QM8 to be an excellent option for most people. Greenwald’s testing showed incredible brightness levels thanks to the 4K QLED with HDR content in Dolby Vision. Greenwald also mentioned “very good color performance, and loads of useful features,” which add to the attractively affordable price. “It beats rival Hisense models in peak brightness, so it’s the TV to get if you simply want the highest light output.”
Gaming stats are also impressive, with a 120Hz native refresh rate that can reach up to 144Hz with VRR support from AMD FreeSync Premium Pro. Input lag is also impressive, measuring just 6.4 milliseconds in Game Mode, according to Greenwald’s testing, which makes it slightly quicker than the Hisense U8N.
The TCL QM8’s size options are also impressive, ranging from 65 to a massive 115 inches.
Size options
The TCL QM8 comes in 65, 75, 85, 98, and 115 inches.
Best brand for unique features: Samsung
Samsung earns the top spot as the best TV manufacturer with unique feature offerings. The brand has several impressive models that wow in terms of performance, plus it’s one of the only manufacturers to release 8K TVs (but you don’t need one). Samsung’s The Frame lineup is also noteworthy.
Best Samsung for displaying art
Why we like it
Without a doubt, Samsung’s family of The Frame models is what you want if you like the idea of your TV also serving as a digital picture frame. When you’re not watching TV, The Frame can go into Art Mode, giving you access to the library of graphics or giving you the option to display your own photos. Customizing The Frame’s functions is also possible, so the TV (including Art Mode) can power off when it detects no one is in the room. Greenwald also mentions that many libraries and museums offer free high-resolution images of paintings that you can add to The Frame’s library to display in your home.
The overall look of The Frame is meant to be similar to a hanging piece of art, sitting nearly flush with the wall, and the matte finish cuts down on glare while also adding to the overall art aesthetic. Greenwald explained in his review, “You can even set the ambient art mode to display a matte frame around the picture to further improve the illusion. With the backlight set to a moderate level, the effect is striking and stealthy enough that guests could mistake what appears on screen for a framed painting at first glance.” Thanks to these features, he’s ranked it as his top pick for a digital picture frame.
Sadly, Greenwald doesn’t feel that The Frame’s performance as a TV justifies the price. He noted, “For watching videos, the TV’s performance is more in line with very good budget models.”
The Frame Pro is an updated version of the original offering, and the nearly wireless design is a cool upgrade. It still needs a power cord, but everything else, like HDMI ports, is stored in a Wireless One Connect Box. Samsung also upgraded to a Neo QLED 4K display with The Frame Pro. But again, Greenwald thinks more affordable options, specifically the Hisense U8N, offer a better value unless you find the Art Mode features worth the cost.
Size options
Samsung The Frame comes in 43, 50, 55, 65, 75, and 85 inches.
Samsung The Frame Pro comes in 65, 75, and 85 inches.
Best Samsung OLED
Why we like it
The Samsung S95D is a great option, performing well in terms of contrast, variety of features, and gaming specs. Greenwald said it has “fantastic contrast and color that OLED TVs typically offer, along with light output that rivals many high-end LED models.” The S95D earned a PCMag Editors’ Choice award thanks to its specs, including almost undetectable input lag. But the real appeal of the Samsung S95D is the picture quality with perfect black levels and detailed shadows, as seen by Greenwald’s testing results.
The included Eco Remote has solar recharging capabilities, which feels like a modern and thoughtful touch on Samsung’s part. Plus, it comes with Samsung’s One Connect Box, which is always welcomed since it moves all connection ports to an external component, allowing for a slimmer design.
Size options
The Samsung S95D comes in 55, 65, and 77 inches.
A Samsung OLED to keep an eye on
Why we like it
The 4K OLED Samsung S95F impressed Greenwald when he tested a pre-production version, being the brand’s brightest OLED yet, dethroning its predecessor, the Samsung S95D. The built-in speakers on almost all TVs aren’t worth using (you should probably upgrade to a soundbar), but Greenwald was actually impressed with the advanced speaker system on the Samsung S95F. The 120Hz refresh rate, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, and acceptable input lag also make the S95F a nice gaming TV option.
Size options
The Samsung S95F comes in 55, 65, and 77 inches.
No Comment! Be the first one.