We're pretty picky about our TVs, which is why we've spent over 500 hours testing more than 40 sets to find the best TVs you can buy.
Evaluating TVs is about more than just kicking back to watch a movie. We lab test every TV, measuring color gamut, color accuracy and brightness to objectively see which sets are the best for these key indicators. We also test for lag time, measuring to the millisecond how long it takes for content to travel from the original source to the screen. We use these results to make numbers-based comparisons about color and display quality.
We spend time with each set to get more-subjective evaluation and see how our lab results translate into real-world performance. We also compare sets side by side and view samples from the latest movies, specialized test patterns that highlight strengths and weaknesses of each display, and a range of content across several sources. With that information, we can tell you which TVs look best, sound best and offer the best viewing experience.
Finally, we evaluate the smart TV functions and apps for each TV, looking at everything from the remote control design to the voice interaction.
Here are the best TVs you can buy right now.
The best TVs for 2020
The LG C9 OLED wowed us in more ways than one, with a best-in-class OLED display, superb smart features and a design that looks impressive even when the TV is off. This OLED display is the best we've seen on a 4K TV, with excellent color reproduction, precision lighting and unbeatable black levels. Combine this stunning performance with strong sound quality and cutting-edge connectivity, like HDMI 2.1, and the C9 OLED is clearly the best TV.
But LG pushes things just a bit further with the addition of extra-brainy smart-TV features. Building upon the already-impressive webOS platform, the new ThinQ AI-enhanced TV has both Google Home and Amazon Alexa built-in, an industry first. Pair that with a new dashboard for controlling all of your smart home devices, and the LG C9 OLED looks to be the smartest TV we've tested.
The Vizio M Series Quantum delivers a premium quantum-dot display for a reasonable price and adds SmartCast 3.0 — Vizio's evolving smart TV platform — to make it one of the best TVs you'll get for the price.
With local dimming and color-boosting technology, the M Series Quantum has impressive picture quality and great HDR performance, complete with Dolby Vision support. A built-in Google Chromecast opens up a vast landscape of apps and services, and the updated SmartCast software includes support for Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit, making it just as good for iOS users.
The Sony Master Series A9G OLED looks and sounds superb, delivering the best performance we've seen on TV this year. The OLED panel has top-notch color, excellent HDR support with bright highlights and rich shadows, and the pixel-perfect contrast and lighting that only OLED can provide. The sound might be even better than the display, thanks to Sony's impressive Acoustic Surface Audio+ which turns the entire glass panel into a high-end speaker with sound that comes right from the screen and better bass than even many soundbars provide.
But Sony goes above and beyond simple picture and sound with the best version of Android TV yet and Sony's redesigned remote control, which combine into a truly great smart TV experience. The only question people need to ask themselves about the Sony Master Series A9G OLED is whether the category-leading performance and premium smart TV features are worth the the ultra-premium price.
Great things can come in small (and affordable) packages. In fact, this is our pick for the best cheap TV overall. The TCL 5-Series Roku Smart 4K TV (43S517) is smaller than the 65-inchers we usually recommend, but with an attractive low price, great picture and sound quality, and a slew of genuinely exciting features, this 43-inch model is a great deal. (And you can find larger sizes that are similarly affordable.)
TCL's reputation for better-than-average quality is well earned, and the TCL 43S517's feature set makes this TV one of the best values we've seen. Despite the low price, you get Dolby Vision HDR, Dolby Atmos audio support and integrated Roku voice search, giving you an outsize smart-TV value in a size that's perfect for a second TV or for use in smaller apartments.
The Samsung Q90 QLED TV is the best premium 4K LCD TV on the market and a valid alternative to OLED. Samsung's quantum-dot technology continues to close the gap with OLED, offering premium picture quality so good that we had to compare the two side by side to spot the differences. Packed with every technology Samsung has to improve picture quality — ranging from quantum dots and black filters to 400+ dimming zones and an arsenal of processing smarts — the Q90 is the best 4K TV Samsung makes, and it shows.
It also has some unexpectedly smart features that nobody else offers, like AMD's FreeSync for optimized gaming, exclusive Apple TV content and a polished smart home control dashboard that makes it the brainy hub for all of your connected devices.
After a few disappointing early attempts, the Insignia made us sit up and take notice with a respectable performance for an inexpensive TV. This model offers good picture quality and solid sound, and its color gamut and accuracy beat those of other Amazon-powered TVs. This Insignia is easily the best Fire TV Edition we've seen, and it's the only one to get our recommendation.
It's also packed with features, such as built-in Alexa voice interaction, a huge selection of Fire TV apps, and a smart TV experience that puts Amazon Prime Video front and center. This is a solid smart TV.
TVs are bigger than ever, but they aren't always great. Thankfully, the Sony X950G 75-inch Android TV manages to avoid most of the big-screen pitfalls, delivering great picture quality, wide viewing angles and a feature set that's just as impressive as the 75-inch display. Sony has also polished up the smart TV experience, updating its TVs with the sleeker Android TV 8.0 and giving the TV a redesigned remote control. For an extra-large screen that's just as big on value, the Sony X950G 75-inch Android TV is a smart buy.
The average TV is no match for rain, snow, dust or heat. But the SunBriteTV Veranda Series 55-inch outdoor TV is made for those conditions, with a rugged design that can withstand the elements. Whether it's in a cold garage or out on an enclosed porch, the weather-sealed chassis fends of precipitation, dirt and bugs, and the screen is made to be viewed in shady conditions where even ambient sunlight would trip up a normal TV.
With HDR capability and strong overall performance, the SunBrite is a great TV for any outdoor setting. And thanks to some excellent built-in speakers, there's no need to get a soundbar. If you want a great outdoor TV, this is the one to get.
Check out these goggle boxes
Based on our testing, the Vizio M Series Quantum is the best 4K TV, delivering a premium smart-TV experience and quantum-dot enhanced picture quality. If you want to save the most money, check out the TCL 5-Series Roku Smart 4K TV (43S517). It's the best cheap TV, but you'll need to settle for a smaller screen.
Willing to splurge? The LG C9 OLED TV is our favorite overall 4K TV. It offers the best combination of picture and sound, a truly intelligent smart-TV experience and a decidedly sleek design.
