The 5 Best 4k HDR TVs - Summer 2021 Reviews

The best HDR TV that we've tested with an OLED panel is the LG C1 OLED. A premium model from LG's 2021 lineup, it has much of the same performance and features as its predecessor, the LG CX OLED. It's available in a wide range of sizes, from 48 to 83 inches, so you can easily get the size you prefer. It's very well-built and comes with a premium center stand that supports the TV well.

OLEDs like this one deliver an excellent HDR experience because of how they turn off individual pixels, resulting in a near-infinite contrast ratio for extremely deep blacks. Since it doesn't have a backlight, it doesn't have a local dimming feature, and there's no blooming around bright objects. Although it doesn't get bright enough to truly bring out highlights like some LEDs, it still displays a wide color gamut and supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10, but not HDR10+. If you want to use it for HDR gaming, it has a near-instant response time for smooth motion and low input lag.

Unfortunately, our unit has bad out-of-the-box color accuracy, so you may need to get it calibrated to enjoy it to the fullest, but this can also vary between units. OLEDs also have the risk of permanent burn-in, which could be a problem if you use it as a PC monitor or leave it on your favorite news channel all day, but we don't expect this to be an issue for people who watch varied content. Overall, if you want an OLED that's the best HDR TV, go for the LG.

The best 4k HDR TV with an LED panel is the Vizio P Series Quantum X 2020. This premium TV offers an excellent HDR experience, and you won't have to worry about the long-term burn-in risk associated with OLED TVs. Its smart system isn't as good as some other brands, so you may have to buy an external box or a 4k Blu-ray player to enjoy HDR content to its fullest.

It has a VA panel with an outstanding contrast ratio, and its great full-array local dimming feature helps it display some of the deepest blacks we've ever tested on a LED TV. It has excellent gradient handling, displays a very wide color gamut for HDR content, and gets amazingly bright in that mode, easily enough to bring out highlights. It also supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10+ formats, which is great. It's excellent for HDR gaming because it has a great response time and low input lag. Lastly, it has eARC support, allowing you to send high-quality audio to a compatible receiver through a single HDMI connection.

Sadly, our unit has a reddish tint, but we don't know if this is a common issue or a problem with our unit alone. It also has trouble upscaling lower-resolution content, but this isn't a problem if you just watch 1080p or native 4k content. It has narrow viewing angles, so you get the most accurate image only when viewing from directly in front. Regardless of these small issues, this is the best HDR TV if you're in the market for a LED option.

The best HDR TV with accurate colors out of the box is the Samsung QN90A QLED. Our unit has fantastic accuracy before any sort of calibration, but keep in mind that this can vary a bit between units, so yours may not be exactly like ours. It's a high-end model that's packed with a ton of features and delivers excellent picture quality no matter what you're watching. The built-in Tizen OS offers a ton of apps you can download, and it's easy to use.

The TV uses Mini LED backlighting, allowing it to get extremely bright in HDR, so small highlights really pop the way the creator intended. It displays a wide color gamut thanks to its quantum dot technology, with good coverage of the wider Rec. 2020 color space. It has a VA panel with a great native contrast, but it's lower than most VA panel TVs because Samsung added their 'Ultra Viewing Angle' technology to improve the viewing angles. Still, the full-array local dimming feature does a great job at improving black levels further.

Unfortunately, it only supports HDR10 and HDR10+, and not Dolby Vision like the Vizio P Series Quantum X 2020. This means that some HDR content from streaming apps like Netflix will be limited to the HDR10 format instead of taking full advantage of Dolby Vision. The local dimming also performs worse in Game Mode than outside of it because it raises the black levels, so HDR picture quality isn't as good while gaming. Still, this is one of the best 4k HDR TVs we've tested.

The best HDR TV in the budget category is the Hisense U6G. It's a great overall TV that delivers impressive performance for watching HDR content, and despite its low price, it has a few features to improve the user experience. It supports HDR10+ and Dolby Vision formats, so you won't have to worry about the format your favorite HDR content is in before streaming it.

It performs well in dark rooms because it has a VA panel with a high native contrast ratio, and the decent full-array local dimming feature improves the picture quality in dark scenes. Black uniformity on our unit is excellent with minimal blooming around bright objects, and the gradient handling is great. It displays a wide color gamut, and although its HDR brightness is just okay, it's enough to deliver a great HDR experience, and it's better than most budget options. Even in well-lit rooms, it has excellent reflection handling and gets bright enough to combat glare. Like the Hisense U8G, it comes with Android TV, and the Google Play Store has a ton of apps you can download.

Unfortunately, it has narrow viewing angles, which is expected from a VA panel TV, so it's not the best for watching content in wide seating areas. Also, the color temperature on our unit is noticeably warm, giving the image a red tint, but this can vary between units. If these minors issues don't bother you, it's the best HDR TV that you can get for a low cost.