9 best 4K TVs for a needle-sharp viewing experience

Best: 55in 4K TV

• Screen size: 55in
• Display Technology: OLED
• HDR compatibility: HDR10, HLG, HDR10+, Dolby Vision
• Dimensions: 1,225mm x 761mm x 78mm plus stand
• Audio: Dolby Atmos

Panasonic’s OLED TVs have sensational picture quality, and this is the best yet. Most of that is down to the latest image processing engine called HCX Pro, designed and tuned in conjunction with Hollywood professionals to create a picture that matches what the programme- or film-maker intended. This includes a brighter display than previous Sony TVs offered but also delicate accuracy at the other end of the scale, doing justice to dark elements of a picture. The image quality here is sensational, across the board.

Sound is often neglected on flatscreen TVs: now that most have tiny frames around the picture, it’s hard to hide decent speakers. Panasonic’s solution is to place strong, upward-firing speakers on the back, making this TV easily the best for Dolby Atmos audio, and it certainly sounds much better than most TVs. The interface is very appealing, with easy shortcuts to apps and a great overall look.

Read the full Panasonic TX-55HZ2000b review

Best: For audio quality

• Screen size: 48in
• Display Technology: OLED
• HDR compatibility: HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision
• Dimensions: 1070mm x 620mm x 58mm plus stand
• Audio: Stereo

Most manufacturers of OLED screens tend to focus on bigger screen sizes. Sony’s first 48in telly will suit smaller rooms and offers an outstanding picture. That’s down to the processor, called the Sony X1, which analyses each element in the picture to better display it onscreen. It’s also extremely good on elements like contrast and eliminating motion blur, which can be a problem for less proficient panels.

Android TV is the operating system here and it comes with lots of apps, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ all easily accessible. Sony takes an adventurous approach to audio, using speaker hardware on the back which actually vibrates the screen to create the sound. It sounds great (and doesn’t distort the picture) and the audio feels properly anchored to the image.

Best: QLED 4K screen

• Screen size: 55in
• Display Technology: QLED
• HDR compatibility: HDR10, HLG, HDR10+
• Dimensions: 1,228mm x 795mm x 35mm plus stand
• Audio: Stereo

This is a QLED TV, a technology pioneered by Samsung. It means it’s an LCD screen with LED backlight but the Q refers to quantum dots, a layer of minuscule dots which acts like a filter to deliver more heavily saturated colours that are more precisely defined. All of which helps to create deep black hues where they’re needed.

Because it’s LED it is noticeably brighter than OLED screens – handy if your living room is brightly lit – and can make for a more exciting and lively picture. The image quality is sharp and detailed, even if the content is not native 4K and is being upscaled by the TV. Samsung has its own operating system, which works well and is easy to use.

Best: User interface

• Screen size: 55in
• Display Technology: OLED
• HDR compatibility: HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision
• Dimensions: 1,230mm x 710mm x 47mm plus stand
• Audio: Dolby Atmos

LG’s CX range is exceptional, and comes in four sizes, from 48in up to 77in. LG makes the OLED panels that rival TV companies use, too, so it’s no surprise that it can make its own TVs look tremendous. This one looks great with lots of details in both bright and shadowy parts of a scene, and outstanding contrast.

The results are spectacular. LG’s user interface is second-to-none, a clever and accessible system called webOS, with rows of icons guiding you to different apps and inputs. Despite being a very slim TV, it also manages to sound good with plenty of power and decent bass.

Best: 65in 4K TV

• Screen size: 65in
• Display Technology: OLED
• HDR compatibility: HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision
• Dimensions: 1448mm x 836mm x 52mm plus stand
• Audio: Dolby Atmos

Like the other Sony above, this TV features acoustic surface audio, that is, the screen is the speaker, vibrating invisibly to produce the sound and ensuring that the audio is perfectly tied to the image. It can even be tuned to suit your room thanks to a clever acoustic audio calibration system which is quick and effective.

The image is pretty immaculate, thanks to the X1 Ultimate, Sony’s most advanced processor, which excels at upscaling content to suit the 4K panel. Colours look perfectly judged, and completely natural, even when the engine adds HDR effects to content not made in HDR. If the impressive 65in model is too big, it comes in smaller sizes, too.

Best: For movies

• Screen size: 55in
• Display Technology: OLED
• HDR compatibility: HDR10, HLG, HDR10+, Dolby Vision
• Dimensions: 1,228mm x 772mm x 58mm plus stand
• Audio: Dolby Atmos

Unlike the Panasonic TX-55HZ2000 above, this TV doesn’t have big upward-firing speakers on the back. But it’s also much cheaper and while it’s not as exceptional sounding as the pricier TV, it still has good audio. If you have, or are going to buy, a soundbar, then this may be a better option.

Picture quality is extremely strong with depth, precision and plenty of punch. The same excellent operating system as on the best buy above makes this an enjoyable-to-use TV. The supplied stand lets the TV swivel for the perfect viewing angle.

Best: For picture processing

• Screen size: 55in
• Display Technology: OLED
• HDR compatibility: HDR10, HLG, HDR10+, Dolby Vision
• Dimensions: 1,228mm x 706mm x 58mm plus stand
• Audio: Dolby Atmos

Ambilight is the name of a clever Philips speciality which plays light on the wall behind the screen, using LEDs that change colour to match what’s on screen. The effect is to enhance the main picture and make it more immersive. Philips claims this also makes it more restful on the eyes – you certainly notice its absence when you switch to a regular TV.

This model has Ambilight on the top, left and right edges. On full, it can be distracting, but set at a gentler level gives a great effect. Picture quality is enhanced by artificial intelligence (AI) in the TV’s processor. AI is widely bandied about in the world of tech but here it’s to indicate that the TV’s brain knows to look for discrete image elements such as nature, face, motion and so on. The appropriate processing can then be applied. Poor processing looks terrible but here it’s done with taste and restraint and the results are good.

Best: 50in 4K TV

• Screen size: 50in
• Display Technology: LED LCD
• HDR compatibility: HDR10, HLG
• Dimensions: 1,127mm x 656mm x 86mm plus stand
• Audio: Stereo

Roku devices are neat streaming boxes, and the Hisense TV uses the same interface, which makes it great if you’re keen on using streaming apps for much of your viewing. This 50in TV is certainly very keenly priced and has a lot going for it. While it doesn’t support every HDR platform, and sometimes the HDR content looks less impressive than it might, this is still a proficient 4K TV with a smooth and responsive interface.

Best: For gaming

• Screen size: 50in
• Display Technology: LED LCD
• HDR compatibility: HDR10, HLG, HDR10+, Dolby Vision
• Dimensions: 1,120mm x 651mm x 63mm plus stand
• Audio: Dolby Atmos

This mid-range TV is a great all-rounder and offers a lot of great features for a very keen price. The LED LCD display looks great, with authentic colours and extremely good upscaling. It’s not OLED but in some situations it almost comes close with plenty of lush elegance and smooth motion.

It does this with a feature called intelligent frame creation which creates extra frame images to make panning movements slicker, for instance. There’s an automatic low-latency mode for gaming, which spots when a games console is connected. There are only three HDMI ports on this TV, instead of the more common four.