We independently select all products and services. If you click through links we provide, we may earn a commission. Learn more Forbes Vetted The Best TVs To Transform Your Home Into A Movie Theater Jon Martindale Contributor Forbes Vetted Contributor Group Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Jason R. Rich Forbes Staff Forbes Vetted Contributor Group Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. May 27, 2023, 10:23am EDT | Share to
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Twitter Share to Linkedin Many of the top-rated TVs below are discounted for Memorial Day weekend. Check out our list of the best Memorial Day sales for more savings opportunities. From the
Samsung S95C to LG's amazing next-generation G3 OLED with its impressive brightness, these TVs reflect big leaps in clarity, color vibrancy and overall brightness. While many of the latest TVs display a gorgeous picture, the best TVs on the market use cutting-edge technologies to produce truly brilliant images. Movies, TV shows and games have never looked better than they do on the latest models from companies like Samsung, LG, TCL and Sony. Best TVs To Transform Your Living Room Into a Movie Theater Forbes / Images: Retailer Springtime renovations and remodeling can make this the perfect time to upgrade your home. Since virtually all of the best TVs now offer smart functionality, they’re ready to stream your favorite TV shows and movies right away from just about any streaming service. We combined our first-hand experience with in-depth research on brands and models to come up with our top picks below for the best TVs currently available. Need something specific for your Xbox or PlayStation? As gamers ourselves, we also rounded up our recommendations for the best gaming TVs . And you can see our latest picks for best 65-inch TV s, best 85-inch TVs and best OLED TVs . Best TV Overall: Samsung S95C ($3,200, Was $3,300) Best 8K TV: Samsung QN900C ($6,000, Was $6,300) Best OLED TV: LG G3 OLED ($3,300, Was $3,600) Best TV For Sports: Samsung QN95C ($1,600, Was $3,300) Best TV For Movies: Sony Bravia XR A95K ($2,800, Was $3,200) Best TV For Gaming: LG C3 OLED ($2,397, Was $2,600) Best Small TV: Sony Bravia XR A90K ($1,398, Was $1,500) Best TV Under $1,000: Hisense U8H ($900, Was $1,000) Best TV Overall When OLED Meets Quantum Dots Samsung Samsung S95C 65-inch Size: 65-inch | Type: QD-OLED | Resolution: 4K | Refresh rate: 144Hz | Operating system: Samsung Tizen | HDR: HDR10, HDR10+ Best for: Enjoying movies and games with bright, brilliant colors. The Samsung S95C, Samsung’s latest OLED flagship, builds upon the successes of last-year's S95B and brings a few important and worthwhile upgrades to the table. QD-OLED combines quantum dot technology with the deep blacks of an OLED panel to deliver a higher peak brightness and more vibrant images than ordinary OLED displays can achieve. It even gets a little brighter than its last-gen counterpart, too, making this an amazing TV for enjoying HDR games and movies. It also benefits from an enhanced refresh rate support, now going up to 144Hz, making it a great option for consoler gamers. It's also more durable against burn-in, has a trimmer design for easier installation and a more flush-look. It also has a new slim connect box, making it easier to access all the important HDMI 2.1 ports you'll need for high-end gaming and media consumption. It's available in 55, 65, and 77-inch sizes, with the largest being a new option this generation. What our editors say: Tech editor Rebecca Isaacs says, “The S95C’s vivid coloring, thanks to the self-lit pixels, make this the perfect TV for gamers. I especially loved the 4K upscaling that I saw when playing Skyrim. For viewers, this OLED panel made the Painted Table truly pop during House of the Dragon .” Pros: Extremely bright for an OLED TV Richer colors than ever before Reduced risk of burn-in compared to standard OLED Cons: Expensive Best 8K TV Double Your Resolution Editor’s Pick Samsung Samsung QN900C 8K Neo QLED Size: 75-inch | Type: Neo QLED | Resolution: 8K | Refresh rate: 144Hz | Operating system: Samsung Tizen | HDR: HDR10, HDR10+, HLG Best for: Watching the latest 8K content on
YouTube and Vimeo. Tts latest 8K TV from Samsung, the QN900C uses the company’s Neo QLED panel technology, which combines quantum dot LEDs with a vast array of Mini LEDs to deliver extremely high brightness and nuanced local dimming. As such, the TV maxes out at a vibrant 2,500 nits. This model has a high 144Hz refresh rate for smooth sports viewing and fast and responsive gaming, giving PC gamers more headroom for higher frame rates. Its robust Game Mode lowers input lag and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro support further aids stutter-free gaming. It also has four HDMI 2.1 inputs for connecting the latest-generation game consoles, streaming devices and gaming PCs. That's particularly useful, as high-end PCs can play games at 8K; something no games console can even approach. Inside, Samsung has fine-tuned its algorithms for upscaling older and lower resolution content which helps compensate for the lack of native 8K resolution content outside of YouTube and Vimeo. With its eye-catching design, barely-there bezels and massive 75-inch panel, this 8K model delivers an immersive and truly cinematic experience—especially when you're watching HDR content, where the high brightness and deep contrast can shine. Pros: Greater detail with 8K resolution Mini LEDs make it super bright Wide range of HDR support Cons: Native 8K content limited Expensive No Dolby Vision, like all Samsung TVs Best OLED TV Terrific Contrast, Better Brightness LG LG G3 OLED Evo 4K Size: 65-inch | Type: OLED | Resolution: 4K | Refresh rate: 120Hz | Operating system: LG WebOS | HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, HLG Best for: Watching movies and TV with both high contrast and high brightness. LG’s flagship LG G3 OLED Evo improves on the last-generation G2 panel with the introduction of Micro Lens Array (MLA) technology. This helps focus the light of the OLEDs through its various filter layers, rather than allowing it to disperse, and leads to a much brighter HDR image and highlights. Better yet, it accomplishes without putting any extra power into the TV. This gives the TV around 50 percent greater peak brightness, maxing it out around 1,500 nits, an impressive feat for an OLED. Although OLEDs’ near-infinite contrast ratio will always look best when you dim the lights down, the newer, brighter OLEDs mean you can use the TV even in the presence of ambient light. That MLA technology and added brightness boosts color vibrancy, too, helping them to really pop no matter what you're watching. This TV also has excellent internal processing power for image upscaling and other dynamic adjustments—namely to picture quality, color saturation, sharpness and more. The TV uses AI algorithms to deliver the best-looking picture at all times. For gaming, this TV supports both Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium. LG continues to shrink its TV’s bezels, with the G3’s thin bezels giving it a seamless look froLG G3m every angle. Pros: New MLA technology boosts brightness and color Minimal input lag for gaming Support for both G-Sync and FreeSync Cons: Expensive Audio could be better Best TV For Sports Crystal Clear Sports Action Samsung Samsung QN95C Neo QLED 4K Size: 65-inch | Type: Neo QLED | Resolution: 4K | Refresh rate: 144Hz | Operating system: Samsung Tizen | HDR: HDR10, HDR10+, HLG Best for: Watching weekend sports in the afternoon. For sports fans, you want a TV with both excellent motion handling and a high brightness for watching games in the afternoon with the curtains open. The QN95C uses Samsung’s Neo QLED panel, which combines a quantum dot layer with mini LED technology. It makes for a great combination for watching sports, regardless of the ambient light levels, by giving you sky-high brightness and super vibrant colors. Plus, the QN95C’s fast response time and impressive motion resolution minimizes ghosting during the action, so you can appreciate every play. The variable refresh rates up to 144Hz also makes games look buttery smooth, whether you're playing on consoles or a gaming PC, while low input lag helps gameplay feel responsive. The maximum brightness for this TV is close to 2,000 nits—far more than you'd get on any OLED and many LED panels. That brightness translates into a perfectly viewable picture even in direct sunlight. When used in a darker room, you benefit from this model’s strong contrast ratio and excellent HDR support, allowing those small sections of the screen to glare bright. With a boosted 1,344 local dimming zones, the HDR can be particularly nuanced with very little blooming. This model has Samsung's anti-reflective screen coating, similar to the matte finish on The Frame models, so reflections are barely a consideration and don’t detract from the overall image. The QN95C distinguishes itself with its wide, uniform viewing angles, ensuring that everyone can enjoy the game in the same way. Pros: Very bright panel Excellent motion handling Powerful AI upscaling Cons: Very weak audio Best TV For Movies Turn Your Home Into A Theater Best Buy Sony Bravia XR A95K Size: 65-inch | Type: QD-OLED | Resolution: 4K | Refresh rate: 120Hz | Operating system:
Google TV | HDR: HDR10, Dolby Vision, HLG Best for: Making your movies look their best. Sony's Bravia XR A95K uses a mix of OLED and quantum dots to deliver high contrast images with greater color depth than the best previous-generation OLED TVs. It produces bright, vibrant and detailed images, and has the same dark blacks and low input lag for both movie watchers and gamers. The Bravia XR A95K is every bit as good as the Samsung SN95B, but its extra image enhancements and features make this a much more expensive panel. While this model only gets 1,000 nits brightness, add in stunning color accuracy and vibrancy, plus deep blacks and support for all the latest HDR standards–including Dolby Vision–and you get the perfect TV for enjoying movies. It also benefits from Sony's powerful XR onboard processor, which can not only upscale lower resolution content, but it also dynamically adjusts contrast, color levels, brightness and more to optimize content. Expect solid audio thanks to Sony's acoustic surface technology using the screen itself as an additional speaker. Pros: Strong upscaling Bright and vibrant picture from OLED display Impressive out of the box sound Cons: More expensive than comparably sized TVs Best TV For Gaming Games Have Never Looked So Good
Amazon LG C3 OLED Evo 4K Size: 65-inch | Type: OLED | Resolution: 4K | Refresh rate: 120Hz | Operating System: LG WebOS | HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, HLG Best for: High-end 4K gaming TV without spending thousands. The LG C3 is packed with all the same wonderful features as the LG C2, with the same high brightness panel, vivid contrast and top-notching gaming features. This time around, the C3 has been enhanced with the new LG Alpha a9 Gen6 processor that improves upscaling lower resolution content and dynamic image adjustment. Your picture quality, color vibrancy and brightness will all be dynamically controlled via the processor for whatever you're watching. As such, the C3 looks brighter and more vivid than its predecessor, as it can adjust the foreground and background differently to improve contrast and picture, even if the actual brightness hasn't changed. The LG WebOS operating system has been improved too, making it more responsive and fluid when transitioning between streaming apps and different menus. That makes the overall experience with the LG C3 that much better, even if it's rather minor compared to the other hardware and software improvements. The only downside? The price. With the C2 still readily available at a newly discounted price, the C3 has some stiff competition while stock lasts. Pros: Inky blacks and vibrant colors New upscaling processor helps boost colors and brightness Impressive brightness of OLED Cons: Expensive compared to last-gen version Not dramatically better than the LG C2 Best Small TV OLED Screen In A Small Package Sony Sony Bravia XR A90K 42-Inch Size: 48-inch | Type: OLED | Resolution: 4K | Refresh rate: 120Hz | Operating system: Google TV | HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG Best for: Small rooms that need a high-end TV. Most of the best TVs you can buy come in at 55 inches or larger—only a few extend into the smaller sizes. Fortunately, Sony's Bravia XR A90K is one of those current models available for those with smaller spaces. Its 48-inch screen size makes the A90K a perfect TV for tighter spaces, including apartment dwellings and bedrooms. This model uses an OLED panel to deliver deep blacks and rich colors. Though this model doesn't look quite as good as the new crop of QD-OLED TVs, it gets very close, and it provides serious competition to the likes of LG's C2 OLED TV. It has a pair of HDMI 2.1 connections, making it a great pick for the new Xbox and PlayStation games consoles. Though the XR A90J lacks some of the more advanced gaming features found on competing OLEDs, this TV still does well for competitive gaming with its low input lag, high refresh rate and fast response time, though it doesn't get as bright as some larger TVs with Mini LED technology. The XR A90J has smart TV features enabled by its responsive Google TV operating system. Pros: Deep blacks and vibrant colors Very low input lag and response time for gaming Minimalist frame Cons: Lacks the gaming features of competing OLEDs Doesn't get as bright as larger Mini LED TVs Best TV Under $1,000 Affordable, Ultra-Bright Image Good Value Best Buy Hisense U8H Size: 65-inch | Type: Mini LED | Resolution: 4K | Refresh rate: 120Hz | Operating system: GoogleTV | HDR: HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, HLG Best for: Super bright images and robust smart TV features. The Hisense U8H is the best high-end TV Hisense has ever made, making it feel anything but budget, despite its affordable price tag at this sort of size. The U8H gets very bright thanks to its Mini LEDs, and gives some of the heavy hitting brands a run for their money. It can hit over 2,000 nits in some tests, which translates to a perfectly viewable image in brightly lit rooms during the daytime. It has wide-ranging HDR support, so in movies and TV shows, the bright elements jump off the screen. With its hundreds of dimming zones, this panel does a good
Job of avoiding blooming around bright elements on dark backgrounds too, and the extra brightness really makes the colors on this TV pop, even if they don't have the richness of the newer QD-OLED TVs. One feature all TVs often fall flat on is sound quality, but the U8H addresses this with a beefy subwoofer built into the back of the TV. The subwoofer supports lower sound frequencies and ensures audio has depth—especially useful in gaming. Speaking of which, this TV works well for gaming with the latest consoles, with a 120Hz refresh rate, two HDMI 2.1 ports and support for both Dolby Vision Gaming and AMD FreeSync Premium. Its input lag is low too, important for competitive gameplay. The integrated 1080p upscaling processor isn't as good as on competing brands, but other than that, this TV hits it out of the park in every respect. What our editors say: Tech editor Rebecca Isaacs says, “For gamers and movie lovers with a smaller living spaces, this is by far my favorite TV, and not because of that three-figure price tag. The panel offers 4K upscaling and great detailing which brought vivid detailing to costumes seen on House of the Dragon and to games like Horizon: Forbidden West . If you’re looking for a great picture sans a high price point, this is the model for your home.” Pros: Extremely bright Good for gaming Speakers produce impressive bass Cons: Lackluster 1080p upscaling MORE FROM FORBES VETTED The Best Swimsuit Brands Of 2023 By Kari Molvar Forbes Staff The 7 Best Portable Air Conditioners To Browse Before Summer Arrives By Dave Johnson Forbes Staff The Best Memorial Day TV Deals To Shop Now There are tons of other TV deals to be had this weekend. Below, check out some additional discounts on top-rated options. This Stylish Samsung Frame TV Samsung Electronics America 65-Inch Class The Frame QLED 4K Art TV Buy From Samsung When you want to add a little extra style to your next movie night, Samsung’s The Frame will make your TV look just as good turned off as when you’re watching it. Just hang it up flat against your wall and transform your living room into an art gallery. You can grab it for 15% off this weekend at Samsung. This 65-Inch 4K Smart TV From Samsung Samsung Electronics America 65-Inch Class Q60C QLED 4K Smart TV (2023) Buy From Samsung If you’re looking to make the visual experience of watching a movie even more vivid, it may be time to upgrade to this Q60C QLED 4K Smart TV from Samsung. With 100% color volume and dual LED backlights, even your most shameful reality TV show can become downright cinematic. You can save $100 by nabbing it on sale this weekend. This Affordable LG 55-Inch Smart TV Target LG 55-Inch Class 4K UHF Smart LED TV Buy From Target If you’re looking for something that won’t break the bank, Target has some great 55-inch TVs on sale this weekend, including this one from LG. With 4K UHD resolution, a game optimizer, active HDR and dynamic tone mapping, it’s an excellent value for its price tag. You can snag one now for $370. A 65-Inch Amazon
fire 4K TV At Amazon Amazon Amazon Fire TV 65" Omni Series 4K UHD Smart TV Buy From Amazon If you’re looking to go bigger, this 65-inch Amazon Fire TV has excellent picture quality, rich colors and even support for Dolby Vision that will really give your living room that movie theater feeling. It comes with a built-in microphone that you can use to control it with Alexa. It’s now on sale for $600, $160 less than its usual price tag. What To Consider When Buying A Smart TV All of the technical specifications associated with televisions can feel overwhelming. But don’t get intimidated by the technical jargon. Here's what you need to look for when choosing a new smart TV. Screen Size Whether or not you want a big TV, you're always going to be somewhat restricted by the physical space you have to put it in. It might be nice to imagine your bedroom decked out with an 85-inch panel, but if you can only fit a 48-inch one on your wall, then that's as big as you can go. You also want to factor in viewing distance. If you're going to sit 15 feet away from the screen across the room, get a bigger TV to make the most of its picture. For most living rooms and bedrooms, a 50- to 65-inch display will be more than enough for you to enjoy your favorite movies, TV shows and games. If you have a bigger room to fill with your next TV upgrade, the 77-inch and even 85-inch models might be worth considering—if they fit within your budget. And some rooms will do better with a smaller screen, such as those found on 48-inch or 50-inch TVs; but this size class is usually the last to adopt the newest display technologies. Resolution Most TVs larger than 43-inches offer 4K resolution (3840 × 2160 pixels)—around four times the detail of traditional 1080p TVs. Smaller TVs, measuring 43-inches or less continue to rely on lower resolution and less expensive 1080p or even antiquated 720p panels. New 8K options are the top-tier resolution today. These provide a nearly life-like level of detail and crisp images, even on the biggest panels. The catch: 8K TVs remain dramatically more expensive than 4K TVs, and you won’t find much native 8K content to watch on these TVs just yet. The AI-based upscaling these TVs offer, however, is rather impressive. But if you want to future proof your TV, 8K TVs are currently more affordable than ever. Refresh Rate Many mid-to-high-end TVs support a 120Hz refresh rate or better. You don't need a high refresh rate, but if you play games or watch high-speed content, like sports or action films, a higher refresh rate will display much smoother motion. If you play games, make sure your TV has a 120Hz refresh rate. You won't regret it. Smart TV Services The "smart" part of a smart TV, typically means it can connect directly to the internet and then run apps for popular streaming services. Most modern TVs 48-inches and larger have some smart functions, letting you access
Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and other streaming services easily. You may also have some digital news channels or the ability to access a home Plex server. Some TVs don't have as many smart functions as others, however, which is where one of the best streaming devices may fill a void. Ports And Connectors Most devices that connect to a TV—whether it's a games console, Blu-ray player, or an audio-visual receiver—use HDMI cables. If you want to play the latest games and benefit from new features, like eARC, you need to make sure your TV supports HDMI 2.1. Not all modern TVs do, though some are adding support later via firmware updates, so check before you buy a new TV. Other features worth considering are Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity for connecting to the internet and using Bluetooth headphones, for example. For legacy connections, some TVs also offer optical audio ports, or a gigabit ethernet port for a stable wired internet connection. You may even discover your choice TV offers a voice-controlled remote, which many people find useful. Is QLED or OLED Better? While these monikers sound similar, they rely on different display technologies to deliver a unique TV viewing experience—and each has its own benefits and drawbacks. LED backlighting technology is the most common and oldest of the three and are typically the cheapest to produce and therefore are found in more affordable TVs. This technology offers good colors and contrast ratios, and is not susceptible to burn-in. QLED TVs use light-emitting diode (LED) backlights combined with a layer of quantum dot nano particles between the LED and LCD layers—hence the QLED name. “Quantum dots can convert light from a higher wavelength to a lower wavelength, typically converting blue light to red or green light in a display,” explains Paul Gagnon , vice president and industry advisor at consumer technology tracker The NPD Group. “The size of the dot determines what the output color will be to a very precise degree. All quantum dot enabled LCD TVs use a blue LED backlight, and a ‘color conversion’ layer that uses a clear sub-pixel to pass through the blue light, while red and green quantum dot sub-pixels convert the blue light.” OLED TVs have the best contrast of any display technology, unmatched by even by the best LED technology. With Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) displays, you can turn off individual pixels, which even the most nuanced of local dimming zone technology can't do. This results in a near-infinite contrast ratio with the blackest of blacks and the richest of colors. OLED TVs also have very low input lag too, so are great for gaming. However, they’re more susceptible to burn-in, where elements of the screen continue to show content even after the screen is off. While it happens less frequently with modern designs, though, thanks to clever mitigation technologies. Just don't leave the TV at full brightness with static on-screen elements like logos or in-game control panels. What Brand Of TV Is The Best Quality? There is no one TV brand that makes the best quality TVs across the board. It’s more important to figure out what you want and need out of a new TV, focusing first on screen size. Make sure it’ll fit nicely into the intended space. Next, focus on display type and what features are important to you. Once you know what you’re looking for, you’ll then want to compare the offerings from the top TV brands—like Samsung, Sony, TCL and LG. In many cases, it also makes sense to look at brands like Hisense and Amazon’s Fire TV lineup of smart TVs. These typically cost less than the big brand names, but offer equally impressive features and picture quality. And, if you’re not sure, we also offer our recommendations for the best TV brands . How Much Does A TV Cost? TV pricing can run the gamut from as little as $100 for some of the cheapest Insignia TVs , to tens of thousands for the biggest 8K TVs. For average TVs, though, you'll spend between $500 and $1,000. The Hisense U8H is our favorite TV under $1,000 as it offers the kind of features and specs you'd typically only find on the top TVs. If you want the real deal, though, the Samsung S95C is our top TV for 2023 and it goes for just over $3,000. You can get an amazing TV for less, though. The last-gen LG C2 is very close to the top TVs, and is now priced around $1,500 for the 65-inch version. That's down around $1,000 since its launch a year ago. How We Chose The Best TVs Here at Forbes Vetted, whether we’re gaming, streaming, or just enjoying its ambient mode while we work, we live for top-notch TVs. We’re experts in the home entertainment area, offering hands-on insights when we can to provide you a better picture as to what TVs are the best for your home. In addition to our hands-on testing, we extensively researched each model and spoke with product experts and industry leaders to help us determine the TVs that made the cut. We carefully evaluated each TV’s screen size, screen type, refresh rate, operating systems and more. We also paid attention to what sets each TV apart from its competition. Why Trust Forbes Vetted The Forbes Vetted tech team strives to offer accurate and trustworthy product assessments that are the result of intensive research and hands-on testing. Our writers and editors have years of experience writing about a broad range of consumer electronics and have the background and expertise to help you make the best buying decisions possible. Other Articles You Might Like Forbes Vetted regularly covers all types of consumer electronics and then reviews and recommends the best products in specific categories. Here are some other articles you might enjoy reading: Best 85-Inch TVs Best OLED TVs Best 65-Inch TVs Best Gaming TVs Best Outdoor TVs For even more savings opportunities, head over to our Memorial Day coupon page to check out the deals from some of our favorite brands. Jon Martindale Jason R. Rich Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions