We have evaluated and scored TVs after testing a variety of formats, including DVDs, HD, 4K and HDR. Whether it's for game day, movie night or hard-core gaming, we've pushed every button, clicked through thousands of menus and run hundreds of smart TV apps to find the best model to suit your needs.
Are you looking for a big screen but you're on a budget? Based on our extensive testing, your best bet is the Insignia Roku TV, which costs less than $500 and offers a great 4K picture as well as tons of streaming content from Roku. If you're more concerned with saving a buck than with 4K resolution, you can save even more with the Samsung J5205, our favorite inexpensive HDTV.
If you're looking for a stunning cinema experience — and can splurge for it — you should consider investing in the LG E6 4K Ultra HD TV. This OLED TV offers the most gorgeous picture we've ever seen, and it comes in 55- and 65-inch sizes.
If you want something in between, the Vizio SmartCast P-Series 55-inch TV is your best bet. In addition to providing a great 4K picture, this TV supports High Dynamic Range (HDR) and Dolby Vision, which offer a wider range of colors and better contrast than sets that don't support these technologies.
Read on for all of our recommendations. (For details on our evaluation methodology, see How We Test TVs.)
Latest TV News
Amazon has entered the TV market with the Fire TV Edition, an Alexa-enabled set starting at $449. While not the tops in terms of picture quality, this will enable customers to perform all the same functions as if they were using an Echo or Echo Dot. So users will be able to not only look up program information by voice, but can also get weather forecasts, restaurant information, change smart home devices, or anything else offered by Alexa's myriad third-party skills
Vizio's SmartCast TVs have also gotten an upgrade in their streaming capabilities, with the addition of Amazon Video for streaming Amazon's extensive catalogue of movies and shows. Amazon Prime members can enjoy all-you-can-eat streaming, or you can rent or buy individual titles a la carte. Vizio has also added Google Play Movies & TV to the list of apps supported natively on its TVs, instead of through the built in Google Chromecast.
The Best Time to Buy A TV
If you're thinking about picking up a new television, according to our sister site ShopSavvy, the best times to buy are in November, December, and January, though deals on smaller models can be found in the back-to-school timeframe of June-August. For more deals and advice on purchase timing, check out ShopSavvy's TV section.
MORE: Best Indoor HDTV Antennas for Cord Cutters
Insignia NS-55DR620NA18
Best Budget 4K Ultra HD TV
This TV delivers quite the bargain. For less than $500, you get a surprisingly good 4K (3840 x 2160-pixel) display, a healthy selection of ports, as well as the intuitive and feature-packed Roku interface. Plus, with the Roku app, you can use your smartphone as a remote control. While its design and audio are nothing to write home about, overall the Insignia Roku (a Best Buy exclusive) is great for those on a budget.
MORE: Insignia Roku TV Full Review
Editor's choice
Vizio SmartCast P-Series 55-inch 4K Ultra HD
Best 4K TV Overall
This 55-inch HDTV supports both HDR and Dolby Vision, meaning you'll be able to view even more colors than ever before with content that supports these standards. The set has a full-array LED backlight with 126 zones that deliver better contrast, and does a good job of upscaling HD content. The Vizio comes with a 6-inch Android tablet that doubles as a remote and lets you cast streaming content (Netflix, Hulu and more) to the TV. However, the P-Series lacks a built-in tuner, so cord cutters may want to look elsewhere.
MORE: Vizio SmartCast 55-inch P-Series Full Review
Editor's choice
LG E6 OLED 4K Ultra HD TV
Best Picture Quality
We love OLED sets because they deliver a much more vivid image than LCD displays and have much wider viewing angles. LG's stunning OLED set had one of the most accurate displays we've tested. In fact, its picture was so good that it revealed details in movies that we didn't even see in theaters. It also supports all the latest technology, including several HDR formats (HDR10, Ultra HD Premium and Dolby Vision) as well as the upcoming hybrid log gamma (HLG). Its webOS interface is also one of the easiest to use.
MORE: LG 55-Inch E6 4K Ultra HD Full Review
Samsung J5205
Best Value HDTV
The 32-inch Samsung J5205 is one of the best TVs you can get for under $300, thanks to a combination of Samsung’s Smart Hub for Smart TV functions and a fairly good display that offers deep blacks and good color. Compared to other budget HDTVs, it has some of the best color accuracy we saw, and sounded better than most of the sets we tested, with two 10 Watt speakers.
New & Notable
Amazon Fire TV Edition
Amazon's Alexa-enabled TV will come in four sizes: 43 inches ($449); 50 inches ($549) ; 55 inches ($649); and 65 inches ($899). While its specs are modest—there's no HDR, for example—these sets will let you use Amazon's voice assistant. It can also pull in content information not just from connected services (such as Hulu and Netflix), but also from over-the-air sources, and let you search for them by voice. You'll have to press the button on the remote first, though, which is a good thing, as you don't want Alexa inadvertently changing the channel in the middle of a movie.
New & Notable
LG signature OLED W7
LG nicknamed this TV "wallpaper" for a reason. At just a tenth of an inch thick—thinner than an iPhone—the W7 lies virtually flush with your wall, but delivers incredible colors via its OLED display. All the guts, are contained in the included soundbar, which connects to the TV via a thin ribbon cable. The soundbar itself is impressive, as two upfiring speakers emerge from either end when it's turned on.
New & Notable
Sony Bravia XBR-A1E
Sony's new flagship TV isn't just impressive for its great OLED display; it's that Sony turned the entire TV into a giant speaker. Using Acoustic Surface technology, four actuators behind the panel vibrate the back cover. This has the effect of not only hiding the speakers completely—what Sony calls a "One Slate" concept—but it also makes the audio sound as if it's coming from directly ahead, rather than either side of the TV. Around the back of this thin panel is a stand that houses all the processing power and ports, as well as a subwoofer to provide some more oomph. It will be available in April, starting at $4,999 for the 55-inch model and $6,499 for the 65-inch model.
New & Notable
Samsung Q7
Samsung claims that the latest version of its QLED technology has a 20 percent wider color gamut than last year's, which puts it nearly on a par with OLED panels. Plus, Samsung's new TVs are capable of a peak brightness between 1,500 and 2,000 nits, which will make them easier to see overall. Samsung tweaked the design of the rear, too; there's now just a single wire that comes down from the back of the set, which should make for a cleaner look when hanging it on your wall. The Q7 Series will start at $2,499 for the 55-inch version, while a 65-inch model costs $3,499 and the 75-inch model costs $5,999.
See Also : 6 Cheap TVs Ranked From Best to Worst
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- Our Favorite Soundbars for Small and Big TVs
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- The Best TV Refresh Rate Is 120Hz (and Anything Higher Is a Lie)
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