The best 65-inch TV can bring greater immersion and enjoyment for everything you do on a TV, from movie watching to catching the news or playing games. But finding the right TV is difficult, with so many options in technology, smart TV functions and audio quality. You also want a great value, but you don't want to give up any of the best features for that low price. And a 65-inch TV makes all of these factors more important, as our TVs take up more room in our living rooms and home theaters than ever before.
You'll want to decide up front whether you want to use the included stand or take the extra steps to mount the TV on the wall. You'll need adequate space for the width of the TV (roughly 4.5 feet across). According to our guide What size TV should you buy?, you'll get the best viewing experience seated 60 inches (5 feet) from a 65-inch 4K screen, so make sure that you have adequate space for your big screen, and plan accordingly.
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Over the course of the year, we look at everything from budget smart TVs to premium OLED models. After reviewing dozens of TVs, with well over 100 hours of lab testing and eyes-on viewing, we've pulled together this list of the best 65-inch TVs you can buy.
What are the best 65-inch TVs?
When it comes to 65-inch TVs, our clear favorite is the Samsung QN90A Neo QLED TV, which combines QLED color and mini-LED backlight to form the new Neo QLED, Samsung's latest premium display technology. The result is an incredible-looking TV, that combines killer performance with great design, rich smart features and great audio quality. It's easily the best 65-inch TV we've reviewed this year, offering great value with it's more premium price.
For the budget-conscious, the TCL 6-Series Roku TV (R635) is our top pick. For less than $1,000 you get a brilliant QLED display with mini-LED backlighting, providing the best OLED alternative we've seen all year. And while Roku TV may not be as feature-filled as some of the smart TV platforms we've seen, the sheer amount of apps and content available is staggering. The TCL 6-Series R635 is the best TV value on the market, and it's not even close.
The best 65-inch TVs in 2021
The Samsung QN90A Neo QLED TV combines Samsung's highly refined quantum dot technology with the tight control of mini-LED backlighting, resulting in one of the best TV displays you'll ever see. Brilliant color and unmatched brightness make for superb performance, and Samsung pairs that with a bounty of smart TV functions and genuinely intelligent features, like a solar-powered remote control that eliminates the need to swap out batteries – delivering eco-friendly design and unbeaten convenience at the same time.
The whole thing is packed into a gorgeous 1-inch-thick design that contains a huge array of smart features, potent Dolby Atmos sound and some of the best performance we've ever seen. HDMI 2.1 connectivity comes standard, along with gamer-friendly features and impressive 12.6-millisecond lag time for an unparalleled gaming experience. It's the best 65-inch TV we've seen this year, and the winner of the 2021 Tom's Guide Award for Best TV, and a second award as the best gaming TV of the year.
Read our full Samsung QN90A Neo QLED TV review.
When it comes to value, there's just no beating the TCL 6-Series Roku TV (R635). With the 65-inch model selling for an affordable $899, the TCL is packed with capabilities on a par with much more expensive competitors. The display looks great thanks to QLED enhancement for better color and brightness, and the mini-LED backlight offers the best contrast and HDR performance we've seen on a LCD-based display.
TCL also adds gamer-friendly features, like THX Certified Game Mode, which makes it one of the best sets for the latest game consoles like PS5 and Xbox Series X. Combine this with smart design touches like built-in cable management and the excellent Roku TV platform, and the TCL 6-Series R635 is the best budget-friendly value you can get in a 65-inch TV.
Read our full TCL 6-Series Roku TV (R635) review.
The Sony Bravia XR A80J is our new favorite 65-inch OLED, thanks to an incredible array of futuristic technologies: this 4K OLED TV has HDR, a 120 Hz refresh rate, ATSC 3.0 tuner, Google TV streaming and Sony's own Bravia Core service, Acoustic Surface Audio+ technology… the list goes on. Sure, not everyone will need everything here, but it's nice to have the option.
Just as importantly, it also excels at the basics — contrast is superb, colors are rich and varied, viewing angles are impressive and it handles upscaling well. Sound is also excellent and Google TV is a big upgrade on the older Android TV. Against that, the XR A80J requires a little more tweaking in order to look its best; it's fine out of the box, but to really reach its full potential, you'll want to play around with various modes. It's not the cheapest and other sets beat it purely based on picture quality, but as an all-round package the A80J is a great choice.
Read our full Sony Bravia XR A80J review.
The 65-inch LG CX OLED is one of the best TVs ever made, with a mix of performance and features that put other TVs to shame. The OLED display offers rich, detailed picture quality with razor sharp 4K resolution and pixel-perfect lighting, and LG makes things even better with powerful video processing and Dolby Vision IQ, which adjusts the display for ideal HDR performance in any lighting conditions. LG has also loaded the TV with smarts, like built-in support for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant for voice interaction and smart home compatibility. Combine the ease of voice control with a motion-sensing remote and the LG is the most intuitive smart TV we've ever used.
With both HDMI 2.1 connectivity and Nvidia G-Sync support, it's also the best gaming TV, whether you use a console or a PC. Speedy performance and gamer-friendly features just seal the deal. It's also a beautiful TV when the power's off, thanks to LG's display-on-glass design and sleek stylings. From every angle, it's the best TV we've seen.
Read our full LG CX OLED review.
The 65-inch Vizio OLED TV (OLED65-H1) is the most affordable OLED TV on the market, and the first to offer a less-premium alternative to offerings from LG and Sony to shoppers in the United States. Selling for hundreds of dollars less than the competition, the Vizio OLED packs plenty of smart features alongside the 4K OLED display, and delivers the sort of premium picture quality that normally costs much more.
Vizio's SmartCast smart TV platform has also expanded its app selection significantly, and all of the major apps you might want – from Netflix to Disney+ – are available right on the TV. The few that aren't offered on the home screen (HBO Max is the most glaring omission) can still be enjoyed through the TV's built-in Google Cast and AirPlay 2 support. Combine all of this with an improved remote control design and great sound with better-than-average bass, and you've got one of the best TV values of the year, and the easy pick for affordable OLED TVs.
Read our full Vizio OLED TV review.
The TCL 5 Series Roku TV does what TCL does best, delivering a surprisingly great mix of features and performance at an excellent affordable price. With the 65-inch model selling for less than $700, you get the superb color and brightness of QLED, as well as Roku's user-friendly smart TV interface, which puts thousands of apps right at your fingertips.
In addition to the excellent color accuracy and full color gamut offered by the QLED display, it offers top-of-the-line HDR support, with Dolby Vision in addition to basic HDR10 and HLG formats. With input lag clocking in at 13.1 milliseconds, it's also one of the best affordable gaming TVs you can buy. And it's roughly half the price of Samsung's equivalent QLED TV, making it one of the best values in smart TVs.
Read our full TCL 5-Series Roku TV (S535) review.
The LG G1 OLED TV is the updated version of LG's superb Gallery OLED, boasting a premium 20 millimeter-thick design and sleek flush-to-the-wall mounting setup. It's still the best 4K OLED TV made by LG, but as the first TV with LG's second-gen OLED evo technology, it falls short of some claimed performance improvements we were pretty excited for.
That said, the LG G1 OLED is still an impressive OLED set, and LG has even knocked the price down a bit, while updating almost everything else about the set. The slim OLED features more comfortable remote control, enhanced gaming features, and the latest version of webOS, all while delivering the same excellent picture quality and impeccable sound that we expect from LG's best OLED models. The LG G1 OLED TV stands as a reminder of just how far modern TV technology has come — we just hope it hasn’t plateaued.
Read our full LG G1 OLED TV review.
The Hisense U8G Android TV is our favorite Hisense model, and one of the best Android TVs around. With a quantum dot display for bold color and integrated Chromecast and Google Assistant smarts, it's a full-featured smart TV that offers great quality for a reasonable price. With support for both Dolby Vision and HDR10+, it also offers the best HDR format support you can find, along with Dolby Atmos sound. It has built-in voice control with room-listening microphones, effectively letting you use the TV as a smart speaker, and offering the sort of smart home integration and control that would normally cost much more.
In our review, we were especially impressed by the U8G's brightness, which exceeds 700 nits of peak brightness and combines with the better-than-average HDR support for great performance that brings out highlights and shadows. With few complaints and lots of great perks, the Hisense U8G Android TV is easily our new favorite Hisense model.
Read our full Hisense U8G Android TV (65U8G) review.
The bargain priced Insignia F30 Fire TV Edition (2020 model) is a 4K smart TV for people who want the convenience of Alexa and streaming services in a single package. With 4K resolution, HDR support with Dolby Vision and a huge library of apps and content, the real selling point of the Insignia Fire TV isn't any one feature, but the total package of smart capabilities that are offered in this ultra-affordable TV.
While it's true that you get what you pay for – the performance isn't top-of-the-line, the gaming support is middling and the Fire TV platform is a little too Amazon-centric for our liking – it's still a great option for casual viewers, and it's priced to sell like crazy. And that's before the steep discounts offered for every big sales event.
Read our full Insignia F30 Fire TV Edition review.
Most 65-inch TVs are made for living rooms; take them outside and they’re prone to damage from extreme temperatures, water or even bugs. But the SunBriteTV Pro 2 outdoor TV is built for those conditions, with a rugged design that can withstand the elements. Whether it's in a cold garage or out on an open porch, the weather-sealed chassis fends off precipitation, dirt and bugs, and even has a sealed compartment for HDMI hookups. The screen is made to be viewed in full sunlight conditions where even other outdoor sets would falter.
With basic HDR capability and strong overall performance, the SunBriteTV is a great set for any outdoor setting. And with optional weatherproof soundbar or speakers you can enjoy sound that's just as tough. If you want a great set for your yard, this is the best TV to get for outdoor viewing.
Read our full SunBriteTV Pro 2 outdoor TV review.
When it comes to 65-inch TVs, there are plenty of ultra-premium sets you can choose from, but TCL has stepped things up with a surprisingly affordable 65-inch 8K TV. The TCL 6-Series 8K Roku TV (R648) is even more affordable than some of the 4K sets we recommend. Plus, it's got everything we love about Roku TVs, along with excellent performance and short lag times for gaming.
By offering next-gen resolution at current-gen prices, it's the 8K TV we recommend – or, that we would recommend, if we thought people should be buying 8K TVs (which we don't). Our only issues with the TV's performance were the 8K panel's limited viewing angles and the mediocrity of the audio, which can be solved with a simple soundbar. But the bigger issue is one facing any 8K TV out there – there's next to nothing you can watch in 8K, and that may not change anytime soon.
Read our full TCL 6-Series 8K Roku TV (R648) review.
How to choose the best 65-inch TV for you
If you're in the market for a new TV, you'll want to consider a few factors before you spend your money. Our TV buying guide breaks down the fine details of what features matter and what distinguishes a great TV from one that's just okay. For a 65-inch set we strongly recommend going with 4K resolution. There are a few older 1080p models still available, but they simply aren't a good value today. And while 8K TVs are hitting the market in the 65-inch size, it will still be some time before 8K resolution gets mainstream support.
Size and space: For a 65-inch 4K TV you'll want to sit about 5 feet from the screen to hit the sweet spot of being close enough to enjoy all the sharp details, but not so close that you'll be able to make out the pixels that make up the picture.
Price: A basic 65-inch 4K smart TV will range between $800 and $2,300, depending upon how premium your tastes run. The TCL 6-Series Roku TV (R635) is the best budget model we've seen in this screen size, but if you want the best picture available, the LG CX OLED is our top pick for its combination of stellar picture quality and deep feature set.
Features: For the best picture, we recommend getting a set that offers high dynamic range (HDR) support. HDR10 is the base standard, while Dolby Vision is a higher-caliber format, and we recommend opting for Dolby Vision support when you have the choice.
Ports: Port selection is another chief concern. More HDMI ports will let you connect more devices, like game consoles and satellite boxes. And if you have a soundbar, you'll want to connect it using an HDMI port with eARC.
Software: Finally, you'll want to find a smart TV platform that you like. Companies like Samsung and LG use their own proprietary software, but many use more broadly available software, like Android or Roku TV. The biggest issue is app selection, as some specific apps you may want won't be available on every smart TV platform, or there may be a months-long delay for a new service to come to some smart TVs after launching on others.
But you'll also want to look into more advanced features, like smart home control, video conferencing capability, and other features that may be brand exclusive, or at least unevenly distributed between premium and budget sets.
If you've narrowed down your TV shopping by brand, price range or screen size, check out our picks for the best TVs in each.
Best TVs | Best 4K TVs | Best smart TVs for streaming | Best TVs for gaming
The best TVs under $1000 | The best TVs under $500
Best TV brands | Best Samsung TVs | Best TCL TVs | Best LG TVs | Best Roku TVs | Best OLED TVs | Best QLED TVs | Best 8K TVs
The smallest smart TVs | Best 43-inch TVs | Best 50-inch TVs | Best 55-inch TVs | Best 70-inch TVs | Best 75-inch TVs | Best 85-inch TVs
And don't forget to watch out for the latest TV reviews.
How we test 65-inch TVs
When it comes to evaluating TVs, we're serious about getting it right. That's why every TV we review is put through a rigorous testing process that measures key standards of picture quality and performance.
Our lab tests involve testing for color accuracy and color gamut using an X-Rite i1 Pro spectrophotometer, an AccuPel DVG-5000 video test pattern generator and SpectraCal CalMAN Ultimate calibration software. These tools are relied on by professional calibrators throughout the industry, and we've paired them with custom workflows to gather the information needed for our reviews. These measurements are taken first in standard mode to simulate the average watching experience, and then taken again in other display modes to find the top color and brightness performance offered by each set.
Our testing measures contrast and maximum brightness, as well as lag time. Using a Leo Bodnar Video Signal Input Lag Tester to test video signal delay, we time how long it takes for content to travel from the original video source to the screen, measured to the millisecond. Shorter response times equate with faster gaming performance, letting us objectively know which TVs are better for gaming.
We use all of these objective test results to make comparisons about quality and performance between different TVs, but our evaluation doesn't end there. We also spend hours with each set, watching shows and movies, and using carefully selected video samples to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each set and help us tell you which TVs look and sound the best in a real home viewing environment.
And there's more to today's TVs than just viewing, so we also check out the smart TV functions and evaluate everything from the interface to the remote control design. This lets our reviews speak to the technical capabilities of today's smart TVs and how they fit into your connected home.
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