The best 4K TVs of 2024, tried and tested with expert advice on how to choose (2024)

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We conduct hundreds of product reviews here at Telegraph Recommended, but few tasks are as important as helping you choose your new TV. While it’s exciting to upgrade to a better telly, no-one wants to shell out on the wrong sort of tech. (If you don’t want to shell out at all, read our guide to the best TVs under £500.) Every company claims it makes the best 4K TVs, from giants like Samsung, who account for one third of all sales, to the well-established likes of Sony and LG and challengers like Hisense and TCL. But they all use different technologies to do it. So who’s telling the truth?

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First, let’s step back and define some terms. We’re looking at 4K here, which is unusual in small TVs but has become the standard in 43-inch, 50-inch, 55-inch, 65-inch and 75-inch TVs. But what does it mean?

“4K (also known as Ultra High Definition or UHD) gives an indication of a TV’s picture clarity,” says Dylan Squire, purchasing director at Richer Sounds. “4K is the next step up from Full HD, which itself improved upon the original HD TV that came in around the turn of the century. 4K uses over 8 million pixels, which is four times as many as Full HD. More pixels means more detail.”

Remember, 4K is not a competitor to LED, OLED and QLED. Those refer to how the screen is illuminated, rather than the number of pixels that make up the image. You’ll find an explanation of these and other TV terms in the FAQ section at the bottom of this feature. We’re leaving OLEDs out of this review because they’re still very expensive. (Head over to my guide to the best OLED TVs to see how expensive). So, excluding OLEDs, here’s a quick look at my top five 4K TVs:

Which are the best 4K TVs in 2024? At a glance

What’s new in 4K TVs this year?

“Screens can now be made brighter than they have been before,” says Molly Leese, technology buyer at John Lewis. Look out for the phrase ‘mini-LED’, a relatively new technology which boosts clarity, contrast and dynamic range.

“Samsung is expanding their anti-reflective technology,” Molly continues, “which is great in rooms with a lot of sunlight. And we are seeing a trend towards lifestyle products – TV’s which are more of a design feature for the home, rather than just a TV on the wall. Examples are LG’s Objet and Samsung’s Frame.”

Meanwhile, Dylan Squire says that the biggest advance this year comes from the relentless march of AI. “When used in TVs, AI optimises the picture and sound for the best results in your room – often without you even knowing it.”

How much should I spend?

Good 4K TVs will usually cost between £500 and £1,500 for a 55-inch screen. (In order to compare like-for-like, we always test 55 inch models if we can.) Bigger screens will cost more. The latest high-performance TVs from big-name players like Samsung, LG and Sony also carry a premium.

For a better deal, don’t buy a brand new TV in spring or summer. Wait until November, when there may be as much as a third off the price. Or wait until next year, when your TV will often be half its original price.

How I tested the best 4K TVs

The best 4K TVs of 2024, tried and tested with expert advice on how to choose (1)

One by one, I’m borrowing these TVs to test at home so that I can assess how smoothly they integrate with peripherals and apps as well as gauging things like brightness, screen reflection and viewing angles. Before that, I visited the TV departments at John Lewis and Richer Sounds to assess peak sound and picture quality.

“We always suggest that customers view a shot of a sports pitch and see how 4K makes the grass ‘pop’ into focus,” Dylan Squire says. Personally, I make sure to view nature and action films too, especially those with very bright and very dark scenes that stretch the dynamic range (I’ve found Denis Villeneuve’s Dune is great for this).

One drawback of TVs becoming ever thinner is that there’s less room for the speakers. Some sound weedy without attaching a soundbar, while others go all out to offer realistic, cinematic audio. I made a note of that, as well as rating the TVs’ looks, price and user-friendliness.

Remember, streaming 4K TV uses a lot of data. You may want to read our guides to the best broadband and the best broadband TV deals after this.

Best 4K TVs

1. Samsung QN90D

£1,699, Samsung

Best overall, 9/10

We like: brighter mini-LEDs create the most natural-looking light we’ve seen

We don’t like: dark scenes don’t benefit from the new tech

The best 4K TVs of 2024, tried and tested with expert advice on how to choose (2)
  • 43in, 50in, 55in, 65in, 75in and 85in sizes available
  • Display type: QLED with mini-LEDs, max refresh rate 144Hz
  • High dynamic range types: HLG, HDR 10+ Adaptive (see FAQ section for explanations of these terms)
  • Sound: 60W from 6 x speakers and 2 x subwoofers, Dolby Atmos, Object Tracking sound
  • Inputs: 4 x HDMI2 including eARC, 2 x USB, ethernet, aerial
  • Operating sytem: Tizen with Bixby, Alexa and Google voice assistants

Tested at home

As Molly Leese says above, it’s all about mini-LED technology these days (Samsung call it Neo-QLED). Rather than a few dozen local dimming zones there can now be thousands of backlights, each as small as a grain of sand, allowing much more precise control of light and dark on the screen. The space-race among manufacturers is to increase brightness while keeping this precision. To judge by the QN90D, Samsung are in the lead.

On this TV, light looks so real you can touch it. A scene set on a breezy summer’s day pours sunlight into your living room almost as if it’s shining through the window. Watch a glitzy game show and the stage lights feel hot on your face. I spent a lot of time watching films with misty, pre-dawn scenes and low winter sun. It was mesmerising.

Disappointingly, these improvements don’t apply to dark scenes. On lower-quality streamed content, I was shocked by the colour banding at times. This is where, given a dimly-lit expanse of one colour such as a bedroom wall, the processor divides it into splodgy blocks of different shades. All 4K TVs have this problem, especially with streaming, but I’d hoped the QN90D would have cracked it. Maybe the next generation will.

This TV needs high-quality content to really shine. Skin tones were totally realistic on movies. On daytime telly, they sometimes looked overheated. I think this was the processor trying too hard to use one of its quantum dot-enhanced palette of colours – understandably, since it really is gorgeous. Chelsea Flower Show has never looked better, with a thousand different types of green, red, pink, yellow and all of nature’s hues looking luminously real – except Joe Swift’s sherbet face. Again, this is a challenge for all modern tellies. Another one for the next generation to crack.

There are way more pluses than minuses, though. The sound, from eight speakers built into the inch-thick screen, is loud and clear and follows the action around the screen with ‘Object Tracking Sound’. Two of the speakers fire upwards, giving a decent approximation of surround-sound – although it’s a tad hollow. You won’t get the full experience unless you add a soundbar.

Samsung’s gaming features are up there with the best. Whenever I fired up my PS5, up popped a Game Bar allowing me to tweak sound, motion and resolution settings as well as input lag and frame refresh rate (up to 144Hz). Those last two are only really useful to PC gamers, but even if you ignore the game bar, the TV still detects what kind of game you’re playing and optimises the settings for it.

The QN90D has the Xbox app built in, so you can play without a console (although you’ll need an Xbox subscription). One more nice touch is that two of the four HDMI 2.1 inputs are labelled ‘Console’ and ‘eARC’ (for a soundbar), saving you the worry of plugging the wrong thing into the wrong hole, which can cause problems on other tellies.

Overall, my niggles took up less than one percent of the experience. I’ve made this my Best Buy for its beautiful colour palette and stunning control of natural light, which now rivals OLEDs for realism. Oh, and one more thing: Samsung are proactive with price cuts. The 55-inch QN90C, our previous Best Buy, is already down to £1,000. If you insist on owning the cutting edge, keep an eye on this one and you could walk away with a ridiculously good deal in a few months’ time.

Also in this range

The QN90D sits near the top of Samsung’s 2024 QLED range, whose names all end with a D (the 2023 range ended with a C). At the very top is the QN95D (£2,099 for 55-inch) which is thinner and has a higher density of mini-LEDs. Lower down the range is the QN85D (£1,499 for 55-inch), which has the ‘Lite’ version of object-tracking sound and has a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz compared to the QN90D’s 144Hz.

The rest of the QLED range do not have the magic mini-LED technology. The Q70D (£999 for 55-inch) uses the Quantum Processor 4K instead of the AI Gen2 Processor seen in the more expensive sets. The Q60D (£649 for 55-inch) uses the less advanced Crystal Processor 4K.

Samsung also make a DU range of non-QLED 4K TVs. They both use the Crystal Processor 4K, but the DU8000 (£629 for 55-inch) has a wider colour palette than the DU7100 (£549 for 55-inch).

£1,699

Price at

Samsung

2. TCL C845K

£599 for 55-inch model, Beyond Television

Best value 4K TV, 8/10

We like: cutting-edge Mini-LED and QLED projection at a low price

We don’t like: doesn’t play nicely with peripherals

The best 4K TVs of 2024, tried and tested with expert advice on how to choose (3)
  • Only 55in size available so far
  • Display type: QLED with mini-LEDs, max refresh rate 144Hz
  • High dynamic range types: HDR10+, HLG, Dolby Vision IQ
  • Sound: 2 x 25W speakers plus 20W subwoofer, Dolby Atmos
  • Inputs: 4 x HDMI2, 1 x USB2, ethernet, Wi-Fi
  • Operating sytem: Android with Google Assistant

Tested at home

China’s TCL and Hisense (below) are now two of the biggest TV brands in the world, a position they achieved by offering similar designs to their Korean and Japanese counterparts, but hundreds of pounds cheaper.

The C84 Series is TCL’s first to combine QLED with mini-LED, allowing a much brighter image and a greater dynamic range (ie, more shades between bright and dark). A newer C85 Series has just been released, although so far only in sizes of 65 inches and above. We will be testing that soon. The good news is that this C845K is now less than £600 – remarkable value for a picture this good.

I tested it on nature programmes, movies and games. The colours were intense and lifelike, with a good amount of detail in the shadows, while videogames were bright, sharp and responsive. Almost more impressive was the simplicity of the Android operating system. Perhaps too simple: as with many Chinese products, they don’t really go in for instruction manuals so I had to google some how-tos.

My first night with the C84 was all positive. I was fully immersed in watching Dune, with rich detail across the colour and contrast range and surprisingly powerful sound from its three Onkyo speakers. Over the next few days, I noticed that not all content looks quite as good: a cavalry charge in a war film looked a tad blurry. I put that down to its AI ‘brain’ (the AiPQ 3.0 processor) not being quite as capable as Samsung’s. It also has a tendency to fall out with its peripherals. The sound kept going off as it un-linked from my Bose soundbar or my Sky box, or both.

Overall, a well-priced, highly usable 4K TV capable of truly beautiful images, but with some weaknesses under the surface.

£599

Price at

Beyond Television

3. Sony Bravia XR X90L

£1,199 for 55-inch model, Sony (the newer Bravia 7 is currently under test)

Best LED 4K TV, 9/10

We like: superb AI image and sound processing

We don’t like: lack of mini-LEDs means the dynamic range isn’t quite cutting edge

The best 4K TVs of 2024, tried and tested with expert advice on how to choose (4)
  • 55in, 65in, 75in, 85in and 98in sizes available
  • Display type: LED with full array local dimming, max refresh rate 120Hz
  • High dynamic range types: HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision
  • Sound: 2 x 10W woofers and 2 x 5W tweeters, Dolby Audio, Dolby Atmos
  • Inputs: 4 x HDMI, 2 x USB, Ethernet, aerial
  • Operating system: Android with Google Assistant

Tested at home

Sony save their very best 4K technology for the biggest screens: the current daddy is the Bravia 9, which came out in May. But that’s £4,499 and 75 inches across. In this guide we like to focus on the slightly more affordable screens, so we’re currently testing the new £1,899 Bravia 7 and will update this guide soon. Until then, here’s what we think of the previous range-topper, now down to half its original price.

The first reason to buy the X90L its ‘Cognitive Processor XR’, one of the AI processors Dylan Squire told us to look out for. It improves colours and contrast, reduces blur and judder much more successfully than other processors and enhances the part of the image that it judges to be the focus of your attention, for a more immersive experience. There are only around a hundred dimming zones, since it’s not a mini-LED screen, but the quality is superb.

However, I think the killer feature is the sound. Sony’s Acoustic Multi-Audio system varies the output from the four built-in speakers so that noises appear to come from precise places. If someone is talking in one small corner of the screen, the sound comes from there. If a car screeches across the screen, the sound follows its trajectory. It’s almost miraculous from a screen this thin and gives a cinema-like feel, while making dialogue easier to follow.

There are a few marks against the X90L: it doesn’t do quite as well as its competitors when viewed from an angle, or in a very bright room. It’s thin but heavy, and it’s expensive compared to the TCL above. Compared to the newest Sony Bravias, though, it’s now looking more affordable. Given that this was a cutting-edge TV just one year ago, it’s got to be high on your list if you’re shopping around.

£1,199

Price at

Sony

4. Hisense U8N

£1,799 for 65-inch model, Amazon (there is no 55-inch model)

Best 4K TV for everyday viewing, 9/10

We like: amazingly bright, very easy to use

We don’t like: loses some punch when viewed from an angle

The best 4K TVs of 2024, tried and tested with expert advice on how to choose (5)
  • 65in and 75in sizes available
  • Display type: QLED with mini-LEDs, max refresh rate 144Hz
  • High dynamic range types: HDR10+, HLG, Dolby Vision IQ
  • Sound: 2 x 15W speakers, 20W subwoofer, 2 x 5W tweeters, Dolby Atmos
  • Inputs: 4 x HDMI2.1 of which two 144Hz, eARC, 1 x USB2, 1 x USB3, ethernet, Wi-Fi
  • Operating sytem: Vidaa

Tested at home

China’s Hisense made their name with budget TVs, but with the U8N they’re at the top table with Samsung and Sony. It uses the latest-generation mini-LEDs to offer a picture that’s astonishingly bright, but with some of the most natural colours out there. If it was cheaper, it would be at the top of our list. (The outgoing U8K is now £600 less, but the U8N is worth the premium.)

Perhaps the biggest news is the arrival of Freely, the streaming version of Freeview which allows you to watch all five UK terrestrial channels live without an aerial. I have elderly relatives who won’t use smart TVs because they’re complicated and unfamiliar. Freely makes them familiar again.

All the subscription apps are there too and the Vidaa operating system makes them very easy to navigate. It’s my new favourite OS, with little pop-up dialogue boxes to guide you when you make a decision such as changing picture settings. Not that you’ll have to do that much. The default colour saturation on the U8N is much more natural than the TCL or the Samsung above, making it impressive straight out of the box.

The U8N’s low-reflection screen, in combination with the stunning peak brightness, will make this a very good choice for daytime sport-watching (Hisense are the official TV partner of Euro 2024), although maybe not with lots of friends, since the picture loses some impact when viewed from an angle. If you’re planning to hang it on the wall, be aware it’s very heavy indeed.

The motion control is so-so. Even with the Sport Mode and Ultra Smooth Motion settings turned on, I still got some judder when the camera panned. The other negative is an occasional loss of detail in dark scenes - so-called ‘black crush’, where dark things merge together. There’s a similar problem at the extreme top end, where very white things - such as Rylan Clark’s teeth - merge into one magnesium glare. You could call the U8N over-excited about its super-bright powers.

In other ways it’s more restrained. The games menu only pops up if you ask it to and doesn’t over-complicate things. I used it to turn on AMD Freesync and increase the detail in shadows for a dungeon-based game. There are four HDMI 2.1 ports, two of which can carry 4K at 144Hz and one of which is intended for eARC, so you’ll be able to have a soundbar, a PS5 and an Xbox plugged in and still have a slot spare.

The built-in sound is good, with two front-facing speakers, a subwoofer and two tweeters, although I can’t say I noticed any surround-sound happening in Dolby Atmos mode. A soundbar will be a good idea.

As usual, I tested the U8N on ultra high definition nature programmes including The Green Planet. By comparison, the picture didn’t seem quite as sharp and clear as the TCL and the light certainly wasn’t as breathtaking as the Samsung, but there were still jaw-dropping moments. Top Gun Maverick looked amazing and Dune kept all its colours and subtlety.

Hugely capable but user-friendly enough to buy for your mum, the U8N is currently the best 4K TV for everyday watching, with tons of power in reserve for big, bright telly events.

£1,799

Price at

Amazon

5. Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED

£429.99 for 55-inch model, Amazon

Best smart 4K TV, 8/10

We like: packed with smart features and remarkably cheap

We don’t like: a bit too ‘online’ for some older users

The best 4K TVs of 2024, tried and tested with expert advice on how to choose (6)
  • 43in, 50in, 55in and 65in sizes available
  • Display type: QLED, max refresh rate 60Hz
  • High dynamic range types: HGL, HDR 10+ Adaptive, Dolby Vision
  • Sound: 2 x 12W speakers, Dolby Digital Plus
  • Inputs: 4 x HDMI, 2 x USB, ethernet, aerial
  • Operating system: Fire TV with Alexa voice assistant

Tested at home

Amazon’s Fire TV launched in the UK last year and won’t have pleased the competition. The prices are low and the quality is decent, so they can’t be making much of a profit – but a price war is a good thing if you’re replacing your old telly.

Fire TV was previously a plug-in that turned your TV into a smart TV, considered one of the best TV streaming devices. Now it is a TV in its own right. There are three ranks. The 2-Series at the bottom end is a great HD telly, but it’s not 4K. The mid-range 4-Series is 4K, but can’t compete in terms of picture quality with this range-topping Omni QLED model. All are very light, slim and well-made, with Amazon Alexa built in and access to pretty much every viewing app in existence.

The picture on the Omni QLED screen is superb for the price, using quantum dots and a form of AI called HDR10+ Adaptive that senses the light levels in your living room, and in the scene you’re watching, and tweaks the picture accordingly. With only 64 dimming zones versus hundreds in the new mini-LED TVs, it can’t match them for fine gradations of contrast. But the difference in quality isn’t as big as the difference in price.

The Omni series is very much a lifestyle product, displaying art or your photos on its home screen alongside a slew of Alexa screen widgets like weather, calendars and interactive ‘sticky notes’. You can link it to your smart appliances like thermostats and security cameras. It knows when you enter or leave the room and its microphone is always on, listening out for Alexa prompts, unless you switch these features off. I did, immediately, along with anything else that stood in the way of me just watching Gardener’s World. This is definitely not a TV for the tech-phobic.

On the other hand, if you’re under 40 and feel at home in YouTube-land, absolutely everything you want is here – including the BBC iPlayer and All4 apps, which are missing from some smart TVs due to licensing issues.

The only thing to watch out for is the sound. Although the output is in Dolby Digital Plus, the built-in speakers are tiny, so you will definitely need a soundbar. Conveniently, Amazon sells those.

6. Sky Glass

£949 for 55-inch model, Sky

Best 4K TV for sound, 9/10

We like: available for £19 a month added to your Sky bill

We don’t like: the picture quality can’t quite compete with the newest TVs here

The best 4K TVs of 2024, tried and tested with expert advice on how to choose (7)
  • 43in, 55in and 65in sizes available
  • Display type: QLED, max refresh rate 60Hz
  • High dynamic range types: Dolby Vision
  • Sound: Max 215W 3 x front-firing speakers, 2 x up-firing, 1 x subwoofer
  • Inputs: 3 x HDMI, Wi-Fi, ethernet
  • Operating system: Sky Entertainment OS, Sky voice assistant

Tested at home

Although it has its detractors, Sky’s first television is a strong proposition, allowing you to ditch not only your old telly but your satellite dish as well, since the shows stream over broadband. Most people will pay for it in instalments, adding £16 a month to their Sky subscription for 48 months.

The picture quality is excellent, although having tested a lot of this year’s new TVs, the comparative lack of detail in dark areas was noticeable. Sound-wise, it’s unusually powerful, with a decent array of forward- and upward-firing speakers built into its two-inch thick frame, including a meaty subwoofer. This does mean it’s relatively heavy for its size.

Sky has its own operating system, similar to Android but simpler and in some ways better. The main screen is dominated by the latest releases, things you’ve been watching and things you might like, not just from Sky but from Disney+, Amazon Prime and any other streaming services you’ve signed up for. You have to scroll down a bit to find the old-fashioned channel guide. This is worth bearing in mind if you’re buying it for someone who’s used to the traditional way of things.

There are a few other sacrifices. With no hard drive, you can’t permanently keep any recordings: they’re only available for as long as the streamer keeps them in the cloud. Dozens of beloved films which we’d saved on our old Sky box for years are lost now. Ah well.

Serious gamers have also complained that the 66-millisecond latency is too slow for action games, but I’ve happily been playing away with my old-man reaction times unchanged.

Overall, this is a reasonably priced (though not dirt-cheap) 4K telly that doesn’t pretend to be ultra-premium but performs well enough in terms of picture, functions and especially sound to hold its head up among the better-established competition. It’s also simpler to use and comes with content the others can’t provide. Unless you plug a Sky Stream into them, of course. But that’s for another review.

£949

Price at

Sky

7. Panasonic MX950

£799.99 for 55-inch model, John Lewis

Best 4K TV for watching movies, 8/10

We like: lifelike colours, great light and shade

We don’t like: not as good in full daylight as some others we tested

The best 4K TVs of 2024, tried and tested with expert advice on how to choose (8)
  • 55in and 65in sizes available
  • Display type: LDC with mini-LEDs, max refresh rate 120Hz
  • High dynamic range types: HLG, HDR10+ Adaptive, Dolby Vision IQ
  • Sound: 2 x 15W speakers, 1 x 20W subwoofer, Dolby Atmos
  • Inputs: 2 x HDMI 2, 2 x HDMI 2.1 including e-Arc, 2 x USB, ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, aerial
  • Operating system: Panasonic MyHomeScreen 8, works with Google and Alexa voice assistants

Tested at home

Panasonic are known for their commitment to realistic, lifelike images. Of all the 4K TVs we tested, MX950 is the one to choose if you’re a cinephile, thanks to its subtle, realistic colours and contrasts. It’s the first Panasonic screen to use mini-LEDs and they make a big difference. I loved the way shafts of light and mist looked when watching nature programmes and moody film scenes: almost up there with OLEDs in terms of realism.

The sound is good, thanks to a decent-sized subwoofer – although you will need a soundbar with upward-firing speakers to make the most of the Dolby Atmos. I initially found it difficult to connect a soundbar, because the inputs are a little confusing: one of the HDMI ports is hidden round the corner from the others and you have to be kneeling directly behind the TV to read which one is HDMI 1, HDMI 2, HDMI 3 or HDMI 4 – only the second of which will work as an eARC sound connection.

Luckily, Panasonic’s own-brand operating system is nice and simple, with just a row of rectangles for the free apps like Freeview and a row of circles for paid-for apps like Netflix, Prime and Disney. The menu lets you tweak the sound and picture in dozens of ways, as you’d expect from a film-lover’s TV, but you can boil it down to just four pre-sets such as Sport, Film, Normal and Game, all tweaked to your liking.

Talking of gaming, the MX950 is well-specced with both a low-latency Game Mode Extreme for the highest frame rate (up to 4K at 120Hz) and a True Game Mode for more accurate colours. It’s the gaming equivalent of FilmMaker mode and is a standout feature of Panasonic TVs.

Because of its fondness for realism over punch, the MX950 is slightly less impressive when viewed in full sunlight (although it’s much brighter than the TVs of just a few years ago) and it can’t compete with the QLEDs above for colour intensity. But I actually like its greater subtlety.

£799.99

Price at

John Lewis

8. Philips PML9008

£769 for 55-inch model, John Lewis, also available at Currys

Best looking 4K TV, 8/10

We like: remarkably affordable for a mini-LED telly

We don’t like: the famous ambilight feature has been downgraded slightly

The best 4K TVs of 2024, tried and tested with expert advice on how to choose (9)
  • 55in, 65in and 75in sizes available
  • Display type: LDC with mini-LEDs, max refresh rate 120Hz
  • High dynamic range types: HLG, HDR10+, Dolby Vision
  • Sound: 2 x 10W speakers, 2 x 10W tweeters, Dolby Atmos
  • Inputs: 4 x HDMI including e-Arc, 2 x USB, ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, aerial
  • Operating system: Philips tvOS, works with Alexa and Google voice assistants

Expert recommended

Philips are famous for their Ambilight TVs, with a ring of coloured LEDs at the back which cast a glow against the wall, constantly changing to match the colours on screen. No-one else does it and it has plenty of fans.

The firm have slimmed down Ambilight on their new-generation TVs: it only goes around three sides now, not four, and no longer syncs with Philips Hue smart lightbulbs. But it’s smarter in other ways: it syncs with music and games, has special programmes for waking and sleeping and can adapt to the colour of your wallpaper.

“It sounds gimmicky but in practice, Ambilight gives a more immersive picture,” Dylan Squire says, “and the PML9008 uses the latest ‘intelligent LEDs’ that are faster to respond to colour changes.”

Picture-wise you’re not quite getting the state of the art here – no AI, no quantum dots – but considering the price, you get a lot of bang for your buck. Philips have introduced mini-LEDs to fine-tune the dynamic range and there is a decent new dual-core processor, making it Dolby Vision compatible. Colours and contrasts are up there with many of the TVs on this list. Gamers will also like its low-latency Game Mode and its ability to show 4K at 120Hz.

On the downside, the speakers are weak, although Philips make an excellent range of soundbars which can turn it into quite a different beast. “This model also has Philips’ DTS Play-Fi feature,” Dylan Squire says, “which lets you integrate the TV wirelessly into a home speaker system. Effectively, the TV’s speakers become the centre channel for dialogue, with your other speakers taking up the surround-sound task.”

Philips’ own Smart TV operating system looks very similar to Android and has all the streaming apps built in. If you’re buying this for the Ambilight (which, realistically, you are), you’ll be getting a very decent modern 4K TV at a price that seems remarkably good.

£769

Price at

John Lewis

9. LG QNED86

£849 for 55-inch model, AO

Best reduced-price TV, 9/10

We like: almost identical specs to this year’s best TVs, for half the price

We don’t like: you either love or hate the ‘magic remote’

The best 4K TVs of 2024, tried and tested with expert advice on how to choose (10)
  • 55in, 65in, 75in and 86in sizes available
  • Display type: QLED with mini-LED and NanoCell, max refresh rate 120Hz
  • High dynamic range types: HLG, HDR10 Pro, Dolby Vision IQ
  • Sound: 2 x 10W speakers with Dolby Atmos
  • Inputs: 4 x HDMI, 2 x USB, ethernet, Wi-Fi, aerial
  • Operating system: LG ThinkQ, works with Alexa and Google voice assistants

LG are always at the cutting edge of TV tech. Like most of the TVs on this list, the QNED86 uses mini-LEDs as well as quantum dots to enrich its range of colours and shades. But LG also use a technology called NanoCell which sits above the quantum dots, filtering the colours so that, for example, a red will be really red. The actual details are a trade secret but there’s no doubt their QNED screens are some of the best you can get without going OLED, beaten only by Samsung for the depths of their blacks and the vibrancy of their colours.

The reason this doesn’t come higher up our list is that, as Dylan Squire says, the AI at the heart of TVs is increasingly important. This one doesn’t use LG’s newest α9 Gen6 but last year’s α7 Gen5 processor, making it ever so slightly behind the cutting edge.

Everything else about the QNED86 is bang up to date, with Dolby Vision IQ and Dolby Atmos to upgrade the picture and sound and AMD FreeSync to perfect the gaming experience. The WebOS operating system is generally well-liked – although I hate the ‘magic remote’ that sends a cursor flapping around the home screen. The only real downside is its relative lack of audio power – just two 10W speakers and one 20W woofer, when Sony and Samsung’s newest tellies boast four and eight respectively. Though there is a ‘TV Sound Mode Share’ feature to create surround-sound from your home speakers, it’s not guaranteed to work with every set-up.

The huge plus is that, since it’s been around for over a year now, you can now pick this excellent TV up for around half its original price. Frankly, unless you’re obsessed with having a newer telly than your neighbour, this one’s a no-brainer.

£849

Price at

AO

10. Toshiba QF5D

£339, Amazon

Best budget QLED TV, 7/10

We like: exceptionally low price for a QLED

We don’t like: last-gen image processing

The best 4K TVs of 2024, tried and tested with expert advice on how to choose (11)
  • 43in, 50in, 55in and 65in sizes available
  • Display type: QLED, max refresh rate 60Hz
  • High dynamic range types: Dolby Vision IQ
  • Sound: 2 x 10W speakers with Dolby Atmos
  • Inputs: 3 x HDMI 2, 2 x USB 2, ethernet, Wi-Fi, aerial
  • Operating system: Amazon Fire TV with Alexa voice assistant

It’s quite surprising to find a 55-inch QLED TV at this price, but Toshiba have been making low-priced TVs for long enough (their first was in 1939) to know their market. You don’t get up-to-the minute mini-LED projection, but the QF5D does have 300 dimming zones for a better dynamic range than you expect at this price, and the colours are great.

It’s a Fire TV, so has many of the same interactive features as Amazon’s own TV (above), which younger viewers will tend to love and older viewers will tend not to. If you’re upgrading from a much older telly, it’ll be quite a change. One thing that will amaze older buyers is how slim and light it is, with a bezel so thin it’s effectively frameless.

There’s no doubt it’s a good-looking telly and it’s tempting to ask why you’d pay two or three times as much for some of the TVs above. The difference is the HDR algorithms, which aren’t as up-to-date, giving not quite as much detail in the darkest and brightest parts of the picture, but many will think that’s a small sacrifice for the low price. It also has quite weedy sound. But that’s true of any TV this thin, including many of those above.

Overall, this is about as good a television as you can get for this money and you wonder if Toshiba might not have underpriced it. Still, after 84 years they must know what they’re doing.

£339

Price at

Amazon

4K TV FAQs

Which type of TV is best for watching sports?

For the best view of the Olympics and Euros this summer, you will be wanting a TV with as little motion-blur as possible. Look for one with a screen refresh rate of 120Hz. (We recommend the Samsung QN90D, Sony X90L or TCL C845K.)

A TV with a high refresh rate will be able to ‘interpolate’ AI-generated images inbetween each broadcast frame. (If, in one frame, the ball is on the left of the screen and in the next it’s on the right, the TV can insert a frame where the ball is in the middle, smoothing out motion-blur and making fast action easier to follow.) In our tests, Sony currently has the best motion handling. The Samsung, TCL, Hisense, Panasonic, Philips and LG can all output in 120Hz too.

Brightness and colour saturation are also important when watching sport. Samsung have the brightest TVs at the moment, with superb colours, although TCL’s much cheaper TVs are not far behind. Read our guides to how to watch the Olympics and how to watch Euro 24 for details on where to watch this summer’s big events.

What is the difference between OLED and QLED?

Each pixel on an OLED TV is an individual organic light-emitting diode. These require no backlight, so the screen can be much thinner. More importantly, when the pixels are off they are completely off, allowing much deeper blacks and more realistic lighting effects. Motion on screen tends to be smoother on OLED TVs.

QLED TVs are illuminated by LED backlights and a layer of microscopic semi-conducting crystals, which glow with particularly pure, bright colours. These ‘quantum dots’ allow a much broader colour spectrum and higher peak brightness than OLEDs, making them easier to watch in bright rooms. They can also be viewed from a wider angle.

QLED was once associated with Samsung, but is now used extensively across the 4K TV market and prices are coming down quickly. OLED remains a relatively premium choice. It’s rare to find a new OLED TV under £1,000.

What is mini-LED?

Mini-LED is a new way of illuminating QLED screens, using much smaller diodes of less than 0.2mm. This begins to approach the microscopic size of OLED pixels and allows more control over the dynamic range. Because there are more of them, the image is several times brighter. It’s relatively new, but appears in many of this year’s best 4K televisions.

Mini-LED is not to be confused with micro-LED, a next generation technology that is so far only found in super-premium, oversized TVs costing over £50,000.

What is HDR?

High dynamic range allows much finer gradations of light and darkness. On an old-fashioned TV, a scene set in a dark room with bright sunshine outside would have been a mess of white ‘bloom’ and black ‘crush’. An HDR TV can reveal all the details within the scene.

There are four different HDR formats. HDR10 is the original. Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime and Apple TV all stream content in HDR10 and you should expect any 4K TV to support it.

Dolby Vision is more sophisticated, balancing the dynamic range frame by frame instead of scene by scene. The latest version, Dolby Vision IQ, also compensates for the lighting in the room the TV is in. Dolby is a proprietary brand that manufacturers have to sign up to. Most have.

HDR10+ was Samsung’s version of Dolby Vision (they don’t like signing up to other people’s tech), which has since been adopted by many other manufacturers.

HLG (hybrid log gamma) is the HDR format used by broadcasters like the BBC and Sky. Most modern TVs that support HDR10 will also support HLG.

Many TVs will now support all four of these formats. The software will detect which one is being used and switch between them automatically.

What is screen refresh rate?

The refresh rate, measured in Hertz, is how many times a second the screen is updated. Most new 4K TVs are capable of 120Hz, which gamers, sports fans and action film lovers say gives a smoother and more exciting experience because there’s less blur when objects move quickly. However, 60Hz is perfectly good enough for most casual viewers. You will only see 120Hz if the input is in 120Hz (from a games console, for example). Otherwise, it’ll be achieved by interpolation – see below.

What is motion smoothing?

Motion smoothing, or motion interpolation, inserts computer-generated frames between the existing ones to make movements seem smoother. It makes it much easier to follow the action when watching sports, but it should be turned off for all other types of viewing. It causes the ‘soap opera effect’, where everything looks as though it was shot on video in a brightly lit TV studio. Tom Cruise and Martin Scorsese hate it, along with all right-thinking people. Unfortunately it is turned on by default in most modern TVs.

What is 8K?

8K TVs have four times as many pixels as 4K TVs: about 33 million, versus about 8 million. That means the picture is clearer, sharper and more realistic. However, they are twice as expensive and at the moment there is practically no 8K content available because it takes up a huge amount of streaming bandwidth and requires absolutely gigantic screens to see any benefit over 4K. So there is no point buying an 8K TV right now. As a result, the major manufacturers have gone rather cool on them.

What does edge-lit mean?

Edge-lit TVs are cheaper and thinner than back-lit TVs and more economical to run, but they can produce a lower-quality image in some instances. Rather than having the light-producing LEDs directly behind the image-producing LCD panel, they are arranged at the edge. The light is spread across the panel using a system of ‘light guides’.

What is local dimming?

In LED TVs (including QLEDs), it’s not yet possible to turn each individual pixel off to achieve total blackness. Local dimming attempts to get close to this goal by dividing the screen into zones. The zones behind dark parts of a scene can be dimmed so that you can see more detail in them. Look for full-array local dimming, which has the most zones and therefore a greater dynamic range.

OLED TVs don’t need local dimming because each pixel is its own light source.

What is the brightest TV?

Samsung’s QN100, a 98-inch version of our Best Buy QN90, can achieve a peak brightness of 5,000 nits. Nits (from Latin nitere, ‘to shine’) measure brightness over a given area. For years the standard for TVs was 250. The technology now exists to make TVs much brighter: the latest mini-LED TVs are capable of well over 1,000 nits.

On its own, more brightness does not make a TV better: it’s all about the range. A greater range between the top and bottom allows more detail and better contrast.

What is the best screen size?

If you’re buying a 4K TV, you need a screen that’s over 40 inches or you won’t see the difference over previous-generation (1080-pixel) HD. This is why the vast majority of 4K TVs are only made in sizes between 43 and 75 inches.

The right size for you will depend on how far you sit from the telly. If it’s about eight feet, go for a 43-inch TV. If it’s about 10-11 feet, go for a 55-inch TV. Only consider 65 inches or bigger if you sit over 12 feet away from your TV.

Bigger TVs are also heavier and have a wider stand, so you will need to consider where you are going to stand or mount it.

View the latest Sky and Samsung deals

The best 4K TVs of 2024, tried and tested with expert advice on how to choose (2024)

FAQs

Which brand is best for 4K TV? ›

Our Top Picks
  • Best Overall: Sony 139 cm (55 inches) BRAVIA 2 4K Ultra HD Smart LED Google TV. ...
  • Best Budget: TCL 108 cm (43 inches) Metallic Bezel-Less Series 4K Ultra HD Smart LED Google TV. ...
  • Best Viewing Experience: Acer 189 cm (75 inches) Advanced I Series 4K Ultra HD Smart LED Google TV.
4 days ago

How do I choose a good 4K TV? ›

If you prioritize picture quality in dark settings, an OLED TV's black levels and viewing angles might be preferable. On the other hand, the high brightness provided by QLED technology is a better choice for well-lit rooms.

Which is better, 4K or QLED or OLED? ›

While OLED generally does deliver the more 'premium' experience thanks to its more accurate picture, this isn't always what's best. QLED TVs offer better overall brightness and value, without sacrificing too many features nowadays. It all comes down to which one suits your viewing environment better.

Which 4K TV lasts longest? ›

The total lifespan of a 4K TV will ultimately depend on whether it is making use of LED, OLED, or QLED technology. OLED TVs tend to last the longest, over ten years, thanks to the lack of a backlight, which will degrade with time.

What is the difference between 4K LED TV and 4K UHD TV? ›

UHD quadruples that resolution to 3,840 by 2,160. It's not the same as the 4K resolution made above. Despite this, almost every TV or monitor advertised as 4K is UHD. Some panels are 4,096 by 2,160, which adds up to an aspect ratio of 1.9:1.

What to look for when buying a TV in 2024? ›

What Should You Look for in a New TV?
  • Display Technology. When it comes to display technologies, OLED, QLED, and MicroLED are currently the most popular options. ...
  • Resolution: 4K, 8K, and Beyond. ...
  • Smart TV Features. ...
  • Connectivity Options. ...
  • Gaming TVs. ...
  • Energy Efficiency & Environmental Impact. ...
  • TV Brands.
Feb 26, 2024

What size of TV is best for 4K? ›

Recommended TV sizes and viewing distances for 4K TVs and Full HD TVs.
TV Size4K TV Viewing DistanceFull HD TV Viewing Distance
40 inches4 – 6 feet6 – 7 feet
55 inches6.5 – 7.5 feet8.5 – 9.5 feet
65 inches8 – 9 feet10 – 12 feet
80 inches10 – 13 feet13 – 15 feet
1 more row

How do you tell if a TV is really 4K? ›

Go to the TV settings and look for the display or picture options. The settings should display the TV's resolution, and if it's 4K, it should show a resolution of 3840 x 2160. Check the model number: You can check the model number of your TV and look it up online to confirm whether it is a 4K TV.

Is QLED better than OLED in 2024? ›

OLED offers superior contrast and cinematic image quality due to its self-emissive technology. At the same time, QLED excels in brightness and affordability for larger screens, making each better suited to different needs.

Should I buy OLED or 4K TV? ›

In looking at standard 4K LED TVs vs 4K OLED TVs, both offer great viewing experiences and improvements over 1080p. But LG OLED technology will truly transform your home entertainment experience with superior blacks, cinematic colors and High Dynamic Range with Dolby Vision support.

Which is better Ultra HD 4K or QLED? ›

Impact on Image Quality: UHD and QLED both provide great picture quality, only in different ways. UHD displays are superior in delivering sharp and clear images due to their high pixel count.

Is OLED or 4K better? ›

OLED has a significantly wider and better viewing angle when compared to 4k UHD LED TVs. Unlike LEDs that still have shutter issues because of screen pixels, OLED comes with advanced pixels powered by self-illumination capabilities. Thus, OLED is a clear winner in this department.

Is OLED better than LED? ›

OLED technology isn't necessarily better than LED technology. OLED displays excel in contrast ratio, color accuracy and quick response times, making them preferred for applications where image quality is critical. LED displays, on the other hand, are widely used and offer a range of options with varying qualities.

What is the difference between 4K TV and 4K Smart TV? ›

Smart TVs and 4K TVs are different in terms of what they specifically describe. Smart TVs are internet-enabled TVs that provide access to streaming services and other smart functions. 4K TVs are simply TVs that boast 4K resolutions. However, smart TVs can often also be 4K TVs.

Which brand of TV is most reliable? ›

The 7 Best TV Brands - Summer 2024 Reviews
  • Best Sony TV. Sony A95L OLED 190. SEE PRICE. ...
  • Best Samsung TV. Samsung S95D OLED 111. SEE PRICE. ...
  • Best LG TV. LG G4 OLED 143. SEE PRICE. ...
  • Best TCL TV. TCL QM8/QM850G QLED 460. ...
  • Best Hisense TV. Hisense UX 100. ...
  • Best Roku TV. Roku Plus Series QLED 23. ...
  • Best Vizio TV. Vizio P Series Quantum 2021 19.
Jun 28, 2024

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