The 5 Best 4k Gaming TVs - Winter 2021 Reviews

The best gaming TV with an OLED panel that we've tested is the LG CX OLED. It delivers stunning picture quality as it can produce perfect blacks by turning pixels off completely, making it a fantastic choice for dark room gaming. It has wide viewing angles, exceptional reflection handling, and it gets bright enough to overcome glare in most lighting conditions. Its out-of-the-box color accuracy is impressive, and its wide color gamut helps deliver HDR content with vibrant and saturated colors.

Motion handling is truly outstanding. It has a native 120Hz refresh rate that makes motion look incredibly smooth, a near-instantaneous response time that results in almost no motion blur in fast-moving scenes, and an optional Black Frame Insertion feature to further improve clarity. It supports FreeSync, HDMI Forum VRR, and is compatible with G-SYNC. It has an 'Auto Low Latency Mode' that detects when a game is launched from a compatible device and automatically switches the TV to 'Game' mode, ensuring that you always get the lowest input lag.

Unfortunately, OLEDs are susceptible to permanent burn-in, which occurs when static elements are displayed for an extended period, like a channel logo or a video game's user interface. That said, it shouldn't be an issue for most people who watch varied content. Most resolutions are supported, and it can display proper chroma 4:4:4, which is great for gaming on a PC. All in all, this is one of the best TVs for gaming that we've tested.

The best 4k TV for gaming with an LED panel that we've tested is the Samsung Q80/Q80T QLED. It's a high-end 4k model with impressive picture quality and a ton of gaming features. Unlike the LG CX OLED, it doesn't have the risk of permanent burn-in, so won't have to worry about potentially damaging your TV after exposure to static elements. It's well-built with a premium design that should fit nicely into any environment.

It's an excellent choice for gaming because it has an HDMI 2.1 input that allows you to play 4k games up to 120Hz. It supports VRR to reduce screen tearing, has an incredibly low input lag, and the response time is excellent. Motion looks smooth, and there's a Black Frame Insertion feature to help reduce motion blur. It has a great native contrast ratio that's lower than most VA panel TVs because of Samsung's 'Ultra Viewing Angle' technology, which improves the viewing angles at the cost of its contrast. Still, it's a great choice for dark room gaming because it has a decent local dimming feature.

Sadly, only the 55 inch and larger models of the Q80T have features like VRR, a 120Hz panel, and 'Ultra Viewing Angle' technology. The 49 and 50 inch models are limited to a 60Hz refresh rate and don't support VRR, so we expect them to perform differently than the 55 inch model we tested. If you're not limited by size, go for the larger models, and you should appreciate all their gaming features.

The best budget 4k TV for gaming that we've tested is the Vizio M7 Series Quantum 2020. It's a good budget TV with impressive gaming performance. Like the Vizio P Series Quantum 2020, it has FreeSync support, but it's limited to a 60Hz panel. Regardless, the VRR support is a nice addition to a budget-friendly model. It handles reflections well, but its peak brightness is only decent, which means that it might not be able to overcome intense glare.

The response time is good, which results in clear motion, and there's a Black Frame Insertion feature to further improve clarity in fast-moving scenes. Input lag is incredibly low and remains low with VRR enabled or when gaming in HDR. Speaking of HDR, it supports both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, displays an incredibly wide color gamut, and has impressive gradient handling. However, it doesn't get bright enough to deliver a true HDR experience. It uses a VA panel with a high contrast ratio, so it's well-suited for dark room gaming.

Unfortunately, it doesn't upscale 480p and 720p content well, although this shouldn't be a problem if you're only gaming in 4k. Also, it has narrow viewing angles that cause images to appear washed out when viewed from the side, so it's not the best option for wide seating areas. On the upside, its SmartCast interface is easy-to-use and runs smoothly for the most part. All things considered, this is a budget-friendly TV that's worth checking out.