The 8 Best TVs of 2026: Tested, Ranked & Priced

The Samsung S95D is the most visually impressive television we have ever tested — and after four months of daily use in our mixed-light testing room, it is the one we recommend to the most people. The reason is straightforward: the S95D solves the biggest real-world limitation of OLED televisions. Every other OLED acts as a mirror in daylight — glossy screens reflect ambient light in a way that destroys picture quality in bright rooms. The S95D's proprietary anti-reflection matte coating virtually eliminates glare without compromising black levels, making it the first OLED genuinely suited to rooms with windows, overhead lighting, or daytime use.

That hardware advantage is compounded by the 3,000-nit peak brightness of the third-generation QD-OLED panel — nearly double the LG C4's 2,100 nits — and the widest colour gamut of any consumer display at 99.3% DCI-P3. In our testing, HDR specular highlights (sunlight on water, candle flames against darkness, neon signs at night) looked genuinely dazzling in ways competing OLEDs couldn't match. The NQ4 AI Gen2 processor handles 8K-level upscaling that makes Netflix and Disney+ streaming content look remarkably sharp. Add four HDMI 2.1 ports at 144Hz and you have the definitive gaming-and-cinema OLED. Our highest recommendation of 2026.

The LG C4 OLED is the most recommended television on our platform for the third consecutive year — and for good reason. At $1,499 (65"), it delivers an OLED evo panel with 2,100 nits peak brightness, true perfect blacks, and a 120Hz refresh rate alongside four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports — the most of any TV at this price. The α9 AI Gen7 processor provides 70% more AI processing power than the C3 for scene-based optimisation and impressive 1080p upscaling. WebOS 24 is the most polished, fastest smart TV operating system available on any platform.

The C4's one meaningful limitation versus the S95D is its glossy screen — in bright rooms, glare is a real issue. But in rooms you can control (evening viewing, blinds drawn), the C4's picture quality is practically indistinguishable from the S95D. For dark-room cinema enthusiasts and gamers on a budget, the LG C4 at $1,499 is the most rational OLED purchase available. It also comes in 48", 55", 65", 77", and 83" sizes — the widest OLED size range from any manufacturer.

The Sony A95L is the television that professional colorists, filmmakers, and serious film lovers consistently choose — and after testing it alongside the S95D and C4, we understand why. Sony's Cognitive Processor XR analyses content the way human vision works, cross-referencing 17 zones simultaneously rather than analysing individual elements separately. The result is a picture that looks uniquely natural and film-like — less processed and algorithmic than Samsung or LG's AI processing, more faithful to what the director intended.

The A95L uses Samsung's second-generation QD-OLED panel (same technology as the S95D but the previous generation), delivering around 1,800 nits peak brightness and the same 99.3% DCI-P3 colour gamut. It runs Google TV — the most app-complete smart TV platform with the full Android app ecosystem. The A95L's key limitation is its only 2 HDMI 2.1 ports (HDMI 2 and 3) versus four on the LG C4 and Samsung S95D — a meaningful disadvantage for gamers with multiple devices. At $2,199, it's the most expensive pick in this guide. Recommended specifically for cinephiles who prioritise natural picture quality over brightness or gaming spec.

The LG B4 OLED is the gateway drug to OLED — and it's genuinely remarkable value at $1,099 for 65 inches. The B4 uses an OLED evo panel identical to the C4 but with the previous-generation α7 AI Gen7 processor (rather than the C4's α9) and 120Hz rather than 144Hz. Real-world picture quality is excellent — the same perfect blacks, same near-instantaneous response time, and same Dolby Vision IQ as the C4. The processor difference means slightly less effective upscaling of poor-quality content, and the brightness is marginally lower at around 1,200 nits peak versus 2,100 nits on the C4.

The key limitation versus the C4 is the HDMI connectivity: the B4 has only 2 HDMI 2.1 ports at 48Gbps (HDMI 3 and 4), with HDMI 1 and 2 limited to HDMI 2.0 (18Gbps, no 4K@120Hz). For most households with one gaming console and a soundbar, this is fine. For PC gamers with 4K@120Hz+ monitors or dual-console setups, this is a meaningful constraint. The LG B4 at $1,099 is the best way to own OLED for under $1,200 — and it's a genuinely good TV that will delight anyone upgrading from a standard LCD.

The Hisense U8N is the most impressive non-OLED television we tested in 2026 — and at $999 for a 65-inch panel that hits 3,000 nits peak brightness, it's genuinely remarkable value. Mini-LED technology uses thousands of individual LED backlights in small zones (the U8N has 2,304 local dimming zones in 65") to simulate OLED-like contrast. The result is not quite OLED — there's visible haloing around bright objects on very dark backgrounds — but in most real-world content (sport, daytime drama, nature documentaries) the difference is barely perceptible and the brightness advantage is decisive.

The U8N runs Google TV with full Android app support and comes with a 144Hz panel, HDMI 2.1 on two ports, and both Dolby Vision and HDR10+. The 60-hour burn-in protection means it's the right choice for households where the TV plays all day (kids, background TV, sports bars). Our one caution: Hisense's software support track record is shorter than Samsung or LG's — factor this into a long-term purchase decision. For anyone who wants maximum brightness and watches TV in a bright room, the U8N beats every OLED at this price on raw luminance.

The Samsung S90D is the S95D without the anti-reflection matte coating and at $300 lower cost — and for dedicated gaming setups where you control the lighting, it's the better value pick. The S90D uses the same generation QD-OLED panel as the S95D with the same NQ4 AI Gen2 processor, same 144Hz native refresh rate, and same four HDMI 2.1 ports at 48Gbps. In our gaming tests — running a PS5, Xbox Series X, and RTX 4080 PC simultaneously — the S90D delivered the fastest, cleanest 4K@120Hz experience of any TV we tested.

Input lag measured at 0.9ms in Game Mode — imperceptible and the fastest we've measured on any display. AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and NVIDIA G-Sync Compatible certification cover every gaming GPU. Samsung Gaming Hub allows cloud gaming via Xbox Cloud Gaming and NVIDIA GeForce NOW without a console connected. For a pure gaming room or a TV in a controlled-light man-cave or game room, the S90D at $1,299 is the best gaming TV ever made. Read our TV comparison tool for a direct head-to-head against the LG C4.

OLED panels above 77 inches are expensive and rare. If you want an 85" or larger television without paying $3,500+, the Samsung QN90D Neo QLED is the answer. Using Mini-LED backlighting with 1,248 local dimming zones, Samsung's Neo Quantum Matrix Pro, and the NQ4 AI Gen2 processor, the QN90D delivers excellent picture quality at 85" for $1,799 — a size where the nearest OLED (LG G4 83") costs $3,499. The brightness is exceptional at 4,000 nits peak, making it the best large-screen choice for any bright room.

The QN90D is not an OLED — dark scenes show subtle blooming around bright objects, and black levels are deep grey rather than true black. But at 85 inches, you're sitting 8–10 feet away, the near-OLED contrast of Neo QLED is less perceptible, and the sheer scale of the image becomes the dominant picture quality factor. The QN90D's 85" at $1,799 delivers more display per dollar than any other TV in our guide, and we consistently prefer it to the 77" C4 at $2,199 for rooms where screen size is the priority.

The TCL QM8 is the best television under $700 and it isn't close. TCL's flagship Mini-LED QLED delivers 2,000 nits peak brightness, 240 local dimming zones, a 144Hz panel with VRR, HDMI 2.1 on two ports, and Google TV with full app support — at $699 for 65 inches. For context, a $699 TV five years ago would have delivered 400 nits brightness, no local dimming, and a 60Hz panel. The TCL QM8 is genuinely better in every measurable way than most $1,500 televisions from 2020.

The TCL QM8 is not an OLED and has no pretensions of being one. Dark scenes show visible blooming around bright objects, and the viewing angle is limited to about ±30° before colours shift. But for living rooms with seating directly in front of the TV, family movie nights, daytime sport, and gaming on consoles — the QM8 is outstanding. At $699 with a 65" panel, the QM8 is our recommendation for anyone who wants the best TV experience their first $700 can buy. See our TV comparison tool to stack it against the other picks in this guide.