TV Lineup

What's New in 2021

Brand Lineups

These lists are based on what has been confirmed so far. We'll update them as new details are confirmed and as new models are announced throughout the year. Note that this list only covers the U.S. models, as lineups may be different in other countries.

Samsung

Samsung was the first company to come out with their 2021 lineup, even before CES. They've announced that they will release a 99 and 110-inch MicroLED model, but we don't know much about it yet, including the model code. MicroLED is similar to OLED as it's a self-emitting technology, but it shouldn't suffer from burn-in. Their premium LED models will include their new Neo QLED technology, which combines their quantum dot technology with Mini LED, and this is available with their 8k options and the 4k QN90A and QN85A. The Q80A and lower use the regular quantum dot technology. Their naming convention seems to similar to their 2020 lineup, but they use the suffix A instead of T in 2021, and those with the letter N have the Neo QLED technology.

New in 2021 is how some models use ADS panels, which perform similarly to IPS panels with wide viewing angles and a low contrast ratio. Samsung also released their 'Lifestyle' lineup, which just includes The Frame so far; we'll update the list if they add more models.

Sony

Sony recently released their 2021 lineup, and it's similar to their 2020 lineup. They have two 4k OLEDs and four 4k LED TVs, as well as their flagship 8k LED model, the Z9J. In terms of their lineup, they've only made one change, with the X850J coming back and replacing 2019's X850G, while they won't have a replacement for 2020's X750H. All models should have HDMI 2.1, VRR, and ALLM support, except for the entry-level X80J, which will have HDMI 2.0. This is an upgrade after only the X900H had HDMI 2.1 support in 2020 and still hasn't received any VRR support. Unlike their competitors, it doesn't seem like Sony will be using Mini LEDs in their models. Also, they've announced they're replacing Android TV with the updated Google TV in 2021.

Sony is using the same naming convention as they've had in the past few years. Their OLEDs start with A, the premium 8k starts with Z, and the other 4k LEDs start with X. The suffix at the end of each model code is J in 2021 after it was H in 2020.

LG

LG announced their 2021 OLED lineup at CES, as well as their high-end LEDs. They've expanded their OLED selection this year and introduced a new 4k, 83 inch model. They'll also make their 48 inch size available with two models, while last year, the LG CX was the only one available in 48 inches. LG Display announced that they're releasing a 42 inch and a bendable 48 inch OLED panel, but we don't know if these will be available with TVs. LG's 2021 models also include HDMI 2.1 support on all the HDMI inputs. They've also introduced a new LED lineup, which will use Mini LED technology. Labeled as their QNED lineup, these TVs are expected to compete with Samsung's QLED lineup, which probably explains the naming similarities.

They've announced a handful of LED models available in the U.S., but there are fewer models available than in the past. They're also coming out with more models in Europe, like the NANO95, NANO85, and NANO77, that aren't available yet in North America. 

TCL

TCL announced some of their new TVs at CES 2021. They're coming out with their first 8k models, including an 'XL Collection' that features three 85 inch models. The 2021 6 Series will also have an 8k resolution, but they've said that the 2020 6 Series, which has a 4k resolution, will still be available in 2021. They've announced a new Mini LED technology, called 'OD Zero', which aims to create ultrathin Mini LED panels, but it's unclear which models will have it. Lastly, they've announced that some TVs will feature the new Google TV, but it's also unknown which of the models will include it. Only the entry-level TCL 3 Series 2020 and TCL 4 Series 2020 were available in Android TV in the U.S. in 2020.

Some information on their mid and entry-level TVs has started to leak, we'll update this table as soon as we know more.

Hisense

Hisense is a direct competitor of TCL and they have a wide range of options, including laser TVs. They had two quantum dot models in 2020, the H9G and the H8G, which they label as ULED. They seem to be continuing in that direction in 2021, with three new ULED models, including an 8k TV. Their models starting with U have this quantum dot technology, and they all have full-array local dimming as well. Below is the 2021 lineup in the United States, which Hisense announced in May; the lineup in Europe is different.

Vizio

Due to the pandemic, Vizio delayed the release of their 2020 lineup, and in June of 2020, they released it as their 2021 lineup instead. So for 2021, they're releasing a new batch of TVs that they're labelling as their 2022 models, which you can see below. They announced an upgrade to their SmartCast platform with their own voice assistant, which they call 'Vizio Voice'.

Konka

Konka is a Chinese brand that only re-entered the U.S. market in 2020 with three LED TVs, two of which were 4k models. They had planned to release an OLED TV, the X11, but that was delayed until 2021. We should know more about their 2021 lineup at CES.

Philips

Philips has a limited number of TVs available in the U.S. and even though they've released an OLED model in Europe, it's unclear if they will make it available in North America. We'll update this once we know.

Toshiba

Toshiba is a budget-friendly company that releases the entry-level Fire TV every year. We don't know if they have plans for more models in 2021, but we'll update this if we know.

Conclusion

Although it's still early, it seems that the biggest TV manufacturers are aiming to compete against each other with Mini LED technology. LG and Samsung will continue directly competing against each other for the largest share of the TV market in 2021, and consumers will be able to choose from a wide range of products with younger companies like TCL and Hisense stepping up. It should be interesting to see the advances in TV technology in 2021.

We will continuously update this list as new models are released and we test them. Let us know in the discussions if we've missed something. Which models are you most excited about? Let us know in the discussions, and let us know in the suggestion tool which TVs you want us to test next!