Housed in a practical yet stylish design, the XGIMI Horizon Ultra is packed full of impressive features. Running on Android TV 11, you can download apps for all your usual streaming services including Apple TV, Disney Plus and Amazon Prime Video directly from the Google Play Store. 

Thanks to dual light technology, which combines laser and LED, the Horizon Ultra delivers high-brightness images with a more natural colour palette, and it even has Dolby Vision HDR support which is rare to find on a projector.

Dolby Vision essentially allows brightness and contrast to be automatically adjusted scene-by-scene, so visuals are constantly optimised with the right settings. 

It’s not just picture quality that’s impressive though as the Horizon Ultra includes dual 12W speakers, tuned by Harmon/Kardon which provide excellent audio that easily fills a room. Although we found the speakers to be loud, warm and rich, they do lack the rumble that a subwoofer would add.

There’s also built-in Intelligent Screen Adaption 3 (ISA3) technology, which offers auto-focus and keystone correction plus obstacle avoidance. ISA3 also adjusts screen brightness to suit ambient light, which works by opening the iris to boost brightness and closing it to up the contrast.

The Horizon Ultra also includes optical zoom which means it can automatically scale to fit a detected screen without the need for digital correction. 

At its rear you’ll find all the ports you’ll need to hook up additional devices including two HDMIs, a 3.5mm line out and two USBs. There’s also a handy Ethernet port which offers more flexibility when using the projector in areas where you may not get a strong Wi-Fi signal.

There’s even a useful motorised shutter at the front which slides up when the projector is turned off to protect its lens, plus a useful tripod mount underneath.

Reviewer: David Ludlow
Full Review: XGIMI Horizon Ultra

The Freestyle’s cylindrical shape and stand allow it to be easily carried to and fro, with the adjustable stand able to be angled from 90 to 180 degrees, along with an image size that can stretch from 30- to 100-inches. That helps to make the Freestyle a versatile, easy to set-up and accommodating projector.

Our reviewer found the chassis felt rather robust, so it could survive a few knocks, and controls are kept simple and accessible with touch sensitive buttons for power, casting and volume, as well as a switch for activating the microphone.

Connectivity here is also kept nice and simple with a Micro HDMI port that supports HDR signals and eARC for connecting a Dolby Atmos soundbar. The USB-C port is only for connecting the Freestyle’s power adaptor. For wireless connections there’s Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2 and Apple AirPlay 2 that offer a range of ways to connect mobile devices to the Freestyle. Wi-Fi support also allows Samsung’s Tizen smart interface with access to apps such as Netflix and Disney+, plus there is Bixby and Amazon Alexa for voice assistants.

During testing, we found the picture to very good with a clean and detailed performance and punchy HDR colours when called upon. The 500 lumens of brightness it has at its disposal is fine, but not as bright as either XGIMI Elfin or Philips PicoPix MaxTV, both of which get close to 1000 nits for a brighter picture.

We measured input lag for gaming at 44ms, and while that’s fine for a projector it wouldn’t appeal to those in need of a faster performance. We also measured noise level at 25dB at a distance of 2ft, making for a quiet enough experience when in operation. The built-in speakers sound good for such a small projector, the size of the sound is extended beyond the casing for a bigger sound than was initially expected.

Samsung has announced a follow-up with 2nd Gen Freestyle that includes features such as 21:9 screen ratio and support for Samsung’s Gaming Hub, which includes Xbox Game Pass. We’ll be looking to review that model very soon.

Reviewer: Steve Withers
Full Review: Samsung Freestyle

The JMGO N1S is a portable projector that’s hard to beat. At just 2.2kg, it’s small enough to carry and move around with ease yet image quality isn’t compromised.

Unlike many other portable projectors, the N1S runs on Google TV rather than the more restrictive Android TV. Google TV is a better choice as it runs Netflix natively and includes all the major streaming services including Apple TV Plus, Amazon Prime Video and Now TV.

Setting up the projector is seamless thanks to the built-in smart auto-setup and automatic screen alignment, however the latter requires an accompanying smartphone app which we found a bit fiddly to use.

Even so there’s also autofocus, auto keystone correction and even rotation control built-in which means you can get a straight picture even if the projector is placed at an angle. 

At 900 ANSI lumens the N1S is brighter than most other portable models and we found it can handle images during the day fairly comfortably, although a darkened room is more ideal. 

The backlight of the N1S uses a triple-colour laser which is rated for up to 30,000 hours. That’s a massive 10 years of use, based on using the projector eight hours a day each year. 

Sound quality is decent too, thanks to dual 5W speakers certified by DTS and Dolby Audio. Despite a lack of subwoofer, we found bass response to be impressive and the projector loud enough to fill a room without the need for external audio. If you did want full surround sound then you can use the HDMI output to connect external speakers. 

The HDMI output is also useful if you want to connect other devices like games consoles, however it’s worth noting that the N1S has a limited refresh rate of 60Hz so you may prefer a projector with a higher rate.

Overall the JMGO N1S is a brilliant projector that hits the sweet spot between portability and high-end image quality. 

Reviewer: David Ludlow

Full review: JMGO N1S

Compare the XGIMI Halo+ to the original Halo and the brightness has been upped to 900 lumens from 800, making it a brighter alternative to the Samsung Freestyle. While the boost in brightness is not massive, it does help when using it in darker rooms.

Image size can go as far as 200-inches, though we found half that size to be more than adequate. The XGIMI supports resolutions up to Full HD, and we found it produced bright images with vibrant and rich colours, especially when dealing with brighter content. Contrast is generally good, although blacks do veer to grey and it can be difficult to get a sense of detail in darker scenes – the addition of HDR10+ helps by revealing more detail.

Boasting dual 5W Harman Kardon speakers, we found the audio quality was decent with good volume and clarity. The lack of bass puts a spanner in offering a true cinematic experience but for casual viewers it’s a solid performance. Battery life we found to be around two hours when unplugged from the mains, which means average length films should be fine but the Halo+ will likely struggle with epic runtimes. The XGIMI’s LED lamp is claimed to last up to 30,000 hours, which is around ten years of use if the XGIMI were used for eight hours a day.

For a portable projector, there’s convenience in the form of an automatic procedure that optimises the picture when the Halo+ is moved, meaning you won’t have to worry about fiddling with the image each time. Android TV is supported with its convenient and intuitive layout, and although there’s access to Google Play Store library we found that Netflix wasn’t supported for this projector an apps such as NOW aren’t available. consider adding a Fire TV Stick or have a look at Freestyle, which has more supported apps.

In terms of its size the Halo+ can fit into a bag or suitcase, but is pushing at the threshold of portability considering it lacks a handle like the Anker Nebula Capsule Max. There is a room for positioning the projector, as it can be placed on a flat surface, used with its integrated kickstand to angle the projector up, or propped on a tripod mount.

Reviewer: David Ludlow
Full Review: XGIMI Halo+

By the standards of portable projectors, the Anker Nebula Capsule Max is tiny. At 15cm tall, with a diameter of 80mm, it’s smaller than a good proportion of Bluetooth speakers. Its weight of 737g means it’s lighter than most portable projectors, making it easy to carry around or stash in a bag.

Control are kept simple on the device itself with buttons for volume, cursor keys, select and back that are handy for quickly pausing or changing something but both the remote control and Nebula Connect app offer more extensive means of operation. Around the back of the unit is a port for power, 3.5mm audio output, a USB port for connecting external storage and an HDMI port. The Anker runs on Android 8.1 which allows access to a good set of apps, with the likes of Netflix and Prime Video, although at the time of review there was no Disney+.

The Capsule Max can automatically adjust its focus and keystone to make optimising the image much simpler and convenient for those who a desire a no-fuss experience. While we didn’t measure the fan noise, it was noticeable even when we weren’t watching anything. There’s a built-in battery for portable use, able to run for 90 minutes on full brightness or 4 hours when brightness is reduced.

Sticking with the theme of brightness, the quoted 200 lumens is okay for general viewing and we found we could only go the 100-inch screen size when it was dark to get the best from its picture performance. Contrast is fine, though like the Halo+, blacks erred towards grey. Colours proved to be reasonably accurate with decent vibrancy, and sharpness and resolution (720p) was a step up on the original Nebula Capsule for a more detailed image.

With an 8W speaker, the Anker provided good volume and surprisingly meaty bass. Provided the room you’re watching is quiet, it’s a decent performance, but the 3.5mm audio jack there’s the option of adding an external sound system for a better, louder experience.

Reviewer: David Ludlow
Full Review: Anker Nebula Capsule Max

Our current top pick for 2024 remains the award-winning Panasonic MZ2000.

The biggest difference to its predecessor, the LZ2000, is the MZ2000’s MLA OLED panel. Created by LG Display and further customised by Panasonic, our reviewer found it offered a huge jump in brightness in its Standard mode preset, registering 1500 nits on a 5% window, and a mighty 1877 nits on a 10% patch in Dynamic mode. Alongside the LG G3 OLED, it’s one of the brightest OLEDs on the market.

We found that highlights burnt with intensity, images shine with punch and depth. Contrast is excellent, skin tones are naturally conveyed and reds and blues take on a rich, deep look. With support that covers all HDR formats: HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive, the picture performance makes the MZ2000 the jewel in Panasonic’s crown.

The MZ2000 is a good choice for brightly lit rooms as it has the brightness to dispel reflections or ambient light from causing distractions. The swivel design of the central design can also help evade annoying glare and reflections too.

My Home Screen remains easily accessible and customisable, with Freeview Play adding the UK catch-up apps along with big hitters in Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+ and others. The Game mode has been updated with two modes to choose from in Game and True Game, the latter offers accurate colour performance much like Filmmaker mode does for film and TV. 

We measured input lag at 14.5ms, which is not as good as the LG G3 OLED or Samsung S95C OLED but is brisk enough for competitive gaming. HDMI 2.1 technologies such as VRR, ALLM, 4K/120Hz, but they’re only available on two HDMI inputs.

We found sound quality was equally top notch with the side- and upfiring speakers conveying a large presence in a living room. It remains light on bass, however, failing to give bass-heavy scenes the emphasis they require. Nevertheless, this is one of the best-sounding TVs on the market. If you find the price too dear on your wallet, the Panasonic MZ1500 is an excellent alternative.

The upcoming Panasonic Z95A will feature an even brighter MLA panel and a new interface, as Panasonic is ditching its My Home Screen for Fire TV. There are some potential pitfalls with that decision, but there’s no doubt that if you felt Panasonic’s weakest area was its smarts, the Z95A will remedy that.

Reviewer: Steve May
Full Review: Panasonic MZ2000

While there are still questions marks over whether 8K TVs will become a mainstream proposition, Samsung is still leading the push, and the QN900D is arguably its best flagship 8K TV ever.

Peak brightness has been raised with the Movie mode now hitting 2445 nits compared to the QN900C‘s 2096 nits. That high level of brightness, which is beyond what an OLED can produce, feeds into impressively bright and colourful HDR images. The lack of Dolby Vision, however, remains a disappointing omission.

Of course, there is a lot of native 8K content about, so the Samsung QN900D’s main task is to take 4K content and make it look better, and in that respect, it achieves its task. Our reviewer noticed a big jump in detail with upscaled 4K images, Samsung’s latest AI processor is able to bring out and refine the detail within the image without producing a soft or noisy image. It’s 4K content but looks better than anything a 4K TV can manage.

The excellent motion processing can now track fast-moving objects without introducing motion blur that often afflicts LCD LED TVs.

Input lag is 11ms, and VRR technology in HDMI VRR and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro brings the latency down even further. With all four of its HDMI inputs supporting 4K 120Hz gaming, you won’t need to worry about which HDMI port to place your console or PC in.

The sound system tracks sounds accurately across the screen but like the QN900C, it doesn’t have enough bass to give soundtracks heft. It’s still capable of producing a wide soundstage with good levels of detail, but you should consider a soundbar to go with this TV.

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: Samsung QE75QN900D

We’re now onto the third-generation of Samsung’s QD-OLED screen and the S95D appears to have hit its stride.

The first and second-gen QD-OLEDs from Samsung were enjoyable, though we found they had some flaws. Those issues appear to have been resolved by the S95D. It is the brighest OLED TV we’ve reviewed, producing 1798 nits on a 10% window, beating the likes of the Panasonic MZ2000 and LG G3 OLED

It’s a TV that offers strong sharpness and detailing, and according to our reviewer, produces incredibly rich colours with contrast that brings out the detail in both dark and light areas of the image. We did notice some instability in maintaining brightness in its Standard mode, which is rectified by switching to its Movie mode. Our reviewer also felt that the anti-glare screen technology was impressively implemented on this TV, though it does mean that dark areas do take on a slightly grey appearance.

The Tizen interface has been enhancec with the introduction of new sections and the ability to create multiple profiles to feed recommendations to. Gaming-wise we measured input response of the game mode at 9.8ms, and all four of the HDMI 2.1 inputs support 4K 120Hz through the One Connect box and with 144Hz supported for PCs.

The sound system supports Dolby Atmos, and like with Samsung;s other OTS speaker systems, it’s very good at placing effects on and around the screen with accuracy. However, while it can produce a wide soundstage, it can’t push that sound forward into a room, and volume is a little limited in terms of how loud it can do. The Sony A95L is much better in terms of its sound, and offers an impressive all-round performance, though in terms of overall brightness the S95D beats it.

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: Samsung S95D OLED

2024 sees Samsung placing its OLED and LCD TVs on more equal footing, and though the S95D has come on in strides in terms of its brightness output, the QN95D still offers the brightest HDR performance.

The number of local dimming zones remains at 1344 from the QN95C, but what has the biggest impact of the QN95D’s picture performance is the presence of the upgraded Neo Quantum 4 Gen 2 processor. It’s four times faster than the previous model to deliver superior local dimming controls and improved upscaling with sub-4K sources.

The result is a dazzling sense of brightness with HDR content, reproducing reds, greens, and blues with a notable richness, as well as delivering colours with subtlety and naturalness. This TV can hit over 770 nits on a full-screen window, twice as much as the S95D OLED is capable of, making it a better choice for those who watch HDR programmes during the day.

It’s a sharp and detailed picture too, with the new processor doing a fantastic job of upscaling lower quality content to look crisp and clean.

Our reviewer found the latest Tizen smart system to be a decent improvement over what came before, especially in terms of prioritising content you’d want to watch. Support for multiple profiles have been added, and Tizen duly features pretty much every streaming app you’d ever need.

We measured input lag at 9.8ms, there’s VRR support in FreeSync Premium Pro as well as (unofficial) Nvidia G-Sync support for PC titles. With variable refresh rate and auto low latency supported across all the TV’s HDMI inputs, you can plug a console or PC into any of the HDMI ports.

The QN95D’s audio performance offers an excellent sense of detail and clarity, with the Object Tracking Sound (OTS) system ably casting sounds around the screen. It also performs a decent job at casting sounds away from the sides of the screen, though it remains limited in terms of pushing audio forwards from the TV, as well as being diminished in terms of volume and bass output. You’d likely want a soundbar to go with this TV.

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: Samsung QE65QN95D

When we reviewed the G1, we called it the best LG OLED TV we’ve tested, but that accolade shifts to the G2 OLED. Even though the G3 OLED is a brighter performer with HDR content, we found a lack of improvement in its audio performance and a few issues with its picture.

The G2 sticks with the same uniformly flat rear panel for wall-mounting as before, but features extra improvements to the OLED EX panel with its OLED Evo processing to reap a bright HDR performance.

We measured the HDR performance on a 10% window to be just over 1000 nits. That’s better than the C2 though not as bright as the Samsung S95B or newer S95C. Nevertheless, the extra brightness results in brighter, more intense highlights for greater contrast and depth in the image.

Detail levels are high, with images fed a good deal of sharpness and colours rendered in a lush manner, especially with Dolby Vision IQ. Upscaling of less than 4K resolution is strong and motion has been improved. Not as good as the still available Sony’s A95K or Panasonic LZ2000, but much smoother and less distracting than previous LG TVs.

For gaming the G2 supports HDMI 2.1 across all HDMI inputs, with ALLM, VRR and 4K/120Hz available, making it easier to plug your sources in without having to pick and choose the input. LG has also beefed up its clouding options with Nvidia GeForce NOW.

We measured input lag at 12.9ms – slightly better than the Panasonic MZ2000 though it doesn’t beat Samsung’s OLEDs. With VRR that figure can be reduced further for a more fluid gameplay performance.

The sound remains the weakest aspect of the G2’s performance, sounding restrained in its Dolby Atmos mode and lacking the impact the Sony A95K delivers. We found it sounded better with non-Atmos soundtracks offering more detail and dynamism. With the G2 OLED coming to its end of life, now is a great time to purchase this TV.

The G4 OLED is available and our review of that model is in progress. It could be the LG OLED to finally knock this TV off this list.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: LG OLED65G2

The 48OLED807 was the first Philips OLED we’ve tested below 50-inches, and despite its smaller size, it produces a similar performance to the bigger models. 

It doesn’t feature the brighter OLED EX panel, but over the course of testing we’d argue that it didn’t really need it. Its peak brightness of 416 nits isn’t as bright as the LG OLED42C2, but OLED’s black levels combined with the Philips P5 processor wrings out plenty of brightness from white tones, creating lovely, deep contrasts.

As usual with Philips’ TVs, the OLED807 is a very sharp and detailed looking image that may to some look a little too artificial, but we found it wrung as much detail and clarity as it possibly could from the TV, making the images from bigger-sized 55-inch Samsung QN90B look soft by comparison.

Its HDR support is wide-ranging from Dolby Vision HDR, to HLG and HDR10+ Adaptive, so whatever content you watch on the TV, the Philips will be able to optimise as well as it can. Philips has added its Dark Detail Optimisation technology to this TV to help reveal more detail in darker parts of the image, but in our opinion this feature did not bring much performance to the table.

The OLED4807 is also a good screen for gaming, boasting Dolby Vision Game mode, AMD/Nvidia VRR solutions and 4K/120Hz support. Unlike LG’s OLED42C2, it doesn’t support some of those features across the entirety of its HDMI inputs, nor is latency as fast at 15.2ms.

The sound quality is better than the LG, delivering a big presentation in the right mode and decent amounts of bass too. We would still add a soundbar to this TV but we wouldn’t be in a rush to do so.

Then there’s Ambilight in its four-sided form helps to reduce eye strain and also provides a fantastic complement to what’s on screen as the LEDs on the rear panel mirror the colours in whatever show or film that’s being watched. This OLED outs in an excellent all-round performance, and if you don’t have space for 55-inch screen, then we’d highly recommend this 48-inch option.

This model has been discontinued with the 48OLED808 available, but if though on paper it’s a brighter performer, in the real world we don’t find it as bright as its predecessor. The 48OLED807 is still available while stocks last, and that’s the small OLED we’d argue you should look at.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Philips 48OLED807

Roku’s smart TVs have enjoyed much success in the US, and for the past few years they’ve been teaming up with manufacturers such as Hisense and TCL to bring some of that magic to the UK. In the TCL 55RC630K Roku TV, they’ve served up their best model to date, winning our best affordable TV award.

This set is only available in the UK, and in our view, it’s good as you can get for a budget TV at its price. The design is sensible and easy to assemble, as well as being tall enough to slip a soundbar beneath its frame should you want to, something that wasn’t as easy to do with the Toshiba UK4D.

The Roku smart interface places an emphasis on simplicity rather than flash, but it works because of its accessibility and the range of features it supports. A wide range of voice assistants are supported, though through an external device and not natively, and there’s AirPlay 2 and Apple HomeKit, which aren’t features often supported by cheaper TVs.

There’s a massive amount of apps with all the big names such as Disney+ and Netflix, along with the UK catch-up apps through Freeview Play. The interface itself is fast to scroll through and easy to navigate, better than the interfaces we used on the Panasonic LX800 and Samsung BU8000. The Roku mobile app is even better, and also features a few more advanced picture settings too.

The TCL 55RC630K isn’t built for high-end gaming with only ALLM supported for putting the TV into its game mode mode. We measured latency at 11.5ms, which is quick for any telly.

Boasting a QLED screen, the TCL 55RC630K puts in a decent HDR performance for its price. We measured peak brightness at 386 nits on a 10% window, which isn’t enough to really give a great sense of what HDR can do, but the QLED screen does present good-looking colours and accomplished looking skin-tones with HDR content.

Contrast isn’t as strong as what you can get if you spend more, but there is support for HDR10+ and Dolby Vision to assist. However, we did find that both HDR formats could benefit from being a little more precision and impact with HDR content. Upscaling is an improvement over the past TCL Roku model with more colour and vibrancy to images, as well as a better sense of sharpness and clarity. The TCL Roku won’t make content look better than it is, but for its price point it’s a competent performance. 

The audio system is more than competent. Bass is surprisingly punchy, there’s fine levels of detail and clarity to what we watch, and dialogue is always clear in tone. There’s also a Dialogue Enhancer to help boost what people are saying, and we found it worked effectively.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: TCL 55RC630K Roku TV

While projectors can offer a big screen experience in the home, they can’t do HDR as well as big-screen TVs, or handle bright living room conditions. And currently, you can get the 98-inch TV Q80C for less than £5000 / $5000, which we’d consider to be a good price for a screen of this size.

At a whopping 98-inches, this is TV will take plenty of space in any home, and because of its size, it’s a screen that feels more like a cinema than a TV. It’s surpisingly slim for a big screen featuring just 120 dimming zones to control brightness and black levels. It’s not the number of dimming zones but what you do with it that’s most important.

And this big-screen Q80C can produce bright and colourful images, our reviewer spotting only a little backlight clouding or blooming. With the size of this screen, it needs an advanced processor to process HD and SD images, and we felt the upscaling was very good, doing an effective job of upscaling HD images. SD images can look a little stretched, but we’d say you shouldn’t be watching low-res content on a screen of this size.

Tizen is not the easiest to navigate in terms of its settings, but features all the streaming apps you could want. There are four HDMI 2.1 inputs on this model, and all can handle 4K/120Hz sources. We measured input lag at 10.7ms which should ensure a snappy performance even before VRR support comes into play.

Sound quality is fine with good detail and effects accurately placed around the screen. The main issue is that this screen doesn’t get particularly loud or generate the kind of power and scale a screen of this size should command. Bass levels are decent but we’d recommend getting a soundbar for this screen.

There is competition from TCL with its 98-inch P745K and C805K TVs, and they’re available for less money than this Samsung TV.

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: Samsung QE98Q80C

While we found Samsung’s S95B QD-OLED to impress in a number of ways, and the follow-up S95C to be better, it seems Samsung has struck gold at the third time of asking with its S95D OLED.

The S95D appears to be a big improvement on what came before, and one of the brighest OLED TVs we’ve reviewed, hitting 1798 nits on a 10% window. Brighter even than the LG G4, which we measured at 1500 nits in its movie mode.

That level of brightness helps to produce incredibly rich colours, with contrast that brings out the detail in both dark and light areas of the image. That’s further helped with the TVs high sharpness and detail levels, which helps to create a well defined and colourful 4K image.

Despite our misgivings when we saw Samsung’s anti-glare screen technology previewed before the TV went on sale, our reviewed was very impressed by how well it worked on the S95D, though it does mean that dark areas do take on a slightly grey appearance.

The sound system supports Dolby Atmos, and like Samsung’s other OTS speaker systems, it’s very good at placing effects on and around the screen. However, it’s still not that good at pushing sound forward into a room, and it’s volume limited in terms of how loud it can go.

The Tizen interface has been refined with new sections to help recommend suitable content that matches your tastes, and there’s now the option of creating multiple profiles. Gamers will enjoy the quick performance from this TV, as we measured the input lag response at 9.8ms. All four HDMI 2.1 inputs support 4K/120Hz through its One Connect box and PC gamers get up to 144Hz refresh rates.

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: Samsung S95D OLED

The A95L is Sony’s second attempt at creating a QD-OLED TV, and for the 55-inch model, we feel that its stellar picture and sound quality make it well worth its premium price of £2499 in the UK.

We found the TV delivered a beautiful image. There’s fantastically fine shading of colours, high brightness, colours that look impressively pure, as well as excellent levels of sharpness and detail. You won’t find many TVs with a picture that looks as good as this, though in terms of brightness it is beaten by the Samsung S95D, which may be a factor if you watch TV in a room with lots of ambient light in it.

Sony’s Acoustic Surface Audio system again works its magic in delivering an audio performance that’s big in size and accurate in terms of where effects and dialogue are placed, pushing sound into a room in a manner that other TVs struggle to do. The woofers add some punch to the low frequencies too, giving the TV some well need oomph.

The connectivity covers two HDMI 2.1 inputs with support for eARC, VRR, ALLM, and 4K/120Hz. For PS5 gamers there is the Auto Tone Mapping feature that optimises the HDR performance but with no support for AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync. Input lag is faster than the A95K at 16.7ms, but the LG and Samsung TVs on this list can go quicker. A new addition for the A95L is the inclusion of Dolby Vision Game mode to help extract more contrast and brightness from supported games.

The A95L’s smart features are delivered by Google TV, which means it is covered for the main global streaming services, as well as UK’s catch up services which are available as separate apps. You also get the BRAVIA Cam bundled in, although our reviewer didn’t feel the need to make much use of it.

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: Sony XR-55A95L

If you knowledgeable about OLED TVs, you may be wondering why we’ve chosen the MZ1500 over Panasonic’s flaship MZ2000. In short, it’s all to do with the sound system.

While the Panasonic MZ2000 is undoubtedly the best overall Panasonic TV, its sound system is bolted on and it’d be pointless to add another sound system to TV. The MZ1500 is a more sensible choice for those who want an excellent 4K HDR picture and can pair it with their own sound system.

It’s a TV that’s easy to assemble, and the swivel screen means you position it to avoid glare or ambient sunlight in a room. The smart interface is Panasonic’s My Home Screen, which has all the main video streaming apps, though it’s rather limited if you’re in need of sports and music apps.

Connectivity includes two HDMI 2.1 ports that support 4K/120Hz gameplay and VRR. We measured input lag at 14.3ms, which is quicker than the Sony A80L but slower than the LG C3 OLED. The Game Control Board brings up a series of settings that can be customised during gameplay for the best gaming performance.

Like Sony’s OLEDs, Panasonic takes a very natural approach to tuning the picture for its TVs. Blacks are rich and deep, the peak brightness is over a 1000 nits, and that’s more than enough to give HDR some punch and wide array of colours.

Highlights (the brightest part of the picture) and rendered bright, the MZ1500 reveals a wider array of colours than the Sony A80L with its bright reds and more nuanced blues. The addition of Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive also gives it an advantage in both bright and dark rooms, as the TV retails more brightness and detail in the image.

Upscaling is very good, maintaining the look of content without enhancing it, and while this set’s motion processing isn’t as good as Sony, it’s not far behind, smooth and natural look at its ‘Min’ setting.

The sound system produces warm bass with some depth and weight. It sounds a little too warm and wooly with dialogue that results in some lines sounding muffled. That said, we wouldn’t rush out to buy a soundbar but it’s design makes it easier to incorporate one than the MZ2000.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Panasonic MZ1500

The Philips OLED+907 as an excellent choice for TV, film fans and gamers but it’s no longer Philips flagship with the OLED+908 replacing it. The new OLED is an impressive TV but also a flawed one.

It remains a swish and very stylish TV with its ultra-thin bezel, metal swivel stand and cloth-clad Bowers & Wilkins sound system. Connectivity includes four HDMI inputs, two of which support 4K/120Hz refresh rates. One of those inputs is shared with the eARC port, but given the performance of the sound system, we wouldn’t necessary say that you need a sound system to go with this TV

That’s because the audio quality is very impressive. There’s power, weight and a fine sense of detail provided for a TV audio system. Bass is very good for a flatscreen TV, and in some cases it’s better than the Sony A95L.

Smarts are provided by Google TV, although this brings with it a few issues as there is no support for Freeview Play and UK catch-up and on-demand apps. You can get around this with built-in Chromecast for some apps. Otherwise app selection is huge thanks to access to Google Play Store, with all the usual suspects covered.

Ambilight is provided in its three-side form and it adds to a room’s ambience in a way no other TV brand can.

Image quality can be superb. The 55OLED+908 is the first to use LG’s MLA panel and brightness is very high and colours are richly described, but what impressed us most is the balance that the OLED+908 can display. Detail in the dark parts of the image is excellent, highlights are brightly rendered, while contrast really stands out.

The TV’s levels of sharpness and detail are much higher than any other OLED we’ve tested in recently. Some may feel that it can look a little unnatural, but we don’t mind that aspect of the Philips processing. What we do mind is that the Philips’ images can look a little green from time to time. Not as bad as the LG G3 was, but noticeable nonetheless.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Philips 55OLED+908

While the G3 OLED isn’t perfect, when it comes to its picture quality it is a step up on the G2 OLED, although that comes with some caveats.

This screen features LG Display’s MLA OLED panel, and that boosts brightness by a huge amount of the G2 OLED. Peak brightness hits 1340 nits, which makes this one of the brighest HDR performances we’ve seen from any OLED TV. Average brightness is better than the Sony A95K, with brighter white tones and skin tones that punchy but refrain from the red push seen on Sony’s model. It’s capable of an excellent, three-dimensional 4K HDR image; although we’ve noticed from time to time a green tint to images that looks unnatural to us.

The TruMotion processing has seen improvements again for a natural performance with fewer artefacts, though to our eyes it’s still short of Sony’s class-leading models. Upscaling brings a significant boost to 480p and 1080p content, with terrific contrast, high levels of detail, clarity, and sharpness without seeming artificial or unnatural.

The audio performance is an area we found to be worse than the previous year’s modes. The AI Sound Pro mode is good with Dolby Atmos tracks, making for a wider, sharper presentation but it’s not a true Atmos delivery With non-Atmos content, the Standard or Cinema presets are smoother and more energetic in the performance they deliver. TVs like the Sony A80L and Panasonic MZ1500 are capable of a much more confident audio performance.

WebOS is home to Freeview Play and all the UK catch-up and on-demand apps, with plenty of other choices from video to sports and music to choose from, although you will need an LG account to unlock access to all apps.

Gaming has always been a strength of LG’s OLEDs and as usual there is support for 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM across all the HDMI inputs. We measured latency at 12.9ms, and with VRR technologies such as HDMI VRR, AMD FreeSync Pro and Nvidia G-Sync, that can be further reduced.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: LG OLED65G3

Hisense doesn’t launch very many OLED TVs, but its A9H is one that we think you should give consideration to, especially around the £1500 / $1500 price point.

The UK only gets the 65-inch model, and in terms of build quality this is a TV is very robust, and though assembling it is fairly simple, it does take a while to attach the stand. It’s built to a higher standard than we remember other flagship Hisense TVs being built to.

The VIDAA interface keeps things simple, which we like, and all big streaming apps are catered for in Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, YouTube and Apple TV+. VIDAA Free gathers titles from free services such as Plex, Pluto TV and VIDAA TV. Freeview Play adds the UK catch and on-demand apps.

There are advanced features for gamers, such as AMD FreeSync Premium VRR for PC, and Dolby Vision Game mode for Xbox Series consoles. We measured latency at 14.9ms, which is around the same performance as the Panasonic MZ1500.

Of the four HDMI inputs, two cover the 2.1 standard. Auto low latency mode is across all inputs; HDMI VRR and 120Hz are available on the HDMI 2.1 ports. Note that one of the 2.1 inputs supports eARC, which mans if you plug in a sound system, that leaves just one input available for another 2.1 source. Hisense’s HDR support covers Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+ certification, IMAX Enhanced and Filmmaker mode.

The picture performance is reminiscent of Philips TVs from a few years back in that the A9H’s picture processing can be very heavy handed. In its Dolby Vision IQ mode, everything from colours, brightness, detail and sharpness is amplified to the nth degree. Brightness can reach over 1000 nits, though in its Standard mode it’s closer to 700 nits.

There are elements of banding and contouring that we noticed with content, but the Hisense is capable of a lovely looking picture performance.

The audio performance is very good, one of the best we’ve heard from an OLED TV. Bass is big, there’s depth to the soundstage, as well as fine levels of detail and sharpness.

The TCL 55RC630K Roku TV is only available in the UK, but in our view, it’s one of the best cheap TVs we’ve reviewed in the past year or so.

It gets a number of things right. From the design that’s easy to assemble with its attachable feet, to the smart interface that puts the emphasis on simplicity.

The Roku interface is a highlight because of its accessibility. It’s fast to scroll through and easy to navigate than some interfaces on more expensive TVs. The Roku mobile app is even better, and also features a few more advanced picture settings too, plus the TV supports AirPlay 2 casting and Apple HomeKit, for folding the TV into a smart home set-up.

All the big SVOD apps are available with the likes Disney+, Apple TV+, and Netflix, and the UK catch-up apps are covered through Freeview Play.

For gamers the TCL 55RC630K only supports ALLM for putting the TV into its game mode mode. We measured latency at 11.5ms, which is quick for any telly.

Boasting a QLED screen, the TCL 55RC630K puts in a decent HDR performance (with support for HDR10+ and Dolby Vision) with a peak brightness that we measured at 386 nits on a 10% window. That’s far from the best HDR performance you’ll find, but we found the QLED screen presents good-looking colours and accomplished looking skin-tones with HDR content.

If you can spend more, you’ll get a better sense of contrast. Upscaling is an improvement over the older 55RP620K with more colour and vibrancy to images, as well as a better sharpness and clarity.

The audio system features surprisingly punchy bass, there’s fine levels of detail and clarity, and vocal clarity is good. There’s also a Dialogue Enhancer to help boost what people are saying, and we found it worked effectively.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: TCL 55RC630K Roku TV

Some affordable TVs make you feel a bit cheap, but the Samsung AU7100 isn’t among them. Its bezels are slim, the plastic construction doesn’t feel overly dour, and the push-and-click feet are nicely functional with enough room between the screen and the surface to place a soundbar. We would say any prospective owners should consider having a wide surface as the feet are placed far apart.

There’s no Freeview Play but all the UK catch-up apps are accounted for, along with other entertainment options such as Disney+, Netflix, NOW and Spotify. All three of its HDMI sockets cover Auto Low Latency Mode but we wouldn’t wholly recommend this TV for bedroom gaming for current gen consoles as it lacks cutting-edge features such as VRR.

In terms of its picture performance, we found it engaging with native 4K images, and very watchable with 1080p content. Retrieval of detail is excellent for a screen of its size and price; colours are wide-ranging and deliver very subtle variations of shade, with plenty of detail to note in the darkest and brightest parts of the image, too. However, it lacks the more popular Dolby Vision format, choosing HDR10+ instead.

Its audio performance avoids coming across as shrill and does decent work with dialogue but it’s still a TV and a small one at that, so a soundbar is a must if you care about audio. Still available three years after its release, this Samsung remains the best 43-inch LCD TV we’d recommend over others. That said, availability is waning and it’s harder to find this model. An alternative to consider is the Amazon Fire TV 4-Series model.

Reviewer: Simon Lucas
Full Review: Samsung UE43AU7100

It’s not often we see a TV with a Full Array Local Dimming panel fall below £1000 until late into its product life cycle, but the Sony X85L has been available for just over a year and you can now get it for a pound under the £1000 mark.

A Full Array Local Dimming backlight offers more precision in terms of black levels and brightness, but what really appeals with this Sony TV is its colour performance. It’s able to describe with a wide range of colours; although like other Sony TVs we’ve tested, it’s not the brightest out of the box, reaching 738 nits in its Standard HDR mode. Nevertheless that still makes it the brightest HDR TV on this list.

Upscaling is an area we found this TV to be solid with SD and HD content, and although there is noise visible in the image, the Sony appears to keep it under control. HD content looks nice and clear, and its motion processing is very good to the point where we didn’t even notice that it was on.

Sound quality is merely ok with tis set. While it produces a crisp tone with voices it lacks bass, and we’d suggest getting a soundbar to go with the X85L.

Gamers looking for a premium experience can count on ALLM, VRR, and HFR, while we measured input lag at 14.5ms.

Google TV delivers all the streaming apps you’ll, and we find the interface to be quick, responsive, and informative. The design is very accomodating with the stand able to be put together in two ways, either to allow for a soundbar or if you want to place it on a small surface.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Sony KD-55X85L

The R50A7200GTUK model repeats the same trick as its R50B7120UK predecessor in packing in even more value at a similar price.

The number of smarts featured in the Hisense R50A7200GTUK Roku TV is only behind the likes of Samsung models such as the QN90A and AU7100. There is Freeview Play (which Samsung lacks), and that brings the catch-up apps into play like iPlayer and ITV Hub. There’s also a wide range of streaming apps like Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+ among others, and the Roku OS has been updated to support AirPlay 2 for iPhone screen mirroring and Apple HomeKit, with Alexa and Google assistant also available.

Build quality is fine, the slimness of the rear panel means the Hisense Roku doesn’t jut out much when wall-mounted, and with most of the connections side-facing it’s easier to plug sources in. Assembling the TV is simply a case of slotting in the feet, tightening the screws and turning the TV on.

Picture quality is similar to the B7120UK. We observed it lacked the contrast and brightness to produce a dynamic HDR performance with its peak brightness of around 300 nits. But its native 4K performance was full of detail and colours naturally portrayed – we don’t think many will be disappointed by what it serves up.

Sound quality, however, was a disappointment, struggling to convey the action scenes in a film like Tenet with dynamism or excitement, and proving to be messy when playing music through its speakers. As is the case with many of the best cheap TVs on this list, a soundbar would help.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Hisense R50A7200GTUK Roku TV

The 65EQ3EA is not just a return to prominence in the market but a return to form for Sharp too.

Its smarts are provided by Android TV, ensuring you’re not left wanting when it comes to films, TV and music. Though we found Android interface easy enough to navigate, in terms of curating content, we felt the results could have been more personal.

You also get Chromecast and Google Assistant to both cast content to the screen and for voice control operation. If you’re a gamer, we wouldn’t recommend getting this screen as we measured lag at 50ms at 1080p resolution. That’s slow if you’re into first person shooters or any type of game that requires a quick response time. A TV like the Samsung BU8000 is quicker, but that model suffers from a sluggish interface and inferior picture quality.

Unlike Samsung’s cheaper QLED TVs, the Sharp 65EQ3EA is kitted out with Dolby Vision, and it results in a colourful image with shows such as Stranger Things and Wednesday on Netflix. We did note that there was a orange push to complexions in Dolby Vision, but found it a minor issue. With HDR content, black levels aren’t as firm as we’d like, and this affects contrast. Nevertheless, this is still a more vibrant performance the the Samsung BU8000.

The audio from its Harman Kardon sound system is much better than we anticipated, producing a big spacious soundstage with dialogue that’s always clear and mostly free from sibilance. Bass won’t rival a soundbar but it’s a punchy performance that provides some excitement. It’s also compatible with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, though you have to switch between the two in the settings to get the best performance.

All-in-all, this is a solid 65-inch 4K TV for the outlay, and well worth considering if you’re after good smarts, picture and sound in one affordable package.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Sharp 65EQ3EA

The Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED is part of Amazon’s own brand of TVs, and while it’s not perfect, it puts in a generally enjoyable performance across the board.

We’re not fans of the feet placement for the 65-inch version. They’re set at the edges which means you’ll need a wide surface to position the TV on.

The Fire TV platform presents plenty of apps is excellent, but the content is weighted too much towards Amazon’s own Prime Video and Freevee. If you subscribe to other streaming services, it’s not as easy to find what else is available in our experience.

Alexa voice control is reliable, and you can choose to call up Alexa with the Voice Remote or hands-free (which you can switch off if you don’t want Alexa always listening). The Fire TV Ambient Experience turns the TV into an Alexa-powered smart display where you can keep track of the weather, play audio, and change the background so you’re not confronted by a big black screen when the TV is ‘off’. We liked it as it makes the TV more living room friendly.

The Fire TV Omni QLED features supports Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive, two HDR supports we don’t often see at this price. The image quality could be more consistent as HDR10/HDR10+ performance is not the most colourful; while its Dolby Vision IQ performance is better, it suffers from raised blacks. It’s also not the brightest for HDR content as we measured it a peak of 529 nits. That is, however, better than the 65-inch Sharp EQ3 on this list.

The built-in sound system provides a good sense of space to films and TV shows, though it is crisp in tone to a fault. Some sound modes fair better than others, but a soundbar will remedy that.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED

After a good, if not quite amazing C3 model, LG is back on form with the C4, and in terms of gaming options there are few TVs as comprehensive as this series.

That’s mainly because the C4 supports pretty much every feature a casual or competitive gamer could want. You’ve got 4K/120Hz and VRR support across all its HDMI inputs. The premium Dolby Vision Gaming is supported too, which is compatible with Xbox Series consoles. PC gamers get AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync support too, as well as support for higher refresh rates up to 144Hz.

More features come with LG’s Game Optimizer, which allows you to customise the performance by tweaking black levels of switching through various game mode presets. Input lag is much the same as it was with the OLED65C3 with our reviewer finding it measured at 13ms. The Boost mode knocks the latency down to less than 10ms.

But all those premium gaming features would be naught if the picture quality wasn’t good, and the C4 is a step up from the C3. Images are colour rich without being oversaturated, blacks full of depth helping to create excellent contrast with crushing detail in the shadows.

We measured it as brighter than the previous C3 OLED was at 1150 nits on a 10% window. That’s more than enough to bring out the brightness with HDR highlights.

If you want the best experience, we would suggest purchasing a soundbar, and for the most immersive performance you’ll want to consider an LG soundbar that has its WOW Orchestra feature. It allows the soundbar to work with the C4’s speakers to create a bigger, more immersive sound.

On its own, the TV’s speakers are fine, but not befitting of the performance you get from its picture.

Reviewer: Steve May
Full Review: LG OLED65C4

8K hasn’t hit the heights that a few would have presumed when the first sets were announced several years ago. However, we’re still a believer in them, and if you’re a gamer after the ultimate picture quality and performance then look no further than the QN900D.

This latest 8K TV comes with a raft of features, with a fast input lag of 11ms, and the ability to reduce that input lag even further with HDMI VRR and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro. All four of its HDMI inputs supporting 4K 120Hz gaming as well as 8K.60Hz, so a high level of gaming performance is possible with the QN900D.

The Game Hub screen within the TV’s interface is where all your gaming sources (both cloud gaming and physical), while an onscreen Game Bar menu provides access to information on your gaming signals plus a few gaming aids such as the AI-bolstered mini-map feature where the TV automatically detects the game’s mini-map and presents a bigger version of it in another window.

Of course, there’s more to the QN900D than just playing games. Brightness has been improved with the QN900D able to produce 2445 nits on a 10% window in its Movie mode, brighter than the 2096 nits on the QN900C.

The upscaling performance is brilliant, as we noticed a big jump up in detail of 4K content. Samsung’s AI processor is able to bring out all the detail within an image and sharpen it without overemphasising noise.

We would suggest adding a soundbar to get the best from the QN900D. While the OTS sound system tracks audio accurately across the screen, it is underpowered in the bass department.

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: Samsung QE75QN900D

The Samsung QN85C has dropped considerably since we first reviewed it with several hundred pounds/dollars chalked off the asking price to bring to where it’s now above £1000 / $1000. That’s an excellent deal for a TV of its skill.

It is the entry-level Neo QLED model in the 2023 TV range, and we don’t feel it sacrifices much in terms of performance to earn that status. It features a dedicated Game Hub that comes with cloud gaming options such as Xbox Game Pass and Utomik, and there’s also a Game bar that overlays on the screen to show the user all the vital info such as input lag, VRR performance and HDR.

We measured input lag at an impressive 9.4ms at 1080p resolution, which is one of the best out-of-the-box performances you can get. For a smoother picture, Game Motion Plus can be activated but we found input lag reduced to 25ms

HDMI 2.1 is supported across all the QN85C’s inputs with support for ALLM, VRR, and 4K/120Hz frame rates to get a top-tier performance from current-gen gaming consoles. There’s official support for AMD’s FreeSync Premium Pro VRR technology and uncredited support for Nvidia G-Sync to get the best performance from PC gaming titles.

We found the QN85C really impressed as a gaming display. Our reviewer measured brightness at 1096 nits on a 10% window, which is more than enough to produce a bright, punchy, and colourful performance with the right settings. Playing Overwatch in 4K 120fps was a smooth and detailed performance, though we found you’ll need to manually activate HDR in the Game Picture Expert menu, setting Game HDR to on, and Basic. We found that when left off, the average picture level was overly bright.

We also found the audio quality to be extremely good for a flatscreen TV, painting a large soundstage and a good deal of panning across the front of the soundstage. We recommend giving the AI sound mode a wide berth as it can sound strident.

Reviewer: Steve May
Full review: Samsung QE65QN85C

If you’re gaming on a PS5, Sony’s own Bravia TVs serve as offering the best integration in terms of performance with a number of features that are exclusive to the TVs.

And from its 2023 range of TVs, the A80L is the set we’d currently recommend as the best option for PS5 owners. Those ‘exclusive’ features aren’t necessarily any different from what you’d find on other TVs, though. Auto Genre Picture mode is essentially ALLM, to automatically switch the TV in and out of its game-ready state so the A80L isn’t stuck in game mode all the time.

Auto HDR Tone Mapping enhances the HDR performance of the A80L’s screen for best brightness and contrast. Dolby Vision Gaming is not supported either by the PS5 or the A80L but 4K/120Hz and variable refresh rates (VRR) are, and they’re available across two HDMI 2.1 inputs (one of which is shared with the eARC port). We measured input lag at 16.4ms before VRR is applied, which is solid, but TVs such as the LG C2 can achieve a quicker performance out of the box.

The Sony A80L is short of other gaming features for PC gamers, so it’s not as versatile as the LG is. It also pitches itself as more of a home cinema telly, so once you’re done playing games on the PS5, you can enjoy the impressive picture and sound quality. While it’s not as bright as the LG C-series OLED, we found it to be a much more nuanced, and balanced image that produces a very natural look. Upscaling is also of very high quality, boosting detail and clarity while preserving the look of the source. Motion processing is excellent, smooth and with very few noted issues such as judder.

The sound quality is punchy, dynamic, and loud; good enough that we wouldn’t rush out for a new soundbar, though if you did, the likes of the HT-A5000 would be a good partner (if you have space for it). A cheaper option is Sony’s X85L LCD TV, but that doesn’t offer as good a picture or sound performance as the A80L.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Sony A80L

As befitting its name, LG’s new C4 mid-range OLED is an explosive start for its 2024 range, and a return to form after the C3 model.

As is the case with LG’s OLEDs, if you’re a gamer you’ll be very interested in what LG is bringing to the market this year. The C4 boasts generous 4K/120Hz and VRR support across all of its HDMI inputs, a feature that not many TV brands can compete with, offering flexibility in terms of how many consoles/PC units you can plug into the TV.

Dolby Vision Gaming is supported too, and LG’s Game Optimizer allows you to customise the performance on the fly by tweaking black levels of switching through various game mode presets. Our reviewer tested input lag at 13ms, and with the Boost mode activated that can be knocked down to less than 10ms. At 120Hz the latency is halved to less than 5ms. As a screen for gaming, this is an excellent TV.

But of course it can do more than just gaming, and the C4 proves to be an excellent performer with TV and movie content. Its images are colour rich without being oversaturated, naturally deep and full of contrast with crushing detail. It’s brighter than the previous C3 OLED was, we measured it at 1150 nits on a 10% window, which is more than good enough to bring out the intensity in highlights and bright objects with HDR content.

The audio performance is fine, the Standard audio mode is the best and most consistent if you’re watch a variety of programming but we would recommend partnering this set with a soundbar to get the best performance. If you have an LG soundbar you’ll benefit from LG’s WOW Orchestra feature, which allows the C4’s speakers to work in tandem with the soundbar to create a bigger, more immersive sound.

Reviewer: Steve May
Full Review: LG OLED65C4

The A95L is a blend TV of OLED and Quantum Dot colour technologies to create this second-gen QD-OLED TV that offers the best of both worlds. If you’re after a Sony TV go with your PS5, the A95L currently offers the best performance.

It’s not necessarily a model geared for general gamers. Like the A95K before it, it doesn’t natively support AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync VRR tech, but for those with a PS5 there are a number of exclusive features such as the Auto Tone Mapping HDR, which we found to be very good at calibrating the TV’s HDR performance. Input time of 16.5ms is solid, and Sony says that can drop down to 8.5ms with VRR enabled.

Much like the 65-inch version, the XR-55A95L delivers an impressively colourful and wide-ranging HDR performance. We spot more shades of colour and brightness compared to an OLED65G4. Contrast is excellent, and levels of sharpness, detail, and clarity are all high when watching 4K HDR content.

Black levels aren’t the best we’ve seen from an OLED TV, with the Sony having a tendency to struggle in describing overly dark scenes with some raised blacks in some instances. Upscaling has been improved as far as our eyes can see, with detail, clarity, and sharpness well judged. Colours are handled very well, and the Sony picks out satisfying levels of detail too, with artefacts such as banding heavily reduced.

Sound quality is among the best we’ve heard from a TV. Big in size, sharp and clear, with bass that’s much punchier than expected thanks to the integrated woofers in Acoustic Surface Audio+ system.

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: Sony XR-55A95L

If you’re lacking space or gaming in your bedroom, then Sony’s XR-42A90K OLED is tailored for that exact use. At 42-inches, it’s the smallest size you can get an OLED TV.

Gaming with a PS5 connected, our reviewer found the experience to be impressive for a screen of this size. Input times are around 20ms, which is a respectable response time that can be brought down further with the TV’s support for HDMI VRR. VRR and 4K/120Hz are only supported across two HDMI inputs, with one of those also reserved for eARC that passes through audio such as Dolby Atmos to a compatible soundbar. If you have more than two HDMI 2.1 sources, you’d have to plug in and out the devices you want to use, but if you only have a PS5 and a soundbar then there’s less of a need to do that.

As this is a Sony TV there are exclusive features for the PS5. There’s support for Auto HDR Tone Mapping that configures the HDR for the A90K’s capabilities, and Auto Genre Picture Mode that automatically puts the OLED into its lowest latency state when it detects a PlayStation 5.

We found the picture performance when gaming to produce convincing and naturalistic images, with plenty of vibrancy to colours, depth to the image and excellent contrast. This isn’t the brightest OLED on the market, smaller-sized OLEDs face a struggle trying to replicate the brightness of bigger sizes, but given its 42-inch screen this is likely to be less noticeable given you’ll be sitting close to it.

The A90K features Sony’s Acoustic Surface Audio+ built in, and the performance delivers direct and detailed audio, with dialogue sounding distinct and coherent. There isn’t much of a low end here, though, so there’s a shortage of punchiness to its sound and there’s a hint of edginess creeping through in the top-end, which only increases with volume.

Reviewer: Simon Lucas
Full Review: Sony XR-42A90K

While the Panasonic MZ2000 is undoubtedly the best overall Panasonic TV, it doesn’t offer much flexibility with its bolted on sound system. For those who want a less expensive OLED and the freedom to add their own sound system, the MZ1500 is a fantastic TV for those purposes.

If you’ve seen a Panasonic OLED in recent year then you’ll definitely recognise the MZ1500’s design. Nothing has changed in terms of look, and it’s not a TV that’ll grab the attention in a room, but that appears to be the point. It is easy to assemble though, and the swivel screen means you position it to avoid glare or ambient sunlight in a room.

The smart interface is Panasonic’s My Home Screen which is a simple affair. It has all the main video streaming apps, though if you’re after more than that then it’s rather bare. Nevertheless, it’s an accessible interface that doesn’t require a log-in to make use of its features, and for that we appreciate not having to remember another password.

Connectivity accounts for the usual inputs and output, with two HDMI 2.1 ports that support 4K/120Hz gameplay and VRR. We measured input lag at 14.3ms, which is quicker than the Sony A80L but slower than the LG C3 OLED. The Game Control Board offers a series of settings that can be customised during gameplay for those who want the best performance from their games.

Much like Sony’s OLED TVs, the Panasonic features a very natural-looking HDR performance. Blacks on this OLED are rich and deep, the peak brightness is high as we measured over a 1000 nits on a 5% HDR window. That’s more than enough to give HDR some zing and zest.

And it manifests itself through bright highlights, brighter reds and more nuanced blues, as the Panasonic MZ1500 is able to reveal a wider range of colours than the Sony A80L. The addition of Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive also helps for an improved performance in both bright and dark rooms, and especially with the latter, you can view more detail in dark HDR scenes.

Upscaling is very good, maintaining the look of content without enhancing it, and while this set’s motion processing isn’t as good as Sony, it’s not far behind, smooth and natural look at its ‘Min’ setting.

The sound quality is better than we’d expecting, with warm bass that’s got some depth and weight to it. It’s not the best at delivering dialogue, a little too warm with some words being muffled, but we wouldn’t be rushing out to buy a soundbar to go with this TV. The audio system works well enough on its own.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Panasonic MZ1500

Sony’s X95L is its flagship Mini LED screen, and it’s performance is fantastic. This is absolutely a TV to consider for your home given that it’s fallen below £2000 / $2000 (in the US the X93L is the equivalent model).

This TV allows you attach its support feet in any of three separate positions to find a more accommodating space within your set-up. The 65X95L’s smart interface is provided by Google TV, while there are four HDMI inputs to plug sources into, while the Acoustic Centre Sync port means you can partner the TV’s speakers with those in one of Sony’s current series of soundbars.

Two of the HDMI inputs support 4K at 120Hz, variable refresh rates, and auto low latency mode switching. though there’s no Dolby Vision Game mode, either, and input lag for this model was measured at a rather high 18.8ms.

Our reviewer pegged the brightness of the TV on a 10% white HDR test window was 1560 nits, which is easily around the same brightness of premium OLED and QD-OLED models, except you’re paying significantly less for the privilege of owning this Mini LED TV.

This level of brightness helps to produce Sony’s customary deft and naturalistic images, full of contrast and colour. And while there’s still an element of blooming it has been reduced compared to the 2022 model. Our reviewer found the local dimming to be less aggressive than on Samsung’s Mini LED TVs – and is less of a distraction as a result.

We found upscaling of HD sources to be exemplary, too, adding exceptional refinement and density to less than 4K images without exaggerating noise.

And as usual with a Sony Acoustic Multi-Audio TV, the best thing about this TV’s audio performance is how precisely it places sound effects on the screen. In a perfect world the sound would have more forward projection and impact, as well as bass, but this is excellent performance for a flat-screen TV.

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: Sony XR-65X95L

The Philips OLED+907 is an excellent choice for TV and film fans and gamers. We’d describe the look of the OLED+907 as chic with its ultra-thin bezel, metal swivel stand finished in satin chrome and cloth-clad Bowers & Wilkins sound system. It’ll look good in any room.

Connectivity includes four HDMI inputs, two of which are compliant with 4K/120Hz for premium game performance. However, one of those inputs is shared with the eARC port, so if you do decide to add a sound system, that reduces the number of 4K/120Hz inputs for those who have more than one device that can support that feature.

Smarts are provided by Android TV 11, which brings in built-in Chromecast and Google Assistant support. App selection is massive thanks to the Google Play Store, with Freeview Play ushering in all the UK catch-up and on-demand apps through its portal. Ambilight is provided in its three-side form and our reviewer is a big fan of the bias-lighting feature, as it can really add to a room’s ambience in a way no other TV brand can.

The image quality served up is superb. The 55OLED+907 features an OLED EX panel from LG that’s been tweaked and given the ‘Royale’ designation by Philips. In our tests, we measured brightness on a 10% HDR window at 1146 nits, which translates to a profound sense of contrast with OLED’s naturally deep blacks and the Philips’ processing produce bright objects.

The Crystal View setting puts in a performance that’s vibrant and solid, really elevating any content watched in the format. We’d advised some caution with the motion settings, though, as while many modes are provided, we’d rate Pure Cinema as best for the most natural motion.

Audio quality impresses too, although there is no Dolby Atmos support from this integrated 3.1 sound system. Despite that there’s power, weight and a fine sense of detail provided for a TV audio system.

Reviewer: Steve May
Full Review: Philips 55OLED+907

The QN95B has been replaced by the QN95C, but right now it’s dropping so fast in price that it can be had for just over £1000, and in that context it is a bargain. While the previous incumbent of this position, the QN94A, is still available, the QN95B improves upon its picture performance.

When it comes to HDR, you won’t find a more capable TV than this Samsung on this list. In its Standard mode we measured its HDR performance at 2369 nits, which is bright enough to make content visible in a room with lots of ambient light so what’s on screen won’t appear washed out. It produces a colourful and vibrant image with a splendid array of colours and, in our estimation, compared to the step-down QN90B model, we feel it’s more controlled in how it deploys its vast amounts brightness, more accurately representing brighter objects in a bright scene.

That level of brightness does produce blooming, with halos of light around bright objects that can distract. This isn’t too distracting from a head-on position, but people watching at wider angles will be more sensitive to it.

When it comes to gaming, the QN95B is outfitted with Auto low latency mode to the TV into its quickest mode for gaming, while variable refresh rate support (HDMI VRR and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro) reduces screen tearing for better picture quality. We measured input lag at 10.2ms, which makes the QN95B one of the most fastest and most responsive models on the market.

Like it is for most TVs, audio is the QN95B’s weakest area. The sound from the built-in speaker unit is crisp and clear, and the OTS (Object Tracking Sound) system cleverly places audio where it should be on screen. But the TV lacks weight and sounds thin, the lack of bass is especially notable in action films. We’d recommend budgeting for a soundbar.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Samsung QE55QN95B

Another TCL TV features on this list, and the C845K is one of the more impressive affordable Mini LED sets we’ve reviewed as of late.

Available for less than £1000 in its 65-inch size, this is an aggressively priced Mini LED set that performs better than the similarly specced Hisense U7K. It’s not perfect, but if you’re looking for a bright HDR performance, this TCL TV is arguably the stand out model below £1000.

The build quality is heavy duty, so it’d be tricky to try and place this TV on a wall without some assistance. The back end is also fairly chunky too, so despite the Mini LED backlight, it isn’t the skinniest Mini LED we’ve ever seen. Our reviewer wasn’t a fan of the remote that came with the TV, describing it as cheap and cheerful for such a well specified TV.

And the TCL C845K has some impressive features for the price. It has 576 local dimming zones in its Mini LED backlight for more precise brightness and reduction in blooming that can affect picture quality. Brightness can hit 2200 nits, which is brighter than even the brightest OLEDs on the market such as the LG G3. For gaming it has HDMI 2.1 support with 4K/120Hz, ALLM and VRR, as well as Dolby Vision Gaming where it’s supported. An input of lag of 15ms is good, if not among the quickest that can be achieved.

HDR support equals Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG, and HDR10+, so the TCL can play nice and optimise colour and brightness with those formats ensuring the best picture quality that the C85K is capable of. Google TV is supported for the user interface, which we found to be more attractive and better organised than Android TV. At the moment, it doesn’t yet support the UK catch-up apps, but TCL is offering users a Roku stick for anyone who wants one.

Picture performance is an area that greatly impressed us. The TL C845K does need some tweaking from its settings to produce its best picture, but once done it is capable of excellent contrast, convincing black levels merged with spectacular brightness, alongside bold colours. You’d get a better picture performance out of the box with Mini LEDs from the likes of Sony, but it’s not available at this price.

The 65845K’s sound is as aggressive as its pictures. It’s 70W sound system is able to pump out a sound that’s very loud but remains detailed and offers an impressive amount of bass. When pushed to its limits it can sound coarse and bass features some distortion, but otherwise this TV’s audio performance is better than other TVs that cost a significant amount more.

Hisense has been one of the leading lights in offering an impressive specification for its TVs at an affordable price, but that hasn’t always meant a stellar performance. The Hisense U7K is a 4K TV we can heartily recommend, though.

Priced at an aggressive £1499 / $1049, the Hisense is a Mini LED that undercuts Samsung’s range of Neo QLED Mini LED TVs such as the QN85C. It claims a performance of around 1000 nits of peak brightness and delivers a very complete and convincing image when given native 4K HDR content.

Our reviewer found there were numerous subtle differences in tone and colour volume visible in the image, with skin tones enjoying plenty of variety, while the rest of the colour palette was vibrant without ever becoming overblown or unnatural. Black tones are respectably deep with no crushing evident even in dark scenes. It supports every useful HDR standard in HDR10, HDR10+ Adaptive, Dolby Vision IQ; along with IMAX Enhanced certification and Filmmaker mode for greater picture accuracy. 

The performance of the audio system is not the best we’ve heard, eliciting good clarity from the midrange but rather tentative in describing bass and producing a flat, undynamic sound overall. We’d recommend you budget to add a soundbar to this TV.

The VIDAA U interface keeps things simple with all the major on-demand and catch-up apps included, and we found it didn’t take too long for its algorithms to start suggesting content we’d actually want to watch. Gaming-wise it supports AMD FreeSync Premium for PC gamers, auto low latency mode and refresh rates up to 144Hz, making this a competitive TV to the likes of the QN85C and TCL 65C845K Mini LED models.

The Hisense U7K is a bit of a bargain for its price. It’s well specified, and performs very well for its price point with good picture and gaming skills.

Reviewer: Simon Lucas
Full Review: Hisense 65U7KQTUK

If you’re on the lookout for a large 4K TV, the LG OLED77G3’s stunning 77-inch display is tough to beat. 

The size and scale of the OLED77G3 is impressive to behold, while the high peak brightness of LG’s MLA panel helps the display to maintain wide and bright viewing angles – that is if you have a room spacious enough to mount the TV. 

As far as picture quality is concerned, the LG G3 supports HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision IQ with Precision Detail, as well as its own Filmmaker mode. We found that the TV gave a slight red push to images which was noticeable in skin complexions. Contrast is fantastically conveyed, as the deep blacks combine with the bright display to create a lush, almost three-dimensional image. At the same time, upscaling is well-judged with the TV making the best of what it is presented with. 

LG has also developed three measures to reduce the impact of image retention, or OLED burn-in, and offers a five-year warranty on its G3 models. 

The 77-inch G3 features LG’s webOS interface, which we found to the slick and swift, though there are a few unobtrusive ads. When it comes to content, you’re spoilt for choice with apps. Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+, Now, Rakuten TV, Sky Store and more are all available on UK models, as is Freeview Play. 

The OLED77G3 includes four HDMI 2.1 ports, headphones and digital optical outputs, Ethernet, satellite and two RF aerial inputs, a CI+ 1.4 common interface slot, and three USB 2.0 ports. There are also a range of wireless connectivity options to hand, including Wi-Fi, AirPlay 2, Chromecast, WiSA, Bluetooth 5.0, and Bluetooth Surround Ready. 

Gamers benefit from a range of high-end features, including ALLM, VRR and 4K/120Hz support across all HDMI inputs. There’s also AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync for PC gamers, along with a variety of cloud gaming and broadcasting services, including GeForce Now, Utomik, Blacknut, and Twitch. Lastly, there’s a Game Optimiser mode and support for Dolby Vision Gaming. 

Sound quality isn’t the G3’s strong suit with the low-end lacking punch and intensity. However, dialogue intelligibility is good with the speakers striking a natural tone and the placement of voices echoing where the actors stand on screen. 

If you’re looking for a large TV capable of delivering high-quality, immersive images and are prepared to invest in a sound system to boost the audio, the LG OLED77G3 is a fantastic option. 

Reviewer: Kob Monney

Full Review: LG OLED77G3

Panasonic’s DP-UB9000 flagship 4K Blu-ray player is the most ambitious player we’ve tested from the Japanese brand, and for AV enthusiasts, investing in this battleship 4K player is a no-brainer.

The DP-UB9000 delivers best-in-class UHD video performance, courtesy of supreme image processing tech, as well as its HDR support that covers HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision formats. The images it produces exhibits both astonishing detail and supreme smoothness thanks to its second generation HCX, and we found the player performed a capable job of upscaling HD Blu-ray discs, too.

Our reviewer tested the player with a mid-range TV and found the results convincing, so pairing with a premium TV should elicit even better performance from the Panasonic player.

This Pana player also boasts a level of construction that exceeds its (high) price; disc-loading speeds are decent while loading is smooth and quiet. Connectivity is extensive with dual HDMI outputs (one audio only), two USBs (one is a fast v3.0), and optical and coaxial digital audio outputs, as well as a full 7.1 analogue channel output. There’s also balanced Neutrik XLR stereo connectors and Ethernet on hand to support the internal Wi-Fi.

When it comes to audio it sounds good – not quite audiophile in quality as the now discontinued Pioneer UDP-LX500, but it impresses nonetheless. If you’re looking for DVD-Audio and SACD support, the Panasonic doesn’t have it unfortunately.

Reviewer: Steve May
Full Review: Panasonic DP-UB9000

There aren’t many new 4K Blu-ray players in production these days but recently there’s been a burst from the likes of Reavon and Magnetar at giving the marketplace a push forward. The UDP900 from Magnetar is expensive, but it is an exceptional player.

In the words of our reviewer, it is built like a tank but also sports an elegant design. It’s a player you’ll need to make some space for and you’ll certainly want to a solid surface to plant it on as it weighs 15.5kg. On the rear it has dual HDMI outputs, as well multi-channel analogue outputs for those who want to connect a sound system directly into the speaker. The remote control is backlit, which is a nice touch.

It’s a universal disc spinner, so whatever physical media you have it could conceivably play it, and with HDR10+ and Dolby Vision playback, it supports the main forms of HDR too. Strangely, there’s no wireless connectivity, but it seems the Magentar wants to keep the focus on physical media rather than streaming. We’re not going to complain too much about that.

Its very simple to set-up and operate, and playback is incredibly quiet during operation. You can hardly hear the disc spinning.

The actual video performance offers impressive upscaling to 4K, bringing out the best in Blu-rays. Our reviewer felt he was watching a picture equivalent to HDR thanks to the MediaTek chipset’s processing. The look of 4K discs will depend on your TV of choice, but we found the performance to be superb. Its audio performance is also very impressive, delivering a clean, detailed delivery with precise stereo imaging with analogue music. This is a high-end 4K player at a huge cost, but it’s worth it in our opinion.

For a less expensive but still premium 4K player, have a look at Magnetar’s own UDP800.

Reviewer: Steve Withers
Full Review: Magnetar UDP900

If you own a TV that supports either Dolby Vision, HDR10+ or both, and you want to see your 4K collection presented in the best shape it can, then of the 4K player options below £500 / $500 the Panasonic DP-UB820 warrants closer investigation over its cheaper DP-UB450 sibling.

It features the same second generation HCR processor that’s included in the flagship model, and it helps to produce a performance that we found to be superb with UHD discs as well as making standard Blu-ray discs look beautifully crisp. Colours are more precise and detailed than they are on rival disc spinners, and with Panasonic’s Optimiser feature, brightness an contrast can be boosted without washing out the image, which our reviewer found made viewing HDR content in a brighter room more satisfying to watch.

Picture quality is complemented by a decent selection of streaming apps, though the user interface could use an overhaul. It’s also a classy frontman for a Dolby Atmos home cinema. When playing CDs we found it was worth experimenting with the Digital Tube up-sampler. It features a number of filters that mimic the warmth of tube amplification and it made our reviewer’s CD collection sound more homely.

Build quality is fine, and more in-keeping with Panasonic’s entry-level players, missing out on the premium metal finish the flagship UB9000 sports. We found the player looked presentable enough for the asking price. A remote is provided but if gets lost in the couch then there are manual buttons for power and disc loading on the player itself.

Reviewer: Steve May
Full Review: Panasonic DP-UB820

Despite its cheaper build quality, the UBP-X700 retains many of the same features of the discontinued UBP-X800 but actually includes support for Dolby Vision HDR this time. It’s price has gone up over £200 since we first reviewed, but we still believe it’s a great choice for anyone who wants an Ultra HD Blu-ray player that can deliver excellent video and audio.

We found picture performance to be terrific. UHD discs were flawlessly reproduced in minute detail, with the wider colour gamut and high dynamic range (HDR) of 4K discs all perfectly rendered by the Sony. Images are sharp and detailed with natural looking colours and no apparent artefacts. Our reviewer found the spinner even performed brilliantly with SDR content, getting the maximum out of every pixel.

The UBP-X700 is a digital transport (no analogue outputs), which means there is no DAC inside, just a digital signal being delivered either via HDMI or the coaxial digital output. Choose HDMI and there is benefit from lossless audio and immersive Dolby Atmos and DTS:X soundtracks. While the X700 might not be the audiophile’s choice, we found it was more than capable of delivering a quality experience whether with CDs, SACDs or streaming.

There is a drawback at this more affordable price compared to more premium players, which is that the X700’s construction can feel flimsy when compared to the UBP-X800M2. It’s a rather cheap and largely plastic player, but this is unlikely to be of much concern if you’re not putting the player out in the open.

Reviewer: Steve Withers
Full reviews: Sony UBP-X700

The DP-UB450 is the only player that features HDR10+ and Dolby Vision for les, making it a consumer-friendly player for anyone on the hunt for an affordable 4K Blu-ray player.

Our reviewer didn’t find the build quality to be anything to write home about. It’s light, and the metal chassis feels thin giving it a rather anonymous looks. Like the UB820, there are a pair of power and disc loading buttons if the remote gets lost.

Connectivity is not as extensive as the spinners above the UB450 in this list, with just twin HDMI connections for separate video and audio signals, Ethernet LAN and a coaxial digital output. There’s no array of 7.1-channel analogue line-outs for home cinema speaker set-ups, nor are there any streaming apps in the UB450’s sparse menu interface.

The drop in price also means that the UB820’s HCX Processor is no longer among the features, but our reviewer still found picture quality to be good for the money, although it lacks the sharpness and precision of the step-up Panasonic player. Its HDR10 performance isn’t quite as good as the Sony UBP-X700, but its implementation of Dolby Vision is much more friendlier than that player.

Our reviewer felt that audio was well served, delivered in a crisp and clean manner, handling Dolby Atmos soundtracks without issue. And with audio files, the UB450 does well enough, delivering good levels of clarity and detail.

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: Panasonic DP-UB450

There aren’t many 4K players that can be found for less than £150, but of the ones still kicking about, the Panasonic DP-UB150 is the best of them.

Like the rest of Panasonic’s affordable 4K spinners, we found the UB150’s build quality to be fine if bland. It’s a tidy, compact and anonymous looking unit that’s acceptable enough for the price but is distinctly utilitarian in appearance. The disc drive can be a little noisy during playback and the remote is a small and chunky affair that won’t favour those with big hands.

It’s not packed full of feature of connectivity options with only one HDMI port on its rear and ethernet LAN in place of any Wi-Fi support. Like the UB450, there are no streaming apps included but 3D and Hi-Res audio are among the features supported by this player.

There’s no Dolby Vision but there is HDR10+, so to get the most from this player, consider pairing it with a Samsung, Panasonic or Philips TV that supports HDR10+. Watching Alita: Battle Angel on a Samsung QLED, our reviewer found the UB150 spun rich, saturated and vibrant colours for a cinematic look, though like the UB450 it’s isn’t the most refined or subtle of pictures compared to more expensive efforts. Upscaling is good with decent colours and flesh tones

The Dolby Atmos performance sounds big, though it is not as nuanced as the rival Sony X700. CD playback is fine too, showcasing good amounts of detail and clarity.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Panasonic DP-UB150

Samsung still believes that 8K will take off, and with its QN900D, it’s certainly putting its best foot forward to bring the format to a wider audience.

It is without doubt the best 8K TV that we’ve reviewed from Samsung, and considering they regularly get five-star awards, that’s an impressive feat. Improvements have been made to how much brightness the TV is capable of, with the QN900D able to produce 2445 nits on a 10% window in its Movie mode, which is much brighter than the 2096 nits the QN900C was capable of.

That level of high brightness helps to produce impressively bright and colourful HDR images, though as always with Samsung, we still find the lack of Dolby Vision support to be disappointing considering how widespread it is.

The upscaling performance is brilliant, and with little native 8K content out there it has to be. We noticed a big jump up in detail with 4K content, with Samsung’s AI processor able to bring out all the detail within an image and sharpen it without producing a fake-looking image or overemphasising any noise in the image. It genuinely looks better than any 4K TV we’ve seen.

For the gamers out there, our reviewer measured input lag at a fast 11ms, and with VRR support in HDMI VRR and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, the input lag can be brought down ever further. All four of its HDMI inputs supporting 4K 120Hz gaming, so you’ll get a high level of gaming performance with any of the HDMI inputs.

We would suggest leaving the eARC input to add in a soundbar. While the QN900D’s sound system tracks sounds accurately across the screen, it’s not able to generate enough bass to give soundtracks heft and excitement.

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: Samsung QE75QN900D

After nearly 10 years of ignoring OLED technology, Samsung decided to create its own panel technology in QD-OLED and with the S95D it’s arguably struck gold.

The first and second-gen QD-OLEDs from Samsung were enjoyable, though we found they had flaws. The S95D appears to be a big improvement on what came before. It is the brighest OLED TV we’ve reviewed yet, hitting 1798 nits on a 10% window that’s more than the likes of the Panasonic MZ2000 and LG G3 OLED

That level of brightness helps the TV produce incredibly rich colours with contrast that brings out the detail in both dark and light areas of the image. Our reviewer also felt that the anti-glare screen technology was impressively implemented on this TV, though it does mean that dark areas do take on a slightly grey appearance.

The Tizen interface has been refined with new sections to help recommend suitable content that matches your tastes, and there’s now the option of creating multiple profiles for multiple in the house. For the gamers out there we measured input response at 9.8ms, while all four HDMI 2.1 inputs support 4K 120Hz through the One Connect box and with 144Hz supported for PCs.

The sound system supports Dolby Atmos, and like with Samsung’s other OTS speaker systems, it can be very good at placing effects on and around the screen. However, it can’t push that sound forward into a room, and volume is a little limited in terms of how loud it can do.

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: Samsung S95D OLED

The Samsung QE65QN95C is the brand’s flagship 4K TV, offering an alternative to the next generation of OLED 4K TVs from the likes of LG, Panasonic and Sony.

The picture performance improves on the TVs that come before such as the QN95A and QN95B, with a substantial increase in dimming zones (from 720 to 1344) helping to produce better contrast, black levels and more precision in terms of brightness.

Blooming, which are unwanted halos of light around bright objects, are reduced; and we found that unless you were watching the TV from a very wide and shallow angle that blooming was mostly unnoticeable. That’s an improvement on what we’ve seen from previous Samsung Mini-LED TVs.

Brightness was measured at 2240 nits, which is around the same level of brightness we encountered with the QN95B and easily betters even the brightest OLEDs we’ve tested from competing brands such as the LG G2 and Panasonic LZ2000.

As a gaming television, all four of the HDMI inputs support 4K/144Hz, so gamers don’t have to pick and choose which devices go into which HDMI input. There’s HDMI VRR for gaming consoles, with PC gamers getting AMD FreeSync Premium Pro. Nvidia G-Sync is not officially supported but gamers can still play compatible games with that feature if they choose to do so. We measured input lag to 9.8ms, which is a little faster than the 2022 model.

The speaker system is, in our opinion, a step from what came before, with more power, clarity and scale observed from the QN95C’s 4.2.2 audio system. The Object Tracking Sound (OTS) system plants effects on screen with accuracy, with the TV less prone to buzzing or distortion when having to deal with bassy effects..

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: Samsung QE65QN95C

Big screen TVs are becoming more popular and there aren’t many screens as big as the QE98Q80C from Samsung.

At a whopping 98-inches, this is a TV that takes up a lot of space in any home, and because of its size it’s a screen that feels more like a cinema that it does a TV. It’s surpisingly slim for a big screen though, which itself features just 120 dimming zones for control of brightness. As always, it’s not the number of dimming zones you have but what you do with it that’s most important.

And this big-screen Q80C is capable of bright and colourful images, with dark scenes that appear black and little backlight clouding or blooming that our reviewer spotted. Upscaling is very good for a screen of this size, the processor doing an effective job of upscaling HD images to this size, while SD images can look a little stretch, that’s only to be expected considering the quality of the source.

There are four HDMI 2.1 inputs on this model, and all can handle 4K/120Hz sources. We measured input lag at 10.7ms which shoudl ensure a snappy performance even before VRR support comes into play.

Tizen is not the easiest to navigate in terms of its settings, but it is comprehensively stacked for apps with all the apps you could want available. You won’t need to purchase a streaming stick to get the video streaming apps you want.

Sound quality is fine with good detail and effects accurately placed around the screen. The main issue is that this screen doesn’t get particularly loud or be able to generate the kind of power and scale a screen of this size should command. There are decent bass levels to to help amp up excitement in action films, but we’d recommend getting a soundbar for this screen.

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: Samsung QE98Q80C