The 2 Best OLED 4k TVs - Summer 2018
Reviews

OLED TVs have the best picture quality currently available. If you are watching in a dark room, OLEDs can display perfect blacks, which enhance picture quality. They cannot get as bright as LED TVs and have a risk of image retention or burn-in, although we expect most people not to be affected by this.

We've tested 7 OLED TVs and below are our recommendations for the best ones to buy in the summer of 2018.

Best OLED TV: LG C8

LG C8

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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

8.8

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

Score distribution:

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

Score distribution:

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8.5

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

Score distribution:

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8.7

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

Score distribution:

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9.0

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

Score distribution:

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

Score distribution:

See our best recommendations

8.7

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

Score distribution:

See our best recommendations

8.2

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

Score distribution:

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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 best OLED TV we’ve tested so far is the LG OLED C8. The C8 has an excellent picture quality with perfect blacks, which is great for dark viewing environments. Its image is accurate when viewed at an angle which is good for wide seating arrangements. HDR content looks good, as the TV can produce bright and saturated highlights due to its wide color gamut. It has a great low input lag and excellent motion handling which will please gamers or PC users. It is available for a lower price than the similarly performing Sony A8F.

However, as all OLEDs, if you project static images for prolonged periods of time, you run the risk of temporary image retention and or permanent burn-in, although we expect most people won’t be affected by this. 

Overall, the LG C8 is the best OLED TV we’ve tested and performs very well in most usages.

See our review

Cheaper Alternative: LG B7A

LG B7A

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Amazon.com

Type : OLED

Sub-Type

✕

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"

If you find that the LG C8 is too expensive, we recommend the LG B7A, although it is harder to find in stock since it is a 2017 model. The B7 lacks the black frame insertion feature found on the C8, which otherwise helps to clear blur and make the image look crisper by flickering the image. It is, however, a very good OLED TV that delivers great performance in almost all usages.

See our review

Notable Mentions

• LG B8. Great OLED TV. Just released and not always easy to find. See our review
• Sony A8F. Excellent TV; almost identical to the LG C8 but more expensive. See our review
• Sony A1E. Excellent TV; depending on your requirements, the 65" model may be cheaper than the LG C8, in which case it is the better buy. See our review
• LG E7. Very good OLED TV, but the same picture quality as the C8 while priced higher due to its fancy design and dedicated sound bar. See our review
• LG C7. Great OLED TV. Hard to find. 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.