Best TV 2024: The best affordable and premium sets

Our current top pick for 2024 remains the award-winning Panasonic MZ2000.

The biggest difference to its predecessor, the LZ2000, is the MZ2000’s MLA OLED panel. Created by LG Display and further customised by Panasonic, our reviewer found it offered a huge jump in brightness in its Standard mode preset, registering 1500 nits on a 5% window, and a mighty 1877 nits on a 10% patch in Dynamic mode. Alongside the LG G3 OLED, it’s one of the brightest OLEDs on the market.

We found that highlights burnt with intensity, images shine with punch and depth. Contrast is excellent, skin tones are naturally conveyed and reds and blues take on a rich, deep look. With support that covers all HDR formats: HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive, the picture performance makes the MZ2000 the jewel in Panasonic’s crown.

The MZ2000 is a good choice for brightly lit rooms as it has the brightness to dispel reflections or ambient light from causing distractions. The swivel design of the central design can also help evade annoying glare and reflections too.

My Home Screen remains easily accessible and customisable, with Freeview Play adding the UK catch-up apps along with big hitters in Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+ and others. The Game mode has been updated with two modes to choose from in Game and True Game, the latter offers accurate colour performance much like Filmmaker mode does for film and TV. 

We measured input lag at 14.5ms, which is not as good as the LG G3 OLED or Samsung S95C OLED but is brisk enough for competitive gaming. HDMI 2.1 technologies such as VRR, ALLM, 4K/120Hz, but they’re only available on two HDMI inputs.

We found sound quality was equally top notch with the side- and upfiring speakers conveying a large presence in a living room. It remains light on bass, however, failing to give bass-heavy scenes the emphasis they require. Nevertheless, this is one of the best-sounding TVs on the market. If you find the price too dear on your wallet, the Panasonic MZ1500 is an excellent alternative.

The upcoming Panasonic Z95A will feature an even brighter MLA panel and a new interface, as Panasonic is ditching its My Home Screen for Fire TV. There are some potential pitfalls with that decision, but there’s no doubt that if you felt Panasonic’s weakest area was its smarts, then the Z95A will remedy that.

Reviewer: Steve May
Full Review: Panasonic MZ2000

With the entrance of QD-OLED, customers have more options to choose from than just ‘standard’ WRGB OLED TV screens. Samsung’s S95C is among the best we’ve tested from the latest screen technology.

While the first-gen QD-OLED model from Samsung was enjoyable, it didn’t fully live up to our expectations. The S95C fulfils more of its potential on the picture quality front. Its pictures are more refined; and with HDR content it delivers both small bright highlights and large scale brightness with much more confidence than the S95B, our reviewer measured the S95C OLED hitting 1400 nits on a 10% window. That’s impressive for an OLED TV, though not as bright as either the Panasonic MZ2000 and LG G3 OLED.

Black levels are beautifully rich and deep, leading to excellent levels of contrast, and along with QD-OLED’s RGB panel configuration, colours are both fantastically vibrant and gorgeously subtle. Upscaling is fantastic with the processor’s ability to distinguish between source noise and genuine picture information, although we found the motion settings to be a mess, with too many unwanted motion artefacts.

Gaming-wise it’s the usual high quality service from Samsung’s premium TVs. We measured the input response of the game mode at 9.2ms, which is class-leading. All four of the HDMI 2.1 inputs are 4K 120Hz through its attached One Connect box and with PC gaming refresh rates can go as high as 144Hz.

The Tizen interface is still one we found could use more work. It still feels sluggish compared to older versions and its not always easy to navigate through its menus, but its voice recognition is excellent and can bypass issues caused by trekking through the interface.

The sound system is an improvement on the S95B, the TV offers a reasonable broad dynamic range without typically sounding congested or distorted. The smaller speakers used across the screen help to position effects in the right place much better with the OTS+ sound system. It also works nicely with Dolby Atmos, creating a big sound that pushes beyond the TV’s frame. We’ll be looking to pit the S95C against the Sony A95L to see which one comes out on top in being the best QD-OLED.

The S95D OLED will launch in 2024, and the expectation is that it’ll be even brighter in terms of its HDR performance, as well as featuring a matte screen to improve the look of its black levels in bright rooms and reduce reflections.

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: Samsung S95C OLED

When we reviewed the G1, we called it the best LG OLED TV we’ve tested, but that accolade shifts to the G2 OLED. Even though the G3 OLED is a brighter performer with HDR content, we found a lack of improvement in its audio performance and a few issues with its picture.

The G2 sticks with the same uniformly flat rear panel for wall-mounting as before, but features extra improvements to the OLED EX panel with its OLED Evo processing to reap a bright HDR performance.

We measured the HDR performance on a 10% window to be just over 1000 nits. That’s better than the C2 though not as bright as the Samsung S95B or newer S95C. Nevertheless, the extra brightness results in brighter, more intense highlights for greater contrast and depth in the image.

Detail levels are high, with images fed a good deal of sharpness and colours rendered in a lush manner, especially with Dolby Vision IQ. Upscaling of less than 4K resolution is strong and motion has been improved. Not as good as the still available Sony’s A95K or Panasonic LZ2000, but much smoother and less distracting than previous LG TVs.

For gaming the G2 supports HDMI 2.1 across all the HDMI inputs, with ALLM, VRR and 4K/120Hz available, making it easier to plug your sources in without having to pick and choose the input. LG has also beefed up its clouding options with Nvidia GeForce NOW.

We measured input lag at 12.9ms – slightly better than the Panasonic MZ2000 though it doesn’t beat Samsung’s OLEDs. With VRR that figure can be reduced further for a more fluid gameplay performance.

The sound remains the weakest aspect of the G2’s performance, sounding restrained in its Dolby Atmos mode and lacking the impact the Sony A95K delivers. We found it sounded better with non-Atmos soundtracks offering more detail and dynamism.

While we feel the G3 OLED forges ahead with its brighter HDR picture, we’d recommend waiting for the price to go down if you’re going to purchase it and consider throwing in a soundbar into the mix as well.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: LG OLED65G2

Samsung’s QN900C is another spectacular 8K TV from the Korean brand. There’s still a dearth of native 8K content to enjoy, especially given the price premium over 4K TVs.

Samsung gets around the lack of 8K content by claiming the QN900C will make 4K and lesser quality video content better through upscaling. Our reviewer found that claim to be true, with pictures enjoying more density, smoother edges, and a better sense of three dimensionality. It’s a stunningly impressive performance given how much information the QN900C is having to guess.

We measured peak brightness at over 2000 nits, and that level of luminance helps to deliver rich and vibrant HDR images. Another advantage of its 8K resolution is that the QN900C produces images that are sharper and denser than 4K TVs, as well a terrific sense of contrast with black levels that are almost OLED-like in their performance. We did find there were still backlight issues with bright objects against dark backgrounds, but the QN900C achieves the best performance so far from Samsung’s 8K TVs to minimise blooming.

The lack of Dolby Vision is again disappointing, although our reviewer found that with HDR10 content, the Samsung’s tone mapping performance was good enough to produce accurate levels of brightness or reproduction of colours.

Moving onto the sound system, it’s better than the usual flatscreen TV. It offers good clarity and thanks to Samsung’s OTS Pro audio system helps position dialogue in the right place on the screen. We would have liked more bass, and the soundstage isn’t dense enough to meet the demands of a blockbuster Hollywood film, but you could do much worse than this. Of course, with a compatible Samsung soundbar you get the benefit of the Q Symphony technology that synchronises the TV’s speakers with the soundbar

For those who want a premium performance from the PS5 and Xbox Series X, gaming on this TV is excellent. All four of its HDMI inputs support 4K/120Hz gaming and we measured input lag at 10.5ms, which is fast for an 8K TV and there’s support for variable refresh rates in HDMI VRR and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro to help PC gamers. 

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: Samsung QN900C

The QN95C replaces the QN95B Mini LED, and the biggest improvement with the former can be found within its local dimming system.

Samsung has boosted the number of dimming zones from 720 to 1344, and this has improved everything from black levels, contrast, and brightness with HDR content. Our reviewer found that blooming was significantly reduced from pretty much every viewing position. Unless you’re watching content from a very extreme angle, blooming is less of an issue than with previous models.

Black levels hit OLED-levels of performance, and in terms of brightness the QN95C can hit over 2000 nits of peak brightness on a 10% HDR window. Colours are bright, bold and wide-ranging, and we found its performance upscaling HD and SD sources to be expertly done, retaining plenty of detail without generating exaggerated picture noise.

The Tizen smart system is the same as the 2022 version, and it remains a comparative disappointment with some unhelpful navigation choices. Some tweaks have been made to make some content more visible within the home page interface and the number of channels within the free TV Plus service has been expanded.

We measured input lag at 9.8ms, a few milliseconds faster than the QN95B’s and faster than the LG OLED65C2. The Game Bar returns, allowing settings to be adjusted on the fly and there’s FreeSync Premium Pro as well as (unofficial) Nvidia G-Sync support for PC titles. With variable refresh rate and auto low latency supported across all the TV’s HDMI inputs, there’s freedom to plug a console or PC into any of the HDMI ports.

The sound quality is also better than the QN95B with more power, clarity and scale. The Object Tracking Sound (OTS) system also plants effects on the screen with accuracy, and the TV cabinet is less prone to buzzing and distortion when dealing with bassy effects. This is a much better sound system than we’re used to from most built-in TV systems.

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: Samsung QE65QN95C

We’ve long felt that the LG C-series has offered the best mid-range OLED performance in recent years, but the LG C3 wasn’t as good as we’d hoped. We found the Sony A80L to step up and take its place.

As a home cinema cinema TV we found it to be an excellent option. It supports pass-through of both Dolby and DTS soundtracks, so all your legacy DVDs and Blu-rays will sound perfectly fine when hooked up to this TV. The HDR performance is, in a word, lovely, not as bright as the C3 OLED, but offering more nuance for a more natural-looking image.

The upscaling is excellent, boosting less than 4K content without introducing any distracting artefacts; and the motion processing on this set is class-leading from Sony. It applies wits processing to bring consistency to motion across a range of content, and does so without causing a fuss.

The sound quality is punchy, dynamic, and loud; good enough that we wouldn’t rush out for a new soundbar, though if you did, the likes of the HT-A5000 would be a good partner.

The design is very convenient, offering multiple options of setting up the TV whether in a manner that’s flush to the surface below it, or with more space below to fit a soundbar in.

Google TV is an intuitive user interface, offering plenty of recommendations for what to watch, and it carries all the major streaming apps, including the UK catch-up versions. With that Google support comes voice control and Chromecast to stream from other devices, and you can consider your phone an extension of the Google TV experience with the ability to queue up content to watch at home when you’re out and about.

The A80L is not as in-depth when it comes to feature. Dolby Vision Gaming is not supported but 4K/120Hz and variable refresh rates (VRR) are across two the HDMI 2.1 inputs (one is shared with the eARC port). We measured input lag at 16.4ms, which is solid, but there are TVs such as the S95C that are faster.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Sony XR-55A80L

The Philips OLED+907 is an excellent choice for those who watch TV and film as well as play games. The integrated sound system is impressive, so if you want a TV that delivers excellent picture and good sound quality without purchasing a soundbar, the OLED907 is the model we’d still recommend even though it’s been officially discontinued.

Our reviewer describes the look of the OLED907 as chic thanks to its ultra-thin bezel, metal swivel stand finished in satin chrome and cloth-clad Bowers & Wilkins sound system. This is an OLED TV with a great sense of style.

Unlike the LG and Samsung models on this list, only two of the OLED907’s HDMI inputs are compliant with 4K 120Hz for premium gaming; and one of those inputs is shared with the eARC port, which reduces the number of 4K 120Hz inputs to one unless you opt against adding an external sound system.

Speaking of the audio system, while there isn’t any Dolby Atmos support from this integrated 3.1 sound system, there is plenty of power, weight and a fine sense of detail. This is good enough that some won’t feel the need to add a soundbar.

Philips stuck with Android TV for its 2022 range of TVs instead of moving to Google TV. The app selection is massive thanks to the Google Play Store, and the TV has Freeview Play to usher in all the UK catch-up and on-demand apps through its portal. You also get built-in Chromecast and Google Assistant support. 

Ambilight is provided in its three-side form and our reviewer enjoyed the ambience the bias-lighting feature added to a room. There’s also plenty of ways to customise it to make it unique to your living space.

The 55OLED+907 uses an OLED EX panel from LG that’s been tweaked and given the ‘Royale’ designation by Philips. The image quality served up is superb, and we measured that the OLED907 was capable of producing measured brightness of 1146 nits on a 10% HDR window at 1146 nits. That equates to a profound sense of contrast with OLED’s naturally deep blacks working in tandem with Philips’ processing to produce spectacularly bright-looking objects.

The Crystal View setting puts in a performance that’s vibrant and solid, elevating any content we watched in the picture setting. Caution is advised with the motion settings, as some can cause a few issues. We’d rate Pure Cinema as best for the most natural motion.

It has been discontinued, though it’s still available to purchase why stock remains (hence its position on this list). It’ll be replaced by the Philips OLED+908, which also boasts the MLA OLED panel found in the LG G3 OLED and Panasonic MZ2000.

Reviewer: Steve May
Full Review: Philips 55OLED907

The 48OLED807 was the first Philips OLED we’ve tested below 50-inches, and despite its smaller size, it produces a similar performance to the bigger models. 

It doesn’t feature the brighter OLED EX panel, but over the course of testing we’d argue that it didn’t really need it. Its peak brightness of 416 nits isn’t as bright as the LG OLED42C2, but OLED’s black levels combined with the Philips P5 processor wrings out plenty of brightness from white tones, creating lovely, deep contrasts.

As usual with Philips’ TVs, the OLED807 is a very sharp and detailed looking image that may to some look a little too artificial, but we found it wrung as much detail and clarity as it possibly could from the TV, making the images from bigger-sized 55-inch Samsung QN90B look soft by comparison.

Its HDR support is wide-ranging from Dolby Vision HDR, to HLG and HDR10+ Adaptive, so whatever content you watch on the TV, the Philips will be able to optimise as well as it can. Philips has added its Dark Detail Optimisation technology to this TV to help reveal more detail in darker parts of the image, but in our opinion this feature did not bring much performance to the table.

The OLED4807 is also a good screen for gaming, boasting Dolby Vision Game mode, AMD/Nvidia VRR solutions and 4K/120Hz support. Unlike LG’s OLED42C2, it doesn’t support some of those features across the entirety of its HDMI inputs, nor is latency as fast at 15.2ms.

The sound quality is better than the LG, delivering a big presentation in the right mode and decent amounts of bass too. We would still add a soundbar to this TV but we wouldn’t be in a rush to do so.

Then there’s Ambilight in its four-sided form helps to reduce eye strain and also provides a fantastic complement to what’s on screen as the LEDs on the rear panel mirror the colours in whatever show or film that’s being watched. This OLED outs in an excellent all-round performance, and if you don’t have space for 55-inch screen, then we’d highly recommend this 48-inch option.

This model has been discontinued with the 48OLED808 available, but if though on paper it’s a brighter performer, in the real world we don’t find it as bright as its predecessor. The 48OLED807 is still available while stocks last, and that’s the small Philips OLED we’d argue you should take a closer look at.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Philips 48OLED807

2023 was something of a banner year for TCL as it makes its mark on the TV market with aggressive pricing and feature packed TVs. The C845K is among the most impressive Mini LED TVs we’ve tested, especially for its price.

It’s available for around £1000 for the 65-inch model, which puts it among the Hisense U7K and more affordable than the Samsung QN85C for rivals. While we won’t say this TV is perfect, it’s a better performer than the Hisense model and more cost effective than its Samsung equivalent.

Picture performance is an area that greatly impressed our reviewer. The TCL C845K’s out of box settings require tweaking and for those confident enough to do so, the C845K is capable of excellent contrast thanks to 576 local dimming zones in its Mini LED backlight. This helps to create convincing blacks and spectacular levels of brightness (we measured up to 2200 nits), alongside bold colours. Sony’s XR-65X95L is a much more capable TV in this respect, but it’s also £500 more expensive.

The 65845K’s 70W sound system can pump out a sound that’s loud but retains detail and offers an impressive amount of bass. When pushed to its limits it does sound coarse, with some bass distortion bass, but the speaker’s performance is much better than TVs that cost more than it does.

In terms of features there is HDMI 2.1 support with 4K/120Hz, ALLM and VRR, as well as Dolby Vision Gaming. An input of lag of 15ms is good and can be cut down further with games that support 120Hz frame rates. HDR support includes Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG, and HDR10+, so the TCL can play nice and optimise colour and brightness with those formats ensuring the best picture quality that the C85K is capable of.

Google TV is a much more attractive and well organised upgrade on its Android TV predecessor, although it doesn’t currently feature support for the UK catch-up apps. Anyone who buys this TV should request a free Roku streaming stick from TCL to get access to the apps.

Roku’s smart TVs have enjoyed much success in the US, and for the past few years they’ve been teaming up with manufacturers such as Hisense and TCL to bring some of that magic to the UK. In the TCL 55RC630K Roku TV, they’ve served up their best model to date, winning our best affordable TV award.

This set is only available in the UK, and in our view, it’s good as you can get for a budget TV at its price. The design is sensible and easy to assemble, as well as being tall enough to slip a soundbar beneath its frame should you want to, something that wasn’t as easy to do with the Toshiba UK4D.

The Roku smart interface places an emphasis on simplicity rather than flash, but it works because of its accessibility and the range of features it supports. A wide range of voice assistants are supported, though through an external device and not natively, and there’s AirPlay 2 and Apple HomeKit, which aren’t features often supported by cheaper TVs.

There’s a massive amount of apps with all the big names such as Disney+ and Netflix, along with the UK catch-up apps through Freeview Play. The interface itself is fast to scroll through and easy to navigate, better than the interfaces we used on the Panasonic LX800 and Samsung BU8000. The Roku mobile app is even better, and also features a few more advanced picture settings too.

The TCL 55RC630K isn’t built for high-end gaming with only ALLM supported for putting the TV into its game mode mode. We measured latency at 11.5ms, which is quick for any telly.

Boasting a QLED screen, the TCL 55RC630K puts in a decent HDR performance for its price. We measured peak brightness at 386 nits on a 10% window, which isn’t enough to really give a great sense of what HDR can do, but the QLED screen does present good-looking colours and accomplished looking skin-tones with HDR content.

Contrast isn’t as strong as what you can get if you spend more, but there is support for HDR10+ and Dolby Vision to assist. However, we did find that both HDR formats could benefit from being a little more precision and impact with HDR content. Upscaling is an improvement over the past TCL Roku model with more colour and vibrancy to images, as well as a better sense of sharpness and clarity. The TCL Roku won’t make content look better than it is, but for its price point it’s a competent performance. 

The audio system is more than competent. Bass is surprisingly punchy, there’s fine levels of detail and clarity to what we watch, and dialogue is always clear in tone. There’s also a Dialogue Enhancer to help boost what people are saying, and we found it worked effectively.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: TCL 55RC630K Roku TV