The 2 Best OLED 4k TVs - Spring 2018
Reviews

OLED TVs simply provide the best picture quality currently available. For movies especially, the contrast produced by these TVs provides an unmatched rendition of the scenes created by the director. They aren't as bright as LCD TVs, but it isn't to the point of causing issues. Unfortunately, they do share the same risk of image retention found on the former.

In the US, you are effectively limited to two brands for OLED TVs: Sony and LG. We've tested most of the models sold in 2017 and have updated our recommendations for the spring of 2018.

Best OLED TV: LG B7A

LG B7A

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Amazon.com

Usage Ratings - Version 1.2

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Test Benches: test

• 1.2: Winter 2018
• 1.1: Summer 2017
• 1.0: Winter 2015
• 0.9: Winter 2014
• 0.8: Winter 2013

See changelog and how ratings work

8.6

Mixed Usage

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What it is General purpose. The TV will be used for a variety of content and usages. Movies at night, TV shows during the day, video games from time to time, etc.

Score components:

• 22% TV Shows
• 22% Sports
• 16% Movies
• 16% Video Games
• 10% HDR Gaming
• 9% HDR Movies
• 6% PC Monitor

See our best recommendations

9.3

Movies

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What it is Movies in the dark. The TV will be used for watching movies in a controlled environment, directly in front, in a home theater way. Mostly only high quality content, like Blu-rays, UHD Blu-rays, streaming and a little bit of HDR.

Score components:

• 20% Contrast
• 17% Local Dimming
• 12% 1080p Input
• 10% Black Uniformity
• 8% Gray Uniformity
• 8% 4k Input
• 6% 24p Judder
• 5% Motion Interpolation
• 5% Stutter
• 3% SDR ABL
• 3% Pre Calibration
• 2% Post Calibration
• 2% 480p Input

See our best recommendations

8.4

TV Shows

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What it is TV Shows in a bright living room. The TV will be used in to watch TV shows, in a bright room during the day, from multiple viewing positions at different angles. The content watched has an average quality: cable, streaming, SD channels, etc.

Score components:

• 29% Reflections
• 16% SDR Peak Brightness
• 11% Viewing Angle
• 9% 1080p Input
• 7% 720p Input
• 5% Gray Uniformity
• 5% 4k Input
• 5% Sound Quality
• 5% Smart Features
• 3% Motion Interpolation
• 2% Permanent Burn-In Risk
• 2% Pre Calibration
• 2% Temporary Image Retention
• 1% Post Calibration

See our best recommendations

8.3

Sports

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What it is Sports in a living room. The TV will be used to watch sports during the day, like football or hockey. Usually watched with a group, so from multiple viewing position.

Score components:

• 25% Reflections
• 20% Response Time
• 14% SDR Peak Brightness
• 11% Viewing Angle
• 10% Gray Uniformity
• 8% 720p Input
• 5% Sound Quality
• 4% Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
• 2% Permanent Burn-In Risk
• 1% Flicker-Free
• 1% Temporary Image Retention

See our best recommendations

8.6

Video Games

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What it is Video games. The TV will be used to play video games, directly in front, in a controlled light environment. Usually fast games, like online FPS, where motion blur and input lag is important.

Score components:

• 33% Input Lag
• 22% Response Time
• 6% 1080p Input
• 6% 4k Input
• 4% Contrast
• 4% Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
• 3% Reflections
• 3% Gray Uniformity
• 3% Sound Quality
• 3% Local Dimming
• 2% Black Uniformity
• 2% SDR Peak Brightness
• 1% Flicker-Free
• 1% Permanent Burn-In Risk
• 1% Pre Calibration
• 1% Stutter
• 1% Variable Refresh Rate
• 1% 4k @ 60Hz
• 1% Temporary Image Retention
• 1% Post Calibration
• 1% 1440p @ 60Hz

See our best recommendations

9.1

HDR Movies

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What it is HDR Movies and TV shows. The TV will be used to watch 4k UHD HDR content, with a wide color gamut and a high peak brightness. Either via UHD Blu-rays or HDR streaming.

Score components:

• 22% Contrast
• 14% Local Dimming
• 12% 4k Input
• 11% Black Uniformity
• 6% HDR Peak Brightness
• 6% Color Gamut
• 6% Color Volume
• 5% Gray Uniformity
• 4% Stutter
• 4% 24p Judder
• 3% HDR ABL
• 2% Motion Interpolation
• 2% Pre Calibration
• 2% Gradient
• 1% Post Calibration
• 1% HDR10
• 1% Dolby Vision

See our best recommendations

8.6

HDR Gaming

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What it is HDR Gaming. The TV will be used to play HDR video games using consoles that support it or on current generation gaming PCs. Xbox One S, PS4 Pro, GTX 10 series and AMD RX series graphics cards.

Score components:

• 25% 4k @ 60Hz + HDR
• 15% Response Time
• 8% Contrast
• 7% Color Gamut
• 7% Color Volume
• 5% Local Dimming
• 4% 1080p Input
• 4% 4k Input
• 4% Black Uniformity
• 3% HDR ABL
• 3% HDR Peak Brightness
• 3% Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
• 2% Gray Uniformity
• 2% Gradient
• 2% Reflections
• 1% Variable Refresh Rate
• 1% HDR10
• 1% Dolby Vision
• 1% Sound Quality
• 1% Permanent Burn-In Risk
• 1% Flicker-Free
• 1% Pre Calibration
• 1% Temporary Image Retention
• 1% Post Calibration

See our best recommendations

8.0

PC Monitor

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What it is PC Monitor. The TV will be used as a PC monitor, from 2-3 feet away, either for productivity purposes or gaming. Sharp text is important, as well as a high resolution.

Score components:

• 28% Inputs
• 14% Viewing Angle
• 13% Response Time
• 8% Permanent Burn-In Risk
• 6% Reflections
• 5% Temporary Image Retention
• 4% 4k Input
• 3% SDR Peak Brightness
• 3% 1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
• 3% 4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
• 2% Contrast
• 2% Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
• 2% Curved
• 2% Gray Uniformity
• 2% 1080p Input
• 1% Local Dimming
• 1% Black Uniformity
• 1% Flicker-Free
• 1% Pre Calibration
• 0% Post Calibration

See our best recommendations

Sub-Type

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What it is: Type of display technology used by the TV.

When it matters: Different technologies have different performance and are suited to different uses

Good value: IPS maintains good color accuracy at an angle, but has a poor contrast ratio from in front. VA has great picture quality in front, but loses saturation at an angle. OLED maintains good color accuracy at an angle without any of the other issues seen with IPS and VA, as they keep good brightness and contrast at an angle.

: WRGB

The best OLED TV we've tested is the LG B7A. It offers the same picture quality we've found on all the OLED TVs, including the more expensive LG C8 and Sony A1E but at a much more reasonable price.

Like all OLED TVs, it has perfect blacks and an infinite contrast ratio, which makes for an immersive viewing experience, especially when watching in a dark room. It also has an excellent viewing angle. OLED TVs are among the most versatile TVs on the market.

The LG B7A also has impressive low input lag, and a near-instantaneous response time, making it an excellent choice for gamers or for use as a PC Monitor. Like all OLED TVs, the B7A does have a risk of temporary image retention and permanent burn-in, although we don't expect most people to experience this.

See our review

Alternative: LG C8

LG C8

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Amazon.com

Type : OLED

Sub-Type

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What it is: Type of display technology used by the TV.

When it matters: Different technologies have different performance and are suited to different uses

Good value: IPS maintains good color accuracy at an angle, but has a poor contrast ratio from in front. VA has great picture quality in front, but loses saturation at an angle. OLED maintains good color accuracy at an angle without any of the other issues seen with IPS and VA, as they keep good brightness and contrast at an angle.

: WRGB

Resolution : 4k

Sizes : 55" 65" 77"

The LG B7A handles most things well, but motion can lack fluidity. If this is an issue or if you enjoy watching low frame rate content, the LG C8 is a better alternative. The C8 has the same excellent picture quality of the B7A, but with an added optional Black Frame Insertion feature. When this is enabled, the C8 will display a black frame in between each regular frame, which helps motion appear more fluid. The TV also adds impressive new voice control features, including Google Home and Amazon Alexa integration.

See our review

Notable Mentions

• Sony A1E. Excellent TV; depending on your requirements the 65" model may be available cheaper, in which case it is the better buy. See our review
• LG E7. Very good OLED TV, but no difference in performance with the B7 while priced higher due to its fancy design and dedicated sound bar. See our review
• LG C7. Great OLED TV, but almost identical to the cheaper B7. See our review
• Sony A8F. Excellent TV, but identical to the LG C8 and the Sony A1E but is more expensive. See our review

All Reviews

Currently, only LG and Sony sell OLED TVs in the US, and they all have similar picture quality. Some manufacturers like Philips and Panasonic have produced some OLED TVs that use LG panels, but these aren't sold in the US.

Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best OLED TVs to buy for most people. We factor in the price (a cheaper TV wins over a pricier one if the difference isn't worth it), feedback from our visitors and availability (no TVs that are difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).

If you would like to do the work of choosing yourself, here is the list of all our reviews of OLED TVs. 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.