There are different TV technologies available at the consumer level, each with advantages and disadvantages. One of those technologies is a quantum dot layer that TVs have, resulting in a wider color gamut than traditional LCD TVs, which means they display more colors. Since 2017, Samsung has branded their quantum dot TVs as 'QLED', and although QLED has been mostly associated with Samsung, other manufacturers like Vizio, LG, Hisense, and TCL produce quantum dot technology TVs, some under different names. You can learn about the difference between LED and QLED here.
We've bought and tested more than 375 TVs, and below are our recommendations for the best QLED TVs you can buy. Also, see our picks for the best LED TVs, the best TVs, and the best HDR TVs.
The best QLED TV we've tested is the Samsung QN90B QLED. It's an excellent TV that delivers impressive picture quality. It has an impressive Mini LED backlight that lets it display deep, uniform blacks with almost no noticeable blooming in dark scenes. Its QLED panel delivers an excellent wide color gamut and fantastic color volume, meaning colors are bright, vibrant, and realistic. It also has fantastic reflection handling and exceptional peak brightness, so it looks great even in the brightest rooms.
It's an impressive TV for watching movies in a dark room thanks to its great contrast ratio and impressive Mini LED local dimming feature. There's very little blooming around bright objects in dark scenes, and the local dimming feature ensures that bright highlights stand out extremely well. It runs Samsung's proprietary Tizen OS smart interface, which is easy to use and has a great selection of streaming apps and games.
Although not technically a QLED TV, this list would be incomplete if we didn't at least mention the Sony A95K OLED. Whereas the other TVs on this list use an LED backlight with a Quantum Dot layer to achieve a wider color gamut, the A95K uses an OLED panel with a similar Quantum Dot layer. The combination of these two technologies results in deep, inky blacks and incredible color volume, as this TV can display an extremely wide range of colors in both dark and bright scenes.
It's an impressive TV for pretty much any usage. It supports Dolby Vision HDR, so you'll enjoy the best HDR experience possible. It also supports a wide range of audio formats through eARC, so you can simplify your connections and run everything to your TV. Sadly, it's only available in 55 and 65-inch sizes, with no larger options available for bigger home theaters.
The Hisense U8H is the best mid-range QLED TV we've tested. It's an impressive TV that features a similar Mini LED backlight to the Samsung QN90B QLED, but it's not quite as bright. Combined with its very wide color gamut, it's excellent for watching HDR movies because highlights pop against dark backgrounds, and colors look vivid. It supports both the HDR10+ and Dolby Vision formats, so you can take full advantage of whatever content you're streaming.
The built-in Google TV smart platform is easy-to-use and has a ton of apps you can download, so you don't need to buy an external streaming box. It has a great selection of additional features, including FreeSync support to reduce screen tearing. Its processing and gaming features aren't quite as polished as they are on the QN90B, and there are a few bugs and issues when gaming, so if you want the best gaming experience, the QN90B is a slightly safer choice.
The best budget QLED TV we've tested is the Hisense U6H. It's a well-rounded option that offers better picture quality than some more expensive, high-end options. It displays a wide color gamut and has okay HDR peak brightness, so some highlights pop, but not all, which is somewhat normal for a budget TV. It's still great for watching HDR movies because it has a high native contrast ratio that displays deep blacks.
The full-array local dimming feature is decent at improving the picture quality in dark scenes. There's minimal blooming around bright objects, but it's not as good as the Mini LED features on the Hisense U8H and the Samsung QN90B QLED. Like the higher-end Hisense U8H, it also runs the latest Google TV smart interface, and it supports hands-free voice control through either Google Assistant or Alexa to quickly open your favorite apps or search for content.
The best cheap QLED TV we've tested is the Insignia F50 QLED. TVs with Quantum Dot technology usually aren't cheap, so this TV stands out for its incredibly wide color gamut, making it the best cheap QLED TV. It delivers decent picture quality overall, with excellent contrast, but it lacks advanced features like a local dimming feature, and it can't get very bright to overcome glare. Overall, HDR content looks good, with saturated colors that look good, but it's not bright enough to bring out the content creator's intent, so if you care about that, a mid-range or more expensive model like the Hisense U6H is a better choice.
It's still a cheap TV, though, and it has limited picture processing capabilities and fewer features than the more expensive models on this list. Lower resolution content isn't upscaled as well as other TVs, and there's significantly more banding in areas of similar color. It has very few advanced gaming features, so it's best suited for casual gamers who don't need the latest and greatest gaming features. Unfortunately, it's been discontinued, so it's very hard to find. It pops in and out of stock at some retailers, so if you can find one, it's likely a great deal.
Jan 30, 2023: Replaced the Samsung S95B OLED with the Sony A95K OLED.
Dec 01, 2022: Verified our picks for accuracy and consistency, and refreshed the text.
Oct 03, 2022: Removed the Hisense U9DG, as it's difficult to find, and replaced the remaining recommendations with the 2022 models, as the 2021 models are increasingly difficult to find. Added the Insignia F50 QLED as the 'Best Cheap QLED TV', and the Samsung S95B OLED as the 'Best QD-OLED TV'.
Jun 27, 2022: Renamed the Hisense U8G as the 'Best Mid-Range TV' to better reflect user needs and removed the Vizio M7 Series Quantum 2021; updated Notable Mentions based on changes.
Mar 28, 2022: Updated text for clarity and added the Insignia F50 QLED to Notable Mentions.
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best quantum dot technology TVs to buy for most people with different tastes. We factor in the price (a cheaper TV wins over a pricier one if the difference isn't worth it), 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 LED TVs, but some of them may not be QLEDs. 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.