The 6 Best 4k TVs - Winter 2021 Reviews

The LG CX OLED is the best 4k TV that we've tested with an OLED panel. The biggest advantage of an OLED panel against a more traditional LED panel is that it can individually turn off pixels. This results in a near-infinite contrast ratio and perfect black uniformity, so blacks appear deep and inky when viewed in dark rooms. It also has wide viewing angles, which is great for large viewing areas.

It's packed with features that should please most people. It has variable refresh rate (VRR) support that helps to reduce screen tearing when gaming. All four of its HDMI inputs support HDMI 2.1, allowing it to display 4k @ 120Hz content, like from a PS5 or Xbox Series X. It has a low input lag and a near-instant response time that produces clear motion. For fans of the 'Soap Opera Effect', it can interpolate lower frame rate content up to 120fps. It also has good built-in speakers, but if you want the best sound experience possible, it has eARC support, allowing you to send high-quality, uncompressed audio to a compatible receiver over an HDMI connection.

Sadly, like any OLED TV, it has the risk of permanent burn-in. This could be a problem if you constantly watch the same content with static elements, like the news, but we don't expect this to be a problem for those who watch varied content. Luckily, it has great out-of-the-box color accuracy, so you may not need to get it calibrated to enjoy it to the fullest. That said, this is the best 4k TV if you want an OLED panel.

The best 4k LED TV that we've tested is the Samsung Q80/Q80T QLED. One advantage of owning an LED TV over an OLED is the fact that they're immune to permanent burn-in. You won't have to worry about damaging your screen even if you constantly leave it on the same news channel all day or use it as a PC monitor. Speaking of which, it displays proper chroma 4:4:4, which is important for reading fine text.

It has great peak brightness and outstanding reflection handling, so you shouldn't have many issues even in the brightest of rooms. It displays a wide color gamut, has very good gradient handling, and gets bright enough to make highlights stand out in HDR. Its VA panel has an added 'Ultra Viewing Angle', which helps it provide fairly wide viewing angles at the cost of its contrast; however, it still has a great native contrast ratio, and the full-array local dimming feature helps further deepen any blacks. Even the most serious of gamers should appreciate its 4k @ 120Hz and VRR support, excellent response time, and incredibly low input lag. It also has excellent out-of-the-box color accuracy, but this may vary between units.

Our unit has some uniformity issues with dirty screen effect in the center. This could get distracting during sports or when it displays areas with uniform color, but it also varies between units. It displays lower-resolution content without any issues and removes judder from any source. The built-in Tizen OS is easy-to-use, and there are many apps you can download on it. Overall, most people should enjoy this LED model.

The Vizio P Series Quantum X 2020 is the best 4k TV for watching HDR content we've tested. It's great overall with excellent HDR performance. It's mainly available in larger sizes, so it's a good choice for rooms where you sit far from the TV. It's well-built and should look nice in any setup. The built-in SmartCast system isn't the best, and you can't download any extra apps, but you can cast anything you want from your device.

It displays one of the widest color gamuts that we've tested, with near-perfect coverage of the commonly-used DCI P3 color space and great coverage of the wider Rec. 2020. It gets incredibly bright in HDR, so small highlights really pop the way they should, and it has excellent gradient handling. With its VA panel, it has an outstanding contrast ratio, remarkable black uniformity, and its full-array local dimming feature further deepens any blacks, so it's great for watching HDR movies in dark rooms. If you also watch content in bright rooms, it gets bright enough to combat glare and has excellent reflection handling.

Sadly, it has trouble upscaling 480p and 720p content, so it's not suggested for watching DVDs or content from cable boxes, but you shouldn't have issues with Blu-rays or native 4k content. Our unit has mediocre out-of-the-box color accuracy and a reddish tint that stays even after calibration, but this may be an issue with our unit alone. Regardless of these small problems, if you want to watch HDR content, this is one of the best 4k TVs for doing so.

The Hisense H8G is the best budget 4k TV that we've tested. It sits below the Hisense H9G in their 2020 lineup, and even though it doesn't offer the same impressive all-around performance, it costs less and still delivers very good picture quality. It easily competes with more expensive options in terms of picture quality. It has built-in Android TV, which has an excellent selection of apps you can download from the Google Play Store, but it may not be the easiest to use at times.

It performs well in both dark and well-lit environments. It has a VA panel with an excellent native contrast ratio and a decent full-array local dimming feature that helps improve the contrast. Black uniformity on our unit is decent, but this may vary per unit. It gets bright enough to combat glare in most lighting conditions, and it has decent reflection handling. In terms of HDR, it supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10+, displays a wide color gamut, but it doesn't get bright enough to truly make highlights stand out in those modes.

Unfortunately, it has narrow viewing angles, which is expected from a VA panel, so the image looks washed out when viewing from the sides. Our unit's out-of-the-box color accuracy is just okay, but this may vary between units. It's limited to a 60Hz panel and doesn't support VRR, but most gamers should still enjoy the low input lag and quick response time. Also, it upscales lower-resolution content, like from cable boxes, without any visible issues. All in all, this is the best 4k TV if you're on a budget.