Shopping for a new TV can be challenging; with so many different manufacturers, it can be hard to know which is the best TV brand and where to start. Some TV brand names are well-known, but popularity doesn't equate to being the best, as even the best brands' entry-level models don't perform well. Some budget-friendly TV brands have made waves in the market and often release models that are better than more expensive options.
Most of our recommendation articles take price into consideration, so a TV that performs slightly worse might be recommended over a brand's flagship model if we feel like the extra cost isn't worth it for most people. However, for the purpose of this article, we pick a model from each brand that performs the best overall across over 350 tests that we do. The TVs in this article are all higher-end, and they all have impressive brightness, contrast, and colors; you're going to get excellent overall picture quality regardless of the brand you choose. If you want to see more options from each specific manufacturer, you can see a full list of each brand's 2024 TV lineups.
From smart features to design, each TV brand has its own way of doing things. So, how do they stack up? Keep reading to see our take on the best TV brands in 2024 in the U.S. Also, see our recommendations for the best 8k TVs, the best sounding TVs, and the best 4k TVs, or vote on which TVs you want us to buy and test.
The best Samsung TV we've tested is the Samsung S95D OLED. It's an outstanding TV that delivers impressive overall picture quality. Like TVs that use a traditional WOLED panel, the TV delivers the same inky blacks in a dark room with no blooming. However, you also get a brighter overall TV that displays more vibrant and lifelike colors due to its QD-OLED panel, so highlights and colors really stand out in HDR content. Due to the TV's incredibly wide viewing angle, the image doesn't degrade when viewed from the sides, so it's well-suited for watching content with friends.
Unlike high-end TVs from other brands, the S95D doesn't support the Dolby Vision format that many streaming services and 4k Blu-rays use. Instead, it supports the similar HDR10+, which is much less common. It also doesn't support DTS audio formats that are common on physical media, so you need a receiver if you want to listen to movies in that format. When it comes to gaming, the TV is remarkable. It has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on all four ports for up to 4k @ 144Hz, supports VRR, has low input lag, and fast motion is crystal clear due to its nearly instantaneous response time.
What distinguishes this TV from its competitors is its use of a matte screen coating. The matte coating does an amazing job of eliminating reflections in a bright room, but it does so at the cost of contrast. Blacks look grayish in a bright room, and you lose the impact an OLED typically has. On the other hand, you still get the impressive dark room performance that OLEDs provide, so it's a versatile TV.
For more options from Samsung, check out the best Samsung TVs.
The best Sony TV on the market is the Sony A95L OLED. It's very similar to the Samsung S95D OLED, as it features the same impressive QD-OLED panel that delivers incredibly deep, inky blacks and bright, vibrant colors that stand out well. It features the amazing processing capabilities that Sony is known for, so it's a great choice for movie lovers looking for the absolute best TV for a basement home theater setup. It also has an incredibly wide viewing angle, so your friends who are sitting off to the sides of the screen will see the same incredible picture quality as you do. As amazing as this TV is, it's expensive and mostly only worth it for home theater enthusiasts wanting the best movie-watching experience.
Fortunately, if you do have a home theater but also use the TV to play video games, it's fully compatible with modern consoles due to its HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, 4k @ 120Hz, and VRR support. You also get a nearly instantaneous response time for almost no blur behind fast motion and very low input lag, which results in a very responsive experience, although its input lag is higher than that of competing models from other manufacturers.
You can also check out the best Sony TVs for more options.
The best LG TV we've tested is the LG G4 OLED. It uses Micro Lens Array (MLA) technology on all sizes except the gigantic 97-inch model, which allows the TV to get brighter than traditional WOLED TVs. This extra brightness delivers highlights that really pop when watching HDR content, and the TV easily overcomes glare in a bright room when watching SDR content. The TV truly shines in dark rooms due to its perfect black levels, so you get inky blacks with no blooming around subtitles or bright highlights. It delivers vibrant, lifelike, and bright colors, so HDR content packs a punch. It's also a fantastic TV for watching content with friends due to its incredibly wide viewing angle.
The TV also supports Dolby Vision, which is great for those who want to take advantage of streaming services or 4k Blu-rays that use it as their main HDR format, and its support for both Dolby and DTS audio formats means your bases are covered in terms of audio. This is also one of the best TVs you can currently buy for gaming. It has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on all four ports, can do up to 4k @ 144Hz, and supports VRR, so it pairs perfectly with modern gaming consoles or gaming PCs. It has exceptionally low input lag for a responsive gaming experience, and its nearly instantaneous response time delivers fast motion with no noticeable blur.
Take a look at the best LG TVs for more options.
The best Panasonic TV we've tested is the Panasonic Z95A OLED. Like the LG G4 OLED, it uses MLA technology that helps the TV get brighter than most WOLEDs. It's incredibly similar to the LG, so it overcomes glare in a bright room. Like all OLEDs, it displays perfect blacks with no blooming, making it look spectacular in a dark room. Thanks to its great HDR brightness, it also displays a wide range of colors in HDR content and makes highlights pop.
Panasonic makes the only OLEDs currently on the market that support both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, so this TV has amazing HDR compatibility, regardless of the source. Unlike the LG, it doesn't passthrough DTS audio formats, so you need to connect your devices directly to a receiver or soundbar if you want to listen to movies in that format. Like all OLEDs, the TV has a wide viewing angle, making it suitable for a group setting. It's also a fully featured gaming TV with HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, 4k @ 144Hz, VRR, low input lag, and a nearly instantaneous response time for crystal-clear motion.
The best TCL TV we've tested is the TCL QM8/QM851G QLED. It's a great LED TV with amazing SDR peak brightness and fantastic reflection handling, so it easily overcomes glare and bright lights from even the brightest of rooms. Its HDR brightness is equally as impressive, so bright highlights really pop in HDR content. Although the TV doesn't display the same inky blacks as OLEDs from other brands, it has an excellent local dimming feature, giving it superb black levels with very minimal blooming around highlights. This makes it a great choice for dark room viewing. Its quantum dot technology also gives it impressively vibrant colors.
The TV has a few quirks, like its refresh rate functioning in 'brackets' and its inability to have both Game Mode and Chroma 4:4:4 simultaneously. Still, it's a tremendous performer for gaming, as it can output up to 4k @ 144Hz or 1080p @ 240Hz on its first HDMI port and up to 4k @ 120Hz on its second. It also has an excellent response time and low input lag in Game Mode.
You can check out the best TCL TVs for more options.
The Hisense U8/U8N is the best Hisense TV we've tested that's available to purchase. It provides excellent overall picture quality and is a versatile TV that looks great in both bright and dark rooms. It displays incredibly deep blacks in a dark room that are approaching what you get from an OLED, with minimal blooming, which is great for watching movies or shows. It's also a very bright option with outstanding reflection handling, so it has no problem overcoming glare in rooms with lots of light. Regardless of your lighting conditions, the TV also displays vibrant and lifelike colors that are sure to please. It also supports all major HDR and audio formats, so you're covered no matter how you watch content.
This TV is also packed with modern gaming features. It has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, up to 4k @ 144Hz, and VRR support, so it can take full advantage of modern gaming consoles and can be paired with PCs that have high-end graphics cards. Additionally, it has an excellent response time for minimal blur behind fast motion, and its incredibly low input lag delivers a responsive gaming experience.
See the best Hisense TVs to check out some other models.
The best Roku TV we've tested is the Roku Pro Series QLED. Overall, it's a good TV with an effective local dimming feature that helps improve black levels during dark scenes, with only some blooming around brighter highlights. It's also a bright TV that overcomes glare in well-lit rooms and provides an impactful HDR experience. You also get vibrant and lifelike colors that stand out, but unfortunately, it's not the most accurate TV, so some colors don't look the way they're intended. It supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+, so you're covered no matter how you watch your content. It doesn't support DTS audio formats, so it's not the best option for those with a physical media collection who don't have a receiver. Sadly, this TV has poor image processing, so low-resolution and low-quality content just doesn't look good on this TV.
Fortunately, the TV is quite good for gamers, as it has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and 4k @ 120Hz and supports VRR. Additionally, it has low input lag for a responsive gaming experience, and its great response time delivers fast motion with only some minor blur behind it. You also get the built-in Roku interface, which is fast and easy to use like their streaming devices are. Although Roku is new to TV manufacturing, their Pro Series QLED proves they're a company to look out for when you're looking for the best smart TV brand.
If you need something cheaper, take a look at the best Roku TVs.
The Vizio P Series Quantum 2021 is the best Vizio TV we've tested that's still available to purchase. While OLEDs are fantastic for dark rooms, an LED TV like this is great if you want something for a room with many bright lights, as it has the peak brightness needed to fight glare. HDR content also looks incredible thanks to its fantastic contrast ratio and decent full array local dimming feature, which greatly improves its black levels. Combined with its good peak brightness in HDR, bright highlights stand out well, with very little blooming around bright objects in dark scenes.
It also displays a wide range of colors in HDR, and it supports Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and DTS audio formats. Sadly, it has poor image processing, so stick to high-quality and high-resolution sources. Luckily, it's a very good gaming TV with HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, 4k @ 120Hz, and VRR. It has low input lag, but its response time is only satisfactory, so you do see blur behind fast motion.
See the best Vizio TVs for additional alternatives.
We updated text throughout the article for accuracy and clarity.
We added the Panasonic Z95A OLED into the newly created 'Best Panasonic TV' category and updated the Introduction for clarity.
Aug 27, 2024: Replaced the TCL QM8/QM850G QLED with the TCL QM8/QM851G QLED, the Hisense UX with the Hisense U8/U8N, and the Roku Plus Series QLED with the Roku Pro Series QLED. We also refreshed some text throughout to make the article more concise.
Jun 28, 2024: Refreshed the text in the 'Best Sony TV' category to include a mention of the Sony BRAVIA 9 QLED. We also refreshed some text throughout the article for accuracy.
May 29, 2024: Refreshed some text throughout the article for clarity.
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best TVs available from the eight biggest TV brands in the U.S. There's not a definitive best smart TV brand, and all models on this list are loaded with features, so it really comes down to what OS you prefer if smart features are important to you.
If you would like to do the work of choosing yourself, here is the list of all our TV reviews. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no TV is perfect, most TVs are great enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.