- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Best TV
- Best Color Accuracy
- Best Budget
- Best For The Money
- All Reviews
- Discussions
- Store-bought TVs; no cherry-picked units
- Retest after major updates
- Easily comparable results
- No ads; unbiased reviews
With 2019 in full swing, now is a great time to take a look at the best TVs currently on the market. The beginning of the year brings some amazing deals with it, as manufacturers try and clear out excess inventory to try and make room for the coming 2019 models. If you want to buy a new TV, now is a great time to start looking, as most 2018 models will be at their lowest price as retailers clear their inventory.
We've tested over 70 TVs in the last two years, and below are our picks for the best televisions in 2019. See also our picks for the best 4k TVs and the best smart TVs.
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Best TV: LG B8 OLED
Usage Ratings - Version 1.38.8Mixed Usage9.3Movies8.5TV Shows8.7Sports9.0Video Games9.0HDR Movies8.8HDR Gaming8.4PC MonitorThe LG B8 is the best TV we've tested so far. It is being gradually replaced by the LG B9, which offers the same excellent picture quality but is more future-proof and currently more expensive. Like all OLEDs, this TV delivers outstanding picture quality, an amazing dark room performance, and excellent wide viewing angles. The low input lag and the nearly instantaneous response time make it a great choice for gamers. However, those looking for gaming goodies like Variable Refresh Rate support should look towards the LG B9 or the LG C9.
Unfortunately, just like all OLED TVs, this TV has the risk of temporary image retention or even permanent burn-in, which can develop as a result of cumulative long exposure to static images. This is unlikely to happen with normal, varied use, though.
All OLEDs we've tested, including the LG C9, the LG B9, and Sony A9G, deliver very similar overall picture quality, but they vary in their additional features. We recommend this TV, as it's usually the cheaper model, but the other OLEDs are great choices too, depending on your needs.
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LED Alternative: Samsung Q80/Q80R QLED
If you're too concerned about the risk of burn-in or temporary image retention, then get the Samsung Q80R. It's the best LED TV we've reviewed so far. You won't get the perfect blacks or the wide viewing angles of the LG B8, but this is an excellent TV with remarkable dark room performance and a picture quality that is outstanding. It has excellent motion handling and is equipped with a few gaming goodies that will keep even demanding gamers happy.
For the best picture quality, get the LG B8, but if you're too concerned about the possibility of burn-in and don't need the wide viewing angles, then get the Samsung Q80R; you won't regret it.
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LED Alternative For A Dark Room: Vizio P Series Quantum 2018
If you want the best LED TV for watching HDR movies in a dark room, then check out the Vizio P Series Quantum 2018. It's one of the brightest TVs we've tested so far and it has an excellent contrast ratio with very good local dimming support. Although you won't get the true blacks and the good viewing angles of the LG or the gaming goodies of the Samsung, you'll still enjoy an excellent dark room performance where HDR is meant to be viewed.
If you want the absolute best picture quality in a dark room and want the true blacks you'll get on an OLED, get the LG B8; otherwise, if burn-in is a concern, the Vizio P Series Quantum 2018 is a great alternative that won't let you down.
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Best TV For Color Accuracy: Sony X950G
Usage Ratings - Version 1.38.4Mixed Usage8.4Movies8.3TV Shows8.1Sports8.7Video Games8.4HDR Movies8.5HDR Gaming8.5PC MonitorIf you care for color accuracy, then the TV with the best color accuracy with only minor settings adjustments is the Sony X950G. It has an impressive picture quality that delivers great dark room performance due to its high native contrast ratio, and full array local dimming support. The Sony can get very bright, suitable for any room, and has a wide color gamut that can display HDR content full of saturated colors and highlights that pop. It has a fast response time and fast-moving content looks crisp with only a small blur trail.
Unfortunately, this TV has poor viewing angles, and the image loses accuracy quickly when viewed from the side. The input lag is low enough for most gamers, but competitive players might want a TV with an even lower input lag and more advanced gaming features, like FreeSync variable refresh rate support, which is found on other modern TVs like the Samsung Q70R.
Overall, this is a great TV with a great performance in almost any use.
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Better Alternative For Gaming: Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED
If you want a TV with better gaming performance than the Sony X950G, check out the Samsung Q70/Q70R. The response time is slightly slower than the Sony, but the TV makes up for it with its outstanding low input lag and advanced gaming features. It supports AMD's FreeSync variable refresh rate technology, for a nearly tear-free gaming experience from an Xbox One or a PC with an AMD graphics card. This TV has an optional game motion interpolation feature, which is great for smoothing out the frame rate of graphically intense games without adding significant input lag.
If color accuracy and motion blur are important, the Sony X950G is the better choice; if however, you want the best gaming experience, the Samsung Q70R is the way to go.
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Best Budget TV: Hisense H9F
Usage Ratings - Version 1.38.3Mixed Usage8.3Movies8.0TV Shows7.9Sports8.9Video Games8.3HDR Movies8.6HDR Gaming8.5PC MonitorThe best budget TV is the Hisense H9F. It has an impressive overall picture quality with inky blacks in a dark room, thanks to the outstanding native contrast ratio and decent local dimming support. This TV can get very bright to fight the glare of any room, while at the same time it performs very well in a dark room. HDR content looks great, full of rich colors and bright highlights. Fast-moving content has only minimal blur trail thanks to the extremely fast response time. Gamers will enjoy the low input lag, although there is a lack of more advanced gaming goodies like FreeSync support. The TV runs the Android TV 8.0 smart interface, which is great.
Unfortunately, the gray uniformity of our unit was only decent, and the viewing angles are poor, just like most VA panels.
Overall, this is a very good 4k TV that you should add on your short list of TVs to consider.
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Best TV For The Money: TCL 4 Series/S425 2019
Usage Ratings - Version 1.37.3Mixed Usage6.4Movies7.0TV Shows7.1Sports8.4Video Games6.6HDR Movies7.9HDR Gaming8.1PC MonitorIf you want the best TV for the money, check out the TCL 4 Series/S425 2019. It's the replacement of the TCL S Series/S405, and has very similar performance. This is a decent 4k TV with decent picture quality, and the Roku TV interface is just like more expensive models like the TCL R617. It delivers deep blacks in a dark room, great for movies, and has a very low input lag to please gamers.
This TV has a fast response time, so fast-moving objects in games and movies look clear with little motion blur. It supports HDR but it doesn't have a wide color gamut, and it can't get bright enough in that mode to deliver the creators' intent.
Overall, it's a decent 4k television at a great price that should please most people. If you're looking for more budget-friendly options, check our recommendations for the best cheap TVs.
Notable Mentions
- LG C9 OLED: Excellent TV, but the LG B8 is almost as good and much cheaper. See our review
- LG B9 OLED: Excellent TV, but the LG B8 is almost as good and cheaper. Get this if you care for future-proofing your purchase. See our review
- Sony A9G OLED: Excellent TV. The LG B8 is just as good, and much cheaper. See our review
- Samsung Q90/Q90R QLED: The best LCD/LED TV we've tested so far. Still very expensive. See our review
- Samsung Q9FN/Q9/Q9F QLED 2018: Excellent TV for a dark room but much more expensive than the Vizio P Series Quantum 2018, which is almost as good. See our review
- Samsung Q900/Q900R 8k QLED: An excellent 8k QLED TV that is currently very expensive. See our review
- Samsung RU8000: Good TV for gaming, but the H9F is better overall. See our review
- Vizio P Series 2018: A very good LED TV; depending on its price, might be worth it over the H9F. See our review
- LG SK9500: Very good TV with wide viewing angles. Good choice for those who frequently watch TV from the side. See our review
- Vizio P Series Quantum X 2019: Excellent TV, but not worth the price difference over the Vizio P Series Quantum 2018. See our review
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best televisions for most people in each price range. 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 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.
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