The best OLED TV is the type of TV you should be aiming for. 8K always seems like the sunset most people should be chasing, but if you've seen firsthand what an OLED can do, there's no disputing that it's worth saving for. The OLED managed to establish itself right before the PS5 and Xbox Series X launched, and this was perfect, as OLED TVs (particularly from LG) became known for offering the best gaming performance and presentation.
The best OLED TVs' deep blacks, profound contrast, and vibrant colours aren't matched by many and offer a level of quality that regular LED LCD TVs seemingly can't match. A lot of them appear in our best gaming TV guide, too, and are the top pick for film lovers as well. Just when you thought they couldn't get much better, some even offer G-Sync compatibility (at least some LGs do) which makes them contenders for large-screen PC gaming.
Still need convincing? OLED handles motion better than LED LCD TVs too. Fast-moving action looks crisper, less smudgy, which makes for ultra-fine gaming detail so some of these will just be some of the best TVs for PS5 and Xbox Series X and the best 120Hz 4K TVs too. There are caveats though. Most significantly OLED can be prone to image retention, also known as burn-in. A static image left for hours on end can create a permanent shadow on the panel. Helpfully, makers of the best OLED TVs acknowledge this and employ a variety of countermeasures to make sure this doesn’t happen. Various techniques, including pixel rotation and screensavers, combat the issue. But it’s best not to tempt fate.
The best OLED TVs in 2023
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The C1 is the best OLED TV for new-gen gamers, and it offers terrific performance and for a fraction less than its G1 brethren (see below).
With four 4K 120Hz-capable HDMI inputs, plus a dedicated Game Optimizer control panel, it's primed and ready for the demands of a PS5 or Xbox Series X and when you throw in some of that sweet, sweet LG-famous premium image quality you are laughing. Offering deep blacks, vibrant hues, and almost three-dimensional levels of details, this is an OLED TV to be ogled.
Motion handling has also had a tweak. TruMotion Smooth is still around if you like a slick interpolated look, but there’s also a Cinematic Movement option that does something clever with frame merging, so movies always look cinematic and film-like. It works well. HDR performance is also extremely good. The C1 supports Dolby Vision, HDR10, HGiG, and HLG. There’s no support for HDR10+ though.
The set is available in a wide range of screen sizes, beginning at 48-inches (although this offers no appreciable cost saving over the step-up 55-incher), and boasts a powerful new processor, in the shape of LG’s 4th Gen Alpha 9 chipset. AI plays a role on the audio front too: AI Sound Pro upscales stereo and 5.1, and there’s a Dolby Atmos decoder on-board.
If you’re looking to take home a premium OLED performer, the LG C1 is the obvious front-runner.
Definitely look out for this one at the top of the Black Friday LG TV deals that are nearly here too.
Gloriously slim, with class-leading luminosity, this first QD-OLED from Samsung is eye-catching in every sense and could be the ground-breaking new Tv for PS5 or Xbox Series X we've all been waiting for.
Combining the characteristic OLED black levels with the high peak brightness and the expanded colour volume of Quantum Dot technology, the S95B is a superb choice - particularly if you prefer to use your TV in a room with high levels of ambient light.
All four HDMI inputs are v2.1 and support 4K 120fps sources, while there's also VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) with NVIDIA and AMD FreeSync support, plus ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode). Samsung also has a dedicated Game Hub interface. Input lag is low in Game mode; we measured it at 9.6ms (1080/60). HDMI 3 also has eARC, for use with a Dolby Atmos soundbar.
The smart platform of choice here is Samsung’s Tizen. It has a wide variety of streaming services on tap (Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, AppleTV+, BBC iPlayer, to name just a few), as well as Samsung’s own TV Plus IP-delivered channel service. It’s also compatible with SmartThings-connected devices.
Of course, the key attraction of the S95B is its QD-OLED panel and matching Neural Quantum Processor. The latter uses AI-driven Optimization to manage sound and vision, so you don’t need to think too much about it. The image quality is spectacular. The level of detail is excellent, and its HDR performance is remarkable. We measured peak HDR brightness in excess of 1400 nits. Unfortunately, there’s no support for Dolby Vision, but you do get HLG, HDR10, and HDR10+ compatibility. It’s not just peak HDR brightness which glows: the set’s average picture level is high and this makes it easy to view in bright rooms, but can make for a fatiguing watch. It’s not subtle, and even the Game mode looks overwrought. On the plus side, 4K 120fps playback is buttery smooth.
All things considered, the Samsung S95B is a highly impressive QD-OLED debut. Its peak brightness is phenomenal, and colour depth is high. It never looks particularly cinematic though, and even in Game mode, pictures can seem over-saturated. Some will love the presentation though, and for them it might just be the best OLED TV going.
Read more: Samsung S95B review
The first of LG's 2022 OLED TV range that we've seen, the C2 is a feature-packed, high-end 4K OLED with novel Brightness Boosting technology and a full fist of gaming support that we couldn't help but fall in love with during our testing. It's an early contender for best OLED TV of 2022, for sure - but doesn't straight-up replace its predecessors, the C1 and C2, due to their quality, and this set's high price tag.
At the heart of the C2 is an all-new processor: the Alpha 9 Gen 5. It’s this that powers the set's Brightness Boosting technology, which uses algorithms to enhance the brightest areas of an image in real-time and improve HDR handling. The result is a big improvement on last year’s C1 model. We found the overall image quality to be outstanding, with superb clarity, zero banding, and fabulous shadow detail.
Gaming chops are strong in this TV: all four HDMI inputs are v2.1 certified and support 4K 120Hz; and there’s extensive VRR compliance too, including NVIDIA G-Sync and AMD FreeSync. Throw in the set’s Game Optimizer that puts all key gaming parameters in one place, and an input lag of 13.1ms (1080/60), and you can see why this has all the makings of one of the best 120Hz 4K TVs of 2022, hands down.
The TV sports a slick new cosmetic design that should keep fashionistas happy, and we love LG’s cosmetic tweaks: the bezel is virtually non-existent, and the panel also sits on a more conventional central pedestal, which reduces the need for wide AV furniture. As for tweaks on the inside, there's a very well-appointed smart platform, webOS 22, which comes with all key streaming services, including Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, and Apple TV. It’s compatible with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa smart systems, too, for voice control of inputs and channels, as well as content search when used alongside LG’s own ThinQ AI platform.
Overall, we found this to be - perhaps predictably - a truly stunning OLED display, and while there’s a high price to pay for being so absolutely fabulous, particularly when compared to its C1 predecessor, it's so worth it, and absolutely one of the best OLED TVs of 2022.
If the C1's availability does grind to a halt - as expected - soon then the C2 will be the best OLED TV to go for.
Read more: LG OLED C2 review
The A80J is one of Sony’s sleeper hits and is the second tier of their OLED range. As such, it boasts incredible picture quality in SDR and HDR thanks to Sony’s impressive Cognitive Processor XR. Movies are beautifully rendered in a cinematic film that is true to the director's intent. The exceptional contrast of OLED is put to excellent use here with deep inky blacks and clear, bright highlights. It’s not the brightest TV in the world but viewing it in the daytime and in bright lights was still a pleasant experience.
It supports Dolby Atmos Audio on top of doing native 3D surround upscaling of any audio source going into the TV. The TV can also live scan your room to best calibrate the sound. We found the sound adequate but like most TVs, a sound bar is recommended.
As a premium TV, the A80J comes with all the essentials. It has 4 HDMI 2.1 ports with two that support ALLM and VRR for 4K 120Hz gaming. Gaming is fantastic on this screen thanks to the 120 Hz refresh and low latency under 10ms. It only recently got a firmware update that brought VRR but its implementation isn’t as seamless and smooth as that on LG or Samsung TVs. And unlike competitors, there isn’t a dedicated Game mode interface to fine-tune the TV’s gaming settings.
Overall, the Sony A80J is a great alternative to LG when browsing for the best OLED TV - even though it won't quite match their gaming prowess.
Read more: Sony A80J review
This Sony A90K OLED TV might be relatively bijou, but it’s packed with advanced picture-making tech. Also available in a 48-inch version, this set shines as both a near-field gaming monitor, an everyday TV, and a fine small-scale OLED TV.
The star of the show, and key to its outstanding image clarity, is Sony's Cognitive Processor XR, which cleverly prioritises the elements of an image that our eyes naturally focus on. The result is a presentation that’s always detailed and dynamic. The A90K looks great with 4k streaming services, and the 4K 120fps gameplay is velvety smooth.
A downsized version of Sony’s Acoustic Surface Audio+ delivers crisp audio, courtesy of actuators that vibrate the screen. This technology works fine for dialogue clarity, but falls short when it comes to bass depth; the A90K can sound a little thin. There are four HDMI inputs, two of which are v2.1 enabled and capable of 4k 120fps playback. These also support VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) and ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode). One of the v2.1 inputs supports eARC but that happens to be one of the HDMI 21. ports... The set also has two USB inputs, a digital optical audio output, and Ethernet for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity.
Overall HDR performance is good, with high peak brightness measured at 700 nits with a 5 percent patch. HDR support covers Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG, but there’s no compatibility with HGiG, the HDR gaming standard. Connect a PlayStation 5 and you’ll benefit from Auto HDR Tone Mapping and Auto Genre Picture mode selection, which is useful. Input lag is average though, just 15ms (1080/60).
Overall, the Sony A90K is a superb-looking small-screen OLED TV, but be aware of the niggles before you buy.
Read more: Sony A90K review
LG’s G2 is a 4K flagship OLED TV with an artful side. It's gifted the best panel technology available from LG Display, and an artful hang-on-the-wall design (no pedestal for furniture mounting supplied). And it's quite the statement as one of the best OLED TVs that money can buy.
Significantly, it offers the best picture performance we’ve yet seen from LG, benefitting from Brightness Boosting technology and an advanced Alpha 9 Gen 5 processor able to optimise picture brightness and HDR performance. It’s here the G2 literally shines, expanses of white have a glorious luminosity, while contrasty HDR peaks sparkle on the screen.
The Alpha 9 Gen 5 processor is extremely powerful. It’s great with native 4k and uses deep learning to enhance HD upscaling by determining genre and scene information, to inform interpolation. There’s also AI object enhancement, a technique able to make foreground and background elements appear more distinct from one another, thereby giving a greater sense of depth to images. In terms of HDR compatibility, there's Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10, and HLG, as well as HGiG, the HDR gaming standard.
All four HDMI inputs support 4K 120Hz video playback, and VRR extends to NVIDIA G-Sync and AMD FreeSync and input lag is low at 13ms (1080/60). There’s also a handy onscreen Game Optimizer menu that collects relevant game settings for quick inspection. All of this results in a superb OLED TV that'll change the way you experience films, TV shows, and games.
The LG BX is the jumping-on point for LG’s OLED models, undercutting its CX stablemate by some margin. There are two key reasons for this. Firstly, it uses a step-down third-generation Alpha 7 image processor, as opposed to the latest Alpha 9 chip, and secondly, it has two v2.1 HDMI inputs (although this still puts it ahead of much of the competition).
Neither compromises are deal-breakers. Having two 4K 120FPS inputs means you're still covered for both the PS5 and Xbox Series X. Secondly, the remaining HDMIs support 4k 60Hz, which isn’t too shabby. There's also eARC support, for use with a soundbar or home cinema system, plus VRR with NVIDIA G-SYNC compatibility, and ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode). The BX definitely still has game!
The set’s picture quality is impressive. It may lack the refinement of the CX’s Alpha 9 chippery, but when it comes to box-set binging or real-world gaming, you’re not going to feel short-changed. LG’s webOS smart platform is also undiminished, offering a wide choice of streaming apps - Netflix, Twitch, Now TV, Prime Video, and Disney+ - but with no Freeview Play on UK models, catch-up TV choice is rather more limited.
LG’s ThinQ AI technology works with Google and Amazon digital Assistants, for voice control of volume and channels, and is compatible with Homekit and Apple AirPlay 2. LG’s HDR support covers Dolby Vision, HLG, and standard HDR10, and for the most part is really effective with things like fleeting highlights, like fireworks and lighting FX.
All things considered, a bargain and definitely worthy of a place in the best OLED TV conversation.
If top interior designers happened to be gamers, they would buy the LG G1. This newest contender for best OLED TV is a near-perfect blend of high design and cutting edge gaming features, and is truly a statement TV.
That said, the no-compromise design won’t be for everyone as the G1 is specifically designed for wall-mounting - it doesn't even ship with feet or a pedestal (they’re an optional extra). This will irk some folk. However, if you can work past this, then you're in for a treat.
The G1 is the first OLED we’ve seen to use LG’s new Evo panel. Designed to give a brighter HDR performance, it certainly delivers on this promise: the G1 delivers the best HDR performance yet from LG. Combine this with the brand’s latest 4th Gen Alpha 9 image processor, and a host of AI picture enhancement technologies, it offers a stunning picture, with wonderful detail and top-notch motion handling.
Connectivity is impressive too. All four HDMI inputs are v2.1 and ready for 4K 120Hz gameplay. The G1 also supports ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), VRR G-Sync, and VRR AMD Freesync.
Elsewhere, to finish, LG has revamped its menus for 2021 and includes a new Game Optimizer interface that allows in-depth tuning, including game genre selection, based on game style. We’re really impressed.
Much like the C1 however, this model could cease to be available soon. Snap it up while you can for sure, but if it does go out of stock, then the G2 is next inline for your premium OLED TV chasers.
Best OLED TV: FAQs
Which brand of OLED TV is best?
Well, when considering the best OLED TVs, this is the big question. However, there is no clear answer for the outright, objective best brand - there just can't be. The best will often be tested and approved by the eye of the beholder.
But, it's clear that LG is the most popular and often tick all the right boxes, particularly from a gaming perspective, while Sony's OLEDs are also thought of in extremely high regard - but often demand a bit more of a premium. You can't go wrong with either of those but budget-friendly makers like Vizio and Panasonic are starting to crank out some more attractive OLED panels too.
What are the disadvantages of OLED TV?
Kudos for asking this, as it shows you're being very thorough. The main, commonly spoken about disadvantages that OLED TVs have is the potential for screen burn-in (where pictures, artefacts, and outlines can still be seen on the screen long after it's been turned off), degradation over time, and a relatively higher price tag. However, especially in the most modern TVs, the burn-in is not really a problem that's proved to have an impact, the degradation over time is not unique to OLEDs as other screen types will, naturally, get weaker over time - but the cost factor is something that remains. Particularly on those higher-end Sony models, it's clear that some extra investment is required.
Do OLED TVs degrade over time?
In the most reductive and simplest of answers, yes, they do. However, much has been made of screen burn and OLED TV degradation - basically to the point of gross exaggeration and misrepresentation. And those two factors are important to separate. The latter (degradation) will happen naturally just through the effects of old Father Time - with each diode emitting its own light, this will fade ever so slightly over time. The former, screen burn, is a potential factor to be aware of but in real terms is easy to avoid.
You'll still get thousands and thousands and thousands of hours out of one of the best OLED TVs, so whenever these concerns are thrown around, they are usually just things to be aware of.
Want to check out some of the latest TV deals at the best retailers? These stores often have some excellent sales running:
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If you prefer your screens enormously big, then check out the best 4K projector and best projector for PS5 and Xbox Series X.
If you're after more specialist TVs and love a winter deal then prepare for the 4K 120Hz Black Friday deals, Black Friday 75-inch TV deals, and Black Friday PS5 and Xbox Series X TV deals too.
